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Granny Square Love

With everyone practicing social distancing and staying at home over the past year, we’ve seen a tremendous growth in crochet and knitting. Whether you’re new to the crafts or not, you probably already know how comforting the rhythm of creating stitches with your yarn and weapon (hook or needle) of choice can be. The art of making has always influenced ready-to-wear trends, but we’re seeing the influence more and more. Trends like “cottagecore,” “grannycore,” and “soft retro” are popping up in ready-to-wear fashion. One way these trends have been expressed has been through granny squares, and it has us all inspired to crochet beautiful projects!

Too often when people refer to crochet patterns I hear “this is not your grandma’s crochet,” but in truth, it is your grandma’s crochet with a modern twist and there is no doubt that it should be celebrated! Just take a look at some of the statement pieces pictured above. Each of these garments contains granny squares, though some are infused with knit and fabric accents. My favorite is definitely the Flower Stripe Crochet Sweater by Farm Rio. It’s bright, bold, and beautiful! This trend embraces delicate floral motifs with soft pastels and vibrant pops of color with more traditional motifs alike.

Yonca is working on some delightfully colorful granny squares to create a crochet cardigan of her own. She’s using Wool Pop in an assortment of fun colors, all accented with cream.

As I mentioned earlier, everyone in the office is currently drooling over these unique designs. Yonca, our amazing sales director, was so inspired by the crochet pieces she noticed at Anthropologie that she decided to start her own. I always love Yonca’s designs and admire her ability to improvise when designing. She does this stuff on the fly and it’s so impressive. By contrast, I tend to plan and write most of my patterns in advance because I’m usually not the person actually knitting or crocheting my designs. Although, when I get to make them myself, I definitely improvise a bit!

This cute little square features a circular center in colors that remind me of a gorgeous, sunny day. She’s creating these motifs in a variety of colors of Wool Pop. The colors in the square pictured here are 602 Cream, 624 Blueberry, and 621 Dijon.

While we patiently await Yonca’s completed design, let’s take a look at a couple of patterns we offer that feature glorious granny squares.

Cove in Unity 105 Wolf and Unity Beyond 205 Coral Wash

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a crochet expert, but granny squares are my favorite thing to crochet. They’re so quick and satisfying and are perfectly portable for when you’re on the go. When we were working on designs for our Lakeside Retreat collection in 2019 I knew I wanted to play with granny squares. One of my favorite pieces in the collection is the Cove cardigan worked in Unity and Unity Beyond. Generally speaking, crochet pieces add interest to any ensemble, but the yarn used in this design takes it a step further. The thick-thin, slightly nubby characteristics of Unity and Unity Beyond create texture that can really elevate simple pieces.

Simple, solid granny square motifs in two colors make up the lower portion of this design. A lacy motif decorates the shoulders and tops of the sleeves, allowing you to enjoy the breeze. The edging and sleeves are worked in double crochet. If you’re looking for the perfect spring cardigan, there is no doubt that Cove is for you!

The Mod Tiles Cardi in Deluxe DK Tweed.

Another personal favorite is the Mod Tiles Cardi, worked using Deluxe DK Tweed. This design is perfect for autumn. Sure, it may be spring, but it’s never too early to get a kick-start for cool weather. Plus, this would be perfect for chilly evenings throughout the spring and summer.

The classic collar, button-front, and floral motifs definitely give this design a retro vibe, but cropped sleeves and drop shoulders transform it into a modern piece. Deluxe DK Tweed features flecks of tweed and offers a rustic appeal. However, if you favor a brighter, bolder color scheme, you might enjoy the saturated hues of Dona instead. The cardigan requires six colors – one main color and five contrasting colors. If you’re feeling really playful, pick an even larger palette of colors – the options are endless!

While I wanted to focus specifically on garments today, I couldn’t let the opportunity to share a few other granny square patterns pass. A great, lightweight accessory is the Rita Cowl in Donnina. This mobius design features three neutral colors in beautiful motif – it’s lightweight and loose-fitting, making it great for rainy spring days. If garments and accessories aren’t your thing, the Oasis Blanket in Adore will surely sate your desire to make granny squares. Finally, Jennifer Olivarez created the clever Roundabout Bag using Yashi. I love how her color pairing and the way the striped squares wrap around the sides of the bag. This is a modern and sophisticated bag – what’s not to love?

Are you feeling inspired to create your own granny-square projects? We’d love to hear which of these lovely projects are your favorites!

Happy crocheting!

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Bella Cash Socktober Mystery Knitalong – Week 1

Happy Socktober! This year we’ve decided to celebrate with a mystery sock knitalong! I’m so excited about this month-long event and hope you’ll join in on the fun. We’re using the unsung hero of sock yarns, Bella Cash. Bella Cash is a yarn that blends extra fine merino, cashmere, and nylon for projects that are luxurious, soft, and durable.
Use this graphic on Ravelry and on social media to share about the knitalong.
Let’s start with the knitty-gritty. Each week in October I’ll be revealing a different portion of the pattern with you in the following order:

9/30/20: Week 1 – Colors

10/7/20: Week 2 – The Cuff

10/14/20: Week 3 – The Leg

10/21/20: Week 4 – The Foot

10/28/20: Week 5 – The Toe & Heel

11/4/20: Week 6 – Wrap-up

If you join, we’d love for you to spread the love and share your progress on social media using the hashtag #UYSocktoberMKAL and tagging us on Instagram (link) and Facebook (link). Join in with chatter here on the blog and in our Ravelry forum (link). Please add your project to Ravelry, too! You can find the Ravelry listing here (link). You can use the graphic above and on the Ravelry listing for your project page, too.

Does the thought of knitting something without knowing what it will look like first scare you? Not to worry – you can find spoiler images here (link).

Now that we’ve covered the details, let’s dive into the first week!
This week is all about preparing to knit your socks. The first thing you’ll need to do is choose your colors. The first segment of the pattern is available now (link) and it includes a bunch of information about choosing colors that make your heart sing. Everyone in the office is joining, and I’m going to share our color choices with you today.
I’ll start with my own color choices. Put simply, I wanted my socks to exude all of the autumn vibes. I chose two colors with subtle contrast and one color to pop among them. I looked to colorful autumn squash, pumpkins, and gourds for inspiration. That’s actually why I’ve named these the Sweet Dumplin’ Socks. They’re named after the delicious and colorful variety of squash (bonus recipe ideas here!).
You can’t have a knitalong solo, so I was thrilled when Aubrey, Heather, and Yonca told me they wanted to join. I asked each of them to tell me a little bit about their color selections.
Fellow designer and Instagram maven, Aubrey, chose colors that remind me of Valentine’s Day. Here is what she had to say:

“I’m a die-hard romantic, and I love nature. I chose to pick a trio that expressed the contrast between softness and harshness found in nature. In this case roses – my favorite (very romantic) flowers, and marble. I’ve always loved gemstones and geology. I’m so looking forward to wearing my socks while I indulge in some favorite movies and warm tea during the cold months coming up!“

Her selection is so beautiful, and it’s lovely to see the vibrant pink hue paired with two neutrals. It makes me picture a vase of beautiful pink roses on a gorgeous marble countertop.
When Heather, our social media connoisseur, agreed to join, my initial hunch was that she’d choose some blissful blues for her socks. She surprised me, though, with this earthy color combination.

“When I heard about Rachel’s concept for fall socks, I decided to lean into it. Normally I go for blue tones, but this time I decided to embrace the season. I’m calling mine Hot Choco Sockos, and am looking forward to sipping some marshmallow-topped hot chocolate while wearing my completed socks. Rachel actually shared a really great spicy hot cocoa recipe last winter that I’m going to use. You can find it here.”

As an autumn-colors gal, I’m smitten with this combination! They are aptly named, and I’m pretty sure a nice mug of Mexican hot chocolate would be perfect for sipping between rows while knitting.
Last, but certainly not least is Yonca, our fabulous managing director. I love her combination of a beautiful jewel tone with a pretty pastel and snowy white. When I asked her about her colors, here is what she said:

“I’ve always loved shades of pink and purple, but for some reason, I haven’t worn those colors in years. This knitalong seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce a little more color to my wardrobe.”

I love how different all of our colors are. There is nearly no overlap between our color choices. With 26 colors of Bella Cash to choose from, there is a virtual cornucopia of color combinations.
The color wheel is a useful tool for understanding how colors interact with one another.
In this week’s portion of the pattern, I chat a little bit about how you can use the color wheel as a tool for helping you choose colors. You’re probably already familiar with the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, as well as the secondary colors: orange, green, purple. However, have you thought about how to use these colors together?

Looking at the color wheel I’ve created above, you can see arrows that point to colors that are complementary to one another. Complementary colors are opposite hues on the color wheel, for example, red and green. These colors create a strong contrast when placed next to one another. Choosing opposite colors would be a great starting point when selecting the main or contrast color for your socks. Take a look at the combination below for a great example of how you could combine complementary colors in your socks.
Left to Right: #102 Blush, #120 Pistachio, #101 Apple
You could also choose to use analogous colors. Analogous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. One example of this would be the colors between red and purple. Purple, pink, and red are analogous colors, which are shown in Bella Cash colors below.
Left to Right: #103 Violet, #117 Tulip, #118 Orchid
Monochromatic colors are all colors of the same hue. You might also refer to this as a gradient of colors – think of a greyscale, but all the same hue.
Left to Right: 120 Pistachio, 125 Emerald, & 126 Forest
Speaking of a greyscale, another factor to consider when selecting your colors is their value. Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color.
A greyscale is a great way to think about value of a color.
Like I mentioned earlier, I chose two colors with subtle contrast and one very dark color to pop among them. You could also choose colors that have a dark, medium, and light value so that each color pops even more. Aubrey’s palette is a great example of dark-medium-light. Notice how there is a clear distinction in the darkness and lightness between each of her colors. If you aren’t sure how your colors will look together, you can take a quick snapshot with your phone using black and white mode.
Need more inspiration? Take a look at the first part of the pattern. I highlight more color combinations and chat a bit about the color wheel, much like I’ve done in this post. Whatever colors you choose, I’m sure you’re going to create a beautiful pair of socks! What colors do you have in mind? Let us know in the comments below!

Thank you so much for starting this journey with me. Remember, you can find the pattern here (link). Don’t forget to use the hashtag #UYSocktoberMKAL, tag us on Facebook (link) and Instagram (link), and chatter away in our Ravelry group (link).

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Yarn Spotlight: Penna

Today, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at an upcoming design and gush about one of our lovely new yarns: Penna.
Penna in 110 Dovetail.
You might have noticed Penna pop up in your local yarn store recently. This lace-weight yarn is light as a feather, ridiculously soft, and has a beautiful halo. It is a blend of 50% baby Suri alpaca for a hazy effect, 28% extra fine merino for softness, and 22% nylon for strength. This yarn is a great alternative to laceweight mohair yarns, to which some people are more sensitive. The palette contains sixteen gorgeous colors.
Plume Cowl, shown in 111 Whisper, 112 Rose Kiss, & 113 Raspberry Tart.
One reason we brought this yarn in is because of its versatility. You can hold it as a single strand or as a carry-along with another yarn. If you’re holding it single, we recommend using a large needle for a loose, airy gauge. That’s what really makes this yarn shine. Take the Plume Cowl, for example. Knit at a gauge of 16 stitches over four inches with a suggested needle size of US 8 (5 mm), this accessory is like a cloud for your neck and shoulders. It’s as simple as can be – just seed stitch in the round, with a few color changes to create a nice gradient.
Penna in 113 Raspberry Tart placed on top of the Plume Cowl.
Personally, one thing I love about this yarn is that it pairs well with other yarns. I think it would look beautiful to add a halo to stash staples like Deluxe Worsted, but I wanted to see what Penna was like when held together with a self-shading or self-patterning yarn. We have quite a few of those, but the one that struck me as the most suitable match for Penna is Whisper Lace. Both yarns are so fine, the fabric they create together will still be lightweight. A blend of wool and silk, Whisper Lace is great for warmer weather and the transitional seasons – add the warmth and haze of baby Suri alpaca to that, and you can create perfect projects for autumn and winter.

That brings me to the original point of this post. I’m working on a design that pairs Whisper Lace and Penna. I’ve chosen Whisper Lace in 213 Cool Ripples – a blue and grey multi, with Penna in 110 Dovetail – a soft, warm grey. I love the way Penna and Whisper Lace are playing together. Solid-colored Penna softens the transitions from one color to the next in the Whisper Lace.
The beginnings of a crescent-shaped shawl knit in Whisper Lace and Penna.
You can see the humble beginning in the photo above. I decided a shawl would be the perfect project. Lately, I’ve been really into crescent-shaped shawls, so that is the shape I’ve chosen for this design. Four stitches are increased on each edge every right-side row, and two stitches are increased on each edge every wrong-side row. This is what creates the dramatic curve. I’m letting the yarn speak for itself here: nothing more than simple Stockinette stitch for most of the shawl. I plan to finish this project with an applied lace border. I’m undecided on whether I should use a solid, contrasting color for the border, or if I should stitch to stick to the pairing used throughout the rest of the shawl. Only time will tell, but I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments below.

Happy crafting!

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What are we working on?

When I decided to write a blog post today I was planning to focus on my Seamless Leaves pullover, but as I was taking photos, an idea popped into my head – why not share what everyone around the office is working on? I moseyed around the office asking our team about what they’re working on and whether I could take a few quick photos of their projects. Sadly, Yonca and Amy are out today (they surely deserve it after a busy weekend at Stitches West), so their own projects aren’t included.

First up: Seamless Leaves

W

Cottonwood is one of my favorite yarns. It’s eco-friendly and has so many beautiful colors to choose from.

I love so many of the projects in the new collection, Arboretum, featuring projects by the one and only Amy Gunderson using Fibra Natura Cottonwood. Each pattern in the Arboretum ebook is extremely wearable and tempting to cast on, especially when the temperature has been lingering in the 60s and 70s in North Carolina.  I decided that I needed to cast on a Seamless Leaves pullover for myself, and I wanted a basic, black version. Because of my inclination to knit things in deeply saturated colors (especially warm colors), I just don’t have enough neutral garments in my wardrobe. This project is my perfect solution.

I love the lightweight fabric created by Cottonwood. It’s wonderfully smooth and even with stitch definition that makes the raglan details on this pattern shine.

Even unblocked and worked in such a dark color, these details look great thanks to Cottonwood’s superb stitch definition.

Our sales team seems to be having an affair with two-at-a-time socks, toe-up socks.

Left: Krista’s socks in Pix, Right: Katie’s socks in Allegro

Here’s what Krista had to say about her project:

“I’m always working on a pair of socks.  Always.  For this project, I am using one of my favorite yarns, Pix, in the Paisley print.  They’re a plain vanilla pair (nothing but stockinette) using a basic short row heel.  I love how Pix works up in patterns as I’m knitting. This yarn makes a simple project very fun. Socks are perfect on-the-go knitting to keep in my bag.”

Here’s what Katie had to say about her beautiful WIP:

“I enjoy making socks, but I have Second Sock Syndrome and never learned how to do two-at-a-time socks.  Krista helped me with the cast-on and now I am loving it! I was even able to just knit at my daughter’s choir concert last night and didn’t mess up.  Woohoo; progress! I love the elasticity of Allegro. I am using the color Grape Sonata. I decided to do ribbing over the arch instead of just stockinette stitch because I love my store-bought socks with the ribbing on the foot.  We’ll see how it turns out!”

I’m sure they’re going to be perfect! If you’re also a sock knitter, you might be interested in one of our free sock patterns like this one, this one, or this one.

Finally, our social-media extraordinaire (and quite frankly, everything-extraordinaire!), Heather, showed me a deliciously squishy hat knit up in Poems Silk in the Baffin Island colorway. She told me she enjoys a simple hat project when she’s knitting at the movie theater. I have to say, this is always something that impresses me. Whenever I bring knitting to the theater I have the tendency to drop the occasional stitch or insert an unwanted yarn-over. Serious props to those of you who are successful in your endeavors in low-light knitting! Heather’s hat is looking great and we can’t wait to see the finished version.

That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed a little glimpse into some of our projects! We’d love to share more soon.