Jaime's Carpino Sweater

Those people over at Brooklyn Tweed have got to stop. Every time I turn around they are publishing another round of beautiful patterns and I have to knit them all. There's not enough time!! Sometimes I can get overwhelmed at so many beautiful things to knit, but Carpino was easy. It was love at first sight for this pattern by the charming Irish designer, Carol Feller. Carpino moved immediately to the top of my queue and as soon as I finished our last knit along I cast on. Everything about this pattern was effortless: I confidently chose my color, my gauge was right on, the pattern just used one needle size that I happened to have in my knitting bag from my last project. It was all so serendipitous! Carpino held up to all my expectations. It just flowed off my needles in a few weeks with no tinking or issues.

The front panel is done in a feminine and interesting simple lace design. The lace repeats over just 3 stitches and 4 rows so it was a cinch to memorize. The sweater is knit seamless from the top down so I could try it on as I went. I knit this up exactly per the instructions with no alterations and I love it. 

The back of the sweater is done in stockinette stitch with some subtle dart shaping for the waist and hips. The sleeves and bottom band are finished with a stylish twisted-rib stitch and the neck is professionally finished with an i-cord edge.

Loft is a lovely yarn to work with and comes in a beautiful palette - I am so happy with this forest-y green, color, Birdbook. The sweater is warm enough to wear in chilly weather, but not too hot to keep on all day indoors. The easy fit is comfortable and flattering to wear. I've already worn this about a dozen times and I'm already scheming another Loft sweater.

The best part about this sweater? It is my 10th and final sweater for 2013. I had a personal goal of a sweater a month for 2013, which I fell just shy of, but I'm so proud of myself and all my sweater accomplishments! Hooray!

TNNA Columbus Fun 2013!

--amber

Jaime and I had a pile o' fun and saw a million exciting new yarny things at the TNNA trade show in Columbus last weekend!

We debuted six new patterns for our Heirloom yarn, and re-released our classic My Favorite Sweater pattern--now featuring Heirloom as well.

Here is quick look at the trade show behind the scenes fun:

From left to right and from the top:
(1)Nebula--the newest yarn from Anzula--is a sparkle yarn that we ordered in dark, moody shades. Look for it to hit the shop in August. (2-3) Funtimes were had with Stephen West, designer extraordinaire and very fun person. (4) New colors were ordered in Madelinetosh + there is a new yarn coming that you will love! A.S.A.P. is Madtosh's new chunky yarn set to arrive in November, just in time for last minute gift knitting.  (5) Jaime and I had the joy of trying on samples from Annie Modesitt's book, History on Two Needles. Knit replica of the Sutton Hoo ceremonial mask? Amazing.

(6) The folks at Schacht are geniuses, they distributed the Zoom Loom (which we currently have in the shop)  for all the yarn companies to swatch up their yarns! We loved seeing how yarns from different companies worked in this little loom-ette. Our favorite was Knitted Wit's mini rainbow skeins--those will be coming soon for Zoom Loom-ing, knitting, crochet or embroidery fun.  (7-10) Lucky Cat we love you! We ordered some special fiber braids from this adorable spinning fiber company--crazy soft blends that include Possum, Angora, Yak, Camel down, Wild Silks and more! Look for these buttery soft blends in a few weeks.

(11-12) The Crafty Diversions booth was full of exciting things, like teatime with Ysolda! She has a book in the works that is going to be amazing! Miriam Felton was there with her upcoming collection, Modern Colorwork. We can't wait for all the exciting things these ladies have in the works!  (13) Carol Feller was signing copies of her soon-to-be-here book, Among Stones. (14-15) Funtimes were had with Cirilia Rose, including a pedicab race (which, btw, Jaime and I won) and exploring the streets of Columbus with our Stephen West knitting bags.

(16) The Meow Collection. Do I need to say more? Well okay, this hand-dyed BFL sock yarn comes in a range of colors based on our feline friends' coat colors. PLUS, $4 from every skein is donated to the Meow Foundation, a no-kill shelter helping abandoned cats find happy, permanent homes!  (17-18) Nerd alert! Jaime and I are so excited for the upcoming special issue Interweave magazines: unofficial Harry Potter Knits and Downton Abbey Knits! Also, Jaime found a hobbit. (19) One of The Fiber Factor challenge sweaters. Of course, Meghan Navoy's cat sweater is my favorite pick! We can't wait to see the judging of Challenge 2 this Friday, with Stephen West as one of the guest judges! (20) Freia Ombré and Freia Flux yarns will be here in September with all their soft stripey goodness!

(21) Jaime and I were happy to meet one of our favorite designers, Olga Buraya-Kefelian. She has new patterns arriving soon and we want to make them all! (22) A wall made of wool in the Blue Sky booth. (23) Look for the speckly goodness of The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze in the shop in September. (24-25) What! We even got to go visit with Anita of Sew to Speak and April Rhodes at their sewing shop in Columbus while we were there!

Keep an eye on our blog, instagram or facebook to be the first to know when all the newest goods arrive!

Donegal Tweed is Here from Ireland!

When Carol Feller visited us, she gushed about one of her favorite yarns, Soft Donegal Irish tweed. We fell head over heels for it when we saw her beautiful sweater designs in all this tweedy, soft goodness.

So we decided we must have it! It turned out to be quite the adventure, as this classic yarn isn't distributed here in the US. We went straight to the source and sought out Studio Donegal in Ireland.

This tweed has a softer hand than traditional tweeds. Soft Donegal uses a merino wool for this tweed, which means it is soft and cozy against the skin. It is the perfect tweed for sensitive skin.

We are already swatching in this yarn, so stay tuned to see what we make!

Maenad KAL Madness!

The Maenad knit-along was a smashing success! We started this KAL after our meet-and-greet with Irish knitwear designer Carol Feller. We fell in love with this shawl - it is beautiful knit with 2 colors of fingering-weight yarn and it is long enough to wrap around several times for added warmth. Eight fancy folks participated, making a total of nine shawls! Everyone agreed the shawl knit up surprisingly fast - the body is knit first and then the lace border is added after. Here are the results of our Maenad craze:

Some of the Maenad KAL superstars

I made my Maenad shawl with Anzula's Sebastian yarn, one of our most recent yarn additions to the shop. Working with this pretty seasilk/merino fingering weight yarn, I enjoyed each and every stitch of making my shawl. Upon seeing Sebastian at Anzula's trunk show, I immediately fell in love with the soft grey-brown Clay and paired it with Chipmunk for my Maenad.

Jaime knit her shawl using the mysterious colorways of Madelintosh Light Cosmos and Lowlands. Between the cosmos and the lowlands, her shawl encompasses all of the universe, and her new Maenad shawl transports her to magical fairy forests whenever she puts it on. (She made me write that.)

Angelique was pretty enamored with Carol Feller's sample Maenad, and used the same Noro sock yarn paired with Anzula Sebastian in Charcoal for the edging.

Betsy blew our minds by knitting not one, but two Maenads! Her first is in Madelinetosh Light, colorways Badlands and Twig--two yummy browns!

Betsy's second Maenad was knit in Scrumptious Lace. This Maenad uses just one color: Natural. It is so classy, delicate and lacy!

Sunne, our talented-to-the-max knitting instructor, whipped out her Maenad in no time, using Noro sock and Isager Spinni.

Adorable Samantha's Maenad is knit with a hand-dyed sock yarn she picked up at Estes Park Wool Market and Malabrigo Sock in Black for the lace edging. 

Pink used Noro sock in a self-striping magenta colorway that matches her signature pink hair! She trimmed it with a bright orange Malabrigo lace.


Thanks to all the amazing knitters who participated in our Maenad KAL!

Sebastian Yarn is Here from Anzula!

We fell hard for this yarn when Anzula was here for their trunk show.

Sebastian is a fingering weight blend of superwash Merino and Seacell fiber. A cellulose fiber derived from seaweed, the Seacell lends the yarn a beautiful sheen and drape, plus contains nutrients and vitamin E thought to benefit the skin! Sounds pretty wild, but what we know for sure--Sebastian feels like pure luxury!

The colors are all kettle dyed in small batches in Anzula's Fresno studio. We love the tonal solids and perfectly chosen hues.

I couldn't resist Sebastian and have just about finished my Maenad shawl in the soft grey-brown colors Clay and Chipmunk. I'm loving working with this yarn, it knits up beautifully!

Happy knitting!

Maenad KAL at Fancy Tiger Crafts!

Knit-along alert!
 
Jaime and I fell in love with Carol Feller's Maenad shawl when she recently came to the store for a trunk show. This lace edged shawl is extra long, perfect for wrapping a couple times around your pretty neck, or just draping over the shoulders.

We would love for you to join us in our Maenad KAL! We will be casting on next Tuesday, June 26th at Craft Night.

Come into the shop for your supplies and receive 15% off your yarns with the purchase of the Maenad pattern.

And here is a sneak peak at the yarns we chose for our shawls:

Jaime chose two colors of Madelinetosh Light--Cosmos and Lowlands--for her Maenad. The depth of color in this yarn makes us swoon.

I picked up two earthy hues of Sebastian by Anzula at their trunk show last night! I'll be knitting my Maenad in the colors Clay and Shiitake. Sebastian has a wonderful nubby, silky texture thanks to a blend of Seacell and Merino fibers. You can look forward to this pretty yarn being available in the store in August!

See you soon!
Amber & Jaime