HRYC
Summer projects for warm-weather making
With summer in full swing, i'm thinking about what to make with the beautiful BC Garn Allino we have in stock.
Allino is a blend of linen and cotton, making it cool and robust (the linen adds extra strength). Aside from making excellent dish cloths thanks to the extra scrubby ability from the linen, it is wonderful for a whole range of projects.
First up is a freebie, and a good chance to practice crochet if you're new to the craft or a bit rusty. The Crocheted Project Bag by Jessica Gore is available to download for free on the Sweater Collective website, and Allino would give nice structure to help the bag stand up.
Another crochet project, the Limonata pullover is found in both the Summer 2023 issue of Pom Pom and in the Pom Pom Crochet Anthology. Made up of sunny motifs, you could carry this one around in your crochet project bag for making circles while out and about.
For the knitters, Jessie Maed's Outline Raglan will let the drapey linen / cotton combo of Allino shine. Nice and simple knitting, too, for post-holiday brains.
Sari Nordlund's Cephisso cami is a cool layering piece. While it's designed for two yarns held together, these come to a DK weight so will work for Allino (make sure to check gauge).
A few of you have asked if I'll be getting in Sari's new book - and it is on the list. Pre-orders will available in the coming weeks.
Finally, a boxy tee by Veera Välimäki in the form of Hiesu Sweater. Allino will make the texture a bit crisper, and this one is about to go on my needles.
For Southern Hemisphere friends, I hope you are staying cool and enjoying the good weather!
Trend spotting: Vests
Kia ora! Here in Aotearoa New Zealand we are well into Spring, and for the last month or so i've been drafting this post. Time to get it onto the blog and shared with you.
So, vests - they seem to be the latest thing in fashion this year, and so expect to see a lot more of them around. I thought a run-down of some of my off-the-rack faves followed by options for handmade would be useful. The thing I like the most about current styles is that they are nice and boxy. As someone with boobs, I find fitted vests tricky to wear. Boxy vests also means not having to give up comfy slouchy tops and tees, either.
Buy it:
Twenty Seven Names Sleeveless in Seattle Vest
Make it:
Lighthearted Slipover by Clara Eggers [Ravelry Link]
Buy it:
Make it:
High Tide Shell by Lindsey Fowler [Ravelry Link]
Make it:
Daisied Vest by Eugenie Girou [Ravelry link]
Buy it:
Make it:
Yu by Valerie Ng, in Neons and Neutrals
Make it:
Roosty Tank Top by Ella Gordon [Ravely link]
Vests give us the chance to wear hand knits in these weird transition seasons that can be both hot and cold and everything in between. For the sleeve averse, it means no sleeves (hooray) and also much quicker knitting than a full sweater.
Happy knitting!
Bubble cardigan KAL
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about wanting to knit all the things....and then this week, Stephen West came out with the Bubble Cardigan.
Oh sweet woolliness above, I am in love. Doesn't it look so perfectly squishy and an excellent use of all those single skeins of 4ply we have floating around?
Because I can't help myself, and I know you can't either, let's do a KAL!
Oh sweet woolliness above, I am in love. Doesn't it look so perfectly squishy and an excellent use of all those single skeins of 4ply we have floating around?
Because I can't help myself, and I know you can't either, let's do a KAL!
Bubble cardigan KAL
use the hashtag #dutchbubbleKAL on instagram to join us
There are prizes!
They will be drawn at random, all you have to do is tag your project progress and we'll put you in the draw.
KAL will run from today until the end of August, and we can't wait to see your colour combos.
There are prizes!
They will be drawn at random, all you have to do is tag your project progress and we'll put you in the draw.
KAL will run from today until the end of August, and we can't wait to see your colour combos.
Prizes:
$100 gift voucher for Holland Road Yarn Co
Copy of 52 Weeks of Shawls
plus a few other things Tash can rustle up...tbc!
Yarny news and pattern round up
Over the last week i've had very itchy fingers, want to cast on all the things!
Firstly there's the great new release from Cinthia Vallet - Josie the Turtle.
As big fans of Franklin the turtle stories, Elliott has asked for to be made as soon as humanly possible.
Then there's the very cosy looking Odds and Ends cardigan from Tina Tse - an excellent way to use up all those random bits of yarn around the house.
Casting on a pair of socks for me is just right kind of comfort knitting - so I finally settled on making the Lempi socks by Rachel Coopey from 52 Weeks of Socks.
I'm still constantly flipping through 52 Weeks of Shawls as well, trying to decide which I want to wrap up in the most - I think it may have to be Quicksand by Hanna Maciejewska:
And while we don't stock Brooklyn Tweed yarn any longer, that doesn't stop me lusting after their beautiful patterns. Chabot by Alma Ball is already my dream wardrobe - so maybe I should finally cast this on too?
Firstly there's the great new release from Cinthia Vallet - Josie the Turtle.
As big fans of Franklin the turtle stories, Elliott has asked for to be made as soon as humanly possible.
Then there's the very cosy looking Odds and Ends cardigan from Tina Tse - an excellent way to use up all those random bits of yarn around the house.
Casting on a pair of socks for me is just right kind of comfort knitting - so I finally settled on making the Lempi socks by Rachel Coopey from 52 Weeks of Socks.
I'm still constantly flipping through 52 Weeks of Shawls as well, trying to decide which I want to wrap up in the most - I think it may have to be Quicksand by Hanna Maciejewska:
And while we don't stock Brooklyn Tweed yarn any longer, that doesn't stop me lusting after their beautiful patterns. Chabot by Alma Ball is already my dream wardrobe - so maybe I should finally cast this on too?
It feels a lot like knitting weather!
I'm enjoying the wet weather, the leaves on my street turning bright shades of yellow and red, and pulling on my hand knit socks. My day job is getting extra busy, and the Mister celebrates a milestone birthday this week, so while i've made progress on Lucky Pieces, there's no photo to share in today's email.
Instead, thanks to Jenny, I have her current WIP to show you, and a great range of pattern ideas.
Instead, thanks to Jenny, I have her current WIP to show you, and a great range of pattern ideas.
Jenny is knitting Ruf from 52 Weeks of Shawls in BC Garn Bio Balance. She had the brilliant idea of combining the Red with Pale Red for a wonderfully tonal shawl.
I've raved about how much I love Bio Balance before, so here's some more pattern ideas for working with it:
Māia top by Amikihia knits [Ravelry link]
Deren Sweater by Jacqueline Cieslak from Embody
Maya top by Gavriella [Ravelry link]
Herbalist tank by Nataliya from Making - Dawn
Bio Balance is perfect for our mild climate and can carry you through the seasons in one wonderfully balanced yarn.
We've managed to secure a second shipment of 52 Weeks of Shawls as well, so if you missed out on the first lot, pre-orders are open for round two.
We've managed to secure a second shipment of 52 Weeks of Shawls as well, so if you missed out on the first lot, pre-orders are open for round two.
