Gretel's Mittens

These lovelies are in the new issue of Interweave Knits. It's online now and paper copies will hit news stands on August 7th. They were designed Allison Haas. They're knit from our Shepherd Worsted and only take one skein! 

There are a couple of things that I particularly like about them. First, the bobbles remind me of the buttons you might find on a pair of vintage gloves. Gentleman's Frippery is on my mind these days and I'm sure it has something to do with that. I know people seem to either love or hate bobbles. I stand firmly in the love camp.

I'm also digging the squared-off nature of the finger part of the mitten. (I can't for the life of me think of what that is called right now.On socks it would be the toe and on gloves it would be the fingers. It's obviously not the cuff. Top? Dunno.)  I think it sings well with the other angles in the basketweave-y pattern on the tops.

If you peek at the thumb, you can see it is in the same rib as the cuff. Looks like a twisted rib from here and that's always been a favorite of mine. I've noticed that Cookie A seems to like them too. Many of her socks are ribbed with a twisted stitch.

Gentleman's Frippery

Clio

Have you had a chance to check out the new online magazine, The Sock Report? It's the brain child of designer Janel Laidman. Janel is sockaholic from way back and decided to put together a publication that celebrates all the ways you can put sock yarn to good use. The inaugural issue is just swell.

This sweet little sweater is called Clio. I just can't think of a better word to describe it than sweet. I wore it on the second day of market and once again got more compliments than I can count. I paired it with a simple A-line skirt. I also think it would really rock with a vintage style dress and a pair of Mary Janes.

These photos don't do the attention to detail of the sweater justice. The decreases on the sleeves swirled around and created a subtle point of interest. And the shaping on the yoke was nice too. The lace edging  was tacked down with perfect, even stitches. (Yes, I'm the geek that swoons over the neatness on the inside of the garment. Ask me sometime about the inside of my fairisle work.)

Kudos to Snowden Becker for coming up with the design. 

This is knit in our Sportmate. MC is Fjord, CC is Natural. 

Johanna Jacket

 Another big winner at market this year is the Johanna Jacket. It was designed by Kate Oates of Tot Toppers fame. She's been working on a new line of patterns these day for grown-ups called When I Grow Up. We are super excited to be a part of her new venture.

The model is knit in our Shepherd Bulky in another of our new colors, Ascot. Looking for some instant gratification? Bulky yarn is just the ticket. And think of all the fun you can have with the buttons! I have it on good authority that Kate may have gone a little crazy at the button store with this one. 

Over on the pattern page on Rav there are several more photos. I like that she used two different models so we can get an idea of how the sweater will look on different sized people. That Kate is smart. 

We're all big green fans around here and when this one came out of the dye pots it took our breath away. We got great feedback about the color at the show too. One self proclaimed "green hater" even bought some. 

Maxfield Cardigan

I got a chance to meet Amy Christoffers when I was in Columbus for TNNA. It was her first time at market and it was so fun to see her excitement and energy. She let me peek through the eyes of a newbie and it made the show bright and shiny for me too.

She's designed several really great things using our yarns. Her latest, the Maxfield Cardigan, is no exception. Amy has the gift for taking classics and adding a little something to make them seem fresh. Here, she's made chevrons brand new. I especially like the way the back and sleeves have the chevrons spaced and the front has them all over. It will make the knitting more interesting. 

 I wore Maxfield on the opening day of the show. I can't tell you how many times I got stopped and asked about it. I pretended that at least part of the reason was that they wanted to say 'hello' to me, but I know it was all about the sweater.

 It's knit in our Honor, a 70/30 blend of alpaca and silk. It's a nice DK that was perfect for the super air conditioned convention center. This one is knit in Cookie's Deep Dark Secret (MC) and one of our new colors, Pocket Square (CC). We worked with lots of shop owner to make their own color combos. The possibilities are pretty endless and it's a great use for multi colored yarn.

We have six new colors this season. Keep and eye on the blog and FB and stuff and you'll see them all over the next week or so.