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.

Knit Red

A new book, Knit Red, just rolled off the presses. My copy arrived this morning and I like it. Alot. The idea behind this book it to raise awareness of women's heart health. Too often we think of heart disease as being all about older people and men. Unfortunately, that's simply not true. Heart disease it the number one killer of American women. It stops more of us that all forms of cancer combined. That's a pretty sobering thought. 

Instead of dwelling on those sobering thoughts, Laura Zander decided to get busy and do something about it. She galvanized a bunch of people in the yarn industry to get behind her and an initiative called Stitch Red. We're all donating 5% of our profits from the sale of certain red products to The Heart Truth. At Lorna's Laces, it's our Shepherd Worsted in 11ns Bold Red.

Then she took it a step further and created this book. Thirty gorgeous projects by some of the biggest names in knitting today. Each designer has pulled back the curtain a little bit and tells us about their personal experience with heart disease and shares a tip about how they create heart healthier lifestyles. Some of it is as simple as trying a new recipe each week (Jared Flood) to living in a one-car household and walking more. (Cecily Glowik McDonald)

Lorna's Laces is featured in two patterns. Ysolda created the Slip Stitch Beret. This hat is super cute and 

 is knit using just a single skein of Shepherd Sport in Bold Red. And I have to add that I think this model is flat-out beautiful. Rose Callahan took a spectacular photo and the styling is wonderful. Don't you think the sparkly little heart pin is a nice touch?

Ysolda's tip? Use unrefined sugars and whole grain flour in your baking to keep those cakes and cookies as healthy as they can be. A sweet treat doesn't have to sabotage your diet. 

The second design is Amy Swenson's Eyelet Shawl. This is another one-skeiner, this time using Honor. 

Besides the beautiful pattern, I again immediately noticed the styling. Even a dress form can look great if it's styled right and photographed well. The man behind the lens this time is Marcus Tullis. 

Amy's tip? Avoid temptation. By investing in a desktop coffeemaker instead of visiting the coffee shop in the lobby of the building where she works, Amy steers clear of sweet treats like muffins and donuts. 

Do you have a tip? What are you doing to make your life healthier? Leave a comment to be entered in a chance to win a copy of the book. We'll leave the comments open until June 22nd at midnight and pick a winner when we get back from TNNA. 

Soldier Love Capelet CAL

A really fab CAL just got started over at the Styled by Kristin  site. Kristin Omdahl contacted us about the idea a few months ago and we jumped at the chance. Sometimes, we send yarn out to designers and it takes so long we almost forget about it. Not this time! Kristin emailed with ideas and sketches and even gave us little sneak peaks along the way. It's been so fun. And really hard to wait to share it with you. Here's what she says about the project: 

I am so proud and excited to share this new crochet along (CAL) with you. I chose the yarn long before I designed the project for the CAL and it was the yarn that inspired the entire vision. I chose to use Honor by Lorna's Laces Yarns because I happen to really enjoy working with it. I gave the uber-talented ladies of Lorna's Laces creative license to pick the color for me, after giving them a list of 5 colors that made me smile. When the package arrived, it was Honor Navy Pier. First of all, I know the area of Chicago (my favorite US City) the yarn is named for, and it took me down memory lane of my modeling days in Chicago many, many years ago. Then I started thinking about all the soldiers, past and present, that have graced my life and those who have sacrificed for me and not graced my life directly.

As you may remember, I used to run in local races for charity. That is how I first learned about the Wounded Warrior Project. This awesome charity's mission is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history. You can read more about them here: Wounded Warrior Project Website

I'm excited to announce that for every pattern sold, I will be donating $1.00 to the Wounded Warrior Project! The Solider Love Capelet Crochet Pattern is $3.99 and available as a PDF pattern that you can download immediately, either on my website, Ravelry or CraftsyPattern Shops. The pattern includes 2 patterns actually. You can either use the stitch pattern of the yoke of the capelet to make a scarf, or make one of the two sizes of the capelet. Either way, the project takes only 2 skeins of Honor by Lorna's Laces, an H/8 (5mm) crochet hook, and five 1" buttons. 

This week, I ask you to find your yarn, make the tough choice of which of the gorgeous hand dyed colors you want for your capelet, download the pattern and read over the instructions, and ask me any questions. Next week, we will get started crocheting!

The entire time we were emailed about this project, Kristin never mentioned the Wounded Warriors. How nice of her to donate part of the proceeds of the pattern to such a lovely cause.