Turia is a lightweight version of a winter classic knit in Berroco Yarns new spring yarn Linsey, a 64% Cotton, 36% Linen blend, giving you the softness of cotton with the look of linen. Available in solid colors as well as gently shifting multicolor shades Linsey, is an ultra soft yarn for summer. Worked completely in the round, this garment has minimal seaming making it a simplified knit.
Another very cool thing about this pattern and the yarn is it gives the look of complicated color work, but all you do is use a variegated colorway along with a solid colorway to give the illusion of a very technical fair isle chart. With several sun-weathered shades of summertime available you have the option of several coordinating color combination’s.
This pullover makes judicious use of the naturally occurring color changes at play and due to the natural striping of this yarn, your garment may look very different from what is pictured. This lets each and every garment be a complete original. We have the Linsey pattern booklet along with a large selection of Linsey yarn available at the shop now. -B
The Hearts of Gratitude Etsy Shop specializes in handmade stone stitch markers. People through the ages have believed stones to have healing properties and they try to keep that in mind with every set of stitch markers they make. The metal doesn’t bend and they slide smoothly on your needles. You never have to worry about your knitting being snagged or the markers falling apart because they are made using excellent materials and craftsmanship. Hearts of Gratitude will custom build a set for you or there are lots of beautiful sets on hand at their Etsy Shop now. L & B hopes you enjoy this shop as much as we do! -B
Mixing yarns and colors within the same project is something I think a lot of us are hesitant to try. In the case of Allison’s Melted Crayon’s shawl I think the final project is truly breathtaking and couldn’t be more perfect. Using two of our favorite multi-colored yarns Noro Silk Garden and Manos Del Uruguay Wool Classica combined with basic shawl construction she was able to create a vibrant piece of artwork.
The project is a quick knit because of the large gauge and lets you relax as you go, keeping your eyes and mind interested just by enjoying the colors. I love the idea of all of the color options, just think of all the possibilities of combinations you could use by mixing these two yarns, endless. If you understand basic shawl construction this project can be made in any size and with any amount of texture you prefer.
Allison mixed garter here and there with stockinette stitch to add interest, but a shawl in all stockinette or all garter would work well. If you would be interested in learning basic shawl construction L & B will be offering the Melted Crayon Shawl Class, April 2nd from 3:00pm-5:00pm, contact us to sign up. Thank you to Allison for sharing her project and inspiring all of us. -B
Spring is in the air and all of us at L & B are busily unpacking our shipments of spring and summer yarns, which are so sunny and light that we can’t help but dream about the long summer evenings ahead, and the garments we can start preparing for the prevailing season in Oklahoma: summer. While woolen accessories are a great way to keep warm during the cold months, knitwear proves its endless versatility by being just as useful in the summertime–you just have to change your materials up a little bit! Our newest cotton tape yarn, “Sol Degrade” by Lang Yarns, is a light combed cotton ribbon yarn that features long color changes. The yarn is ombre dyed to cause a gradual change from light to dark colors. The yarn is 100% cotton, but unlike so many cotton yarns, it is very lightweight and easy on the hands. This is due to the yarn’s structure–instead of being plied strands of cotton, the strands have been knitted into a light fabric, resulting in naturally stretchy yarn.
Leslie decided to make a lightweight vest that would be easy to wear over a tank top or t-shirt when the temperature starts to rise. She chose a free pattern on Ravelry called “Summer Vest” for its cute racerback detail and otherwise simple, easygoing shape. The pattern is designed by Julie Beatty, who was inspired by another Raveler’s take on “Coachella,” a very popular racerback tanktop that is available on Knitty.com. Having selected her pattern, Leslie cast on with size 9 needles to ensure that her fabric wouldn’t be too dense. After a few evenings of knitting, the vest was ready! All in all, it required a little less than 3 skeins.
The pattern is written for one size, but if you wanted to make yours bigger or smaller, it’s as easy as adjusting the beginning stitch count (we’re always here to help you customize your project and do knitting math). For those that prefer solids, we think that this vest would lay very nicely if knit out of Sprout by Classic Elite, a supersoft organic yarn that comes in an array of pretty colors. The vest is all stockinette stitch, which causes the front edges to curl gently, and showcases the color-changing yarn beautifully. This vest is knit from the top down and requires no seaming.
What kinds of summer projects do you all have in mind? We hope the shop serves as a source of inspiration, and wish you all luck with your summer knits!
-Elizabeth
Starry is the newest yarn from Dream in Color, the U.S.-based indie studio that makes beautiful hand-dyed wool yarns. Starry is the same weight and base as Smooshy, their popular sock yarn. What makes Starry unique is that it contains 2% silver fibers that are spun along with the 98% Australian merino to create a supersoft washable yarn that has flecks of silver glittering throughout–so pretty! The sparkle adds dimension to the veil-dyed colorways. Veil dyeing is a technique prevents variegated colorways from pooling or landscaping, resulting in lovely and subtle color variations. Starry comes in 4 oz./450-yard skeins, which is more than enough for socks, scarves, and most accessories. As a washable and dryable yarn, it is also well suited for baby items. Wouldn’t the sparkle look adorable on a baby blanket? Come by the shop to see the colors in person–the dimension the silver adds is hard to capture with a photo lens!
-Elizabeth
