Last-minute Liesl ideas!

Tomorrow begins our Summer Liesl Knit-along! For those of you who are waiting for fiber inspiration to strike, here are some lovely ideas for your Liesl.

Habu Cotton Gima A-174 in color 53 and Habu Tsumugi Silk A-1 in color 34

Habu Silk 6p N-84 in color 3 and Habu Linen Lace XS-55 in color 2

Habu Tokken Viscose Silk in color 21 and Skif Cotton Tape in White

Shibui Heichi in color Canal and Habu Linen Lace XS-55 in color 5 ocean blue

Shosenshi Viscose Paper A-60 in color 116 Eggplant and Isager Viscolin in color 36

Join us tomorrow as we welcome summer and cast on! Check in with us on our Liesl KAL discussion board. We would love to see your progress!

What's New on Ravelry?

Hi there, blog readers. Oleya here. When I'm not hard at work filling web orders, I am wondering about what new and exciting patterns are out there. And I'd love to share what I've been looking at with all of you! From now on, I'll be blogging about my favorite new pattens every other Monday.

So what am I thinking about? I'm thinking about the summer. Even though it's not quite warm yet in Portland, I've been thinking about warm weather knits for those few weeks when it's actually nice in Portland. I've also included a couple of patterns suitable for cool nights and aggressively air conditioned buildings.

First: You may have seen it on this blog already, but I just finished knitting a Stripe Study Shawl, and I was really obsessed with knitting it.

Quite a few others are, too, seeing as how Ravelry says there are 677 projects (as of this writing!). I chose two of my favorite colors of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light for my shawl. I could see others being made in The Sanguine Gryphon Eidos, or (my own personal tonal favorite) Shibui Staccato in Dijon, and Shibui Sock in Honey.

I'm not usually a fan of garter stitch (I'm quite partial to the look of stockinette), but the bold graphic stripes drew me in, and the fact that I didn't have to purl meant that it would be a speedier knit than usual. How could I not cast on for one?

The knitting was simple and mindless, but not boring, with frequent color changes and changes in row length due to the short rows. Now that I'm done with this one, I'm already thinking about my next! I have plans to make a tonal one out of Madelinetosh Pashmina in Charcoal and Smokestack. I'll keep you posted.

Recently, I've become very curious about knitting (and wearing) non woolen fibers in the summer, and Sparrow might be just the thing for me to try.

Sparrow is from the Spring/Summer issue of Twist Collective. Knit in a fingering weight 100% linen yarn, it's a fine pairing of cool and classy. I love the shaping methods: (double decreases and eyelets - how cute!), and the cute buttons down the back. I'm thinking about using Habu Textiles Natural Linen in Grey. I might double it or work it together with Habu Textiles Tsumugi Silk Fine in color 10.

My other summer knit crush is a tank called Make up Your Mind from the Spring/Summer edition of Knitty.

This racerback tank is a great layering piece, and knit in a fingering weight cotton, is light and cool. Another great thing about this pattern is that the stitch pattern changes every couple of inches, so it keeps things interesting. It would be great in Rowan Panama, or Isager Bomuld doubled.

Finally, I'd like to talk about Jared Flood's new cowl pattern, Setzer.

No matter what the season, my neck is always cold in the early mornings and at night, and this classic cowl looks like just the thing to slip over my neck before I go out. I really love simple knits, and what can get more simple than alternating bands of welted stockinette and garter stitch? Jared Flood has made this simple pattern more intriguing with a short rowed section of diagonal bands in the center. It's just what I like in a pattern - mindless knitting for the majority of it, with a few sections that keep my focus throughout so it doesn't become boring. I can't help but wonder what it would look like in The Sanguine Gryphon's Codex.

Well, that's it for now. Please let me know if there are any new patterns that have caught your eye that I must see! Happy knitting!

WIP Wednesday

Welcome to another WIP Wednesday! It's a gorgeous sunny day in Portland, but don't worry, we're still knitting up a storm as always. We have some fresh new things to share, as well as some amazing progress on older projects. Here goes!

Oleya is quickly approaching the finish line on her Stripe Study Shawl. Check out how far she's gotten since last week!

Sandy has been working on the Rhombus Wrap from Ori Ami Knits in Habu A-134 Aresco Cotton. The top has an interesting geometric construction and the fabric is crisp and lightweight, perfect for summer. Just a few more rows to go!

After completing her Madelinetosh Pashmina masterpiece (check it out here!), Lindsay is making a second Draper shawl, this time in Shibui Staccato in Dijon.

Anna shared her beautiful "bus knitting" project, a Citron shawl knit in Madelinetosh Prairie in Earl Grey. This yarn... sigh. Such a gorgeous neutral, but with subtle hints of color.

Jenny has made tons of progress on her Big Herringbone Cowl, knit with Shibui Merino Alpaca in Ivory. So cozy!

Eva has been hard at work lately, first with her Rose Red beret knit with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK in Moorland. The yarn is an incredibly soft single-ply and gives these cables awesome stitch definition!

Secondly, as part of a knitalong, Eva's working on a summery Liesl pullover in Habu A-1 Tsumugi in color 27 and SKIF Cotton Yarn in Banyon. The product of much swatching with many different yarn combinations, this one is a clear winner.

As for me, because I clearly don't have enough things on needles already (ha!), I cast on for a Horai scarf the other night, knit with Shibui Silk Cloud in brand-new Graphite. With just over an inch done it's hard to say how this one will turn out, but I do know that I am absolutely crazy about this color!

How are all of your spring projects coming along? Drop us a line, even send some pictures, and your lovely knits might soon be featured right here on this blog! Hope to hear from you soon, and happy knitting!

WIP Wednesday!

It's time for another Knit Purl staff WIP Wednesday, in which we share our latest project progress with all of you out there in Blogland! We apologize for our radio silence last week; this writer was on a road trip to Park City, Utah, and didn't have a chance to update. I did, however, make a ton of progress on my Hay Cardigan while on the road!

It's made with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Filigree, which is absolutely heavenly to knit with. I'm so excited to wear this sweater, especially after my last attempt at a cardigan didn't turn out so hot. I'm determined to finish this one by the time it gets too warm outside to wear it (which at this rate will be quite a while, judging by the chilly rain today)!

Next up is Kristin's linen stitch bandana scarf, a pattern of her own design.

A sequel to the scarf she wears frequently around the shop, Kristin is knitting this one with silky Shibui Staccato in Summer Camp. Keep an eye out for this pattern to be released by Shibui in June!

Oleya continues the Tosh Merino Light trend with her Stripe Study Shawl.

The pattern has been immensely popular on Ravelry lately, but Oleya makes it her own with bold scarlet Tart and deep Charcoal. This gal can seriously pull off a good red!

Last but not least, we have Lindsay's Featherweight Cardigan, in Madelinetosh Sock in Charcoal.

With one sleeve almost complete, Lindsay is on track to finish her first full-on sleeved garment ever! I love the unique touch of style added by the seed stitch edging she's innovated from the original pattern.

That's all we have for today, but check back next week for more lovely projects from all of us at Knit Purl! Until then, happy knitting!

Crack the Codex

There's been a lot of talk about the entity that is The Sanguine Gryphon around here lately, but each of their yarns is so special that I think they all deserve some individual attention. So today I want to break it down a little and share one of my new favorites with you. May I present to you... Codex.

Codex in "Captain Nemo"

Ah, Codex. There's truly something magical about this silk and wool blend. It has an almost unearthly glow, due in large part to the reflective properties of its high silk content. It also feels slightly cool to the touch, which is very refreshing after a winter of warm fleecy wools. Yet wool lovers needn't worry; almost half of Codex's composition is soft Blue-faced Leicester for lots of coziness.

And the colors... wow. Codex really soaks up the dye for richly saturated and complex hues, ranging from earthy browns to deep purple and navy to bright acid green and fiery orange. Even more fun is the fact that each color is named after a literary figure or reference (which might just be this English major's favorite part of the yarn).

Codex in "Brangion"

Hopefully you all saw Eva's gorgeous Paper Moon cloche in our last WIP Wednesday (scroll down if you haven't!), which gave us a glimpse at how wonderfully Codex works for cables. But have you seen it in garter stitch, or lace? Even though she's left the store, our dear Knitspired blogger Sara couldn't resist stopping in to share her Codex project with us (and you)!

Sara is working on a pattern of her own design in "Flash Harry." The yarn shows off the nubby garter stitch texture so nicely, and you can just make out how well-defined the lacy eyelets are in the last two rows. We hope Sara will keep sharing her progress with us!

As you can see, Codex is an incredibly versatile yarn, wearable year-round and excellent for a wide range of garments and accessories. I've been brainstorming on what to make with this yarn, and I think I've found it: Melissa LaBarre's Tea Leaves Cardigan by Madelinetosh.

Yum. But if you're not in the mood for a sweater, there's always Pam Powers's Ruffled & Ruched Scarf, for a little extra warmth and a lot of style.

With twelve luscious colors to choose from, there's a perfect Codex for everybody. Stop into the store or check out Codex on our website to admire this silken beauty for yourself!