A few weeks ago, when the latest shawl book had just been published, there was some hullabaloo about the yarn "Alpaca Fino", from which the cozy favorite shawl Caya is knitted. The yarn was so incredibly popular, and of course in the exact colors pictured in the book, that there were suddenly shortages of these colors, perhaps some will remember. I immediately wrote to Paul Pascuali and asked for supplies, he replied promptly (he always replies promptly) from the middle of the mountains of South America. He was visiting one of his suppliers, an alpaca farm in Peru.
He documented this visit and made a wonderful little film out of it, in which we are taken on a journey to the alpacas and learn exactly how the fibers are obtained and processed, with which we like to knit so much.
By the way, Paul brought a good part of the alpaca fino supplies for you in the luggage with the plane, so that the waiting times were not too long. True commitment!
Make yourself comfortable with coffee, tee and knitting and enjoy the insights into the extraction and processing.
A wonderful good morning to Saturday coffee with a little this and that around knitting.
In the past week is again incredibly much happened in the store. Although you see the site still in the old garb and the new "dress" also really gives me a headache, because it just does not want to be finished, but behind and in front of the scenes still very much happened.
One after the other: At the end of next week there is a small, big surprise for you, on which I am busy working in my winter garden chamber. A spontaneous idea that would not let me go and now quite takes me. So much so that I already received missing messages because of missing Instastories. I hope you will like it just as much! So once again a little #geheimgeheim, but this time quite different. Hach, I can not wait. But until then, there is still a lot to do.
Many new packages we have brought for you in the store. For example, the two Tirilgenser knitting kits from the beautiful Børstet Alpakka, once for adults and once for children, so again perfectly suited for a mom-daughter partner look. If my belly would not already so incredibly spherical (it is only about half-time, but child number four makes the ball then but now already pretty final look, where should this only lead?), I would be tempted to knit me but once next to the many cardigans also a sweater.
Then the day before yesterday there was a newsletter for three arm warmers after Janukke pattern. In my scatterbrainedness unfortunately not all links worked, urgs. So here again: Lidar is the name of the pretty wrist warmers, for which we have for example the Cashmere 6/28 in the store. By the way, one of my longtime favorites among the yarns. Just put it aside again for myself privately for a birthday project. White Arrows are very, very delicate arm warmers for which we chose Milano. And then there is already since last winter the wool package to the dots pulse warmers from ITO Rokku and Rokku Tennen in the store.
Oh, and by the way, we've now conveniently packed a wool package for the Cable Wristwarmers from Road to China because you thought they were so pretty (and so did I).
In addition, many many headband kits have migrated to the store, if you are interested in them, then it's best to just take a look at the category "Knitting Kits -> other accessories".
While browsing, we also came across many, great tutorials again. Ragna from Trin-Annelie for example! From Cumbria Fingering... hach.... Not yet available as a tutorial, but coming soon and just soooo beautiful is Gentle Morning from the same designer.... doppelhach.... Also from Cumbria Fingering you could knit this very short cardigan, the tutorial is also available in German! This one, the Monochrome Sweater, you could knit from Yak, or Silk Patagonia would surely look crazy great too! And then please check out (I think I've linked it before) the Coat for Roxane, it just screams Carpe Diem, such a great soft winter yarn. Oh dear, I have to stop, don't I??? Alright, one more: the Leap Year Cardigan could also be knit from Cumbria Fingering!
I wish you a great weekend with lots of cozy knitting time!
Today I would like to introduce you to the Chiaogoo needles and the needle system in particular. Chiaogoo's interchangeable needle system is one of the most popular knitting needles in our range. It has some special features that are important to understand when buying or wanting (especially individual items).
Why the Chiaogoo needle system is much better than a thousand individual circular knitting needles and other alternatives
Anyone who has been reading here for a long time will know that I work almost exclusively with interchangeable needle systems. So far, I have mainly knitted with my three Click Sets from Addi and am still very happy with them. However, there is an important reason why I decided to purchase the Chiaogoo system: the system has far more flexibility due to the insanely wide range of needle sizes. It is also incredibly well made, which I have read everywhere before, which is why there are hardly any noticeable transitions between needle and cable and the parts do not come loose during knitting.
Smallest needle sizes available (below 3.5mm down to 1.5mm)
Hardly noticeable transitions between needle and rope
No untwisting of the threads as with comparable systems from other manufacturers
Smallest needle sizes from 1.5mm up to the large 10mm
The system offers an incredible amount of leeway, as the needle tips are also available in thicknesses smaller than 3.5mm (as in the Addi system). This was actually the decisive argument for me when I initially purchased the very smallest Chiaogoo set.
This smallest system is only available in the stainless steel version, the needle tips are available in 10cm or 13cm length. I purchased the latter and at the moment with these very small needle sizes have not yet felt the need for the very short ones. So I would recommend the longer set.
These very thin needles are particularly suitable for picking up stitches from edges. If you use very fine needles for this, an almost invisible, fine seam is created.
The smallest system ("Mini") contains the thicknesses 1.5mm to 2.5mm. Then come the "Small" sets with thicknesses of 2.75mm to 5mm and "Large" with 5.5mm to 10mm. The "Complete" set is then made up of "Small" and "Large". Almost all of the sets are available in 10cm and 13cm. Normally you need the 13cm length, but the short needles are very useful for knitting small rounds (for example hats or headbands). I have therefore extended my 13cm complete set with a 10cm complete set and put all the needles in a bag, as you can see in the picture at the top.
No more transition between needle and rope - thread sizes and needle sizes
Another big plus point of the Chiaogoo needles will please all those who have difficulties with the transitions still present in the Addi Click System or who like to have the yarn hanging in the spaces that are sometimes present in the Knit Pro systems. As I tend to knit rather loosely myself, I have never had any problems with the transitions in the Click System. However, I have read about it from time to time. The smallest gap between needle and cord can be really annoying. In the Chiaogoo system, which is far more extensive, there are hardly any transitions because the threads are adjusted according to the needle size. This makes the system a tiny bit more complex.
Note that the Chiaogoo needle system has three different thread sizes, which make it possible to use different ropes (Mini, Small, Large):
Mini ropes for needle size 1.5 to 2.5 mm (only for metal needles)
Small ropes for needle size 2.75 to 5 mm (metal & bamboo)
Large ropes for needle size 5.5 to 10 mm (metal & bamboo)
All ropes are available in the "Spin Nylon" variant, where the thread turns along (hence Spin) or in the "Twist Red" variant, which are metal ropes coated with nylon, which also prevents these ropes from twisting unnecessarily during knitting. The former are supplied in the bamboo set, the latter in the stainless steel set, but all ropes and needles can be combined with each other.
Of course, there are also adapters with the help of which you can turn Small needles on Mini ropes or Large needles on Small ropes.
Choice of bamboo or stainless steel
The Chiaogoo needles come in two materials, bamboo and stainless steel with beautiful precise lace tips. I wrote once a very long time ago that I don't need very many more needle materials. However, I really love my olive wood tips from Addi, so a third option wouldn't hurt in my eyes. But bamboo and metal are quite sufficient and actually cover all true needs.
All tips, ropes and accessories parts also available separately
All Chiaogoo products of the entire system are also available individually. So you could put together your favorite strengths, add ropes or simply replace lost parts. Also the needle bags are now available in "empty" in the store, if you need them after buying many individual parts.
Important note when buying the sets!
The thicknesses 3mm, 7mm and 7.5mm are not included in the sets. If you need them, it is best to order them directly and add them to the bag.
Have fun browsing and reading. You can find all Chiaogoo needles & products in the store. If you have any questions, please contact us by e-mail: support(at)maschenfein(dot)de!
Do you also knit with a needle system? Which one do you use and what is especially important to you?
A wonderful good morning to Saturday coffee with a little this and that from the knitting world.
Also in the past week I have rummaged again some. I look so terribly happy knitting pattern, but plan at the moment itself no new, larger projects, because I still have my tweed project in the pipeline, which I save for the Christmas vacations (show you in the coming week also what that will be) and will now knit after Nissa and until Christmas many smaller gift projects, of which I tell you below yet.
But larger projects you can look at yes and therefore I'm always happy when the Anleitungstrüffelschweinchen Kerstin once again sends a link or I come across via Instagram and Pinterest on beautiful things. But first of all I'll show you her own latest design: the Wasauchimmerding is finished! Her first design, the Grasshopper Flipding has already been added to the store as a wool package, matching Alpaca Fino. You can already look forward to the pattern for the dress and sweater Ruth by Sandra. It is currently being test knitted and can already be admired in various alternatives (a favorite so far Sensai with Rakuda in Kerstin's version).
The new pattern sprout just so from the ground, so it seems to me. Just yesterday Isabell Krämer published the Faire Isle sweater Humulus, a beautiful design. You could use alpaca fino for it. This would also go great with her also new turtleneck sweater Yana, a cozy piece, don't you think?
A project for a lot of perseverance and patience is Moma from Ratty Yarns. Milano could be used, knitted on 2.5 and 3mm needles, the part looks like bought afterwards, with such a fine stitch definition!
In the past week, all knitting kits to the Børstet alpaca yarns from Sandnes have migrated to the store. There are some of which there is a children's and an adult version, for example, the Maria sweater(in large and for children). Who knits very quickly can put there so still the partner look under the Christmas tree. The Børstet Alpakka magazine has the number 1614, so all kits that contain this number are from this magazine.
As for the small Christmas projects: I would like to knit soon first of all a few arm warmers from Premia, in the style of the Fabwechsel, as you see it here. There are no pattern and I don't know yet if they will be just a tube or if they will have a thumb opening... we'll see. The person who received the gift already has the pulse warmers from the basics book, but I will give them away again this year, because they are great, go nice and fast and are wonderful to wear. In addition, there will be some headbands, right in front of it the headband "Madita", in which I have fallen in love with shock. There will be at least one more beanie #0709 and definitely another beanie Sarah. My gift plan has then still some air and I let myself knit-technically drift, all the projects mentioned are finished in one or two evenings each (if there are no unforeseen interruptions such as nightmares, thirst, toilet, or whatever, ne?).
We enjoy here now times a very quiet, almost haphazard weekend, the last week was namely quite strongly clocked through. Have a wonderful weekend too!
I've been in the final spurt for 10 days for my Nissa shawl, which I'm knitting for our big shawl Knit Along and I thought I'd finally show you some impressions of the Knit Along again here, where really an incredible number of beautiful shawls from the new book were knitted in all possible color variations and are still being knitted.
Two long train rides the weekend before last were very conducive to the imminent completion of my huge scarf, even if the train rides were quite different than I had previously imagined in the anticipation of a time-out weekend. I had imagined a comfortable seat by the window, swiftly passing landscapes, letting my thoughts wander in left and right rows.... *hach*. Reality caught up with me quickly, however: waiting for an hour in the rain under a miniature canopy at a regional train station, I thought about someone who had made an emergency medical service necessary on the tracks. After a few cancelled trains, a replacement train finally got me to Offenburg, where my connecting ICE had long since passed, of course, and spent just under two hours in a somewhat desolate station bakery, with far too sweet cocoa. But hey, knitting time. The next ICE then had of course absolutely no seat left for me, so I made myself comfortable in the on-board restaurant - tried that at least between all the smells of lentil sausage soup and other dishes that somehow rather knock you over in a pregnant state. And finally: The train actually manages to run over an hour late even on straight routes, and so I arrived home pretty exhausted, but at least with an almost finished Nissa cloth.
And that's what the cloth has been since: almost finished.
By the way, the biggest question that came to me on this long train day: HOW to endure such train and waiting times only WITHOUT knitting? Absolutely not to think. A cheer for the most beautiful hobby in the world!
Back to our scarves. We have dug in the social channels and looked for a few beautiful pictures for you together:
First row left: Sohpia is busy knitting the doubleface shawl "Nell", the most challenging project in the book, but one that promises to be a favorite no matter what the color combination. In the meantime, she has even made quite a bit of progress. In any case, Kerstin hardly ever takes hers off and I can assure you, she doesn't just do it for Instagram! I met her quite by chance in the toy store the other day and she was wearing her Nell there too! Maybe she even covers herself with it at night. Cozy warm it keeps namely. Middle: The other Kerstin is knitting Caya, the cozy shawl made of Alpaca Fino, which represents the difference between unstretched and finished projects so incredibly well. On the needles, it gets... well, let's put it mildly: a bit crinkly. The true splendor unfolds only when you wash and tension it after the warp. Right: Kathrin has knitted a beautiful blue version of the light shawl Charis from ITO yarns, where the different qualities are combined so differently.
Second row left: A big hit is the shawl Chloe, here knitted in curry gray by Heidi, knitted in ITO yarns by Ina (center), wrapped around Sabrina's neck in blue (right), and in light-dark gray on the needles by Wollei (third row left). Chloe goes off the needles super fast and is very entertaining anyway due to the varied pattern.
Third row center: The light gray fluffy Eden was knitted by Lina, meanwhile she is already finished. She also has the striped Lera in gray-anthracite on the needles (right).
In the bottom row you can see the diligent Lore-Forschritte (also doubleface) from Fräulein D. The finished Nissa by Verena in the hammer combination curry-blue. And the delicate Talula beginnings of Claudia, I also find super nice with the bright honeycomb constrast!
A wonderful good morning to the Saturday coffee with a little this and that from the knitting world and around Maschenfein.
There are some news in the Maschenfein store. First of all, we successfully changed providers last week and now enjoy a sensationally much faster site, do you notice? The day of the move (and especially the night) really got on my last nerve, because I was in a mad panic that nothing would work anymore, or that the store could suddenly lie idle in the hot phase before Christmas, but luckily everything turned out fine and I'm just happy that I can now work much faster in the backend and you won't be annoyed by slow loading times in hot phases (for example at the weekend) anymore. Great!
The second great news is the collaboration with the well-known Hamburg bag label MINUK. New in the store are for all those who do not want to or can not sew their own knitting project bag, the high-quality, handmade project bags from MINUK, which we have developed in joint work! You can see my black project bag in the picture above, bulging with my almost finished Nissa shawl. The accessory bags are also coming to the store, they are specially designed to fit the project bags, because I ALWAYS need an accessory bag in my project bags.
You can find the bags now in black and in nature in the store, it is in both colors only a small stock in stock, but of course I will continuously reorder again and again, only the production takes just because the bags are handmade by the designer herself, accordingly a few days longer. You can also find pictures of the inside on the product pages. I've been carrying my bag around for a few weeks now, have tested it extensively and love it very much! A successful start for a collaboration with many more beautiful ideas!
But if you prefer to sew yourself, you can find the pattern and the detailed illustrated PDF pattern for my Maschenfeinen bag of course also in the accessories.
Also new is the yarn Børstet Alpakka from SandnesGarn in the first colors available at the moment from the manufacturer. I am waiting daily for a new delivery that contains more colors. As the name suggests, it is a brushed alpaca yarn and this is really incredibly soft, so soft that I would not have thought possible even from the pictures and had to convince me only in person at the meeting with Sandnes itself. At the moment there is a shortage of raw material and that's the reason why not all colors are available so easy fluffy. But the winter is still long and I'm sure the manufacturer will do everything to ensure that the selection of colors will still sweeten the winter for us.
My own knitting time has really shrunk in the last week to the absolute minimum. Since I came home on Sunday evening after a long train ride, I have hardly knitted a stitch, because every free minute I spend at the computer. Taxes, backend, stock checks, reorders and of course the work on the new site, which I would really like to present to you soon... all that is more important at the moment and swallows up an insane amount of time and energy. Still, I couldn't help but surf a bit for gift ideas.
I would never have thought it possible, but I also can not get around the Ninjago mania and flirt with this cap as a Christmas gift, but I'm not sure yet what color it must be. Kerstin had discovered them and of course that is already looooong ready, look. Matching does the Merino 120 from Lang Yarns, which is also available in all imaginable colors.
A little more childish, but soooo cute I think this fox scarf I discovered at Sora. The tutorial is available on Ravelry and I would maybe use Bergamo, which would then probably become a crimson-fire red fox. Does a fox actually go with ninjago? *laughs
Rililie has a new tutorial out! Woohooo! And it's a really super beautiful cardigan that I already admired live in her workshop: the Diane Cardigan. As always, an ingenious construction with lots of knitting fun. You could use Road to China Light, the cardigan would be a dream!
Do you like batwing sleeves? Then maybe this sweater is something for you, you could knit it great from the cozy Cashsoft Baby.
Have a great weekend!
A wonderful good morning to the Saturday coffee with a little this and that from the knitting world and around Maschenfein.
Tadaaaa, as you can see there is now the first, promised new winter yarn in the store, namely "Tweed" by Sandnes Yarn. I really fell in love with this yarn when I held it in my hands a few weeks ago in Berlin at a meeting with Sandnes herself, and after knitting a few samples, I was convinced to let it move into the store. It's an incredibly light yarn, with beautiful splashes of color, I like it a lot. Knitting ideas will follow soon, I have a project planned myself. You will be thrilled. After the yarn in all colors has besieged my winter garden office for a while, it has now moved into the storage shelves. A little "shrinkage" there was, *hüstel*, Navy I had to keep myself and have it immediately reordered again, so that the warehouse fills again quickly.
Christmas is getting dangerously close, my Instagram feeds are actually already being blown up with Advent calendar ideas, which is slightly overwhelming me personally, as I haven't even finished the gift list yet (which should be quiet slowly for knitted gifts after all). In fact, we already have regular Christmas ideas in our newsletter. If you would like to receive them, just subscribe to the newsletter here on the site.
There are already beautiful Christmas Secret Santa ideas in the knitting world, maybe you want: The so-called "Christmas Wool Secret Santa" is the at Katha aka Kitchenerstories. You can register now and then until December 4 to pack a wool-loving Wichtelpäckchen worth 10 to 15 Euroe to then also receive a surprise package in the Christmas season. At Lutz from Maleknitting there is the "Tatortockenwichteln". You can register with him until November 12. You will then knit socks together for your chosen Secret Santa partner on four Tatort Sundays until mid-December and will also receive a nice pair knitted by yourself. Two great ideas, right?
We have discovered another beautiful shawl knitted from Cumbria Fingering for you, namely "Bassenfell". It's knitted on 3.75 mm needles, but Cumbria Fing ering can be knitted so insanely fast that it's sure to come off the needles quickly. All colors are back in stock, but reorders sometimes take a while for the Fibre yarns. But, all of them are back! In the new shawl book you will also find two designs from this yarn, namely Elyon and Djuna.
Then I stumbled across some great new classes in Hamburg and Isabell Kraemer is visiting mylys again for two workshops - Top Down Set in Sleeves and Short Rows!
After you had the cap #0907 of Susanna aka Paulastrickt in the new LAMANA magazine so much taken, there are immediately caps replenishment here in the store. I don't want to get bored, haha! For all braid lovers Susanne has written the knitting pattern for the hat SARAH and you can find it with matching yarn (namely the cozy LAMANA Cusco) here in the store. Great, isn't it? She is simply the hat queen.
Another nice, quick piece we found at the Fibre Company, a loop for which you only need a single skein of Road to China Light. You could knit it to match the armwarmers we presented the other day and put it under a tree for a loved one.
Have a great weekend!
November is Christmas gift knitting time and I'm already looking forward to all your projects. Especially suitable are of course hats of any kind and also accessories such as arm warmers.
After the cap is before the cap and therefore I have equal yet another cap #0709 struck, because the first it creates no longer until Christmas, but is already given away. And I need the actually also still in blue, *uaaahh*. Besides that, I still have my Nissa shawl, the secret fluffy hem in white and a secret alpaca fino cardigan in red on the needles. So not that you think, Mrs. Maschenfein needles all project so quickly down... no, no, they also lie here a while around before completion *sigh*.
What do you have "on the needles" in November?
"On the needles" is a series from Maschenfein. What are you knitting in November? What has become of your last projects? Will you tell us here? I'm looking forward to it! Just comment here under this post or link up in the link collection. On Instagram I use the hashtag #aufdennadelnnovember (and quite deliberately you'll also find projects from the last years of the same month there). Join in there too!
You can link up for the whole month! Attention: You must put a backlink to this post or blog in your post, otherwise it will not work with the link tool. A backlink is nothing more than a link to this blog :)!
For all of you who are visiting here for the first time: Each month I'll collect your knitting projects by linking your respective blog posts to "On the Needles" here. You can find all past collections to browse in the On the Needles section.
In the mood for spring? Here you can find spring yarns 
Neu - Sandnes 2407 - Sommerbaby 
Neu bei uns - Lankava 
Hier findest du alle Maschenfein-Anleitungen
