More knitting time please

I have - and I've already mentioned it several times - a big soft spot for anything multicolored at the moment. Even if not everything is original Fair Isle (the term actually only refers to the knitting style of the Scottish island of the same name), I really like playing with colors and patterns.

So it goes without saying that I followed the creation of the Terracotta Sweater by Lene Holme Samsøe closely - from the first picture on Instagram to the redemptive sentence: "The pattern are here". The model is a real eye-catcher and yet not at all obtrusive. The multicolored patterns are worked in stockinette stitch, interrupted by a single-colored textured pattern. You work from the top down.

The Terracotta Sweater is knitted in two strands with Tynn Peer Gynt and Tynn Silk Mohair. Both are from Sandnes and the colors are therefore perfectly coordinated. In the kit you can see photos of two designs. The model with the dark pattern pieces is knitted in the colors Natur melert and Marsipan as well as Koksmelert and Sort ( Tynn Peer Gynt and Tynn Silk Mohair respectively). If you like the reddish stripes, choose Lys kobberbrun for the contrast. But I can also imagine pink or bright blue stripes very well. Whatever you like is allowed!

Once again, I'm working with two yarns and two colors in one row or round for the Lindgren Sweater from Knitting for Olive. And even if the Pippi Longstocking theme song has been haunting my head in a somewhat distorted form since a rather mediocre singing performance in the Bundestag - I think this sweater here is just great and the name "Lindgren" fits 100 percent for me.

I particularly like the rounded cuffs, which create a small slit. A little tip at this point: You are knitting from the bottom up here. We at Maschenfein are normally big fans of top-down knitting, but I think you can make an exception here. As the pattern is also oversized, fitting is of secondary importance (although the length should of course fit!). You are knitting with Heavy Merino and Soft Silk Mohair from Sandnes.

Where the Lindgren sweater is, this design should not be missing: the Pippi poncho. The sweater is also from Knitting for Olive and is also knitted with Heavy Merino and Soft Silk Mohair. As the stripes require only five or three grams of each of the individual qualities, they are available as individual options in the kit - but you can also use up leftover yarn. As with the sweater above, you work from the bottom up here.

Again top down is this design here: Stornoway Sweater by Cheryl Mokhtari aka Coco Amour. And even though I hardly ever knit green (except for Christmas designs), I'm really excited about this one. We really, really like the design, which is why it has already found its way into this week's newsletter.

In addition to the plain knitted stripes, a textured pattern provides further variety. The shoulders are designed with overlaps and are shaped by increases. As soon as you have finished the back and front, both are joined in the round and you knit down to the hem. Some of you will be pleased: You work decreases for the sleeves. The cuffs are still rather loose, but not nearly as oversized as you've seen on other designs recently. So - how about it? #TeamGreen and #TeamStripes all to the front, please! In the kit you will find Peer Gynt and Tynn Silk Mohair from Sandnes.

We are often asked why we often offer two-thread knitting kits. There are two answers to this: firstly, we really like knitting with two yarns. An additional yarn made of mohair or alpaca gives a knitted piece a different density, it fluffs up wonderfully and gives the one or other "main yarn" the necessary softness or stability.

On the other hand, we always use the designers' original yarns as a guide. For example, all the designs shown today have been designed with the exact yarn combinations in the kits. If we don't have an original yarn, we study our database, which is packed full of the most varied stitch samples, and look for the most suitable alternative.

Of course, we understand if someone doesn't want a fleece or would like to do without a second thread for price reasons. In such cases, please send us an e-mail to "support@maschenfein.de" - we will help as best we can!

The Bobbi Neck Warmer from Moreca Knit is designed in both single and double yarn, which is why we have opted for the single yarn version in this case. Como from Lamana is used here. I'll save my praise for the merino yarn at this point, I think you know by now that I'm a big fan.

Behind Moreca Knit is Kate, who lives in Poland and who I only recently discovered on Instagram. She knitted her Bobbi Neck Warmer from Como as well as Como and Piura. So if you'd like a supplementary yarn, you can take a look at all the colors of the alpaca yarn here (and add two balls to your shopping cart if necessary 😉 ). Knit the shawl collar from the front to the back: First work the front section up to the neck, then knit the two shoulders separately and shape the neckline. Then join the two pieces and work the back down from the neck. This is followed by the cozy turtleneck. I think this is a lovely winter project!

You can already get in the mood for spring with this new sock design: Sharon Maninger aka Kleinigkeitenliebe has put her popular meadow flower pattern on a sock - the result is the pattern for 4-ply and 6-ply sock yarns( you can get a combination offerhere ). We have posted a kit for the 4-ply version in which you can find Merida from Lamana.

The sock is started at the toe - so you knit toe up. This is followed by lateral braids, i.e. stitches that lie crosswise, and the flower pattern that gives the sock its name. If you like, you can knit the toe, heel and part of the cuff in a different color. This is how I did it in the test knit and I am very pleased with the result!

Finally, I've brought you a little net talk. This weekend the Kolding celebrates its 5th birthday! It's really crazy: ChrisBerlin's scarf continues to inspire you - and rightly so!

Some of us in the team already have one and anyone who knows me knows that I'm so close to owning one too. I'm still one pattern set away! That's the great thing about this model: the second half mirrors the first and you can literally feel it heading for the home straight. Click here for our maschenfein kit with Modena and Premia from Lamana and here you can also buy the individual pattern from us. And then all that remains for me to say is: Happy Birthday, Kolding!