The knitter

One of our most popular designs over the past two years has been the Frieda scarf and shawl. The pattern is just too pretty and we've been meaning to put it on a sweater for some time. Now the time has finally come and our Frieda sweater is available as a kit and individual pattern!

It is knitted from the top down. Short rows at the neck give the back a beautiful fit. Under the armholes, join the front and back pieces in the round and knit in one go to the hem, which is finished with an Icord. The sleeves are knitted on directly and worked without decreases. What do I particularly like about this? The width of the sleeve, which doesn't look baggy at all, makes the waves of the pattern on the cuff stand out particularly well.

Marisa has chosen Pinta by Pascuali and Cashmere Dreams by Lang Yarns for her yarn. Pinta is a silky, shimmering yarn made from virgin wool, silk and ramie. Cashmere Dreams, on the other hand, is a brushed yarn made from 65% cashmere and 35% silk. It therefore fluffs up the sweater without swallowing up the pattern.

For me, the sweater is the perfect addition to the Frieda series (Marisa, how about shorts for summer? 😉 ) and I would love to knit myself one. Since I finally finished my Frieda shawl at the end of last year, I've been wearing it up and down and getting compliments on it all the time. By the way: washing and (gentle) stretching are essential for it to really come into its own. So be sure to give your finished piece a wool bath, lay it out to dry and fix the curves at the ends with comb needles. Another favorite piece is ready!

Things are also really bad with me and the Umma Cape, which I showed you in brief last week. The matching kits have been online since this week and since then I've unfortunately had Marisa in my ear, who wants to wear the cape on the way to yoga class, in the final relaxation and on the way home. Internally, we therefore refer to this great design as the "yoga coat".

As I'm currently practising yoga quite successfully (at least ten minutes a day, don't underestimate that), I'm struggling with whether I need the cape. It's beautiful, isn't it? Well, really nice.

Marisa, who was enthusiastic right from the start, made several kits. This time the choice was really difficult, which is why we have created four kits for you, all of which have their charm and justification. So here we are: Kit 1 with Cashmere Premium from Lang Yarns and Midnatssol from CaMaRose (Marisa's combo without mohair, with alpaca), Kit 2 with Pura Lana and Gepard and Soft Silk Mohair from Knitting for Olive (one of the original yarns with alpaca, and a mohair yarn), Kit 3 with Double Sunday and Tynn Silk Mohair from Sandnes (merino and mohair) and Kit 4 with Double Sunday and Alpakka Følgetråd from Sandnes (merino and alpaca, without mohair). Wow - now just decide and off you go! 😉

We have created all the kits for the long version of the jacket. If you need help with the amount of yarn for the short version, please send us an email to "support@maschenfein.de".

It is knitted from the top down - first the neck, then new stitches are picked up along the neckline to form a cross. Increases are then made at the shoulders while short rows are knitted using the German short row method. Umma means "mother" in South Korean. The name was chosen deliberately: The cape should feel like a mother's embrace when worn. I can literally feel the relaxing vibrations when I wear it - can you?

It's been a long time since I've had the Alpaca Fino yarn from Pascuali in the saturday coffee. And by a long time, in this case I actually mean a whole year - no idea how that could have happened! Because this quality, which Pascuali has had in its portfolio for a long time for a reason, is simply fantastic.

So it's a good thing that I recently came across the Futura sweater by Rui Yamamuro. The seamless design, knitted top down, has a rather wide cut without being bulky, in my opinion. I particularly like the ribbed pattern on the shoulders and sleeve inserts. Another plus point: Alpaca Fino has a rather small color palette, but that's not a disadvantage here. It ensures that you can create a timeless basic knit. The pattern is in English.

Before I have some smaller knits for you, I'll show you a men's design. I tend to neglect the men a bit, which is no bad intention. In terms of knitting, I'm simply the closest to myself - just ask my husband! (Apart from that, I'm really generous and like to share!)

But I discovered the Day and Night - for Men sweater from Lone Kjeldsen, who goes by hyggestrik on Instagram and has an extensive design portfolio. And then I thought: that would be something! Relaxed neckline, seamlessly knitted top down, twisted ribbed pattern. You can go all out with the colors or not - depending on the taste of the future wearer. I think it has a lot of what a sweater suitable for everyday wear needs, don't you? The original yarn is Semilla Melange from BC Garn. Unfortunately, we don't have all the colors in stock right now, which is why we've started the kit with Como from Lamana - a yarn that you can wear directly on your skin. I love it!

You can also wear the following yarns wonderfully on your neck: Merry Merino 70 from Kremke Soul Wool or Snefnug - here in combination with Midnatssol, both from CaMaRose. Where are they used? In the Holly Scarf by Notperfectknit aka Rikke Ørum. The Dane is actually a midwife, but has now turned her hand to designing knitting pattern. Partly because some of her children are still very small. I love (life) stories like this because it always makes it clear: No path is predetermined and things rarely follow a straight line. I only need to look at our team to realize that: Hardly any of us expected to work for a company called Maschenfein at the start of our careers. Now we're all here and what can I say? It feels good!

The same applies to the Holly Scarf, which is a hood and scarf in one. Simply leave the hood down to keep your neck warm or simply pull it over your head in windy or other unpleasant weather. Worked in garter stitch with an Icord border, the hood is then sewn together with mattress stitch. The model is designed for head circumferences from 50 to 62 cm.

If you need more variety in the pattern, you should take a look at the Moby Neck from PetiteKnit. You don't have a hood here, but a nice turtleneck instead. The Moby series pattern adorns the chest and back, so you get plenty of variety when knitting. I also find it interesting that the back is rectangular and the front is trapezoidal. This certainly comes in handy for heavy winter jackets and ensures that no rolls form at the front. You are working with Tynn Peer Gynt and Tynn Silk Mohair from Sandnes.