In the mood for spring? Here you can find spring yarns 
Esther Sweater Baby 
We have new Muud products in the store 
You can find all Maschenfein pattern here
Hello and welcome to the Saturday Coffee! The Easter vacations are coming to an end for young and old. I hope you found all the hidden nests again and had enough knitting time for you and your current project. (Whereby the question is, if there is ever enough knitting time... may it be a bit more? - as they like to say here in Bavaria at the meat counter).
Searched and found is once again the motto of Saturday Coffee: We were for you on the digital spring meadows on the road and have come across beautiful, new wool inspirations.
From the flower bed to the needle
You have to like designs to knit them. Sure. But I especially like it when there's also a good story to go with the design. That's often the case with Canadian Andrea Rangel's designs. One of her cardigans with the evocative name Dissent is reminiscent of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice, whose tireless determination made her a strong role model for women beyond the United States.
: © Andrea Rangel
The design that we show you here today is much more delicate and in this respect more suitable for spring: Seablush. Inspiration for the pattern of the lightweight sweater is the eponymous flower that grows on Vancouver Island. Its airy, pink flower balls can be found on the round yoke of the sweater. Andrea makes a point of preserving the nature and landscape of her homeland, as well as its turbulent history. This includes respect for the traditions of indigenous peoples who inhabited the area long before the European immigrants, as well as a conscious and sustainable lifestyle.
Andrea believes in the unifying power of crafts like knitting, and has therefore taken on the theme of size-inclusiveness: Her pattern are designed for an extensive range of sizes, and the diversity of her photo designs is also a personal concern of hers. Whether in pink, bright colors or muted tones - her Seablush is ideal for the transitional season. As yarn we recommend you Modena from LAMANA, a lace dream made of merino and cashmere.
Viva la Revolución - you, frostbite!
There are items of clothing that simply never go out of fashion. One representative of this particular genre is the béret (or beret or beret). The headgear is an integral part of many caricatures of our French neighbors: the elegant Parisian woman in a curled turtleneck pulls on her red lipstick and a black béret sits atop her sassy short haircut. A single cliché? Absolutely, but an endearing one.
Berets have been around since the Middle Ages. In the Renaissance, they were mainly made of felt or other whale fabrics. Martin Luther wore such headgear when he pounded his theses on the church door, as did Che Guevara during the Cuban Revolution. One of the few similarities between the two probably...
For me, the fashion role model in the matter of Béret would be Marlene Dietrich - but no matter who is the fashion role model: Bérets are ideal for the typical spring morning, when the winter hat is already too warm, but you do not want to go out topless (or the hairstyle does not fit again).
My Favourite Things Knitwear was completely of our opinion and has Beret No. 2 the classic shape in a full brioche. Fisherman's Rib is the name of this pattern in English, but fortunately the pattern are also available in German translation. The cap is particularly handy in the original yarn Double Sunday from SANDNES GARN.
If you're not as chilled out as I am and would rather have it even lighter, take a look at Rosa p's version: Her beret is knitted from Como by LAMANA, which is also a merino yarn, but a lot thinner. Especially cute details: The hole pattern. Integrated ventilation, so to speak. For the crocheters among you we also have something up our sleeve: The crochet béret Sofie by Paula_m is made of the cotton yarn ICAalso from LAMANA, and therefore perfect for the approaching summer. Both are conveniently available as a knitting kit in the store.
-
Sofie BéretFrom: 20,85 €incl. VAT
-
beret with hole patternFrom: 15,90 €
incl. VAT
Norwegian Woods Feeling - not only for Beatles fans
: © Ane Sunde
The next model in our post-Easter search for inspiration also falls into the "light and fluffy" category: The Ebba Sweater comes from the far north, from Trondheim to be precise. The city lies on the border of the temperate and polar climate zones. This makes for reasonably mild, but also unstable weather. That's where the lightweight sweater model by Ane Fiskum Sunde, aka Novemberknits, comes in handy. Ebba is knitted top down with raglan borders and is kept relatively short. The sleeves, which are worked in a pearl pattern, are all the more expansive.
This sweater gets its airiness from the combination of several yarns. As a basis we would recommend Duo from SANDNES GARN, which is a real all-rounder thanks to its blend of cotton and merino. If you want to knit with two yarns, you can use Silk Mohair as a supplementary yarn. Three-threaded would be the thinner sister Tynn Silk Mohair would be a good partner. By the way, the pattern range from the smallest size XS to 2XL.
Spring messengers of the woolly kind
I was surprised to hear the other day that there are supposed to be people who stop wearing wool socks with the onset of spring. That's a mystery to me. And for once, not because I tend to have cold feet, but because there are wonderful designs and yarns that are only really fun in warmer temperatures.
Definitely in this category belong for me the Spring Socks by Vicky Morosz. The designer lives in Ukraine and is very active on Instagram. There she shares her designs and their creation process, but also pictures of her current life situation (- nothing for sensitive minds). She fled Kharkiv with her son to a "quieter" part of the country. Knitting calms her nerves, she often tells. Her specialty: socks with lace patterns.
When it comes to yarn selection, you can of course choose from the entire range of sock wool varieties. Especially pleasant for the warmer season are yarns with silk or vegetable admixtures, for example Premium Silk or Premium Bambooboth from SCHACHENMAYR's Krönchen yarn series.
What goes perfectly with the beret? A scarf!
That you can never have enough scarves is proven every year again by the Maschenfein Mother's Day Shawl Knitalong. And even if I can sign this 100%: With scarves I often run the risk of producing UFOs. (No, nothing to do with aliens, but knitting-speak for "unfinished object", i.e. unfinished project). That's precisely why I got stuck on this little shawl: The Rose Petal Bandana by Dagmar Tamura is a rather small, summery triangular shawl that can be worn around the neck or sometimes on the head. Unlike the name suggests, the pattern are also available in German translation and it's also free.
Another advantage of bandanas is that they can be folded over: The exact size is not crucial and therefore you can use any fingering yarn for the bandana (- stitch test adé I say there and hide better from Sandra....).Maybe you still have one or the other treasure in stock, which has been waiting for exactly this project.
Or you can take the opportunity to test a yarn you've been wanting to try. For me it would be Verona by LAMANA (merino/silk/cashmere - if that doesn't sound buttery soft, I don't know...) or rather something even more summery like the Morning Salutation Vegan Fino from KREMKE SOUL WOOL or....
Everything must go: The spring cleaning
I'm not the person for participatory actions. On the contrary: When I hear that something is now being done by EVERYONE, I tend to become skeptical. This independent spirit is also a solid argument to justify my pronounced unwillingness to clean. Right?... No? Oh come on, I found it convincing....
To motivate myself - and maybe one or two of you - to spring clean(which everyone is doing now...), I'm going to start with something I enjoy more than mopping the bathroom: Washing woolens.
Slowly, the heavy sweaters, hats and scarves, along with moth protection, are moving into their winter quarters. In return, the linen shirts are allowed back into the daylight. And once my silk cumulus tee jumps off the needles into the bath water (... I haven't even hit it yet, but in my head I'm always way ahead of the needle...), then at the latest it's time for the right detergent.
Conveniently, KAËLL offers a detergent concentrate that is precisely tailored to the respective material: Linen Weaver for cotton and linen, Hautnah for silk and viscose, and Kashmirliebe for cashmere, wool & co. Those who are afraid of moth infestation can take precautions with EUCALAN wool detergent: The scents lavender and eucalyptus are not liked by the beasts. TWIG&HORN's solid wool soaps are a good companion when traveling. They won't leak in your suitcase and take up very little space.
-
Eucalan - wool detergent7,50 € - 85,00 €
incl. VAT
plus shipping costs
Delivery time: 5 - 7 working days
-
Woolsoap Twig & Horn - piece
incl. VAT
plus shipping costs
Delivery time: approx. 5 working days
-
Kaëll detergent concentrate14,95 € - 29,95 €
incl. VAT
plus shipping costs
Delivery time: approx. 2-3 working days
We need to talk... #breastcancer
Pink ribbons, a woman without hair... Maybe one or the other of you is already feeling a tightening in your stomach. Breast cancer as a topic for Saturday coffee? Does it have to be?
Who would like to scroll on now: I understand you so well. I really do. I always wanted that, too. Until an attentive doctor during a routine checkup in 2020 suddenly said, "Hmm, what's that?" and my life was turned upside down from one second to the next. In my mid-30s and with no family history, a cancer diagnosis was about the last thing I would have expected.
Melanie Berg, aka Mairlynd, may have felt similarly. The successful knitwear designer publicized her breast cancer illness on her Instagram account to raise awareness of how many women (and some men) are affected and how insidious this disease still is. One in eight women will develop it (at least once) in their lifetime. Some glossy magazines give the impression that breast cancer today is more of a celebrity thing that you get in Hollywood or Babelsberg. Half so wild, so to speak - the reality is different. Unfortunately, I know what I'm talking about.
With her sweater design Pink is for Power Melanie Berg collects donations for breast cancer research: All April proceeds for the sweater with graphic bow pattern go to Pink Ribbon Germany. So that you can really let it rip in terms of color, we have created a knitting kit for you with Baby alpaca 10/2 by BC GARN in the color Shocking Pink combined with Sensai from ITO in Azalea. Other colors or color combinations you can of course also select in the kit. If you are undecided, the new "Compare colors" function in the store will help you decide.
And now, to lift your spirits, I have some good news: early breast cancer detection saves lives. That's great. So please go for screening.
Net whisper and maschenfein knitting round
Louisa revealed in her Maschenfein team profile on Instagram that the topic of knitting was always there for her, but that it became really intense through her experiences with the community: online and in real life. I feel the same way as you do, and as many of you probably do. That's why we're now taking another look at the digital world of Maschenfein.
Scarves always go. I know, I'm repeating myself. But the Maschenfein community leaves no doubt about it. Denise has finished her Water cloth Snefnug finished knitting. Just right for the cold wind that accompanied us through the Easter days. Maia, on the other hand, has arrived in summer, both culinary and color-wise, with her "strawberry ice cream variation" of Scarf Salma.
Knit-alongs everywhere you look....
Many are still knitting on Salma, so Sandra is creating a real hype: Girlfriendcardigan 2.0 ( - you can find the whole story in Marisa's Saturday Coffee from last week). At Silvie 's place, the kit from LAMANA Piura and Premia (- that would also be my choice... whether I let myself be persuaded... am heavily tempted....). The keyword "Spontaneous Knit-Along" brings back memories of the Kelly Genserwhich caused a similar enthusiasm among the Maschenfein team. Susanne is now following suit: With a tiny mini-format of the sweater for dolls, bunnies and co.
At this point I say thank you very much for the many, dear messages after my first Saturday coffee the week before last. Since I write even a little better for you ( - if that is at all increaseable). Have a restful weekend and start Monday well into the post-holiday period.
About Judith
I'm Judith and I live in the Rhineland, but everyone recognizes me as a Lower Bavarian because of my dialect and Frida, my rough-haired dachshund. As a freelance author, I am allowed to support the maschenfein team with content from time to time and combine my two great passions: Writing and knitting.
Show all posts by Judith
13 comments
Thank you so much for the Saturday coffee. I look forward to it every week.
So many new ideas 😉
I have been knitting for decades, but have never knit a topdown model.
Is there a foolproof tutorial I can try?
Can you help me there?
Love from Petra from Augsburg
Dear Petra,
I knitted Topdown from Petit Knit for the first time two years ago, since then from Ankestrick, RosaP and Isabell Kraemer. All super to work with, I love it. Also because I don't like to close seams.
Have a nice Sunday and best regards, Michaela 🥰🌞🧶
Thank you for the fine Saturday coffee...fitting to today's topic breast cancer I got today my result from the screening, all good.
Oh, I'm so happy for you!!!
Dear Judith,
again a very nice Saturday coffee you have written. Nice that you have picked up the inspiration for plus-size.
Since I feel, and certainly other knitters well taken.
Best regards
Anneliese
Thank you for the nice Saturday coffee
Love and have a nice weekend Petra 😊
Thank you for the good and inspiring
Saturday entertainment. What would a Saturday be without "Saturday Coffee"!
Dear Judith,
a very nice Saturday coffee,
especially the text with Melanie Berg touched me.
I know what you are talking about.
Thank you very much!
Many beautiful suggestions!
Thank you for the beautiful reading material and super your words on the subject of early detection.... Chapeau to make this open.
Beautiful knitting weekend
Greetings Trixi
😁 Cumulus Tee in silk - waiting to hop on the needles with me too 🥰. Thanks for the detergent recommendations. I am always torn there.
And a big thank you for the post with reference to breast cancer, this concerns us all and we should all help raise awareness.
Love and have a nice weekend 🌞 🍀 ❤
Dear Judith,such a great Saturday Coffee post.I find your background information on the knits especially valuable.Thank you Susanne
Again ei very stimulating Saturday coffee, thank you!