Knit, crochet and laugh

As I told you two weeks ago, our team met up again in real life. As some of us live in Berlin, but the rest live all over Germany and we've just had a new addition to the team, it was high time we did it again.

The whole thing took place in the Mecklenburg Lake District, in the small village of Leizen to be precise, which is idyllically situated on - precisely - a lake. Incidentally, it was so idyllic and close to nature that there was even a water snake. This in turn made us refrain from jumping into the cool water. Fortunately, the house had a pool!

Anyone who thinks we've just been lazing around: No, no! Instead, we divided our time together well. In the mornings, we planned campaigns, made appointments, recorded podcasts and talked about the important topic of emails. It's not just about wording, there's also a lot of technology involved. Fortunately, the local workshop room was actually called "Schafstall" ("sheep shelter"), which of course put us in the right mood straight away.

But we also relaxed a little, ate well and, of course, knitted. And crocheted. We were actually the only ones in the dining room with needles in our hands while we waited. Can you imagine that? The introductory sentence above finally came about during a game and I thought, when else would I put it in if not in the following coffee? You have to use the momentum!

Of course, I can't link you to the new Maschenfein designs yet - but I can already show you one: the Perla summer cardigan, which may yet be given a different name. Or maybe not. You know us - sometimes we just get stuck with the working title. The name of this great design, which Lisa Marisa helped with, comes from the yarn used: Perla by Lamana.

The test knit is running or almost finished, so it won't be too long before you can knit the design. I have - I'm not going to lie - put it at the top of my list. Such a classy, yet everyday style that's perfect for fresh summer mornings. Or cool lunch breaks. Or evenings. No matter when: it looks great! Look forward to the pattern!

If you don't want to wait and need project supplies now, take a look at the Hytta Tee. The new design by Rosa P. is a lace pattern shirt for the summer - and it also uses a Lamana quality: Ica, a pure cotton yarn that knits up quickly with 5 mm needles.

It is worked seamlessly from the top down, starting with rows at the shoulders. The pattern is suitable for beginners and catchy. Don't be confused by the choice of color in the set: The original color pastel blue looks quite purple in the picture, but it matches the blue in the photo. We have already asked Lamana for a more accurate color image - an update is coming soon!

If you're not a fan of smooth yarns and prefer a bit of fluffiness (or simply like variety on your needles) - take a look at Lotilda! Tanja is known for her oversized knits, which are knitted on heavy needles and almost always come with mohair.

We have just added the Rita blouse for you. The eye-catcher here is definitely the choice of color and the small color gradient in the middle of the short-sleeved sweater. It is knitted from the top down, with the stitches being cast on at the beginning using a crochet hook on a circular needle. This method produces a beautiful and simple edge.

In the knitting kit you will find Soft Silk Mohair from Knitting for Olive, which you will work in quad stranded. If you are interested in the original colors: We have selected suitable colors and preset them for you. It is also important to know that you need 8 or 10 mm needles. Not everyone has them at home, but you will find them linked directly in the set. And: don't forget to gauge swatch!

Before we take a stroll through our knitting round, I have two little tips for you: you probably already saw it last weekend (which of course makes me very happy!), but I would still like to recommend the portrait of Cheryl Mokhtari to you once again. I had a virtual meeting with the Londoner and was inspired by the lovely conversation for days. Her latest design has also been released to match the portrait: The Amesbury Cardigan is excitingly constructed, but still pleasantly simple. We have two yarn suggestions for you: Høst from CaMaRose or Piura and Premia from Lamana.

At Sandnes you will also find a free pattern for a cute little bag. It can hold your cell phone and a little cash, as well as the 27th small mussel from the beach, which the children and grandchildren will probably be collecting more of over the next few weeks (a little tip based on experience: For odor reasons, let beach finds dry well before taking them inside vacation apartments or tents ...).

Here you crochet (!) with Tykk Line and only need two balls in total. The pattern is available in Norwegian, Swedish and English. Enthusiastic Scandinavian holidaymakers can practise their newly acquired language skills thanks to the app (I'm talking about myself too!), everyone else can use the English version and, if necessary, translation tools from the Internet. You'll soon find help from us - a list of English crochet terms is in the works.