Colorful summer yarns
Knitted shirts for summer days
Project bags from Minuk
You can find all Maschenfein pattern here
{Saturday Coffee & Net Talk}
I think the most common small talk topic in the world is the weather. But it's just always there. And that's why I always like to take a look at the weather map when I'm writing the coffee to get an idea of the current mood. Will you be in the mood for tops or a cozy cardigan?
I wish you a wonderful good morning for Saturday Coffee! To be honest: I don't know what to do with the fresh and mixed May weather. My theory is that the knitting goddess has her fingers in the pie and just doesn't want me to slack off on my Mother's Day shawl Romy because it no longer seems like the ideal project in view of the sunshine and outdoor pool feelings.
Textured patterns remain a theme
So while you make yourselves comfortable, I'll spread out the virtual picnic blanket and serve you some lovely summer ideas. I can't really think about cardigans and sweaters right now - so you'll have to go through with it.
Because I know full well that my time is limited and my project baskets are full, I like to reach for sleeveless designs like the Lacey Loop Top from Other Loops. They knit up quickly and don't even stand out in the project basket. Or in the shopping basket (raise your hand if you like to add a few extra balls of yarn to the actual knitting set because, like me, you tend to overestimate your knitting time enormously ... 👋👋👋👋)
Photo: ©️ Other Loops
Lace patterns too
Photo: ©️ Other Loops
We have created the Lacey Loop Tee with Pure Silk from Knitting for Olive. The model is knitted from the top down, with the pattern consisting of garter stitch rows, rib and lace pattern rows and rounds. We have rated the level of difficulty as three out of five - advanced beginners should be able to cope here.
If some of the styles out there are always cut too short, you can rejoice here: the design is hip-length. The positive ease - i.e. the extra width added to your actual measurements - is around six centimetres.
Prefer stripes instead of structure?
The nice thing about Saturday Coffee is that I plan it at the beginning of the week and then reliably change it at the end of the week. I actually wanted to devote this coffee to completely sleeveless designs, but had to change my mind in view of the third stripe model within a very short time. Flexibility - so important!
And since I love knitting stripes myself ("One more stripe goes!"), today there has to be a section with striped knitting designs that you can also use to knit your way into summer.
One of them is the Versa Tee by Imke von Nathusius. It was supposed to go with us last week, but had to make way for a last-minute change of plans (the little coffee - the Deutsche Bahn turned knitter). But today it's allowed to come along!
The - of course! - striped shirt is knitted from the top down. The highlight: the shoulder seam has been moved from the back to the front, which gives the shirt a special, stylish accent. You are knitting with one of my favorite summer yarns - namely Line from Sandnes.
Photo: ©️ Imke von Nathusius
Photo: ©️ Cheryl Mokhtari
While the stripes in Imke's design are all the same width, Cheryl Mokhtari aka Cocoamour has used a different number of stitches for her Maritime Tee. Also a nice idea!
The Maritime Tee is also knitted from the top down, starting at the back. At the very end you knit the collar, which is doubled. We chose Cumbria yarn from Pascuali - a great choice in my opinion! The cotton-viscose yarn is very comfortable to wear and goes perfectly with this summery design.
You'll find wide block stripes in the Melli Shirt by Heidemarie Kaiser. The stripes differ not only in color, but also in pattern: stockinette alternates with slip stitches. Once again, the stripes are knitted from the top down, with the shoulders knitted using the contigous method. This makes them fit particularly well.
In the knitting set you will find Tynn Line from Sandnes. You can also choose to knit your shirt with long sleeves - just increase the number of balls in the shopping cart by one for each of your two colors.
Photo: ©️ Heidemarie Kaiser
Crochet ideas for the summer
Photo: ©️ Nomad Stitches
While scrolling through Instagram this week, I noticed one thing again: I'm leaving well-trodden paths (I wanted to write "I'm going off the beaten track" at first, but that would only lead to wild rumors in the end! ;-)). While knitting needles are usually my undisputed number one, crochet and sewing needles suddenly join them in spring and summer. Perhaps someone can explain this to me from a psychological point of view - there must be a good reason!
And because I don't want to deprive you of these as yet unknown paths, this week I've brought along the PEARL top that Sandra Gutierrez aka Nomad Stitches designed for Pascuali.
The top, which is more of a jacket, is crocheted almost seamlessly, with overlapping shoulders and an exciting construction. It is crocheted using the Tunisian technique, for which you need special needles. This is why we have given it a high level of difficulty - but if you dare, I would celebrate it!
In the crochet set you will find Arctic Pearl from Pascuali (color replenishment is on the way!), but you can also work with Pinta from Pascuali. Experienced crocheters can also modify the panel and close it with buttons. Take a look at more pictures here - you will also find the material pattern for Pinta there.
Photo: ©️ Nomad Stitches
Knit with the eye
The stitch markers from Hello Kim, which we recently added to our store, are also very, very cute. The first slide was gone so quickly that I couldn't even show it to you, but Marisa has reordered and now you have to be strong!
You will now find ten different stitch marker designs: from the cute hearts on the right in the picture to little flowers and cozy cats, there is something for everyone. There are also stitch stoppers with flower and leaf shapes, where you can choose between three different color variations.
The marker sets include four to seven stitch markers each, and you get a four-pack of stitch stoppers. I'm very fond of the plant motifs, but of course you can also take a look at all the others. You can get an overview on this page.
Photo: ©️ Hello Kim
New podcast episode
A new podcast episode also went online this week. In it, I once again talk to Marisa, who has been busy with Maschenfein over the last few weeks and has a lot to talk about. She also talks about a summery Maschenfein design that is already on her needles.
We are using Arctic Pearl and Suave from Pascuali (mega!). As Sandra has already received a packet of yarn to help speed up the design process, I'm making a very, very cautious prediction that we can expect the release in late summer. That would be great!
Maschenfein digital and "in real life"
Photo: ©️ Ines Grabner / Maschenfein
Our first Maschenfein event is also taking place today. Over 100 knitting enthusiasts are meeting up with some of the Maschenfein team in Berlin to watch a movie together in the Astor Film Lounge and knit at the same time.
For all those who can't be there: Don't be sad! We have lots of ideas for other knitting cinema presentations (also in other cities!), workshops or retreats. Feel free to send us an email to "events@maschenfein.de" if you have an idea or suggestion - or simply leave a comment here. We look forward to hearing from you!
Maschenfein knitting round
As always, you'll also enjoy looking at the pictures in our knitting round. Take a look:
Katharina has finished one of my next projects. Her son is wearing the Pascal Tee by Sandnes from Mandarin Petit. I think this design is so cool! By the way, you can find out which colors my son chose in the current podcast episode.
The stripes (there we go again!) of a Hilton cardigan - also from Sandnes - can be found at Louise. I remember well how Marisa knitted hers - it's a really great piece. You are knitting with Peer Gynt and Tynn Silk Mohair from Sandnes.
So, it's happened. I'm staggering again. Will I continue knitting the Mother's Day shawl or will I start on the striped shirt for my son? Or a summer top? Yarn is at the ready and inspiration is lurking around every corner. So look forward to the next coffee! Have a lovely weekend with lots of knitting time!
About Sophia
I'm Sophia, live in Hannover and since October 2020 I've been taking care of the blog posts, the newsletter, planning the podcast and coming up with actions for social media. By the way, I also happen to be a knitting addict, which benefits me at work.
Show all posts by Sophia
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