{Saturday Coffee & Net Talk}
You might think that the last few Saturday coffees were all made on the train. Well, they were. At least in part. After all, I was first in Cologne at the trade fair and then in Berlin for a network meeting. So there's a lot going on - and I'm taking you with me!
Good morning for your Saturday coffee, which you can hopefully enjoy in a relaxed manner. Maybe even with a fresh cup of coffee in your hand! So make yourselves comfortable and have fun reading!
On a flying visit to the Rhineland
We started off the road trip with a visit to Cologne. Of course, the cathedral next to the main train station immediately caught our eye. And although the industry trade fair h+h took place so early this year, the cathedral city spoiled us with the finest spring weather.
Unfortunately, there is always little time for sightseeing on trade fair days, but there was enough time for a visit to an authentic brewery - Kölner Köbes included. All readers from the Rhineland know that the service staff in a local pub are very special and can be considered an experience.

Photo: ©️ Sophia Michalzik

The absolute highlight of the weekend (only just before the Köbes, of course) was something else - namely our event at our wholesaler's stand, which we organized together with EMF-Verlag. The occasion was our new book Mini Tücher - Maxi Chic, which was published at the end of February and has generated so much enthusiasm that the second edition is already in print.
At this point, I have the first good news of the day: we were able to get hold of another batch from the first edition and restock! So anyone who was on the waiting list has already received an email that the book is available again. And if you still need one: go for it! You can either buy the book individually here or choose your desired set and select the book there.
I noticed on Instagram that some people couldn't decide which mini scarf to choose. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to help - after all, I have several favorites myself ( Salmi is currently very popular with me!) 😉.
New from ChrisBerlin
We also met so many great people from the knitting world while walking around the trade fair or at our event itself. In addition to our manufacturers, especially many designers. Among them was ChrisBerlin, whose latest design I'm bringing you today - it's the perfect knit for spring!
If you already want to knit sleeveless, fancy cables and like a tweed effect - the Lucky Vest is your next project! The vest is knitted from the top down (the cables can be worked without a cable needle) from Tweed Recycled by Sandnes. The facing is worked at the same time, only the neck and sleeve cuffs are worked later. I love my cozy knits, but I have to admit that I'm already looking forward to knitting fewer sleeves ... 😉
The yarn also has an exciting composition: it consists of 80% recycled virgin wool, which is either waste from yarn processing or comes from garments that have been reused. The rest is made up of recycled cashmere - wonderful!

Photo: ©️ ChrisBerlin
Personal encounters

Photo: ©️ Aneta Bleyer
In addition to all the new products that we were able to marvel at in terms of yarn and accessories, one thing remains the best: the personal encounters. For example, the short but very nice meeting with Aneta alias knitting.adventures at the ITO Yarn stand has stayed with me.
Even if we haven't been talking for that long, such encounters are always very valuable for me. Having a face and a voice for a design is always something else. So thank you, Aneta, for approaching us!
I brought along one of her summer designs for this little coffee: the Australis Tee is a striped shirt with short sleeves. The exciting thing here: It has garter stitch stripes that differ in texture. The main part of the shirt is knitted with two strands of Kinu and Shio from Ito, while the stripes are knitted with just one skein of Shio. I can only recommend both yarns to you - they are perfect for summer knitting!
Rediscovered
I also rediscovered the yarn Suave at the fair. I've only knitted it once so far - and that was with a single yarn. The knitting was great, but in the end I wasn't really convinced by the knitted fabric itself. Since the weekend, I know why!
The pure cotton yarn Suave, which looks like a little cloud in the truest sense of the word, needs - in my eyes - a companion. Either another Suave or, for example, the new Pascuali yarn Arctic Pearl. I tried this combination at the trade fair stand and was blown away (it's even vegan)! We will send you the swatch as soon as possible.
For this little coffee, however, I have brought another combination with me: Suave meets the silk-mohair yarn Mohair Bliss in the Pascualicardigan Diamond Breeze - and I think that's not only exciting, but also very pleasant.

Photo: ©️ Pascuali

Photo: ©️ Pascuali
The cardigan is started at the lower back, from where you knit across the shoulders before working both front pieces from the top down. The facings for the slits and the front edge are knitted at the same time.
This design requires a little bit of sewing: Before you knit the sleeves on directly and knit them in rounds to the cuffs, close the side seams between the side slits. I love seamless knitting, but I have to admit that I also like to do some sewing now and then. It's all in the mix!
Coming soon from Lamana
As always, it was also very worthwhile for us to visit the stand of our manufacturer Lamana. Kerstin not only showed us the new Torino yarn there (I told you about the bouclé yarn last week), but also new designs that will be released in the course of the year.
So not only can you look forward to a subtle Christmas sweater (mistletoe!), but also to the sweater with a slit that you can see in the picture. I.was.shockingly.in.love. Really! So, so beautiful! The model is knitted from Torino and Premia, has side slits and a wide ribbed collar. The finished knit is soft to the touch and although it still has no name, it's already on the knitting list for fall. It's that quick! I will of course let you know as soon as the design has seen the light of day.

Photo: ©️ Sophia Michalzik
Podcast special episode and an Instagram video
For all those who haven't had enough of the trade fair yet, I have something else for you: because we were so impressed ourselves, Louisa and I recorded a special episode of our podcast "Nur noch eine reihe" on site - trade fair sounds included! And all Instagram users can also watch a great reel that Louisa put together. You can find it on our profile - enjoy!
Meeting in Berlin
Another highlight took place shortly after the trade fair: For the first time, there was an event just for women in the run-up to K5 - an event specifically for networking and further training in online retail. The idea behind the Female Circle was to network, exchange ideas and learn from each other.
Marisa took the opportunity to register Maschenfein as a sponsor of the event. She was also a speaker on a panel and told us about you! Because if there's one thing that makes Maschenfein so special, it's our knitting community, which connects virtually and sometimes even makes its way into "real life". Building such a community can be a role model for others. We also had our own stand where visitors could look at sample designs, try out knitting wool and talk to us. It was a completely different round than in Cologne, but it was exciting! I'm not lying when I say that by this point our heads were full and our feet were definitely flat.

Photo: ©️ Julia Gotthardt
Maschenfein knitting round
So it's high time to round off this little coffee with a walk through our knitting round. This week I have two stitchy designs for you:

Birgit has test knitted our Nile Sweater in Como Cashmere from Lamana. When Marisa showed the first knitted version at the end of last year, I thought I could pass it by. Now I've seen the finished knitted model in Berlin and have to say: no, unfortunately I can't. So beautiful! The pattern for the half-patch sweater are coming soon - the test knit is almost done!
If you fancy a cozy shawl, you should take a look at Melanie's Cali XL shawl. She knitted the version from Snefnug by CaMaRose. We have adapted the pattern again for this - you will automatically receive both versions (including the one for Cashmere Light from Lang Yarns) when you buy the pattern. Either way, the XXL shawl is a cozy dream that may soon be too warm, but will definitely bring you joy again in the fall. And pssst: There is also a mini version in the new shawl book!
At the end of these exciting travel days, I can only say one thing: Thank you! No matter what meeting we had, whether at a trade fair in Cologne or an event in Berlin - so many people approached us and were curious. Or they already knew us and were enthusiastic about what we do. But what can I say: Maschenfein doesn't just exist because of us, but also because of you. You make our knitting group something very special. Thank you for all the kind words you've had for us over the last few days - and for everything else you've done for us.
I wish you a wonderful weekend with lots of knitting and browsing time!
6 comments
Dear Sophia, thank you for another interesting "Saturday coffee". My start to every weekend 😊. Last week you briefly referred to Laine Magazine 24 and announced an alternative yarn for the cover model "Thuja" and the jacket "Amber". I haven't read anything about it yet this week. Have you been able to find yarns yet? 🧶
Best wishes and have a relaxing weekend! Claudia
Dear Claudia, you're right! I completely overlooked that last time we had a coffee. We've already created Thuja as a knitting set and decided on Alpakka Silke: https://www.maschenfein.com/produkt/thuja/ And you could go for Kinu and Sensai for Amber - I can imagine it being really beautiful! We are still creating the matching knitting set. Best regards, Sophia
Dear Sophia,
thank you so much for pointing out Aneta Bleyer's designs - there are so many beautiful ones and they were completely under my radar until now!
One reason why I always look forward to my Saturday morning coffee with a cup in my hand!
Best regards, Anita
Dear Anita, I'm delighted 🙂 Then I hope you enjoy browsing and send my best regards, Sophia
Dear Sophia,
Thank you very much,
for writing the Saturday coffee despite the "stress of traveling".
It is so beautiful!
I wish you a relaxing weekend!
Ute
Dear Ute, thank you! I actually like writing on the train, so this was a good fit. 🙂 Have fun with Maschenfein and with knitting! Sophia