Our maschenfein year 2024

We have definitely sweetened the cold and gray January in terms of knitting: three Maschenfein designs have been released: Birdy Cardigan, Cloud Sweater with cozy collar or Frieda Sweater - you definitely didn't get cold.

In the spirit of "thinking outside the box", we also included yarns from the Icelandic manufacturer Ístex. Louisa and I had our fingers in the pie here. The Nordic designs and the robust feel of the yarns simply fascinate us again and again!

But the great thing about Maschenfein is that there is something for every taste. Anyone who loves cashmere will of course be happy with us in winter! To mark the milestone birthday of Pascuali founder Paul Pascuali, Marisa and Sandra designed the Paul Scarf - made from Pascuali cashmere 6/28, of course. The little scarf features our popular Frieda pattern - and was a real hit with you!

In March we traditionally publish our Mother's Day shawl design. You can already order the matching yarn and get everything ready for the start of the corresponding Knit-Along. What can I say: Your enthusiasm for Lotti and the matching yarn Pinta by Pascuali has (briefly) brought the yarn manufacturer to its knees. We are still delighted that the design has gone down so well with you!

Part of the team also met up at the h+h trade fair in Cologne. It's always nice when we see each other "in real life". If we can then also talk to our manufacturers, feel new qualities and gather lots of knitting impressions, our happiness is almost perfect! The month was crowned by the release of the Teddy Sweater - an extension of the Cloud Sweater with a cozy collar, but made from Teddy Dear by Gepard.

In April, the "Designer of the Month" series continued with Claudia Eisenkolb - an expert in custom-fit knitwear who had recently published her first book.

The release of the Mininata design was definitely a surprise - for Marisa 😉. The pattern and knitting kit went online just in time for her birthday. The best thing: she really didn't know anything about it and the mini version of her own Hinata shawl made her eyes pop.

Summer also arrived in May and June. Among other things, we added yarns from the Finnish manufacturer Lankava, which can be used to crochet great accessories, for example. The Dina Sweater - a further development of the Dineke sweater from a Maschenfein book - was also added to the store as a pattern and matching set. Knitted from lightweight Ito yarns, this design definitely whetted the appetite for warm temperatures! The numerous pictures of your finished Mother's Day shawls were also a source of great joy.

Finally, in June, (almost) the entire team met up in the Mecklenburg Lake District. That.was.so.nice! Three days of working, eating and relaxing together - wonderful! At the same time, a portrait of the British designer Cheryl Mokhtari was published, as well as the cute little pattern for the European Championship fan cuff (so it wasn't our fault that the national team was eliminated early!)

Sometimes I get incredulous looks when I pull out my knitting or crochet items in summer. How ... handicrafts in summer? Of course! Our own designs Icaba Bag, Sea Silk Top and Perla Cardigan proved that this year.

With the latter, you've also made another manufacturer sweat. Even before the pattern for the garter stitch cardigan appeared, you had already cleaned out several colors of the yarn of the same name. Better safe than sorry - after all, you want to start knitting as soon as the pattern arrive! 😉 Luckily for us, Lamana still had some of the default batches of certain colors in stock, which we were able to offer you at a discounted price.

So you could look after me during the blog break in August and knit your Perla cardigan. September continued with plenty of reading material on the blog and in the form of the book Knit is for Power, to which we contributed a portrait of Marisa and the pattern for the Liv shawl. Sandnes also ushered in the new season with another DIY magazine and whetted our appetite for fall knitting.

The fact that we were able to generate a lot of enthusiasm among you again this year was and is also due to a lot of work in the background. A great and well thought-out team ensures that everything runs smoothly from a technical point of view and that errors are quickly rectified. In addition to support, editing, product maintenance and design development, we also have three developers on board.

The team of Mirjam, Judith and Barbara achieved two major milestones this year. Firstly, the expansion of our payment methods (you wouldn't believe how time-consuming this is!) and our new search function. Since this has been active, searching for products and blog posts is much easier and more accurate.

Since then, we have taken giant steps towards the end of the year. But: No Christmas without a knitted Christmas shawl! And so we published the knitting kit for our Elli Christmas stole in November. Your enthusiasm was also great here - even though the elegant model requires some knitting know-how this time. À propos "knitting know-how": As you can now find extensive knit-ledge on our website, questions about the Italian cast-on or the right finish are no longer a problem!

After the launch of the corresponding Knit-Along, three new designs were added to our portfolio: The Brevue Cardigan is a great basic piece that doesn't miss anything due to its choice of yarn (cashmere!). Advanced knitters can look forward to the Leo Cardigan. Who knows: maybe I'll try it on next year!

And now? We're on the home straight. Just "before the end" we were able to surprise you with a free pattern. Many of you had requested pattern for the vest that Franziska Klee likes to wear in her videos. We listened to your wishes and put the notes from Franziska's mom, who designed the model, on "maschenfein paper".

But it's not just our core team that makes Maschenfein what it is: a big thank you also goes to our pattern, test and commission knitters. Marisa is only able to show you all the beautiful knitwear designs because many hard-working hands support us.

The year was also characterized by growth in the manufacturer portfolio. In addition to Ístex and Lankava, we now also offer you qualities from Novita and Cardiff Cashmere, for example. At the same time, manufacturers from the very beginning such as Lamana, Pascuali and Ito are still on board - and we are particularly pleased about this trusting collaboration.

So before I leave you to the Christmas hustle and bustle, an important note: Tomorrow you can open the last door of our Advent calendar - as usual on our blog and also on Instagram. There's something very special hidden behind it!

Thanks to the Christmas holidays, you have a few extra days to take part this time. In addition, the last podcast recording is in the can and will be published before New Year's Eve. You will also hear from us as usual in the regular newsletter.

Of course, you can also browse through the store and blog to your heart's content over the holidays and between the years! Just keep in mind that December 23rd is the last shipping day for this year. After that we go into inventory. Everything that is ordered during this time will be reserved and will be on its way from January 2nd. So if you are still looking for a Christmas present: I recommend a voucher from us, which you will then receive by email. With PayPal, Apple Pay, credit card or Klarna, the money will be booked immediately and you will receive the voucher directly after your order.

We are always delighted when you share your knitting progress with us. When you send us photos, show us your projects via Instagram and Facebook, write us emails or leave lovely comments on the podcast. Our Maschenfein knitting round is simply unique - we notice that again and again!

With this in mind, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all the best for the New Year! Instead of melancholy (or perhaps relief for one or the other), let's now look forward to the new year. May the needles never run out!