Summer yarns and summer favorites

In the last newsletter, I talked about ITO yarns in our favorites of the week. The Japanese yarns are simply something very special - not only visually, because many of them come on cones, but also because of materials and compositions that are more unusual for us, such as an admixture of paper.

I knitted ITO qualities for the very first time in the Shirt Summer from ANKESTRiCK. Shio (merino) and Urugami (wool and paper) come together here. The model itself is a simple T-shirt - with the yarn combination we recommend, it is ideal for summers that are not too hot. For now, so to speak. And although I was still quite a novice knitter at the time, I made rapid progress. The design worked from the top down just knits away.

When I was thinking about what to put in my project basket, I stumbled across the Perfect Knit T-shirt by Kaitlin Barthold. The US-American published the design a few years ago, but it doesn't really matter: this shirt is so simple and timeless - it always fits!

In this case, you can also use an ITO combination, namely Kinu and Washi. Silk meets paper and viscose, so it's going to be really summery. Marisa has her version in a beautiful white, Sandra has - of course! - opted for navy. Here too, knitting is done from the top down. If you're unsure about the English pattern, you're in luck: Kaitlin has not only published the pattern on Ravelry, but also for free on her blog. You have to muddle through a bit here because there are of course lots of pictures and the whole thing is not "from a single source", but we're not complaining. In any case, it's a nice service and a decision-making aid for some of you!

I actually brought another ITO and another ANKESTRiCK with this model: the ARMOR cardigan has just been released and was immediately on the list for this little coffee. It was a coincidence that I spontaneously picked up an older shirt by the Berlin-based company, which is also knitted from ITO yarns.

The ARMOR cardigan is a cozy cardigan with the pattern of the same name, which has also been used for this sweater. It is knitted from the top down. You start at the neck, the shoulders are worked with raglan increases according to the pattern. You also have the choice of whether you want to knit a facing for a zipper or one for buttons. Not such an easy decision. I think I would lean towards the zipper! Incidentally, Kosho (virgin wool and cashmere) and Sensai (mohair and silk) are used for the knitting.

If you don't like mohair or generally like to work single stranded, I recommend this design: The Moray Sweater by Cheryl Mokhtari is a simple, timeless striped sweater made from Double Sunday by Sandnes.

Several advantages come together here: Stripes always work. The model is suitable for beginners. Double Sunday has a beautiful color palette whose shades can be ideally combined with each other. The quality itself is a pure merino yarn that is easy to knit and easy to care for. Arguments to the contrary? There are none! Except perhaps that you have to decide on a color combination. But I'm sure you'll manage that! As with all the previous designs, knitting is done from the top down.

The Sarang Bag from aegyoknit, on the other hand, is not single-threaded, but triple stranded (a little tip will follow in a few moments, stay tuned!). I have a weakness for bags of all kinds and for a few years now I've had a particular weakness for knitted and crocheted bags. I'm always so proud when I turn up somewhere with my French Market Bag. I can literally feel the PetiteKnit aura!

This model here is also from a Danish designer: the Sarang Bag was created by aegyoknit and is worked in an ajour pattern. This is a hole pattern(ajour comes from the French and means opening or breakthrough). You start at the bottom of the bag, which you work in rows, then work upwards in rounds in the pattern.

A little preparatory work is required

You can choose between small and large sizes. Accordingly, you will need four or six balls of Crealino from Lang Yarns. Our tip: Wind three strands onto one ball so that you can knit everything at once. Otherwise, the yarn tends to tangle due to the winding.

To make this possible even with the small size, I would start winding a ball of yarn from both sides and then add another ball. Yes, a bit of preparatory work is necessary, but once you've done that, nothing stands in the way of knitting fun (I would banish all possible distractions from the room while winding - children, men, dogs, cats, etc.). In any case, the reward is a beautiful bag that will accompany you through the summer!

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I showed you the Georges sweater from kolibri by Johanna, which a bride wanted to knit for her wedding that was taking place in a week' s time? One week! Only knitters can be that crazy! Well, the customer has contacted us again ...

... and with great news! The delicate sweater with a big bow on the back was finished in the church by hard-working friends and was ready in time for the party. That 's what I call dedication! In any case, we would like to congratulate the bride and groom on their wedding and share their happiness!

In keeping with the theme, here's another tip: the great project bags from MIEN Berlin are back. The shimmering faux leather - and this always makes me think of festivities of all kinds - had done it to you and the colors were sold out in no time. Now (as of Friday lunchtime) copper, mother-of-pearl, gold and rosé are back in stock - have fun browsing!

Marisa and I also went through the upcoming designs that Katharina and Lisa are currently working on for us. There are some lovely things coming your way in the next few weeks - next week, for example, the pattern for the Icaba Bag, which you will crochet from Ica by Lamana. There will be two sizes and I think one or two beach accessories are due!

Wrong batch? Lovable batch!

And then this Friday was another exciting day for us: there was a small rush for Perla by Lamana, our yarn for the Perla summer cardigan, which will be released at the end of July. The blend of cotton, alpaca and silk makes the yarn something very special. Unfortunately, it turned out during the week that Nature - the color for Marisa's cardigan version - was out of stock. So we thought with Lamana about what we could do and decided to offer a missing batch at a special price. Due to heavy rainfall in the Peruvian growing region, there were small, partially visible fiber wefts in the material. You can recognize them by their darker color.

What followed? Another onslaught. Nature? Sold out. So picked up the phone again and thought again. The result: the heavy rain had also affected batches of rose quartz, nutmeg, sage and basalt blue. That's why we've ordered what we can and are now offering you the balls from the same lovely batches at a special price.

If you want to knit the summer cardigan, you will need approx. nine to 15 balls of yarn, depending on the size of the cardigan. Our tip: According to feedback from our testers, the quantities are rather tightly calculated, so order one ball more if necessary. And of course, take a look at the other great designs from Perla - you can find them here.