Pattern Spotlight: Lucienne Scarf by Katy Carroll

Katy Carroll's designs are bold, full of bright colors, and usually, at least a few cables. Sounds pretty great right? She joins us today to tell about her newest pattern, Lucienne Scarf:

I was so excited to have a chance to work with Ava, Anzula's new sport weight blend. Of course, I hadn't seen Ava yet, but having knit with several Anzula yarns, and having scoped out even more of them at trunk shows, I knew it wouldn't disappoint.

The first thing that struck me about Ava was its bouncy twist, which is one of my favorite things to discover in a yarn. While I like a lot of different knitting techniques, I'm a cable-lover at heart, and I'll always try to find a way to sneak them into designs and projects. A round yarn like this shows off cables so well, but the softness from the MCN content also gives it a beautiful drape. it was a tactile treat to knit! I also think Ava has a lot of inherent versatility, both in terms of gauge and the types of projects for which it could be used. it would make an amazing sweater!

Knowing that Ava would be released in the spring, I chose the vibrant, sunny Saffron colorway for my design. And thinking about Spring further, I knew I wanted a pattern that had an open and airy feel to it. I decided that I would incorporate dropped stitches somehow, but while dropped stitches can be fun (it feels so subversive to drop them on purpose!), they can leave the stitches on either side looking sloppy. Unless you're aiming for a deconstructed, "Matrix-y" look, that may not be what you want. This "cables and lace" motif is ideal for the purpose, though - it's bordered by decreases on either side, which keep the edges crisp and distinct. A few purl columns in between the motifs are dropped down at the end of the work, and while you don't get to enjoy that moment of transformation until the very end of your knitting, it's well worth the wait!

Ava's generous yardage allowed me to use most of all of two skeins to make a wide, lengthy scarf that could be draped loosely during transitional months, or worn more snugly in colder weather. Look for Ava's debut at VK Live in Pasadena this weekend, with the Anzula yarns at the Yarnover Truck booth 121-123!

Can't make it to VK Live? No worries, Ava will be appearing in shops soon. If you want it even sooner you can always place a special order at your favorite Anzula shop.

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Pattern Spotlight: Mediterranean Seas Lap Blanket by Kalliopi Aronis

We're so happy to have Kalliopi Aronis of Little Brown Sheep tell the tale of her new pattern:

I was so happy when Anzula contacted me to let me know a new yarn was on the way! How exciting! Even better, the fiber content of Ava is the same as Squishy, my favorite (although now it's tying with Ava).

Would I like to design with it? Of course! And with that I was off tearing through the house to find my Moleskin notebook.

I had a general idea of what I wanted to do withing the time constraints, something that didn't need sizing and something larger than an accessory. My first thought was a large throw.

Then reality sank in.

Maybe a baby blanket would be a better size... That would be an interesting photo-shoot to take on with no cribs or babies available. Perhaps a lap blanket, that's a real thing, right?

I poured through Anzula colorways and Aqua and Blueberry looked particularly Mediterranean to me. I grew up in Greece and having the sea as my playground is something for which I've always been incredibly grateful. I didn't live on an island, but the sea by my apartment would take on the most amazing colors; pale greens on a calm day or dark grays during strong winds. And the blue waters matching the shutters of the island homes. How could I not incorporate that? With the overall design and colors chosen I sent Anzula my idea and request for yarn.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and some yarn winding on my knees. I then started working on my swatch and I had an epiphany. If there's something I don't feel like knitting why would anyone else want to knit it?

I asked myself a few questions: Do I care more about making it complicated or just interesting enough where I could still watch Property Brothers and not have to pay too much attention? What is the root cause of the abandoned 25 WIPs in my china cabinet?

After some thought I realized that the cause of my WIPs is that I simply lost interest. Either the pattern was too difficult, too easy, or the yarn didn't want to become a stole/sock/vest. so how could I prevent this from happening in my own design?

I’m big on memorizable yet impressive patterns and I wanted them to retain a Mediterranean influence that would blend cohesively with the colors. After some more swatching, I decided on an easier lace pattern with simple repeats and reverse stockinette borders which turned to lovely waves below the lace and a textured pattern for the blue as opposed to a Greek key, which would’ve involved more chart reading.

Now there’s nice balance between the lace and colored resting rows. It has achieved the look I was going for, a reflection of the ubiquitous island architecture, a beach with a stone walkway leading up to a white house framed by beautiful flowers.

Working with Ava is like a dream. It’s a wonderful yarn, incredibly soft and warm. The stitch definition is wonderful, every stitch shows up crisply and cleanly. It makes the blanket a uniquely beautiful work of art.

So bring a piece of the Mediterranean into your home with this cozy lap blanket. Perhaps you’ll even catch a whiff of the salty sea…

You can find the pattern for Mediterranean Seas Lap Blanket on Ravelry and the Ava yarn at VK Live this weekend in the Yarnover Truck booth (121-123).

Can't make it to VK Live? No worries, Ava will be appearing in shops soon. If you want it even sooner you can always place a special order at your favorite Anzula shop.

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Book Report: The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting

The Backstory

A few weeks ago I was lamenting that grown-ups never get to do book reports after my 8 year old got to make a campaign poster for Peter Parker/Spider-Man after reading a book about him. That was easily my favorite part of school and jealousies were high as he put the finishing touches on the poster- a dab of gold glitter on the radioactive spider.

Thank goodness for friends like Sabrina (the queen of Anzula, in case you didn't know) who always have my back. It was less than 24 hours before I had a shiny new book in my hands to read and review.

The Book

After fruitlessly searching for slip-stitch patterns to rival those that The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting authors Faina Goberstein and Simona Merchant-Dest remembered from their childhoods in Eastern Europe, the two set out to create new stitch patterns.

These patterns challenge everything you've ever thought about slip-stitch knitting. Gorgeous yarn and the right needle can create divine garment that you'll simply love to put on again and again.

—That's what I'd write if I were leaving an Amazon review or something. But I'm not. So here's my real ~~review~~ book report on The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting.

Charlie, the glue that keeps all of the behind-the-scenes day to day business together at Anzula, basically is gonna have to pry this book out of my cold, dead hands to get it back. I'm not a strong knitter, and my pattern reading skills are seriously lacking and I usually have to pry a knitting needle out of the couch cushion that I've stabbed it in after ripping all of the stitches. That said, I was able to follow along and swatch several of the stitch patterns with (relative) ease—a big deal for me. There's a lot of background information on slip-stitch knitting in the introduction, which talks beginners or knitters with crummy pattern reading comprehension down from the ledge. I have a feeling that amazing knitters (like my sister, UGH.) would be able to breeze through and get right to creating the knits themselves without tarrying too long on the swatches.

I got all swatchy with my bad self and experimented with floats. To my surprise, it actually looked almost like the picture. Guys, I can never do this on the first try.

The Patterns

Textures and color combos are plentiful in this book, with patterns to emulate fair isle colorwork, textures galore, and garments that are timelessly classic. Each pattern has a Russian or Czech name, which I love about this book. My absolute favorite is the Koketka Sweater, Russian for Yoke.

This one uses a DK weight and I can just imagine how cozy it would feel in Croquet, especially if you don't live somewhere that ever gets cold enough for alpaca sweaters like the pattern calls for. (Even so, let's all let out a purr of appreciation for how amazing alpaca feels. Mmmmm.)

Second favorite, and one that I could totally do without even having to frog and start over a billion times, is the Zlatý DéštˇCowl. Even better, it calls for For Better or Worsted. If you've never cast this one on, this is a good pattern to experience it on. Beautful zig-zags in super close shades (here in Temperence and Butter, but I'd love to see it in Denim and Elephant, or Shiitake and RootBeer and a two-tone depth

I mean, c'mon, right? It's gorgeous and most importantly, it looks super warm and comfortable without lapsing into A Christmas Story amounts of layers.

And speaking of A Christmas Story, gift giving season is drawing near. There are, of course, smaller projects in the book, like the classic šiška Hat and , which would make beautiful gifts, or in my case, if you don't have time to knit for everyone on your list, you can always buy them a copy of The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting. I'm pretty much crossing my fingers that my sister won't see this blog and she'll be surprised when she unwraps her very own copy, along with the perfect skeins of Anzula yarn to complete her first slip-stitched project!

PS— Faina Goberstein is currently in the middle of a blog tour promoting all of her slip-stitch prowess. Follow along here.

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