Pattern Spotlight: Rincon Cowl

Katara, a blend of 50% brown yak fiber and 50% superwash merino, is one of those yarns you'll fall in love with as soon as you get to work with it. It's soft, but sturdy; the yak lets you spit-join new balls, despite the superwash merino content.

I love the heathery look of the colors, dyed over the natural brown of the yak.

I first used natural brown Katara in a revisit of my Javelina Hat. I'd originally used yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch, which has since closed, for this textured, unisex beanie. I was thrilled when Anzula introduced Katara. I knew it'd be a great fit for the hat, and it was.

I've wanted to play with a bandana-cowl shape for awhile, finding it a nice compromise between a regular cowl and a shawl or shawlette. I asked if Anzula could provide yarn support, and mentioned that I'd love to do it in Katara--and they said yes!

Loving how well Katara shows texture stitches, I decided to do a mix of knit and purl Gansey patterns. There's enough going on to keep your attention, with distinct sections of stitch patterns, but at the same time, it's pretty straightforward. No fancy cabling, just plump knit and purl stitches. Voila! The Rincon Cowl was born!

The cowl makes a luxurious, gender neutral gift, if you're starting your holiday gift knitting!

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Find Stephannie on Ravelry as StephCat, sign up for her newsletter here or on her website, and check out her Ravelry group, Sunset Cat Designs.

You can find Katara in stock in these shops:

Amazing Threads, MN
Around the Table Yarns, OH
Crafts & Quilting, Etc., TX
Knit New Haven, CT
Knitting Room, NY
Knotty Lady Yarns, OR
Ross Farm Mercantile, PA
Starlight Knitting Society, OR
ThreadBear, NM
Wasatch & Wool, UT
Yarn & Beads, CA

Pattern Spotlight: Juniper Spur by Taiga Hilliard

Every now and then, a designer creates something totally and completely perfect. That’s how I feel about Juniper Spur by Taiga Hilliard. A couple of months ago she asked if she could design something with our Squishy Skeinettes and asked for a couple of different sets. I was a little confused about the packs she chose. I couldn’t see how they were going to work together.

She used all the right colors, and left out all the ones she didn’t need. A couple of weeks ago she send us this shawl and we were all instantly in love. Sooo, Becca and I realized we needed to make a new pack of Skeinettes especially for this shawl.

Squishy Skeinettes Chain in Rainbow

And because Becca is obsessed with blue, she put together these gorgeous Ocean Blues…

Squishy Skeinettes Chain in Ocean Blues

You can find the pattern for Juniper Spur on Ravelry here. Make sure to check out how amazing that fringe really is.

I love Taiga’s original combo, but I know I have some dark side friends, so I paired them up with Charcoal as well. Which one is your favorite? Tell me which one and why in the comments!

If you’re ready to cast on you can find Squishy Skeinette Chains at these LYS:

Four Purls in Winter Haven, FL

Yarn Refuge in Reno, NV

The Knitting Store in Oceanside, NY

Knitting Off Broadway in Fort Wayne, IN

DMarie Knit & Fiber in Prairie Du Sac, WI

Yarning for You in San Marcos, CA

If you don’t see a shop near you give one of these shops a call. I’m certain any of these shops would be more than happy to mail yarn to you!

Pattern Spotlight: Zora by Jennifer Wood

I’m one of those knitters that always has at least 2-1,000,000 things on the needles. Of course, there’s always one project that pulls my attention more than the others, and Zora has been one of them.

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I. Love. This. Shawl.

I only had to cast on a few stitches to get started, one the reasons I love shawls so much. There’s enough going on to keep me interested, but not so much that I can’t take it with me. Once you get it going, it’s so easy to “read your knitting” which means I can look at the pattern less. I don’t get to completely ignore the pattern, but I’m not staring at it counting every stitch. Some good stitch markers and I can even watch some not-too-intense TV. (GoT might be a bit much for this pattern, but honestly, who can knit while watching GoT?!)

Jennifer started with our Squishy Skeinettes in Citizen Skein, our gray gradient pack, and added a skein of Squishy in Temperance for a pop of color. I put together more color combos I thought would work really will with this pattern; Citizen Skein and either Alice, Au Natural, Garnet, Poppy, or Temperance. What do you think?

You can find Zora Yarn Bundles in these shops:

• The Tinsmith’s Wife in Comfort, TX

• Knitique in Elk Grove, CA

• Swisher’s Yarn Basket in Danville, PA

• The Nifty Knitter in Issaquah, WA

You can also special order these from any shop that carries Anzula. We have a few ready to go, so if you’re quick, there’s no wait! (Shop owners, you’ll find these in stock now in our wholesale shop here. Shoot me an email if you need access).

The best thing about this shawl is how easy it will be to wear once it’s done. This shape is so comfy and easy!

Here’s how you can keep up with all things Jennifer Wood:

WoodHouseKnits.com
Ravelry - https://www.ravelry.com/designers/jennifer-wood
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/woodhouseknits/?hl=en
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/woodhouseknits/?ref=hl

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We love working with designers, so if you have an idea, tell us about it here! We welcome submissions from all levels in any fiber craft.