Pattern Spotlight: Swirled by Lisa K. Ross

I first encountered Anzula Gerty last summer while attending the TNNA summer trade show. I was so excited to see that one of my favorite dyers now carried this rustic, natural wool yarn. I knew it would be perfect for stranded colorwork and started playing around with color combos. Pink is a favorite color of mine and, with four boys at home, not one I get to use very often. Taffy is a bright and happy shade of pink that easily pops when paired with the darker Charcoal colorway.

I had a lot of fun playing around with Gerty and trying out a variety of colorwork stitch patterns to create a hat. In the end, I created an original colorwork swirl that is easy to work with terrific graphic appeal. Through trial and error I came up with charted crown decreases that both feature the swirled motif and make the hat look exciting from every angle. Swirled Peace is as much fun to knit as it is to wear.

After finishing the hat, I knew it wasn’t enough. I wanted an additional design that would complete the look. A cowl was just the thing! Creating a cowl filled with swirls would be a bit much, especially if worn at the same time as the hat. Cowls squish down when worn, which would cover up all the beautiful two-color knitting. What if I worked just the border in colorwork? With the colors inversed from that of the hat? Thus, Swirled Traveler was created. The colorwork border is knit first and is later folded and seamed. This creates a thick fabric with inversed color swirls on each side that holds itself up when worn to show off the design. The body of the cowl is swirled with diagonal ribbing in a single color. This creates a wonderfully warm and squishy texture, perfect as a backdrop to let the swirls shine.

All of my designs are on sale for 50% off with code MERRYCHRISTMAS through December 23, 2017 (11:59EST), so hop over to Ravelry to grab your new designs and cast-on!

P.S. If you’re looking for socks to knit, my Emerald City socks feature the luxurious Anzula Squishy and are included in the pattern sale. Happy knitting to you all!

Lisa K. Ross
www.paperdaisycreations.com
https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lisa-k-ross
paperdaisy1@gmail.com
Paperdaisy1 on Ravelry
@paperdaisycreations on Instagram

Pattern Spotlight: Fissure

I have had this pattern in my head for a while now, and was just waiting for the perfect yarn to come along, and then I was able to get a preview of Anzula's new yarn Gerty and knew it would be perfect! I love Anzula's colors, and no different on this base, they have a very tender quality to them. The yarn itself is crisp, bouncy and has a very natural feel to it.

But I bet you probably want to hear about the shawl.

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Fissure knit with Anzula Gerty in colorways Victoria, Gravity, and Herb.

This shawl is about change. Letting change happen and making change happen. Change that takes place in nature and in our lives everyday.

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In nature change often is seasonal and cyclical and ever repeating in a never ending dance. Fissure can be the dry earth cracking open in the hot summer sun, or concrete giving way to roots pushing up from below the sidewalk. The change of spring sprouting to the surface, or the change of cracks when something has been stagnant and there too long.

Looking at the word, it evokes some mixed feelings, a disconnect perhaps, a break in our relationship with nature, a weakened area. But a weakened are can be a good thing, if it breaks you free from an unjust place. And in this way it can be a reminder that something is shifting, stirring. Change will happen, needs to happen, and perhaps we need to help it along.

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Where ever in your life or the world you may want to move and shake things, and have real change happen, I hope this shawl can be a reminder to you, that even the smallest crack can point the way for major shifts!

The shawl uses 3 colors in subtle contrasts, and a slip stitch and slip stitch 'pseudo' cable pattern. I call it that, because you can easily manipulate these stitches without ever using a cable needle. (I didn't use one for the entire shawl even though the pattern calls for one). 

You can get your own copy of the Fissure pattern on Ravelry here. Now through November 5th you can use the coupon code "Change" for 25% off.

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LYS, print patterns are available at Stitch Sprouts - http://www.stitchsprouts.com/

Gerty is available in the shops listed below, all of whom are happy to ship!

Baskets of Yarn - Charlotte, NC - (704) 733-9053
Wasatch and Wool - Park City, UT - (435) 575-0999
Yarn Refuge - Reno, NV - (775) 384-1600
Knit One Purl Two - Rockford, IL - (815) 904-6030
Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - (234) 208-9482
Avenue Yarns - Albany, NY - (510) 526-9276

Special orders only: Swatches - Fresno, CA - (559) 435-2813
Special orders are dyed to order and are typically ready in 3-5 weeks.You can place a special order for Gerty (or any of our yarns) at your favorite local shop. See a list of shops here and our map here. 

Pattern Spotlight: Miki

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Miki Swatch in Frankie and Charcoal Gerty

Miki, pronounced mee-kee in Japanese, means flower stem. This hat looks great on everyone, so no matter who you're knitting for this pattern will be a go to. It's knit from the bottom up with two contrasting colors of Gerty. The hat features a slipped stitch pattern that is reminiscent of a flower stem. I had a lot of fun swatching with Gerty and coming up with the stitch pattern. The yarn has a lot of bounce so I knew it would work well with slip stitch.

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You only knit with one color at a time, super easy!

Slip stitch patterns are really fun to knit and it creates a warm and cozy hat. You are only working with one color at a time, so it's much easier to knit than it looks. The colors are carried up on the inside of the hat, so there is no need to cut your yarn as you knit the hat. This yarn takes dye very well. The colors are so vibrant. There are so many possibilities of color combinations with Anzula’s beautiful colorways.

One of my favorite parts about this pattern is that you will have enough yarn to make a second hat. Gerty’s yardage is very generous. As you can see, I reversed the colors for the 2nd hat. You can knit one for yourself and then gift the second one.

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Alternating colors makes super cute hats for best friends, parent/child, siblings, or any other 2 people who like each other.

Gerty blocks out beautifully. It plumps up nicely even after blocking and I do love a good blocking. I highly recommend blocking because it brings out the best of the wool. Gerty does best with a short soak in cool water. (Note from Team Anzula - If you add anything to the water, make sure it's designed for hand dyed yarns. Please don't use laundry detergent or softeners. They aren't great for hand dyes)

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The pattern is now available on Ravelry here. From now until Oct 13, you can buy Miki for a discounted price of $4 by using the coupon code “GertyLove” at the checkout. For yarn shops that would like high quality print copies for their store, they can be purchased at wholesale through Stitch Sprouts.

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You can find more of Angela’s designs on Ravelry. Follow her on Instagram to see what she is currently working on.

Gerty is available in the shops listed below, all of whom are happy to ship!

Baskets of Yarn - Charlotte, NC - (704) 733-9053
Wasatch and Wool - Park City, UT - (435) 575-0999
Yarn Refuge - Reno, NV - (775) 384-1600
Knit One Purl Two - Rockford, IL - (815) 904-6030
Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - (234) 208-9482
Avenue Yarns - Albany, NY - (510) 526-9276

Special orders only: Swatches - Fresno, CA - (559) 435-2813
Special orders are dyed to order and are typically ready in 3-5 weeks.You can place a special order for Gerty (or any of our yarns) at your favorite local shop. See a list of shops here and our map here.