Vicissitude Tank & Cowl by Sarah Wilson

Sylvia (our shipping manager) and I were recently talking about the Vicissitude Tank & Cowl. We'd both seen the pattern in passing on Ravelry, and she was certain that the pattern made one garment that was both a tank and cowl, and I was equally certain that the pattern made two pieces because the cowl did not look like it was a top.

Clearly, I was wrong - Vicissitude is one garment. The fantastic new pattern from Sarah Wilson (who you may know as The Sexy Knitter) is a tank that converts to a cowl, and back again.

The tank is knit from Haiku, our fingering-weight superwash Merino/bamboo/nylon blend. It's shown here in Minty Unicorn, Yarnover Truck's exclusive colorway. The colorway and Yarnover Truck's territory in southern California inspired the light and airy tank.

One of Sarah's specialties is well-constructed garments, so as she describes it: "Though the lace sports a strong diagonal pattern, the fabric does not bias, which means you won’t fight to keep the tank in place. A simple tube designed with a bit of negative ease, this style highlights the bust, nips in at the waist, and hides the tummy, all at once!"

You may remember some of Sarah's other designs knit in our yarns, like Pelotonner (a sweater knit in Oasis), Chi-Chi Cowl (knit in Oasis), and of course the amazing Miss Brooks and Principesa dresses.

You can get the pattern for your own Vicissitude here. To find Haiku, visit our website to find a local or online retailer. If Haiku is not available at your LYS, you can place a special order through any store that carries Anzula. (Minty Unicorn is available only through Yarnover Truck and can't be special ordered through any other store.)

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Chintz Shawl by Karin Wilmoth

For her new shawl, Karin Wilmoth was inspired by Victorian Chintz. Chintz was a printed calico, usually featuring florals or other patterns on a light background, that was made in India in the 1600s. During that century, the fabric was so popular that imports of Chintz skyrocketed and France and England decided to ban the import of the fabric because the mills there could not create a competing product. In the late 1700s the ban was lifted as French and English mills were creating their own Chintz.

The Chintz Shawl is a new shawl pattern that is full of interesting design elements. The shawl is knit by using both For Better or Worsted and Squishy in the same colorway, creating a gently textured stripe that Karin says is reminiscent of vintage wallpaper.

She also says that "working with two weights of yarn of similar color is a easy way to add texture without drastically changing a pattern. Also, this shawl could be called, 'I heart I-cord.' There are three ways to use it in this pattern."

The shawl features a repeating floral stitch that also is a nod to Victorian Chintz.

Karin has graciously lent us the shawl so if you are attending TNNA in Columbus you will be able to see it at booths 347, 349, 446 & 448.

The pattern for the Chintz Shawl is available here. To find the Squishy and For Better or Worsted for your shawl, visit our website to find a local or online retailer. If Squishy is not available at your LYS, you can place a special order through any store that carries Anzula.

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Featured Project: Earth Mother Pillow

I'm excited about sharing this featured project with you because it incorporates a couple of things we love. One is our extensive selection of hand-dyed and natural fibers, both domestic and exotic. The other is the art of weaving.

This is the beautiful Earth Mother pillow created by Kandice Rose, (aka Kandicimo). Inspired by this pillow on Ravelry, she decided to gather the necessary materials and tackle the project with her Schacht Cricket loom and without a pattern. She used our Corriedale in the Earth theme as the weft in the colorful fabric on the right side of the pillow. Taking the Earth theme and adding the fact that the pillow was made as a gift for her mother-in-law for Mother's Day, the project was named the Earth Mother Pillow.

Kandice purchased this fiber at Stitches West this year, but before the event she'd never heard of Anzula. It was another member of the group that directed her to our booth. She says, "I originally fell for a skein of Dreamy for another project, and I got so wrapped up in choosing just the right color to match another yarn (the ladies in the booth were so fun and helped me pick a color!) that I didn’t even look at the fiber. I came back to the booth later when I was looking specifically for fiber and the “Earth” caught my eye."

Visit our website to find a local or online Anzula retailer. If our spinning fiber is not available at your LYS, you can place a special order through any store that carries Anzula.

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