Wish I Might Shawl & Mermaid Shawl

Although the team has been back from TNNA for weeks now, we've been so busy that it hardly feels like it! The TNNA trade show features a short event where shop owners can purchase kits to check out available yarns before the actual show floor opens. We had two kits available at this season's TNNA, Mermaid Shawl by Vera Sanon and Wish I Might by Irish Girlie Knits.

The Mermaid Shawl by Vera Sanon was worn as Anzula's entry in the TNNA Fashion Show. The shawl requires one skein each of contrasting colors of Mermaid. It would also look pretty gorgeous as a one-color piece, too.

Wish I Might by Irish Girlie Knits is knit in our new sparkling Nebula yarn. We sold out of this kit more than once during the Sample It! event! Although the sparkle is hard to see in the photos, the yarn is definitely full of beautiful sparkle that inspired this great shawl.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry, and the yarns are available at your local LYS. See our where to buy pages for a local shop or online retailer.

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Featured Designer: Vera Sanon

If you're an Anzula fan, you've probably heard of designer Vera Sanon. Not only has she designed several beautiful sweaters in our yarn this year, she created the Mermaid Shawl that was our entry in the fashion show at the TNNA trade show last month.

Vera grew up in Germany, where she started knitting and crocheting at the age of six. Her great-grandmother taught her these skills, and at a young age she started working in her mother's yarn shop and helping to design garments for the shop.

She puts those design skills to use today as she creates beautiful knit garments. She says “I am a plus sized woman, at 6 feet tall, wearing a size XL and 2XL. Thus, I design what flatters my body because in the “real world” lots of women are built like me.” She focuses on top-down methods of construction so that garments can be custom-fit as you knit. Customization is made easier by the fact that her patterns include a wide range of sizes. For example, the Symmetry in Motion pattern shown below can be made in any size from XS – 4XL.

Vera took her knowledge back to Germany recently to teach a number of workshops about top-down knitting. She wrote a 35-page book in German with techniques and fitting tips that she presented in 6-hour workshops. You can read more about it here: http://www.mittelhessen.de/lokales/region-limburg-weilburg_artikel,-Stricken-wie-die-Profis-_arid,145674.html (If you don't read German, the Google Translate version was pretty easy to follow.)

© Vera Sanon - Mariela Top-Down Cardigan

I asked Vera about designing with our yarns and she said “I absolutely love the high quality of the base yarn and the vibrant and beautiful colors! Also, unlike many other hand dyed yarns, I find very little difference in the color from skein to skein. Thus, I do not have to do the “dreaded” alternating two skeins every two knitted rows when I work with Anzula yarns!” She knits many of her projects in bright colors but really enjoys the grays in Elephant and Charcoal. She also confesses a love for 1 Red Shoe, which she says reminds her of a popular 1950s lipstick color.

You can see more of Vera's patterns on her Ravelry store page, or click the photos above to be taken directly to that pattern's page. Start a lightweight cardigan or accessory now, or plan for your fall knitting!

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Featured Projects: Desiree Remixed & My Shawl Gone Wrong

This month I decided to feature two projects because I couldn't decide between them! Both of them are beautiful pieces knit by Gaye (sweetdrk1 on Ravelry). Gaye is a self-taught knitter who started really appreciating yarn when a friend took her to her first LYS. Seeking out more LYSs brought her to Do Ewe Knit where she encountered For Better or Worsted. She says it "whispered 'psst, look at me'... FBOW immediately became my new girlfriend. I grabbed her in orange and this brilliant green."

The first project that caught my eye was Desiree Remixed. I was instantly interested because of the name, and knew right away that Gaye must have put her own spin on the original pattern - a poncho named Desiree. She says, "As I mentioned I am a self taught knitter so I’m apprehensive when it come to trying new things…insert Desiree remixed. It’s remixed because I made a mistake and had to rip back. This pattern was my first attempt at brioche and uhm yea, when I put the yarn back on the needles it was lacy?"