Pattern Spotlight: Neat or on the Rocks?

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Gerty in Black, Shiitake, and Sexy.

I have been obsessed with American wools for a while now, and when I heard that Anzula was releasing a 100% American Targhee wool yarn this fall, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Knowing the quality and luxuriousness of other yarns from Anzula I knew that Gerty was going to be a hit. I picked up a skein, and that first squish was everything I had hoped it to be and more.

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Though this yarn feels rustic at first touch, the fiber itself is actually quite soft. Gerty is perfect for textured knits as it holds the structure well, so I knit a shawl that alternates between stockinette to show off the beautiful tonality of the yarn, and a textured section to show off the structure of the yarn. The cable that runs up the length of the shawl also highlights the stitch structure. 

Neat or on the Rocks? How about both?

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Did you notice the button and loop? They're to help you style this shawl with out a shawl pin, and it stays where you put it!

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After knitting with it, I decided that I had to try weaving with it. Targhee yarns tend to make a luscious woven fabric. Using my leftover Sexy, Black, and fresh skeins in Sexy and Shiitake, I wove up some fabric in a simple twill pattern. After washing and drying it, the fabric was absolutely delightful! You can see the details for this weaving project on my blog - www.benjaminkrudwig.com

In my opinion Anzula knocked this one out of the park!

As a thanks to Anzula Blog readers, I want to offer a coupon code Anzula17 to receive my new knitting pattern using Gerty for 50% off. Click the link here to redeem this offer (good until Sept 30th at midnight)!
-Benjamin Krudwig

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Stay up to date on Benjamin's designs and learning opportunities - www.BenjaminKrudwig.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: Fortis

I love fall – it’s time for all the shawls! Fortis is the perfect shawl for the quickly cooling weather.

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Fortis is a top-down crescent shawl with a knitted-on border. The body of the shawl is worked in garter stitch, which makes the already squishy Anzula Gerty yarn feel extra bouncy! The border is a simple six-row repeat, making it easy to memorize. A simple six-stitch cable adorns the border, so it’s super easy to cable without a cable needle. I think it would actually make a great first pattern for trying that technique – you’ll get lots of practice on that beautiful border.

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I chose the bright and cheery Arizona colorway for my Fortis shawl. It caught my eye while at TNNA and I wasn’t leaving without it. It reminds me of a sunset and the Southwest and autumn all at the same time!

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The pattern is now available on Ravelry and retails for $6.50. With the coupon code “gertygoodness” you can get the pattern for just $4 at checkout, thru September 24.

-Jen

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: Erba

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Erba is a hat and cowl set that is super fun to knit and to wear. You get both in this pattern. The cowl is worked from the bottom up starting with the bottom ribbing, then transiting to the easy slip-stitch colorwork then back into ribbing. Button bands and buttonhole bands are worked last.

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The bonnet shaped hat starts with an icord edge. Stitches are picked up for the slip-stitch edge worked flat, then transitions to the crown worked in the round. An applied icord is then worked along the bottom edge to finish things off.

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You may not have worn a bonnet before but the advantages are plenty. These hats don’t mess up your hair like a traditional beanie. You won’t get the traditional “hat hair”. They also cover your ears, keeping them nice and toasty. Plus, they are super cute.

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I added mini faux fur pom poms to the ends of each tie. You can make your own pom poms if you like, or use faux fur poms here too. I found my poms in the craft store as a key chain. I just removed the hardware and used the poms for my own purpose. The poms I found were on sale and cost $2.50, normal price was $5 for the pair.

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The new Anzula yarn, Gerty was such a pleasure to use for this project. I was honored to get a chance to use this way back in January when it premeired at the Winter TNNA show. It’s a sproingy Targhee wool. The twist makes it bouncy and light and it takes Anzula’s vibrant color palette beautifully. I used Charcoal, Madam, and Paprika for my set, but with Anzula’s huge selection of colors, you have an unlimited palette of colors available to make this set your own.

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You can find the Erba pattern on Ravelry here. 

Keep up on all things Heather:

Ravelry - www.ravelry.com/designers/heather-zoppetti
Blog - hzoppettidesigns.com/blog
Facebook - www.facebook.com/HeatherZoppettiDesigns
Stitch Sprouts - stitchsprouts.com

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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.