Pattern Spotlight: Elakala Cowl

I first learned that Anzula was introducing a new yarn right before this year's summer TNNA show in Columbus. I couldn't wait to see what it was, and I wasn't disappointed. I just loved the bounce and springiness of Gerty. I chose a skein of Au Natural and a skein of Teal and took them home.

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I thought about designing a two-color shawl with my two skeins of Gerty; but, I'll be honest, I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of a shawl. That's what I usually design, but I really enjoy  stranded colorwork knitting. After bouncing some ideas off my sister, I decided to do a colorwork accessory inspired by the Elakala Falls in West Virginia.

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The Elakala Cowl begins with 1x1 ribbing in Teal then moves into the stranded colorwork. Both colorwork motifs remind me of swirling, falling water. For the second half of the cowl, both motifs are inverted, both in color and in orientation, making the colorwork look like a reflection of itself. The cowl is finished off with 1x1 ribbing in Au Natural.

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The pattern for Elakala is available on Ravelry. Until October 3, the pattern will be available at 20% off with the coupon code 'gogogerty'.

Local yarn stores can purchase print patterns wholesale through Stitch Sprouts.

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Keep up with all things Mindy on her Ravelry page and at www.mindywilkesdesigns.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: Hanashōbu

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When I first held Anzula’s new yarn, Gerty, in my hands, I let out a squeal. The 100% American Targhee wool felt amazing in my hands. It’s woolly, but also soft and light to the touch. It has spring to it and I knew it would be great for textured stitches. Charlie helped me choose 3 colors to design a cowl. The design was going to be launched as a kit at TNNA’s Summer Show on Sample It night.

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Hanashōbu is a species of Japanese Iris. The colors that the Anzula team helped me pick out were perfect for the cowl’s name sake. I used Slate, Orchid and Violet for this cowl. The Slate which is a grey was used as the main color. 

I swatched for a while and ripped out many times before I settled on something I loved. The cowl uses a slipped stitch pattern and then lace.

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Hanashōbu is knitted top down and begins with the collar of the cowl. The collar is knitted with a slipped stitch pattern which is meant to be folded down like a turtle neck sweater. The rest of the cowl is knit in a lace pattern that increases so that it flares out over your shoulders. There are minimal ends to deal with because the colors are carried as you knit it.

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One of my favorite parts about this pattern is that you will have enough yarn to make a second cowl. It’s perfect for bff’s, mother/daughter, or sister gifts. As you can see, my daughter loves wearing her Hanashōbu. My sister also looks great in the cowl, too.

Gerty blocks out beautifully. It really retains its stitch definition even after a short soak and good block. Look at the pretty lace detail on the bottom of the cowl.

The pattern is now available on Ravelry here. From now until Sept 30, you can buy Hanashōbu for a discounted price of $4 by using the coupon code “ILoveGerty” 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 see more of Angela's patterns on Ravelry and on her website.

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: Volta featuring Gerty

Today I’m super pumped to show you my new shawl pattern. This is Volta:

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Volta is my very first self-published crochet pattern! The Anzula Gerty yarn is the perfect choice for this crocheted shawl, the stitch definition is amazing in this yarn.

You’ll find a handy list of shops that carry Gerty below.

The shawl is worked from the top-down to form a triangle. The simple double crochet body is not only quick, but also easy to adjust. I’ve included some notes in the pattern on how to adjust the size of your shawl. I used two skeins of Gerty to make the shawl sample, but I think a big 3-skein Volta shawl would be amazing and cozy!

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Once the double crochet body of shawl is complete, a pretty edging is added to the piece. It’s edgings like this that made me want to learn to crochet in the first place. I love how delicate it is – it’s a look that’s hard to achieve in knitting.

Volta is now available on Ravelry for $6.50. You can get it for just $4 thru October 6 with the coupon code “greatgerty” at checkout!

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You can see more of Jen's patterns on Ravelry and on her website www.KnittingLikeCrazy.com.

Gerty is available in these shops:

Arizona

Yarn Store at Nob Hill

Califorina

Avenue Yarn

Delaware

Yarn Maven

Illinois

Knit One Purl Two
Le Mouton Rouge

Missouri

Unwind Fiber Arts

Montana

Joseph’s Coat
Yarn Bar

Nevada

Yarn Refuge

New York

Avenue Yarns

North Carolina

Baskets of Yarn

Ohio

Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium

Oregon

Fancywork
Unraveled

Pennsylvania

Frog It Yarns
McWalker Yarns
Ross Farm Mercantile

Texas

Crafts & Quilting Etc.
McKnittey

Utah

Wasatch and Wool

You can place a special order for Gerty, or any of our yarns at any shop that carries Anzula. Special orders are dyed to order and are typically ready in 2-3 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.