Meet the Yarn: Luster, part 2

I love yarns that are luxurious without being so precious I'm too nervous to work with them. I find blends a wonderful way to have the best of both words and Luster is one of my favourites. It checks all the boxes for me: Luster is a 3-ply fingering weight yarn and a blend of 50% Tussah Silk and 50% Merino. If that weren't enough, each generous 114g skein is 405 yards (370 meters). It’s the fingering weight sibling to It Could Be Worsted.

I find pure silk beautiful, but often challenging to work with as it doesn't have the elastic fiber qualities of wool. Blending it with the merino creates a yarn that holds shape and still offers the amazing drape of silk. The subtle shine of the silk helps all the gorgeous colors that make Anzula special to glow.

Luster is versatile and works well with many different stitches. I knew from Jill's post and from browsing Ravelry, that there were many possible options from plain stitches, to colorwork, lace, twisted stitches and more. I love how Luster looks in what I call the simple stitches, plain knitting and the basic crochet stitches. I feel the silk lifts your projects to the next level simply by being there. I love when simple is sensational.

Luster knit swatches

Luster in stockinette

Luster in garter stitch

Luster crochet swatches

Luster in single crochet

While I focus on crochet for these posts I love how Luster makes all these different stitch examples shine. The granny square motif is definitely a luxurious upgrade from those of my childhood. I was surprised by the definition in my textured swatch, I now plan to try some post stitches and cables. When I do I’ll make sure to share them to instagram. The drape of the lace swatch has me wanting to work up an open-work wrap.

Luster in granny square motif

Luster in crochet texture

Luster in crochet lace

Luster in crochet lace, drape detail

Pattern Ideas

Purless | Stonelace Cowl | Kiona

I found three pattern ideas that I think showcase Luster’s versatility:

• Purless by Rosemary (Romi) Hill

• Stonelace Cowl by Stephannie Tallent

• crochet — Kiona by Ambur Hsiao

Have your own design idea? A reminder that you can send a Yarn Support Request to Anzula here.

—Charlie interrupting this post to let designers know that we are accepting requests for crochet, knitting, and weaving in a variety of bases. Email me your ideas! I love all of you!—

Luster is a yarn that I think is uniquely suited for a variety of projects. What might you make?

All swatches in this post are shown in the Saffron colourway with 3.75mm needles and hooks, any perceived differences in shade are due to the photographer.

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Penny Shima Glanz spends her days spinning yarn and code into memorable projects. Small businesses rely on her for smart technology decisions. Designers rely on her to sample, test, and edit their hand-knit and crochet patterns. She loves muddy trail runs, fosters kittens, and lives in Westchester, NY with her husband and cat (or two). www.pennyshima.com

Friendship of the Traveling Sweater

If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you know that we had a team photo shoot a couple weeks ago. We had received an amazing sweater in the mail a few days before.

A little backstory: At the TNNA Summer Show in June we gave one of our favorite sample knitters a few skeins of Dottie in Cardamom. We had some ideas, but weren’t certain what we wanted her to knit just yet. Then a few weeks ago, we came across Glacier Tunic by Joji Locatelli. Of course, Elke knit it beautifully. Let’s just admire the evenness of her stitches for just a moment…

It seems like such a simple pattern, but there are details in the shaping and textures, that together, make it so much more. As soon as I opened the package, I had to try it on!

I loved it! It was so comfortable, and even though I hadn’t seen myself in a mirror yet, everyone else told me how cute it was, so I felt cute, because I believe my friends. (For some of us, it takes a lot of practice to believe your friends when they tell you you’re cute. I had a moment within a moment realizing how far my self-esteem has grown).

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Charlie wearing Glacier Tunic

And then I said, “you’re next!” to Becca, and she tried it on. It looked so good on her, different because she has a different shape than me, and so cute!

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Becca wearing Glacier Tunic

And then Gabby, who is my favorite model. She’s so fun to take pictures with.

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Gabby wearing Glacier Tunic

Up next, Carmel, our lead dyer! She wears a smaller size than the rest of us, so we styled her with a belt and leggings. It’s remarkable how accessories change a garment!

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Carmel wearing Glacier Tunic

And last, but not least, Kalliope. She’d been on the road, so we made her try it on as soon as she got back Just look at that joy!

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Kalliope wearing Glacier Tunic.

See? It’s a magical sweater folks.

If you’re dyeing to cast on… you can find the pattern on Ravelry here. We knit our sweater in size XXL using Anzula Dottie in Cardamom.

See all our photos below!

And if you’re looking for Dottie, you can find it in these shops:

California

Babetta’s
Twisted Skein
Yarning For You

Colorado

Colorful Yarns

Illinois

Knit One Purl Two

Indiana

Knitting Off Broadway
Sheep Skeins
Village Yarn Co

Michigan

Knotted Needle

Missouri

Village Yarnery

New York

Knitting Store

Nevada

Sin City Knit Shop

Ohio

Around the Table Yarns
Yarn Shop

Oregon

Candy Skein

Virginia

Baa Baa Sheep
Dances With Wool

Washington

Blizzard Yarn and Fiber
Fiber Gallery
Serial Knitters

West Virginia

Blue Field Yarn Co.

Wyoming

Ewe Count

Pattern Spotlight: Rincon Cowl

Katara, a blend of 50% brown yak fiber and 50% superwash merino, is one of those yarns you'll fall in love with as soon as you get to work with it. It's soft, but sturdy; the yak lets you spit-join new balls, despite the superwash merino content.

I love the heathery look of the colors, dyed over the natural brown of the yak.

I first used natural brown Katara in a revisit of my Javelina Hat. I'd originally used yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch, which has since closed, for this textured, unisex beanie. I was thrilled when Anzula introduced Katara. I knew it'd be a great fit for the hat, and it was.

I've wanted to play with a bandana-cowl shape for awhile, finding it a nice compromise between a regular cowl and a shawl or shawlette. I asked if Anzula could provide yarn support, and mentioned that I'd love to do it in Katara--and they said yes!

Loving how well Katara shows texture stitches, I decided to do a mix of knit and purl Gansey patterns. There's enough going on to keep your attention, with distinct sections of stitch patterns, but at the same time, it's pretty straightforward. No fancy cabling, just plump knit and purl stitches. Voila! The Rincon Cowl was born!

The cowl makes a luxurious, gender neutral gift, if you're starting your holiday gift knitting!

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Find Stephannie on Ravelry as StephCat, sign up for her newsletter here or on her website, and check out her Ravelry group, Sunset Cat Designs.

You can find Katara in stock in these shops:

Amazing Threads, MN
Around the Table Yarns, OH
Crafts & Quilting, Etc., TX
Knit New Haven, CT
Knitting Room, NY
Knotty Lady Yarns, OR
Ross Farm Mercantile, PA
Starlight Knitting Society, OR
ThreadBear, NM
Wasatch & Wool, UT
Yarn & Beads, CA