Patterns
orbits pattern from Rachel Illsley (unwind-knitwear) Illsley (
Orbits was released last November, I had seen it on Rachel Illsley’s Instagram account where she is unwind_knitwear. What placed it under my radar was the interpretation that Melissa Littlefield (knittingthestash on Instagram and Ravelry)) showed on her YouTube channel. The darker background with the lighter contrast colour made all the difference to me and I have to admit I had not looked at the different projects for Orbits.
What interested me is the extension of the colour work past the yoke, to the body and the sleeves. I know, there are many fair isle patterns that are all over sweaters or cardigans, this one has something special, a monochrome light palette, associated to a delicate and aerial pattern.
Rachel Illsley is starting a sale this Friday, for all of her patterns, until next Friday, so for a week. If you are on a no buy year, please look away, I will most certainly buy the pattern as the one buy for this month. My stash candidate will be all these beautiful HolstGarn yarns I was so desperate I bought at the end of last year. I knew I was going to come across a pattern or two 😺
Orlane Sucche new sweater Pattern
Orlane Sucche is a French designer from Lille, and is tete_beche on Instagram. She released a beautiful cable sweater, Letti. Created with a bulky yarn and the cables I like, this sweater should knit quickly before the cold is over, at least here in the northern hemisphere, or could be on your list for next winter. She choose a beautiful mossy green that caught my eye, looks like I am on the green train with my recent FOs 😸
Once on her page, you can have a look at her other designs, she is very eclectic and if a bulky cabled sweater is not your gem, you may find something that is.
Sari_n Winter Capsule and call for tests
Sari Nordlund is a prolific designer and I have a three of her patterns in my queue (two on Ravelry and one from the Amirisu 23 – Fall/Winter 2021). She released a winter capsule of four designs, three of which are on Ravelry in the January 2022 Collection and the additional Vargö dog sweater being a separate item. I love her designs and am always curious of her new releases. I may pass on that one for now, but who knows in the future.
She currently has a call for four additional tests in her Ravelry group and I have to say I will most probably get the Marzipan Pullover pattern, another cable design that is very appealing to me.
WoolY Worm Head Turbine Hat
As often, this is an older release (2010) that came across my Instagram feed. WoolyWormHead is, as per her Ravelry description, a hat architect and, well, most certainly is ! Her patterns and constructions are very original such as these horizontal cables that spiralling around the head, from the bottom up, in the Turbine Hat. Please check her Ravelry portfolio (link above), her Instagram or her website for inspiration and designs you will not find anywhere else.
Free Pattern
Snowball Lace by Mari-Liis Hirv
What a beautiful sport weight lace shawl (you may use other yarn bases, resulting in a different sized shawl). Beware, these are charted instructions only that you can download separately (link in pattern). Bubbles or beads, delicate lace pattern, may be venture into this pattern if you have been eyeballing all these expensive patterns or books. I have already highlighted Mari-Liis in a previous blog post and YouTube episode (she releases stitch patterns by email), this one is on my dream list 😻
Trends
Balaclava : Even in Le Monde !
I have seen so many people knitting balaclavas ! I even have one in my queue, just waiting for some of my time ! This trend avec made it to one of the magazines from Le Monde. Of course, no knitting pattern here, rather items you can buy, some of them being on the most expensive side, from famous clothes designers or luxury houses.
A bit regressive, we used to wear them as children here in France, a bit trendy during the winter sports season, that is the current “chic” accessory you need to have in your collection !
And as Jakie from Cady Jax Knits said it in one of their episode, each sweater should have its detachable hood. Here you go ! A trendy useful addition to your sweater collection and a good way to use the leftovers (or what remains after knitting a sweater if you, as I do, always buy more than what you need).
Yarn Companies and Stores
Holst Garn Revisits the SuperSoft line
Just a heads up ! Some of the Supersoft colours are being retired and marked as “Redundant” on their website. Many are already sold out, some are in very low quantities, so if you were looking for these colours and are able to buy them, now is the time.
yarnz is closing 😦
This is where my sons bought me the Elvan Shawl yarn and patters for Christmas in 2020, this is where I got the Kokon Aran Tie Dye for my first Lawrenson Sweater, this is where I got the Kokon Aran Indigo I still have in my stash (3 skeins from two different dye lots) and we have exchanged quite a few nice emails at this time with Michèle. I have a pleasant story with them. She explains she has life issues, she has been open about them on her Instagram account.
If you are located in Europe, this was a place to get some of the luxury yarns some people talk about or highlight in their YouTube channels. I wanted to be part of this game, this is how I found Yarnz. I know how futile this is, I also chose to purchase from a European sore. I am sad.
Starting February 01, they will have a big sale on their website (please look away if you are on a yarn no-buy !). My first serious test for my own yarn no-buy, some of their yarn is already discounted and so tempting. Will I regret not buying any ?
Michèle adds she will not discount the prices too much, the yarns are too beautiful and she rather knits what remains. Another sign of how precious she is, wishing her to find happiness and balance 💛
Books, Magazines, Articles And Creators
Roxane Richardson
I would like to thank Wanda who commented on my previous Youtube episode. She pointed me to Roxane Richardson. As Wanda wrote :
She provides fascinating information on many knitting & textile topics – both historical and contemporary
Indeed ! I do not know why I had never seen her channel, this is a mine of knowledge and information, and her digging into the pattern construction is so educational in a very simple and accessible way, yet in a format that could be a university class. I will be enjoying her future content and am already browsing and saving some of her past episodes.
Brandi Cheyenne Harper Interview By Modern Daily Knitting
A very nice interview with a special and kind eye on Brandi Cheyenne Harper’s work and environment. Please have a read for yourself, as inspirational as her book, a little sneak pick at a little (or big) part of her life ans who she is. If you have not already ordered the book and err on the dying side, this can give you an idea of what you will find in it, aside from the patterns of course.
La Bien aimee Knit Night – Friday Jan 14 2022 and worsted french edition
The knit night was last Friday, I enjoyed the first one I attended before the Holidays so much that I set a reminded in my agenda to be able to attend. It starts at 7PM my time (Paris time, UTC+1) and sometimes my work day is not over. But I made managed to be off work and home by the time it started 🙂
This session was with Nancy Merchant and Steven West who designed patterns for her Worsted book – which is going to be released in French around mid-February, pre-orders are open.
Aside from the interesting and smart talk on their design process, the patterns they created for the Worsted book, their knitting history, their relations to different techniques, what I enjoy may be the most in these events is the way Aimée features test knitters. They are such a part of the creative process that leads to publishing a pattern, and very often forgotten from the spotlights. Their own inputs are of high interest and many of them are really funny and high spirits. It was such a surprise to me to see Natasja Hornby, who is moonstruck_knits on Instagram or Moonstruckmermaid on Ravelry, was a test knitter for Nancy Merchant. She is such an established designer.
What I did appreciate much is how Natasja said that test knitting is a learning process for her (in addition to work with another designer) and an opportunity to see how other people work. This is so interesting to me, coming from a very competitive research world where knowing something others do not is very often seen as an “advantage” over ” your colleagues or fellow competitors”. I am so uncomfortable working like that, I sorta moved to other parts of science and academia so that I could clearly work with and for the community. Such a refreshing part of the knit night, an opportunity to believe in humanity again 😺 I will for sure make everything possible to attend the next one.
You can find the recording of the knit night on LBA YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06QhT7k7djA
Companion YouTube podcast : https://youtu.be/o9yR-fVLb4U
Knit Now 