Fashionknitsta Thursday: 3/4/10

Happy Thursday everyone! If you're in PDX I hope you're enjoying this beautiful day, it's really looking like Spring!

If you've been keeping up with the recent current events, i.e. the Olympics and Fall 2010 Fashion Week you may have noticed the same trend we have, a resurgence of Fair Isle and cozy knitwear! Sara has blogged a bit about it when she featured the Peruvian Alpine Skiing Team uniform and we've all been very excited to see it! With all this wonderful sunshine lately I've been trying to get into a Spring feeling and so far it's really not working out. Really, how could it with amazing patterns like this one by Helena Bristow based on the official US Olympic Hat designed by Ralph Lauren available (for free!) on Ravelry:


Love the moose motif! This little beauty is done with a worsted weight yarn so it would go super fast, I think because color is such an important part of this I'd stick with Cascade 220 Superwash (sadly not on our website, but available in the store) to get really clear reds and blues. Keeping in the Fair Isle spirit, one of my (and everyone else's it seems!) favorite pieces from this years Olympics was this great sweater for the Canadian Olympic team by the Hudson Bay Company:

I haven't stumbled upon a pattern based on this one yet (big surprise, right?) but I hope its on the way. Until then I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with this pattern for coordinating mittens.

Designed by Heather Desserud, this free Ravelry pattern is done with fingering weight yarn. Again, making color the first priority I'd use Jameison's Shetland Spindrift.

EDIT: Shortly after finishing this blog, on a whim I decided to take another look. This isn't exactly what I was looking for, but its pretty great. I'm not sure how I ended up at Canadian Living Magazine, but they had a beautiful pattern available for free by Paton's Design Studio for His and Her's Reindeer Sweaters!

Done originally in a chunky Shetland, I would love to see these in Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky or Shibui Highland Wool Alpaca.

Whoever was coming up with concepts for these Olympic looks was obviously on the right track as this knitwear and Fair Isle trend was present all over this years Autumn/Winter runways. In my opinion the D&G show at Milan Fashion Week was by far the stand out for this trend. Here are a few of my favorite looks:

I just love how they put the twist on the classic look of this traditional design. It was such an interesting move to incorporate the printed Fair Isle motifs on chiffon, but pair it with such a substantial knit leg warmer. In the third look I really love the juxtaposition of the leather with the little knit rib trim.

After a quick Ravelry search I found a couple of things that will I am hoping will get me started on the accessories I'll need for fall. The Oslo Legwarmers by Martha Mertzig is a step in the right direction, as well as the Cotton Reel Mittens pattern by Ysolda Teague that we just got in.

It was nice to see that there were options in this trend for men as well. Also at Milan Fashion Week Gucci showed a nice chunky Fair Isle Sweater:

I found a similar pattern on Ravelry (for free!) appropriately named The Dude by designer Andrea Rangel.

The pattern calls for bulky yarn so Rowan's Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky would be a gorgeous choice.

If you're looking for something a little more tailored, British designer Lou Dalton showed a more traditional approach at London's Fashion Week:

Just beautiful, I love the classic look of a Fair Isle Vest.

As far as knitwear goes, Fair Isle wasn't the only trend to be see on the runways. Everyone from Michael Kors to Lacoste to Pringle of Scotland were showing knits:

Michael Kors

Lacoste

Pringle of Scotland

These are all lovely, I'm especially interested in the big chunky scarf at Lacoste, but by far the stand out of this season in the knitwear world was Prada.

Absolutely beautiful, the entire collection is wonderful (so Mad Men!) so I suggest taking a peak at the rest of it if you're interested. These pieces were really standouts, the cabled dress in the second image is beyond words and I love the stockings and the chic headbands. I'm going to have to get started on a pair of Cookie A's Rhiannon Socks immediately (definitely in Isager Alpaca 2 to get the wooly look!):

And one of these babys. This pattern, Julia's Cabled Headband is a free Ravelry download by Paulina Chin. My search found that there are quite a few cabled headband patterns on Ravelry so if you like the look, there is a lot to choose from!


Before this post gets too out of hand (I really could go on for days!) I probably should get back to shipping. I hope everyone gets to enjoy the sun today (hope it stays through the weekend!), as always check back next week for another edition of Fashionknitsta. Until then, stay chic blogfans!

-Lindsay

Fashionknitsta Thursday: 1/14/10

Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope your week is going wonderfully. I'm very excited to share with all of you some wonderful things I found this week.

The first find I have is the work of a really wonderful Dutch designer, Christien Meindertsma. I have seen her work from time to time, but until recently had never really looked deeper into her design philosophy. The thing I found most interesting was the ongoing Flocks project. Taking a "slow design" approach, the focus of her work is the connection between the farmer and the final consumer. In projects like the One Sheep Cardigans and she worked with one farmer to create pieces from a single sheep. The finished garments include biographies of the animal, their eartags, and any prizes the animal has won.

She has also made these beautiful mittens from the fur of one rabbit.

My favorite of the projects is the Aran Rug, knit from the wool of 18 merino sheep, it is an interesting exploration of scale. A traditional Aran motif is magnified and repurposed into a cozy rug.




Absolutely beautiful work. More information about the designer is available at her website and more info about the Flocks project specifically is available here.

The thing that first brought Christien back into mind was my friend Amanda sent me a link to her Urchin Pouf's. These beautiful home accessories are available for $1,600 for the larger size at Design within Reach, but I knew I had seen a free pattern for them somewhere.

A quick Google search brought me to Pickle's blog, run byAnna and Heidi Pickles, for this wonderful version (also available on Ravelry):


I would love to have a couple of these for my living room. You hold a super bulky weight yarn triple stranded and then stuff them with an old duvet. I cannot stop day dreaming about doing these in Shibui Highland Wool Alpaca in Seaweed, ooohhh, and Mulberry.

I couldn't help but keep browsing the Pickles blog for a bit, and I came across this really cute vest:


The pattern for the XS-M size Wild Vest is available for purchase from their website, or the large size is available for free. It looks like its done with about a DK weight yarn held double. I'd love to see it in Rowan Wool Cotton or Felted Tweed. Ooohh, or the texture might be absolutely lovely in Shibui Merino Kid.

Anna and Heidi's blog is definitely worth checking out, its full of fun (and lots of free!) patterns and great ideas. Their Ravelry is also a good place to hunt. I'm finding I could do an entire months worth of blogs just with their stuff. I mean, just look at this beautiful crocheted lampshade (also a free pattern!):


And this gorgeous and simple wedding bolero!

I really suggest taking a peak at their stuff, it's really, really lovely.

Finally, just for funsies, I have found a really cute Etsy store with adorable patterns for the critter or science lover in your life. The Crafty Hedgehog is a really fun little shop with a range of things from patterns for these little guys...:

...to ready made hand knit lab rat disections:

(they also come in a frog version)

Shipping calls, so I must leave you with that for today. Have a great weekend, here's to hoping it won't be too dreary. As always, check back next week for another edition of Fashionknitsta. Until then, stay chic, blogfans!

-Lindsay

Fashionknitsta Thursday: 12/3/09

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here at Knit Purl the holiday season is in full swing making me (and I hope all of you!) feel extra inspired. Thanks to a long weekend of pursuing the internet from bed, I have tons of things to share with all of you on this lovely Thursday.

The first thing I have to share is some wonderful photos of the "Fashion Collective" event that took place at the Armory on October 12th. Artist and costume designer for Portland Center Stage, Fuschia Lin, showed a retrospective of her work from 1999 to present. We first got word of this event when Fuschia commissioned one of our lovely customers, Laura, to knit a custom pair of toe socks for one of her designs. Knit with Koigu KPM Solid color 1150 and Shibui Silk Cloud in Blossom held together, these really turned out to be a wonderful addition to the collection.


Here is a link to a review of the show from the Portland Mercury by Marjorie Skinner. In addition to her work for Portland Center Stage, Fuschia has designed costumes for Bjork and Karen O., has sold her designs in Paris Boutiques, and has been featured in a number of magazines making her a real treasure for Portland. Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Fuschia!

Last week while visiting my parents I found the cutest Fair Isle Cowl that I am still kicking myself for not taking a photo of. It's from H&M which unfortunately does not have an online store, so I'm still working on tracking down a picture of one. Anyway, I have blogged about several cowls in the past, but it had really never occured to me to mix that trend with the comeback Fair Isle patterns are making right now. I took my search to Etsy and, of course, found some wonderful things. My favorite are the designs from Elf518's shop including the pattern for this absolutely adorable owl cowl:

She doesn't have a pattern for this one, but I really love it and couldn't not share it:

Ok, so I know those really aren't very traditional, so if you are looking for a more classic I also found a great pattern on Ravelry for only $3. Alicia's Fair Isle Cowl by Sheila Joynes:

This one is much more along the lines of the one I saw, I think it would be really nice (and quick!) out of the Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Tuareg with Sunset as the accent, oohhh or the Madelinetosh Tosh Merino...there really are a lot of options with this one. I shall have to ponder.

Next on the agenda today is a really fantastic Etsy store, Spinthread, that our fabulous felting teacher, LeBrie Rich, showed me. The piece she was calling to my attention were these super funky Pom Pom Neck Huggers:

Really fun (and really easy to make!) these accessories would be a great conversation piece as well as keep you nice and toasty. Now, these are really neat, but the embroidered jewelry she has really caught my eye:


Hand embroidered and backed with lace, these geometric necklaces are such a beautiful and unique take on the floral and gem bib necklaces we have been seeing so much of lately. In addition to the necklaces she also has brooches and earrings in the same style, definitely a shop worth checking out.

There is so much more I want to share with you all today (for example, knit plankton!), but shipping calls and I shall have to save them til next week. Hope everyone has a lovely (and warm!) weekend ahead of them, stay tuned for next Thursday's edition of Fashionknitsta and until then, stay chic, blogfans!

-Lindsay

Fashionknitsta Thursday: 11/5/09

It's Thursday again, and this week I have some great pieces that I'm really excited to share with everyone.

The first is a relatively new pattern (that's coming soon to Knit Purl), from designer Hannah Fettig, the Lightweight Pullover:
If Hannah's name sounds familliar it's probably because she is also the designer of the super popular Featherweight Cardigan, and the Whisper Cardigan from the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits. I really love the classic look of this sweater, updated just a bit with the slight cowl neck. It really is a perfect layering piece and would look great on a range of ages and body types.

This sweater is knit with a sport weight yarn, she suggests Classic Elite Yarns Fresco, but I would do it in Isager Alpaca 2 (big surprise, right?). While I'm tempted to do this in a charcoal, I've been waiting to find the perfect project to use their most beautiful purple color (# 13), and I think I've found it here. I cannot wait until we get this pattern in! I just want to lounge by the fire in it.

I guess I'm having a sweater day, because the next 'pretty' I have to show you is this lovely number, a Sweater Jacket from Talbots that Sara so kindly shared with me:

I then discovered this pattern for the 103-1 Jacket by DROPS design for FREE on Ravelry:

I really love the style of this and how versitile it could be to dress up or down for a holiday party, or work, or just with jeans for the weekend. I also really like the slightly higher neck, I really enjoy that in sweaters. This pattern calls for a super bulky yarn, they recommend Garnstudio DROPS Eskimo, but I would love to see it in ShibuiKnits Highland Wool Alpaca or Debbie Bliss Como.

My final bit of inspiration today is somthing I have been thinking about for a while, its kind of an update to a pretty classic pattern. One of my favorite winter accessories is a cowl, I'm not so much a scarf person unless they are the size of a small blanket. But the cowl is the perfect little addition when its too cold to go out without at least a little something around your neck, and I love that you can keep them on indoors. It's also a great way to add just a little pop of color and interest to an outfit. The Urban Cowl, a Knit Purl pattern by Jane Field, is basically my ideal - its simple and nicely proportioned.


The original pattern was done in ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud, which I think is a great choice, but I would love to make one in Isager Alpaca 1. I think I'm actually going to need to put my current projects on hold and whip this up really quickly so I can stop day-dreaming about it.

I'm sorry if this weeks post seems a bit thin, it's been quite crazy around here and haven't been surfing the interwebs as much as I should have! Stay tuned for next week's edition. Until then, stay chic, blogfans!

-Lindsay

Fashionknitsta Thursday: 10/29/09

Happy Thursday, everyone! Welcome to another edition of Fashionknitsta. Today I have a wonderful assortment of things I've been waiting weeks to share with all of you.

First on the list is Shibui's Retro Tailored Cardigan by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. I have to begin by thanking Sara for putting this up on the web for me, and then continue by apologizing to her for the harassment she has had to endure because I've been bugging her about this pattern since pretty much my first entry.


I absolutely love this pattern and have been a teensy bit obsessed with it since the first time I saw it. It's done in ShibuiKnits Merino Kid, which is a yarn I love the texture of and it's reversible!

Totally cute either way you wear it, I really really like the color the sample is done in (Honey), but I have always sort of imagined it in the back of my mind done in Midnight so that is a going to be a tough choice (especially since ShibuiKnits yarns are on sale through the 8th of November).

Here is a shot of some of the details and the other way to wear it from Olga's Ravelry page:

Now, if you read last week's post you might have noticed that I featured one of Olga Buraya-Kefelian's patterns, the Akomeogi Tunic. I did not realize that both of these patterns were by the same designer until I sat down to write this post. I wish I had known before because she has a great collection of patterns she has designed on Ravelry and I really recommend you check them out.

Next on our agenda today I have a supercute (and easy!) slipper shoe to share. For a while now I have been stalking these Marc by Marc Jacobs flats on Zappos:

...and today I found a pattern for these adorable babies by FrenchPressKnits on Etsy:

Aren't they a perfect lounge around the house version? There are just so many options with these, they are so easily customizable using color and great buttons and how perfect would they be for holiday gifts?!

These are done with a worsted weight yarn and a size 15 needle and then they are felted. It looks like she uses Paton's Classic Wool, but I think they would be great done in Lamb's Pride Worsted for great color choices, or Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca doubled if you really wanted to treat your feet!

The designer's name is Melynda Bernardi and she has a great blog as well as a Ravelry account and I think both of them are definitely worth looking at. I just have to share this picture from her blog, I love it!


The final thing I have to share with you today is something I've been waiting oh-so-anxiously to show everyone. If you have been in the store, you have probably seen the lovely and ever-popular Oleana collars, like this one:

I think one of our most asked questions is "Where can I find a pattern for this?" and sadly, we have had to answer that there is not one...

...until now! I am very, very pleased to be able to announce the arrival of our newest pattern line, Art Fiber Designs, and to share with you the beautiful Ruffled & Rouched Scarf pattern that is now available both in store and on our website:


Much like the Oleana Collar, this is a wonderful accent to complement a winter coat or just over a sweater. We were so excited to find Pam Powers, the designer, that I have been having a really hard time keeping quiet about this one.

It can be done in an Aran or DK weight, and the original was made with Elsebeth Lavold Angora. I would really like to see it in Shibui Baby Alpaca DK. Sandy Kay just told me that she is on her second one using Art Yarns Silk Rhapsody, so I bet it's just luscious.

Coincidently, the Ruffled & Rouched Scarf is the featured pattern at our first Holiday Happy Hour, taking place next Wednesday, on the 4th of November from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm. If you attend the Happy Hour it costs $15 ($35 if you attend 3 of them), and we'll walk you through the double-needle provisional cast on needed to start this beautiful piece. Attending the Happy Hour also gets you a 10% discount that evening (an addedl bonus), and there are a series of these evenings listed on our classes page. Be sure to register before they are full!

And with that I leave you for another week, and hope everyone is enjoying the seasonal rain and staying warm. Until next time, stay chic blogfans!

-Lindsay