Perfect Layering Pieces for Spring & Summer

contributed by Shawn

We have a new sample in the shop that is drawing a lot of attention! This project is a very easy knit and creates the perfect layering piece for spring and summer wear. The Seabrook Vest is a free knitting pattern available from the Berroco Design team. 

Knit with Berroco Captiva yarn, this simple vest will turn your closet basics into sophisticated wardrobe ensembles. The satiny feel of the yarn make it a great blend to work with and the yarn has a subtle shine but is machine washable for everyday easy care. This would make an excellent piece to pack for your next vacation! 

To kick it up a notch you could work this pattern up in Berroco Captiva Metallic yarn for added glitz and an air of elegance for evening wear.

Since I have a tendency to remain a bit more on the Vermont-y side of fashion and trendiness I'm considering the Berroco Lago in the Raffia colorway for a linen-like look and effect.

Another favorite in the same easy-knit style is the Weekend Wrap pattern by Cocoknits. 

Our shop sample is knit in Tahki Ripple, a thick and thin cotton that gives a unique and beautiful textural effect. 

This pattern calls for size US 17 needles and is a no-fuss lace look that does not require yarn overs. 

Get the Look

The mannequin's loving her look today! This vest is gorgeous and was really fun to knit. I wrote about it in this blog and the vest is now on display in the shop. Come on in and try it on!

It looks great when closed with a shawl pin, and the back is eye-catching with its spiral design.

Vest: Fortune's Wheel Vest knit with 1 Dyelot Yarns Stimulus Package

Necklace: Nelkin Designs Ribband Kit

Bracelet: Shaune Bazner 10-in-1 Convertible

What's our mannequin wearing?

The oh-so popular Weekend Wrap! This super simple project has a shop favorite this summer. It whips up in no time with just a couple of skeins of yarn.  So simple – a rectangle with openings for the arms – you can wear this as a wrap, scarf, or vest! 

Large needles and a beautifully textured yarn are a perfect match for this project.

Side/back view. LOVE this wrap!

Pattern: Cocoknits Weekend Wrap

Yarn: Tahki Ripple Yarn 

Cirrus clouds are in the forecast

contributed by Barb

Cirrus clouds are characterized by thin, wispy strands.  Cirrus is also a brand new yarn from Berroco, and it's a great name, since it's as light and airy as a cloud!

Jill and I were really excited about this yarn when we first saw it in May at our sales appointment. We couldn't wait to make something out of it so we ordered a bag of it to be shipped to the shop immediately so we could start a sample. 

The tough part was figuring out which sample to make, since there are a number of good ones in Berroco Book #323 Cirrus. Should we make the Vergoose Sweater:

the Denslow Wrap:

or the Spenser Sweater?

We finally settled on the Germane Vest from the new Norah Gaughan Collection Volume 11.  This vest is so lightweight and cozy! It looks amazing on and is very on trend with what we're seeing for styles right now.

I must say I am not a fan of mohair, but this one is definitely an exception!  I very much enjoyed knitting with this yarn, despite the fact that I did have to rip out a large section. (This was my own fault - I misread a part of the pattern!) I  am looking forward to wearing the vest this winter.

Jill's about to make the Ryll Headband - which is a one skein project and should be quick. I'm sure she'll like the yarn as much as I did.

Bravo!

Early this spring we added a new yarn to our kids' offering in the DK room. We had been searching for a yarn that would be great for sweaters and blankets, come in fun colors, and be super soft and washable. We found all that in Bravo Rainbow from SMC. And so far, it's been a hit with all of you! And it's just $16 for a whipping 580 yards. That's big yardage!

I made a toddler's Fighead Fundamentals Junior Vest out of less than half a skein:

Fighead Fundamentals Junior Vest

and then I used the rest of the yarn to crochet a cute "travel sized" baby blankie (it's about 14-15" square). We're thinking of putting some fun satin ribbon in a bright color on the edges of this - wouldn't that look sweet? And the pattern? It's just your basic granny square where the yarn does all the work.

We had three colors of Bravo Rainbow to start and have now added 3 new colors bringing the total to 6. These are the three newest colors, just out for fall 2012:

color: Aqua

color: Peacock

color: Misty

Great possibilities for boys and girls alike!

What to make next?

Yesterday I was talking with Barb and Shawn on Skype and I told them how I'd just finished my Dickens Vest out of Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky. It was such an easy knit and I really like the way it turned out. I can't remember the last time I knit something for myself that I actually love as much as this!

This vest is warm and flattering with a little bit of shaping in the body. The collar is nice and cozy. It's been downright frigid here in Europe, so it's the perfect addition to my wardrobe.

The only thing I'd change is the armholes. They are pretty much unfinished and roll inward, and I'm not loving that. I haven't blocked the whole vest yet, just the armholes, and it didn't really do much to help. I may try it again this weekend, and who knows, I may work a couple rounds of single crochet around each armhole to see if I can make it more to my liking.

I was telling Barb and Shawn how even though I have a bunch of yarn here and patterns all ready to knit up (and some to finish) I was having a hard time finding motivation to jump into any ONE of them. What to make next...

Then they told me that a number of customers in the shop keep asking how my Pagewood Farm Plumes scarf was going... I ordered this yarn for the shop when I was in Vermont after Christmas, and it was shipped so quickly that I was able to bring a skein back to Finland with me.

It's SO different than anything we've ever carried. Plumes is a thick and thin wool that has gorgeous feathers hand felted onto it. Obviously this yarn screamed "feather boa" to me, and so last night I balled it up and got knitting.

From a distance, it looked like a gigantic tarantula. And my cats were MORE than a little interested - just one glance at any feather starts them hyperventilating.

I had planned to grab some HUGE double pointed needles and work some sort of an I-cord but in this tiny 1000 sq foot apartment, my dpns are MIA. So I pulled out the Denise size 15's, cast on 7 stitches, and started knitting.

I know... SUPER HARD pattern, right? Well, with this kind of yarn, you don't need anything difficult. I worked on it for about an hour last night and then finished it up with my coffee this morning. 

It's perfect! It measures 2.5" wide by 60" long. And because it's loosely knit and garter stitch, it will stretch lengthwise which is good. I like to to fold it in half and then wrap the ends through the fold. 

Helen modeling the boa

So for all of you who were waiting to see what magic I worked on the Plumes yarn, I hope you're not disappointed!

Now...what to make next?

2 New Projects to Share

Polly's got a great vest that she's been sporting this fall and winter, and we wanted to share it with you. It's knit with the Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, which is a machine washable blend of wool and cotton. This yarn is incredibly soft, and shows beautiful stitch detail. 

She made the "Man's Vest" from the Classic Elite Summer Book 1. (Man's Vest? Not sure why they named it that!)

And yesterday, our customer Nobuko came in to the shop to grab just one more skein of Berroco Vintage to finish the beautiful crochet edging around this adorable baby blanket. She's got a baby shower (for her grandchild) coming up and I'm sure this blanket will be a huge hit. It's so cute!

It's from one of the Vogue Knitting Baby Blankets On the Go books (there were 2) that is unfortunately discontinued. We used to sell a lot of these when they were still available, so hopefully if any of you have these books, you'll hang on to them! They've got some really great baby blanket patterns.

Sense of Accomplishment

We all love a sense of accomplishment. And here's a great project that will give you some almost instant satisfaction. This vest is the perfect way to perk up your cozy factor and you'll be finished knitting in a jiffy!

The Wendell vest is knit in one of Berroco's new lightweight large gauge yarns - Souffle.  (You really do owe it to yourself to stop in the shop and squish a skein of this yarn for yourself so know what I mean!) The finished vest is irresistible on a blustery day.

Don't be afraid of this super bulky project if you've encountered finishing issues in the past.  Sometimes working with such large gauge yarns = super bulky seams that just aren't as flattering as you were hoping. Well the folks at Berroco have some EXCELLENT tips for finishing this vest so you do NOT end up with super bulky seams in your finished garment.  Check it out!

Show and Tell

Michele has been working on two vests for her sons. The pattern is the Marco vest pattern in the Debbie Bliss Rialto pattern booklet. These are just beautiful, and if you haven't knit with this yarn, you may just want to give it a try! It's 100% extra fine merino wool that is machine washable. It's got such a lovely hand, and as you can see, it's great for cables! Don't they look super?

She's also working on another fun project where she is knitting Wope. It's "Wope" with a "W", and it stands for Woolen Rope. It's woolen jute based cord and is commonly used for making ottomans and rugs. Michele is making the "Le Poef Wope Ottoman" which is a free pattern here.

It looks small in the picture, but it's going to be this big:

I've been working on some things as well. I just finished a couple of projects that made it back to the shop with my husband, who just flew back to the states for a couple of weeks. 

This cozy piece is knit with two strands of Berroco Vintage Chunky, and is quite comfortable. Barb enjoyed wearing it around the shop yesterday - too bad we didn't get a picture of it on her, rather than on our form! 

But here's a shot of Helen wearing it before it left Finland. Much larger on her than it needed to be, but she loved it. This is a stretchy piece, so we recommend going small. Pattern will be available shortly.

And I made a cowl/scarf which was really fun and used 4 different yarns. Each year we come up with a mixed fiber shawl that uses gorgeous yarns from different companies. People are sometimes scared to mix fibers, and we love to show people how great the results can be!

We usually have only one pattern option, but this year we've added a second one. We do have the regular lengthwise pattern knit up (this one was done by Kim):

And then to shake things up a bit, I made a side fringing scarf and cowl combination. It all depends on how you want to wear it... as a cowl:

Or as a scarf:

Either way, it's really cute, and the colorways we've chosen for this kit will be up online later today. It's a great gift idea!