On The Needles: Miyoko in Tatamy

Doesn't this sunshine get you excited about knitting some cute projects for spring? (We've heard of people who knit only in the colder months, but those folks are missing out on half the fun!)

Here's the Miyoko top from one of our favorite designers, Cheri Christian of c2knits. Cheri specializes in topdown, seamless garments, and we love not having to sew separate pieces together. When the knitting is done, all that's left to do is sew in the ends and voila--the garment is ready to wear.

Stacy is working on Miyoko in Tatamy DK, color 1720 Cherry. Here's what she has to say:

"A lot of our customers have already discovered how wonderful Tatamy DK is for blankets and baby items, but I wanted to showcase the fact that it's also ideal for summer garments for adults. The cotton/acrylic blend makes it very easy care, and it comes in a great range of colors. Miyoko has such an unusual construction, I thought it would be fun to knit, and it is! The ruching down the front is a really cool detail that's actually pretty simple to do."

On The Needles: Cowl Shell in Ultra Pima Paints

This week's On The Needles is a study in handpainted yarns.

As we posted recently, one of our all-time favorite cotton yarns, Ultra Pima, now comes in handpainted colorways as well as the solids. Stacy's working on a sample garment for our shop mannequin, Epiphany, to wear for spring.

The pattern is the Cowl Shell by Myrna Batten. What a great addition this would be to any warm weather wardrobe! Wear it alone on a hot summer day, layer it under a blazer for work, or pair it with a light cardigan for those chilly movie theaters.

You can buy this pattern from us through Ravelry's in-store pattern sales program. It only costs $5.00, and it's a great way to support an indie designer and your favorite local yarn shop!

Stacy says, "I wanted to experiment with this handpainted yarn a couple of different ways to see where the colors would land. I started at the bottom, knitting every round from the same ball of yarn. As you can see, large pools of colors began to appear. After a few inches, I started alternating two skeins of yarn, knitting two rounds with each. While the colors are still pooling a bit, they're much more mixed now and create much less of a dramatic swirling effect. Next, I'll try switching skeins every round. I expect that will break up the colors even more. Depending on what you like, you can get a lot of different looks with handpainted yarn.

"The Ultra Pima Paints are every bit as wonderful to work with as the solids. The yarn is soft and has a subtle sheen, and the colors are beautiful. This is my go-to yarn for spring and summer garments. And I can imagine any of the Paints, especially this Pastel Mix I'm working with, making a really cute Baby Surprise Jacket." (We have the BSJ pattern in stock, by the way....)