Vite Cowl

While we are on the cusp on spring, it is still wintery in some parts of the country (and world), so with that in mind, I released Vite Cowl, a free one-skein pattern that is at least worthy of a couple of Lifetime movie's knitting.

And if it is a balmy 75o in your neck of the woods, check out your stash and start working on some holiday gifts. We used one skein of Cascade's super bulky Magnum with 123 yards.

You can download Vite here for free on Ravelry. Enjoy!



And because this is such a lofty yarn worked in a lacy pattern, you can wear it doubled around your face without feeling sufficated. Or wear it long and swingy, which is an adorable fashion now.

Welcome Late Winter!

So it's time to quickly work up those little cowls, fingerless gloves and last minute scarves, folks. Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow. I think this may be the first time in a few years! Relief may be in sight...

So inbetween all the late winter projects, consider what your first spring project will be! I jumped the gun a bit and already finished mine. This is Folded, by the talented Veera Välimäki. My Folded was worked in Zoe Sock, in a new Stonewash colorway called Thistle.

Folded is knit bottom up and has a clever little gathering at the middle bust. It's adorable and a fun and quick knit. Satisfies the spring knitting beast for sure!



Thistle:



And we've been working on some new Stonewash colors, bringing our new total to over 50! These will all be available to view when the new website launches in a few days.

Glacier...








...Sequoia










And Lumberjack...






to name a few!

So watch for the new site soon and in a few days I will be releasing a new fingerless mitts pattern that is perfect for one of those last Late Winter Projects!

Happy Knitting!

It's a Busy, Busy Fall...

So now that soccer season is officially over (daughters team, Dickinson College, lost in the Sweet 16 to National Champions, Messiah College) I am trying to work in a little extra knitting time between dying, designing and winterizing (I always wait too late).

We are getting wonderful feedback on Breathless, which will be hitting LYS's this winter and early spring. Breathless is 75& SW Merino/15% Cashmere and 10% Silk in a fingering weight. Simply divine!

And we're also excited that Zoe Sock is in two new books, just out and available at your LYS...



Dolce Handknits: Simple, Sophisticated Designs

and also in...



Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders

Kim (whose designs are indeed timelss) did up Seville, an adorable Bolero, in colorway: Merlin's Beard, and the Shalimar pattern, Clover Honey Shawlette designed by Hannah Six, is done in colorway: Sno Pea.

Both these titles are wonderful additions to your knitting book collection!

Ludivine est accompli

Thank you to all the participants in the Ludivine Mystery KAL!

As usual, with anything new, there was some learning curve to get up and over. Everyone seemed to get through it with aplomb.

Thank you to everyone for your patience, thank you for your kind and generous comments, and thank you especially for your suggestions. They will absolutely be taken and used for the next KAL.

Here is one of my finished Ludivine's...








Ludivine is a small, one-skein shawlette that has optional beading on the edging. The pattern will be sent to all the participants on Sept. 15th, free of charge. A copy with charts added will be sent to participants as soon as possible.



The complete Ludivine pattern with charts will be available for sale off Ravelry within the month. Watch the blog for information.



My understanding of the French language is embarressingly only somewhat better than my understanding of astrophysics, Immanuel Kant and Keanu Reeves' success in Hollywood.

So it should come as no surprise that I used an online translator for the title of this blog. But this one is really fun and if you have speakers, you'll see why! (I'm so easily amused).


A kinder Kant...

He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
Immanuel Kant

Ludivine Teasers

Our first Shalimar Yarns Mystery KAL is getting underway with signups.

Ludivine, a french woman's name, is hardly popular these days. But it's meaning, roughly translates to "divine light", which in my opinion, is a wonderful reason to use the name.

In keeping with our French theme, we wanted to focus on the colors of Provence. Many and varied, there is almost no color that is not represented in that region at some point in the year. Bursting oranges, reds and ochres. Brilliant cerulean blues and warm pinks. The list goes on and on.

But some of the most iconic Provencal colors are subtle. Like the soft glow of a lavender field at dusk...



Or the grays and sea greens of a weathered farmhouse door...



We dyed this yarn especially for the Ludivine KAL and it is available exclusively at Pullingatstrings.com. I hope these photos help start you on your Ludivine journey.

Ludivine sign ups go through July 31st. Find out more about our first Mystery KAL here, and email me at shalimaryarns@aol.com to join in.

Watch for additional photos of our Ludivine colorway tomorrow morning!

Mystery KAL #1

We're very excited to launch our first Mystery KAL for a pattern called Ludivine. This KAL is a one-skein adventure done in Zoe Sock, with lots of instruction, attention, support and fun.

The Shalimar Yarns Mystery KAL #1 is FREE and is hosted on the Shalimar Yarns Group on Ravelry. To participate in Ludivine you must sign up at shalimaryarns@aol.com. Sign up’s go through July 31st.

Optional--Only to Shalimar Yarns Mystery KAL participants: A special Mystery KAL colorway in Zoe Sock is available through one of our awesome retailers, PullingatStrings.com, In your kit you will find several special gifts, unique only to the Ludivene KAL! This colorway will ONLY be available for Mystery KAL participants and will not be available after that! Ludivine kits will be available beginning July 19th through August 15th. We will be posting teaser pics of the new colorway beginning July 19th.

Find out more about the Mystery KAL #1 here and sign up today!

Tellus

One of our new patterns for fall that we are most excited about, is Tellus, which debuted at TNNA in June. The idea for Tellus originated when one of our customers told us she wanted to use several different Stonewash colors of Zoe Sock in a simple, but elegant wrap.

We put our head to the drawing board and played around with some slip stitch patterns that we had developed. The beauty of slip stitches is the interest they give the fabric, along with lending a bit of structure. Tellus is a large rectangular wrap that is versatile enough for all four seasons, works up quick (US #8)and is a unique pattern that you won't tire of.

Tellus is now available for sale as an individual pattern or as a kit in 4 colorways, Cliff (warms), Moor (jewel tones), Surf (blues) and Vista (pastels).


Moor


Cliff


Surf


Vista



Purchase Tellus as a download or as a kit

Liddie

Liddie, our newest pattern in Zoe Sock, is now available as a free download here. Made with US#5's, Liddie knits up quick and is flattering on a variety of body types.

Liddie is knit in the round from the bottom up. The sleeves are picked up around the armhole and knit top down with short row shaping. The change to a smaller rib helps wtih a more tailered and flattering fit.



Neckline decreases help shape and accentuate corners.



I used Tequila Sunrise...



and Peachy Keen, both Stonewash colors, in random striping.


Next Liddie I knit will be 3/4 length sleeves in preparation for fall. This is a quick and fun knit where you only seam the tops of the shoulders! Hope you like it!

Spring Fling KAL

First of all...because for such a big event and it would be terrible to not even mention it...we're back from Maryland Sheep & Wool, where it was beastly hot (witness sunburn) and crazy busy (note no pictures for the blog-wah). Thanks to all of you who came by to visit with us and shop Shalimar. It was great meeting some new friends also!

Those of you who stash enhanced some Zoe Sock this past weekend will be glad to know that it comes just in time for our Spring Fling KAL on Ravelry.

In honor of the occassion, we've also made some new sock patterns available; Morgana's Twisted Rib is simple knit/purl stitch combination, but one that lends interest and is perfect for a beginner. Here it is done in Zoe Sock, colorway Sprout. Find Morgana here as a free download on Ravelry.



One of our favorite sock patterns for men is Cyril's Woven Stitch. It's a manly pattern that makes up into a sturdy sock with lots of body. We made up Cyril in Black Truffle and they have now become Paul's favorite pair of socks! You can purchase Cyril here on Ravelry.



Here's the info again...don't dilly dally!
Spring Fling KAL

Sheep & Wool Countdown

Between dyeing for shop orders and supply for Sheep & Wool, it's been pretty crazy around here.

And even though the weather is all over the board, we're thinking spring with two new Stonewash colors, Peachy Keen and Lemon Curd:



But we're also planning for our fall colorway and pattern introductions. One of the designs that we have in the works is Tellus, a textured, versatile wrap. Tellus will be available not only as an individual pattern, but also as a kit. We will be offering four different and unique colorways for this lovely wrap...so there is a colorway for everyone!


thanks to Hannah Six for her wonderful drawing!

Waylaidness

March went out like a lamb, and this is what was left behind. Ah...at last.



My only stressor right now is that we've had a fair amount of rain, and with the temperatures expected to hit 80 F. this weekend, I know that the grass will really take off. I swear I can lay awake at night and hear the grass grow.

My March Madness was fairly successful. I can't call it a slam dunk, but I did finish a few projects and get behind the hump on Paul's cardigan. Now we are in crunch time to get prepared for Maryland Sheep & Wool, so I've put a few things aside for awhile.

Our friends, All About Yarn will have loads of our yarns in their tent, E-3. If you are planning on attending, make sure to stop by and say hi. Both Paul and I will be there. We love to visit with new and old customers!

I'm working on a new pattern that will be released before Sheep & Wool. Here it is in Honey Worsted, colorway: 'Sprout', which seems apropos at this time of the year. We'll have the patterns and model on hand at the festival.



After Sheep & Wool is behind us, it is on to preparing for TNNA in June. This is the fall trade show where we are exhibiting again. It's a really great experience for us, as we get to engage and visit with our retail customers. I really enjoy this trip. We drive to Columbus, Ohio, which is a nice respite (note that I knit, Paul drives). There are several new things we are releasing for June, but more about those later.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Go March, It's Your Birthday!

(Doing the It's Your Birthday song and dance)

Okay, so I have to admit that I am a wee bit MORE than ready to get this winter thing behind us and move on to spring. The thought of throwing the windows open, shedding the winter coats and scarves and being able to see green pastures again, is extremely tantalizing.

And the snow seems to be slowly but surely disappearing. Daytime temps are going up to the low 40's and the days have been fairly sunny. Yippitydooda!

One of the projects for Ravelympics that I had committed to, was a free fingerless mitt pattern (like there just aren't enuf of those-teehee). But they're fun and this one is, well...free, so what the heck.



This little mitt pattern is called Flitt Mitts and comes in two sizes-S/M and M/L.

My version uses Shalimar Honey Worsted in two contrasting Stonewash colors, along with scrap yarn from my stash. My stash includes a lot of Ella Rae Classic Worsted, which is what I used for the embroidery.

I'm a huge fan of Kristin Nicholas' work, her use of color and her use of embellishment on knitted items. I highly recommend her three books, Kristin Knits and COLOR by Kristin and Colorful Stitchery for inspiration. And you don't want to miss her blog: Getting Stitched on the Farm, which is a symphony in color, warmth and wit.

You can download Flitt Mitts here on Ravelry.

New Spring Patterns

Heike is our new one-skein shawl. Made with just one skein of Zoe Sock, Heike is knit from the top down and has a knit-on edging. The strategically placed increases allow for a subtle shoulder shaping that enables versitility in how Heike can be worn.



Best of all, Heike is a quick knit on US7's!



Morgaine is another quick knit, done in Honey Worsted on a US10. The 3/4 length sleeves are ribbed with a lovely lace edging. We received loads of compliments on these garments when we exhibited at TNNA and are very excited about them for spring.



Both Heike and Morgaine are available for sale now. Happy Knitting!

I took this picture last week from the second floor of my home. This photo, albeit blurry, was my attempt to capture the incredible dark blue of a stormy sky and the late afternoon sun making everything glow with a lovely golden light. The three blobs (one light brown and two white) are from left to right - Honey (Chincoteague pony), Shalimar (Arab mare) and Freckles (Appy mare).

Very peaceful, very happy.

Stitches East 2008

Here is our booth at Stitches East this November. We had a great time introducing Shalimar Yarns to a larger knitting and crocheting audience. As usual, we had a great time and met some wonderful people.

Hannah Six's designs were a big hit, and we have all the Shalimar Yarns patterns available at Eleganza Yarns...soon to be on our website.