Marnie MacLean designs for Shalimar

Marnie's generous design hand created two designs for the Shalimarch anniversary celebration.  Thank You so much.  

This mitten and hat pair is called Willowherb uses Enzo Worsted.  These mittens have a fun story she writes about on her blog.  

 Estival is a stunning two color lace shawl.  

It can be created from Zoe, Breathless, Paulie or Homage - the collection of fingering weight from Shalimar.  Marnie has shared other brilliant color options with us in another blog post.  

The Shalimarch celebration was not the first time Marnie designed with Shalimar yarns.  This is Arctium using Breathless.  

This is Cowl and hat set is Treillage using Haven.

Marnie MacLean lives in Portland, Oregon with her three rescued dogs and her husband. She has been designing for over a decade and has a large library of free and for-sale patterns on her website, http://marniemaclean.com. She is also a production assistant and designer for Twist Collective  http://twistcollective.com.

Marnie, Thanks for sharing your designs with all the fans of Shalimar yarns.  We hope to see more.  

Subversive Socks

We are so excited to have our Zoe Sock yarn featured in the new Subversive Socks ebook from Cooperative Press.  This book is loaded with fantastic sock patterns!  

Tabetha Hedrick did a bang up job editing and contributed many of the patterns in the book including Bite Me which uses Zoe Sock!  

If you have a chance, be sure to check out this fun filled book of sock patterns.  I've added a few of them to my sock knitting que and hope to get started on them as soon as holiday knitting is finished up.  Speaking of which, we have a fun KAL going on in our Ravelry group just in time to help you finish up your holiday gifting. It's called Naughty or Nice because we know that not everyone may will be knitting for others for the holidays.  

If you have a knitter on your holiday gift list and don't know what to get them, a copy of Subversive Socks and a skein of Zoe Sock would make a wonderful gift!

TNNA

Kristi, Paul, Andy and I are all heading to TNNA in Columbus, OH this week.  I'm really excited to be going again this year.  Last year was such a whirlwind of fun!  It was so incredible to meet all of the wonderful shop owners and designers that I had previously known only in the virtual world.

This year we have three booth spaces - 130,  132, and  134 and will be in the same aisle as we were last year.

I hope you will stop by and say hello and see our yarns.  We will have a few new additions to our line this year as well as bringing Breathless, Homage, Haven, and Zoe Sock.

If you are going to Sample It, be sure to come by.  We will have kit's for Foolproof in our brand new Edie Aran.  Designer, Lousie Zass-Bangham has included a coupon for one free pattern download in her Ravelry Shop in the kit.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Lara

Zoe

Kristi has been working with our mill on improving one of our most popular yarns, Zoe Sock. It's been one of my all time favorites.  In fact Zoe was the first Shalimar yarn that I purchased when I met Kristi and Paul at Maryland Sheep and Wool several years ago.  It's been my go to yarn for socks and shawls.  When Kristi told me that Zoe was going to be improved,  I was wondering how it would be possible!  Kristi sent me the new Zoe in Driftwood to try out.  It's so soft and lofty, almost like knitting with a cloud.  I cast on immediately for Miriam.  I'm one of those knitters who gets startitits from time to time and Im easily distracted.  I have to tell you, I loved knitting with Zoe so much that I couldn't put my Miriam down!    It was finished in no time and Ive already been wearing it.

 

 

We know you are going to love the new Zoe too and we want you to have a chance to try it out.  Visit our Facebook page for a chance to win a skein in Petal.  With 450 yards of our 100% Superwash Merino you could make a shawl, scarf, hat or mittens. 

 





We will be having a knit a long for Arctium starting at the end of November.  Be sure to keep an eye on our Ravelry group for details and to sign up for our newsletter at the top right hand corner of the blog.  There will be a coupon code from Marnie that will in the newsletter!  Shown here in Breathless, Arctium would also work up nicely in Zoe or Homage.

 

 



Cyber Monday Sale-a-paloza!

We have some awesome Cyber Monday deals on our

Etsy Shop

through midnight tonight!

Take advantage of Zoe Sock at 20% OFF and our

DYE TO ORDER luxury base

-so new it hasn't even been named yet-

an incredible 60% Merino/20% Alpaca/20% Silk single ply,

DK weight, also 20% OFF

And check out our growing list of retailers on our website!

It's Fall KAL Time!

It's time for our official Fall KAL! These two patterns would be perfect for Holiday gifting or to keep for yourself (shhhh we won't tell if you don't!).

Our paid pattern is Clarus by Laura Nelkin. Find Clarus here to purchase on Ravelry or buy directly from Laura's web site here

Our free patten is Fallberry Mitts by Anne Hanson. Find Fallberry as a free pattern on the new fall Knitty.com here.

Choose one of the many colors of Breathless or Zoe Sock and please tag your project with "ShalimarFall2011"

The KAL will run from October 19 thru November 20. Great prizes, fun and support await you now!
Join now on our Shalimar Yarns Group on Ravelry!

My Own Little Romi Trunk Show

I really love Rosemary Hill's designs, so it was a great treat to be able to have my friend Evelyn work up a few of Romi's very lovely patterns in Shalimar.

This is the very popular, very fast knit, Brandywine Shawl. We had it done up in a bright spring color-Corfu-in Zoe Sock. How wonderful is this with a crisp white blouse? Evelyn said she really loved this knit...so much she started one for herself in the same color!



This is Celaeno worked in Breathless, in the new Wisteria colorway. I love the little beads in this one and the flower motif. It is stunning and Breathless, with it's cashmere and silk, is the perfect luxury yarn for it.



I'm actually almost done with Elektra, which I've thoroughly enjoyed. I'll post pics as soon as I have it blocked. And I'm about halfway through with Taygete, another really fun knit.

I'll tell you a secret about Romi's patterns...they have both text and graphs (which completely satisfies my written preference) and they really go fast! Definitely check out her designs and consider joining one of her KAL's on her Ravelry group. You'll have a blast!

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!

Finally Fall

I've been loving fall this year. It's been warm with periods of cool, perfect Indian Summer over and over. Now we're starting to have regular cool, crisp fall mornings and the leaves are turning nicely because of the late rains we've had. The great thing about this weather is that it turns up my creative juices and gets me excited!

We have a lot of fun surprises we are working on for the next few months. Here are some sneak previews of a new Stonewash colorway...American Beauty, a true Vampira, that special bustier, Valentine's Day candy box RED!



And I've been knitting like a fiend...working on a luxurious new base yarn that we will introduce in late November. Here it is in two colorways I dyed up for this little scarf, Cinnamon Grace. Very quick, very cute. I think I'll try it in worsted weight for a more wintery scarf.



And now that our Ludivine Mystery KAL is over, we have another KAL we'll be starting early next month. Watch for it on our Shalimar Yarns Group on Ravelry.

Ludivine Now Available for Sale

We are pleased to announce that Ludivine, our 1st Shalimar Yarns Mystery KAL is now available for sale.



$5.00






Ludivine is a wonderful intermediate lace project done with one skein of Zoe Sock. Done of US #5's, Ludivine is a quick knit and is supported by photo tutorials here on our blog. We plan to add charting before years end, and all KAL participants (and purchasers) will receive charts.

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!

We're working on a surprise...

We've got a little surprise we're working on and are going to share in a day or two. And we're really excited about it.

Check back to get all the informaion on it...(I love surprises!)

:)

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!

Home Again, Home Again

Paul and I are back from TNNA, where this year we once again ate good food, met with good friends and had a really splendid trip.

It was five days total, which flew by. Shalimar Yarns exhibited again and we loved every minute of it! It was great to meet some new Shalimar customers, and visit with old ones. Paul drives, I knit, and it is very relaxing taking a break from our daily routines.

Speaking of knitting...not a lot transpired out of the car, but here is a little project I started on the way home. Very rythmic and done on a US #8. I'm writing it up as I go, so it can be released in a week or so. As yet nameless...



This is a one-skein shawlette done in Zoe Sock. I wanted something rich and saturated, so I chose Sonoma, a popular new colorway we introduced at TNNA for fall.

It's good to be home though. The week before, Edie did senior week at the beach with friends, and we missed each other in transit. It was a good dry run for the dreaded upcoming college departure. She claims she only missed me a little. All I have to say is that it's lucky I was busy...

Zoe Sweaters...what more can I say?

I've waxed poetic in the past about my penchant for sweaters made with fingering weight yarn. You might remember Buttercup, the little top down sweater I made last summer. Quick and easy, with 1.75 skeins of Zoe...down and dirty.

And while I love the little Rowan sweaters done on a U.S. 3, I probably wouldn't be fit to live with if I actually attempted to make one. But on a U.S. #5 with a gauge of 26 st/4 in, now that's a nice knit.


Here I've used random striping in Tequlia Sunrise and Peachy Keen-both Stonewash colors. Maeve is rather slender in the hips and bust (unlike moi) but this sweater has generous ease and fits me great--finished bust: 37".

This yet to be named cap-sleeved top is done in the round, bottom up. The stitches for the cap sleeves are picked up and worked down. The neckline stitches are picked up for a shallow, square neckline. What I love about the ribbing is that it is sooo comfortable and will be flattering on a large range of sizes.

I plan on writing this pattern with comprehensive sizing and having it available (hopefully) by mid June. I'll keep you posted here!

Keep on Knitting Star!

Many of you may be familar with Star Athena, a Portland, Oregon designer whose work I have admired for awhile now.

Star designed Ides of March for her Socks For All Seasons Club. She used Zoe Sock in Cayenne. Yumm!


Star is designing a sock a month and has various options for club membership. Read more about it and sign up at Keep on Knitting in the Free World. While you're there, check out her other wonderful designs!

The New and the Old

As March begins to wind down, I am in awe of how quick the month has gone. It may be that the spring like weather and blooming bulbs have something to do with it. It's fun to hear the spring peepers in the pond in the evening, and watch the grass get more green everyday.

In between my FO's, I have been working on a new series of colorways for TNNA in June. Here is one, which I have thrown out to the Shalimar Group on Ravelry for a naming contest.



And here is the beginning of a surprise design in Zoe Sock that I can't tell you any more about. Sorry.



My little side to side sweater that is (I swear) done except for the blasted crocheted edging and buttons, was put aside in a pique of pissiness when I couldn't get the edging to look right. I'll come back to it, or just pick up stitches and bind off the edge. Whatever. In the meantime, my goal is to finish Paul's Rowan Colourscape Cardigan by the end of the month--from the first Colourscape pattern book. It's very pretty and he looks good in pink and orange :)



I just had to throw this one in. Another pattern from the book. (Is this guy creepy or what?)

Merlin's Bearded Trevi

Last week, at the height of the Big Snow Dump, I started Trevi, by Knitspot. I fell in love with this little shawl as soon as Anne had it up for sale on her website. The geometric look of Trevi was a nice change from the more traditional lace patterns.

I'm following along in the Shalimar Yarns Winter KAL on Ravelry. We're doing any Knitspot pattern, so the fields wide open!



I'm loving the SSK's which give it a wonderful textured look, and I'm making the mini size, which is a sure bet with the yardage on Zoe Sock. The colorway, Merlin's Beard, was new this past fall. It is soft and even tempered in it's hue and will go with anything in my closet that is black, brown, gray or cream. Beautiful pattern!