Pattern Focus: Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply

March 11, 2016 Lottie

Last week we showed you what sort of stitches and needle sizes work best in Vivacious 4ply, so this week we thought we'd give you some ideas for patterns that would work really well in this yarn.

There are so many gorgeous patterns on Ravelry that would work beautifully in Vivacious 4ply that it was hard to narrow them down to just a few, but here are just some of our favourites! (As usual, just click the pictures to see more details of each pattern.)

Let's start with a sweater with attitude, Åsa Tricosa's Sweatrrr!

Sweatrrr by Åsa Tricosa (Image Copyright Åsa Tricosa)

Åsa has a really distinctive modern style which I love and this jumper is a perfect example of that. Knitted in Silver and Bronze Vivacious 4ply with a bold, contrasting sleeve insert and little intarsia squares, the colourwork is perfect for using up those part balls of gorgeous yarn that you can't bear to part with. It only takes 3 - 5 skeins of the main colour so it's a fairly economical sweater too. Best of all, it's knitted seamlessly using Åsa's Ziggurat top down method, so no sewing up at the end!!

If cardigans are more your thing, then why not try Carol Feller's Autumn Whispers Cardigan?

Autumn Whispers by Carol Feller (Image Copyright Carol Feller)

Another top down design, this lovely little cardi (shown here in Copper Tones) is knitted using a different but equally intriguing seamless technique, the contiguous method (which you can learn more about in the Contiguous group on Ravelry here).

Carol has provided instructions for knitting short or three quarter length sleeves as well, so you can make whichever you prefer. It doesn't take much yarn either, between 2 and 4 skeins for the short sleeved version and from 3 - 5 skeins for the 3/4 sleeve version. I'm really tempted to make one of these for spring, it'd be perfect to throw on over a dress or jeans and a t-shirt!

We also love this stunning colour block sweater, Stay the Same by Veera Välimäki:

Stay the Same by Veera Välimäki (Image copyright Jonna Jolkin/Veera Välimäki)

Veera has used Spiced Plum to contrast strongly with pale grey in her gorgeous modern sweater design, which we think is really flattering and easy to wear. I love the dipped hem worked with short row shaping and the button detail too!

Fancy a really pretty shawl? We love this beautiful design; Enchanted Forest by Ágnes Kutas-Keresztes:

Enchanted Forest by Ágnes Kutas-Keresztes (Image Copyright Ágnes Kutas-Keresztes)

This crescent shaped shawl is knitted top down using two skeins of Vivacious 4ply (shown in Sea Green) and features botanical themed cable and lace patterns. Ágnes's designs are really pretty, so her Ravelry page is well worth a look!

We couldn't do a post on Vivacious 4ply pattern ideas without mentioning some awesome socks!

Dawlish (shown in Sunshine) and Willowherb (shown in Mixed Magentas) by Rachel Coopey from CoopKnits Socks Volume 1 each use a skein of Vivacious 4ply and use the great stitch deinition that the yarn has in both cables and lace to great effect.

Another pattern that really shows off Vivacious's stitch definition, is this one, Ironbridge by Louise Zass-Bangham:

Ironbridge by Louise Zass-Bangham (Image Copyright Louise Zass-Bangham)

We love the way these twisted stitches and cables look on this, the textures are just gorgeous.

Last but not least, just for fun, is this little pattern that we did for Easter last year, Yolks!

Yolks by Jeni Hewlett and Charlotte Walford

You only need a tiny bit of yarn so they're perfect for scraps and leftovers and the pattern is free too, so why not make some to dress up your Easter egg hunt this year?

You can also see all our single patterns for Vivacious 4ply here and patterns in Vivacious Volume One here.

Happy Knitting!

P.S. Don't forget, our Becloud Hat pattern is still free with the code becloudhat until midnight tonight (GMT).

Pattern Focus: Fyberspates Cumulus

February 12, 2016 Lottie

It's the second week for a our current yarn of the month, Cumulus. So that must mean patterns!

(As usual, if you want to see any more details about the patterns, just click on the picture.)

One of the best things about Cumulus is how versatile it is. Thanks to the fuzzy texture of the yarn it adapts well to a wide range of different needle sizes, depending on the look you're after and what you want to use the finished fabric for.

Our first pattern recommendation is one that showcases how well Cumulus works on larger needles.

This absolutely gorgeous shawl by Susanna IC on Ravelry, is also called Cumulus! You'd only need 3 balls of Cumulus (shown in #910/Sea Green) to make this delicate shawl and it would make a lovely extra layer over a pretty dress on a summer evening or worn like a scarf in the winter.

We absolutely love the way the beads are added to the lace pattern, helping the fabric to drape nicely.

If you prefer a larger, less lacy shawl, why not try Affinity by Louise Zass-Bangham? If you read our post last week, you'll know how well Cumulus works when combined with other yarns, and this shawl showcases that, using Cumulus with Scrumptious 4ply (both shown in Water) to highlight the contrasting textures.

Again, this example uses beads (applied with a crochet hook), but it would still be lovely without them too. You'd need 3 balls of Cumulus and a skein of Scrumptious 4ply to make this shawl, and there are plenty of similar colours to the Cumulus range in Scrumptious 4ply. Why not try some of the combinations below?

Fancy a sweater instead? Why not try Mithral by Carol Feller?

Knitted on 4mm needles to give a drapey fabric, Mithral combines a simple lace pattern with a ridge pattern for a sophisticated yet easy to wear sweater that will work up surprisingly quickly. There's plenty of guidance in the pattern for altering it, so you can make the sweater you want. I really need to finish mine! It's the perfect light weight sweater for layering, I love how floaty the fabric is, while still being warm. It works really well in bolder colours too, the sweater shown above is knitted in #913/Slate, but I'm making mine in #907/Magenta. Cumulus is very economical for sweaters too, this one takes just 7 - 10 skeins (or 6 - 9 skeins without a cowl neck) and is sized for nine sizes from 32 - 56 inch bust.

If you'd like a closer fitting sweater, how about Modra by Vladimira Ilkovicova?

Knitted on smaller needles than Mithral (3.0mm and 3.5mm) to give a firmer fabric, Modra would be perfect to wear over a crisp white shirt or a camisole, and looks just as good worn with jeans as it would with a dress or skirt. The sample pictured is knitted in #904/Teal, but if that's not your colour, we think it would look stunning in #912/Camel or #911/Silver. Another economical sweater, it takes just 5 - 9 balls.

Last but not least, we love Cumulus for big cosy shawls, like this one, Etherow by Anniken Allis!

7 balls of Cumulus (shown in #908/Plum) make this lovely big shawl, perfect for bundling up in on a cold day or slipping over your shoulders on a cool summer's evening.

Which pattern would you make?

Happy Knitting!

Pattern Focus: CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

January 15, 2016 Lottie

Last week we told you all about the yarn, so this week we though we'd show you some fab patterns that would work beautifully in CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

(To see any of these patterns in more detail, just click on the picture to be taken to the Ravelry page.)

With our yarn of the month being Socks Yeah! it's only right to start our first pattern focus with a variety of socks! (For all these sock patterns you'd need two skeins of Socks Yeah to make all but the largest adult sizes.)

....And what better place to start than with one of Rachel's own patterns, Hulanicki from the latest issue of Pompom magazine:

Hulanicki by Rachel Coopey from Pom Pom Magazine issue 15 Winter 2015

Designed especially to suit Socks Yeah, Rachel's socks feature columns of single twisted stitches which take advantage of the excellent stitch definition of this yarn.

Next is another of out favourite new patterns from Rachel, Alfrick:

Alfrick Socks by Rachel Coopey from Ravelry

If you love stranded colour work, these cute socks are just the ticket, combining fun small scale fair isle patterning with knit and purl textured stitches. And being fraternal socks, you'd only need a skein of each colour!

We also love Rachel's Brighton socks from her first book, CoopKnits Socks Volume One:

Brighton Socks By Rachel Coopey from CoopKnits Socks Volume One

Another cute pair of colour work socks, these would be perfect in #105/Danburite with #104/Sphene and #107/Beryl as the accent colours (you'd need two skeins of the main colour and one each of the contrasts). We love the flag inspired fair isle!

But what if you're not really a sock knitter?

How about this cute shawl, Nurmilintu by Heidi Alander?

Nurmilintu by Heidi Alander from Ravelry (photo used with kind permission)

This pretty shawl combines garter stitch with lace and this combination of garter stitch and lace would work perfectly in Socks Yeah. You'd need two skeins to knit this and we think it could look gorgeous in a strong colour like #104/Sphene or more subdued shade like #106/Kunzite.

Or how about some mittens, like these gorgeous Snow flurry mittens by Deepika:

Snow flurry mittens by Deepika from Ravelry (photo used with kind permission)

These would look amazing in #106 Chryso and #109/Iolite, and with the Nylon content of Socks Yeah your finished mittens would see you through plenty of winters!

We've been chatting to Rachel and there are lots of new designs for Socks Yeah! in the pipeline too, so watch this space :)

Happy Knitting!