Had Me at "Hello"

Last week, when I went to my LYS for some yarn for my afghan, I was in a bit of a rush, but that did not stop me from getting distracted by some irresistible things! As soon as I walked into the shop, I noticed the display for Helga Isager's pattern book, Strikketoj. There is a representative pattern from each decade of the last century. Although the available sizes are very limited, I really didn't care. You can preview all the patterns if you'd like, but I'll just share with you my favorites:



The main reason I bought the book was for the pattern on the cover. I've been wanting to try brioche stitch, and this is the perfect excuse to do it!



Then, just as I was leaving, one of the employees unpacked a knit sample of Simo, from the Berroco Remix pattern booklet. Honestly! How could I resist such an adorable thing?! I snatched up the booklet and came back the next day to pick out some yarn. Remix is a very interesting yarn, made from a mix of recycled nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk, and linen fibers. It's got a tweedy look and I like it better than Rowan Summer Tweed.



I'm already about 8" into the skirt. One thing about the pattern to really pay attention to is the finished dimensions. Though the pictures suggests it's a dress, the length is really more of a tunic. To compensate, I'm adding 6" in length. Since I didn't start out with a swatch, I'm pausing now to block what I have so far and will figure out whether any additional adjustments will be necessary.


In the meantime, I found something else to fall in love with: Nuno Magazine. This is a new magazine, published in pdf format by 2 incredibly creative sisters, Elizabeth Abernathy Graham and Rachel Abernathy Braff. It's an impressive venture, filled with all kinds of cool craft projects using found, reclaimed, and recylcled materials. There are some projects that involve felting old sweaters to make cool pebble jewelry or new hats. Another couple of projects find new lives for old sweater sleeves. There's an article on how to unravel a sweater for yarn, and repurposed yarn was used to make this absolutely charming pillow project:



The sisters' interests and talents seem far-ranging and there are lots of non-fiber crafts. My favorite is a twig diorama made in a wine crate. Awesome!

(Photo credits Elizabeth Abernathy Graham)

The digital magazine is only $5, and you can even get a free preview. Oh, and did I mention that some of the proceeds go to a charity that helps send Liberian girls to school? What's not to like?