FO Parade

I am really enjoying this monthly feature as it basically means I get to share wonderful knitwear in my yarn. There are so many talented knitters out there working with TUT yarn and it's such an honour to feature a selection here for everyone to 'ooooo' and 'ahhhhhhh' over too.

Let's start with a real lovely and one that not only combines the beauty of simple lace but also has little tassles for added cute factor! ZarahMaria worked this beautiful Camomile pattern up in two different bases of TUT yarn using the 'Tea Smoked' colourway. The design is by Helga Isager and is quite 'graphic' in terms of lean lines and sharp edges for a lace shawl. The addition of the delicate pink yarn adds a completely different twist on this design. Zarah used the Heavenly Fingering base for the majority of the shawl and worked the tassels up in the Organic Merino Lace. I'll bet it's super soft and so divine to wrap silk, cashmere and alpaca around yourself and play with the delicate little tassles. 

The next FO is also stunning but for completely different reasons. This bold interpretation of the very popular Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig is incredible. Ceciknits worked a summery treat up with plenty of modifications to get just the right layering piece she wanted. It's fabulous. The colour is created by combining two different tones of yellow in stripes throughout the garment and it's so cheerful yet stylish. The first colourway is 'Brassica' on the Alpaca Silk Lace base which is smooth and plied but also soft and gives a gorgeous drape to fabrics. The other yellow is in the popular BFL Sock base in the colourway Gold Rush.

The Colour Affection shawl by Veera Valimaki is incredibly popular right now and KreuzbergStrickt's version is amazing. The bold colours of the Madelinetosh 'Dahlia' were complemented by some Super Sock fingering weight in 'Plata' and 'Les Fleurs'. KreuzbergStrickt's project notes shows that she too loved the super soft 2ply yarn and it really showed the texture of the garter stitch with its great stitch definition and lovely texture. Simply stunning.

The next project combines two favourite things: Lisa Mutch designs with TUT yarn. Knitabyebaby shared her rather delicious looking version of 'Capture' in the Silky Alpaca Sport colourway 'Leaden'. This cool blue really shows off the texture that Lisa is able to create with simple stitches and strong lines. I also love the way the nature of this base (smooth with a slight fuzz) adds a new twists to the open work of the stitches.

From cool and airy to warm and classic looking- these Welted Mitts knitted by SusanneS-vV are fabulous. The pattern is Welted Fingerless Gloves from Churchmouse yarns and teas. It's hard to believe these are Susanne's first ever mitts that she's knit as they are so beautifully worked up in Lush Worsted 'Toast' colourway. The texture of the merino, cashmere and nylon blend of Worsted is really showcased by the plain stockingette and texture contrast in this knit. I also love the buttons!

Lastly, I was rather spoilt by this stunning shawl that ButterflyKnits designed for me as part of a swap I took part in recently. I'll write about it as soon as the pattern is published, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peak at how much I was spoilt. Using the 'Brassica' colourway in the Silky Alpaca Sport base, Butterflyknits designed a gorgeous shawl and I can't wait to share more details with you soon. 

If you''re now craving some TUT goodness to knit with, don't forget there's an update coming very soon. Tune in this coming Friday 13 July at 4pm BST. As always, you can check your local time here. Lots and lots of fabulous new things and if you want to keep up to date with what to expect, don't forget to sign up for the TUT newsletter.

Not One But TWO KALs...

Have you visited the TUT Ravelry Group lately? We're very busy chatting about our favourite skeins, projects and suggesting Knit Alongs. It seems everyone is as addicted to knitting as I am!

We have a great KAL for those who aren't very good at sticking to plans or perhaps haven't knit along with a group before. This summer we're hosting the Lazy Summer KAL which means you can knit whatever project you want, as long as it's in TUT yarn. So that's work in progress taming, cast on mayhem or something you have been meaning to knit for ages. There's even a spin off West Knits KAL from this for those people having a go at his second mystery shawl knit along.

We also have had a lot of chatter about the Occitan kits which were a huge success. There was so much excitement in fact, that another KAL sprang up! So that's a lot of different ways to participate in the group which is great as you can count any project you're working on like the Occitan, WestKnits shawl or perhaps your Ravellenics project, towards more TUT chatter. 

Enjoy!

Off the Needles

A while ago, we held a Lace KAL in the TUT Ravelry Group and I wrote about my choice to knit the Crocus Shawl, a pretty big lace challenge for me. The Crocus Shawl is designed by by Hiroko Folkmann Drost and is an Estonian Lace inspired shawl which I initially found very intimidating despite its beauty. 

I think I must have underestimated my skill level as I loved working on this project and really enjoyed the whole experience. I worked this up in Heavenly Cobweb, the new base that I think worked really well on such an intricate lace pattern. It is supremely soft and the end result is breathtaking.

I had a huge sense of accomplishment once I finished this shawl as it was by far the most complicated knit I had ever completed. Having now finished it, I feel completely invincible and feel I can take on more challenging knits in the future. I've already worn it a lot as I'm so proud of the end result. 

What finished item are you most proud of?

FO Parade

Over on the TUT Ravelry group, we've been enjoying some very inspiring knitalongs. The Lace knitalong has just finished and ran from 1st March - 30 April 2012. The rules were simple: in order for your project to qualify it needed be any lace pattern or laceweight yarn from The Uncommon Thread. The results were amazing, just take a look at some of the beauties that were shared.

Knitasaurusrex completed a beautiful As You Wish shawl in just one skein of Posh Fingering. This shawl was a test knit for the designer, Boo Knits, and the colourway featured is 'Quiet Folly'. The long ripples in the simple pattern repeat of this shawl really show off the subtle variations in the colour of this yarn.

Lizoid worked up a really stunning Semele in two skeins of Silky Merino Fingering. The pattern is from Asa Tricosa and is offered in a range of sizes. Lizoid worked hers up in the colourway 'Dartmoor', a wonderful green tone that seems to suit the green foliage in her garden! Lucky Lizoid also has plenty of yarn left over so we expect to see more lovely green projects in her future.

Raphael used a club colourway to work up a truly amazing Silhouette shawl. The design is by Diana Rozenshteynand is a simple lace repeat on a top down shawl that gives a lovely lace finish. Raphael worked hers up in Silky Merino Fingering in the colourway 'Cerulean' and enjoyed the knit so much, she's cast on another already! It looks absolutely perfect for warmer days ahead.

Stringygirl's Henslowe in BFL Sock is absolutely lovely. This vibrant shawl uses the ' Jonquille, Mais Pas Gentille' colourway and makes great use of the stitch definition that comes from the BFL's plied texture. Henslowe is designed by the very talented Beth Kling and is a wonderful elongated curve with lacy edging. Another great knit to head into summer with.

Another green project that got a lot of attention was Audephil's Holden Shawlette. The Holden Shawlette is designed by Mindy Wilkes and makes use of a single skein of fingering weight yarn. Audephil worked hers up in another club colourway, 'Habitat', this time in Lush Twist a wonderfully bouncy MCN blend.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Lace KAL and if you would like to see more inspirational projects, please pop along to look at the thread here.

New KAL

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will know how much I love stripes so the current KAL in the Uncommon Thread Ravelry group is perfect. This time we've chosen to go for stripes as so many people seem to be enjoying knitting more than one colour and combining TUT yarns in new and fun ways. 

The KAL started on the 1st May 2012 and there is already lots of inspiration and chatter. Come and join in! It runs until 30th June, so plenty of time to go still!