Blips

I'm so excited for this release! Blips is my newest shawl pattern and it was chosen as the Malabrigo Quickie project for May 2020! This is the first time that one of my submissions has been excepted but it is the first time that such a large company has picked my design out of so many submissions

Blips was designed to highlight the amazing qualities of variegated yarn. When the call came out for designs I wanted to design something that was easy to memorize (as usual) but also showed how special variegated yarn is. I also wanted to try and see if I could create a picot-esque border along the side, not just the bind off. 

I've added a photo tutorial below to show how to knit the blips. Once the 'blips' have been knit once or twice you definitely won't need to see the tutorial again. 

Step 1: Knitted cast on 5 stitches 

Step 2: Slip 6 stitches to right hand needle (5 cast on stitches + 1 body) 

Step 3: Pull the cast on stitch closest to body stitch up and over

Step 4: Repeat step 3 until all stitches are pulled over

Step 5: Slip the body stitch from right hand needle to left hand needle

Step 6: Knit 

I used Malabrigo Mechita, a single ply 100% Merino, with 420 yards per skein. My original swatch, featured below, was knit in Malabrigo Sock, a multi-ply yarn. So, any two skein of fingering weight yarn should work! You are going to have so much fun using Blips as a take along project! 

If you don't have fingering weight in your stash I do think that Malabrigo Rios would be an excellent option as well. To substitute you just need to adjust your needle size to probably a US 7 or 8, I also would have 3 skeins of the Rios versus just 2. Happy Knitting! 

Alfean

I designed another single skein project, surprising I know. I love being able to pick a single hank of yarn out of my stash and use the entire hank in a design, its so satisfying! 

Alfean is a simple pattern with strategically placed increasing and decreasing so the fabric looks like it's moving. The movement of the stitches really highlights variegated yarn. I used a Merino/Nylon blend fingering weight yarn (madtosh Twist Light) in the colorway Cactus Flower and I think it's dreamy.

I would suggest any fingering weight that you are comfortable wearing close on your neck as this is a tighter fitting cowl. I also would suggest a yarn that you can block. I saw the effects of the stitch pattern way more once I blocked the finished cowl. I hope you enjoy knitting this new pattern as much as I did!