Panicked Purling, Frantic Finishing & Crazy Cast-ons

The countdown clock to Christmas is ticking louder & louder with every passing hour. If you are like us, you are now carrying your knitting or crocheting with you everywhere you go, forgoing family meals for pizza delivery and making last minute trips to the LYS and crossing your fingers that there is another ball in your dye lot available because you are afraid that you might run out and Aunt Gwen will get a beautiful Aran sweater with 3/4 length sleeves.

Ahhhh yes, the joys of the holiday giving season. We do this to ourselves every year. We make big ambitious lists in September, or even earlier, of all the knitted items we will be wrapping lovingly, with plenty of time to spare, of course. And we do in earnest begin working on the list. But we get distracted by new magazines, new issues of Twist Collective, new yarns coming into our LYS, new patterns on Ravelry and all of our good intentions vanish quicker then the drumsticks on our Thanksgiving turkey.

Fear not, panicked crafters. There are loads of last minute quick gift patterns out there. Here are a few of our favorites:




The Knitted Interlace Scarf creates a mesh for our ribbon yarn Paca Cinta to be woven through. Using only 3 balls of Classic Alpaca and 1 hank of Paca Cinta, the scarf is a quick project that is suitable for an advanced beginner. Bonus! This is also available in a crochet version.

The Snuggle Shortie Vest knits up fast in Snuggle or Snuggle Hand Dyed. The cropped length vest has a cabled rib that graduates higher and higher in the front. The pattern is written for chest sizes 36 to 48. Yarn requirements: 36" 4 - skeins, 39" 5 - skeins , 43"- 5 skeins, 48"- 6 skeins.

Simple stitch patterns make the Glimmer Evening Bag a great beginner project. Create a drawstring top with I-cord and you have a perfect little evening purse adorned with beaded strands. Only 2 skeins of Glimmer are required to complete this cute purse.

The Intertwined Ballerina Top looks challenging but is deceptively simple to create. Using 550 -1100 yards of fingering weight such as Glimmer or Classic Light the easy rhythm of stockinette stitch will have this one flying off the needles in no time.

Using size 5 needles and just one skein of Swizzle, the Ridged Handwarmers and Beanie are the perfect last minute knitted gift. Best of all the pattern is available free!

Now I know what you are thinking, "What if my LYS doesn't have the pattern in stock? There is no way I can order it and have it in time for Christmas!" Well, we have more exciting news to share here at AYC. Coming very soon, our patterns will be available for purchase as downloadable .pdf files! That's right, you will be able to buy our fantastic patterns from the comfort of your home and have them delivered direct to your pc for your personal use. As new patterns are released they will be immediately available and we will begin making the entire catalog available soon, starting with your favorites like the Forest Path Stole, Firefly Shawl and the adorable Rose Cardigan. Check back often for updates of what patterns are available.

Hope you all have a very Happy Hanukkah and a wonderful, warm and most of all productive weekend!

Sock Tease

We are just about to burst with excitement here at AYC. It's almost time to open those holiday gifts and we can't wait any longer to show you what we've made!

Introducing our new Paca Peds Semi Solid Sock

Available in five delicious colors, look for both PPSS and the pattern you see above, Cabled Rosebud Socks, coming soon to a retailer near you!

Full of Thanks...

Those of you in the US know today is Thanksgiving here, so we wanted to take a moment to think about the things for which we are grateful.

Obviously, we are all thankful for our health. We had a few scares lately, either among ourselves or the people we love and we have been lucky that everyone has come out on the other side okay. Some a little more tender then others, but ultimately, everyone will be fine.

We are thankful for our alpacas and our other fur-babies. They bring us mostly joy and an endless supply of squishy love.

We are grateful for the amazing designers who are out there who help us breathe life into our yarns. As pretty as they are to sit in a ball and pet, we like to see them alive, out in the wild, being worn and enjoyed.

We are thrilled to have some of the best yarn shops and farms as our retailers. You guys make it easy to pick up the phone with a smile.

We are grateful for the professional associations that help promote our arts.

One word. Ravelry.

And don't forget the publications! We love our magazines! There are so many good ones out there and we are glad to be a part of their families.

Of course, our families, who put up with us when we are tired or cranky, when we need to go out of town, when we come home covered in purple dye, when we are awake until 1am working on a new pattern or frogging a test knit for the tenth time. They love us regardless and we are indeed very, very lucky.

We are grateful for each other. Although there are just three of us, we know and appreciate how rare it is to work with people with whom you truly connect with and love. People who will hug you when you are down and make you laugh when you need to smile. When your co-workers make it a true joy to come to work, you know you have found something special.

And last but not least, we appreciate YOU, our customers. We wouldn't be here without you. We enjoy hearing your feedback, seeing your FOs and even helping you work out your problems. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU and we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving holiday.

What to do with all that pretty new yarn

Earlier we got your drooling, this time we want to get you planning. Not only did we unveil our two beautiful new yarns at TNNA, we also released a whole slew of new patterns. First, let's talk about Astral. Astral knits up as a light worsted weight and works on everything from a size 4 to an 8 needle. Our sweet friend Shelley knitted the Decimal Sweater from Knitty using a size 4. Her fabric is rich, dense and feels silken to the touch.


Beth then knit the Firefly Shawl, designed by the amazing Kristin Omdahl on size 8 needles. The shawl fabric has a beautiful almost liquid like flow and drape. We were thrilled to see it walking on stage at the TNNA Fashion Show.

Truth be told, I sort of felt like I was in an episode of Ugly Betty, you know, without quite as much drama. No one came out on stage and admitted to murder or treachery, but it was like Mode in all the good ways. The Firefly shawl continued to wow throughout the show and more then one person jokingly threatened to walk away with it -- at least I *think* they were joking. Knitted from 4 skeins of Astral, the Firefly is constructed from the bottom up, thus avoiding that dreaded billion-stitch cast on. After the main body is completed, a complimentary edging is added. The shawl works up quickly and is 'intermediate' level of experience. If you've been wanting a lace shawl but the idea of knitting with skinny string is intimidating, this might be just the pattern for you.

If shawls aren't your speed or you want to whip up a quick one-skin wonderment, might we suggest one of our two fun new hat patterns. One is knit & one is crochet and both are adorable. The Bobble Beret, designed by Beth, is knit from the top down on size 5 & 6 double point needles or with a magic loop. The Road Trip Crochet Beret, designed by Angela, uses a size G hook has a unique band-up construction. In addition to being totally adorable, both are considered intermediate skill level and can be completed in a weekend. Keep watching this space, the Road Trip Beret pattern will be available soon!

Next time we'll talk about the new Halo patterns and what else is on the menu for fall. Till then, happy crafting!

Summer crafting

Hooray Summer! Okay, I tried to sound cheerful about that, but really, isn't August the dregs of summer, at least from a fibery perspective? Depending on where you live in the country, it's hot, it's humid, it rains nearly every afternoon and it's just downright miserable. Of course, if you have air conditioning this might not be so bad, but even then no one wants to sit under a blanket while working on an edging or deal with complicated lace charts under a ceiling fan.

August is great though for working on two things, socks & hats. It's also a fantastic time to get a jump start on all that holiday knitting & crocheting that you know you need to start on, but just can't quite seem to find the motivation.

We have an adorable kit that is sure to spice up your needles and take your mind off the heat, while getting you in the spirit for cooler weather.

The Baltic Ski Hat kit includes the colors seen in the picture and enough Classic Alpaca yarn to complete a 16"/small or 20"/med hat. The large kit includes enough yarn to complete a 22"/large hat. Purchase the kit and the pattern is included at no extra charge! Cost for the Small/Medium kit is $28, for the Large is $35.

My plan is to, pop in "A Christmas Story" and cast 0n!

Twilly Neckerchief

The insanely talented Lisa Shroyer has not one, but TWO patterns in the Fall, 2009 Interweave Knits. First, the terribly cute (if slightly intimidating) Bandelier Socks as well as the totally rockin' Twilly Neckerchief. The Twilly features three complimentary shades of Classic Alpaca. It's unique shape is worked in a honeycomb brioche stitch in two-row stripes and creates the look of woven twill fabric. Framing the pattern with bands of garter stitch breaks up the allover patterning. A simple shawl in a smaller-than-usual size makes for a great kerchief-style neck-warmer. Shaped like a "wonky square" you fold it in half to make a triangle. I've been imagining it done in shades of green & teal. Yummy! Best of all, this pattern is available as a FREE .pdf download from Lisa & the fantastic folks at Interweave Knits. Yay!!!

The drooling shall now commence!

Big, giant congratulations go out to Margaret W, the random winner of our Spring Contest!

Margaret shared her Lliclla, by Helen Hamann from the book Andean Inspired Knits. Using 13 skeins of Classic Alpaca, in browns and oranges, Margaret made this stunning wrap in the Fall of 2007.

Be sure to swing by her Ravelry Project Page and give her some love. We can't wait to see what she makes with her prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered! We adored seeing your projects and are so glad you shared them.


We have so many exciting new things happening here at The Alpaca Yarn Company! New yarns! New patterns! And even some spiffying up on our website!

This season we introduce not one but TWO new yarns! Astral & Halo.


* * * Astral * * *
Combine 50% Tencel, 30% Alpaca & 20% Wool and you get a little bit of heaven.








Astral knits at 20-22 sts/4". This dk weight yarn has 197 yds in every 100g hank. There are currently 6 rich shades of Astral.


* * * Halo * * *
Halo is a lace weight brushed Suri Alpaca. While it looks like mohair, it has an amazing softness with none of the itchy-ness that you might find in mohair.



Suri alpaca is very rare and very lustrous and is perfect for lacy projects. Each 50g ball contains an amazing 514 yards. You can achieve a wide range of gauges on a US #4-8 needle and beyond.

We debuted these two new yarns at TNNA in June and the response has been overwhelming. So much good feedback & so many designers excited to be working with these new gems. Be sure to look for them in your favorite yarn shop and magazines soon! Can't wait? Order now!

Spring Contest!!!

Show us your style! What's the most creative thing you've made with Alpaca Yarn Company products? A lace toilet paper roll cozy? A halloween wig? A felted keychain? We want to see them! Post in the comments here with a link to your creations. You may enter more then one item, but be sure to post each item as a separate comment. All entries must be made with products from The Alpaca Yarn Company. A winner will be selected at random from all entries on June 15th. The selected entry will receive some fabulous yarny goodness. So hurry and finish those WIPs or get some photos posted to ravelry, flickr or your blog. We can't wait to see what you've done!

Customer Corner: Snuggle Cable Scarf

Today we share another example of our amazing customers and the fun things they are creating with Alpaca Yarn Company yarns. Meet Robin, who wanted to make her husband a nice smooshy scarf. She took a class at The Taming of the Ewe in Jacksonville, Alabama and knitted the Reversible Cable Scarf designed by shop owner Pat Miller. We love the way the Tan Heather Snuggle just makes the cables pop, and we heart the doggie model too! Thanks for sharing, Robin and keep up the great work!!!

Free Pattern: Tye Dye Kids Cardi

Our dear friend, Judy Head decided it was time to do something other than socks with the Paca-Peds. She created this adorable Tye Dye Kids Cardi that is sized from 6 months to 4 years and only takes 1 or 2 skeins of Paca-Peds HT. We are offering the pattern FREE via pdf so that you can knit with Paca-Peds HT in a new way.

See Judy's other fun designs at http://www.judykits.com/

PATTERN LINK

RAVELRY LINK

Finished Pioneer and fun new patterns!

Here it is! Our finished Pioneer sweater from Knitty, made from our newest yarn, Swizzle. Modeled by our AYC's Top Model, Tasha, you can see what a great match this yarn was for this pattern.









I love the crocheted scalloped edging around the neckline. This little touch only took a few minutes but adds miles of smiles to the finished product.




The single stitch cable is subtle and yet adds just enough spice to the back to keep it interesting (both in the wearing and in the knitting). The directions asked us to "Bind off loosely". I discovered that my version of "loosely" and the designer's interpretation of it were probably a bit different, as mine was waaaaay loose, but that all seemed to work its way out in the blocking of the finished sweater.

As you can see by the last shot, Tasha is having fun wearing the Pioneer and I had a ball knitting it. It's practically instant gratification knitting, even though it is on relatively small needles. I did get queried, did we measure the bust across the chest or under the bust. We based our sizing on an across the chest measurement. The size small knitted up to 28" inches across after blocking on size 5 needles, but there is quite a 'give' when worn, due to the low neckline.

The best part of all, we only used two and a half skeins of swizzle, approximately 550 yards to do the entire sweater! This is significantly less then the pattern suggests, which is a nice budget saver. We used the Academy Blue colorway, but I think it would also be stunning in Camo, Goldenrod or any of the colors offered. Be sure to let us know if you decide to cast on your Pioneer in Swizzle; we would love to follow your progress!

We have several fun new patterns being added to the collection this week.

Our newest design, the Surf Sock is worked in Paca Peds HT and incorporates instruction to use the separate HT skein. The repetitive design across the leg and upper foot looks like a cable stitch but is really a simple combination of increases and decreases. This sock can be knit with either the Paca Peds HT or the regular Paca Peds.

And get ready to get your cute on with the Little Jailbird Kimono!

All little girls will steal your heart if they are wearing this adorable kimono sweater. Knit in Classic Alpaca, the simple stripe design is eye catching and the lacy sleeves add interest without being too fussy. Sized for 9-12 months through 6 years, the sweater takes 3- 9 balls of Classic Alpaca. Shown here in the 18-24 month size in colors 2081 & 1430.







Be sure to check in later this week when we share our newest FREE pattern, from our dear friend Judy Head of http://www.judykits.com/. Till then, happy crafting!

Don't overthink the pattern!

We continue with this week's installment of "Angela's Adventures in Lace"....

Ahhh, the joy of the Flit + Float Scarf! The beauty, the elegance, the simple lace pattern, the..... ack! The dreaded Provisional Cast-On!!! Yes, we have discussed this in the past. And yes, I got through it with flying colors. Or at least I thought I did. I got to the end of the ruffle, I picked up the provisional cast on and I started away on the lace portion of the scarf. But wait, something was wrong! I somehow managed to do it backwards. Yes indeed, there was a nice seam where I picked up my cast on edge. Well, we couldn't have that now, could we? So I laboriously picked out every stitch, twisted them around the proper direction and put them back on the needle. I restarted the lace pattern. Ahhh, much better. So much better, I took pictures to share with you. See how pretty they are? See the pretty sparklies in the yarn? See that nice pretty edge where I picked up the provisional cast on? Let me toddle off to Ravelry to upload the photos to my projects page so everyone can see how lovely this is going. Wait! What is this!!! My ruffle doesn't look like the other ruffles. My ruffle is... gasp... BACKWARDS! Yes, dear friends, I have taken a perfectly good provisional cast on, convinced myself it was wrong, undone it, and managed to put it on backwards. Sigh. Beth & Tasha have assured me that no one will know, well, except for everyone reading this, of course. And no, I am now almost finished Chart B, so I am not going back and frogging it at this point. It's still beautiful. It still flits & floats. It just does it to it's own tune now. So, what have we learned? You would think after years of knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann and Cat Bordhi patterns I would know by now to not overthink the pattern! Trust the designer; trust your knitting, trust that maybe, just maybe, you finally have that cursed provisional cast-on nailed and don't overthink the pattern!

Beginning the Flit + Float

Ahhh, it's time for The Masters. To me The Masters is always the unofficial kick-off of spring. Even though it may still be cold and blustery here, the azaleas are blooming in Augusta and I can vicariously celebrate the spring via my tv and some good knitting. Golf is the perfect sport for knitting. Lots of long stretches of nothing happening and you can always tell when you should look up at the tv to see a spectacular shot or horrible miss.



With that in mind, I am getting ready to settle in for four days of blissful golf & knitting. Yesterday I cast on for my Flit + Float scarf. I read the directions a few times and it occured to me that it might be easier to knit the scarf differently then written. My thought was to knit the body of the scarf first and then knit both ruffles at the end. But then after looking at the photos of the other projects on ravelry, I realized that the money shot is the ruffle and I am excited to she how it flutters in the new Mint Kiss Glimmer. So I sucked it up and did the provisional cast on called for. Provisional Cast-on. Ugh. I got through it, although it did take me a time or two. I'm not sure where my mental block is with that one, but it's been the bane of my exsistance for my entire knitting life, so why should this week be any different.


At any rate, the cast on has been conquered, and the first eleven rows have been knitted. I'm using a size 5 Addi Lace Turbo circular needle for the knitting. The pattern calls for a 4, but I'm a rebel and I'm doing it on the 5. It's interesting to me that this is the same needle that I used for the Pioneer and even with the vast difference in the weights of the yarn both are making a pleasing fabric.





Here is a first wip photo. No, it's not much and I think I photographed the wrong side -- it's hard to tell at this point which is which -- but it's a start. More in progress photos to come as I get my golf on and do my on version of hitting the sticks. Oh, and in case you wondered, "Go Phil Mickelson!!!"

Westward Ho! Pioneer Completion!

So I didn't get the Knitty's Pioneer finished in a week, like I thought I might (bragged I might?), but I did get it finished in practically no time at all. What struck me the most by this knit was how little yardage I used compared to what the pattern led me to believe I would. I had set aside four balls of Swizzle, but only used 2.5 balls. Just about 550 yards, not the 800 predicted for a size small. What a great bonus! I drug Tasha away from the dyepots long enough to get a quick photo of it being modeled, then it was off to be blocked. I'll get some real photos of the completed, blocked, amazing sweater up later this week, but I was just so thrilled by the finished product I just had to share!



We have an gorgeous new color of Glimmer to share as well. It's called "Mint Kiss" and it is the perfect color for your springtime knitting and crocheting projects. Glimmer is a super soft baby alpaca enhanced with a hint of golden iridescent holographic fiber. It is a fingering weight and perfectly suited for shawls and scarves with it's beautiful drape and sparkle.


I was so excited by this newest color, I couldn't wait to cast on something with it as soon as I got the Pioneer off the needles. I decided that the Flit + Float scarf from the Spring '09 Knitty would be the perfect project. Stay tuned for WIP photos soon! And remember, if you want to stay up to date with lots of photos and chat, follow us on Plurk or Twitter!

Phat Knits

Wow, and I thought Snuggle was bulky!

Netherlands based artist Bauke Knottnerus approaches design on a macro level using large threads to create large scale woven objects. “PHAT KNITS” is a series of giant threads used to create, knitted or not, interior products.

Can you imagine how great a rug or bath matt would be made out of this stuff?

Pioneer Update

What a great weekend we had here in SouthCentral PA. Absolutely beautiful, spring weather, perfect wear a cute little sweater and take your knitting along with you type of days. In fact, I did just that over the past two days as I continued to work on the Pioneer sweater in Swizzle as I was out and about.

The pattern is easy to memorize. Terribly easy, which makes it perfect take-along knitting. I got lots of ooohs and aaahs from my family and friends as my Pioneer made the rounds. Since Swizzle is a relatively new yarn for us, this is the first time I've spent any serious quality time working with it on an actual garment. Let me tell you, it's a lovely yarn. Lots of good drape and a serious amount of squishy touch me factor. I'm knitting on size 5 needles and I'm one of those annoying knitters who doesn't knit tight or loose. Pioneer is primarily stockinette with some columns of a two stitch cable worked along the sides and down the back. Several others have made the modification of adding a column of cables down the front middle. I did not do this, but seriously considered adding one as well.



I am making the 'small' size and right now I am over halfway done and I'm only about half through my second ball of yarn. The pattern called for four balls of Swizzle, about 800 yards needed, but I'm not sure I'm believing that. I'll keep you updated!

New Knitty thoughts

We always get little-kid excited when a new issue of Knitty is published. Everyone has their favorites, of course. Beth is especially fond of Hanne, Tasha likes Pioneer and Angela is drooling over Decimal. And of course, we are all swooning over the two lace projects, Shipwreck and Aeolian.

We've decided that we want to take some of our favorites and show you how they will look worked up in our yarns. This should be a fun task each issue pairing up Knitty genius with alpaca yumminess. We are going to start with Pioneer, done in Academy Blue Swizzle. We think it will be a delightful pairing and we will be sure to keep you updated with regular progress photos.

Here's a sneak peek to get your creativity flowing. You can check out more photos on the Ravelry project page. Be sure to comment us if you have any suggestions which AYC yarns might work well with the newest Knitty. We always love to hear your thoughts!

Pumpkin Patch Cozy Stole

I've had a long standing love affair with the Cozy Stole from the fall 2004 issue of Knitty. With it's elegant simplicity, I've always thought it would be a perfect toss over your shoulders wrap. Simple enough in it's stitch pattern, an eight row repeat with all the wrong side rows purled (I'm a sucker for the purl stitch; I purl faster then I knit). I never quite understood why the masses weren't falling all over themselves in love with this stole as I was. Then after a bit more consideration, I realized that this same issue of Knitty, Fall 2004, was the unveiling of that other wrap pattern, the most famous Knitty pattern ever, the Clapotis. How can a humble acoustic guitar player compete when there is a full blown orchestra bringing down the house right next door?
Just look at the numbers; Clapotis has 10,132 different project entries on ravelry, the humble Cozy only 572 and yet, I think it is just as lovely, if not moreso then the Clapotis. Ravely user, badknitter agrees. Don't let her username fool you, she's actually a sweetheart who used our Paca-Peds yarn in the colorway Harvest to make her Pumpkin Patch Stole.

So, I make a case for the Cozy. Step out from behind those dropped stitches and give it a whirl. It's obviously beautiful in Paca-Peds but would also look lovely in Classic or Paca-Paints.

Okay, and for some serious cute overdose, you have to check out this sign. If you are traveling along Route 30 in western York County, PA you will be greeted by this adorable face. Who could possibly resist some of that? If you are in the area, be sure to make plans to visit Beth's farm, Painted Spring. Beth, Neal & the fur babies would love to have you!

Bella's Mittens

We've been bitten by the Bella's Mitten bug here at The Alpaca Yarn Company. Tasha made a pair in Malabrigo. They were so squishy & yummy, immediate mitten-envy set in and I knew I had to make a pair for myself. The yarn selection was easy, Snuggle is a 55% Alpaca, 15% Wool, 30% Acrylic Bulky blend and was the perfect yarn for this pair of mittens, knitted on size 8 needles. The hard part came in deciding upon the color. I scoured ravelry, trying to decide which color among our 15 choices would best represent the spirit of Bella while maybe having a bit of Angela tossed in as well. I kept going back to our hand dyed colorway "A Knot of Naturals". There was some trepidation as that little voice in my head yelled, "Cables! You can't do a hand dyed with cables! You'll ruin the look of both the yarn and the mittens!" However, the other, louder voice said, "Want! Want! Want!". I am so glad I listened to the greedy voice.

The free pattern is clearly written, and written for magic loop no less, my absolute favorite way in the world to knit. I grabbed a set of bamboo circulars and cast on. I will admit, I'm not a huge fan of k1, p1 ribbing, but it flowed quickly as it was only half of the stitches on the cuff. As I was working the pattern, the cables began to just come to life. They seemed to pop off the mitten and I was quickly & deeply in love. I knitted frantically, wanting to get the first one done in time to take it to my Tuesday morning knitting group at Uncommon Threads, our LYS.

Rather than obscure the cables, as I had feared, the slight variations in the Snuggle set off the cables perfectly, giving them an interest and depth. I got to my knitting group with only the thumb of the first mitten remaining. I wasn't quite sure why the designer had asked me to switch to dpns at this point. I mean my magic loop and I had been humming along quite nicely. I decided to throw caution to the wind and continue with my looping. Okay, truth be told, I don't own size 8 dpns and I wasn't about to go buy a pair just for a thumb. I picked up my thumb stitches. I picked them up quite deeply into the row below, actually, because I feel that this usually gives a bit more substantial thumb and I hate holes in my thumbs, or anywhere, really.

The mittens were immediately declared a success with the entire knitting group trying them on and several folks threatening to kidnap the first while I made the second. There is a slight halo to the mittens which gives them that soft, smooshy, dreamy quality. I am now plugging away at the second mitten, admittedly without as much fervor as the first, but I am determined to get them done before winter is truly over. Looked for finished photos here on the blog soon.

Lace in Interweave Knits, Spring 2009

There are two beautiful new wraps featured in the new Interweave Knits made from Suri Elegance.

The first one, is the Sweet Lily Shawl by Kristin Omdahl.
Here’s your sneak peek…

Done in one skein of Blue Blood Red, this stunning shawl features wedge sections worked in a semi-circle with a Lily of the Valley border and sawtooth edging. Lots more bonus photos can be found on Interweave’s website.

The second is the Float Stole by Melinda C. Hunt.

from the magazine…

From open lace eyelets to horizontal welting, different textures create a surprisingly complex effect with simple patterns.

More photos can be found here.

For these great patterns and more, be sure to grab your copy of IK Spring 2009 when it hits the newstands next week.

Striped Ribbed Pullover

Have you ever seen one of those patterns in Vogue knitting that make you say, "Yeah, but it would never look that good on me." You know the ones; the impossibly beautiful models, with the perfect hair and the tiny waists wearing a belted sweater with horizontal stripes. Perhaps one similar to the Striped Ribbed Pullover. A free pattern from the Vogue Knitting Alpaca Collection, the Stripped Ribbed Pullover is knit from Paca de Seda. And seriously, who doesn't look good in alpaca & silk? Both our sweet friend Ali (right) and ravelry user Tare (below) prove that you don't have to be a vogue model to totally rock this sweater. Maybe you're thinking, yes, but I don't like purple and green? (wait, you don't like purple & green? are you feeling okay? we practically breathe purple & green around here!) Well, if you're in that boat, we've made it super easy for you to have this same look, but in other color palettes as well. For a limited time only we are offering kits on our site! In addition to the original purple & green there is a blue/brass/brown, a collection of naturals and one of blues & greens. Find your favorite and unleash your inner super-model!