Fyberspates Blog

A Stitch in Time Volume 2

As purveyors of luxury knitting yarns, you will not be surprised to hear that we have a weakness for glamour and stylish knits. 'A Stitch in Time: Vintage Knitting Patterns, 1930-1959 Volume 2' by Susan Crawford is just the kind of glamour and style we love.

This is the eagerly anticipated follow up to 'A Stitch In Time' and Volume 2 takes us from 1930s to the end of the 1950s. It is jam-packed with authentic styling and gorgeous photography and with 80 patterns to choose from this book is a treasure trove of knitwear. What's more some of the patterns feature our luxurious yarns so we thought we should share a few of the goodies with you.


We love the Charming Neckline sweater, a stylish garment knitted in a fine gauge yarn to give a beautiful drape and well-fitted result. The original sample that you can see here has been knitted with our4ply Scrumptious in the colourway 'Midnight', with 'Oyster' for contrast. Like many of Susan's patterns, this garment is multi sized and features clever construction to emphasise shape and form.

The Swagger Coat pattern is so impressive with its button details and stylish collar. The pattern calls for Scrumptious aran and would make a fantastically stylish garment to be used as a jacket for colder weather in winter and cooler evenings the rest of the year. What we really loved was the fact that this coat was featured in not only Miss Marple but also The King's Speech- we love famous knitwear!

If you're looking for stylish eveningwear or a classic piece to add a little chic to your wardrobe, it just has to be the Lady's Evening Jumper. Knitted in a beautiful open lace pattern in Scrumptious lace, the look of this garment is feminine and distinctive. The puffed 3/4 length sleeve is a very beautiful detail that just adds such a feeling of style and glamour to the overall piece.

For all our Scrumptious yarns featured in the book, please visit our online shop. A huge congratulations to Susan for her beautiful book- it's a classic that we are proud to have gracing our shelves and inspiring our knitwear!

All photographs are © Susan Crawford and are used with kind permission.

Knit Along with Lily

We have always been fond of Lily Kate Designs so we were really excited to see that there is to be a knitalong of all of her designs over on the Lily Kate Designs Ravelry Group. Many of Kate's designs feature Scrumptious yarn, including her wonderful contributions to Scrumptious Collection Volume 1. So the question now is: which of her designs will we knit first?


One possibility is the Alysha hat pattern which calls for one skein of 4ply Scrumptious and features twisted stitches and cherry cable details. There is an option to make this snug fitting hat slouchier with blocking and would be a lovely transitional piece for Spring.


Kentmere is a great stash busting project because even though pattern features a fingering weight and worsted weight version, Lily has included instructions of how to customise your knitted item and the only restriction is the amount of yarn. This means you can knit this twisted piece in whatever Fyberspates yarn that you've been dying to show off or been hoping to treat yourself with! The pattern also includes a helpful tutorial on how to achieve that interesting twisting.

As the weather warms up, many people will be craving some lace and Wray will help with that. Wray is a top-down cardigan with short, slightly puffed and pleated sleeves and is available in 9 sizes to fit bust 30 inches -46 inches.

You can find the knitalong here.

Sandra by Anniken Allis

As we get ready for some lovely Spring days, there's been a fab layering piece featured in the latest edition of Let's Knit magazine. Anniken has created this gorgeous cardigan using Scrumptious DK Worsted in the Olive colourway.

The cardigan is knitted sideways from the sleeves in to the centre and the back is grafted at the centre back which is a really interesting construction for you to try. The cardigan also features an interesting elongated crossed stitch pattern which Anniken has featured before in her designs and so has included a helpful video tutorial of how to create this beautiful stitch here. You won't be surprised to her that Anniken is a teacher at both local yarn shops as well as national events.

The cardigan is sized for UK size 8-22 and you can find the pattern in this month's issue, number 53, at your local news agents or yarn shop. To find out more about Anniken you can visit her wonderful blog where she shares news of her self published designs, regular featured designs in knitting magazines as well as up to date news on where she will be teaching over the coming year. Well done Anniken, keep up the good work!

Oh Baby!

I have been absolutely thrilled with the response to one of our recent collections, 'Scrumptious Babies'. The pattern includes 8 patterns for babies, sized from 3-24 months and features some of our favourite designers: Judy Furlong, Belinda Boaden, Kyoko Nakayoshi and Mélanie Edgar.

 

There are some gorgeous patterns in here for both girls and boys and we felt it was the perfect showcase for our Scrumptious range as not only does our yarn produce luxuriously soft garments but the super wash characteristic of our 4ply/ Sport yarn means that the garments are also practical.

 

Included in the pattern book are 2 cardigans, 2 matching hats, legwarmers, cabled dungarees, kimono-style jacket and square lace shawl so there is a variety of both heirloom and practical pieces. It means that there is lots of options to entice knitters who are either creating for their own loved ones or looking for the perfect gift to knit for someone else. Inside the collection you will find both written and charted instructions as well as clear (and adorable) photography of all the items.

 

Priced at £7.50 you can purchase your copy here or at your local yarn shop.

Handarbeit

We are frantically making the final preparations that our trip next week to Cologne for 'Handarbeit'. The event takes place on 23rd to 25th of March 2012 and we will be joining over 260 other exhibitors at this wonderful event. The event specialises in all handcrafts including knitting, crochet and sewing and has an international following so we are frantically brushing up on our languages!

You will be able to find Fyberspates at booth GO22 where we will be exhibiting our full Scrumptious range, including the pattern collections, the new Ysolda colour range and also our lovely hand dyes. Be sure to come and say hello and check out all the lovely products that we have on offer.

I can't wait to tell you how it went and I promise a full report once my feet touch the ground.

I'm featured!

I was very honoured recently to be featured as part of a year long focus on women demonstrating great business savvy being held on the 'A Playful Day' blog. 12 women in 12 is a year long feature focussing on women in the industry making a difference to the way in which we view crafts.

 
When I was asked to talk through what it takes to make a yarn business an international success I of course jumped at the chance to share the story. Fyberspates has grown as a brand and to see all my hard work celebrated was so exciting. I have had a sneaky peek at the line up and I feel very honoured to be part of such an amazing bunch of women.

 
The feature tells the story of how I grew the company from a small hand dyeing business to the widely known brand it is now. You'll be able to find out just how hard I work and get a behind the scenes look at what an average week looks like for me. You can find my feature here and keep up with all the other women that A Playful Day is featuring by following the #12womenin12 hash tag on twitter. Thank you so much to Ms Playful for including Fyberspates in this wonderful feature.

Work in Progress...

We are having a little bit of a spruce up on the shop website over the next couple of weeks so you may notice that things look a little unusual and not as pretty as normal over there. Please bear with us during this time as changes need to be made.

 

You can look forward to bigger product pictures and a crisp and clear layout soon.

Saturday Treat

I have been absolutely thrilled with the great response to Ysolda's pattern book 'Saturday Treat' and the yarn to support the designs. I thought it was about time that I indulge you all and fill you in with the details.

'Saturday Treat' is an exciting new collaboration between Ysolda and Fyberspates. The six accessory patterns in Saturday Treat feature a colour palette specially selected by Ysolda in Fyberspates Scrumptious. Here's what Ysolda had to say about it:

"Combining silky luxury and crisp stitch definition, Scrumptious has always been one of my go to yarns, especially for special little projects. Colors practically glow with a rich depth so it was a delightful treat for me to put together an exclusive palette and accompanying designs."

The yarns Ysolda selected are: 2 Lace, 2 4ply, 2 Aran and each have special Ysolda labels. As the theme of the collection is cakes, sweets and treats you'll find names such as 'Treacle Toffee' and 'Flying Saucer' to tempt you. You can purchase all 6 exclusive colourways here.

The book Saturday Treats,  is a hardback book available here for £9. It features photo support so that you can really see interesting details against a relaxing background. As always with Ysolda's patterns, there are both written and charted instructions, laid out in a clear and easy to navigate way. Included patterns are-
Almond Comfit (an aran weight hat)
Barley Sugar (a lace weight cowl)
Edinburgh Rock (an aran weight scarf)
Pear Drop (a laceweight shawl)
Sherbet Lemon (4 ply mittens)
Walnut Whip (4 play hat)

 

As you can see the range is very versatile meaning that you can truly have a Saturday treat with these pretty little additions to your wardrobe, or gifts that you’ll know will be treasured.  Make the most of your special knitting time with Ysolda and Scrumptious!

 

Featured: Knitting Magazine

 
Our friends at Knitting Magazine are celebrating 25 years of publication and their 100th issue. We are so thrilled for them and were honoured to be included as part of the bumper issue that they released to celebrate the occasion. The special issue included 2 designs in our Scrumptious yarns and they are both so stylish!

Amanda Crawford used our Scrumptious 4ply yarn in the colourway Water to create this stunning Lace Panel Cardigan. The cardigan is a short sleeve, bottom up design featuring set in sleeves, a front tie and picot edge. The sizing ranges from bust size 82, 86- 117 cm and yardage starts at only 798 yards depending on size you require. A great addition to your wardrobe as we move into Spring.

Alison Robson created this fabulous Lace Scarf using Scrumptious Lace and we're just blown away by how delicate yet simple it is. A rectangular scarf with repeating leaf and lace motifs, this will be great scarf to dress up an outfit. The sample is shown here in the colourway Rose Pink and looks so luscious and feminine.

It's fab to see our yarns popping up in so many places, especially when it's part of a celebration. Well done to all the team and designers who have helped make Knitting Magazine so strong for 25 years!

Scrumptious Knits

Last January saw the launch of the stunning collection of 7 patterns from Carol Feller, the woman behind Stolen Stitches designs and a favourite designer of ours here at Fyberspates. The collection includes 3 garments and 4 accessories, all knit from Fyberspates Scrumptious yarn in a range of weights from lace weight right up to chunky.

The book includes the following designs:

Ignus - Knitted in Scrumptious Aran. This hip length tunic has delicate cable details that complement the smooth flattering shape. Knit from the top down, with raglan shoulder shaping, the side cable detail has decreases worked down each side for smooth shaping.

Bakersville - Knitted in Scrumptious 4ply/Sport. This hooded cardigan is knitted from the top down. It features a hidden pocket and i-cord edging.

Taupo - Knitted in Scrumptious Chunky. The unusual construction of this cap-sleeved cardigan makes this a very fun knit. Worked from side to side starting at the center of the back, curvy short row hip shaping, clever side joining and short row sleeve caps can introduce you to several new techniques. Vertical accent rows add visual interest and help make this a very flattering knit.

Flama - Knitted in either Scrumptious Lace or 4ply/Sport. Simple and effective, this shawl has a delicate central lace panel and garter stitch outer panels. Worked from the bottom up, optional beads are added to the lace central panel. They add weight and sparkle to the shawl.

Haruna Gloves & Haruna Hat - Knitted in Scrumptious DK/Worsted. These simple gloves have a little flair at the wrist with a decorative gather and faux bobble buttons. Wrist fastens using a snap to ensure a perfect fit. A gathered edge and garter stitch detail create an off centre interest for this hat. Knit in the round from the bottom up, the head band is fastened using a snap for a perfect fit.

Vesuvius - Knitted in Scrumptious DK/Worsted. A cowl is the perfect winter accessory, and an eternity cowl is twice as good! Wrap it twice around your neck you’ll keep yourself warm and look stylish at the same time! Knit in the round, this simple dropped stitch pattern creates a lovely textured cowl.

 

The book is laid out with the kind of clear and informative directions that fans of Carol have come to know and trust and includes close up photos of details in the knitted items. Patterns are written and charted where appropriate and there's an item in here for every season. You can buy your copy here at the shop.

 

Stolen Stitches are also planning to host a KAL, starting with Taupo in their Ravelry group so be sure to join in for lots of Scrumptious chatter!