Pattern:    Foliage Hat
Yarn:         4 sks Malabrigo Lace in #181 Marron Oscuro, #123 Rhodesian,
                 #42 Garnet, #35 Frank Ochre
Needles:   US 3 (3.25 mm)

Here you can see it in the large size in a different colorway.


Yarn:         4 sks Malabrigo Lace in #63 Natural, #181 Marron Oscuro,
                 #123 Rhodesian, #42 Garnet

This hat is knit with 2 strands of lace and it is so soft and cozy that I want to wear it all the time. The hat is knit from the bottom up with a contrast color turning hem that peaks out at the bottom. The cables are worked to look like trees and then some stranding to look like color changing leaves.

Next Up- A closer look at the Harvest Capelet

Pattern:    Gathering Mitts
Yarn:         1 sk Malabrigo Worsted #512 Chestnut & 1 sk & Malabrigo Rios #869 Cumparcita
Needles:   US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm)

Once the idea of these mitts was in my head, I could not shake it and the inspiration for them was generated by the idea of being able to combine Malabrigo Worsted and Rios together to create two completely different fabrics in one mitt. The inside mitt is knit with worsted and then the lace overlay is knit right onto the inner mitt in Rios. The two mitts are joined together and then thrown in the wash! The inner mitts felts and the outer mitt stays the same, because it is superwash. You can see the felted mitt color peeking through the outer lace mitt, so you can just imagine what fun these mitts could be in all sorts of color combinations.

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless and she was very skeptical about my being able to pull this off, so I had to do it! She is super smart and an amazing knitter, so when we bicker about something I feel really good about myself when I can show her that I am actually right (this does not happen super often, so it is an accomplishment for me). Lucky for me she is the kind of friend who is happy for me when I succeed.

Next up- A detailed look at the Foliage Hat. I know I said that last time- ops.

Pattern:    Pumpkin Patch Legwarmers
Yarn:         Malabrigo Sock, 2 sks #802 Terracota
Needles:   US 6 & 5 (4.0 mm & 3.75 mm)


The legwarmers are constructed from the bottom up and begin and end with I-cord. They are also made using 2 strands of sock yarn and knit up quickly. As some may know, I do not really enjoy knitting socks, but I love sock yarn and I love it doubled! You begin by knitting I-cord and joining it seamlessly together, then pick up stitches around the I-cord and work in the round with increases and decreases and 2 sizes of needles to create the ruching effect. For the top, you use a an applied I-cord that is knit right on and then joined together seamlessly like the beginning I-cord.

So, now to the real question, which I have already been asked several times. How do they wear? Do you have to keep pulling them up or do they stay up? Well, I wore them all day Friday at VK Live in LA and I did not have to pull them up once. My legs were quite happy and I got a lot of looks at my legs and then lots of smiles! It was really fun wearing this intense color on my legs and watching others reactions to it. I wore them to my Japanese Knitting Class with Gayle Roehm, where they received lots of adoration. A little aside- Gayle's class was amazing and I am completely intrigued now with Japanese knitting patterns and books! I bought a couple at the Kinokuniya Bookstore booth at VK Live, which I will share at a later date.

This collection uses 6 different varieties of Malabrigo yarn and I will be introducing you to each of the patterns over the next couple of weeks. Fall is one of my favorite times of year and I love the intense oranges, rusts, greens, yellows and reds that pop up in nature and in these yarns. This ebook is for sale on my site here and on Ravelry here.

Next post- A detailed look at the Pumpkin Patch Legwarmers.