With the last days of summer fast approaching and school starting again it’s time to begin thinking about knits for the cooler weather. Our two newest designs feature Valley Yarns Northfield, my favorite yarn! Not only does the blend of Merino, Baby Alpaca and Silk create an incredibly soft and bouncy yarn with a gorgeous sheen, but it’s also incredibly affordable!

Fiona’s latest design for Valley Yarns is the Irena Pullover with stunningly simple cable and eyelet  details at the neck, hem and on the sleeves.

And Carol’s whimsical First Frost Hat may just be the perfect first lace project!

With a full range of rich colors of Northfield to choose from your biggest decision may not be which project to cast on for first, but which color to use!

We have one more fantastic new pattern in our sumptuous Hatfield yarn for you. The Anthemis Cowl, designed by Tian Connaughton, is soft as a cloud and light as air!

Knit in the round from the bottom up, in an easy to memorize arrow lace pattern, the Anthemis Cowl gets extra oomph from a gradient of colors. Use the soft, greyish blues show in the sample or go bold with reds and oranges, frosty with pale purples, or perfectly neutral with greys or beautifully heathered browns.

With more than 2 dozen colors to choose from there’s no reason to pass up the chance to get Hatfield on your needles. With a quick and easy project like this you’re sure to have the knitting done before the cooler weather settles in, and this way you’ll be prepared for it with a striking accessory that keeps you warm while staying stylishly on trend.

I love a good wrap. A nice wide shawl that I can snuggle into like a great knitted hug is a real comfort, but I don’t necessarily want to look like I’m wearing a blanket. The new Shenandoah Valley Shawl designed by Katharine Malcolm is that perfect shawl! Knit in our Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk it is gauzy and ephemeral but amazingly warm and cozy.

The silk give the yarn strength and shine, while the alpaca give it that surprising warmth and a soft fuzzy halo. With a decreasing pattern of cables forming a mountain shaped border at each end and a gentle striping effect of stockinette and yarn overs, reminiscent of the rivers and streams, you get to see the best of the Shenandoah Valley in this shawl, the gorgeous Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains as well as the James and Potomac rivers. And with the bonus of the incredible yardage of the 2/14 Alpaca Silk being offered on cones you will only have 2 tails to weave in at the ends of this project!

Katharine talked to us about herself and how this design came to be.

When did you learn to knit? 

I taught myself how to knit before I was ten years old, a long time ago. The first article I can remember knitting was a woolen turtleneck, shaped, full fashioned sweater with mock cables on the front and the back. I was 12 at the time. In my college years, everyone knit in class. I knit my model train loving fiance a pair of socks with an original train on the side, but never thought of it as designing. The same was true as I knit for my sons and nephews, including whole animal families of hand puppets. It wasn’t until I became a TKGA Master Hand Knitter that I realized that what I had been doing for years was designing. I have been knitting my own designs ever since.

What prompted you to start designing?

I tend to find a design that I want to create in knitting and as I proceed, my ideas grow. That was the case with the Shenandoah Valley Shawl. It started as a project to work on a train trip and as I knit, I did not want it to be the same throughout, so I created the triangles. As I worked the shawl that you see I realized, looking out the window that the color matched the Blue Ridge Mountains. From another window I can see the Appalachian range and the Shawl fit in perfectly. Many of my designs evolve as I knit.

Give us a glimpse into your design process, where/how do you find inspiration?

When I was working towards the Masters Program for The Knitting Guild Association, I decided that since I lived on an alpaca farm, that I would create the yarn for the project. As a result, it was not only an original design for the vest and the long coat, but they were both knit from a one of a kind yarn.

What did you love about the Valley Yarn you worked with?

I loved the feel of the Alpaca/Silk. The silk adds a sheen to the alpaca and I loved working in color. I have been knitting with my hand spun, but none of the alpacas come in Whipple Blue!

Another wonderful new pattern this month, in our Valley Yarns Hatfield, is the Crisanta Shawl by Tian Connaughton.

Knit on a larger than expected needle for this fine, baby alpaca lace, the Crisanta Shawl is worked side to side with a delicate, leafy lace border that ripples and moves like leaves in a breeze. The perfect little something extra for chilly summer nights, this shawl is just enough to keep you warm with a long sleeved tee.

We asked Tian to tell us more about how she designs and what she enjoyed about working with this yarn.

When did you learn to knit?
I was first introduced to the fiber world via crochet. I learned to crochet in September 2001 from an older co-worker to pass the hour-long lunch breaks. For years I was content just making blankets to give away for every occasion. But that all changed in 2006, when quitting my day job as a Credit Manager to stay home with my then 2-year old son. I discovered the wonders of knitting after watching HGTV’s Knitty Gritty. Knitting opened up an even wider world for me in the fiber arts.

What prompted you to start designing?
After discovering knitting, designing was soon to follow. The television show, Knitty Gritty, was the catalyst for my starting to design. I clearly remember the episode when Shirley Paden was a guest on the show, a talented knitwear designer creating fantastic patterns. I wanted to be like her. In her, I saw myself and a whole world of possibilities beyond my corporate life. Like many designers, I began by modifying existing patterns to fit my needs and then quickly evolved to creating my own original designs.

Give us a glimpse into your design process, where/how do you find inspiration?
Design inspirations come to me in many different forms and from many sources. I get inspirations on walks with my dog, Charlie, through the snow. It could be the texture of a tree bark or the canopy of trees over head in the woods. Or sometimes, inspiration strikes at weird times such as during Downward Dog at Pilates class while staring at the pattern on the map. Usually the idea comes first, inspired by my surrounding, then I search for the yarn that will best compliment the texture and drape of the design.

What did you love about the Valley Yarns Hatfield?
I’m not a huge fan of lace weight yarns, or so I thought. When I proposed this design to WEBS, I had resigned myself to the idea and to just grit my teeth as I work through the sample because I loved the design idea so much. After winding the yarn, slowly and carefully, I set off to cast-on for the Crisanta Shawl and immediately fell in love with the yarn, Hatfield. I thought I wouldn’t like the lace weight yarn because I don’t work with that weight of yarn often. And I don’t work with that weight of yarn often because I am an impatient knitter. But working up this thin yarn on bigger needles was a match made in heaven. The stitches simple flew off the needles. The yarn now has a special place in my heart. I can see so many more projects in the future.

This yarn has a special place in our hearts, too! With over 400 yds per skein, warm and lightweight, Valley Yarns Hatfield is ideal for garments and accessories.

One of our newest patterns from Valley Yarns is the New Hope Pullover designed by Nadya Stallings. Knit in Goshen, our worsted weight, cotton/modal/silk blend, this a-line top is cozy enough for cool Spring evenings but cool enough for breezy, Summer beach days. Broad rolling waves fill the cable panels of this warm weather sweater, and the set in sleeve construction helps to give it structure and stability without hampering the flow and drape of the fabric.

Pair this with jeans and chunky boots for a weekend hike or toss it on over your favorite shorts and tank when a cool breeze kicks up. Shown here in crisp summer white it would be equally stylish in classic Navy, a neutral like Fawn or Linen, or add a pop of color to your wardrobe with Green Apple or Persimmon.

We asked Nadya to tell us a bit about herself and her work.

When did you learn to knit? 

I learned to knit, when I was 10. And it was not my mother who taught me, although she was doing all kind all crafts, but I was stubborn enough to not let her. Instead, I watched a TV show (in Russian) , called “Magic Yarn Ball”. That is how I learned to cast on the stitches, and I just kept doing it until I could without even looking at my needles.

What prompted you to start designing?

Since I grew up with  just a few magazines that could give me some ideas of knitting, and not much else, I just was making them up for my own needs and desires. I had no feeling that it would be called “designing”! I moved to USA and looked through all those knitting magazines, I thought: “I know I could do this kind of work!’, but I just did not know how to approach the editors. In 2009, I was laid off, and very soon after that I received a catalog with announcement that they accept independent designers’ submissions. So, I went on-line, made my first submission and dared to send it out. Surprisingly, it was accepted!

Give us a glimpse into your design process, where/how do you find inspiration?

Inspiration comes from everywhere: watching TV, fashion shows, other designers’’ work, very often from some words, or music, and nature. Sometimes (more often) I come up with just a detail, an element, and try to figure out what silhouette would work with it. Very often, I develop a few variations of the design because I think the general idea would be good for them all. I tend to design garments with a bit more challenge,  it makes the design work more interesting. Besides, I wear my garments, my daughter and granddaughter do too!

Tell us about your design aesthetic.

I admire people who dress themselves thoughtfully. I keep this in mind while designing, too. I do love vintage, but not being old-fashioned. I love to discover new color combinations that bring joy to my eyes. My recent favorite is the combination of different shades of brown with different shades of blues. And I love to design dresses and skirts! Or, at least the tops that are styled with skirts.

What did you love about the Valley Yarn you worked with?

I love to touch it, it feels so natural. I love to look at them, because the colors make me happy. I love how smoothly stitches slide from one needle to the next, and  I love its drape.

Valley Yarns Goshen is an ideal yarn for warm-weather knits! With it’s unique blend of fibers you get the sturdy durability of cotton, the memory and softness of modal , and the incredible shine and drape of silk. This versatile yarn feels cool against the skin but is squishy and cozy when knit into bouncy fun cables! What color of Goshen will you choose when you knit the New Hope Pullover?

The Deep Woods Poncho is a fantastic layering piece for chilly autumn evenings and cold winter days. Toss it on over your shoulders for that extra bit of warmth or wear it tucked up around your neck under your coat for super insulation.

Crocheted in Valley Yarns BFL Worsted this top-down, high-necked poncho combines three simple stitches to create a beautifully textured and fluid fabric that hugs the shoulders without being restrictive. The secret to avoiding the pooling that can happen when crocheting with hand dyed yarns is to alternate skeins. Since this project calls for 3 skeins of the BFL Worsted you’ll work with all your skeins right from the beginning, changing yarn at the beginning of each row instead of using skein #1 from beginning to end and then using skein #2  and then skein #3.