Pattern Spotlight: Mrs Clark Cowl by Taiga Hilliard

Taiga Hilliard of Cashmere Junkie joins us today with her new pattern for Ava which we released earlier this week. She is a self-proclaimed yarn snob and we are so glad we can satisfy her need for luxurious yarns:

I am often inspired after seeing and playing with the yarn I have in mind. It could be the color, the yarn texture, or the synergism of feelings toward the whole. Some yarns just want to be a shawl, or a dress. And others, only a cowl will do.

With me being a self admitted yarn snob, it just follows suit that Anzula makes yarns using some of my favorite fibers out there: Fine Merino, Tussah Silk, Cashmere. And then when you add the wonderful color palette; Saffron yellow, Garnet red, Chiva blue, Hyacinth pink... All amazing. Anzula yarns are a joy to work with, plus the inspire a strong desire to create a compliment to the combination.

The new Ava yarn has a luxurious feel that runs through the fingers with delight and ease, plus has a sheen to it that makes it look rich. It also matches drape and stitch definition beautifully, a quality rarely found, but unquestionably enjoyed.

Indeed, this Ava yarn is perfect to wear on you skin and so a cowl seemed the natural route to go. The Mrs Clark Cowl pattern was designed to highlight the wonderful tonal dyeing that Anzula has refined to a fine art. I wanted something interesting and fun to knit, but that would not distract from the color. I started with a ribbed edge and added a mixture of simple lace stitches and cables. The pattern moves enough to stay interesting, but is never overly complicated.

It is my hope that you will savor Ava yarn and the Mrs Clark pattern together as much as I did.

Happy Knitting!
Taiga

You can find the pattern for Mrs Clark on Ravelry and the Ava yarn at VK Live today and tomorrow in the Yarnover Truck booth (121-123)!

Can't make it to VK Live? No worries, Ava will be appearing in shops soon. If you want it even sooner you can always place a special order at your favorite Anzula shop.

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Pattern Spotlight: Mediterranean Seas Lap Blanket by Kalliopi Aronis

We're so happy to have Kalliopi Aronis of Little Brown Sheep tell the tale of her new pattern:

I was so happy when Anzula contacted me to let me know a new yarn was on the way! How exciting! Even better, the fiber content of Ava is the same as Squishy, my favorite (although now it's tying with Ava).

Would I like to design with it? Of course! And with that I was off tearing through the house to find my Moleskin notebook.

I had a general idea of what I wanted to do withing the time constraints, something that didn't need sizing and something larger than an accessory. My first thought was a large throw.

Then reality sank in.

Maybe a baby blanket would be a better size... That would be an interesting photo-shoot to take on with no cribs or babies available. Perhaps a lap blanket, that's a real thing, right?

I poured through Anzula colorways and Aqua and Blueberry looked particularly Mediterranean to me. I grew up in Greece and having the sea as my playground is something for which I've always been incredibly grateful. I didn't live on an island, but the sea by my apartment would take on the most amazing colors; pale greens on a calm day or dark grays during strong winds. And the blue waters matching the shutters of the island homes. How could I not incorporate that? With the overall design and colors chosen I sent Anzula my idea and request for yarn.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and some yarn winding on my knees. I then started working on my swatch and I had an epiphany. If there's something I don't feel like knitting why would anyone else want to knit it?

I asked myself a few questions: Do I care more about making it complicated or just interesting enough where I could still watch Property Brothers and not have to pay too much attention? What is the root cause of the abandoned 25 WIPs in my china cabinet?

After some thought I realized that the cause of my WIPs is that I simply lost interest. Either the pattern was too difficult, too easy, or the yarn didn't want to become a stole/sock/vest. so how could I prevent this from happening in my own design?

I’m big on memorizable yet impressive patterns and I wanted them to retain a Mediterranean influence that would blend cohesively with the colors. After some more swatching, I decided on an easier lace pattern with simple repeats and reverse stockinette borders which turned to lovely waves below the lace and a textured pattern for the blue as opposed to a Greek key, which would’ve involved more chart reading.

Now there’s nice balance between the lace and colored resting rows. It has achieved the look I was going for, a reflection of the ubiquitous island architecture, a beach with a stone walkway leading up to a white house framed by beautiful flowers.

Working with Ava is like a dream. It’s a wonderful yarn, incredibly soft and warm. The stitch definition is wonderful, every stitch shows up crisply and cleanly. It makes the blanket a uniquely beautiful work of art.

So bring a piece of the Mediterranean into your home with this cozy lap blanket. Perhaps you’ll even catch a whiff of the salty sea…

You can find the pattern for Mediterranean Seas Lap Blanket on Ravelry and the Ava yarn at VK Live this weekend in the Yarnover Truck booth (121-123).

Can't make it to VK Live? No worries, Ava will be appearing in shops soon. If you want it even sooner you can always place a special order at your favorite Anzula shop.

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Introducing: Ava

Today is the day!

Are you ready?

We get to tell you all about the new yarn we’ve been working tirelessly on, just for you! It’s something so many of you have asked for, and we are so glad to finally share it with you. We’ve worked with our mill, tested dozens of samples for the perfect twist, weight, bounce, drape, and smoosh. We know how important smoosh is.

We started with your favorite fiber blend: 80% Superwash Fine Merino, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Nylon.

Don’t you just want to dive into all that fluffy goodness and stay forever and ever? It’s the same blend you’ve known and loved in Cloud, Squishy, Cricket, and For Better or Worsted.

After months of the mill spinning samples, and us knitting and crocheting with them, we finally achieved exactly the yarn we were hoping for.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Ava.

Au Natural in all of it’s pure, creamy, bouncy perfection.

Ava is the perfect sport weight yarn and is ready to join the Anzula family. It comes in at 330 yards per 4 ounce skein and is available in all of our 115 colorways.

Are you excited to get your hands on a skein, or two, or twelve? Well you can! Ava will be at Vogue Knitting Live this weekend in the Yarnover Truck booth (121-123).

Here are a few of the colorways they will have:

Ava in (clockwise from top left) Denim, Aqua, Teal, Keola, Temperance, Chiva, Blueberry, Navy, Garnet, and Arizona. — Ava in (clockwise from top left) Denim, Aqua, Teal, Keola, Temperance, Chiva, Blueberry, Navy, Garnet, and Arizona.

Ava in Au Natural, Petals, Temperance, Misfit, and Black.

And a few more, just because:

Anzula in Au Natural, Gravity, Elephant, and Black.

Ava in Aqua, Teal, Denim, Navy, Blueberry, and Chiva.

And because we know more is always better, the Yarnover Truck will also have Milky Way, Cloud, Haiku, Luster, Silken, Croquet, and Vera!

Here’s a little taste of all the yarn we’ve been dyeing for VK Live.

Can’t make it to VK Live? We have good news, more shops will be carrying Ava soon! If you’re like me and you don’t want to wait, you can always place a special order with your favorite Anzula shop.

We have more new stuff to share with you this week, like patterns for Ava and new colorways!

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