Faire Isle February 2018

Hello Everyone!

February is the shortest month, one of of love, freezing cold, and colorwork!! Our theme for this month is Faire Isle February where Caitlin Hunter of Boyland Knitworks, www.boylandknitworks.com,  is our featured designer.

Caitlin Hunter, the designer and creator of Boyland Knitworks is originally from Alaska, and now lives in the Oregon forest with her husband, their three little boys, and an assorted group of all male animals. Being the only female among all the males, she named business "Boyland"! A bit about Caitlin - she has a degree in apparel design and manufacturing and worked in manufacturing as a designer before making the transition to become an independent knitwear designer. Caitlin’s training and experience show in her designs, which are individually colorful and sophisticated. Her designs include hats, scarves, with a range of sweaters, and our KAL for this month, the Ninilchik Swoncho, a perfect combination between a sweater and a poncho. Caitlin’s designs are both stylish and practical. Case in point is the Swoncho, which is loose and easy, but the sleeves keep it in place. Caitlin believes that knitting is an antidote to our instant-gratification world, and she loves designing garments and accessories that can be treasured for a lifetime and longer. And that is very lucky for us because her designs are amazing and fits nicely with our philosophy of making beautiful things with your hands and all the wonderful benefits derived from that. Caitlin’s philosophy is for all of us to slow down, knit some beautiful things and appreciate what we can do with our own hands! Caitlin reminds us that knitting is like any challenges in life - just take it one row at a time and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish! And we couldn’t agree more!

Aim True Hat

Oulu Mitts

In addition to our KAL, our classes this month feature two more designs by Caitlin Hunter, the Aim True Hat and the Oulu Mitts. Each project is quick, portable, and let’s us explore colorwork. Our previously mentioned KAL, the Ninilchik Swoncho, is designed to maximize the beauty colorwork in a larger project while delving into shaping via

Ninilchik Swoncho

short rows and making sleeves. The patterns calls for DK weight yarn and US4 and US6 needles. The pattern has two garment sizes to pick from and here’s where you can play with yarn weight and needle size to adjust the sizing. I decided on the larger size with some tweaks. For colors, I picked a New England Fall palette of olive green, rust, honey, and plum in a rustic sport weight. Linda helped me with needle size, using US3 and US5 instead so I will be able to make my Swoncho smaller than the larger size, but roomier than the smaller size. So far, the combination is working. Linda can guide you through any deviations to your Swoncho. Aside from sizing, picking your colors is both fun and creative. Check out the color combinations on pattern on Ravelry under “About this pattern” to get ideas of your own color palette. And, as always, Linda can help you with color combination ideas. And please checkout the Sunset Highway sweater, knitted by Linda, that is displayed in the store. Caitlin Hunter’s pattern resulted in a truly striking and very wearable sweater that just continues to catch your eye.

Sunset Highway

We want to brighten this short month with color, beauty, and practical style. Come join us as we knit these wonderful projects byour featured designer, Caitlin Hunter of Boyland Knitworks. Happy Faire Isle February, stay warm and…

Knit On!!  Lisa