It’s spring, and our knitting needles are busily working through piles of yarn and mountains of unfinished objects! Now is the time to clear your queue and get ready to change up what’s on your needles, just as the weather is shifting from the chill of winter to the first warm promises of spring. Curious about what we’ve been up to outside of the office? Here’s a roundup of our  most recent staff projects, including a project in our newest yarn, Paragon!

First up, I just finished my very first Brooklyn Tweed pattern in Alpaca Cloud Fingering (above)! I loved knitting this League pullover, but my favorite part was picking out which colors I’d use for the three separate sections! I had eight different versions laid out on my desk for a day before I finally settled on Anna, Carson and Oliver and I just LOVE how it turned out! It took a small lifetime to knit, but it was so worth all the tedious stockinette. My finished sweater is so heavenly soft and fits perfectly, plus it’s extraordinarily warm and light as a feather! I love wearing it around the office and I definitely wore it every day for the first week after I finished blocking it. This one was definitely a winner!

Next up, Holly whipped up a lovely sweater for her daughter Penny in Aloft Blush and Capra Carnation held together throughout. The finished fabric in her Pusetopp is absolutely incredible. I would never have thought to combine those radically different yarn but now I can’t wait to cast on with this for inspiration!

Holly says “I like the drop hem in the back of the Pusetopp pattern, as well as the frilly sleeve caps that remind me of epaulets. However, the pattern, at least the English translation, is rather diabolic. I pretty much changed each section as I saw fit, using it as a loose guide instead of strict instructions.  Capra is one of my favorite yarns, and I really liked the halo of the sample pictured in the original pattern so I held Capra together with Aloft, and it came out fluffy and so very soft!”

Alison’s the first of us to finish a project in our new yarn, Paragon! She made this super cute sweater for her kiddo, and has been raving about how amazing Paragon is to work with! She says “I really like it! It’s bouncy from the ply structure and fun to knit, and the finished fabric blooms a bit after wet blocking and gets super plush. The ribbing really stands out, so I would consider using Paragon for twisted stitch patterns and cables. It’s also quite warm, Nate didn’t want to take it off for bed because “it’s soooo snuggly.” She knit this sweater in Sagebrush, White, Silver, and Ash and I just love how the colors play together. While there isn’t a written pattern for this sweater, I think this is great color inspiration for any projects in Paragon.

Lastly, Emily has whipped up this rockin’ version of Jane Richmond’s Wellington Hat! We’re all huge fans of Richmond’s designs and the Wellington Hat is in several of our queues around the office, it’s so nice to finally see one in person!

Emily used two skeins of Wool of the Andes Superwash in Fjord Heather (my favorite color) and has several notes about this pattern:

“The stitch pattern is easy, as there are just two rounds (1 and 5) that are crucial. Unfortunately I made some mistakes on just those rounds, and my stitches got twisted and I wasn’t able to figure out which way they should have gone until the round after, when it was too late. 🙁 I ripped back a few times, but ultimately decided to just forge ahead because otherwise I’d never finish! So, pay careful attention when working those rounds and you’ll be set.

I also added an extra round between round 7 and 8 on the crown so that the top wouldn’t pucker. I’ve worn it a couple times-it looks great, and the fabric is very stretchy and cozy. I love the wavy lines of the stitch pattern. I’ll probably make another, maybe in Preciosa. A great project!”

Emily has inspired me to add a Wellington Hat to my winter accessories pile and I can’t wait to try my hand at this pattern closer to fall, it’s such a great, stretchy fabric!

I hope our projects have inspired you to cast on something new or finish a project that’s been lurking in your own queue. Stay tuned for more staff projects, inspiration and general crafting ideas.

Happy Spring, and happy knitting!