Lately I've been seeing inspiration everywhere, especially out in our warehouse full of yarny goodness. But without patterns to inspire us, that yarn would sit untouched indefinitely and we certainly can't have that! Here is what has been inspiring me lately in the way of patterns (all from Ravelry with links provided below), and some yarn suggestions to accompany them:

1) With so many babies being born (all of my friends seem to be at that time of their lives) little fun baby and kid items are on my mind. I love this stack-able Army of Caterpillars from Fancy Tiger Crafts (an adorable LYS in Denver--if you live there, you should check them out!) and could see them knit out of Cascade 220 Superwash for washable durability. So cute!

Army of Caterpillars from Fancy Tiger Crafts

2) Bold stripes are super fun, but scalloped bold stripes are even better! I am a fan of Amy Miller's designs and I could see myself wearing Betsey, a lovely cold-weather wrap, knit in Tosh Merino or Tosh Pashmina Worsted this next winter. It's so bright and fun!

Betsey by Amy Miller

3) Shawls always tend to inspire me, so when I saw this unique take on bias knitting, I had to include it in this list. Freesia, by Annie Lee Designs (also known as Jumper Cables Knitting) is a simple design with a little unique twist for some added interest. This is just the kind of shawl knitting I love--mindless, but not too mindless. This design would be amazing in one of the stunning colors of Wolf Creek Wools Alpaca Sport (one of my favorite yarns!) or Lorna's Laces Sportmate (another favorite.)

Freesia by JumperCablesKnitting

4) Geology and knitting? What more could a science geek ask for?!?! I am a self proclaimed science nerd and I loved geological sciences in college. Later in life I found myself teaching the basic earth science principals to kids in an outdoor school setting and I rekindled my love for geology. I love how this shawl is inspired by the different layers of strata and has a variety of patterning in each section keeping it interesting to knit the whole way. What a lovely design! I would (admittedly) probably go with my old standby, Tosh Merino Light, to knit this shawl, but I am intrigued by some newer yarns we have in stock, particularly All For Love of Yarn's Opulence and Manos del Uruguay's Fino.

Geology Shawl by verybusymonkey

5) Lewis by Jaime A Besel, is a gorgeous summer piece with a bohemian feel. It's a summer to fall sweater that can be layered over tanks on cool summer evenings or worn all day long as the days grow a little cooler. The bamboo and wool blend yarn (the original pattern calls for Arucania Itata which is now discontinued) gives the garment a nice structured drape. I really love the shirttail hem. If I were to cast on, I would use either Classic Elite Vail, Frog Tree Pediboo, or Cascade Heritage Silk.

Lewis by Jaime A Besel

6) Lastly, I know it's too early to start thinking about winter knits, by I saw this finished sweater on Lori from Yarn Pop at VK Live in Seattle and I've been thinking about it ever since. This cozy sweater by Heidi Kirrmaier is knit in a DK weight tweed--warm enough to wear as an extra layer on a cold day, but not too warm to wear inside all day long. I may have to cast on this fall for some selfish knitting--perhaps in Rowan Felted Tweed or Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool... or if you live in warmer climes, you could easily get away with knitting this sweater in a cotton blend like Classic Elite Canyon or Rowan Creative Linen which would add a little more lightness and drape.

Snowbird by Heidi Kirrmaier

Lastly, I'm sorry this is a day late, I've been having blogger technical difficulties, but we need to announce the Kristin Omdahl The Finer Edge giveaway winner! The winner is:

Commenter #18: Carol said...

"I would most likely start with Pompeii Mobius."

Carol, please e-mail me at kristen (at) jimmybeanswool.com to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting and thanks to Interweave Press for preview copy of the book!

I hope you all have a fabulous week!
Kristen

PS. Have you ever wanted to work in the needle arts industry or for Jimmy Beans Wool? We have a current job opening for a Project Manager position! It's full time and located on-site here in Reno, NV. To read more and find out how to apply, check out our Ravelry group listing here:

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/jimmy-beans-wool/2608203/1-25#5