Sneak preview: Lace Yarn Studio

It seems like I’ve been working on Lace Yarn Studio for years. Well, I actually have been working on it for about two years, when I first floated the idea of doing a sequel to Sock Yarn Studio focusing on lace weight yarns. And after many months of swatching, knitting, ripping out, writing, proofreading, and so on, Lace Yarn Studio: Garments, Hats, and Fresh Ideas for Lace Yarn was born.

If you aren’t someone who usually knits with laceweight yarns, you might be surprised at how many beautiful choices are out there: handpainted, self-striping, exotic fibers (like buffalo and mink), luxury fibers (like silk), breeds of wool as well as our old friend merino, smooth textures and novelty textures, multicolored, solid, tweed….there are just so many terrific choices. Lace weight yarns are so lightweight; they seem to float in the air, and then settle into lovely drapes and curves. And there are many, many things knitters can use laceweight yarns for that thick yarns just can’t do. (Try to make a pleat or ruching using a superbulky yarn. Just doesn’t work.)

So when I consulted some of my amazing colleagues in the industry and asked them to contribute patterns to Lace Yarn Studio, I asked them to think about using laceweight yarn in creative ways– for items other than shawls, or using stitch patterns not usually associated with lace yarn. Pairing several colors or textures together or finding unusual yarns. Imagining geometric patterns instead of floral ones.

And as usual, my colleagues blew my mind with the gorgeous designs they proposed.

I’m going to be talking about this book a lot this year, since it will be shipping in just a few months (April) but let me tease you with just a few of the patterns that you’ll see in the book.

Barb Brown did an amazing job of using laceweight yarn (a beautiful merino/tencel blend from WEBS) to create a softly-flowing skirt. She added subtle beading at the bottom to give some extra sparkle.

Laceweight yarn is perfect for a skirt, since it doesn’t weigh a ton, making it more comfortable to wear and less prone to sagging out of shape.

How about some cables? My cowl uses a large cable motif in lovely Rowan Kidsilk Haze yarn for a cowl.

It was fun seeing how a cable looked using a sheer, feather-light yarn. I love the effect.

Marly Bird took a stunning yak yarn in a deep shade of purple, and used diamond motifs for a dramatic and lovely scarf.

The deep color and the geometric design make this especially striking, and the supersoft yak fiber feels amazing next to your skin.

Brooke Nico found a Stacy Charles yarn with a unique metallic texture and created a soft, wear-over-everything layering piece.

This is such a fun piece and as shown, is perfect to wear out on the town. Knit a second one in a slightly different yarn, and you’ll have a wear-it-all-the-time layer.

Patty Lyons used Lion Brand Stainless Steel yarn, which is moldable, just like it sounds, and combined it with a fluffy mohair for this beautiful shawl.

(You can tell how much I love Patty, since she got to use yarn that matches Boris’ fur.)

See why I’m so excited? (The stunning photography is by Carrie Bostick Hoge, who always blows me away with her stylish and sophisticated shots.)

There are many more beautiful patterns in the book, and I’ll be showing you more of them in the coming weeks. I’m really excited that the book will finally be finished, and I’ll be able to hold it in my hands in just a few months. We’ll be doing giveaways of books and yarn, interviews with some of the contributors, and other exciting promotions when the release date gets closer.

If you own a yarn shop and you’re within a few hours’ distance of Philadelphia, please get in touch with me as I’d love to set up a booksigning at your shop! I’ll post specific dates under the Events tab on the website.