SUMMER 2017 NEWSLETTER
“Minetta” Lace Trim Triangle Shawl, from malabrigo book 11: Aniversario
TA B L E O F
Contents BOOK SPOTLIGHT
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malabrigo Book 11: Aniversario DESIGNER INTERVIEW
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Justyna Lorkowska N E W AT M A L A B R I G O
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2017 Colorways IN THE PIPELINE
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Upcoming Colors THE POT STORY
| 14
The Soup Will Be Blue YA R N S P O T L I G H T
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Dos Tierras BOOKLET SPOTLIGHT
| 18
Dos Tierras Booklet BEHIND THE SCENES
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Meet Esther F E AT U R E D PAT T E R N
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Koriburi Shawl UPCOMING EVENTS
| 28
Fashion and Trunk shows
“Waverly” Yoke Patterned Turtleneck, from malabrigo Book 11: Aniversario
“Washington Square” Mosaic Cowl
M A L A B R I G O
B O O K
“Bethune” Striped Capelet
1 1
ANIVERSARIO For 11 years we have been working to create beautiful yarns that can inspire the world and our latest book is a celebration of our decade at your service (Aniversario!). Each design features our beautiful new Aniversario colorway knit up in one of your favorite malabrigo bases. In Book 11 you will find Sock, Mechita, Arroyo, Rios, Mecha, Rasta, and Caracol all transformed into 14 amazing and wearable pieces by our talented designers.
10 years of creating beautiful yarns
A Celebration “Bleeker” Asymmetrical Shawl
The patterns are a celebration using cables, detailed stitches and original shaping. Featuring designs by Christina Behnke, Candace Eisner Strick, Cleo Malone, Anniken Allis, Unjung Yun, Jaqueline van Dillen, Sandi Prosser, Yoko Hatta, Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, Matthew Schrank, Audrey Drysdale, Anabelle Speer and Jacob Siefert. Visit your local yarn store for hard copies of the book, or, if digital is more your speed both the e-book and individual patterns are available for download on Ravelry now! We hope you like our new book, and that there will be many more to come.
“Vandam” Two-color Poncho Sweater
B o o k S p o tli g h t | 5
DESIGNER INTERVIEW
How did you first discover malabrigo?
Justyna Lorkowska
I think my first malabrigo skein came to me from an online Polish shop. It was love at first sight. Malabrigo yarns are so soft and the colors are just amazing!
Justyna Lorkowska is a former teacher and a knitwear fanatic. She loves designing sweaters and accessories, her true passion is for those unique eye-catching garments with intricate details and beautiful finishing. If they can be seamless that’s even better. She lives in Poland with her husband, two kids, and a super cute dog named Nelly (Bolonka Zwetna). She often travels to festivals to teach knitting. She has designed many patterns in collaboration with malabrigo including an amazing malabrigo Freelance Project called What the Heart Wants. She says that the collection was created for “…all women who, like me, follow their hearts in everything they do”. It contains four projects as stunning as they are irresistible, you won’t be able to decide which to one to cast on first! Justyna was kind enough to answer some questions so that we might get to know the person behind the designs a bit better!
Can you tell us a little about your journey to knitting? Probably like many designers, my knitting career happened sort of by accident. Although I’ve been knitting on and off since childhood, I never treated it seriously in my previous life as an English teacher, where I enjoyed explaining tenses and articles to kids and adults. I came back to knitting several years ago 6 | D e s ign e r I nte r v i ew
after having my first baby. At first it was just clothes for my kids, accessories and occasional garments for myself. Then I started to let the needles inspire me. Finally, I began jotting down my own instructions, and as other knitters saw and liked what I created, little by little it became my life. All this started about 6 years ago.
It looks like you started out primarily as a designer of children’s items but have moved towards more adult offerings. Was there anything that prompted this change? Kids knits are a lot of fun, but the best part about knitting is to be able to wear knitwear yourself. It just seemed natural that I’d start making my own clothes too.
You are a designer in Poland, our yarn is made in Uruguay, and Ravelry is based out of the US. Does the international nature of this industry have any interesting consequences for you? I must admit that sometimes I smile at “the funny ways your life can go”. I never imagined my work would be so international, and so much fun at the same time. Do you have a favorite technique that you use in your designs? There are many techniques that I like, but I’m always fascinated by short rows. This technique never ceases to amaze me. It’s just wonderful that short rows allow you to shape your garment to accommodate for almost every knitter’s figure. Additionally, when you start playing with them you can create really amazing shapes of knitwear. D e s i gne r I nte r v i e w | 7
What new and fun things do you have coming up? I’m working on a couple of designs for self-publishing, shawls, sweaters, maybe a new e-book collection. I also started working on the second issue of my book series “Tabula Rasa” – this time all speckled. What is your favorite malabrigo yarn and colorway? Oh, that’s’ a very hard question as I love all malabrigo yarns. Rios is so wearable during Polish winters, I love Mechita and Sock for shawls, and I’m really fascinated with Caracol. My favorite color? I’m very drawn to Diana. If you would like to see more of the beautiful things Justyna creates with yarn her website is Lete’s Knits (http://www. letesknits.com/) and you can find her at the following social media locations below.
~
CO N N E C T W I T H J U S T Y N A
8 | D e s ign e r I nte r v i ew
D e s i gne r I nte r v i e w | 9
New Colorways in 2017 Arroyo in “Pleiades”
Mechita in “Granada”
Mechita in “Paprika”
Mechita in “Storm
Bespeckled
Rasta in “Fucsia”
Chunky in “Inolvidable”
Off the Charts
Unforgettable
The color pink, like speckles, is a hot trend in the fiber world right now. It has been gaining steam and now it is finally boiling over in this new hot pink!
The tinkering continues in Chunky with the new Inolvidable. Using the Deja Vu palette of blues, reds, and pinks as a starting point our mad scientists have created a new and closely guarded technique that produces a different look on this deliciously smooshy base.
Paris-Teal If those weren’t enough for you, we’ve developed a new gradient called Paris-Teal in malabrigo Merino Worsted. We asked ourselves ‘What could be better than super soft malabrigo Merino Worsted in a lovely shade of blue?’ What about a gradient that waltzes through five shades of blue? Begin with the sultry Paris Night and sail through beautifully blended waves to arrive at Teal Feather. Or start with Teal Feather and flow the other direction. Whichever way you choose it will make your next project a show stopper.
10 | Yar n S p o t l i gh t
A speckle craze seems to be sweeping the yarn world and we have fallen hard for this fun new look. Our first try at speckles was on the Arroyo base and experimentation yielded a constellation of greys and blues on a background of white that we’ve called Pleiades. It is sure to make any project you use it in stellar. For Mechita we developed speckled variants of three popular colors. English Rose has acquired a lush scattering of dark freckles to become Granada. Flama has been borrowed from the new Dos Tierras line, named Paprika, and then spiced up with a peppering of yellows and reds. And the normally calm Cirrus Gray has become a tempest of light and dark blue
named Storm. Use them in combination with one of the lovely Mechita solids, alone, or faded into each other. There are as many options as there are speckles.
Bespeckled Coming Soon We loved experimenting with the speckled technique so much that we were forced to create new speckeled colors in Mechita! These new colors will be in your LYS soon.
IN THE PIPELINE
New Colors Coming Soon! We have been testing and selecting many new colors of Arroyo, Caracol, Mechita and Rios, that
Caracol
you will soon be be able to find in your LYS! Among these new colorways we have novelty colors like Camaleon in Arroyo and Caracol, Cian in Arroyo, Rios and Caracol, Greenish Blue in Arroyo, Choco in Arroyo, and Valentina, Yerba and Aquamarine in Rios. Check out all the upcoming colors in these yarns in the follow color pallettes!
Fucsia
Frank Ochre
Water Green
Cian
Camaleon
Atomic
Granada
Lynx
Paprika
Carnaval
Art Nouveau
Aureo
Storm
Poipu
Renaissance
Gothic
Fucsia
Valentina
Yerba
Cian
Aquamarine
Matisse Blue
Mechita
Arroyo
Choco
Diana
Fucsia
Greenish Blue
Camaleon
Cian
Cirrus Grey
Pearl
Pleiades
12 | Co m i n g S o o n
Cereza
Profundo
Flama
Whales Road
Sunset
Matisse Blue
Rios
Hollyhock
Co m i n g S o o n | 13
THE POT STORY
a special part of our
history
The S oup Will B e Blue As with many family owned companies, malabrigo yarn began at home! We want to share with you a simple but special story. The pot (shown above) might not look like much, after all, it was once just a standard household object. But little did it know that it was destined for great things. This humble pot in Antonio’s kitchen became the vessel for malabrigo’s first experiments in dyeing and ultimately, where the very first colors were developed! This pot had always been used by the family to cook “pucheros” and soups. At the first trials the family was worried and jokingly asked “Will the soup be blue!?” while watching their enameled pot being used for coloring yarn. Maybe this pot needs a personal name, as recognition for its invaluable support? :)
Th e Po t S to r y | 15
Soft
Light, delicate & so very
MALABRIGO DOS TIERRAS
Cereza
Aniversario
Diana
Archangel
Hollyhock
English Rose
Flama
Sunset
Lettuce
Arco Iris
Indiecita
Teal Feather
Matisse Blue
Whales Road
Cirrus Gray
Paris Night
Pearl Ten
Polar Morn
Pearl
Natural
Rich Chocolate
Black
O U R N E W YA R N
D os Tier ras For our newest release we wanted to create a yarn that was both super soft and lighter in weight. Our solution to this challenge was to combine the finest Peruvian baby alpaca with our beautifully soft Uruguayan wool to create a 50/50 blend. We have named this DK weight yarn Dos Tierras, Two Lands, to reflect the two sources of these amazing fibers. Each of these fibers takes our signature dyes differently which results in a lustrous depth with subtle color variations that just begs to be worked into stunning projects. The lightness that the alpaca brings to this blend achieves extra warmth in a yarn that feels decidedly light and delicate. Dos Tierras works up into buttery smooth cables, draping cascades of lace, and bold colorwork but also performs beautifully in simple textures.
Yar n S p o tli g h t | 17
“Chatham” Wrap
“Falmouth” Hat
I N T R O D U C I N G
DOS TIERRAS BOOKLET In conjunction with the introduction of Dos Tierras, we have released a booklet with five flexible accessory patterns that each make the most of the unique attributes of our new yarn. Every knitter is sure to find something that they want on their needles. The shawl knitters out there have the choice of easy slipped stitch mosaic colorwork in an asymmetrical triangle shape or an unconventionally shaped garter stitch piece with intriguing color block construction (or both!). For the beginner there is a simple striped hat worked flat as well as a loosely fitting pair of fingerless mitts that highlight the yarn’s lovely stitch definition. And of course there is a big, comfy cowl to envelop you in the amazing softness that you are sure to want close to your skin. To knit up one of these beautiful pieces for yourself head over to Raverly where both the e-book and individual patterns are available for download on now!
bold colors
beautiful textures
www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/dos-tierras
“Barnstable” Shawl
“Wellfleet” Arm Warmers
B o o k le t S p o tli g h t | 19
MEET
Esther
We want you to meet one of the people who help make malabrigo the company it is today. In this issue we want to introduce you to Esther. She was one of malabrigo’s first employees, so chances are Esther has had her hands on one of your skeins! She has moved through many positions in the company and is currently working in quality control where her knowledge of every detail about each malabrigo color and combination is put to good use. She vivifies the atmosphere here at malabrigo with her positive and dynamic energy but her skills don’t stop there, as she is also a passionate knitter! Esther has made many of the fiber based decorations that have beautified the malabrigo work-space to vitalise our outfit even further. We invite you to read the interview and get to know Esther even better.
How long have you been working for malabrigo?
What are your duties and responsibilities now?
What is your favorite activity at work?
I started 14 years ago. I was one of malabrigo’s first employees.
Now I´m doing quality control of the skeins of yarn. This involves checking to make sure each skein is without knots, that all the colors expected for each colorway are present, and that each skein is the correct weight. Also I assemble bags, generally 10 skeins each, selecting the skeins that best match each other.
I love to do my current activity, quality control and sorting. I’ve gotten so accustomed to looking at the yarn that when I see a skein I can quickly identify if it’s ok, or if it has some “problem”. And I am confident that I have always selected the best.
What was your first assignment? When I started to work for malabrigo I was in charge of labeling and packaging. Each skein was labeled by hand one by one, and they still are today.
(continue)
20 | B e h i n d t h e S ce n e s
B e hi nd t he S ce ne s | 21
Do you knit? Yes! I like both, knit and crochet. I´m always knitting something for my son and daughter and also for my coworkers. In Uruguay winter is coming, so I think I will start to knit a lot. We know that you do handicrafts with wool, tell us about them! I have made many handcrafted things to beautify our work space. I made cushions in Nube, flowers in a mix of yarns, and feather dusters in Chunky. Every year I make the Christmas tree with ornaments in Nube, we even put a star on it. But if you ask me which project I liked the most I would have to say the Uruguayan flag that is in the entry of the mill next to the malabrigo logo (which is also made of wool). Generally I like to use Nube and Worsted when making handicrafts. What is a “gallina”? We use the word “gallina”, chicken in English, to refer to the 10 skein preview packs used to make the individual final skein. At first it was a joke with my work partner Silvana. I had this package of 10 skeins in my hand and I said her: “Look Silvana, it looks like like a chicken”. From then on that is what these packs have been called!
What is your favourite malabrigo yarn, and in what colour?
Could you tell us a funny anecdote?
For knitting I love Chunky and for crocheting I prefer Silky Merino. For colors I like Lettuce and an Aquarella color called Tender.
In the past we used to play “veo-veo” (I see, I see?) while we worked, and one day a partner named Tati, said “I see one thing that start with E and finish with O, and we spent a lot of time thinking about it. After a long time she said us, I´m seeing “EL Angelito”(The little angel), but the thing was that “El Angelito” is not one word! :) Whenever we remember this, we laugh a lot!
How is a typical work day for you? Nowadays I only come into work at the mill one day a week because I am nearing retirement. I always say that these are the best 8 hours of my day. I start my activities in the mill at 6 am working on quality control and sorting the yarn that was recently dyed. Sometimes I organise the yarns that are out of line, or prepare some special yarn request.
~ B e h i n d th e S ce n e s | 23
Koriburi S H AW L
designed by the Gabriella Calderini D E SCR IPT IO N This shawl is divided into three sections. You start by forming a triangle utilizing shortrows in 2x2 ribbing. In the second section you change to an eyelet cable ribbing, and then finish off with an applied lace edging. P A T TER N INFORM ATI ON SI Z ES
Y AR N AMOUNT S
One Size
Main Color (MC): 2 skeins of Dos Tierras, Paris Night
F I N I SH ED MEA SUR E M E N T S
Length: 51″ / 130cm Width: 17.7″ / 45cm
Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein of Dos Tierras, Polar Morn G AUG E
N EED L ES
18 sts and 28 rows = 4″ / 10cm in 2 X 2 Ribbing
4.0mm / US 6 straight needles
Take time to check your gauge!
A B B R EVIATIO NS ()
repeat all instructions within parentheses as directed.
k
knit
k2tog
knit two sts together (1 st decrease)
M1
make one st
p
purl
p2tog
purl 2 together
psso
pass slipped st over
RS
right side
sl1
slip 1 st
24 | Fea t u re d Pa t te r n
s1wyf
slip one with yarn in front
skp
slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped st over
sk2p
slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slip st over the knit 2 together
yo (yarn over)
bring the knitting yarn over the right needle, between two existing sts on one row, then work that strand as a stitch when you work your way back to it in the next row
W&T
wrap and turn
WS
wrong side
D I RECTIO N S SE CT IO N O N E
S E CT ION 3, L ACE E DG ING :
With MC cast on 162 sts using long tail cast on Row 2 (WS): p2, (k2, p2) to the end of the row
Note: Each decrease at the end of a RS row in this section is worked using one st of the new cast on, and one of the sts from the shawl, in this way adding the less edging to the body of the shawl.
Begin short rows, using W&T
Cast on 8 sts onto the left needle
Row 3 (RS): k2, (p2, k2) to 3 sts before the end, W&T
Row 1 (RS): k7, skp
Row 4 (WS): k1, (p2, k2) to 3 sts before the end, W&T
Row 2 (WS): s1wyf, k7
Row 5 (RS): (p1, k2, p1) to 4 sts before last wrapped st, W&T
Row 3 (RS): k7, skp
Row 6 (WS): (k1, p2, k1) to 4 sts before last wrapped st, W&T
Row 4 (WS): s1wyf, k1, in next st work [k1, yo, k1, yo, k1], yo, p2tog, k1, yo three times, k2
Row 1 (RS): k2, (p2, k2) to the end of the row
Repeat rows 5 and 6 18 more times Next row (RS): p1, k2, (p2, k2) to the end of the row, working wraps together with the wrapped sts. Without turning your work, pick up 3 sts from the side of the work - 165 sts Next row (WS): k1, (k2, p2) to the end of the row, working wraps together with the wrapped sts. Without turning your work, pick up 3 sts from the side of the work - 168 sts
Row 5 (RS): k3, p1, k2, yo, p2tog, k6, skp Row 6 (WS): s1wyf, k6, yo, p2tog, k6 Row 7 (RS): k6, yo, p2tog, k6, skp Row 8 (WS): s1wyf, k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k6 Row 9 (RS): bind off 3 sts, k2, yo, p2tog, sk2p, k1, skp Repeat rows 4 to 9 to last 2 sts of the row of the body of the shawl
SE CT IO N 2
Row 10 (WS): repeat row 2
Row 1 (RS): k3, m1, (k1, yo, k1, p2) to last 5 sts, k1, yo, k1, m1, k3
Row 11 (RS): repeat row 1
Row 2 (WS): k3, m1, k1, (p3, k2) to last 7 sts, p3, k1, m1, k3 Row 3 (RS): k3, m1, p2, (sl1, k2, psso, p2) to last 8 sts, sk2p, p2, m1, k3
Row 12 (WS): repeat row 2 Bind off using a stretchy bind off
Row 4 (WS): k3, m1, p1, (k2, p2) to last 6 sts, k2, p1, m1, k3 Repeat rows 1-4 another 9 times - 248 sts. * Change to CC Next row (RS): k4, yo, (k4, yo) to last 6 sts, yo, k4 New row (WS): k
26 | Fea t u re d Pa t te r n
Fe ature d Patte r n | 27
Upcoming EVENTS
Did you know that we have trunk shows packed with gorgeous garments from our books available to your shop? We currently have four shows touring the country: there are three large shows that feature pieces from our most recent books, including books 10 & 11 alongside select classics from earlier books. There is also a mini-trunk show, a smaller version of the larger shows, to give your customers a tantalizing taste of malabrigo! We’d love to make your LYS our next stop. If you’re interested in scheduling a show, please email us at admin@malabrigoyarn.com.
Trunk Shows TRUNK SHOW 1
TRUNK SHOW 2
TRUNK SHOW 3
MINI TRUNK SHOW
July 15, 2017 Alpaca Direct
August 15, 2017 Knotty Lady Yarns
July 15, 2017 Northwind Book & Fiber
The Sated Sheep LYS
August 15, 2017 Michigan Fine Yarns
September 15, 2017 Woolly and Co, MI
Aug 15 & Sept 15, 2017 Amazing Threads MN
September 15, 2017 Yarn Charm
October 15, 2017 Great Yarns, WA
September 15, 2017 Ben Franklin Crafts WI
Trade Shows S T I TC H E S M I D W E S T
August 4 - 6, 2017 Booth 713 V K L S E AT T L E
November 3–5, 2017
28 | U p c o m i n g Eve n ts
Bring the malabrigo trunk shows to your shop! U p co m i n g Eve n ts | 29
Connec t Wit h Us facebook.com/malabrigoyarn
instagram.com/malabrigoyarn
pinterest.com/malabrigo
ravelry.com/yarns/brands/malabrigo-yarn
twitter.com/malabrigobuzz
admin@malabrigoyarn.com
30 | Co n n e c t w ith Us
“Morton� Slip Stitch Cowl, from malabrigo Book 11: Aniversario
“Perry” Textured Hat, from malabrigo Book 11: Aniversario
www.malabrigoyarn.com