Laura's Loop: Bobble Sheep Pillow

I guess it isn't surprising that a knitter has an affinity for sheep. Obviously, some sort of kinship must exist with the animal whose wool provides daily enjoyment (and employment!). So as predictable as it may be, I will say it anyway... I love sheep. They are a funny creature with a neurotic voice and a body perfect for graphic adaptation. 

I love their bulbous bellies and knobbly knees, their googly eyes and pointy ears. I love how they amble about in groups, looking like earth-bound clouds. And it goes without saying, but I love what they gift us... don't worry, I'm not about to type "mutton." I mean, of course, their wool!

A dear friend pointed out that it may be a bit snake-eating-its-own-tail, but anyway, I had to make one... I had to make a sheep, made out of sheep. 

With the softest, loftiest, creamiest yarn I could find and the most dramatic, nobbiest  texture I could create, I knit up this squishable, squeezable, nursery-rhyme version of every knitter's best pal. Bursting with bobbles, this sheep practically implores you to cuddle. 

Incredibly soft to the touch, Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino could not have been more appropriate for this project, right down to its color name, Heirloom White. Your own Bobble Sheep Pillow is sure to be loved by many generations to come!

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Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap

For this Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap we dipped our brush into eleven buckets of the most beautifully pigmented paints we could imagine. With wide brushstrokes we created great swathes of color, fields of undulating tones and extraordinary luminosity.

To swing this wrap around your shoulders is to envelop yourself in the pure beauty of knitting. It is our ode to the greatest natural fibers in the world, our homage to the joy of hand dyed color and to the fascination of a textural adventure.

Our wrap's journey starts with outrageous hot pink, travels through meadows of gentle roses to a soft creamy horizon, into the beguiling world of jade greens, through crystal clear Aegean blues, and finishes in the deep mystery of twilight. Along the way, you meet Jade Sapphire's extraordinary 8 Ply Cashmere, Anzula's For Better or Worsted,  and Blue Sky's cuddly soft Suri Merino.

Want to take the same trip? We've assembled all eleven of these skeins together in one easy place. Click right here to check it out!

And to experience heirloom knitting at its most inspiring, get started right here!

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Whit's Knits: Cuffed Hand Warmers

These Cuffed Hand Warmers tickle my fancy with their trompe l'oeil cuffs. As if the sleeves of a beautiful, cozy sweater were hanging down past your wrists, the effect is a refined kind of slouchy.

I love also the textural play of two yarns who, once strangers to each other, come together here in a beautiful friendship! A similar icy blue color may have been their conversation starter, but as the two yarns got chatting, they realized that what makes each different is also what makes each so special.

For the outer cuff I used Purl Soho's own gorgeous Super Soft Merino. As soft as a bunny rabbit's tail and as cozy as a featherbed, Super Soft Merino is bewitchingly lovable. And in the color Desert Sky it takes on a level of elegance that perfectly segues into Alchemy's Kozmos.

Kozmos is a complex brew of silk, mohair, wool and cotton. Lovingly hand dyed by the color mavericks of Alchemy, each skein tells a multi-layered story. And when a touch of enigmatic Kozmos pokes out from under the friendly comfort of Super Soft Merino things definitely get interesting!

If you'd like to play matchmaker with these two beauties, get started right here! -Whitney

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Molly's Sketchbook: Soft Woolen Bunny

There is something almost miraculous about sewing a stuffed animal. You start with a bunch of odd shapes that don’t seem to have much to do with one another. Then as you sew them together, they gradually begin to take form, and suddenly, as you turn it right side out and begin stuffing, it comes to life! Those mismatched pieces are somehow transformed into a cuddly friend!

In my opinion, there is no stuffed animal more inviting than a bunny. And with Easter fast approaching, now is the perfect time to create one. This little guy is made from cozy 100% felted wool, making him oh, so huggable. Plus, he would look right at home in an Easter basket!

This Soft Woolen Bunny is a totally approachable project, even for your first stuffed animal. The wool is lovely to sew and its forgiving nature hides all those little mistakes. I hope you enjoy watching your bunny come to life as much as I did! 

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Laura's Loop: Roll and Dash Hankies

Don't you just love when a new technique is born from a happy accident?!? That’s the story of these hankies. It was business as usual. I needed to whip up a quick gift and so, sat down to make what must have been my hundredth set of Rolled Hem Handkerchiefs.  

I rolled and rolled the edge until Kokka's beautiful fine cotton fabric held the shape on its own. Always amazed at fabric’s sculptural potential, I took a moment to admire this tiny tube along my hankie’s border. It seemed a cause for celebration, and suddenly, I found myself working unlike I had on the previous ninety nine sets.

I ditched the matching cotton thread I would normally have used and chose instead the brightest, most surprising yarn I could find, Alchemy's Silken Straw. I threaded an embroidery needle, and rather than making an invisible stitch in the crease of the roll, I went bold. I carried the silk around the rolled hem, marking the gentle curve with graphic little lines of hot pink.

Form follows function, or something like that... does that apply here? I am not sure it does, but I am sure about how satisfying it was to turn my stitches into functional ornamentation, a series of dashes outlining each hankie. 

So, I rolled and dashed, rolled and dashed, and before I knew it, I had five unique handkerchiefs. Some with many dashes, some with few, some equally spaced, some hiccupping their way around the edges. It’s so fun to just follow your fancy! -Laura

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