a fresh take

Posted on annePosted in book reviews/events

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while at TNNA back in june, my friend kirsten kapur slipped me a slim little book that she had just published—her new shawl book one. we asked her to tell you a little something about her new collection

Kirsten Kapur Shawl Book One is a collection of my most popular designs, as well as a few of my personal favorites. The shawls are all beautifully photographed by Gale Zucker, on location in costal Connecticut. I am very excited to see the patterns knit up in Bare Naked Wools wonderful palette of neutrals. I wish I had the time to knit one or two for myself using these delightful yarns.

 (photos are included here with the permission of the author).

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i love kirsten’s take on designing modern lace pieces—there’s a lot of old-fashioned lacy parts to get lost in, but she adds a fresh twist by combining them with stripey body work and bold color pairings (great for stash busting and trying out new yarns or yarn pairings).

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she is absolutely queen of a big, bossy border—i bow to her choices in over-the-top victorian trimmings for otherwise simple shawl bodies.

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i also admire her daring choices when she decides to go with a solid color.

but these designs do not depend on colorful yarn choices to carry the day. they are equally intriguing in subtle tones and single shades—dare i say that no-color colors even unlock some beautiful traits in them that are otherwise hidden?

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our friend hattie recently knit this thalia sample in our new hempshaugh lace yarn, color millet. it’s absolutely delicious to wear with a summer or fall outfit, just what you want when the A/C is too much—nothing sticky or prickly about it, but much appreciated by chilly shoulders.

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in the sun, the yarn amplifies the light as it passes through the lace work to a different extent than it would if it was dyed; the whole piece becomes infused with a pretty glow and shows off the subtle aspects of its lacework in more depth.

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in fact, we thought that the publication of kirsten’s collection would be a great way to promote the use of our two newest yarn lines, hempshaugh and ginny, now that we have them in all shades.

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i can totally picture this laight street wrap knit in ginny DK and it would be a simple task to turn it into a lap throw as well—how super cuddly would that be??

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with fall just around the corner now, we’re going to need some lightweight scarves and wraps. or maybe you are already trying to knock out some holiday knitting, but it still feels a little warm to be knitting with stickier fibers. the hemp and cotton blends are the perfect solution

consider a soft, cottony version of moulin rouge (above, in bright pink); just big enough to offer great coverage as a scarf or shawlette, but small enough not to be hot or wintery looking. knit in one of these subtle shades of ginny sport (left to right: texas, mississippi, and georgia) it will transition you nicely from hot summer temperatures into fall—there is an ample period of time to wear such a wonderfully versatile piece. and the yardage in these skeins is just right for this project.

 or consider the beautiful cover design, cladonia—it’s gorgeous!

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if the stripes are exactly what you’re after, but you prefer to knit a shawl that will work with a variety of outfits, try a combination of two or three hempshaugh shades (left to right) kasha, buckwheat, and/or millet.

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with two or three skeins, you can knit several shawls from the book in fact; using the leftovers from cladonia to make this ulmus shawl, for instance. either of these would be a great choice for a swap project (such as our rhinebeck swap), since these yarns are unlikely to conflict with a fiber sensitivity.

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with that in mind, we came up with the idea to offer a book/yarn kit that includes your choice of ginny DK or sport and hempshaugh fingering or lace yarns; the printed book is included at a discount of $3 to knit as many shawls as you like. you can purchase the kit with one or two skeins of a single shade and then expand the possibilities by adding skeins in different shades—or even different fiber types—to your order (check out this nefertem shawl in better breakfast fingering, for example).

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and to celebrate labor day, we are giving away one single size kit in ginny sport (any shade) to one lucky recipient. leave a comment at the end of this post by 9 pm EDT tonight; david will pick a winner and we’ll  announce it right away.

ETA: and the winner is . . . cynthia!

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happy end of summer and HAPPY fall!

110 thoughts on “a fresh take”

  6. Being a colour coward, I can appreciate seeing patterns in colours I would never choose, but really appreciate the fact that your natural colours can be used instead.

    Mille grazie for putting your colours together for a colour scaredy cat!

  7. Love Kristen’s designs, I just finished her summer Mystery shawl. I would love to try one of her designs with your Ginny yarn.

  8. I love Through the Loops designs and knitting one in a natural would be great opportunity to try your yarns.
    Thanks, Happy Knitting.

  9. What a great pairing! I can just picture that Ulmus in those lovely, squooshy, naturals. (Though I think I might have to make two-so I can have a brightly colored version for those days I need more color!)

  10. I would love to knit that Laight Street wrap in Georgia…perfect for the chilly fall nights that are coming!

  14. All the designs are begging to be knit. Remind me of a cross between what my grandmother combined with The Happy Hooker (Debbie Stoller) would design. Old lace with a modern twist. Beautiful!!

  16. Of course, I can’t resist commenting! There are so many beautiful designs and the neutral colors are especially appealing!

  18. Oh, what a wonderful prize! I love her designs and would love an opportunity to pair your wonderful yarn with them!
    I have never won anything, so I am keeping my fingers crossed!!!

  20. oh what a great book! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I can’t wait to pair up some of the designs with your yarns!

  24. All of the shawls would be gorgeous in the naturals. But I fell in love with the Laight Street wrap.

  30. this looks like a great way to try out your yarns. I have been following and drooling for a long time, and I love shawls. Not too big, but still a substantial project. 🙂

  31. How lovely! I am in the middle of her typha right now! I’d love to be a lucky winner. Happy Labour Day to you, too.

  32. Kirsten’s designs are definitely book-worthy. Those photos and the Connecticut landscape makes me lonesome for the East coast of the US. I’ve admired Through The Loops and Knitspot for many years. Lavalette and Bee Fields are two of my favorite shawls. Thank you for reminding me that I need to cast on a shawl project asap . . .

  40. These are just perfect shawl patterns and I would love to get started on them. Thanks for this great offer.

  43. I am a fan of Kirsten and bare naked wools! What a great pairing! Thanks for the opportunity to win, win, win!

  44. ooh! I’d love to win this! I’ve never tried any of the Knitspot yarns…this would be a most excellent way to dip my toes in! (and because you can never have too much yummy yarn, right?)

  46. Looks like a lovely book of shawls and what a treat it would be to get a chance to try your Ginny yarn!

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