Category Archives: MALABRIGO

FREEBIE Denizen

denizen-1

Denizen

This little number caught my attention immediately – how could you not fall for a FREE pattern for a super pretty little fall poncho? Plus, it’s knit up in buttery Malabrigo Merino Worsted. The yarn is a single ply and very flexible in terms of tension, and the designer has taken advantage of this and used a larger than normal needle – so it should knit up faster than expected – YAY!

Materials

 

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denizen-combo

Sockhead Hat (in Progress)

malabrigo-mechita-sockhead-hat-3

I don’t normally show off things “in progress”, but our Sockhead Slouch Hat is knitting up sooooo beautifully that I thought you might enjoy a little back to school show-n-tell. The yarn is Malabrigo Mechita (colour 890 Mandragora). I knew it would knit up pretty, but it’s turning out absolutely RADIANT (my underachieving photography skills don’t do it justice).

malabrigo-mechita-sockhead-hat-1

Sockhead Slouch Hat

If you want to make your own Sockhead Slouch Hat you’ll need ….

 

Other Yarns Options

Any fingering weight yarn will do ….

 

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malabrigo-mechita-sockhead-hat-2

malabrigo-mechita-sockhead-hat-combo

 

KNIT HACK & Thermis

Thermis Rios 3

Thermis COMBO

Thermis

Thermis is an awesome little neckwarmer that’ll keep you warm in the cruddiest cold weather. I really enjoyed making it and I thing it’ll make great holiday gifts this year! The pattern is written for two sizes (S/M & M/L), I made the larger, and it used less than 100g of worsted weight yarn (I put some Malabrigo Rios to good use, colour 43 Plomo). If you want a fitted little neckwarmer make the smaller size. The pattern was easy, I just had to keep track of my rows.

Yarn Options

Malabrigo Rios: 1 skein

Malabrigo Merino Worsted: 1 skein

Berroco Vintage: 1 skein

Berroco Maya: 2 skeins SALE

Cascade 220 Heathers & Cascade 220 Solids: 1 skein

Cascade 220 Clearance Colours: 1 skein SALE

Cascade 220 Superwash Heathers & Cascade 220 Superwash Solids: 1 skein

Cascade Avalon: 1 skein

Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted: 1 skein SALE

Noro Silk Garden Solo: 2 skeins SALE

Noro Tokonatsu: 2 skeins SALE

Queensland Kathmandu Aran: 1 skein SALE

Other Materials

 

Thermis BO COMBO

Knit Hack

The pattern calls for a sewn bind-off to keep the upper edge stretchy and elastic. I’m good at managing my tension when casting off, but I’d never tried a sewn bind-off so I figured I’d give it a whirl. I’m not in love. It wasn’t difficult, but it took a long time and the edge buckled (possibly because it was on a K1P1 rib).

I took the sewn bind-off out and cast-off normally in the K1P1 rib. If you have a hard time keeping your cast-off on the loose side you can try casting off with  larger needle. This project was knit on a 4mm/US6 needles, so consider trying a 5mm/US8 or 5.5mm/US9 needle for the cast-off.

 

Thermis COMBO BLOG

GAMBIT & Knit Hack

Gambit Rasta  1

Gambit

Gambit is a great little capelet designed to be worn OVER outerwear – clever and stylin’! It’s knit in super bulky yarn, so it’s a satisfying, quick little knit. We used Malabrigo Rasta, we couldn’t *not* indulge in it’s ridiculous softness and depth of colour. If Rasta is a bit too precious for your needs you can also use Cascade Lana Grande or Brown Sheep Burly Spun (see below).

Gambit Rasta COMBO

Notes on the Pattern

This pattern involves a few techniques that newbies might be unfamiliar with (short rows, provisional cast on, grafting/kitchener stitch) and is not for the absolute beginner – an advanced beginner should be fine with it.

The shaping is created with short rows, so you’ll have to be diligent and keep track of your rows. I found that I didn’t like the type of short row technique used in the pattern, it left gaps (I don’t know if this is because I used a different yarn than the original design). I changed to regular, old fashioned Wrap & Turn (W&T) short rows. Luckily, in garter stitch you don’t need to unwrap short rows, which makes things much easier. I worked to one stitch less than the number specified for the short row in the pattern, wrapped the next stitch, and turned.

KNIT HACK: To help keep track and stay oriented I put a locking stitch marker in the stitch every time I did a short row.

The garment is knit flat and joined together using kitchener stitch – anther happy discovery was that grafting in garter stitch is a bit simpler than in stocking stitch. You are going to start the project with a provisional cast on (a cast on using scrap yarn), I like using the crochet or ‘chained’ cast on method, the scrap yarn comes out extremely easily.  I wove in the ends using duplicate stitch and you can’t see them at all!

One more thing,  full disclosure – I accidentally used the wrong size needles (9mm/US13). Yup, even knitting store owners grab the wrong size on occasion. The capelet came out fine after blocking (our mannequin is on the small size and doesn’t move around much), but you should use 10mm/US15 needles to get the appropriate tension.

Yarn Options

Malabrigo Rasta: 3(4) skeins

Cascade Lana Grande: 4 skeins

Brown Sheep Burly Spun: 3 skeins

Other Materials

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Gambit Rasta COMBO TRIO

FREEBIES & RESTOCKED Malabrigo Rasta!

Malabrigo Rasta DISPLAY BLOG

Malabrigo Rasta is a super thick, super soft single ply yarn made from 100% Merino Wool. One luxurious skein is enough for a hat, mitts, or a close neck-warmer/cowl. It’s especially great for making gifts, as it knits up fast and looks and feels GLORIOUS!

  • 100% Merino Wool
  • 150g/82m (90 yds)
  • Super Bulky Weight
  • 10mm to 15mm (Us15 to 19) needles
  • 8 to 10 sts = 4″ (10cm)
  • Single Ply, Slightly felted
  • Hand wash, lay flat to dry
  • Pattern Ideas

 

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Malabrigo Rasta Rainbow Twist COMBO

Photos: Thao Nguyen

Rainbow Twist

  • FREE Pattern
  • Malabrigo Rasta: 1 skein
  • 12mm/US17 needles (circular or straight)
  • 12mm crochet hook (for provisional cast on)
  • scrap yarn (for provisional cast on)
  • darning or tapestry needle

 

Malabrigo Rasta Mobius Cowl COMBO

Mobius Cowl

 

Aujourd’hui

  • FREE pattern
  • Malabrigo Rasta: 1 skein
  • 10mm/US15 needles (circular or straight)
  • 10mm/US15 crochet hook (for provisional cast on)
  • scrap yarn (for provisional cast on)
  • darning or tapestry needle

 

Marian

  • FREE Pattern
  • Malabrigo Rasta: 2 skeins
  • 12mm/US17 circular needles (24″ for small cowl, 29″ for a double wrap cowl)
  • darning or tapestry needle
  • for a short version cast on 45 sts, for a longer one cast on 89 sts

FREEBIE & Finished Baby Sophisticate

Malabrigo Rios Baby Sophisticate 1

Baby Sophisticate

We’ve been updating our store samples of baby sweaters, so the Baby Sophisticate was a natural addition to our collection. It’s a basic top-down knit that look great knit up in any worsted/aran weight yarn. We thought it would show off the Malabrigo Rios (we used colour 122 Niebla for this one). Overall, super happy with the outcome – our pattern notes are on Ravelry!

 

Materials

 

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Malabrigo Rios Baby Sophisticate 2

Moss on the Old Oak

Moss on the Old Oak

This wrap just caught my attention on Ravelry and I felt like I had to share. It’s so cozy and pretty, wouldn’t it be the perfect addition to a fall wardrobe? I’m visualizing myself throwing it on over jeans and a sweater and sauntering out the door (this is my fantasy life, it involves a lot of knitwear and walking to nowhere to do nothing).

It is made with one of my favourites, Malabrigo Rios. Rios is soft, smooth, and squishy – in other words a delight wort work with and to wear. It’s made with machine washable Uruguayan merino wool, which is then hand dyed. Yummy! If you’re on a budget and want something a bit more modestly priced try using Cascade 220 Heathers (ON SALE NOW), Cascade 220 Superwash Heathers, or Berroco Vintage – they all have the same yardage and will give you great results.

The pattern is discounted ($3US/$4CAD) until the end of Friday July 22, so be sure to pick it up now if you are interested because the brice will be going up!

Size

78.5 inches from wingtip to wingtip and 42 inches from neck to center point.

Yarn Options

Malabrigo Rios:  6 skeins

Cascade 220 Heathers: 6 skeins ON SALE

Cascade 220 Superwash Heathers: 6 skeins

Berroco Vintage: 6 skeins

 

Other Materials

  • 5mm/US8-36″ circular needles (or longer)
  • 5mm/US8 double pointed needles (for provisional cast on)
  • 2 removable stitch markers
  • darning needle to weave in ends
  • Pattern on Ravelry

 

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Moss on the Old Oak COMBO 1

Photos: Sweet Birch Designs

FREEBIE & FINISHED Ribbed Baby Jacket

Debbie Bliss Baby Jacket Green Malabrigo Rios

Debbie Bliss Baby Jacket Green COMBO 1

Ribbed Baby Jacket

Debbie Bliss’s Ribbed Baby Jacket has been one of our favourites for years, so we decided to knit it up again and show you how gorgeous it looks made with Malabrigo Rios. It’s knit in one piece (up the back, across the arms, back down the fronts) and then the ribbed collar is picked-up. The seaming is limited to the underside of the arms and sides (easy seams, not highly visible, good for beginners or those who just aren’t great at finishing).

If you want to use a Cotton try Cascade Avalon (On SALE NOW), or if you want a yarn that more economical try Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted or Berroco Vintage.

Size

0 to 3 (3 to 6,  6 to 9,  9 to 12, 12 to 24) months.

Materials

 

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Debbie Bliss Baby Jacket Green COMBO 2

FINISHED Garter Baby Jacket

 

Bliss Garter Front

Garter Baby Jacket

We just finished up a cute new project, a Garter Baby Jacket (cardigan). I felt we needed to do a sample of a baby sweater suitable for new knitters. Something that didn’t involve  buying a lot of materials (some ‘easy’ patterns involve buying 6 pairs of needles, stitch markers, stitch holders, etc). Any sweater project will involve learning some new skills, but I also wanted something that didn’t involve too-too many hurdles, and where those skills weren’t too hard to pick-up and could be executed looking relatively good (we all know that sometimes when you learn something new it doesn’t look perfect).

So, the details …. the jacket is knit flat in one piece, from the bottom back, up through the arms, and then down across the fronts. It is seamed along the sides and under the arms, which hides a multitude of sins, as does the garter stitch which is much easier to seam than stocking stitch. It uses only one pair of needles, and you can use straight or circular needles, whichever you prefer. To keep things simple we did not make the pockets and just skipped over that part in the instructions.

We made the smallest size and used two skeins of Malabrigo Rios. The pattern is from The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss (you can’t go wrong with Debbie for gorgeous knits for kids). The book has been out for a while and can be found at public libraries (like my own Toronto Public Library, or you can scoop up a reasonably priced used copy from ABEbooks.com.  Debbie Bliss also published a similar FREE pattern, the Ribbon Tied Baby Jacket.

Materials

Similar FREE Patters

Notes

Sizes

  • 3-6(6-9, 9-12) months
  • Length to Shoulder: 10.25(11, 11.75) inches
  • Sleeve Length: 6.25(7, 8) inches

Modifications

  • To keep things simpler we skipped making the pockets
  • We made the smallest size and used up almost all of our yarn
  • Our gauge (unblocked) was a bit larger than the pattern: 17 sts & 34 rows = 4″

Skills

Bliss Garter Jacket COMBO Square

 

Bliss Garter Jacket COMBO

FREEBIE Garter Ear Flap Hat

Garter Ear Flap Hat

People get busy around this time of year, so I thought I’d send out some knit-spiration in smaller portions.  It’s also baby season, so what could be better than a knitterly little hat as a gift?  You can use any worsted yarn, but we saw the pattern knit up by MySweetSaina with Malabrigo Rios and thought it looked sublime (she used the colours 43 Plomo and 57 English Rose)! If you want to use a yarn that’s a little less dear try Berroco Vintage or for a cotton Cascade Avalon, all three yarns are machine washable.

Size

  • Baby (Toddler, Kid, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)
  • Finished Circumference: 14 (16, 17 3/4, 19 3/4, 21 3/4, 23 1/2)”
  • Finished Height: 7 1/4 (8, 9, 10, 11 1/2, 12 3/4)” from bottom of ear flap to top of hat, not including tassel

Materials

  • Malabrigo Rios: 1 skein
  • 5mm/US8 – 16″ circular needles (12″ for Baby size)
  • 4.5mm/US7 – 16″ circular needles (12″ for Baby size)
  • 4.5mm/US7 double pointed needles
  • 5 removable stitch markers (1 stitch markers of a different colour to indicate end-of-round)
  • FREE Pattern

Other Yarn Options

 

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