Live Stitch @ Little Knits

The voting is closed as of June 13th, 5 PM PST.  We had a total of 1867 votes.  Thank you all very much for taking the time and voting.    Here is our top five Trenna designs:

1. Ozark Autumn
2. New York City
3. LovinComfort Shawl
4. Honeycomb Shawl
5. Beachcomber Stole

To the designers, many thanks for being a part of this event.  Your designs are lovely, unique and much appreciated.

 

Please pick one from the below listed entries and vote.

One important note, you can only vote once (one vote for each unique IP address), so please scroll down to see all entries BEFORE you click on anything.

 

 

 

Ozark Autumn, in all its red, russet and gold glory, has been the most challenging project that I had to photograph.  

Over all I took 250+ frames of photos and gave up on models as the detail was impossible to get with any background noise including the most basic stone work we used as a backdrop.  Slightest movement made the details get lost in color so I had to go for stills, if one could call them that.

Ozark Autumn is long, its Trenna beautifully dyed in red and gold hues and the stole is beaded with matching crystalline red beads through out its entire length.

 

 

 

 

  

Here is what Kay had to say about her design:

Many of my inspirations come from my love of nature and color.  I am most aware and creative in the autumn.  I love everything about autumn, the colors, the chill in the air, the state fair, the smell of campfires and fall craft festivals.  I am drawn to the colors as well as the shapes of autumn leaves.

When I heard about the Trenna design contest, my first challenge was trying to decide on a colorway.  I wanted something that really spoke of the beauty of the colors in our Ozark Mountains, the vivid orange, red, and gold of an Ozark Autumn.  The Tropical Sunset color line of Trenna seemed perfect.

This contest gave me an excuse to try Schaefer Trenna.  I was especially thrilled with the way the yarn seems to take on more of the characteristics of silk than the wool.  The sheen of the silk in Trenna was meant for beads and while this was my first use of beads in knitting I decided to go for it.  Knitting with beads for the first time was a true challenge for me but at the end I was very happy to have persevered.  The beads gave my stole a greater elegance.  I felt pampered when I put it around my shoulders.  I do believe that I am now addicted to using beads in my lace knitting.  Finally, I picked a rectangular shape for my design because for me this is the perfect shape for an elegant yet practical stole/shawl.
 

Janine La Cras’ entry hails all the way from Vale, Guernsey.  I searched very hard to find a good link for Vale and failed but Janine to the rescue, here is a good Wiki narrative.

The Beachcomber Stole had an adventurous trip on its way from Vales to Seattle.  First it was lost and was later found at a California post office storage room.  When I got the call from the post master that they had found Janine’s package I was ecstatic but a week after the call I still did not have her entry.  Just when I had given up I received a message from a lovely lady in CA who told me that she had received a package that was addressed to me!  She told me that she had opened the package before realizing that it was not addressed to her and while she loved the stole she was forwarding it to me and told me that she was a knitter.  All I have is her first name and her phone number does not work.  So Ann, if you are out there, thank you!  May good knitting karma find you and be with you for the rest of your life!

The Beachcomber Stole has an aquatic theme that warms my heart as I am very much a water person and our shop sits 5-10 minutes away from the Alki Beach.  The stole was worked with an opalesque color line of Trenna, which works well with the beach theme and makes for a great summer stole.

Here is what Janine had to say about her design:

Beachcomber Stole was designed to remind me of all the wonderful walks across my favorite local beach.  This stole utilizes stitches that evoke the seaside such as the sand stitch, gull wing lace, and the wave lace border, and of course the shells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stole is worked in a traditional Shetland manner by knitting the border first and then picking up stitches across the top of the border.  The nupps used to give the shells texture could be replaced by seed beads to add a little sparkle and a new dimension to your own version of the Beachcomber Stole. 

To say that we were surprised when New York City showed up at our door in a FedEx box is an understatement.   Rosi’s was the only entry that came with a beautiful aroma of its own.  You see the designer, Rosi, also makes natural soaps that smell like heaven and was kind enough to enclose one with her entry - thank you Rosi!  The stole sits beside me in an envelope as I type this post and still smells of soapy heaven.

Rosi’s entry utilizes deep hematite colored seed beads that compliments the granite and silver tones of the Trenna used, which also makes the stole drape very well due to the weight of the beads.

Here is a Rosi’s narrative regarding of her design:

I am a true New Yorker at heart. I LOVE the city.  I love the noise, the pollution, the congestion, the subway. It’s totally me.

They say us New Yorkers can be snobbish or rude.  I don’t think we are that ALL the time.  I think we have our soft side too.

So here is an example of a New Yorker’s softer side: silky lace.  The pattern is inspired by the place where this stole was knit 90% of the time: the NYC subway system.  The bottom edging looks like the wheels, the main center panel looks like the subway map, and the side edging is Rose Lace to signify what you wish the train smelled like.

Grace’s entry, the LovinComfort Shawl, was the first entry we received and the wait was well worth it.  The LovinComfort Shawl stayed at the store for about a week and was admired by staff (including self), and customers alike.

Here is what Grace had to say about her design:

One day while visiting Live Stitch – Little Knits’ store blog – I noticed the Trenna contest announcement and KNEW the idea I had for a shawl percolating in my brain would be perfect for Trenna. I also knew that it would be whisper thin and drape very well even if I doubled the yarn, which I planned to do.

I chose the Clara Barton color line as the rich red of this color reminds me of Valentines and love. The name of the design is inspired by my experiences with knitting since whatever I knit I give away out of love and the desire to provide comfort. And this is why I named this piece the LovinComfort Shawl.

I chose an overall triangle shape because that is my dear husband’s favorite shape – 35 years and counting – and he is a master blocker who works exclusively for me (I have mobility issues that make it difficult for me to block pieces while getting down on the floor level).

I used an easy repeat for the body of the shawl and a lovely knitted on border. LovinComfort is an easy to knit shawl, full of grace and drape, and would look lovely in any color of Trenna.

Honeycomb Shawl is a Weaverknits pattern, designed by the lovely folks who also designed the Tempest featured on Knitty. 

This shawl/scarf is the longest design we received for the Trenna contest at 108” and it is surprisingly substantial for a lace weight wool/silk blend yarn.  At first I thought the designer had doubled up the yarn and used the whole hank but no, only 2 grams (roughly half of a hank of Trenna), was used for the whole thing!  We all like the retro-mod look of this piece and…does it look a little French to you too?

Here is what the designer had to say about Honeycomb:

Looking for an easy, even a first lace project?  The Honeycomb Shawl is knit in garter stitch, with all motifs formed by simple combinations of yarn-over and knit 2 together.

Inspired by traditional Orenburg shawls, I challenged myself to create a pattern that used some of their motifs but was simple and accessible to both knit and wear.  The clean, graphic impact of the shawl will accent any outfit, and the wool/silk combination of Trenna will allow for year-round wear.  The lace pattern is also simple enough to compliment more vibrant, variegated lace colorways.

I chose to add a complimentary colored border to one end of my shawl for an unexpected modern touch that reflects my love for asymmetrical knits and Grellow (grey and yellow, that is).

Hi All,

I have posted about our Schaefer Trenna design contest in several forums as well as on Ravelry and thought why not here.

I would like to invite you to participate in our Trenna pattern-design contest.  Here are all the facts:

All patterns must use Schaefer Trenna.   Please note that participants get 10% off and free shipping for their Trenna purchases (yes, the yarn would be purchased from us – simply let us know that you will be participating in the contest and we will take care of the rest).

The submittal deadline is May 14th; we must receive both your patterns and your knitted projects by mail at the end of the day.  We will then pick 10 designs and all projects will be photographed and listed for our customers and friends, who will vote for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner.  1st place winner will receive $400, second place $200, and the third place winner will receive $100. 

The winning samples and the patterns will become the property of Little Knits and the winning patterns can only be sold and/or distributed by us.  In addition, we will reimburse the winners the cost of their Trenna purchase.  All other projects will be returned to the designers.

If you are interested and/or have additional questions please email us at littleknits@comcast.net.

Look forward to hearing from you.