Queue Check

Hello friends!

It's Claire here, and I'm back with a very woolly post! Knitting season is in full swing, and though we're year-round knitters here at Making Stories, there's something about Winter knitting that just feels special. Snuggling down under a cosy blanket with a new WIP and a hot mug of something steamy, that is our happy place.

Lately, Hanna Lisa and I have been knitting all the things, and we were so happy to find that our newest team member, Elsa, has been exactly the same! I thought it was the perfect time to do a little Making Stories Queue check so we can share our current projects with you all.

So without further ado, let's take a look!

On Hanna Lisa's Needles

Bindweed

Since we release Issue 5, Hanna Lisa has been dreaming of having her own Bindweed to wear this winter, and she's got it off the needles just in time!

Bindweed was one of our most popular patterns in Issue 5, and it's not hard to see why. With its cloud-like fabric and show-stopping sleeves, it manages to be a statement piece while remaining super wearable. Knit top-down and seamlessly, it's also a super intuitive knit making it a really enjoyable knitting process.

Bindweed is knit using Knitting For Olive Merino and Silk/Mohair held double. The original sample combined colour Powder (a very pale pink/beige) for the Merino and Plum Rose (a dusky pink) for the Silk/Mohair. For Hanna Lisa's version, she chose to invert the colours so the Merino was the dominant colour. She went for Plum Rose in the Merino and Rose Clay for the Silk/Mohair.

Orage

Being an avid sock knitter, Hanna Lisa couldn't resist casting on a pair from our latest issue, Issue 6. The Orage socks are knit cuff down, with a heel flap and French heel. The pattern features a cable motif that works as the ribbing and represents lightning.

This pattern was a bit of a deviation from Hanna Lisa's usual sock knitting, as she's a devote toe-up sock knitter, but that gorgeous cuff was tempting her too much! To her surprise, she loved knitting these cuff-down, and was super happy to find they fit her perfectly, one of her usual concerns with knitting cuff down.

Orage flew off her needles, and though much of the credit goes to the lovely pattern, I think the yarn choice helped too! Hanna Lisa used the original yarn, Mominoki Finnwool, a fantastic allrounder, sourced and produced entirely in Finland from Finnsheep. The original colourway we used is Curry, but Hanna Lisa used Sage for hers, a beautifully soft blue/green shade.

On Elsa's Needles

Cuddle Blanket

It's been so lovely having Elsa join the team, and as soon as we spotted this FO, we knew she was going to fit right in. Elsa recently knitted the Cuddle blanket from our Kid's Collection for her cats! This is definitely something I'm on board with, our furry family members are knit-worthy too!

Aside from the adorable recipient, I'm also loving the yarn choice. The original sample was knit using O-Wool's O-Wash worsted, which is perfect for children's knits as it uses a GOTS certified organic compound to create washability. It is really lovely, however, to also see this pattern knit using a more 'rustic' yarn. Elsa chose Istex Lettlopi in colourways 9420 Blue, 1701 Fjord Blue, 1700 Air Blue, and I think it works beautifully!

Macara

Another project from Elsa is the Macara Beret from Issue 5. It’s a classical worsted-weight beret and worked up in a gorgeous jewel tone like here it reminds us of the wonderful shapes and forms of nature in its prime.

I've also knit this pattern before, and it's so much fun! It just flies off the needles and would be a particularly good project if you were looking for some gift knitting inspiration.

The original yarn for Macara is John Arbon Textiles, Harvest Hues Worsted, a blend of local Devon farmed Zwartbles with organically farmed Falklands Merino. I love the stitch definition of Harvest Hues, but it's equally lovely seeing Macara knit in something with a little more halo. Elsa used Isager Highland Wool in Wine and the matching Silk Mohair and I'm obsessed! What a lovely colour for combatting those grey winter days.

On Claire's needles

Vitrail

In contrast to Hanna Lisa, I'm not an avid sock knitter. I'm usually drawn to sweater knitting, or if I'm in the mood for something a little smaller, I love casting on a hat. So when I found myself suddenly stash diving for the Vitrail socks from Issue 6, I was a little surprised, but I just couldn't help myself. That texture was calling to me!

These cosy slippers were inspired by the small windows of light peeking through the sky as the fall season unravels. They are comfortable house socks with a cabin in the woods feel, keeping feet warm for walks amongst tall trees. In other words, right up my alley.

The original yarn for Vitrail is woollentwine's Corriedale sock, a high-twist lustrous sock yarn spun from 100% Corriedale wool. I would have loved to use this yarn, but being in Nova Scotia I don't have easy access to it, and as I said, they were calling to me! So, after a little stash diving, I settled on Retrosaria Modim in the brightest yellow you've ever seen. So far I've only completed one, but I'm a notoriously slow sock knitter, so to reach this point is quite an achievement for me.

Do that's what is on our needles right now! We'd love to know, what are you working on at the moment? Let us know in the comments below!