We are pleased to be a stop on the blog tour for Louise Zass-Bangham's new pattern collection, Palette, featuring the Painted shawlette and Fresco shawl.
Painted is a long, narrow triangle. It uses 400-440 yards of fingering weight yarn and is easily adaptable to use up the full amount you have on hand.
Fresco is a deeper triangle worked in DK or worsted weight yarn and requires 500-550 yards - which is perfect for one skein of Yowza!
I know variegated yarns, while irresistible in the skein, can be a challenge to work with. I am always delighted when a talented designer comes up with a new and interesting way to highlight these yarns. Louise has found a great stitch pattern that really lets the individual pops of color stand out.
I thought I would talk a bit about how I get inspiration for some of my colorways - specifically Berlin and Gal Noir, which Louise chose for her pattern samples. My inspiration for the Berlin colorway was a photo I received from Martina Behm who was designing for the Knitting Tour. It was a night photo of Berlin that was a dark night filled with lots of neon and garish lights from signs and headlights. It had an excitement that one feels when you are in big cities at night! I wanted the colorway to reflect that same feeling.
The way Gal Noir developed was a bit different. As many of you know, I have repeatable AND non-repeatable Babettes. But how does this happen? It's tied to the fact that I have two parts to my dyeing practice. The first is production dyeing, which generally includes monochromes, but also colorways that I dye in small batches which become the repeatable Babettes. The other part of my dyeing practice is what I think of as artistry - it is a time when I get to play with color in ways that I do not track what dyes I am using. This could be called my reward for the hours I spend standing at the dye table. Gal Noir was originally created in this playful way, but I was actually able to figure out what I had done, and so it moved into the repeatable Babette column.
And the name - Gal Noir? It is a play on the Guy Noir character from the radio show A Prairie Home Companion. She is a sultry lady of the night!
Back to the playing with color and dye. The benefit of this play is that I am able to develop many small batches of yarns that are one of a kind, even within the batch. And the results can even be a surprise for me. Sometimes I do not see yarns I have dyed again until they are twisted, especially when we are pushing hard for a show!
So, in honor of these new patterns, we're going to do a triple giveaway! Post a comment here and we will randomly select someone to receive a skein of Berlin in Yummy 2-Ply and one who will receive a skein of Gal Noir in Yowza.
We'll also give away a download code for Louise's Palette pattern collection. Be sure to post a comment here on the blog by Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at midnight PST and we'll let the winners know on Wednesday!
Edited to add: I've just emailed the winners--congratulations, Susan, Suzanne G, and SJ! And thanks to everyone for your lovely comments.
The next stop in the Inspiration Knits Blog Tour is Yarn & Pointy Sticks, who will be posting on Tuesday. Check out all the rest of the stops on the Tour, which we've linked below, and be sure to check out the KAL in the Inspiration Knits Ravelry group, which starts Wednesday.
Tuesday 24 March: Inspiration Knits
Wednesday 25 March: Yarn in the City
Thursday 26 March: Knitted Bliss
Friday 27 March: Knit with Attitude
Monday 30 March: Miss Babs
Tuesday 31 March: Yarn & Pointy Sticks
Wednesday 1 April: SweetGeorgia Yarns
Thursday 2 April: The Golden Skein
Friday 3 April: Fyberspates
277 comments
i have wanted to work with some yowza, but have not yet had the chance. All of the colors are beautiful, I would love to work with any of them!
I have always enjoyed Miss Babs colorways. Even the tonal yarns are superb pops of color that I tend to use for more conservative garments. As a member of the Knitting Tour since the beginning, I have been exposed to so many wonderful products that, when I look for something for a special design, I go to Miss Babs first. (And, like others, I rarely win anything – but hope springs eternal!)
A dark night in a city that knows how to keep its secrets but one man is still trying to find the answers to life’s persistent questions…Guy Noir, Private Eye.
I am using Ms Babs yarn for the first time on knitting tour. I love it, another skein would add to my excitement for the quality and color of these yarns.
The colors (as always) are inspiring. I am filled with admiration for your talent.
Can’t resist buying your yarn. Recently attended a Fiber Fest and spent a fair amount of time trying to decide what yarn to buy. They were all gorgeous and finally picked Yowza Zombie Prom.
SO looking forward to your booth at Sheep and Wool in MD in a month!!
Love Miss Babs yarn – so many yummy colors!
ordered last year two ‘berlin’ and that yarn is such as heaven on earth, as well when knitting as wearing my shawls … would sooooo like to win (but i know i never do win …). Who knows? Anyway, continue to spoil us with such gorgeous colors!
A good friend turned me on to Miss Babs And has been trying to for over a year, but I put it off because I knew I would become immediately addicted! The color ways are truly inspiring! I love the names of the colors, and they bring the yarn alive to me! The quality is top and luxurious! I look forward to knitting every minute of every day with my Miss Babs projects…now I try to get in at least 2 rows a day if time permits to satisfy my addiction! Thank you for dyeing a new lot of Shaken Not Stirred for me in Kaweah because the remainders weren’t a good match…definitely worth the wait!