Pattern Suggestions: Camelot

One of my most popular yarn bases is Camelot, which is a blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon (fingering weight). I love this yarn; it is super soft--yet strengthened by the nylon--and really takes color well. So for those of you who have some Camelot or for other skeins of MCN in your stash, here are some suggested pattern ideas for 1-2 skeins.

Oakenshield by Elizabeth Helmich - A hat pattern inspired by Tolkien, available as a beanie or a beret; the details on this hat would look great with a tonal/semi-solid yarn color.

Jana by Veronika Jobe - This shawl pattern is knit sideways, so by weighing your yarn, you can make it as big as your skein will allow--which also means you'll get to make the most of your skein of MCN, using up every delicious bit of it. You can also add beads, which I think makes the shawl a little extra special.

Weathertop Socks by Claire Ellen - Because of the nylon content in this yarn, it is quite suitable for making socks. And these socks are very eye-catching and look like they would be a lot of fun to make. But do look at the pictures on the pattern page--make sure to chose a semi-solid yarn color because all the work of the design gets lost in a variegated yarn.

Lórinand by Amora Designs - Another Tolkien-inspired pattern, these fingerless mitts look really nice. And (as I discovered last year), fingerless mitts make a really great gift (I did five pairs for Christmas presents last year!), especially for teacher gifts.

Midnight Craving by Jennifer Weissman - This crescent-shaped shawl will take two skeins, but I'm really loving the cable and slightly ruffled border. I think this one needs to be added to my queue.

Lady Bertilak Cowl by Karen Robinson (me) - Although I have my Perceval base listed as the recommended base for this cowl pattern (and it works up quite nicely with Perceval), knitting it in Camelot, with that tiny bit of cashmere, would make this an extra soft cowl to drape around your neck.

Which of these patterns is your favorite?

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The content in this post was first featured in my newsletter (October 5, 2015). If you'd like to keep up to date on my designs and yarn and receive content like this right in your email inbox, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter.

Guenevere Pattern Suggestions

In a previous blog post, I talked about picking yarn for lace shawls and how using a 2-ply yarn really makes lace pop. Guenevere is the 2-ply fingering weight yarn available for Round Table Yarns, and there are several skeins (including several colors with two skeins available) currently available in the shop. Although I picked Guenevere specifically to go with my Astolat Shawl pattern, there are a number of other options out there from other designers that would work well for Guenevere. I've made a quick list based upon some of the projects that I might knit myself using Guenevere.

Haruni - I still haven't made one of these myself (I do plan to some day!), but this very popular shawl would look great with Guenevere (2 skeins)

Ashton Shawlette - I was struck by the delicate look of the shawl in the pictures for this pattern. It looks like you could just make it with one skein of Guenevere.

Henslowe - I've become a big fan of knitted on borders, so this shawl caught my eye with its gorgeous border. (This one also might squeak by with just one skein of Guenevere.)

Dark Valentine - This pattern can result in a scarf or wrap and would use one or two skeins of Guenevere, respectively.

Dayflower Cowl - I really like the stitch pattern used on this cowl and think Guenevere (1 skein) would highlight the delicate nature of it.

Wasabi Hat - You have to go look at this hat! The image of the top of this beret is quite striking. I think I'll add it to my queue.

NOTE: You should always do a gauge swatch--not just to check to see if your gauge matches but also to make sure that you like the resulting fabric that you get. If you find that although you have matched the gauge but you don't like how the fabric looks, that might not be the right pattern/yarn combination for you, so give another pattern a try.

I'm looking forward to seeing what patterns you match up with Guenevere. And I'm always happy to help if you have any questions about matching up a pattern to any of the selections from Round Table Yarns. Just drop me an email or a Ravelry message!

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The content in this post was first featured in my newsletter (May 5, 2015). If you'd like to keep up to date on my designs and yarn and receive content like this right in your email inbox, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter.