This blogpost is a sampling of our Weekend Inspirations newsletter where I like to shine a light on community members, designers, shops and events that inspire us - all related to the creative yarn world we hold so dear. If you enjoy this post, subscribe to the Knit collage Newsletter here for more stitchspiration sent straight to your inbox!

Hi there and welcome back to another edition of the Weekend Inspirations email! This week it’s all about feather and fan stitches that create waves or zig zag patterns in our knitting. I’m forever in love with these fancy looking, yet so simple to knit, stitches. How about you?!

I recently pulled out my Willow Cardi from storage and fell in love all over again (see above). Then I went down a feather & fan rabbit hole. Apparently it’s a thing we love around here that we keep coming back to! As usual, the community projects are beyond amazing. Fill your cup and be inspired by these radiant makers!

First up, how stunning is ChiWei from One Dog Woof’s finished Willow Cardi? I was so excited to see her rocking it on the hill at Rhinebeck this year. That pop of neon Firefly is my favorite.

Equally amazing are these two versions by Leigh, one of our Creative Knitters members, and Kristen, shared with us by Henny’s Yarn Shop who is running a knitalong for this pattern in March.

Leigh used one of the curated kits we have available on the site but subbed in a grey boucle yarn in place of the polar bear Serenity for a more cool toned affect.

Kristen used her own yarn stash and the result is epic! This pattern works up beautifully with a mix of worsted to Aran weight yarns.

The Willow Wrap is the Willow Cardi's sister pattern and such a pretty one for a night out on the town! Michelle, another Creative Knitter, shared this stunning neutral version she made with us as part of the KAL. It’s similar to the version I made too - that’s all the way at the end of the email!

True to my roots, I love chunky yarns and the Chevron Sunrise Shawl is our answer to a bulkier weight version of the feather & fan stitch. This pattern is perfect for mini skeins and stash diving. Gauge isn’t crucial and you can just have fun. I love the blue gradient version that Laurel Gervitz created and the mixed mini skein version that SunRay Knits shared over on Instagram. This is one of my forever favorites and makes for a great gift too!

Another chevron lace fave is from one of our very first knitalongs, the Garden Party Cardi by Cheryl Kubat. It’s all about the mix of the Spun Cloud with our Wildflower in that lacy zig zag stitch. A huge shout out to Jamie of Knitosophy for sharing the beautiful version on the right with us.

Kelly of BohoKnits shared her mind blowing blue gradient version with us and WOW is it gorgeous! I see pops of Spun Cloud, Dreamland, Daisy Chain and Cast Away in her dreamy  version.

Kelly also made a gorgeous Carpe Diem Cardi, which features an epic chevron sleeve. I had completely forgotten about this beauty and now I’m thinking that I really MUST knit this! And we may need to bring it back for a future KAL because the mix of all the stitches and yarns is speaking to me. I love the mixed yarn and patchwork vibe.

The Glow Girl Cardi that Cheryl on the team designed for us a few years back, is another statement version of the feather and fan stitch in action! How absolutely gorgeous is our friend Jo Wadler’s blue version (pics above!). I love how it feels a little more city / sleek in black and blues.

That’s it for today! I plan to be back with more inspiration every weekend for you if we can keep this momentum going. If you’re enjoying our weekend emails, I’d love to hear from you! If you have a question about any of the links I shared or want to share a fav wavy stitch pattern of your own, hit reply and let me know. Happy making!

Amy

Last Wednesday, I shared about the knitting challenge headed your way so soon. If you missed that last video, take a quick minute to check out all the details right here.

If you are just looking for the available Bonfire Shawl kit colorways, click here for the original super bulky version and click here for the lighter weight worsted/Aran version.

If you're here for all the details though, read on!

In our Bonfire Shawl challenge, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your knitting skills, connect with other makers and dive deep into your own creativity. You’ll finish with a stunning statement shawl to wear with joy and pride because YOU MADE IT! In today’s blog, I share all of the available color combos (there are over 30!) we’ve put together for you so that you can decide which one you like best before we officially open up registration on Wednesday, Feb 19th.

Ok first up, the color combination details for the original version of the Bonfire Shawl! For this pattern, you'll need one skein of either Spun Cloud or Sister yarn and one Mini Skein Sampler Kit. Our Spun Cloud yarn is a bulky thick and thin wool yarn that is spun with two tiny strands of silver and gold lurex plied around it. The sparkle is ever so subtle but if you prefer to go sparkle free, Sister has the same gauge and fiber content without the glam! We mix the Spun Cloud/Sister with 5 contrasting colors that come packed together as a Mini Skein Sampler Kit. Inside each of these kits you get one mini skein (17 yds each) of five different yarns (Spun Cloud, Cast Away, Wildflower, Dreamland, and Daisy Chain). These contrast colors give you the opportunity to play with both color and texture to your heart's content. Just knitting with this yarn is a happy little adventure!

Peruse all of the available color combinations at the link below.

Bonfire Shawl Color Combinations ~ OG Version

We have very, VERY few Spun Cloud skeins and Mini Skein Sampler kits left, in some cases less than 10. If you have your heart set on a special kit, please order early to ensure you get what you like! No more is slated to arrive until April. Please feel free to reach out and ask me any and all questions in the blog comments below.

Next up we have the color combination details for the reimagined lighter weight worsted/Aran version of the Bonfire Shawl! For this version, we use two skeins of our Serenity yarn as the main color, one additional skein of Serenity in a contrasting color, and 2 skeins of our Wildflower yarn for an additional pop of color and texture. Our Serenity yarn is a brushed boucle yarn that's unlike anything else in the Knit Collage family. The cozy texture it creates is reminiscent of your favorite fleece jacket or a worn in sheep skin throw. The fiber content is a blend of 85% wool and 15% nylon. Our Wildflower yarn is a fabric tape yarn made of 100% cotton that is screenprinted by hand with unique patterns in Jaipur, India. The prints are inspired by vintage treasures both from India and the states! After the fabric is printed, it’s sent up to our team of spinners who then laser cut it into long strips. The strips are knotted together to make yarn and viola you’ve got Wildflower. The mix of these two textured yarns together makes for a super interesting fabric both visually and tactilely.

Peruse all of the available color combinations for the Bonfire Light at the link below.

Bonfire Light Color Combinations 

Okay, that's it for color info! Here are the rest of the pattern details and Challenge info in case you missed the post the other day. As Always, please feel free to reach out in the comments with any Qs you might have or shoot an email to hello@knitcollage.com and we will be sure to get back to you asap.

Bonfire Shawl Original Version

Pattern Details:

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate Knitter

Materials: 

1 skein Spun Cloud or Sister yarn (MC) and 1 Mini Skein Sampler Kit (CCs)

Needle Size:

Size US 17 (12.75mm) circular needles, 40” length or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge:
6 sts and 12 rows = 4”/10cm in stitch pattern in the MC yarn, steam blocked

Finished Measurements:  

79.5” / 202 cm at widest (bottom edge before Picot Bind off) x 14”/35.5 cm deep at center point

Pattern Designer: Annie Lupton of Boho Chic Fiber Co

Bonfire Shawl Lightweight Version

The original version of the Bonfire Shawl Light was created as a limited edition collab with Handspun Hope using our Serenity boucle yarn, their worsted weight handspun yarn, and our Daisy Chain yarn. We have reimagined the Bonfire Light into an ultra-wearable 4-season accessory that uses our Serenity Boucle yarn for both MCs and our Wildflower cotton yarn for the CC. Updated photos to come later this Spring!

Pattern Details:

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate Knitter

Materials: 

Needle Size:

Gauge:

8 sts and 12 rows = 4” / 10 cm in MC (Serenity), wet blocked

Finished Measurements:  

Pattern Designer: Annie Lupton of Boho Chic Fiber Co

The Kit pricing is $128 for the OG Bonfire Shawl and $168 for the light version (more yarn AND a slightly larger finished shawl!). 

If you would like to use your own stash or handspun yarns, that is AWESOME. Make sure your yarns are similar yarn weights to our yarns listed here and that they will work with the needle size and gauge listed. 

Virtual option pricing: $26 (our yarn kits include pricing for all the challenge deliverables like the pattern, video classes, zoom help sessions and that awesome bonus bundle!)

Inside the 14 day knitting challenge you’ll get:

• Easy-to follow video courses on how to knit both the original Bonfire Shawl pattern AND the light weight edition from start to finish. You just need to know the very basic knit and purl stitches to join in! The courses are yours forever, all hosted within our Knit Collage App
• Techniques you'll learn: garter tab shawl start, how to knit the Linen stitch, double increase stitches, a picot edge border, and so much more!
• A downloadable workbook with both patterns and our best tips and resources for knitting success.
• Seven live zoom sessions with me, your teacher, and one of the Knit Collage coaches to help answer in the moment questions.
• Access to our private Challenge community space within the Knit Collage App to answer all of your questions and receive technical support. We are a welcoming, energetic, and kind community of members to hold you accountable and keep you motivated to actually complete your project.
  
• You have the option to order a yarn kit from us or use your own yarn and join in with the virtual option.
• Finish with a closing celebration party and community fashion show!

Bonus:

10 bonus tutorial videos valued at $32 where I teach how to wind yarn, the best tools to support your knitting practice, how to needle felt ends so that you can save yourself time finishing your project and so much more!

We open up registration on Feb 19^th at 10am ET for both the virtual option, priced at $26 and the yarn kit option at $128/$168 and we would so love to have you join us!

Hi there! If you are new here, my name is Amy Small and I am the owner and founder of Knit Collage. Welcome! Next week, we kick off a new iteration of our knitting challenge, where as a community we will knit the Bonfire Crescent Shawl pattern by Annie Lupton. Check out the video below to hear all the details!

The Knit Collage team and I will be here to support you and answer any questions that you may have along the way so that you happily finish with something you adore. Together, we’ll jumpstart your knitting practice, so that you get to experience the amazing benefits that come from knitting things – increased creativity and a healthy tool you can lean anytime into to bring about calm and peace, just to name a few! We kick the adventure off on March 1, 2024.

Inside the 14 day knitting challenge you’ll get:

• Easy-to follow video courses on how to knit both the original Bonfire Shawl pattern AND the light weight edition from start to finish. You just need to know the very basic knit and purl stitches to join in! The courses are yours forever, all hosted within our Knit Collage App
• Techniques you'll learn: garter tab shawl start, how to knit the Linen stitch, double increase stitches, a picot edge border, and so much more!
• A downloadable workbook with both patterns and our best tips and resources for knitting success.
• Seven live zoom sessions with me, your teacher, and one of the Knit Collage coaches to help answer in the moment questions.
• Access to our private Challenge community space within the Knit Collage App to answer all of your questions and receive technical support. We are a welcoming, energetic, and kind community of members to hold you accountable and keep you motivated to actually complete your project.
  
• You have the option to order a yarn kit from us or use your own yarn and join in with the virtual option.
• Finish with a closing celebration party and community fashion show!

Bonus:

10 bonus tutorial videos valued at $32 where I teach how to wind yarn, the best tools to support your knitting practice, how to needle felt ends so that you can save yourself time finishing your project and so much more!

We open up registration on Feb 19^th at 10am ET for both the virtual option, priced at $26 and the yarn kit options which are $128 for the OG Spun Cloud/ Sister + Mini Skein sampler version and $168 for the newer, lighter weight version that uses Serenity and Wildflower yarn. The lightweight version is a bit larger than the original and uses more yarn, both options create incredible statement shawls. We would so love to have you join us!

Here are the yarn, gauge and sizing details for both versions if you know you'd like to go with the virtual option and want to source (or maybe spin?!) yarn on your own.

Bonfire Shawl Original Version

Pattern Details:

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate Knitter

Materials: 

1 skein Spun Cloud or Sister yarn (MC) and 1 Mini Skein Sampler Kit (CCs)

Needle Size:

Size US 17 (12.75mm) circular needles, 40” length or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge:
6 sts and 12 rows = 4”/10cm in stitch pattern in the MC yarn, steam blocked

Finished Measurements:  

79.5” / 202 cm at widest (bottom edge before Picot Bind off) x 14”/35.5 cm deep at center point

Pattern Designer: Annie Lupton of Boho Chic Fiber Co

Bonfire Shawl Lightweight Version

The original version of the Bonfire Shawl Light was created as a limited edition collab with Handspun Hope using our Serenity boucle yarn, their worsted weight handspun yarn, and our Daisy Chain yarn. We have reimagined the Bonfire Light into an ultra-wearable 4-season accessory that uses our Serenity Boucle yarn for both MCs and our Wildflower cotton yarn for the CC. Updated photos to come later this Spring!

Pattern Details:

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate Knitter

Materials: 

Needle Size:

Gauge:

8 sts and 12 rows = 4” / 10 cm in MC (Serenity), wet blocked

Finished Measurements:  

Pattern Designer: Annie Lupton of Boho Chic Fiber Co

I so hope you'll consider joining in. On Friday, I'll share a blog post with more pics of both versions of the pattern and deep dive on all the color options (my favorite part!). I am so excited for it! AND If you are a beginner knitter, this is for you. Our team plus the video tutorials are there to guide and support you. When you're starting out, you need the most help and support - that's what this challenge is all about! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!

Amy