News

We are super excited to be releasing our newest design, Dandelion, this Friday!

This super snuggly sweater feels so light and cosy when knit up in our lovely Floof DK. The slipped-stitch colourwork and eyelet rows are both simple to knit and add a hint of detail to the otherwise plain-stockinette background.  The relaxed style and oversized yoke makes this sweater really comfortable to wear.  Fun and quick to knit, you’ll be tempted to make more than one.

Dandelion is knit from the top down using a simple, circular-yoke construction. The sweater is designed to fall over your shoulders and arms, like a cosy poncho, with sleeves positioned near the hem. Because the sleeves are placed low, there needs to be a lot of ease in the sweater, allowing easy movement of your arms. Make sure you select a size that is around 18-23” (46-58.5 cm) larger than your actual bust size. This will give you plenty of room to move.

The colourwork is done using slipped stitches that are super quick and easy to do. Just make sure you keep your floats nice and loose at the back of your work, otherwise the fabric will end up too tight.

Dandelion has been designed to sit at high hip; however, you can easily adjust the length by knitting a longer hem band, either by adding a few rows of stockinette before the rib, or by lengthening the rib.

Finished Measurements

55 (59, 62, 66, 69, 72, 76) ”; 134 (145, 158, 167.5, 175, 183, 193) cm circumference at bust.

Sample size is 55”(134cm) shown on a bust size of 34”(86cm). Choose a size that is around 18-23” (46-58.5 cm) larger than your actual bust size.

Yarn
Skein Floof DK
80% Baby alpaca, 20% Acrylic
274 yards / 250 metres in 100g
3 (3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4) skeins main colour
1 (1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2) skeins contrast colour.

Sample colourways – MC Barley, CC Kalamon

Needles
5 mm (US 8) circular needles
4.5mm (US 7) circular needles

Gauge
22.5 sts and 24 rows to 4”(10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch.

We have lots of Floof available in the shop!  Don't forget, if you buy the yarn for the pattern you can get the pattern for free; just use the code DANDELION during checkout (valid as soon as the pattern goes live on Friday).

Of course, all our newsletter subscribers receive a 20% discount on all new-release patterns on release day!  If you haven't signed up yet then click here!

Dandelion will be ready for download this Friday 21st May.

Winter is fast approaching which means its time to cast on some lovely warm sweaters and shawls!  This week we are opening up orders for custom dyed yarn on our Mohair Silk Lace, Uptown Sock and Cushy DK.  We have selected 35 colourways which can be dyed on any of the three bases, the colourways are:

Our dyed to order yarns will only be available to order until midnight Sunday 9th May (AEST).

As always our yarns will be added to the shop this Friday at 9am.  Make sure you have subscribed to our the email.  We send out update reminders so you don't miss out.  Hope to see you Friday!

This Friday we are super excited to be releasing  our newest pattern Cosy!

Cosy features an oversized circular yoke in soothing garter stitch, I-cord edges that are knit at the same time as the garment, and contrasting cuffs which adds a pop of colour.  The idea behind this design was to create an easy and quick cardigan with minimal finishing, so you can cast on, knit and then bind off and wear.

Cosy was created using our newest yarn base, Floof DK. This yarn has a soft halo of baby alpaca that is lovely and warm, yet really light to wear.  We used Barley for the main colour and chose Zinnia for the cuffs.  Of course, you can choose to leave the cuffs plain for a more subtle look.

This week, we will be adding  a ton of Floof to the shop to coincide with the release of our Cosy cardigan.  You could also substitute Floof with any DK yarn you have in your stash.

Finished Measurements
46 (48, 53, 57, 61, 64.5, 69, 72.5, 76.5)”; 118 (123, 133, 144, 154, 164, 174, 184, 194) cm circumference at bust.

Sample size is 48”(117cm) shown on a bust size of 34”(86cm). Recommended ease is 13-15” (33-38 cm).

Yarn
Skein Floof DK
80% Baby alpaca, 20% Acrylic
274 yards / 250 meters in 100g
3 (4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4) skeins main colour
1 skein of the contrast colour for all sizes.
Sample colourways – MC Barley, CC Zinnia

Needles
5 mm (US 8) needles

Other
Stitch holders or waste yarn, stitch markers, removable stitch marker and tapestry needle.

Gauge
18 sts and 28 rows to 4”(10 cm) in Garter Stitch.
17 sts and 24 rows to 4”(10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch.

As always, if you buy the yarn needed for the design, you get the pattern for free!  Just add the yarn and pattern to your cart and use the code COSY to get your free pattern.  Cosy will be available to purchase from Ravelry and via our website.  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to receive 20% off our new release pattern on release day.

Hope to see you Friday and we can't wait to see your Cosy cardigan!

Our popular Silk Road will be back in stock Friday!  This beautiful blend of merino, silk and yak is perfect for tops, cardigans and shawls.  Its silky sheen and drape feels so lovely to knit and to wear.  We've dyed up twelve luscious colourways which will be available in the shop this Friday at 9am AEST.  Hope to see you there!

Last week, we released our colourways for the upcoming Shawl Society by Helen Stewart.  These were so popular that they sold out very quickly.  Because we don't want anyone to miss out, we will be adding dyed-to-order kits to the shop Friday.

If you've never heard of the Shawl Society, you're in for a real treat. The Shawl Society is a secret-pattern subscription club for knitters who love a bit of mystery, beautiful shawls, and knitting along with other daring, creative spirits. Over six months, you'll discover six exciting shawl patterns, how to master new stitches and learn fresh techniques.

As with all Curious Handmade patterns, the shawls will feature soft, romantic styles with a modern twist, designed to be both simple and interesting to knit. Lace and texture, meditative stitches and interesting techniques, and thoughtful line-by-line instructions mean that relative beginners and long-time knitters will both find plenty to love in these six shawl patterns.

Our Shawl Society kits contain three skeins of Merino Silk Sport in your choice of colourway.  We have eleven softly speckled colours that have been handpicked especially for the KAL.

Our yarn is featured in the first secret-shawl pattern that will be released in May.  Helen knit her sample using the colourway Coffee Grounds; however, any lightly speckled colourway would work beautifully.

Our Kits will be available for pre-order Friday 16th; they will ship in around 3-4 weeks.  The Shawl Society signs up begin May 7th, and the first shawl pattern will be revealed Thursday May 20th. It's going to be a lot of fun, cant wait!

We are excited to be collaborating once again with Helen Stewart as a part of her Shawl Society.

Returning for a fifth season, The Shawl Society is a secret-pattern subscription club for knitters who love a bit of mystery, beautiful shawls, and knitting along with other daring, creative spirits. Over six months, you'll discover six exciting shawl patterns, mastering new stitches and trying out fresh techniques.

As with all Curious Handmade patterns, the shawls will feature soft, romantic styles with a modern twist, designed to be both simple and interesting to knit. Lace and texture, meditative stitches and interesting techniques, and thoughtful line-by-line instructions mean that relative beginners and long-time knitters will both find plenty to love in these six shawl patterns.

This Friday we will be adding lots of El Merino to the shop, dyed especially for Ambah O'Briens upcoming MKAL starting April 2.

This week we will be offering the yarns separately which allows you to pick and choose your own combinations.  If you are wanting to purchase the yarn for another project, that is totally fine too.

Here are our suggested colour combinations for the MKAL.  We have also added a list below each picture that includes the orders in which the colours are to be used, however feel free to knit them up in whatever order you prefer.

Kalamon (CC3), Sweet Cheeks (CC1), Marshlands (CC2) and Lullaby (CC4)

Plum (CC3), Silver Bark (CC1), Toffee (CC2), French Lavender (CC4)

Golden Peach (CC3), Thunderstorm (CC1), Sea Glass (CC2), Cascade (CC4)

Pure Gold (CC3), Barley (CC1), Zinnia (CC2), Papaya (CC4)

Maven (CC3), Polar Bear (CC1), Raven (CC2), Wisp (CC4)

To sign up for the MKAL head over to Ravelry or to Payhip and to read more about the MKAL head on over to Ambah's website.  It's going to be a lot of fun, cant wait!

This Friday we will be releasing a new pattern, the Solace Crop cardigan!

This design is actually a cropped version of our Solace cardigan, featuring an improved neckline and cropped silhouette.  The cardigan sits a little higher at the front, which looks great when layered with longer tops or dresses.  While the cardigan is designed to be worn open, a shawl-pin closure would look fantastic.

Knit from the top down, the Solace Crop features dropped shoulders, grafted sleeves and a shaped, short-row neck.  Even though there is a lot of ease around the bust, the way the cardigan is constructed means that most of this ease falls under the arms, giving an almost batwing-like silhouette (see the photos below where I’m holding my arm up).  There is also a slight rise in the front of the cardigan that reflects the shape of a bolero.  Short rows along the neck band help the cardigan drape nicely over the shoulders and substitute for the usual short rows between the shoulders.  If you would like to size down, make sure you compare your upper arm (which for this design is measured just above your elbow) with the measurements written in the schematic.  Also, if you do lengthen the body, make sure you account for this as you’ll need extra yarn.

We will also be adding Cushy DK to the shop which is the yarn I used to create the Solace Crop cardigan.  We will have ten popular colourways available, please remember that if you buy the yarn for the design you can get the pattern for free by using the code SOLACECROP.

I also wanted to mention that if you have previously bought the Solace Cardigan via Ravelry you will be receiving a free copy of the Solace Crop, yay!

Cant wait for the release and hope to see you Friday!

This week, we are adding a brand-new yarn base to our collection.  All Rounder is a fingering-weight yarn that can be used for all types of projects (hence the name!).  This yarn is a blend of superwash merino with 20% nylon that has been plied together tightly into a two-ply yarn.  The nylon content and tight twist makes this yarn perfect for socks as it will wear really well.  On the other hand, All Rounder is beautifully soft with a lovely drape, making it also ideal for shawls and garments. 

We've dyed up a nice mix of speckles, semi solids and tonal colourways for you to mix and match.  All yarns will be available in the shop this Friday at 9am AEST.  Sign up to our newsletter for a reminder email!

This week we'll be adding lots of Mohair Silk Lace and Top Draw Sock.  These yarns knit up beautifully together and would be perfect for the Love Note sweater by Tin Can Knits or our Cruiser cardigan and Freewheeler sweater. 

Our yarns go live this Friday 5th March.  Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter to get a weekly update reminder as well as lots of pattern and colour combo ideas, discounts and more.  Hope to see you Friday!

This Friday we are delighted to be adding a brand new base to our family!  Meet Floof, a super-soft, floofy DK-weight yarn. 

Floof is an unusual yarn in that it is spun using baby alpaca fibres, but knits up just like a merino yarn.  Usually alpaca yarns stretch easily out of shape after being knit up and blocked; however, this yarn has been developed using an acrylic core that is heat treated to trap the alpaca fibres and hold them in place.  So, this yarn won't stretch, and is less likely to pill or to shed.  It's a versatile yarn that can be used as a substitute for merino yarns (yay!). 

I've been using this base for a new design and I'm tremendously pleased with its ability to hold stitch definition yet remain incredibly soft and drapey (just like merino).  It's a dream yarn and I'm so happy we have it! 

Our Floof DK will be heading in to the shop this Friday 26th Feb, hope to see you there!

This April, Ambah O'Brien will be running her Caladenia Shawl MKAL. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak of the design (which is amazing!) and have curated five kits especially for this MKAL.  

Each kit contains four skeins of our Uptown Sock, as well as a suggested colour progression to use during the MKAL. Kits will go live this Friday 19th.  In the meantime you can sign up for Ambah's MKAL over on Ravelry or Payhip, and you can read more about the MKAL over on Ambah's website. It's going to be a lot of fun - can't wait!