Summer Tees

It's soon to be summer, which means that it's time to slip, slop, slap - slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat - and if that shirt happens to be a gorgeous hand-knitted one, then all the better! For when the sun is beaming down and the mercury is rising, there is nothing better than the feel of cool, crisp natural fibres on the skin, like cotton, linen and bamboo.

Sharron and Leisl at Woolarium are both planning some lovely summer tee knits - here's the shortlist of their absolute favourites!

Hane by Kirsten Johnstone is a beautiful design that looks stunning for both day and night. With gently gathered side shaping and an asymmetrical drape, this tee will suit all body types. The pattern comes with 6 design variations, including sleeves and sleeve ruffle. Designed for linen, we think the Shibui Linen would be perfect for this garment. Leisl is going to make hers up in the Poppy colourway, so if you head into the store over summer you might be lucky enough to see her wearing it!




Another beautiful design is the Irokata Tee by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. This colour-blocked tee is made for 4 ply yarns, and once again the Shibui Linen would be ideal. Short row techniques employed for the neckline and colour shaping mean that minimal finishing is required - hoorah! We love how cleverly Olga designs her knits, and this one is another winner.

This being Melbourne, however, you can never trust the weather to stay warm and settled for long. When the cool wind blows in, a versatile top with longer sleeves is often required - like Boxy by Joji Locatelli. With a wide body and slim, flattering sleeves, this easy knit is the ideal top for cooler days, or for covering up in at the beach. Knit in a 4 ply yarn, we think the Spud and Chloe Fine, Rowan Wool Cotton or Shibui Staccato or Linen would be lovely choices.

Last but definitely not least is this gorgeous tank top designed by Sharron herself! Called Vertical, this beautiful design is knit up in the wonderfully drapey Baby Bamboo. Designed with relaxed summer days in mind, this top will look equally good over pants as it does over your favourite bikini! The lace centre stripe gives this classic design a modern edge, and it is sure to become a summer staple. Simply purchase yarn for this divine tank, and the pattern is yours for free!

If you purchase the yarn by mail order, drop us a note and we'll include the pattern in your parcel. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to seeing all your lovely summer knits - be sure to pop into the shop to show them off to us if you can!

Shibui Mix Party

It's been a busy winter here at Woolarium, and we finished it off in style by hosting a Shibui Mix party. There was mulled wine and beautiful homemade dips. There was a brilliant talk by Kirsten Johnstone. And there was yarn for our lucky attendees to play with - lots and lots of gorgeous Shibui yarn!

Shibui Knits is a yarn company based in Portland, Oregon. They produce the most incredible yarns, each carefully developed according to their design philosophy - 'elegant with a touch of bitterness', which is what the word shibui means in Japanese.

Singularly captivating on their own, the yarns can also be combined together to create stunningly beautiful knit pieces. During our 'mix' party we provided each guest with samples of different Shibui yarn, and our happy party of knitters had enormous fun creating their own mixes. Linen with Silk Cloud? Why not? How about Merino Alpaca with Pebble? The possibilities for creating beauty are endless.

But as if knitting with gorgeous yarn wasn't fun enough, we also had a fascinating and illuminating talk by Kirsten Johnstone. Kirsten runs her own knitting pattern label, Assemblage, and has also designed for Shibui (Trapezoid, Aperture and Blur are some lovely examples of her work).

Kirsten's talk covered everything, from how she began knitting, to designing her own knits, to collaborating with Shibui. She shared her incredible knowledge of the yarns and their characteristics, and explained her design processes, before wowing the crowd with her samples. If we weren't inspired by knitting with Shibui yarns before then, we certainly were after her presentation!

The evening was a hit, and thoroughly enjoyed by all who came. Each guest got to take home a sample of each of the yarns provided, plus a 'Mix Cheat Sheet' which detailed the properties of each yarn, and the resulting gauges when combined. Perfect for all of the 'mix' projects we're sure to be seeing in the near future.

Here at Woolarium we have a huge range of Shibui yarns, with colour palettes ranging from perfect neutrals to deep jewel shades. We'd love to see you in store to see this fabulous yarn for yourself, and keep your eye on the blog and the newsletter for more parties and events. In fact, we have a very special party happening very soon...!

In the meantime, feel free to drool over this picture of Shibui yarns, all in the Tar colourway. From left to right: Pebble, Cima, Baby Alpaca, Linen, Silk Cloud and Merino Alpaca. You can view all the Shibui yarns and colourways on our Shibui page.