Spring is officially here, at last! While it was a fairly mild winter in some places, it was relentless in others – in the Northeastern US the daffodils are blooming a full month early, while on the other coast, California had one of its highest snowfall totals in recorded history. No matter where you live, though, it seems like the changes Spring brings are always welcome, and full of inspiration.
What does the new season mean for knitters? Do you knit less in the Spring and Summer, or do longer days mean more knitting time? Are you confused about what to knit during the transition time between Winter and Spring? Whatever your knitting habits are, there is plenty of inspiration out there, from Mother Nature, the realms of fashion and popular culture – and from the world of Biscotte Yarns!
Have you heard about Dopamine Dressing? It’s the concept of choosing clothing that boosts our mood and brings us joy and is often associated with vivid colors and rich textures. If you watched any of the recent awards shows, you probably noticed a lot of strong colors: Janelle Monae’s brilliant orange Vera Wang skirt and Stephanie Hso’s luscious pink strapless Valentino gown at the Oscars; Anya Taylor-Joy’s yellow column skirt and cropped top designed by Dior at the Golden Globes.
And on the runways, Proenza Schouler’s Spring 2023 collection featured neon green and royal blue – and lots of knit and crochet. In fact, many high-fashion designers included saturated colors and textured knits in their Spring and Summer collections. https://thegloss.ie/how-to-wear-the-dopamine-dressing-trend/ (Don’t worry: Even if you’re not that into brights, what Dopamine Dressing comes down to is wearing – and making - whatever makes you feel good.) As Zandra Rhodes so wisely said, “To me, color gives confidence.”
How does this filter down to what we have on our needles now? If you search the hashtag #dopaminedressing on Instagram, you’ll find lots of fun bright knits. (One of my favorite knitting-inspo influencers is @k.n.i.t. – always a lot of creativity from yarn and fashion trendsetters.) Biscotte Yarns is featuring some dopamine-inducing designs for Spring – and some great yarns and projects for the in-between seasons.
One yarn we love for transitional knitting is Algua Marina, an innovative bland of silk and seacell. (Seacell is a silky fiber made from seaweed and eucalyptus fibers. It is hypoallergenic and very gentle on the skin. Algae are harvested in sparsely populated fjords of Iceland, in places where there is no waste or pollution from ships. Combined with silk, it creates a luxurious and shiny thread.) It’s perfect for smaller projects you can tuck into your bag and take on Spring break.
Granola is another year-round fave yarn base from Louise Robert Design. The Merino/hemp combo gives a rustic crunchy texture and is offered in a signature sophisticated palette. Look for a dopamine-hued colorwork cowl by Jill Tamminen coming out in April.
For knitting right now: Spring skiers, there is still time to whip up a trendy balaclava (passe-montagne in French) for those late-season runs. Louise Robert’s balaclavas, neck warmer and wrist warmer set knits quickly in Noro’s perfect transitional blend of cotton, silk and polyamide, ENKA. Each set takes only one ball, and it comes in a variety of dopamine-inducing rainbow shades.
Wrist warmers are always a fun quick project and are a great way to add a pop of color to your Spring wardrobe with a minimum investment of time (or money). Myriam Garçon’s Octothorpe fingerless mitts combine stockinette and garter stitch with some sharp geometric details.
Next month we’ll present more knitting inspo and trends. Meanwhile, please let us know what you’d like to learn about and where you get your inspiration from!
