Feel like a painter with Spincycle yarns ... and not one, but TWO tests are up!

Hello!

I hope you are doing well. I'm feeling a little melancholic today, so let me start with a big thank you to you, the subscribers to my newsletter; knowing that there is a group of people out there who care about my knitwear design adventures means the world to me.

A quick word on my little baby: he's not so little anymore. Over the last two months, he's been eating and sleeping loads and has filled up so much that I'm glad I didn't make him any 0-3 months old knits as I've had to retire that range already. And he continues to be an amazingly chill buddy, which is why I have a whole three knit-worthy things to share today.

Firstly, I'm so excited to present the pattern for Zalktis Pullover, available on Ravelry and zaneteknits.com from today. This design was inspired by the sign for Zalktis (grass snake), a symbol of wisdom in Latvian mythology. It is my usual top-down and seamless construction, but this time with raglan sleeves.

I used a large colourwork chart to create a striking and effective print. Even though it's probably the trickiest colourwork sweater I've designed to date, after seeing all the incredibly gorgeous tester versions I have no regrets. Check out #zalktispullover on Instagram to see what I mean. And a huge thank you if you were one of them!

It's my second time collaborating with Spincycle yarns on a colourwork sweater pattern. This time using Metamorphic, their recycled yarn, in Cool Black as the main colour, and Dyed in the wool in Cold Comfort as the contrast colour. And I can't get enough of it; it's always so intriguing to see how the colours will play out. I absolutely love how mine turned out!

If you'd like to try this out, please enjoy a 20% discount on the pattern when using code ZALKTIS at checkout onRavelry or zaneteknits.com. This offer will be valid until the 28th of August.

Secondly (and thirdly), there are a couple of new test calls in my Ravelry forum. Both are intermediate difficulty, and both are for fans of stranded knitting.

One is a colourwork cardigan that is worked seamlessly in the round from the top down, with a steek, in Sport/DK weight. It's called Yoke Meditation Series #2 because it's all about meditating over the colourwork in that yoke (and #2 because #1 is still a WIP).

The other is a pair of stranded toe-up socks with some interesting twists, such as a honeycomb brioche stitch in the heel flap. These are called Rhubarb and Custard Socks because that's how yummy they look.

If you'd like to find out more about the designs, the deadlines and how to apply, head over to my Ravelry forum, find the test call that takes your fancy and follow the registration link from there. Hope to see you in the test!

Happy knitting,

Zanete