We're soaking up color this summer, and we're inviting you along for the ride!
Over the next three months, we're curating many of the best-loved colors from our dye lab into three palettes. Our first palette celebrates island life and our local beaches with bright shades tempered by deep, earthy colors and neutrals. Admittedly, we live on an island in the Pacific Northwest, so beach walks are blustery and cloud-laden for much of the year but come summer the weather can be glorious -- the sun sets after 9 pm and it's possible to spend the whole day basking in the sunshine. And when it gets too warm, the cool shade of the forest is always right there.
Live your best island life on your needles and hooks with us!
Island Life colors: Antique, Chalet Chic, Choux, Coastal Gray, Commodore, Cumulus, Forage, Frog Rock, Ginger Peachy, Gingham, Great Horned, Madras, Marooned, Poppet, Pout, Rainy Daze, Shell, Slug, Sweetie, Tattersall, and Town & Country.
The Island Life palette is available now on four of our yarns: Dimond Laine Big Birdie, Dimond Laine Birdie, The Lamb & Kid Trio, and The Lamb & Kid Trio DK.
Interested in some pattern inspiration for Island Life?
First up, a summery and delightful Mini Mock Neck Tank by Jessie Maed Designs knit in Trio in the color Madras. We can see a whole rainbow of tanks in Trio. Check designer Jessie Maed's pattern (linked here on Ravelry) for yardage for your size and join us!
How about a Winslow Way Hat (shown above) knit in Trio and Birdie held together (shown below)? We're dreaming of a bright version in colors Frog Rock and Tattersall! We could also be talked into Tattersall striped with Gingham though...so hard to choose! And a hat indeed comes in handy most of the year on the beaches around here so this knit becomes a beautiful necessity!
A Weekend Away shawl (shown above) is a fun idea -- this is a fabulously simple project that makes for great beach knitting because it is so easy to pick up and put down. How about one knit in Trio DK together with Birdie for a squishy soft shawl? At this moment, we're leaning toward the subtle marl possibility of Rainy Daze and Cumulus!
This collection is full of great five-color combinations perfect for projects like our Colorblock Party Scarf (shown below) or Wanderlust Knitter's Wavy Gravy Wrap, (shown above) both done in our Big Birdie yarn. We're including just three five-color groupings below, but watch Instagram for more as we continue to work with our island life-inspired palette. Admittedly, a Big Birdie accessory is less summery -- but it never hurts to be prepared!
Driftwood at the Point White Pier, Bainbridge Island
We did an informal survey of everyone's favorite island beaches on our staff group text and were reminded of so many good spots!
Ashley -- and her dog, Grace -- appreciate their daily time at Pleasant Beach. Caitlin grew up jumping off the Point White Pier on warm summer nights -- and took the yarn picture at the head of this email there! Kate likes to kayak across Eagle Harbor to Pritchard Park where her dog, Jake, loves to run. Leslie loves Lytle Beach for the sand and the excitement of the ferry's wake. Lydia likes to explore the island's "road ends" -- a whole network of public roads that end at beaches all around the island and offer everyone access to the island's waterfront -- she's been cold swimming from many of them! Michelle takes a daily walk at Manitou Beach with her dog, Rosie, where they see seals, otters, herons and more. Sarah says her daily walk at Fort Ward got her through the Covid era and Jennifer thinks Fort Ward is the best beach for a low tide walk full of sea creatures and good geology. Suzanne likes Fay Bainbridge for the large driftwood logs -- perfect for sitting and sipping.
If you're local -- or you've visited -- we'd love to hear from you about your favorite Bainbridge Island beach. Or comment here and tell us about your special local-to-you inspirations!
Boats in the sand at Lytle Beach, Bainbridge Island