I very rarely buy hard-copy magazines or books. Since I pretty much use knitCompanion exclusively for my patterns, I try to buy only digital patterns. But every once in a while, a book or magazine comes along which proves the exception. Laine 2 is such a magazine.
I have a hard time even calling this a magazine, it is so beautiful. The matte pages are so much nicer to read and feel than a glossy magazine, and each page is a beauty to behold. Well laid out and beautifully designed, this volume is a peaceful departure from the usual glossy magazine in any category. And oh, the patterns! An alternative title for this post would be “I Want to Knit All the Things.” (Of course, that’s such a common theme in my life, that could be an alternative title for this blog. Hmm….)
I also don’t usually read magazines from cover to cover, but as I mentioned, this has such a peaceful feel to it, it was a pleasure to just sit and read it. The articles are interesting and relevant. I loved reading how both Tukuwool and Biches & Buches got their start. As a person who loves to travel, I loved the little snippets and photos of Helsinki and would have loved to read more.
But of course, the real test of any knitting magazine is how many patterns I’m interested in. In this magazine, I could easily see myself knitting all 11 of them. But there are 5 that really stood out to me. First and foremost, Invicible Summer. This is a very Find Your Fade style of wrap, with the added appeal of brioche touches. This one, I HAVE to do, and can pull from my stash to make it. That’s a double win!
The next one that keeps coming to my mind is the sweater Morning Fog. This is a very simple, classic sweater, but the intriguing thing is that it’s knit holding two strands of Shibui Knits Silk Cloud together. Silk Cloud is a silk/mohair blend, and the resulting sweater will be airy and light and scrumptious to wear. I’m thinking that the Velvet colorway might be perfect. Or maybe Ash, but with my light hair, that might be too light. Maybe Tar, or even Abyss, but hmm, black mohair double-stranded might just drive me over the edge. Anyway, as you can see, I can’t stop thinking about this sweater!
Birds of a Feather is another gorgeous wrap in this volume. Knit from alternating fingering weight and silk mohair yarns, this is another frothy, gorgeous piece. This is also another one that I may be able to knit from stash. I just got at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year some matching skeins of silk mohair and fingering weight yarn from YarnHygge. The only problem is, I got two different colorways. What do you think, can I alternate these colorways throughout the shawl, or would that be too odd? I’d love to hear your opinion.
The other items on my radar in this volume are Unda, a sweet little brioche shawl, because I always love me some brioche, as well as the cover sweater, a sweet little piece called Utu. I have the perfect gradient kit that I got a year or so at A Good Yarn and haven’t found the perfect fit for yet. I think this might just be it.
All in all, I consider this a must-own magazine, and I can’t wait to see what future volumes bring! Have you gotten your copy of Laine yet? If not, and you don’t have a store around you that carries it, I know that as of today, A Good Yarn still has several copies left. You can get in touch with them and they will be happy to ship to you.