Dear KnitBits subscribers,

Ever since the ‘60s, I have seen the denim trend come and go and come again. From LEVI'S® Jeans to jeans from the finest European fashion houses, my wardrobe has never been void of denim. In college, I wore Levis and I made mini skirts from my jeans when the knees blew out. I also sewed a denim shirt dress from a CALVIN KLEIN® pattern from VOGUE®, being careful to choose the perfect denim fabric and the correct orange topstitching. Then I set out to find the perfect copper snaps. It was a dress that I always felt great in.

My love affair with denim lives on in my world of knitting with Berroco’s Denim Silk. Made of a combination of silk and rayon, it drapes like a dream with a hint of silken tweedy luster in a supple, denim-like fabric. Beautiful even in simple stockinette, this ribbon yarn also carves out superb stitches. We introduced Denim Silk several years ago to rave revues. Knitters were as infatuated as I was with the infinite possibilities of this yarn. We began designing with it several seasons ago and have amassed a treasure trove of knitting patterns for you to choose from. Click here to view a web gallery of Denim Silk designs.

This week we are posting a Free Web Exclusive Pattern for our hairpin lace shawl, Dagmar, which is a feminine take on the denim look. This shawl is a simple rectangle constructed by making strips of lace using a hairpin lace tool and a crochet hook. For our collection of hairpin lace patterns, we chose a hairpin lace tool that makes a 4” wide strip. There are easy instructions on the package illustrating how to make the strips and our pattern details how to use the strips to create our designs.

We chose a lavender shade for this lacey shawl but as you can see, Denim Silk is available in a wide array of colors ranging from true blue denim inspired shades to pastels and sophisticated natural and neutral shades.

In this issue, we’re also sharing a free pattern for our TuTu Much Scarf. Created by one of our yarn shops, The Yarn Shop at Rainy Day Creations, Inc. in Pineville, NC, this colorful scarf design will inspire you to use up all of the yarn part balls and leftovers in your stash.

We have photographed TuTu Much worn with a denim vest, which is really a jacket that I have cut the sleeves off of. Now I am thinking of all kinds of creative ways to embellish the vest. Because Denim Silk fringes so well, I am thinking of knitting sleeves and sewing them in and then adding liberal fringe. Of course, Suede™ also fringes beautifully and would look groovy too, so I am torn. I may just do one of each.




Emily from Evanston, IL wrote us recently to ask, “I am working on a pattern (the Cowgirl Jacket in the new book #233) that I think may have an error in it. Is there a place on your website where I can check for corrections?”

Yes, Emily, we post all of our corrections on our website. You should go to Pattern Correction page. We have just issued a correction to Book #233 Cowgirl Jacket and it is posted on our site. While we do our very best to ensure the accuracy of our patterns, including careful proofing, checking and test knitting, the occasional error is inevitable. We recommend that before starting to knit, you always check our website for any recent corrections.

All the best,


Margery Winter
Creative Director