Petite Purls Spring 2011 Issue

Hello,

I know I'm a little late on this one, but the Spring 2011 Issue of Petite Purls is live!!!  As usual, I thought I'd share my favourites with you all.

It's so nice to see the issue come out this week since I've been feeling a little un-spring-like lately.  This turned out to be just the pick-me-up that I needed!! This paragraph from their editors letter made my heart skip with joy:

"What does Spring look like to you? For us, we have been craving fresh air, fresh flowers and grass, yearning for early trips to the beach, maybe even some rain to get our gardens started. So we decided to offer you an entire collection of fresh greens, cool blues and crisp whites and creams."

If that doesn't just getting you thinking and dreaming about spring I don't know what will!!

There are so many cute patterns in this issue, and some especially make my heart sing - like the Turnaround Skirt by Jennifer Casa, who is also their Renaissance Mom for this issue (check out her interview here.)  You must go have a look at this one.  It's a sewing pattern, but is so adorable and the perfect thing to use up all those gorgeous fabrics in my stash.  What I really like about it is the fact that it can be bright and fun or more serious just by turning it inside out.  There are so many possibilities with this one!

Enough of my rambling.....Here are my "Top Five" picks: 

1. Flora -by Kate Blackburn - this is such an adorable little spring jacket that has a moss stitch (my favourite!) button band, oversized collar, and cuffs; along with super cute pockets with a flower motif.  It's knit from the neck down, which is probably my favourite way to knit a cardigan, and uses a nice cotton yarn making it perfect for the warmer spring days.  I do have to admit that the green colour totally won me over!  I'm a sucker for a good green.

2. Nova -by Signe S. Simonsen - knit out of Spud and Chloe Fine in gorgeous green and blue stripes (cricket and calypso), this bottom-up raglan style dress is so sweet.  It has a buttoned up front flap that, in my opinion, totally makes the dress.  It reminds me of something from the 60s. 

3. Thinty -by Inna Aleksandrova - is a ruffled skirt that's knit from the bottom up in one piece (no seams, yay!) that has two tiers of cable rib ruffles.  The fun thing is that there is a matching skirt you can make for your little one's doll too!  I really like the detail of the optional crochet flower - it adds such a cute touch.

4. Little Sister -by Linda Permann - this is a crocheted hat that has a big fabric flower sewn on the side.  I'm a huge fan of shell stitches, so this was an immediate favourite!  It's sized from baby all the way up to adult, so you can make one for all the darlings in your life.  It's crocheted using Cascade Ultra Pima and the coral colour is just scrumptious!!  This also happens to be the "cover" photo.  It just looks like the essence of spring itself!!

5. Pearls and Diamonds -by Julia Vaconsin - another crochet pattern, this is a short-sleeve cardy that uses the bobble stitch to add that little "something extra."  It uses Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton and the blue shade in the photograph is simply stunning. 

Something else that caught my eye was the Wrapped with Love: A Handmade Gift Bag by Anne Weil.  These are such a fun and super cute idea.  After spending all that time and effort knitting or crocheting something, it's only fitting that it should be presented in a gorgeous handmade gift bag.  The simplicity of this design really spoke to me and the applique is such a great idea.  And if you'd like to know, my favourite is the polka dot elephant.....I've always liked elephants.

I could keep going on and on about all the things I adore, but you must simply check it out for yourself, it truly is a lovely, lovely issue, and I know you will enjoy it.

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!!