berroco design studio

The Making of a Kid’s Book – Part 1

amandakeep — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:07:02 +0000

February 6, 2012

Making Booklet #320 Big Kids/Little Kids, one of our spring 2012 pattern booklets, was an adventure. We designed 27 different patterns (more than 3 times what we usually include in a pattern booklet) and began planning our photo shoot. We hired a mix of professional models and friends to wear our designs, and secured a beautiful location on the southern coast of Massachusetts.

To add to the cuteness factor, we brought in adorable animal reinforcements: two fluffy chickens, a bunny named Peter Rabbit, and Cooper, our office manager’s sweet new puppy. Since we ran out of space in the printed booklet, most of the animals didn’t make it onto the printed pages… But now we can show you the mini-zoo we had behind the scenes!

Here are the chickens in all their glory… (photos by Kerry Goodwin)

Peter Rabbit’s close up on the left, and his time in the spotlight with one of our models and the chickens. (photo on right by Kerry Goodwin)

Cooper was as friendly and well-behaved as a young puppy could be, but who could resist the chance to see if the Kendall vest was chewable? (photos by Kerry Goodwin)

Next time, I’ll share some more stories and behind-the-scenes shots of our models – stay tuned!

Amanda

TNNA in Phoenix

amandakeep — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:08:23 +0000

Norah and I returned to the office last week after our most recent trade show, The National Needlearts Association’s winter show, where yarn shop owners got to learn about our new products for spring 2012. The event was held at the convention center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and with the high temperatures reaching 70 degrees every day, it was a refreshing escape from the winter world of coats and scarves. At Berroco’s booth, we repeated our fun Yarn Bar arrangement (click here for a recap of our first Yarn Bar), giving show-goers the chance to knit with our new spring yarns and enter a raffle to win $500 off their Berroco order (congratulations to our lucky winner: Loose Ends Yarn Shop of Mayville, WI).

In between stints at the Yarn Bar, I snapped a few quick photos of our booth:

Here’s the view from the front corner of our booth. The Yarn Bar is at the back, and in the bottom right corner is Giulia from Booklet #318, one of our spring designs featured in the TNNA Fashion Show.

Here’s Norah tending the Yarn Bar. Berroco Lacey and Berroco Lago seemed especially popular among the yarn bar patrons. Joan Looi, our Chicago-area sales rep on the far left, is wearing a beautiful red Windley from Booklet #317.

Everyone who visited the Yarn Bar received a plastic cup filled with mini-balls of our new yarns Versa, Lago, Captiva, and Circus for swatching. You can see all the cups lined up on the table in the photo above…

Thanks again to our friends at Lantern Moon for providing knitting needles for the yarns at the Yarn Bar, and thanks to everyone who stopped by Berroco’s booth in Phoenix!

Amanda

VK Live

amandakeep — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:03:40 +0000

Norah and I just returned from a fun and busy weekend at Vogue Knitting Live in New York City. We had a wonderful time meeting enthusiastic knitters and sharing our Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 designs with them. In addition to a great Berroco fashion show on Saturday, Norah gave design retrospective lectures to a packed audience and did book signings at various booths on the marketplace floor. I spent most of the show at our fitting booth, fit.knit.sit. We had small and large-sized sweaters available to try on from both of our fall and spring pattern collections, and it was a great opportunity to help people plan their next projects. Here are a couple of quick photos I took in between fittings at the booth:

The woman on the left is trying on Pampero from Norah Gaughan vol. 10. It was one of the most popular sweaters at the show!

We had lots of visitors to the booth every day…

Fiber artist Suzanne Tidwell knitted giant striped covers for the columns on the show floor – Berroco donated some of the yarns she used. My photo doesn’t do it justice, but at least you can see how huge those columns were!

We also spotted a number of beautiful Berroco sweaters being worn by their creators. Here’s a lovely Nidden from Norah Gaughan vol. 8, worked in Linsey…

We had a wonderful time at VK Live. Thanks so much to everyone who visited our booth!

Amanda

Norah’s Christmas in Latvia

norahgaughan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:53:46 +0000

I had the pleasure of spending Christmas in Riga, Latvia this year. What a beautiful place! The city is so walkable too. We strolled from Christmas market to Christmas market (there are a lot of them!) from museum to museum and from lovely restaurant to lovely restaurant…. viewing SO MUCH amazing architecture along the way. Of course, I was most fascinated by the yarn and hand knitted good in the markets. One pair of mittens was more beautiful than the next and the same could be said of the socks. My favorite wool was hand dyed with plants.

Yarn and hand knits at Riga's Christmas market

Riga has a fantastic central market which is held in 3 adjoined Zeplin hangers. Among the piles of dried fish, meat, breads and fruits, I once again spotted some yarn and mittens. Actually my husband, John snapped these photos for me, so I could spend my time ogling.

More yarn and knit goods!Knit items for sales in the big market

…and it goes on.

Knit items for sales in the big market

Santa brought me a cool lens for my iPhone, so most of my Riga photos look like this!

If you ever get a chance to visit, go for it. I would love to go back in the summer, when there is a longer day, and see the country side.

– Norah

Happy 2012

amandakeep — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:50:17 +0000

A brand new year is here! We’ve got lots of exciting things planned for this month. We’ll be attending Vogue Knitting Live in New York City next week, then we’re going to Phoenix the week after for The National NeedleArts Association’s winter trade show, where we’ll be showing our new spring yarns and patterns to retailers.

In a little more than a week, Berroco will unveil the new yarns and patterns for Spring/Summer 2012 on our website. I’ve included a few sneak peek images here:

Happy New Year!

Amanda

A Very Lacey Christmas

amandakeep — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:58:03 +0000

Kathie, one of Berroco’s craftiest employees, was decorating her Christmas tree recently and discovered that our Francis scarf pattern (worked in Berroco Lacey, our elegant new ruffle yarn) can do double-duty as a garland!

The Francis scarf pattern is printed on the back of every Lacey ball band, and is also available on our website. Here’s the original scarf:

And here it is, artfully draped on Kathie’s tree:

She also created a matching ornament by hanging a short piece of the scarf on a decorative hook and accenting it with glass beads (she used a hot glue gun to attach them):

Here’s the ornament in its natural environment:

She hasn’t put many ornaments on the lower half of the tree though, since she shares her home with an especially curious cat named Otis. Here he is, fishing for ornaments:

Happy Holidays!

Amanda

Top Picks for Winter

amandakeep — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:43:03 +0000

It’s already mid-December, and I must grudgingly admit that the coldest, shortest days of the year are coming. One bright spot, however, is that with winter comes the undeniable need for cozy sweaters! As a dedicated lover of knitwear, winter is the perfect time for me to wrap myself in the warmest sweaters I own… the ones that are too toasty for me to wear at any other time of the year.

When choosing my sweaters on the coldest days, I have a few rules I try to follow. Sweaters from our Fall 2011 collection make for perfect examples.

1. Sleeves must extend to the first knuckle of my thumb (at least). If my wrists start getting cold, the rest of me will inevitably follow. The wooly, textural sleeves on Callen from NG v.9 look just right:

2. The hemline of the sweater must hit at the hip or lower, to prevent any draftiness around the midsection. Gillings from Booklet #310 is exactly what I’m looking for:

3. Though not absolutely necessary, a little extra fabric around the neck is always appreciated. Whether it’s a turtleneck, a cowl, or a rolled edge like the one on Tiburon (from Booklet #315), keeping the neck area cozy is a smart idea:

While writing this blog post, I’ve realized the sweater I’m wearing today doesn’t meet any of the previously mentioned requirements, and my hands are starting to feel cold… Clearly it’s time for me to start knitting a new winter sweater!

More Independent Favorites

amandakeep — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:20:15 +0000

I’ve been cruising around on Ravelry again, and I’ve found some beautiful new patterns to share. It’s exciting to see what independent designers are doing with our yarns!

First up is Hannah Fettig’s Autumnal Cardigan, knitted in Ultra Alpaca Light. The long silhouette and generously sized ribbed collar make it a perfect option for staying cozy this winter.

Next, we have Jackie Moon’s Bird Nest Cowl, crocheted in Peruvia. It’s a versatile winter accessory, sized perfectly to be worn as either a cowl or a hood. In addition to being stylish, it’s an easy project and works up quickly, making this cowl a great pattern for beginning crocheters.

Shelly DeJong’s Heddal hat, worked in Ultra Alpaca Light, is a gorgeous example of stranded colorwork. Knit in three colors, the hat was inspired by traditional Norwegian knitting techniques and includes instructions for two styles: a longer toque that can be worn slouched and a short cap. Check out her Glowing Embers hat and cowl set for more colorwork with Ultra Alpaca Light!

Alegria DaSilva’s elegant Rosazura cloche is knitted in Lustra. Garter stitch bands and a cable detail at the side give the hat a distinctive art deco look. The yarn’s subtle shine and smooth texture make it perfect for showing off the stitching.

Thanks to all the designers for using Berroco yarns in their patterns! I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next…

Trunk Show

amandakeep — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:49:52 +0000

Last week Norah and I attended a trunk show reception at Slater Mill, where we had the chance to meet and chat with lots of enthusiastic knitters. Garments and accessories from Norah Gaughan vol. 9 and Booklet #315 Bohemian Mix were on display, as well as a few additional items. For an extra surprise, Norah and I brought a handful of garments from our upcoming Spring 2012 collection. With cups of hot cider in hand, we spent a great evening sharing stories and discussing the designs. Attendees got the chance to see the garments up close, and before long they were even trying them on. In between my visits to the refreshment table, I took a few photos:

Norah is at the table signing pattern booklets while attendees happily chat about all things knitting-related.

Sweaters were modeled by the mill’s antique mannequins, while accessories were draped over looms.

The dramatic lighting really shows off the cables on these two sweaters from Norah’s latest collection.

Thanks to Slater Mill for hosting, and thanks to everyone who stopped by the reception!

Amanda

Turkey Day

amandakeep — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:28:34 +0000

Just a couple of days until Thanksgiving Day! We invite you to celebrate with a visual feast of Berroco yarns:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amanda