MOON & TURTLE IS WONDERFUL

Super duper talented twin sisters, Kiyomi & Sachiko Burgin have just contributed an AMAZING knitting pattern book to the world - MOON & TURTLE! Alongside the lovely Pom Pom Press, Kiy and Chi have created a truly inspiring and lasting collection of thoughts and patterns that is available for preorder right now (click through the links above)

Recently, I’ve found myself revisiting the reasons why I enjoy and value knitting. In reading through my copy of Moon & Turtle, I was able to draw some new connections - I knit to explore subtle relationships and interactions between colour, shape and texture. The simplicity of these designs is a testament to Kiyomi & Sachiko’s vision and skill as designers. They have created engaging and interactive patterns that give space and freedom to the knitter, calling each of us to participate in the whole process of knitting. This thoughtful book offers carefully arranged and limitless knitting patterns for all people and all bodies. With their keen eye for detail, these patterns are anything but boring. Rather, they invite the knitter to participate in the creative process and support the making of pieces that are meaningful and tailored to individual preferences. Or at least, that’s my big takeaway!

all images above by Oliver James Brooks

I was also delighted to be able to contribute Viola yarn towards Sachiko’s pattern, Trionyx . In keeping with the book’s theme, Trionix offers two very unique variations (a DK weight and a lace weight Mohair version). Both are beautiful and the simple act of swapping out yarns creates dramatically different effects. This type of yarn substitution experiment is one of my favourite things to do with a knitting pattern and find that this particular type of curiosity often rewards me with great learning opportunities. In their patient way, Kiyomi and Sachiko have set the scene for your own knitting explorations and experiments, and they’ve done all the tricky math too ;)

We’ll be dyeing up a bunch of Mohair Lace and West Country DK before we retire our acid dyes, so you can scoop the yarn used in Trionix. I’ll keep you up to date in our newsletter. But please don’t feel limited to just the suggested yarns; as Moon & Turtle so beautifully illustrates, the pattern’s recommendations are just the beginning…

I’ve already knit a swatch for the Cesium Redux Cardi, which stood out to me with it’s slouchy and comfortable fit. In keeping with the spirit of Moon & Turtle, I think I’ll explore a few more yarn options and combinations before I make my selection. For now, here’s swatch no. 1, knit with Viola Shadow DK in Pony and Viola Mohair Lace in Crazy Pink...and the resulting colour was a thrilling surprise to me! More swatching and more learning to come. 

Thank you to Kiyomi, Sachiko and the team at Pom Pom for creating this inspiring book <3!