During a recent polar freeze, an intrepid Wool & Grace knitter came in for help. One of my former Thursday students, I recalled that she’d made herself a Her Sweater from Loopy Mango the previous winter, and I told her that I was feeling jealous and wanting one of my own. She nodded in agreement and went on to tell me how she had just worn that sweater, that it was SO WARM and that she was so happy to have made it. Best of all, she was coming in to buy more Loopy Mango to make another Loopy Sweater using Merino No. 5. Her “Her Sweater” was made up in the navy color of Merino No. 5, and this time she was opting for a lilac shade of the cabled Fisherman Sweater. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
So this week’s blog is in praise of Loopy Mango’s sweaters. Today is another cold one. I just picked up my kids from school and the show was blowing sideways and up toward the sky. I was wearing my warmest sweater (my beloved Carbeth – a favorite) and my new hundred-dollar-amazon-coat (which is also very warm) – but I still wasn’t warm enough! I think I need a Loopy Sweater.
There’s a lot to love about Loopy Mango. The yarn is endlessly soft, and knit up the fabric has a lofty lightness to it that seems to contradict the yarn’s super-bulky weight. The colors are thoughtfully fun. I have a visceral reaction to so many of those colors. Sunshine seems to defy the cold weather, Spicy Hot Pink helps coax out every bit of sass inside of me, while sometimes I like my coffee, and my yarn, Black!
The patterns are accessible, meant to be something for all levels of knitters to accomplish. The Her Sweater (pictured above) is a perfect first sweater project for Loopy Lovers. It knits up fast in any number of beautiful colors and is forgiving to little mistakes that may pop up along the way. That said, there are a plethora of other sweater projects from Loopy Mango that will look great and keep you warm on freezing days like today.
Sailor’s Dream is a new sweater project from Loopy Mango. Worked in garter stitch, one main color has a hit of color across the chest and a few stripes along one sleeve. The asymmetrical splashes of color are modern while calling on that classic Breton Sweater. If you’re making the size S/M, you’ll need 5 balls of your main color and 1 ball of your contrast. If you’re making the M/L you’ll need 6 balls of your main color and 1 ball of your contrast.
The Lucky Stripe Sweater is a cheeky striped sweater knit up in Mohair So Soft. Big wide stripes run across the sweater horizontally, while the sleeves are worked in opposite colors. I love that last detail, it makes for pure fun. Worked on a US19 needle, you’ll need equal amounts of two colors to make this sweater. S/M sweaters use 3 of each color while M/L sweaters use 4 of each color!
During a recent Loopy Mango trunk show, the Cable Cardigan came through and I absolutely loved it. A simple braided cable adorns each side along the lapel, with garter stitch running everywhere else. It was remarkably easy to wear, cozy and cute. The S/M size uses 6 skeins of Merino No. 5 while the M/L uses 7 balls!
One more cabled beauty from Loopy Mango is the Urban Fisherman Sweater. Anyone ready to cable should consider this project. While you get to enjoy some high-impact cables on this project, there aren’t that many of them… they’re just big cables. I love how this sweater (and all of the Loopy Mango sweaters) pay homage to classic styles, but have some edge courtesy of their bulky yarn and their fun colors.
If you don’t have it in you to make a sweater, you can still add some serious warmth to your life with a quick hat or scarf made of this gorgeous yarn. I’ve mentioned before that my Stockinette Scarf made of Mohair So Soft isn’t just So Soft, but it’s also SO WARM. Alex loves to knit up a garter stitch with the luscious Merino No. 5 using 2 skeins of this yarn. Sometimes she leaves it as a scarf, sometimes she seams it to create an infinity scarf. Either way, this project is fast, cute and warm. Meanwhile, Her Beanie will forever be my go-to hat. Our knitters love to add pompoms, but since my dog is attracted to them and loves to tear them up, I make mine without! I have 3 Her Beanies just for me that are colorful and warm, and I’m pretty sure I made each of them in a movie theater!
Loopy Mango makes it so easy for us to love knitting, and to be happy with our end results. So, whether you need a warm sweater or you need a sweater fast, get Loopy!
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