Saturday, April 20, 2013

Colline

Louisa Harding's 
Colline

The 2013 spring/summer Louisa Harding books and yarns are now making their debut.  Louisa says:  "This season I am embracing the idea of recapturing 'Zest' and 'Joie de vivre'."

As a designer, Louisa found inspiration for her latest collection from her travels last summer to Barcelona, Spain.  In describing Barcelona, Louisa says:  "Look up and you stumble upon some of the 20th century's most exciting architecture and decorative arts.  Buildings created with zest, passion, enthusiasm and craftsmanship."  

Colline

 Filled with inspiration from her Barcelona travels, Louisa created her 2013 spring/summer collection of yarns and designs using bright "zesty" colors. Her vision is clearly visible in her Colline pattern book which features 14 fashionable designs.  I particularly like her color-blocking styles where you pair high-contrast shades of color together...perfectly achieved with her new Colline yarn color palette.  

Colline is a soft blend of 80% cotton and 20% alpaca and comes in 12 vibrant colors.  According to Louisa:  "Colline is beautifully soft to the touch and produces great stitch definition when knitted".  

Well now that you know a bit about the Colline collection,
let's have a peak inside the book...

Bertie

 Here's Bertie.

Va, va, va voom...
Bertie just might be my favorite design in the book!  I think it's perfect for a night out "on the town" enjoying tapas or making an entrance at a special summer event.  Bertie is also available in a two-color version.  

Jamie

Here's Jamie. 

Louisa is famous for her cardigans and Jamie is a perfect short sleeve cardigan for summer.  For those who like color-blocking, Louisa also designed Jamie as a contrast edge cardigan.  I love how Louisa designed this cardi with a lace-up ribbon closure in lieu of buttons!

Marni

Meet Marni.

I love the retro look of the Marni top.

Marni can be knit as a solid color top (as shown above) or in a two-colored, striped version

Pete

Here's Pete.

I love Louisa's capelets.  Pete is a two-color (color blocked) capelet and can also be knit as a one-color caplet with sleeves.  


Stan

Meet Stan.

Stan is the perfect accessory to brighten up your summer wardrobe!  Louisa designed Stan so you can knit a scarf version in two hanks of Colline or a shawl version in 3 hanks.  

All these gorgeous photographs from the book are by Louisa's husband, photographer Stephen Jessup.  You can view the entire Colline collection at Knitting Fever.com.  


Colline Book Giveaway!

Now for the fun part!  After you view Louisa's new Colline collection, leave a comment here on my post and tell me your favorite design from the book and you'll be entered into the Colline book giveaway.  Three of my "lucky" blog readers can win Louisa's new Colline book thanks to Knitting Fever.

So leave a comment on this post before Saturday, April 27, 2013.  Three randomly selected people will each receive a copy of the Colline book.  Book prizes will be mailed out by Knitting Fever.  US residents only.  Void where prohibited. 

Good luck!

(A special "thank you" to Vincent at ImagiKnit in San Francisco, CA for assisting me in taking my Colline photographs at ImagiKnit.  All Colline book images are by Stephen Jessup and used with permission.)

68 comments:

Unknown said...

What a fun giveaway! Looks like the book is full of fun-to-knit patterns. I think Bertie is my favorite, too.

Cathy said...

I love Bertie. It is bright and fun. Nice pattern look. Thank you for the opportunity to enter, also. Happy knitting!

Jude said...

I love Pete, perfect for California weather.

Jules said...

Hi Lisette, thanks for the preview! The new cotton/alpaca blend sounds interesting--the benefits of alpaca with the coolness of cotton. My favorite design has to be the cover one, Bertie. I like her color combination on that!

Gwen A said...

Jamie is my favorite...and in my current "favorite" color, too! :)

Thanks for the preview and the chance to win the book!

gracie41999 on Ravelry

Marblemount Homestead said...

I am drooling! I would so love to win this book!

Susan said...

What a lovely pattern book. Hard to make a choice here. My favorite though is Phil-striped raglan. Thank you very much for this give away.

Kathy W. said...

I love the Marni, would be nice for the office when AC is on.

Anonymous said...

Oh My!!! Too many great patterns to choose a favorite! They are all so wonderful!

Top three choices:

Pete-1 (with sleeves)
Jamie-1 (adorable cardi perfect for everything)
Frankie Tunic (this would look outrageous on my daughter!)

Ricki said...

Oh My!!! Too many great patterns to choose a favorite! They are all so wonderful!

Top three choices:

Pete-1 (with sleeves)
Jamie-1 (adorable cardi perfect for everything)
Frankie Tunic (this would look outrageous on my daughter!)

Terry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Terry said...

I've been wanting to knit a capelet and I think Pete is the perfect pattern. Would love to win this book with these great patterns. Thanks for the opportunity. Love Knitting Fever too!!!

Ann Perry said...

Bertie is the shape I loved to sew and wear as a teenage hippie...but the texture is an added delight. Not to mention the color opportunity...although a single color would be fab as well!

Trisha said...

Ooooo... Some many lovely patterns, I think I would have to start with Bertie and then move on to Pete!

Margie said...

The yarn sounds amazing, loving the Stan shawl!

Lisa Barrett said...

Love the Bertie--and all the wonderful colors!!

Mona said...

Hi Lisette. I like Pete, the one-color capelet. My daughter is studying to get her teaching degree, and the Pete capelet reminds me of a beautiful, old-fashioned cape an old school marm would wear. I'd love to see her in it. Plus, I love the beautiful, soft pink color. Gorgeous! Mona

Anonymous said...

I love the versatility of the "Stan." I need a pattern to make my new daughter-in-law a shawl and I think this one may be "the" one.

Lynette said...

I love Bertie! I believe in using as many colors together as possible and this pattern looks very wearable too.

Annie said...

I like Pete...Capelets are so much fun and funky....they are all pretty though...

Unknown said...

I love Marni, if it will knit up large enough for me! :-)

Unknown said...

Oh, dear - - I am NOT "unknown"! Hit the wrong button. I'm Nancy at chicagoboots@gmail.com
- - - and I do like the Marni! I hope it's big enough!!

Unknown said...

Bertie's Best by Far!

Eve Martino said...

My favorite is definitely BERTIE ! It's beautiful. Of course I love them all! Thanks for the opportunity to win this great book.

Collette said...

I wanted to say Jamie was my favorite but Marnie is fighting for her place in my love list. I can't wait to try Colline as well it sounds lovely to work with.

Collette said...

I wanted to say that Jamie is my favorite but Marnie is fighting for a spot on my love list. I look forward to working with Colline as she sounds so soft and lovely. My name is Collette so I think we will get along just fine;).

Dori Eller said...

These patterns are perfect for my 3 granddaughters. Bertie has great design taste.

junebugknits said...

I think my favorite is Pete. Looks like a great book.

Chelle said...

I love Louisa Harding designs. I have the book Little cake and its been a joy to knit the patterns..

Unknown said...

Love Stan! Very light and feminine. Can't wait to make it 😊

Unknown said...

My definite favorite design is Stan for a shawl pattern. Striking lines and somewhat different from the usual shawl.

Anonymous said...

Love the "Stan" Thanks for hosting the giveaway, can't seem to collect enough pattern books, and of course the yarn that makes them all!!

KathrynB said...

Love the "Pete" capelet. Love ALL those colors. The designs are hip and very fashionable.

Peacepod said...

Marni is just marvelous. Goes with anything!

Debbie said...

My favorite is Jamie. thanks!

Nina said...

I love Louisa's designs and have been collecting here books for years! My favorite in this collection is Jamie. I live in cardi's and this one is perfect for this Summer!

Elke said...

Great book - I love the shawl "Stan" and would already have a person in mind to knit it for. A good friend who is always cold when the AC's are being turned on - knit-smile-enjoy on ravelry

Cheryl Taylor said...

Yep! I agree with you...it's Bertie for me too. What a fun blog Lisette!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the giveaway! I'm such a Louisa Harding fan. The two-color Bertie is my favorite in this collection.

Lara said...

What a great give away! I love Marni :)

annj1128 said...

Love the Stan, very chic!

ImaWinna1 said...

Such style! Love the variety for summer knitting!

MrsCampbell on rav said...

Stan is lovely! It is also my brother in law's name.

thanks for a chance to win!

gigi said...

love, love, love it- great colors, textures!

straightneedles said...

Beautiful patterns! I really love Stan---such a pretty shawl for summer!

Marian said...

Two color Bertie, and one solid Stan for me.

Kristin (ckkebalka@msn.com) said...

I LOVE the colors, so vibrant and gorgeous! I have to say Stan is my favorite for its versatility with Pete a close runner up. I think all of the patterns though would make great gifts - they are classic and not styles that would be outdated by the time they were completed ;)

Cilla Sol said...

Beautiful colors and patterns. I can see making the Jamie for my daughter! Thank you for the inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Took awhile to decide on just one ...but it would Jamie.

nanhaf said...

Great fresh colors; always love her designs

reerose said...

I like Jamie and the bright green.

nanhaf said...

forgot to mention - Bertie is my fav

Flor de Maria said...

So difficult to decide, I love them all but I' love to try to make the Marni.

Lindr said...

Marnie looks just delightful!

Elaine said...

I really like Stan but Bertie is pretty cute too.

Unknown said...

I think Bertie looks really sweet!

Helene said...

Stan is my favorite. I like the way is float around. It looks very classy and at the same time could be a little casual.

Anonymous said...

Lovely patterns - knitting is not just a cold weather sport!

Patty said...

Stan looks like something I would love to knit!!

Barb said...

I love Bertie, but I would love to make all of these patterns.

Karla said...

They are all great patterns but "Jamie" is a really cute cardi.

Unknown said...

My favorite pattern is Pete. The patterns are all lovely.

Unknown said...

All of these patterns are gorgeous..... but my favorite would be Stan.

Joan Grove said...

OH, how I'd love to make a couple of 'Stans'....lovely gifts. Can't wait to order some of the yarn, too.

Anonymous said...

I am obsessed with pink and orange. "Pete" is my favorite.

Anonymous said...

"Pete" is my meat. Love the two colors.

Sarah said...

Hard to choose just 1 fav: either short sleeved Phil or Stan!

Anonymous said...

Marni and Stan are great. Really pretty designs!

StaceyKnitsIt ravelry