Today’s post is a two-fer: a yarn review and a new pattern that I have released!

A few months ago I was offered the opportunity to knit something out of Manos del Uruguay’s super squishy Alegria Grande.  Alegria Grande is a worsted-weight plied dyed in Manos del Uruguay’s signature dying methods including their new space and resist-dyed colors that are speckled, as well as beautiful variegates and semi-solids. Alegria Grande is an 75% superwash merino/25% polyamide blend and comes in 100g skeins with 197 yards/180 meters apiece.

I was absolutely taken with the Ushuaia colorway (one of the new speckle space-dyed colorways) and requested 2 skeins. One night while I was supposed to be sleeping but I was instead turning over knitting projects in my mind, the design came to me.

Ever since I watched an interview with Cecelia Campochiaro, I have been fascinated with the idea of sequence knitting. That is, the process of repeating a simple pattern over and over again to create amazing textures. When I received the Alegria Grande in Ushuaia, such a lovely speckled color, I was curious to see how it would look in sequence.

So armed with needles and an idea, I began knitting. I quickly realized that even though I loved the look of the Ushuaia knit up (it reminds me of galaxies!) it was a little busy for the pattern I had in mind. I subsequently purchased an additional skein of Alegria Grande in the Leo colorway to knit a smaller cowl which would show the stitch texture even better (bonus: it coordinates nicely with Ushuaia).

What I designed is a simple cowl and eternity loop in one pattern. The only difference between the two is the initial cast on number. And the entire pattern except for TWO stitches is all the same combination of knits and purls.

So back to the name! I was knitting a pattern in sequence out of yarn from Manos del Uruguay. I may have mentioned it in previous reviews, but I love Manos del Uruguay because the company is dedicated to improving the lives of its artisans and their families in Uruguay. They are certified by the World Fair Trade Organization certified, meaning they are committed the highest ethical practices, caring for their artisans and providing them with opportunities, and keeping their environment clean. Manos del Uruguay’s contributions to the industry at large are of consequence, hence (Con)sequential!

I’m offering a discount on (Con)Sequential from November 3-13. Simply enter the code SEQUENCE25 in my Ravelry or Etsy shop and you’ll get 25% off the purchase price of the pattern.

While you can use any worsted weight yarn to create your cowl or eternity loop, I hope you’ll consider using Alegria Grande and supporting your local yarn store!

(Con)Sequential by Laura Cameron on Ravelry or on Etsy

Yarn

Manos del Uruguay Alegria Grande (75% Superwash Merino / 25% polyamide, 197 yards / 100 grams per skein), 1 (2) skeins.

Shown in Leo (cowl) and Ushuaia (eternity loop, shown on page 1).

Needles
US 6 (4 mm), 16” or 32” circular needle or needle for cowl or eternity loop, respectively.
US 8 (5 mm), 16” or 32” circular needle or needle for cowl or eternity loop, respectively.
Or appropriate size(s) to achieve gauge.

Notions
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends, stitch marker to mark
beginning of round

Gauge
20 sts / 28 rows in 4” / 10 cm, in sequence pattern, very
lightly blocked

Finished Size
Cowl (Eternity Loop)
Circumference: 22 (44)” / 55 (110.5) cm
Height: 9”/ 23 cm

A special thank you to the folks at Fairmount Fibers for yarn support; they sent me two skeins of Alegria Grande  (retail: $56.00) for free.

Also thank you to my tech editor Laura Chau and my photographer Ana Reinert!