Manos del Uruguay has been in the ESK family for as long as we can remember. They’re a vital part of what makes this place so special. From a huge variety of bases & show-stopping colorways to the wonderful backstory of supporting local women, Manos gives us so many reasons to call them family! Let us show off some of those reasons with our Manos  del Uruguay Shopping Spree where the ESK Kitties were challenged to spend $125 on any Manos base for 1 patterns-worth of yarn. Here’s what some of the kitties came up with!

Pattern: Cowboy Cowl by Pam Powers
Yarn: 2 skeins of Gloria in Plata
Needles: US 8
Cost: $48 – I could make two!
Why: As a chunky knits lover, I went straight for Gloria! Having worked with it before, I knew I wanted a few things from my pattern: some stockinette (Gloria is perfectly plied so my stitches look super tidy) and something I could snug in all day (this base is the definition of plush). Insert Cowboy Cowl by Pam Powers! I’d only need 2 skeins so I’m way under budget and I would have a cowl I’d reach for most mornings – can’t beat that!

Pattern: Afternoon in Lisbon by Lisa Hannes
Yarn: 1 Fino Mini-Skein Set (Dorothea) & 1 skein of Fino (Silver Teaset)
Needles: US 2
Cost: $72
Why: I’ve been kind of fascinated by this pattern since it came out and keep fantasizing about knitting it!

Pattern: Three Sisters by Cetus Knits
Yarn: 2 skeins of Alegria (9008 Orquidea & 2600 Magenta)
Needles: US 4
Cost: $52
Why: I love the textures of this pattern, including the mosaic color work used to blend the variegated and tonal colors together.

Pattern: Lucinda by Carrie Bostick Hoge
Yarn: 8 skeins of Silk Blend (300X Topaz)
Needles: US 4
Cost: $124
Why: The texture of Silk Blend lends perfectly to this design and would keep this pullover lightweight. Dye takes to the wool/silk blend in the most wonderful heathery way so I chose a solid color to show off the natural striations that would mimic the tweed yarn used in the sample. It’s knit in the round so it’s seamless, which I love, and would be a great addition to my stash of simple projects I can bring to knit night!

Do you think you can take the Manos Shopping Spree challenge? Post what project you’d choose & details just like the ESK Kitties did as a comment on this post. 1 lucky blog reader will win the yarn they chose! Don’t forget, you have a budget of $125 for 1 patterns-worth of yarn. We will announce the winner by commenting “Congratulations!” on their post on Wednesday January 23rd so get to planning those Manos del Uruguay projects now!

It’s not too late to join our Temperature Tracker year-long KAL! We have been shipping out boxes filled with all kinds of rainbows for beautiful blankets and a variety of similarly colored palettes for more wearable garments. There’s no wrong answer when it comes to color-pairing for this KAL but to inspire those still on the fence, we thought we would share our favorite yarn ideas & color combinations for some of our suggested patterns. A temperature tracker project is a great way to keep you on track to creating a very memorable project. Did anybody see how one Raveler captured 2017’s eclipse? Amazing! Better yet, this type of project is a great stash buster and may only require a few additional skeins to achieve the look you’re after! So, let’s remember this year together. From highs to lows, temperature & otherwise, we’re with you 100% of the way!

© Nona Davenport

The Tunisian Temperature Blanket by Nona Davenport separates your data points into sections to make a wonderful lap/baby blanket. For smaller blankets like this, we suggest using the super durable and washable 220 Superwash from Cascade. In the sample shown above, the designer held the yarn double (1 strand for the day’s high & 1 for the low) to create this wonderful color change. Here are a few Cascade 220 Superwash ideas but, if you have more data points, more colors can easily be added!

871 White, 1914 Alaska Sky, 1942 Mint, 840 Iris, 1944 Westpoint Blue Heather, 860 Smoke Heather, 205 Purple Sage, 856 Aporto, 866 Forest Heather, & 803 Royal Purple

803 Royal Purple, 207 Spectrum Blue, 252 Celestial, 227 Bachelor Button, 251 Evergreen, 802 Green Apple, 821 Daffodil, 827 Coral, 822 Pumpkin, 809 Really Red

© Andrea Shanti

Temperature Timepiece by Andrea Shanti is such a versatile project. Andrea calls her wrap design a “shlanket” because it can be worn/used in a variety of ways: as a shawl, scarf, or blanket! Our favorite part about this option for your year-long KAL is that it’s knit in the round. You know what that means – no ends to weave in and, with 50+ color changes, you’ll be super thankful for this in December. A few other enticing details about Temperature Timepiece in the Round are gauge matters not (no swatching!) and it can be easily modified for any weight yarn. This project can be whatever your imagination wants it to be!

© Bonnie Sennott & © Melissa Alexander-Loomis

For those who are taking this KAL by the horns and tackling a blanket, we will be cheering the loudest for you! With so many pattern possibilities, we encourage all of you to go big this year. Almost any blanket can be used as a temperature tracker, especially those with smaller sections or stripes. We chose Next in Line & Northeasterly as our featured blankets because their design lends so well to multiple colors.
If you are a fan of mixing speckles with solids, casting on Northeasterly should be a no-brainer. When knit up in such an adorable arrow pattern, most any colors will coordinate! We suggest dyers like Dream in Color who have a great selection of both dye styles or pairing some of our dyers for added interest. Hedgehog Fibers Sock Yarn, Spun Right Round SW Sock 80/20, and a splash of Squoosh Fiberarts Beefcake Sock would make for a delightful directional blanket. If you’re looking for more of a classic, simple knit, try Next in Line using Cascade Ecological Wool. With miles of worsted weight yarn knit in garter, you can catch up on your favorite shows while whipping up this show-stopper.

A good rule for any temperature tracker project is to pick a palette that works for you. If you don’t like rainbows, choose a slew of shades in your favorite color. Maybe try all grey shades with a pop of color and see what happens. Or get wild and choose solids to pair with complimentary variegated colors to give your project a magical marled look. That’s what’s great about these unpredictable patterns – you never know what your FO will end up looking like so choose colors that please you! We would love to see what colors you’ve chosen or are planning to use for your Temperature Tracker KAL so share them in the comments below. One random comment will win one of our 2019 exclusive colorways of their choice!