Marketplace

Pre-colonization and the advent of money, koha (gift, offering, donation) was the economic lifestyle in Te Ao Māori: a circular economy and redistribution of resources and valuables throughout the community.

Nowadays, giving a koha (in the form of money, goods or services) is the practice of bestowing an unconditional gift.

A koha best given is said to mirror the mana of both the giver and the recipient: what the giver is able to give, and the level of appreciation of the recipient.

The Koha Mitts feature a colorwork motif of the Kūmara plant (as identified by the jagged stripes). Someone who is very generous is said to have manaakitanga (hospitality), often demonstrated by the sharing of one’s food or resources with another out of aroha (love, compassion). To respect the mana of yourself and the recipient, this gift is best given to someone who exemplifies the qualities of the Giver Fibre Muse — someone who is selfless and seeks to help others AND is knitworthy!

This Koha can honor their mahi (work) and make them feel loved.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-kohasbe at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

Winter is on its way, so bundle yourself up in a shawl to help keep the cold at bay! Makariri (Maori for Winter) is a gorgeous oversized shawl, with subtle texture and squish, and eye-catching lace and colorwork. Let the garter stitch transport you to a scene of slow and peaceful living, it is a wonderfully meditative stitch. And when the lace comes into play, enjoy the present as you spend a bit more time and concentration to make the stitch work its magic.

Use your creativity and imagination to pair your three favorite colorways together to paint a scene. In my sample, I used white and two grey neutrals to reflect the cold yet magical feeling of winter. Perhaps you will choose more vibrant and warm colors to celebrate summer or spring? Regardless, let your intuition decide which colors to work together and watch the magic unfold and bloom.

Be prepared to fall in love with your new shawl, as you wrap yourself up in it, pairing it with your favorite winter coat. Step outside into the crisp air, perhaps with a slight spring in your step, as you face a new day in your new shawl.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-msvfoe at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

“E kore e wheko, he mea iri ki runga ki te wheenako, e kore e wheko.”
The yearning for something cannot be easily extinguished. – Māori Proverb

My yearning to connect back to my cultural heritage prompted the design of the Karekare pullover. I based the colorwork on a traditional geometric wave motif found in Māori weaving. Karekare is Te Reo Māori for wave, though it can also mean “choppy or rough waters.”

Over the years, I’ve had my share of rough waters to navigate. Today I continue to struggle with questions of identity: who am I? Where do I come from? Can I belong somewhere? Despite the fear of rejection and not being enough, I decided to not let the waters extinguish my desire to share my story as a bi-racial, multicultural WoC trying to find where she fits in in the world.

Do you seek a sense of belonging? Are you caught between two spaces where you don’t quite fit? Knitting connects us to our past, our present, ourselves. Exploration through this ancient craft serves to anchor us as we battle stormy seas and feed the fire of our passions.

This pullover is worked bottom-up, in the round, with some short row shaping around the neck for a better fit across the shoulders. The original was knitted in a DK baby alpaca for a soothing warmth on cool evenings.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-karabw at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

Hihiko, Māori for speed and swiftness, perfectly embodies this hat, a quick and breezy knit that can be completed in a day or two. The Hihiko hat features an intricate Japanese lace paneling that shapes into a star formation at the crown.

One of the amazing things about intricate lace patterns, especially in hats, is how they shorten the knitting process. Maybe it’s because they engage our minds, eyes, and fingers at the same time, demanding that we fully dive into the process of knitting. Even when away from the project, it tempts our hands with a call of “one more row.”

Knit up the Hihiko hat using a skein of sport-weight yarn in a solid color to emphasize the lush pattern of the lace.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-Hisbie at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

“I am an artist you know … it is my right to be odd.”
― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Wifty (another word for eccentric) is the perfect word for Dreamer Fibre Muses. The Wifty Top, created to be fluid and loose, allows for the full flow of self expression as it purposefully avoids making precise calculations in the garment. YOU as the knitter and the creator get to decide for yourself the direction you want to take the design. While there are some recommended measurements, this design encourages you to play!

The top is constructed by knitting two identical squares in the bias and seaming them together, with some finishing touches worked in garter stitch. The nature of bias fabric will cause the top to curve inwards, for a fun and cute fit!

With this pattern launch, I collaborated with Expression Fiber Arts, whose hand-dyed skeins create a palette perfect for this eccentric top and pair perfectly with their Sincere Sock yarn.
We all have a little Dreamer in us. Pick a fun and wacky colored yarn and let its colors shine in this top that is as eccentric as the Dreamer Fibre Muse that is within you!

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-Widbty at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

The koru, which is often used in Māori art as a symbol of creation, is based on the shape of an unfurling fern frond. Its circular shape conveys the idea of perpetual movement, and its inward coil suggests a return to the point of origin. It represents peace, tranquility, personal growth, positive change and awakening.

The symbolism of the koru ties into perfectly with the art of knitting. Knitting is a form of self-care, a meditative activity that can bring peace and tranquility to one’s soul in a noisy world where we don’t have a lot of control or choice. Choose the color of your yarn, determine the method of construction, make some decisions about the length of the sleeves or finishing details, and then find some quiet alone time as you create a hand knit garment that’s unique to the world — because YOU made it with your own two hands.

This light cardigan perfectly suits transitional seasons like spring and autumn with three-quarter sleeves. Using a cotton fingering-weight yarn enhances its natural versatility.

Feel the yarn run through your fingers as you work. Watch as the twisted stitches outline the lace to paint an intricate tapestry, even as you experience the simplicity in its knitting. Dive into the process, savor the healing power of working up the piece, and celebrate when it’s complete. Your family and friends will wonder at this intricate tapestry you’ve created.
Cast on today and indulge in the healing power of your knitting.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-Koerue at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this week, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

Whakatā Shawl

For those days when everything feels like a fight…
When you’re late to work but the dog still needs a walk…
When you’ve accidentally scheduled pick-ups for two different kids at the same time…
When you spill coffee across your lucky shirt right before you walk into that important meeting….

At the end of those oh-so-long, stress-filled days, stumble to your softest spot and catch your breath with the Whakatā Shawl. This relaxing and meditative knit will entrance you as the yarn runs through your fingers and hypnotize you with the rhythm of the stitch pattern. The swooping silhouette of the crescent shaping will make you swoon with anticipation. This shawl was designed to take advantage of a rustic, organic yarn with its classic and simple design that incorporates textural stitches playing wonderfully with variegated bases.

Download the pattern and drift away to a peaceful retreat you can carry with you anywhere.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-wahatb at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

Have you ever purchased a skein of yarn with a really eccentric and unique colorway, maybe on vacation or at a fiber show, and then watched it sit in your stash? The right pattern to show off this beautiful skein never quite seems to appear, while the urge to knit up this gorgeous yarn hits you whenever it catches your eye.

The wait is over. Wind that skein and grab a copy of the Atiru Shawl pattern. This design plays with the arrow shawl shape and its use of simple garter stitch in the body pairs perfectly with variegated or eccentric yarns. And that same garter stitch makes this shawl project an excellent accompaniment for your upcoming holiday preparations, allowing you to sneak in a few stitches here and there around the melee.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-Asbgek at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!

Mauri Tau Pullover

“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.” ― Elizabeth Zimmerman

This well-known quote from Elizabeth Zimmerman resonates during this increasingly combative time. Knitting gives our souls the space to heal, to reflect, and to find peace. These moments of quiet contemplation renew our strength and prepare us once more for the struggles of daily life.

Mauri Tau means calm or serene in Te Reo Mãori, though I personally understand it as “settling of the soul.” This top-down yoke pullover features an eye-catching yet simple slip-stitch motif to create a soothing knitting experience. Even if you put it down for a while, it will be quite easy to see where you left off! The simple motif also allows you to use your more variegated yarns to knit it up and still not lose the beauty of the stitch pattern.

The abundance of calming stockinette allows the pattern to be easily adjusted at the body for length and waist shaping. You can even add extra flourishes at the sleeves and hem of the pattern if you like.

This pattern includes stitch count checkpoints, tables for all sleeve decrease rows, written and charted instructions (along with mobile and LVA versions), all graded in 14 sizes up to a 66-inch bust.

May the ease of the slip-stitch pattern and meditative nature of the stockinette produce a pocket of serenity in your busy life.

Get 60% off this Pattern by using Code: TPoF-PoTW-Mlsbie on Ravelry at checkout!

This shawl falls under The Giver category in my Fibre Muse titled bundles.

The Giver Fibre Muse uses knitting to make a difference in other people’s lives. They are very compassionate, kind and understanding. They will prepare months in advance, knitting up projects for their friends and family to give as gifts, because they understand the joy and thrill of receiving a handmade piece. Even if they aren’t always properly thanked (because non-knitters don’t get the amount of time, effort and skill that goes into their gift!), knowing that they left a special mark in someone’s life, lightning up their day, makes them happy and gives them a sense of purpose. In a world where there is not enough empathy, knitting is a way to help heal and serve others.

During the holidays or any special event, they get way more excited watching others open gifts from them than they do receiving presents. A charitable soul, they believe in the importance of giving back to their community in anyway they can: through supporting businesses that share the same values, volunteering or supporting charitable causes, or even just being a friend in need, a shoulder to cry on. But don’t think that the Giver is a pushover. If there is an issue they care deeply about, they’ll be the first ones to take action, speaking up and declaring their trust, protecting those who need protection. Some Givers may even use their craft as a form of activism, the driving force to make positive, powerful change.

This primary sense of giving to others, to improve other people’s lives, is what makes the Giver unique from their sibling Muses, the Seeker, Dreamer and Mystic. While all Fibre Muses share aspects of each type, this drive to give and serve most strongly resonates in the Giver.

Use the code TPoF-PoTW-Kawnbe at checkout on Ravelry to receive 60% off the pattern this weekend, exclusively for Indie Untangled subscribers!