Can't believe it is March already?! How did that happen?
Not much happened on the knitting front since I last posted. I got benched. Yes, benched. Lymphadema is something breast cancer patients and survivors have to deal with for the rest of their lives if lymph nodes were removed during surgery. Unfortunately, my left arm turned into a "log" overnight and I needed some therapy and rest. It did go down and I am back with needles and ready to go. I was able to finish my knitting classes I was teaching, which is GOOD, but sadly, many projects were left waiting for me until the swelling went down.
This is a picture of my class scarf I finished and it's really cute. I love pairing it with my jean jacket. I used a Cascade 220 Heather yarn and there are so many yarn reviews on this stash staple, I'm not going to bore you with another one here. Let's just say it's a staple in the yarn basket for a reason. Durability, ease and price. There, your yarn review in a nutshell!
Speaking of teaching...
Have you checked out this Groupon???
I'm helping out with this...so if ever there was a time to learn to knit or brush up on your skills...now is the time! Click below to check it out:
The yarn will be reviewed later this week on the blog...the pattern too. It's blocking.
So during this week's read aloud I am without some hand knitting. This is a good thing, because I can concentrate fully on our 10 year old orphaned boy's dangerous journey of discovery! Trad is discovering the meaning of friendship, family and sacrifice as he learns who he really is. Together with a forgetful knight on their quest, the risk everything to regain that which the didn't know they had lost. A GOOD READ.History is so much fun with our kids, when we can read about adventure and discovery together as a family.
The kids and I are reading this book for History. Dear sweet Otto has found himself in the most compromising situation as he is taken out of a monastery and put back into his father's castle. The castle's daily life and purpose has Otto a bit perplexed.
The yarn: Spud & Chloe Fine in Sassafras and Tutu.
Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Inc.
Customer Service
56587 Mollenhour Rd
Scappoose, OR 97056-8203
Phone: (503) 922-3431
From Blue Moon Fiber Arts: 100% super wash merino wool
This is the fingering-weight version of our signature sock yarn. A 3-ply, tightly plied, high grade super wash merino. STR has a lot of energy what we like to refer to as boing factor. The 3-plies make it a well rounded yarn, which is great for stitch definition. We call it lightweight instead of fingering-weight because of the elasticity, which makes it not a true fingering-weight close, though. This yarn truly rocks!
Colorway featured: Sea-Mar
Pattern used: my own pattern
This is a yarn review on some sock yarn that I have browsed on Ravelry several times in the last year or so and was wondering where in the world I would find it. My LYS didn't carry it and I didn't follow through and try to locate the yarn online. Imagine my surprise when it wound up in a gift package to me sent by a fellow knitter!
As I cast on, I noted how smooth this yarn was, and the spring-y-ness it seemed to possess even while on the needles.
I picked a simple lace pattern and these were knit on 5 dpns size US #2's. I blocked gently afterwards on sock blockers and the lace bloomed open gently. These are stretchy socks because of the pattern, but the yarn itself lends itself to being soft yet springy at the same time.
There were no knots in the skein, nor were there any rough or unspun sections in my skein. The colorway was perfect for me, I can see these paired with blue jeans. The striping was unique. I wanted to show the colorway striping so I specifically chose a smaller lace repeat so as not to break it up too much by larger holes or complicated carry over stitching.
My one and only complaint about this hand dyed yarn was the pooling of color you will notice on the right sock below. Pooling of color is unfortunately a common problem with hand paints, but some people really like it, and actually prefer this type of coloring.
I do not. I think shorter color changes fixes that, but I tend to like the longer stripes, and I know that technique runs the risk of pooling. Notice the very dark blue patch on one sock? The underside of that sock has a lighter patch all the way around the under part of the foot.
The top portion while on the foot looks alittle strange to me staring down at my feet. Its like I "spilled" something on my foot...
So while I LOVE my Socks that Rock overall for quality and knitting enjoyment, I would have to point out the variation of color may be a luck of the draw if you are in the more even striping camp. If color pooling doesn't deter you, than you wouldn't be disappointed with this yarn. The colorways are gorgeous. Ravelry has reported reviews of people saying the yarn holds up well to wear and tear to opposite extreme of those that say it blooms too much and get fluffy after a few wearings.
My stitch definition was very crisp while knitting, and after blocking it did bloom just a bit. I haven't worn them yet. They are fresh off the needles.
I will have report back on their wear-ability because I plan on keeping this pair.
This large hardcover book was given to me by the wonderful hubster as a Christmas gift. I also received a beautiful bag of alpaca fiber. It's shade is a chestnut brown and I came to find out later, from a friend's farm. A gift of inspiration.
The pictures in this book makes one drool.
I'm not kidding.
From the history of fiber collection, processing and spinning...to the wonderful cable filled patterns you can try with either your own hand-spun yarns, or commercially bought yarns, the possibilities are not limited to just spinning folk. There are options for both hand spinners and non-spinners on each pattern presented.
With natural inspired names like; "Town & Country" or "October Frost" and my favorite, "Ancient Oak" this creative imagination sparking masterpiece would be a true gem in your knitting library.
The writing is superb and the beginning section of the book goes into much detail on knowing about what you are knitting, why you are knitting it, and the background as to how the designer did what she did on design elements of each project. It reads like a story though, and not just a bunch of technical information. The play on words is exquisite as your senses are lit with all aspects of color, textures, taste and smell. I felt like I was in an old English field with sheep grazing and dew on the grass.
I also felt a renewed interest in my own blending of fibers and empowered to experiment more. The author goes into detail about how she blends her fibers and the results of those blends.
The sizes given for patterns in this book looks to fit us folks who aren't um, let's say, a size 0, and the pictures actually show some models swimming in their sweaters. While some may take that as a criticism, I'm offering it as a neutral observation.
The difficulty of these patterns varies, some would be very advanced in my opinion with several finishing techniques I am not familiar with. (not that I am an advanced sweater knitter, of course!)
Don't let that discourage you though, if you wish to peruse this book and make some cabled masterpieces of your own.
I have several patterns marked and yarns put aside for when I have "oh-so-much-time" to work on the dreams inspired by this book. This pretty scarf is one of them;
You can find the patterns included in the book to browse pictures on Ravelry.com right here: a fine fleece and I recommend taking a moment or two to look through them.
I cannot put down this book. It's a page turner. A few facts;
If you are a beginner knitter, you will be inspired to take your knitting to a higher level, but I recommend this book the most to those cable lovers that aren't daunted by large cable charts or major finishing on their sweaters.
If you are a spinner, this book might not have enough technical info to produce the exact yarn pictured in the book, so it may take one experienced to copy the project. But half the fun of spinning is putting your individual twist into the pretty string.
In browsing different yarn companies this morning, I am impressed by how much work is put into a website.
This is often the first impression a customer/potential client has of them.
I have mentioned before the lack of concern of some companies have for the Internet and media that so many of us use. Why is that? Are they so busy making the yarns, they are not so up on selling their yarns?
Some sites are just downright BORING.
To be ahead in this business, not only is media presentation an art, it's a necessity.
Check out Lorna's Laces.
Simple and not distracted by too much "bling"...beautiful pictures rotate just enough to capture your attention, but not so fast that you can't study it for a moment. Not so painfully slow, you are bored. The yarn and pattern pages do the same. I like that.
Of course, I've always loved Blue Sky Alpacas and Spud & Chloe's websites. They work hard on their design and media presentations. Detail is a must.
And one of my favorites: Wollmeise. (its in German-but really cool graphics)
Browse some links and look for yourself. I often find inspiration in peeking in at a company's images and it really is a representation of who/what they are and how they wish to be interpreted.
Skip the "busy" sites. They can be overwhelming. What are some of your favorites? Please share...
As I review some of my knitting projects of December, I am really awed at how much more relaxed my holiday season was. There is something very soothing in winding my yarns and weaving the strands around each other to create a unique gift.
Spinning some wool/alpaca blended fiber that I hand carded produced these lovely skeins I've named, "Africa" with it's wild-themed scheme.
Sarah's winter hat showed me why I love charts and can't seem to follow a color sequence in abbreviation form. The top part of the Fair Isle didn't turn out. I was so fed up with the directions, I just finished the hat. I wanted it done to get wrapped and put under the tree. This is a good reminder to myself to thoroughly read through a pattern before I embark on the project. I need to remember that if it isn't enjoyable reading through it, it won't be any less enjoyable knitting it up.
I also knit some lined mittens for a friend. These are for alittle girl who loses her mittens frequently, so I also secured an I-cord on them.
The liners are a sport weight alpaca, which made the fit much better as the outer mitten is worsted weight. I stash busted with these and was able to use up some pretty pink leftovers.
Notice the mistake on the cuffs? One is k1p1 and the other is k2p2...LOL! This would be alittle "too relaxed" in my knitting...or, knitting right before bedtime.
I hope as you review your own knitting this month, you have lovely things that were made from the heart as well.
I love giving gifts that were knit especially for someone. I think about them, pray for them, and just generally hold them close to my heart as I create for them. It's a personal connection.
As 2011 winds down and we move into 2012, I am looking forward to new changes, to renewed health and to more wonderful knitting projects.
