Cabled Hat
Still under construction. The cabled band is finished. I did a provision cast on so will do a three needle bind off to join the ends. I've placed the five markers on the band. Bought another set of Size 7 dps (the pattern calls for 6 dpns). All this will be done tomorrow. Piccys are coming.
Foxen Sheep Yarn
Finally a decision. I'm going to make the Limerick Hat. The pattern has been ordered. Purchased size 6 circular needle to night. Will order another skein of the Foxen Sheep in the morning.
Organic Wensleydale Sample from Nature's Luxury
This is a yarn to fall in love with. It has the lustre of silk, beautiful stitch definition. I knit the sample on size 6 needles. There's a wonderful crunch when you knit it. It is soft but lofty. I think cables would be magnificent in this yarn.Organic Black Welsh Mountain from Nature's Luxury
The yarn really isn't black. It is a black brown with stray wiry white fibers and a slight russet
halo. Colours like this only occur naturally. When I took the fiber out of the bag, my first instinct was mittens. I knit the sample on size 6. The fabric is dense with give. Perfect mitten material.Channel Island Cast-On: Mastered. I like the bumps this cast-on creates. They don't poke
as much as picot edging and aren't as dainty.Knit Picks Woodland Mittens Kit: Okay, I'm the KP Palette Queen. I've decided what I really like about Palette is that it is a little woolly. I think I'm finding my feet as knitter. I'm not a soft yarn person. I like spunk and personality in my yarns and that's why the rare breed yarns
are so exciting and that's what I like about Palette. I've knit Palette on everything from a size 1 to a size 8. On an size 8, Palette gives you a wonderful drapey fabric. On size 1s doing colourwork you get a dense tight fabric that will wear well. Palette blooms nicely when washed and softens but you never forget that you're wearing wool. It has a bit of spring after washing, but not the downy loftiness of merino. It's also warmth without weight.
The appeal of alpaca and alpaca blend yarns for me is the warmth. I know the cabled hat will be warm. Although the Alpaca is soft, it's a bit hairy. The same for KP Cotlin--a blend of Tanguis and Linen. I don't mind that the linen makes the yarn a little rough to knit with.
Perhaps this tactile preference comes from my years of sewing. Part of the knowing what a fiber can do and will be is the feel. When I shop for fabric, it's always a combination of colour and feel. I may be attracted to a particular colour or design, but touching the fabric, moving it to see how it drapes or not is always the deciding factor. I have also sewn 99% natural fibers. Some, like silk, are soft and drapey and luscious. But most are wools, linens, and cottons and each has a different personality.
It's interesting that sock yarn with nylon has taken some getting used to. I made the Ishobel from sock yarn and just didn't like the stretchiness of the nylon-mernio combination. I was much happier knitting the spider shawl from merino. I don't have a lot of sock yarn in my stash and will use some of it for the toe-up KAL next month. But I think I will stick to a yarn like Palette or the fingering weight alpaca for socks.
Because of the convenience of Looped Yarn Works and the price rise in Knit Picks needles, I've been buying the Chiagoo circular needles. Tonight is a perfect example. With shipping, the KP needles would work out to about the same price or a little more plus a week's wait for them to arrive. The Chiagoo circulars have a smooth join and flexible cable like the KP needles and I can also get 16" fixed circulars.
The weather has been so cold that I haven't been knitting on the bus. Last week I finally had to put the thermal lining in my coat. This has put a serious dent in the production rate. But I've been working on the cabled hat before bed and knitting a scarf in a reversible stitch pattern using the Caron Simply Soft in bed.
This weekend is predicted to only get up into the teens during the day, which means it might be time to break out mommy's shearling hat.
I've treated myself a bit since the holidays. Bought a book on mittens, Clara Parkes Book of Wool and lastly, Shirley Paden's book on design. The mitten book is really quite amazing. It's the first knitting book I've bought from which I can imagine knitting every single item. I'm at the point in the Book of Wool where the patterns start. The Shirley Paden book just arrived today. Bedtime reading :)
Lastly, my new bra arrived from Bravissimo. It turns out I received the exact same model bra in white (I really need to pay more attention to these things) in the grab bag from Breakout Bras last fall. So, despite the reviews on the website, I knew right out of the package that the bra would fit perfectly and that it's initial stiffness goes away after a few wearings and washings. What is so surprising, after a search on the web, is that it is still cheaper for me to order this and other bras from the UK with the shipping than it is to buy them in the states, even on sale.
The appeal of alpaca and alpaca blend yarns for me is the warmth. I know the cabled hat will be warm. Although the Alpaca is soft, it's a bit hairy. The same for KP Cotlin--a blend of Tanguis and Linen. I don't mind that the linen makes the yarn a little rough to knit with.
Perhaps this tactile preference comes from my years of sewing. Part of the knowing what a fiber can do and will be is the feel. When I shop for fabric, it's always a combination of colour and feel. I may be attracted to a particular colour or design, but touching the fabric, moving it to see how it drapes or not is always the deciding factor. I have also sewn 99% natural fibers. Some, like silk, are soft and drapey and luscious. But most are wools, linens, and cottons and each has a different personality.
It's interesting that sock yarn with nylon has taken some getting used to. I made the Ishobel from sock yarn and just didn't like the stretchiness of the nylon-mernio combination. I was much happier knitting the spider shawl from merino. I don't have a lot of sock yarn in my stash and will use some of it for the toe-up KAL next month. But I think I will stick to a yarn like Palette or the fingering weight alpaca for socks.
Because of the convenience of Looped Yarn Works and the price rise in Knit Picks needles, I've been buying the Chiagoo circular needles. Tonight is a perfect example. With shipping, the KP needles would work out to about the same price or a little more plus a week's wait for them to arrive. The Chiagoo circulars have a smooth join and flexible cable like the KP needles and I can also get 16" fixed circulars.
The weather has been so cold that I haven't been knitting on the bus. Last week I finally had to put the thermal lining in my coat. This has put a serious dent in the production rate. But I've been working on the cabled hat before bed and knitting a scarf in a reversible stitch pattern using the Caron Simply Soft in bed.
This weekend is predicted to only get up into the teens during the day, which means it might be time to break out mommy's shearling hat.I've treated myself a bit since the holidays. Bought a book on mittens, Clara Parkes Book of Wool and lastly, Shirley Paden's book on design. The mitten book is really quite amazing. It's the first knitting book I've bought from which I can imagine knitting every single item. I'm at the point in the Book of Wool where the patterns start. The Shirley Paden book just arrived today. Bedtime reading :)
Lastly, my new bra arrived from Bravissimo. It turns out I received the exact same model bra in white (I really need to pay more attention to these things) in the grab bag from Breakout Bras last fall. So, despite the reviews on the website, I knew right out of the package that the bra would fit perfectly and that it's initial stiffness goes away after a few wearings and washings. What is so surprising, after a search on the web, is that it is still cheaper for me to order this and other bras from the UK with the shipping than it is to buy them in the states, even on sale.
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