New Purchases

The last Stitches post, I promise. I thought you'd be interested in what I bought. The above is something from Universal Yarns. When I made my first trip through the market, Jean was busily working on the computer and phone. Hal was sitting peacefully knitting on a really funky scarf. I couldn't resist and the pattern is free on the Universal website. The "cocoons' of cotton really look like silk cocoons. You only knit the small string between. Takes two balls. I think Jean designed this pattern.

Can you spinners guess who dyed this?

Yep, it's Gale's Art. It is luminous. I just hope I can do it justice on the wheel.

I bought Habu because I don't have a clue when I'll be near some again in the future. The darker purple is silk with a rustic texture. The lighter is the silk and stainless steel stuff. They may work together or I may do something separate. Don't know.
This was my totally out of control buy. These plus a bag of Louet Euroflax solid in a violet will be a skirt. I saw the Sasha pattern made up and fell in love. I bought this from Yarn Paradise from Asheville, NC. Jan and Lisa were working there. Jan loves my Curvaceous pattern. Nuf said, I was suckered in.
The colors and a bit more intense than this. Too much light in my photo. I have no intention of doing the pattern as written. Horizontal ruffles on my BgBt. I don't think so. I've been drawing and I think I can put the ruffles at an angle and get a better effect. I'd better. This skirt will cost a fortune.
Yes, the yarn is Claudia Hand Paint.
Speaking of great dyers. I bought sock yarn from Ellen of Ellen's Half Pint yarn. I think I mentioned it earlier, but here's a picture.

This was my book buy. I want to knit an amulet necklace. I don't care that the fad has passed; I'm still here. There is a sweet bracelet in here that I might try too.

That's it. Lots of projects, more than I have time for. Nothing new there.

New Yarn from the Retreat

Miss Babs brought us a trunk show of yarns. The fingering weight sock yarns were beautiful. I, of course, need more sock yarn like Iceland needs snow, but I felt a responsibility to purchase after her huge effort to support us. Honest!

The grey ombre (OOK Storm)is for doing some fancy colorwork with all the bits and pieces of left overs I have---or maybe something more planned.

The silveriness appealed.
This green colorway (Bluegrass) is a bit more vibrant that the pic, but it still has a soft, feminine quality to it.

A Strand of Purls, one of Hickory's LYS, opened Saturday evening just for us. It was a nice thing to do, and I wanted to support her, also, with a purchase.

Her base yarns seem to be Universal Yarn and Sublime. I wasn't interested in either of those. Her sock yarn didn't interest me because I had just seen Miss Babs' show. I almost bought some Rowan magazines. I never knit anything from them, but I can enjoy the photos for years,

Finally I found a Louisa Harding silk yarn called Mulberry in a great color for me. I also liked the spin which really shows the luster. I had never seen this yarn before and it was screaming "Lacy shawlette" at me. I bought four skeins to play with. (126 yds/ 50 g; 100% silk)

I'm in a small shawl / large scarf mood just now. More on this later.

I think I showed remarkable restraint. Just don't ask when I plan to cast on and knit these babies.

New (to me) Yarn--Pagewood Farm Yukon

Socken Kreativ Liste pattern -- Esther

This pattern was designed by Stephanie van der Linden who is the ringleader of a German yahoo group named Sockenkreativliste. Chat is mostly German, with an occasional English post, but all patterns are produced in both German and English. Stephanie is so very talented and has some of the best designs I've seen in years.
I don't often knit lace socks, because I like to knit a fairly mindless sock that I can work on anywhere. This had a 24 row pattern repeat, so I only knit it at home alone. I changed the heel and toe to my favorites.
The gorgeous yarn is Fleece Artist Nova Sock yarn given to me by Cristi. (She can't bear to watch old women stand and salivate and deny themselves.) I used my usual size 1 Addi Lace circ and knit magic loop.
The picot edge on the cuff is easy and just a bit more girlie for this sock.
Bottom of the foot is worked in stockinette.

Hillary comes to Charlotte; New Noro on needles

Chelsea introduced her mom in glowing terms. She smiled and looked at Hillary with so much love and pride. What a lovely young woman.
Hillary spoke for at least 45 minutes. She was strong, articulate, very specific, and very warm. I had heard many sound bites from her stump speech, but hearing the whole thing was wonderful. I'm nervous about the Tuesday primary; I do so want her to win.

Do you think the reason she looks so rested, energetic, and calm after all these months might be because she is a secret knitter? Speaking of knitting . . .

This is the new Noro sock yarn in a very bold and tropical colorway. Think parrots in the Amazon forest. The jury is still out on whether I like it or not. Of course I love the color, but there are some issues. It is a single ply as is most Noro. To be strong enough for a sock, it had to be really overspun; that's why it keeps twisting back on itself. I never pull more than a yard and a bit off the ball at any time and this helps the kinky frustration.

It feels a bit stiff, yet I think the above is going to be fingerless gloves. When I slide it down over my hand, it feels very nice, not at all scratchy.

I'm knitting a Twisted Austrian Traveling st pattern on the front and back. These st patterns are never easy, but they are even more difficult with this yarn. It has so very little stretch. I was a dork for even trying this with this yarn, but sometimes you get so far along and it looks really pretty and you just refuse to give up. At least I do.

I've started adding on the thumb gusset. I'm just winging it so I may wind up with a teapot cozy. I just love knitting on the edge---it's really not a steep one.

More new projects are coming soon.

New knits--Beaded Scarf

You're just going to have to rotate your head. I cannot get this to upload correctly and I am not in the mood to mess with it anymore. I'm not in a bad mood, but I just want this to go smoothly and then I want to knit on my new vest.

This is the Hydrangea Scarf pattern from Fiber Trends that I am using for my Beaded Scarf class coming up this month. The original pattern does not have beads, but I added them--a trick I will teach in the class.

More and more I am loving beads with lace. I'm not looking for bling, hence the bead choices are subtle. I'm looking at the way that the weight of the beads helps the fabric drape. Also the beads are a nice touch and you can take them quite wild if you want.

This yarn is Simply Shetland's Cashmere Silk blend. Charlotte Yarn has it in quite a few colors so I chose it for the class sample. It isn't buttery soft, but has a nice hand, much like raw silk. The yarn has enough texture that it holds the lace pattern open to view. It creates a very elegant casual look. Two skeins will make a 10" X 75" scarf--or longer.
I used a size 4 needle and a size 12 steel crochet hook to place the size 6/0 seed beads.

I bought the beads from Emilia Beadelia's Bead Shop on ebay. Jennifer has great prices and great products. Ordered new beads from her late Tuesday and received them today. Obviously great service. Highly recommend. Order size 6/0 to get a bead with a large enough hole to use with the crochet hook technique.

Consumer reports--yarns, patterns, classes

Remember these?

These are the socks made with Maizy, Crystal Palace's corn fiber yarn that I wrote about Sunday, September 23, 2007. I gave them to my DD1 and she told me this week that she would be very happy to have more made with the same yarn. She likes how it wears and washes.--and she is very particular!

Also an update on the Tudora I was knitting with two strands of Brooks Farm Primero. I did finish, but frogged it. Sorry, I didn't get a pic. The yarn was too heavy and a bit scratchy. Even though I shortened the pattern, it still was uncomfortable. I'm trying to design one of my own which will fix the things I didn't like and i will teach a class with it. I keep trying stitch patterns that I am interested in, and then realize that many of my students would be really pushed to learn them in a 3 hour class. The last think I want in a frustrated knitter; they tend to become former knitters. I'll keep working on the neck warmer--it will be silk--and I'll try to figure something else for the mohair stuff.

I gathered last week with Sandy and Remi to plan Charlotte Yarn's classes for the next two months. We had a ball brainstorming and planning. The entire results are at the Charlotte Yarn site. My classes are posted on my new site. Have a look if you are interested.

DD2 belongs to a craft book club that is selling everything at 9.99 this week. She invited me to join her order and boy, did I! Here are three that I selected:



I'm really excited about the floorquilts one. It is fabric decoupage on canvas to make a floor cloth type rug. Sounds perfect for a person who has dogs instead of rugs. Life is a series of choices and I choose dogs. Well, wouldn't you?

Henry, age 14

Jake, age 6

Impressionist Collection

Have you seen the Impressionist Collection? Perhaps I'm the last person on knitting earth to discover this, but I'm sharing anyway. Today's newsletter from yarnmarket.com included a reference to this way at the bottom. Cherry Tree Hill has joined in this project which seems to involve using their base yarn and specific colorways created based on famous paintings. (I quibble with calling Van Gogh an impressionist, but that's just my problem.)

Since Cherry Tree Hill supersock merino is my favorite sock yarn, that is the item I checked out first. Found three of interest. Monet's Garden for the DD's.

and Irises and Paris Rain for DH.



Then I looked at the Lorna's Laces. Wow, totally different take on the color pattern.

Artyarns---similar but different.

Now I'm hooked. What a concept. What a neat way to look at the color philosophy of various yarn companies. Different weights and styles. Look for yourself, and let me know if you knit any of this.