new yarn

I just updated the shop! There won't be another update tomorrow, but I will be listing more items over the weekend. 

shop update this week...

 

 

Here's a sneak peek of some of my latest hand dyed yarn. The three skeins on the bottom row are superwash merino in a worsted weight, which is a new base yarn. The upper three are superwash merino in a 2ply fingering weight. Also, there will be some superwash merino in a squishy 3ply fingering weight. I have lots of skein-ing and photography ahead of me, so I think it will be best to add new items to the shop over two days this week.  Right now, I'm aiming for Wednesday and Thursday. I am also working on some other knitting related items for the shop, and a few might just make it into this week's update :)

november, already?

I don't know where October went, but now that it is November,  I came to the realization that I needed to finish up a few knits before getting serious about my holiday projects. I've spent the last week finishing up mittens,  darning in ends, and binding off hundreds of stitches. It feels good to finish things!

Chevalier Mittens are now a pair. I loved every minute of knitting these. I am keeping these for myself. I've been a gloves only person for years, but now I am looking forward to wearing mittens this winter. (Juliette made me a beautiful pair of cabled mittens, so now I have two amazing pairs of mittens to wear this winter!)

 Miller's Hat is finished! Another fun cable project.

 

The October Socks consist of a single sock, at the moment. I finished it in November, but I am still calling it an October sock! I really like this sock, I just hope I have it in me to start the next one soon.

Snapdragon Flip-Top Mitts have turned into Snapdragon Mitts. I ripped out the flip tops and opted to keep these as fingerless mitts. To finish the thumb, I picked up 18 stitches and knit in k2p2 rib for 3 rounds and then bound off. 

Finally,  Akimbo by Westknits. It is my latest test knit for Stephen, and I love the finished shawl. I used my own hand dyed yarns. Both are superwash merino in a fingering weight. This is a stunning project that I highly recommend.  I think I will be parting with this because it is the perfect gift for someone in my family.

ETA: more photos of the completed Akimbo on my flickr pages.

Now that these are finished, I can comfortably move on to new things. I'd love to hear what projects you have in mind for holiday gift-giving. I know I will be at the sewing machine as well as the dye pot this weekend, trying to get a good start on things.

cables!

pattern: Miller's Hat from Through the Loops

needles: US 7

yarn: hand-dyed 2-ply merino, held doubled

Ravel It!

I love knitting cables! This hat has been so much fun to knit. The design of the brim is interesting, it swoops down to cover the ears and is knitted in a herringbone pattern. The cabled portion is large and really stands out against the reverse stockinette. It's not your typical slouchy hat, and I really like that about it. I wanted to use some of my hand-dyed yarn, so I doubled up a fingering weight and it seems to be a good substitute for worsted weight yarn.

Can you believe that October is nearly over? I think it is time for me to get cracking on my Christmas projects list. I have so many WIPs that need to be sorted out, maybe this is the weekend to do it.

a rainy autumn day...

 

 

more yarn, more knits

I've been busy dyeing more yarn for the shop.  This time, in addition to some merino fingering weight,  I tried a new base yarn that is a merino/cashmere/nylon blend. It is wonderfully soft and takes dye beautifully. (the 5 skeins on the left are the new yarn. another photo here) I think my shop updates are going to be more frequent with small additions, rather than large planned updates. I will see how that goes. I would like to have a small update tomorrow night.  I want to test out some of that new base yarn, so not all of it is going to make it to the shop ;)

As you might expect, I have more projects on the needles. I can't help it, I like to start new things. This is a colorwork hat I found through Ravelry.  It's called The Inga Hat. The pattern is free and can be found here.  I love working on Fair Isle patterns.  It's been a while since my last one, which was a cowl I made back in January.  This hat is made on size 5 US needles. I chose to use the magic loop.  I'm using some non-superwash wool from Cascade and Valley Yarns, ensuring that this hat will be warm and rugged.  The bit of red is from my hand dyed yarn scraps.  I noticed that quite a few people have made modifications to the pattern, such as starting the hat at a different point on the chart, using different needles, etc.  I am following the pattern as written. I'll see what happens...

I've continued to volunteer to do some test-knitting, which I have found to be something I very much enjoy. Westknits will be releasing the pattern for these Diamondback Mitts this week.  I used more of my hand dyed DK merino yarn for this project.  The slipped stitch design is super easy and fun to work.  This is a fast project that is perfect for using up odd balls and left-over yarn from other projects.  I have to get moving on the second one!

gearing up for the cold

Just finished this pretty, lacy hat called Pasha, by Jane Richmond.  I used my hand dyed merino/bamboo blend.  The bamboo adds just a bit of extra silkiness and a very slight sheen to this soft and squishy yarn.  I loved knitting this hat. The lace pattern is very easy and works up extra quickly. The result is a very cute hat. I want to make my next one out of hand dyed dk weight yarn.

 

This is another cool weather essential, the Windschief Cowl from Westknits. The pattern will be released this week. The pattern comes with instructions for both the cowl and a hat.  This teal yarn is another one of my hand dyed yarns. It's a merino wool in a dk weight. I love the drape of the yarn when knit on US 7 and 8 needles. It is soft and warm. I wore this all afternoon. It's getting cold here, already!

 

Finally, here is one Chevalier Mitten. I used Madelinetosh Worsted in Dahlia. I love the color of this yarn.  The pattern was truly addictive.  I couldn't stop knitting it.  I had no intention of starting it any time soon, but after working on translating the charts for a friend, I decided to cast on for gauge. That did it.  I was knitting away, happily examining the cables as they were forming beneath my fingers.  It is not a difficult pattern at all. If you have not worked from a chart before, don't be intimidated. It just looks complicated. I better start the second one soon. I don't want to worry about  "second sock mitten syndrome."  Ha! I say that, knowing that at this moment I have two different single socks on needles!