More yarn

Briggs & Little Woolen Mills, Harvey NB

A visit to Briggs & Little in Harvey NB, Spinrite Outlet in Listowel ON, lots of swatching, another submission to Twist Collective ……  that’s been the last 2 months….. my stash has increased!

It’s been very hot and wool on the needles for a big project just didn’t seem like a good idea anyway. As a result I have tens of swatches, some washed, some waiting and a notebook bursting with ideas — pattern writing here we come!

Briggs & Little: a small but oh so well-stocked yarn room which also contains a bin of “seconds” – on my visit I managed to get some lovely Regal for $2 a skein. I have yet to rewind the skeins so I’m not sure yet what classifies them as seconds.

Excitement is building re: the pattern being published in the Fall 2010 issue of Twist Collective. I’ve just received my first Designer Revision copy to go over. They’ve done a super job of editing my at-times rambling wordiness into a concise pattern. Thanks!

On a ho-hum note, my submission for the Winter 2010 issue of TC was not accepted — did make the short list, so that made me feel good. However, receiving a rejection notice from the TC folks really doesn’t make you feel sad — they are sooooo nice.

Visit to Gaspereau Valley Fibres :)

May 2010 Yarn from Gaspereau Valley Fibres

It had been a while since we were up Wolfville way so I was very happy to be able to stop by Gaspereau Valley Fibres Farm Wool Shop again; so much fibre to pet and extremely friendly service — what’s not to love?

I had a list (I’m all about being prepared) – there were a number of yarns I wanted to sample for some projects that are in the planning stages.

So, after a happy half-hour of filling my list and another happy half-hour of browsing, these ended up in my shopping bag for the ride home (front from left to right):

1) Fleece Artist’s Nyoni (65% merino, 20% kid, 10% nylon, 5% silk)

2)Hemp for Knitting’s “Hempton” (AllHemp6) “Foggy 10″

3) O-Wool’s Balance (50% cert. organic cotton, 50% cert. organic merino)

4) Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca (50% alpaca, 50% wool) “black 6245″

5) Brown Sheep’s Cotton Fleece (80% cotton, 20% merino) “Putty”

and at the back (left to right)

6) Crystal Palace’s Mochi Plus (80% merino, 20% nylon) “colour 558″

7) Briggs & Little’s Regal (100% wool) “Blue BW”

Sigh — there were so many other nice yarns that just couldn’t come home with me. Good thing I had a list!

Hmmmm, I see a very blue / neutral theme – wonder how that happened?

Knitmap — how clever!

Isn’t this one of the more clever ideas??

Knitmap.com looks like it uses Google maps to give you yarn store locations! Not all LYS show up on the map yet, but what possibilities!!

Celtic Child: Forest Paths Baby Blanket pattern

Published June 1, 2009:  Forest Paths Baby Blanket — details on the Knitting Patterns page and lots more on the website (link is on the Pattern page).

On to write up the “little purple hat” pattern — it is beckoning me……….

Nova Scotia Local Yarn Shops Page

The Nova Scotia LYS page has been getting a lot of hits, so remember to leave me a comment if you have any Nova Scotia yarn shops to add to the list. Let’s support our LYS’s!!!

SHEARING DAY/BACK to BACK CHALLENGE at Gaspereau Valley Fibres is back again this year on June 6th — an International competition that has newly shorn wool spun and knit into a sweater — last year’s record setters were from Toronto with a time of just under 6 hours! The second-place team from Australia was only about 13 minutes behind!

New Blog Pages: NS LYS and Cable Info

Those of you who have very keen eyes have probably noticed that  I’ve added 2 new pages to the blog: 1) Nova Scotia Local Yarn Shops and 2) Cable (Aran, Irish, Bayerische) Knitting Resources.

On the cable resources page, I’m aiming for sites/books that share information on cable knitting as opposed to pattern sites (although, of course, hybrids exist). If anyone has any resources to add, please leave the info in a comment.

Adventures in Bamboo

There is good news and happiness in the land!

The Yarn
Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK, 80% bamboo, 20% wool

Why So Many People Are Disappointed in Bamboo
I’ve been reading a lot about using bamboo yarn — it’s so environmentally good, it’s naturally anti-bacterial, it’s soft…what’s not to love? A lot, based on the sad stories of a lot of knitters.

However, having read and read and read I think a lot of the sad stories stem from individuals subbing bamboo yarn for another yarn without taking into consideration the special characteristics of bamboo i.e. it is a heavy fibre that will lengthen (grow) — ironically without changing the stitch gauge by very much (see my gauge figures below).

Given the fact that:
a) many knitters don’t swatch (has to be one of the biggest ugh’s out there!)
and
b) many don’t realize that the gauge given in a pattern is for a washed, dried and blocked swatch
This last, I might add, seems to fall under the “little secret” that “everyone should know” but is never mentioned in the pattern directions!

No wonder there are issues with not being able to match a pattern gauge. But I digress….So how is a person to work successfully with Bamboo yarn if they are not given all of the necessary information? A sure-fire recipe for disappointment and garments that remain unworn

100% Bamboo can be even more of a challenge; that is why I decided that this adventure would star a blend.

What I did:
1. Downsized Needles
The ball band suggests using 4mm [US6/UK8] needles, so I used 3mm [US2.5/UK11] following the advice that knitting to a slightly higher tension is a wise thing to do.

2. Knit a generous ~ 6″ x 6″ [15cm x 15 cm] swatch.

3. Measured Gauge:
24.5 stitches and 36 rows over 4″ [10cm]

4. Hand washed the swatch
Only because it was easier; the ball band says it’s machine washable (warm) but lay flat to dry.

5. Stretch and stretch again!
Also, following the advice of many who had worked with bamboo before.

Once I rolled the swatch in a towel to sop up most of the water, I pinned the top border and stretched the swatch downward; pinned the bottom; pinned one side; then stretched the other side starting from the middle of the side edge toward the top and bottom pinning as I went repositioning the pins of the top and bottom as I reached those ends; then I started at the top on each side again and worked the stretch down each side and repinned the bottom. Honest! Didn’t take all that long, just a lot of repinning.

6. Let it Dry.
The swatch was left to dry overnight.
I unpinned and measured the gauge.

Gauge: 24.5 sts by 31 rows

I couldn’t believe that the stitch count did not change after all that stretching. Once I unpinned it, it went right back to what it was; but, 5 rows were lost over the 4″[10cm].

7. Hang it! Literally!
(see yesterday’s post for a pic) I threaded a knitting needle back and forth through the top garter stitch border and attached 6 clothes pins to the bottom of the swatch to weigh it down. (This is supposed to mimic gravity pulling on the garment while you’re wearing it.) I then hung it across the gap between 2 cereal boxes…..and abandoned it for a day.

8. Measure Gauge Again
After hanging, the Gauge is now 25 sts by 30 rows. This will be the working gauge for any designs I make.

The knitted fabric is shiny, very soft and drapes beautifully. My 6″ [15cm] wide swatch can be stretched easily to 7.5″ [19cm] in width so a negative ease garment is a definite possibility.

Happiness is …. New Stash!!

Yes, a mere 3 (actually really only 2) days after I placed the order it’s here! Totally surprised!

On Tuesday evening I placed an order with Wool Tyme (Ottawa, ON, Canada) and today it was at the post office — in rural Nova Scotia! Excellent service on both their part and on the part of Canada Post.

So, what did I get????

Here’s the chronicling of the unpacking — the surprise of it all, even when we know exactly what we ordered! lol

I might add that they have ALL passed the cheek test and are super soft — yeah! This was one of my greatest fears when ordering online — one person’s soft is not another’s, so even if a yarn is described as soft I don’t totally trust that I will think the same.

Sublime:
Soya Cotton DK
50% Soya, 50% Cotton
Colour: pomegranate (a little darker and therefore not so pink-ish in real life than in the pic); very nice colour
Machine washable, dry flat

Mission Falls:
My first experience with Mission Falls and I know why people fall in love with this yarn!

100% merino superwash
Colour: denim (again, the actual colour is more intense than in the picture, a very deep deep teal — not sure I’d call it denim)

Falk (by Dale of Norway)
100% wool
machine washable
I ordered several colours for a colour work project I wanted to try. The red shown here again is a little off — I ordered the cherry red and it is a true full bodied red (the pic on the website looks just like mine so I was a little worried that the red would not be the right colour, but it’s perfect.)

Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK
80% bamboo, 20% wool
Colour: Willow
This is sooooo soft! Machine washable dry flat.

So much goodness!

The Rowan has spoken!

Time is flying by and the holidays are looming. Design time is at a premium these days — too much “regular” life! Home renovations can be fun but also very time consuming!

There are, however, 2 new PurpleSage designs looming in the wings –

#1) a pattern designed for the beautiful pumpkin Rowan (a DK and so soft!) that you will be able knit for that special someone in your life; it will be perfect for Valentines so look for this one in early January to give you lots of time

and

#2) a luxuriously easy-to-knit pattern using the green (plus a Blue Lagoon) Fleece Artist Somoko — something that will keep those chilly winter winds at bay!

Here’s a sneak peek at the stitch patterns. The colours are absolutely luscious and created a beautiful blend. I’ve had this yarn since the spring and have tried a number of different designs but nothing seemed right — until I tried this one! I think it’s a keeper!! I hope you agree when you see it.

Now it’s all about the pattern writing and photography.

I feel famous!

The Gaspereau Valley Fibres newsletter came out yesterday and yours truly got a mention!!! Scroll about half way down – it’s the section about the Frog Tree Meriboo yarn.

Did I mention that this was a favourite place to shop??? You literally can spend the day there is so much to see and feel and drool over

Only 3 Projects on the needles

I’m trying to play some catch-up — it was getting a little crazy for a while — I think I had 6 patterns on the go!

Well, now I’m down to 3 and have had to stop myself from starting a new one until at least one more is published. That will probably be the little pink hat!

Meet Peony Mairei
I finished writing what I think is the final draft of the pattern last night.

Now, this pattern is based on another design — the Gomphidius Violet — so since all of the numbers were worked out already for the sizing, I’m leaning toward not having this one test knit. This too is made of Green Mountain Spinnery’s Cotton Comfort — 20% organic cotton, 80% fine wool in a DK weight — very nice yarn to work with.

Celtic Jenna Rose Top
The Celtic knot centrepiece is being test knit as I write. The written pattern is in its second draft.

In the picture you can see how the initial cross-over (ecru – inside the circle) didn’t work out so I took some scrap yarn (purple) to rework just that section. (This happened in more than one spot as I worked out this design!!!) As you can see just above the circled area, my cross over/under was messed up too!!

Save the good yarn
These samples were worked in scrap acrylic yarn in a weight similar to the final yarn I was planning on using — Bernat Soy Natural Blends: 50% Soy, 50% Acrylic. When I know I’m going to be working and reworking a design area, I usually don’t use the final project yarn; I save that to knit the actual sample that will be photographed for the published pattern.

And last but not least:

Baby Irish Sweater
My original plan was to knit this as a no-seam design — nobody seems to like sewing up sweater seams! I’m still trying to work that out — the multiple sizing is providing some challenges when paired with the cabling patterns.

For the initial design process, I divided the sweater front, back and sleeves into sections (see picture) and assigned cable designs to each section.

This picture shows the second draft; my original had an extra cabling pattern included in the 2 side panels but when I actually worked out the gauge and stitch counts, there was no way I could include all of the patterns — the sweater just wasn’t wide enough!

I created charts for each of the sections — all of the cable patterns are either 2-row or 4-row repeats so the charts themselves are small. I am about to embark on writing the instructions that will look like….hmmmm…..I’m not sure what yet! I’m toying with the idea of using a garment map ( I just made that term up — I have no idea if there is such a thing or if it means something else to other people — or write it out; pictures always seem so much faster to interpret. I could easily make a garment map for each size, avoiding the confusion of reading directions for multiple sizes. We’ll just have to watch this one unfold.

Then I’ll knit the sample and see how it all works out!

Off to proof read the Peony Mairei pattern.