;)
- July 31, 2010
- tags: Book, Collaboration, partners, Yarn
This lovely temptation is Classic Merino Superwash Sport by Knitting Notions in the color Dark Rose. My camera decided to lie the day I took this picture. The yarn is actually a bit darker and, well, rosier, in person – more pink and less red.
Knitting Notions shows at several of the fiber events in my area, and I’ve been lucky enough to see all of Catherine’s yarns in person. Her booth is unmistakable and irresistible. She does a really beautiful job of displaying all her yarn to its best advantage. If you’re going to any of her upcoming events, you should be sure to stop by.
I already had a small stash of her yarn when I started the book (this one was among them), and knew I wanted to use it if I could. Catherine was marvelous, as expected, and even indulged my fit of shameful indecisiveness. I know you’ll love this, it’s worth seeking out!
;)
- July 30, 2010
- tags: Excursion, silk retreat
The last night was bittersweet. After dinner we had a combination Q & A session and a little show and tell. We learned about thigh spinning as an alternative method of depilation, we saw some truly breathtaking projects, and we made grand plans to keep in touch. We laughed and hugged and one or two people may have cried just a bit, for we knew it was almost time to go home. Stephanie put it best when she explained “if we stay here…we’ll die. You can’t do this forever.” And she’s right of course (she usually is). We couldn’t do it forever, but it was marvelous while it lasted.
;)
- July 29, 2010
- tags: Book, Collaboration, partners, Yarn
These are wicked good fun. Let me explain. I believe I may have mentioned my feelings about colorwork. I just don’t do it. I don’t get it. I don’t (generally) like it. I don’t know how to do it well. It eludes me.
But I do occasionally go ‘ooooooh, pretty colors…I want pretty colors’ (admit it, most knitters are swayed by pretty colors). So this seems like the perfect compromise.
These are part of the gradiance collection by The Unique Sheep. The gradiance collection is sets of different yarns in colors that shade subtly (or not so subtly) into one another. They come in groups of 4 or 6 colors and are available in all of The Unique Sheep’s base yarns. There are examples of lovely socks and shawls over on the page for them. It seems like the perfect way to get some of the fun of different colors while not actually having to master the technical challenges of the more traditional approach.
I got myself a set back at Sock Summit (I obviously need to stop buying yarn and start using the yarn I already have) and knew right away I wanted to use it for the book. Two more yarns to go, and then I’ll finally tell you what the book is all about!
;)
- July 28, 2010
- tags: Book, Collaboration, partners, Yarn
This is the marvelous Dream in Color Smooshy in the color Chinatown Apple. I love this yarn. It is a perfect example of truth in advertising. It is absolutely totally 100% smooshy. That is exactly the right word for it. It feels marvelous and knits up beautifully.
Now somehow, I’ve yet to make my own pair of socks out of any of the Dream in Color yarns. A quick perusal of my stash reveals at least half a dozen skeins (including one duplicate color that I apparently loved enough to buy twice). I will have to do something to remedy this. I just wound up Cloud Jungle and I think it will be my next sock.
;)
Well not quite. These are actually the kind of woods I like. The kind with paved roads and air-conditioned cabins and screened-in porches and plumbing and beds. Civilized woods. Woods that have been carefully maintained to be convenient and comfortable. I don’t have much use for the other sort of woods (the kind with wolves and tents and snakes and cliffs).
I’m off at Salt Fork State Park with The Boy and his extended family. They’ve all been coming here every summer for decades, and it’s become a much-loved tradition. (I just realized I’ve been coming off and on since 1998. Old…I’m very very old.) I’m alternating bits of book work with campfires and card games and the consumption of alarming quantities of grilled meat.
Every now and then I’ve managed to sneak in a bit of knitting. I finished the first of these this morning. They are a simple, quick, lacy little project perfect for working on when you’re busy doing other things. They’re made with Handwerks’ Sock Plus 8 in London Fog (which I love). Alas, I left the second ball of yarn at home, so I’ll have to wait till I get back to start the second one.
