You know you've gone crazy when it takes almost 2 hours to wind yarn skeins. Admittedly, I encountered challenges (ain't it always the way??). But still, 9 balls of yarn - @2400 yards of fingering weight - takes a while. Especially if you hit tangles. And that doesn't even include the 10 skeins/ 1700 yards of Berroco Quechua, a new sport-weight yarn made of yak, merino and alpaca:
Berroco Quechua in Raven colourway - I appear to be the only person in the world who's bought this so far. Apparently this yarn just came out...
I intend to make a sweater out of this, probably starting in August. These are the latest options:
I'm leaning toward Finlaggan. I guess I'm having a cable moment. I do have a slight concern that the Quechua may be a bit drapey for a classic cable cardi, but I'll verify that when swatching. The stitch definition and ply of this yarn are really lovely. It has a luxe feel that belies its price and I'm pleased to be a guinea pig.
I also bought this sock yarn, which I justified (it being an impulsive buy) by promising the remainder to my friend Jeanette, who bought it and is making a pair of socks with it right now:
Turtlepurl Yarns Striped Turtle Toes in The Artist
The remainders of her and my socks will be enough for a third pair. Note: For me (and I use @72g or 250ish yards of yarn on a pair of socks), buying 2 batches of Turtlepurl yarn (4 mini skeins designed to make 2 pairs of socks) actually yields 2 pairs. It's still pricey for socks. I got this batch on sale for $31 after tax but 62 bucks for 3 pairs of socks (or 2, if you knit differently than me), ain't cheap. The colour scheme is strangely riveting given that I don't love orange, baby blue or purple and I generally hate them together. Go figure.
Per yesterday's post, I've come up with a good plan (I think) and I'm amazed that all of the yarn I purchased is what I hoped it would be (in terms of colour, hand, quality and usefulness). I'm happy with my riff on Sonja's Starting Point. I'm going to use a deep yellow and a very green, saturated teal to round out Sonja's colour choices (a variegated, speckled cream, a grey and a cream). Effectively, I'll have swapped the navy blue and orange red she used in her version for the green and yellow:
This isn't where I saw myself going but I like it a lot. The breakdown is:
Quince and Co Finch in Peacock
Koigu KPM in 2405 grey
Shibui Staccato in Brass
Shibui Staccato in Ivory
Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Modern Fair Isle
I flat out copied the variegated Tosh from Sonja - and I liked her light and accent colours (cream and grey, which coordinates with the variegated yarn). The 2 "colours" are seriously saturated, very appealing. I do love knitting with yellow, though I rarely get the chance (because I never seem to buy it?!).
This is not the cheapest shawl I've ever decided to knit. Even with one yarn already purchased (the Quince, which is pretty inexpensive), and every other yarn 20 per cent off, this will have cost me $150 after tax. Sure, I'll likely have remainders to feed into other patterns, but I can't realistically quantify the cost of items made with yarn remnants. I purchase the yarn to make a particular item, and that item bears the cost.
For $300 all in, I have enough yarn to make a) a pair of socks (and a second if I merge my yarn with a friend's), a large shawl and a sweater. I didn't pay too much attention to price this time, because I had access to a good sale, I knew what I wanted to make and I've been knitting long enough to know that skimping on yarn is not the way to go (unless you have no choice). These yarns all feel gorgeous - not that they are all luxury-branded. That Shibui silk/merino blend is pricey. Madeline Tosh provides good yardage for the price, but it's still not budget.
Best of all, I have a bunch of new projects to spice up my stash knitting (always happening in some format or another). It's important to have choice, to keep it interesting.
When I noted this knit along (KAL) last month, I was highly motivated which is strange. See, I don't like surprises, which is why I rarely even consider KALs - until they're over, that is, and I can see what the finished object looks like. It's not that I don't like adventure - but I'd hate to spend my time making something I may not like the look of in the end.
Having said this, Sonja's instagram on the Starting Point was so compelling, that I had to buy the pattern at the very least. Look at the gorgeous colours she chose:
And when I saw how things were coming together, I started to salivate. Honestly, it's rare that I am so compelled by someone else's palette - especially as I don't love red. But look at how it turned out:
Insanely fantastic, right? (Sonja - in case you're reading this, I want your shawl!!)
But as the likelihood is that I'm not going to get that shawl in the mail, I may as well make up one of my own! And given that it's Canada Day (Happy 150 peeps!), Ewe Knit is having 20 per cent off everything. What better time to replenish the stash??
FYI, Starting Point is a shawl that calls for @400 yards of 5 colourways - and what's suggested is 1 light, 1 dark, 2 moderate / accents and 1 variegated.
I went searching for the yarns that Sonja used to make her version but they were not universally available - and I was on a sale-finding mission. I also realized that I have a stash yarn that I may be able use in lieu of the orange/red (accent colour?) or the dark blue (dark colour?) - admittedly two of the shades that make S's shawl so fantastic and unique. To use one of my stash colours would a) eat up stash yarn b) save me a bit of money and c) work better for me, potentially, as I really don't ever knit with red (or wear it, for that matter). Note: Until I engage with the pattern in detail, I won't be able to confirm which yarns S used as her dark vs her accent. I assume the blue was dark and the red and grey were accents, but I can't confirm right now.
My proposed stash choice:
This Quince and Co Finch in Peacock is too green for my liking but I've got to use it up and it is nicely saturated. If I'm going to give this FO away, might as well use it now (as it's not a colour that I'm particularly into).
Have I mentioned that every shawl I've made lately has thrilled me and I can't bear to give any one of them away but I don't have a lot of space to keep adding to the shawl collection? I realize that these are the problems to have...
In the end, I did copy one of S's yarn choices (the Madeline Tosh Light in Modern Fair Isle):
This is the 2-ply version of the yarn, fyi. I chose it cuz the photo was pretty. I wish I could have found this in the 2-ply format...
It's a long-shot colourway for me, and a testimony to my love of it in the context of S's version, because I don't like knitting with single-ply yarns - even Madeline Tosh. I hope the grey flecks will complement my other choices...
Having figured out the variegated colour and, theoretically, one accent or dark colour (from the stash), I needed to find 3 others - a light colour, a dark colour and another accent colour. I straight up copied 2 of these from S, if using different brands and shades - a grey (accent) and a cream (light):
Koigu KPM in 2405 - I have a bit remaining in my stash to bolster the 2 skeins I bought today. This yarn is no good for socks but it's squishy fantastic for shawls. It's not this dark in real life - at least it hasn't been when I've used it in the past.
Shibui Staccato in Ivory. This is silk and wool with fantastic drape. I made this cardi from it previously in another colourway
Where I went off road once again is with my final colour, a light, but bold, choice, to act as either my second accent colour or, in an irony, the "dark" colour*:
Shibui Staccato in Brass
*Note: I'm still not sure if I will choose to use the yellow in lieu of the red in S's shawl or in lieu of the dark blue. So it may end up being the dark or the accent colour (and the jewel green option from my stash will form the other, presuming they play nicely together).
Now, here's the thing. When one is crazy enough to spend hundreds of dollars on yarn, online, one doesn't know, until one puts the actual colours next to each other, whether they will work. So, when I go to pick up these yarns in store tomorrow - if I feel that I've got a terrible mish-mash going on, I may have to branch out. I should be able to return / exchange the options I bought online today for others that may be more suitable. I only hope there's still some choice available.
My grey may not work with the variegated, for example - and the jewel green/teal option from the stash is either going to work with the yellow and grey or look horrid. I may end up buying a red/orange and a navy in the end...
But these aren't the only yarns I bought today, oh no! Having eaten through much of my stash, except in remnant amounts with which I'm making smaller projects like colour-blocked socks, hats and scarves, I have allowed myself to purchase an additional yardage for a new sweater (again wild card yarn I've never even touched before - so here's hoping I like the way it looks and feels!) and some crazy sock yarn which is impulsive and will leave a remnant amount that's hard to repurpose (TurtlePurl in The Artist). My friend Jeanette is also making socks in this colourway, which is how I learned of my love for bright purple and yellow (on occasion!) so I may gift her the remainder of my yarn so she can make a second pair.
More on these yarns and new projects coming up!
Today's questions: Have you ever seen someone else's work and been compelled to recreate it? Do you love the Starting Point shawl and have you bought the pattern - or did you actually participate in the KAL? Do you think my colours are crazy or do you think they'll work? Let's talk!
I went back to Ewe Knit yesterday. Between my pain improvement (for which I am SO grateful) and the fact that the shop has moved up the block, I'm back to spending a reasonable amount of disposable income on yarn etc.
What brought me up there yesterday was broken circular needles (in use at the time, I'm making socks). I put my hand down hard on the bamboo and it broke in half. I was a bit miserable in the moment, despite the fact that I had an alternate needle (Addi Lace) because, as I've come to realize, I don't like Addis. The cables are too hard to maneuver for magic loop and the coating on the lace brand is designed to mitigate titanium slipperiness. I like slip and flexible cables. Note: I don't like the Addi Turbos either: The tips are too round (so they don't hit the yarn right) and the cables are just as shit as with the Lace version.
The needles I prefer to make socks with (at least right now) are Chiaogoo Premium Bamboo. They have a flexible metal cable (the same as that provided with the Chaiogoo metal needles - only those cables have a red coating). Apparently, the bamboo needles in the larger sizes have a plastic cables (not unlike Addi cables). But at least up to a size US2, the bamboos use the metal cable and it's perfect for socks.
I will say that the POINTY bamboo tips only get pointier as you use them (and you can get quite a poke if you're not careful). Furthermore, if you come down hard on the wood, you'll break it, as I've learned. But Chiaogoo bamboos are still my faves for socks, hands down.
Of course, while I was there, I got some more yarn. I'm not a stone.
I bought a brand I've wanted to try for a long time, though I'd previously resisted due to price. Since the dollar has tanked, the price of yarn has increased by about 30 per cent, so 420 yards of this (admittedly "boutique") fingering weight cost me $50 bucks (including tax).
It's much more grey in real life and a bit marled - not the "baby" blue it seems here. And it's made of super wash merino, cashmere and silk. I'm going to use it to make socks. Cashmere isn't the best fiber for socks (which need more resilience than most other garments) but I don't so much care. I want to knit with a yarn that looks and feels like a million bucks. And this most definitely does. I've started my latest pair of socks and it's delicious!
I've just finished a pair of socks I started a couple of weeks ago, using this (Sweet Georgia in Riptide):
Alas, my sock isn't striated in the even manner shown in the photo above:
But isn't that the fun of patterned yarn?
While I was in the shop, Claudia gave me a lovely Xmas gift:
Doesn't it match my socks beautifully? And my new Shalimar breathless? It occurs to me (and maybe it did to Claudia) that everything I knit is in some shade of grey or blue - so this bag is a great complement.
(I'd link to it on the website, but it doesn't appear to be listed. Nonetheless, you can find the bag in-store. I believe it costs about 30 bucks and it's well worth it as it'll hold a moderately sized project, notebook, notions and yarn.)
As some of you have asked, be assured, I'm taking 2 weeks off starting on December 18 and I intend to do FUCK ALL for the entire time (except when I host Xmas day for Scott's family and, perhaps, friends on the 24th). It'll be cooking, knitting and (if there's energy) sewing through the solstice. Travel, my original plan, seemed imprudent given unexpected costs incurred in the fall and given that we're going to start a rather pricey reno in the spring. Part of me is bummed about that and another part could care less. I'm just exhausted and I need to chill. Don't suppose it much matters where.
Today's questions: Have you knit with Shalimar Breathless? If yes, what are your thoughts? Do you like my new knitting bag? Whatcha think of that sock pattern. In truth, it's not my fave, but I know the socks will wear very well.
In truth, July has been a wash up on the crafting front. But what I've neglected in sewing, I've made up for in buying! I have a couple of gorgeous new fabrics to show:
For starters, let me tell you that I've never bought a Liberty fabric before. We do have reasonable access to the Tana Lawn in TO, but the jersey I have never come across before. In truth, I didn't even know that Liberty made jersey (though I'm sure that admission makes me seem very provincial).
I purchased both of these at Ewe Knit. (BTW, you can purchase fabrics and yarns online if you're not in the close surroundings.) I do sense that Ewe may be better off changing its name to
something like Ewe Knit and Sew because, about 6 months ago, Claudia
started stocking a variety of quilting fabrics. More recently she began
stocking the Liberty Tana Lawn and, just this week, she got her first
shipment of Liberty jerseys. I wonder, however, how many people realize that
sweet fabrics are to be found in this well known yarn store.
I'm not going to suggest that Liberty is cheap-and-cheerful anywhere, but it's competitively priced here and I love that I can take a 15 minute walk and come home with all kinds of fabric including stretch fabric, the type I prefer, sewing and knitting notions and zillions of awesome yarn options. So often, one experiences the sad closure of a store that has met all the needs (Caban, anyone?). But it's terrific that Ewe has joined the 'hood because I love the stuff they stock.
A bit on the fabrics:
The deliciously soft, woven (tana lawn) is an awesome, moody landscape that reminds me of a rural winter. I have no idea of what I'll do with the 2 yards I purchased, but it affected me the way no pretty floral ever could. Of course, I was recently reminded that it's a directional fabric, just to make it trickier to work with! But I know I will use it well, at some point in the future.
The viscose jersey is a riot of Catalan colour, but it's busy in a way that's so intense that said fabric pattern actually recedes into neutral. Gillian has been doing some great video fabric reviews lately wherein she debates the stretch properties (and other features) of her newest fabrics, which has put me in mind of describing this one to you. The Liberty jersey is not spongy but it has an excellent weight. It's got about 50 per cent stretch in the width and 25 per cent in the length. The recovery is excellent as is the drape. I mean, it should be. This stuff is 40 bucks a yard. It's a perfect weight for a knit dress. It's got enough heft and drape to skim beautifully without being so heavy that it drags. Of course, the fabric is vibrantly dyed, per its pedigree. FYI, it's quite wide (56 inches).
So, today's questions: Do you like Liberty fabric? Have you used it? Did you know that Liberty makes stretch fabric? What do you think of my choices?
It would serve us well were I to put together a detailed post to tell you all about my spring and summer crafting plans. But that would take organization, and I'm more busy doing things than writing about them these days.
Needless to say, there will be sewing and knitting and this summer, my express goal is to learn new skills. The leather bag is one sewing project (techique: sewing with leather). Completion of the Rosie top (one that fits) is another (technique: fitting woven bodice sloper).
As it happens, I am overwhelmed with creative ideas. Maybe it's on account of moving from the kind of dead winter that wracked the back off of my century home (let's not talk about what that entails and how much it's likely going to cost to fix) into a spring that still feels a bit like winter (but with more light). Maybe it's because I haven't had a headache - of any description - for 3 months, the longest I've gone without being addled with head pain in more than three years.
I'm loath even to mention that because I cannot bring myself to get attached to a pain-free head. But just to keep it real, in the exact moment my headaches disappeared (on a dime), I discovered a new symptom on the bumpy road of perimenopause. I've been dealing with rather wretched digestive issues that impinge on my physical freedom in a totally new-to-me way. Estrogen balance influences serotonin levels and serotonin lives mostly in two places: the brain and the gut. On the plus side, everyone agrees that it's better to go from having crushing migraines to digestive misery than the other way around. And we have a game plan for dealing with the latter.
After finishing the Svalbard - a sweater I had misgivings about on the basis of shape - I realize that it's my go-to hand knit these days. Sure, the shape may not be my most naturally flattering, but it works in my wardrobe.
This is another yarn hog pattern - one which I have not cheaped out on. I've gone with this silk-merino blend:
BTW, this is another project that Sara and Andrea and I will undertake as a mini-KAL (in our own time). They've also bought this yarn, which is phenomenal, for what it's worth. I have to wait to see how it wears, before I weigh in definitively, but the bloom and drape of the fabric it makes are perfect for the Aisance. It's fantastic looking yarn that does not grow overly when blocked, that doesn't get cloudy (a propensity of silk yarn which I hate), and that looks like a million bucks.
On the topic of local sourcing, the three of us got this yarn from Ewe Knit (our LYS) which stocks an array of colours (intriguingly, at the best price we've been able to find for the brand). Claudia, the owner, has special-ordered out-of-stock colours for Andrea and Sara, which is why I've got the head start.
A couple of things I'll say about the Aisance:
This pattern is delicious to knit - a bit interesting, but not overly. Perfect for TV or chatting with friends... I will say, however, that I wish I hadn't followed the directions at the start - those for making the neckband. As far as I'm concerned, provisional cast on is a terrible method to use with rib - as, by nature, it always creates a jog in stitches (see this useful post for information about why that's the case). You won't notice it with blocked stockinette, but this method is totally observable on the rib back-neck of this sweater - in much the way a seam would be. Mind you, at least a seam would make the join strong! Furthermore, this method means that one creates two different slip-stitch edges on each side of the cardigan - something that offends my sense of order completely. I've strongly recommended to Sara and Andrea to simply seam the centre back,which will mitigate both of these issues. Too late for me, alas.
Re: provisional cast on - and I taught myself to crochet for the privilege of completely irritating the crap out of myself - I can imagine that there are times when this method is just the thing. However, I think those times are far and few between. I've used it twice in the 3 years I've been knitting and I've been unimpressed both times...
Having said all of this, I do appreciate the way the sweater comes together - not dissimilarly to the Svalbard in its construction (though FAR more easily). You don't need to knit the band at the end - a very tedious way to finish a sweater, I assure you - instead you knit it as you go. And the back of the sweater has both rib stitch and shaping, to give it an excellent stability and an elegant line. I'm really hope I called the size right, and that this finished garment will become a summer staple.
Today's questions: What are your thoughts about provisional cast on (doing it, the result it achieves etc.)? What do you think of this sweater pattern? And have you worked with Shibui yarns? Thoughts or feelings? Let's talk!
Y'all may know that my LYS (local yarn store) is Ewe Knit - a Toronto-based boutique that is insanely well-stocked (esp. given its size) and beautiful to boot. FYI, there's also a blog which is regularly updated and filled to the brim with yarn-porn photos.
What I didn't know, till I read today's blog post, is that the store ships yarn all over the place - and it does so at very reasonable rates (the Kristin gold standard of good vendors, as I'm sure you all know).
Moreover, they're having a special, in-store sale on Thursday - 10 per cent off everything except books and mags - and 10% off 6 gorgeous sock yarns online.
Alas, no one's comping me to tell you this - though I'll happily take some free yarn if anyone connected is reading :-) The alternative is that I'll end up buying sock yarn on Halloween which, now that I knit socks that everyone steals, will no doubt come in handy.
Here are a couple of choices that seem very promising:
Sweet Georgia Tough Love
Madeline Tosh Sock - I am totally addicted to this brand...
I've come to terms with the fact that I am a constant knitter. I love having a project on the go. It gives me something to occupy my hands when I'm traveling, watching TV, sitting outside over lunch, having a coffee (or a glass of wine - which hopefully I'll be able to start drinking again soon...) I really dig the click of needles.
As I mentioned recently, a new yarn shop - Ewe Knit - opened in TO a couple of months ago in Mirvish Village. It's on Markham St., just south of Bloor - a very quick jaunt from my home or from work. I've visited there twice now and I'm SUPER impressed. Increasingly so.
Do yourself a favour and check it out. Have an espresso while you browse for yarn in a gorgeous Victorian row house. (I'm biased as I live in the less grand version of this style of century home.) And make sure you chat with the very knowledgeable and friendly staff.
Claudia, the owner, is the chicest woman in a "I used to live in Milan" kind of way. (Note: I have no idea if she ever lived in Milan.) She is so passionate about yarn and has such a beautifully curated supply of high quality yarns in many different weights and hands. I do believe she leans to the fine and medium length fibres spun sleekly in many colours (Filatura di Crosa merino, for example), but if you want your natural yarn fix, there's a more than adequate selection.
I stopped in briefly this aft, on my way to acupuncture, and I could barely tear myself away. I LOVE to pet yarn! It's all so beautiful and soft and colourful and warm. There's inspiration and possibility in every ball. I find it harder to resist than fabric - which I find very hard to resist - because it's compact.
Anyway, I wasn't even intending to blog today, much less about knitting which I seem to write about compulsively lately. (Note: my first love is sewing. I just seem to have a lot to say about knitting at the moment.) And then I went into the shop and wanted to pitch a tent there and now I'm typing away...
One thing I was able to purchase in 3 seconds flat - and which isn't my "thing", particularly - is the latest Louisa Harding pattern mini-book, "Amitola: Fourteen Projects for Hand Knitting".
Seriously, I can scarcely stand variegated yarn and loose, flowy garments, but I was transfixed:
Perhaps it has something with the consumptive chic that gorgeous model is working. Maybe I can relate :-)
Or maybe it's that the entire universe seems SO drab, I'm desperate to stare at colour as those needles click.
I can't say if I'll be investing in some of this yarn, but I did buy the book. And the yarn looks so cheerful in those little skeins. What do you think?
Form/Function. Line/Curve. Safe/Risk. Art/Craft. Body/Mind.
Fashion intersects these. It's how we express what is popular in what is personal. It's where intellect debates sex; where soft and hard duke it out. So much mystery underpins beautiful things. So much confidence rests upon them. Discuss.
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