Fiberstory Gradient

I've been updating the status on our shipment from Fiberstory and it has crossed the border. I'm being very optimistic thinking it might arrive tomorrow. My best guess is Wednesday.

Many have asked about the pattern for this cowl. Sarah from Fiberstory emailed me and the pattern is called the Crosshatch Cowl (a free pattern) from The Purl Bee.

Sarah made the following modifications to the pattern to work with the gradient kits.

In order to use the gradient kit most effectively, I used the following modifications: 

Cast on 372 sts with darkest color in gradient. (would obviously work starting with the lightest color, as well! 

color 1: Work 5 rounds in pattern 

colors 2-6: Work 6 rounds. 

color 7: Work 5 rounds. 

Bind off in pattern. 

The cast on and bind off rows are counted as the 6th round for the lightest and darkest colors, making each band of color approximately 6 rows wide. 

Sarah used an 8mm needle.

This is going to be a short post. Tonight is our draft for fantasy football. I haven't even looked at it yet. Normally it's like being back in school - studying and making notes. I should take a look at a few websites for a bit of information before we start.

Lazy Sunday

Jetsetter is finished. I'll get pictures on a mannequin on Tuesday when I'm back in the store - lying on the counter doesn't do it justice. I was going to block it (today was blocking day) but I had it on and like how it fits and lies and decided to leave it.

Magmatic Boom is drying. The Sweetgeorgia Party of 5 kits should be leaving Vancouver on Monday or Tuesday so I'd say we should have them the beginning of next week.

It was a lazy day at our house. Melo snuggled in on the couch for a while. Our dogs are all about comfort.

Now it's time to get to my Camp knitting. Beth and I are teaching a class and I need to get my sample finished. Who am I kidding? It's not going to be finished but I need to get more knit than I have now. Big Brother tonight. Who is going to win HOH???

Jetsetter

I cast on a new cowl project last night. I had two rows of the moss stitch finished when I went to bed. The plan was to work on it at work today.

Pattern: Jetsetter (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 1 ball of Freia Bulky
Needles: 12mm, 60cm circular

It was a very good plan until I forgot it this morning. What was I going to do in the store? I was tempted to wind a skein of yarn and start something else but instead I finished Holi Party.

Finished. All ends sewn in. We just need to add the buttons. Then Beth went to the golf course (passing by the store) so she dropped off the cowl and I'm about half way finished.

The pattern for Holi Party is very well written and easy to follow. There are some wrap and turns but they are not difficult and I think that if you watch a how to video you can master them pretty easily.

Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with bulky yarns right now. That is going to change this week. I'm going to be choosing between Mechita, Jilly with Cashmere and Fiberstory Fave Sock for my next project. Talk about going from one extreme to the other.

Fave Sock

We have yarn coming from the US late next week. Fave Sock from Fiberstory. I'm not sure what grabbed me first in Sarah's booth. It could have been the colours of her sock yarn which are amazing.

A 100% SUPERWASH merino, springy 2 ply with a tight twist and the look of a cabled yarn.

366m / 400 yards
100 gram skein
$35.

Daybreak

Fallen

Meadow

Milo

Terrain

Thaw

Vague

This is just a small sample of the great colours that are coming.

Or it could have been the gradient kits.

7 skeins of fingering weight (100% superwash merino) for a total of 510m (560 yards).
$54

The back and one sleeve is finished on Holi Party. I was tired after work so I didn't even bring it home. I'll try and finish it tomorrow.

It's going to be an early evening. Living in a construction zone takes a toll on you. The noise starts at 7am sharp. You're awake even if you want to sleep longer.

The party is getting bigger

The front is finished and the back is almost done.

There will be buttons on the side of the sweater. You don't make button holes - the buttons are sewn to both flaps to hold them together.

We received more sock yarn today. This is self-striping in great colours.

100 gram balls
75% superwash wool
25% polyamide
A touch of Aloe for softness

$18 a ball

Featured Speaker for 2015: AMY SINGER! Her talk will be “Digital Camera Secrets for Knitters” and it takes place at 1 PM in the Speaker’s Area.

Amy is the founder and editor of the wonderful online magazine Knitty.com, and is a knitting teacher, designer, and all-around lovely person. Read more about her on her website, amysinger.ca.

Whether your camera is in your phone, a cute little point-and-shoot or something with a few more features, taking better digital pictures is not rocket science. There are simple, concrete things you can do to make the photos you take better right now.

In this informative lecture, Amy will demystify the mechanics of photography. She’ll tell you which are the most important settings to adjust on your point-and-shoot camera, and how to be the boss of your smartphone camera, too! She’ll cover easy after-processing with iOS and Android apps (for smartphone pictures) and affordable alternatives to Photoshop for computer-based processing. And because good photography is not just about the equipment you use, she’ll talk about how to take a good picture of your knitwear! We’ll talk about models, locations, backgrounds, styling and more!

You won’t want to miss this helpful lecture! Bring a notebook and pen!

I really wish that I could hear Amy's talk. Maybe another time. It's Party Time. My goal is to have it finished by tomorrow evening. Then I get to start a new project over the weekend :)

Sock yarn and more sock yarn

Twizzlefoot - a new sock yarn from Mountain Colors arrived today.

53% Superwash Merino, 17% Domestic Wool, 17% Silk, 13% Nylon - hand dyed in Montana

410m / 450 yards on a skein

$37.75 a skein

I took this picture of the Twizzlefoot knit up when I was at TNNA in June. The ply of the yarn gives a great tweed effect. Something a bit different.

Pattern: Celo (free on Ravelry)
One skein of Twizzlefoot

Later in the day, Mr. Canpar brought in a box of Malabrigo Mechita. Oh my goodness. I want it all.

Diana

Mandragora

Ninfas

Unicornio

Pegaso

These swatches do no justice to the yarn. It is beautiful.

It's almost home time and we managed to get the Mechita on the shelf.

What can you knit with either yarn?

Ley Lines (pattern purchased on Ravlery) would look amazing. The pattern is easy to follow and fun to knit.

It's TV knitting time. Between the Jays and the four shows we have taped, Beth is going to be busy with the converter while I work on Holi Party.

The Party is Growing

My progress on Holi Party. I need to roll another ball and should finish the front tonight during America's Got Talent.

I finally remembered point protectors when I got to work this morning. This will make life easier.

For some people it is very important that both socks match. Exactly. Here is the newest sock yarn for you.

REGIA PAIRFECT – A new dimension in sock knitting! This innovation by Regia makes it incredibly easy to knit two identical socks from one skein. Thanks to "Easy Start" it is easy to find the beginning of each sock and to start knitting.

It’s very easy: The yellow starter thread marks the beginning of each sock. Simply cut off the yellow starter thread and begin knitting the first sock. After the first sock is completed, unwind the yarn to the next yellow starter thread and cut it off. Then simply knit the second sock.

It's almost Knitter's Fair time. Here are some of my tips if this is your first time heading to the show.

- trust me, there is lots of yarn. If you don't like lines or crowds, wait until noon to come. There will still be lots for you to see. If booths sell out of something, most are more than willing to ship it to you after the show

- bring lunch with you. Then you don't have to stand in line.

- wear something that you have knit. It's always fun to see completed projects.

- if you see something you like, mark down the booth you saw it in. I can't tell you how many times we get frantic people at the end of the day because they forgot where they saw something

- go through your Ravelry library and make notes of yarn that you are interested in. If there is a certain pattern, print that pattern and bring it with you. Also bring information on the yarn. What it's made of. Tension. Yardage. That will make it easier for me and other booths to help you substitute. When you come in the store I can do it on the computer but we have limited Internet access at the show.

- please have patience.

- the Fair isn't just for knitters. It is put on by a knitting guild - hence the name. Crocheters please come to the show. There is lots of fabulous yarns that you and your hooks will have fun working with.

Dreaming

More colours are coming from Dream in Color. The shipment is leaving Arizona at the end of the week and we should have it by the middle of next week. All these colours will be available in two different yarns - both with the blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere and 10% nylon. Both yarns come in 100gram skeins.

Classy with Cashmere

An exquisite blend of luxury fibers and a refined twist unite to make Classy with Cashmere an exceptional yarn indeed. 20% cashmere lends the yarn an irresistible softness, while 10% nylon and 70% superwash merino make Classy with Cashmere a superb choice for well-loved baby garments and special occasion accessories alike.

Jilly with Cashmere

Jilly with Cashmere is a single-ply fingering weight yarn from Dream in Color. The blend of merino wool and cashmere makes this yarn remarkably soft and the nylon adds additional strength. Dream in Color's dyeing technique results in a very artistic and unique look in each skein, with intense color variation and a shadow effect. 

Anything Goes

Cabaret

Carousel

Dream Girls

Flower Drum Song

Hello Dolly

A Little Night Music

Kiss Me Kate

My Fair Lady

Secret Garden

Singing in the Rain

South Pacific

The September Dream Club will be in the box as well. Watch for details next week.

My knitting is back on track. Except for the fact that you need to put stitches on waste yarn. I hate doing that because it isn't fun getting them back on the needle. I leave them on a separate circular. All fine and good except that I have too many stitches and they keep falling off the ends. POINT PROTECTORS??? I don't have any. And I was at the store today to water the plants and forgot them. I'll take some pictures tomorrow when I can show the sweater on a mannequin. ASAP from tosh is a dream to knit with.