Monday, May 31, 2021

Three Colours

Ms. UPS brought a big box of tosh today. 

Lynn has the Twist Light and Merino Light wall looking good. The colours are in alphabetical order which makes it easier to find colours. 


I took colours outside to play with. Take a look at these shawls on Ambah’s website. There are all knit with three colours of fingering weight yarn.

Photos © Ambah O’Brien

Assana

Lilli Pilli

Yemaya 

Lilli Pilli Shawl

Xanthe - this is my shawl.

Cardigan, Aurora Australis and Iris
Prairie Fire, Vintage Sari and Iris (I used Prairie Fire and Vintage Sari in my Xanthe with a different purple).
Iris, Barbara Deserves Better Solid and Geranium
Havana, Infrared Sky and Prairie Fire

Here is another combination for Brian Smith’s pattern that I showed yesterday. Oak, Saffron, Glazed Pecan and Winter Wheat.

The garden is coming to life. I love the colours in these flowers.

The window box on the shed is very pink this year.

It’s time to sign off. The hockey game is on.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Happy Sunday

Brian Smith has a new pattern. Meet Almondis (pattern available for purchase on Ravelry). This looks like a great wrap for a cold winter day.

The shawl is knit in worsted weight yarn.

Mitred squares added as you go, by picking up stitches from the previous square worked. Using four colors and seven stitch patterns.

Brian used four colours for his shawl. I think it would look beautiful in just one colour as well. 



I pulled two colour combinations yesterday in the store. These are both Tosh Vintage

Sugar Coat

Rose

Star Scatter/Solid

Night Bloom

Dr. Zhivago’s Sky

Saffron

Oak

Whiskey Barrel

We have more Vintage coming tomorrow. Rose and Oak are in the box along with

Glazed Pecan

Winter Wheat

Moonstone

Nocturne

You can use Cascade 220, Cascade 220 Heathers, Cascade 220 Superwash Merino, Woolstok or Malabrigo Rios. There are many options.

Cinnabar is growing. I’m enjoying Brioche knitting. It helps that the one ball changes colour so you want to knit ‘just one more row’ to see how the new colour looks. Now a few more rows before bed.

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Gamut

We have a new shawl. This is called Gamut and you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. We knit our sample in two colours of Noro Tsabume - 5 & 10. The shawl was knit on a 3.75mm needle and we following the sport weight instructions.

From Lori Versaci who designed the shawl

In color reproduction, the “gamut” is a certain complete subset of colors which can be accurately represented in a given circumstance, such as within a given color space. 

The perfect vehicle for self-striping yarn, GAMUT shawl uses 2 different colorways and a simple textured pattern to produce a stunning celebration of color! 

GAMUT is an easy, rhythmic knit that can be knit in a range of yarn weights (shown in sport and worsted weight yarns. And the color changes will delight as you move from end-to-end.

There are so many stunning, self-striping yarns out there, but I chose. to work with one of my favorites, Spincycle Yarns in both Dyed in the Wooland in Dream State using different needle sizes! Shown in the first photo on left, Dyed in the Wool in colors End of Summer and The Family Jewels and on right, Dream State in colors Midsommar and Good Omen. In the second photo, Dyed in the Wool in colors in colors Stay Out of the Forest and Castaway.

For all 3 of mine, I chose to use a total of 4 skeins, 2 in each of 2 different colorways, but it is easy to adjust the size of the shawl to whatever weight or quantity of yarn works for you! 

This is a really fun spring knit, so pick up some yarn and get knitting!!

Diana called me this week to ask about the shawl. She was at the number of stitches that the pattern called for but there was yarn left over. I asked her to stop. You can continue knitting for a bigger shawl or you could make the shawl slightly smaller and then there is enough yarn for two shawls. Because the yarn stripes no two shawls will look the same - even if you use the same colours.



Named for the barn swallow that migrates to Japan during cherry blossom season, this is a classic worsted-weight silk/wool blend. Each oversized skein contains 600m making it ideal for an endless variety of one-skein projects!

The silk in Tsubame makes it so soft and drapey. 

While I was in the store today I photographed each ball of yarn and updated the website. I think that this will show the colours better.

The top two colours are 10 and 5 - the colours we used.

The bottom colours are 18 and 4. This would be another great combination.

The top colours are 8 and 2.

The bottom are 6 and 11.

Dad and Lucy came to make boxes today. Lucy wouldn’t get out of the truck. Normally we would push and prod but with her leg we didn’t want to do that. She stayed in the truck and dad worked outside. I think this might be his new spot for making boxes. The back of the truck is higher than the table in the store and easier to work on.
Now it’s hockey time!

Friday, May 28, 2021

Back At It

I finished Beth’s hat today. This is Flicker & Flame from Andrea Mowry. You can purchase the pattern on her website. I used Woolstok and Dream State (the worsted weight version of the hat).

Hats for the whole family in two different yarn weights! These fun colorwork beanies can also double as your swatch for the Spark Cardi or Sparky Pullover! These hats are knit from the bottom up, with the colorwork motifs being read from a chart.

It was so cold out that Beth was wearing it around the house. Even for a lay down on the couch. The hat needs to be blocked but I don’t need to stretch it - it is the perfect size. 

The pattern was simple and quick. I would highly recommend it for someone wanting to try colourwork.

Tomorrow I will weigh the left over yarn. I’m fairly certain that you can knit two hats with one skein of Dream State.

I didn’t work on Cinnabar for a few days but came back to it this afternoon. Once you get the pattern set it is very instinctive.

We have boxes coming next week.

UPS should be coming on Monday with a box from madelinetosh. There will be new colours of merino light.
Interchangeable sets of Addi Squared needles should arrive sometime during the week. These have been hard to come by. The tips are pointier than the original Addis which is a good thing if you are doing lace knitting. They aren’t as slippery as the original Addis so you don’t have to worry about your stitches slipping off the needles.

Boxes are coming from Biches & Buches on Tuesday or Wednesday. There is a new colour of Le Cashmere and Lambswool. This is Dark Blue Turquoise. 

This is Soft Blue Black in Le Petit Lambswool. Another brand new colour. 

Now back to Cinnabar. There is baseball and hockey calling my name.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Rays

Linda came to pick up yarn today and she brought a shawl to show me. It was beautiful but not as beautiful as the shawl that she was wearing. I almost took it from her. I think I could take her 😘

This is Stephen West’s Dotted Rays Speckled Fade. You can purchase the pattern on Stephen’s website.

When Linda got home she emailed the colours that she used. She told me that she has just started Dotted Rays #5 in pinks and purples. I can’t wait to see it.

 







The yarn that Linda used as been discontinued but Lynn and I played and came up with a few combinations. 

From the left
Skinny Singles Kelp
Uschitita Vintage Rug
LITLG Single Lughnasa
Old Soul Fiber Single Rivendell
Skinny Singles Dove

This is the main part of the shawl. In the Chevron at the bottom of the shawl there are 2 colours. The lime green with a pink blend.

Linda used LITLG Singles Rosegold in the chevron and that is what I have put in.

Tosh Merino Light

Moonglow, Night in Chile, Copper Pink Solid, Dried but not Forgotten, Oak

Rosegold again for the chevron.

Thank you Linda for sharing! I think. Now I have another project on my list.

My shawl is growing. If you know Brioche it looks like I made a mistake in the last few rows. Andrea has you reverse the dominant colour. Then on the next row I will be switching back.

Beth sent this from the office. Someone was ready to go home.