16 June 2010 · 5 Comments
I’ve never quite managed be one of those people who are always up on the newest or coolest things. Perhaps I’m not attentive enough or I don’t try hard enough or maybe I just don’t care. I’ve come to terms with that, and I don’t even think it’s a bad thing. Most of the time.
Alas, in this case, my blithe dismissal of buzz led me to miss out on Sanguine Gryphon’s Bugga for far too long. Now that I’ve got some of it in my hands, I see what all the chatter has been about. This stuff is really marvelous. It’s thick, the cashmere makes it super soft, and the color is fabulously rich and saturated. This may be the first time I’ve managed to get ahold of it, but it won’t be the last!
In other news, I’m headed off to Columbus tomorrow for Knitter’s Connection to take Franklin Habit’s course on photographing fiber. Should be fun. Anyone else going to be there?
11 June 2010 · No Comments
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on the Anemochory post! The winner is StepCat, and I’ll be sending her an email to arrange delivery of her goodies. Don’t forget that everyone else is welcome to take advantage of the 10% off offer at SlackFord Studio until the end of the month by using the code ‘Hunter’ at checkout!
I’ll be back soon with more book yarn and hopefully some progress pics of my current sock (I’ve got to quell the rumors that I’ve abandoned knitting all together).
10 June 2010 · 5 Comments
So the last two book yarns were returns of old favorites. That’s always wonderful, and I am excited to work with them again. That said, there’s something marvelous in finding new favorites too. (If you were a brownie in the 80s that godawful Make New Friends song might be running through your head now too. Sorry about that.)
That’s what’s happened here. This is the lovely Sock Plus 8 by Handwerks in the color Paprika. It’s made of 8 tiny plies tightly twsited together resulting in marvelously smooth yarn. The stitch definition is fantastic, and despite all those plies, it’s not at all splitty.
I had never worked with Handwerks before. I only learned of it when one of my friends sent me a sample (she obviously knows my weaknesses). Now that I’ve laid hands on it, I realize that not using it was a shameful lapse on my part–one I’m happy to have corrected!
And, on an more administrative note, I’m closing comments on the contest post later tonight, so if you’ve not entered yet, you’ve got a bit of time left.
7 June 2010 · 45 Comments
Anemochory are out!
These were made with the lovely Hedonist Sock from SlackFord Studio, and you’ve been watching me work on them for the last few weeks. They’re smooshy and warm and indulgent and just the sort of thing I love to put my feet in…when it’s not hot. I’m pretty sure it will get cold again eventually, and I’ll be breaking these out just as soon as I can bring myself to put anything on my feet again…say some time in September.
Now this temporary sock wearing hiatus does not reflect a sock knitting hiatus, at least not for me. On the off chance that’s the case for you too, I have good news. Susan, the force behind SlackFord, has a present for you. She’s giving everyone 10% off all purchases made this month if you enter the code “Hunter” (I’m blushing) during checkout.
As if that wasn’t enough, Susan’s also offered a skein of the yarn I used here to one lucky reader (and of course I’ll send along the pattern). You guys know the procedure, head over to SlackFord Studios, find the name of your favorite color (it will be a challenge, the colors are beautiful), come back here, and leave me a comment with the name of that color. I’ll leave the comments open for at least 3 days and will announce the winner at the end of the week. Just as a reminder, you’ve got to use a real email address. I won’t use it for anything other than notifying the winner.
2 June 2010 · No Comments
Lovely as the Schaefer yarn is, 2 skeins do not a book make. Don’t worry though, there is rather a lot more. The second yarn to arrive was Blue Moon Fiber Arts’ Mediumweight in the color In the Navy.
As with the Schaefer, this is not the first time I’ve worked with Blue Moon. I’ve used it for two pairs of socks before I started designing and two pairs since. Ensnared, one of my first designs, was made with it as was Scatterling, one of my most recent.
This is another of those yarns that is just slightly on the thickish side of normal sock yarns. By now you know that these thick yarns are always a winner for me. It’s also a marvelously round and firm yarn. I’m sure once I get better at spinning I’ll be able to explain that properly, but for now that’s the best I can do.
Lucky me, I get to meet Tina Newton, the mastermind behind BMFA this summer at the Silk Retreat. Until then, there’s lots more yarn to come. I’ve got a pile carefully stored in my closet, and more is winging its way through the post as I type. I do worry that the postman is starting to wonder what’s going on…
1 June 2010 · 6 Comments
For the last few days my mailbox has been overflowing with a steady stream of some of my favorite yarns. You see, a week or two ago, I gathered up my courage and sent emails off to the folks who make my favorite yarns. I told them I’m working on a book, that I love what they do, and that I was hoping to use their work in my book. Madam Publisher was kind enough to send emails to back me up (ya know, just to prove I’m not just soliciting yarn with no intention of turning out a book). Then, and this is the nifty part, they all said ‘sure!’ and put yarn in the mail. And now…now it’s started to arrive. This makes checking the mail ever so much more rewarding than usual.
And now I get to share some of it with you. I still have to be discrete about the actual content of the book, but Madam Publisher agrees that the use of sock yarn in a sock book is not something we need to keep super secret. So, over the next few weeks I’ll be showing off some of the yarns I’ll be using.
The first to arrive was Nichole by Schaefer. The lovely folks at Schaefer were kind enough to send me two colors, Chamomile and Apple Green.
Now, if you’ve been here for a while you’ll know that this is not my first time working with Schaefer. Two of my earliest patterns, Nugatory and Embonpoint, were made in Nichole and Bines were made in Heather. Nichole is a perfect example of the slightly thicker-than-average yarn I love best. It’s thin enough to fit in shoes, but thick enough to be warm and comfy (and to feel like it’s knitting up quickly). The nylon makes it marvelously long lasting, and the colors are fabulous. It’s always a winner, and I’m thrilled to be working with it again.
Newer Entries
