Taking this Blog into the Future!

Hey Everyone!

First of all, yesterday afternoon I finished up the first sock of the pair that I am making out of the Babel yarn I had ordered from Forbidden Fiber Company, in the colorway: Victoria’s Memory.

Yesterday I also washed up the leather Waistcoat socks I had finished last week since yesterday was so hot. I always love how socks feel once they are washed, and all the excess dyes and waxes and such that the yarn is processed with to knit up easier, are washed out. Nine times out of ten they are noticeably softer.

Now that September is almost here, school is starting around where I live, and the weather will hopefully continue cooling off after today, I am starting to plan my autumn and winter projects.

I will for sure be order more sock Yarns from Forbidden Fiber Company, since it is become my favorite small yarn shop. I also intend to order from We Are Knitters, and make a few winter hats from their yarn.

Yesterday, I also finally started watching the second season of Home Fires, which is a British TV show set during the early part of the Second World War (starting in 1939 and ending roughly a year later in 1940), before the US is forced to enter the war.

I know I have kind of let this blog slide over the past year or two, and now I am really wanting to get back in to it, and create more content, on a more consistent basis, for my readers.

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Would you want to see more yarn reviews? More yarn store reviews? A bit more lifestyle of a knitter? What are some of the types of posts you enjoy reading?

Leather Waistcoat Socks!!!

Hey Everyone!

Last night, I finally finished up the Leather Waistcoat colored socks I have been working on for almost a month. These socks definitely took me longer than I expected to finish up.

The yarn I used is from Forbidden Fiber Company. The yarn base is their Fortitude base, and the colorway is Leather Waistcoat.

I definitely have to say that Forbidden Fiber Company is definitely my current place to get my sock yarn. There are so many amazing colorways to choose from, I do love the yarn, the owner is awesome.

I had so much more written here, but I am choosing to share them publicly, as I have purposefully set out to keep my blog as neutral as possible, as far as trying to be a positive force in the knitting community. I have really only tried to share what projects I have been working on, what I have finished, the Yarns I like, the Yarns I am not a fan of, as well as the shops that I love buying from (those with a great product AND fantastic customer service), the shops I am a bit more indifferent towards (ie: the yarn I purchased was decent quality, shipped in a timely manner, and the bare minimum to meet my basic expectations) and the shops where I won’t be ordering from again in the future based on customer service and the quality of the yarn.

Like I have previously mentioned, my current favorite small yarn shop is Forbidden Fiber Company. It is woman owned. The owner is fairly active on both Instagram and Facebook with updates and such. Her shop doesn’t seem to sell out often (ie the stock she has posted on her website is typically something she keeps stocked, or dyes to order, and if it is something that is sold out, it tells you right then and there and can’t be added to your cart). It’s definitely helpful for those like me who are on a budget and have to wait a paycheck or two before we can order. I was quite impressed with how quick she shipped, the yarn was always beautifully wrapped before she boxed it up to ship, my packing slips always have had a handwritten note to thank me for my order, and that she hoped I like the yarn kind of thing. I have definitely enjoyed working with the yarn I have ordered. I will definitely be ordering from her more.

Places I am neutral / indifferent to include sites like KnitPicks and We Are Knitters, they are the staples and pretty much the big box stores of online yarn shops.

There have been a few shops I have been less than thrilled with, that I have mentioned, when I have blogged about the finished product(s) I made from their yarn(s). While I won’t name them here, you will know I about the ones I don’t like when I do post. I try to be conservative about the feedback I would give and why I didn’t care for them. I am one of those people who doesn’t want to malign someone, just give an honest review about my experience, realizing that someone else will likely have the exact opposite experience with them than I did.

Last night, I cast on the first sock in my next pair. I starting in on my second pair of the Steampunk Collection Yarns I have. I am currently using the Victoria’s Memory yarn, on the Babel yarn base which has 10% Yak wool in it. I was super excited to finally find a color I like that was available on the Babel base, since I have never worked with anything containing Yak hair before. I like trying different yarn based. The Fortitude base has definitely become a favorite of mine, as it knits up well and makes a sturdy boot sock. I still need to try the Gluttony Sock and Pride bases, which I am planning on doing in the near future, when I order the autumn Yarns I am eyeing.