The thing about Variegated Yarn

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season!

The other day, I had cast on the “make it pink, make it blue” yarn, aka the “Princess Aurora” yarn, aka the “All about that Bass” yarn to make the first sock. Once I started getting into the leg of the sock, I was looking at the colors, next to each other. It was at that point where I went from excited to work with it, as it had been so pretty in the hank and the cake, to feeling unimpressed by how the socks themselves were turning out.

It reminded me, how some Variegated Yarns I am less than impressed with in the hank and cake, but turn out to be one of my favorite pairs of socks, while I am super excited about other yarn, and it falls short of my expectations in sock form.

It is also quite interesting to see how the Variegated Yarns work up, especially the hand dyed / hand painted Yarns. Each sock of the hand painted Yarns I have knit up has been different from its mate, and the pair I knit up is different from the pair someone else knits up.

This is definitely one of the things I love about knitting, is seeing how my projects turn out.

One Done, One More Started

Hey Everyone!

I am finally (like a day and a half later lol), getting around to writing this post.

Sunday evening, I finished up the pair of Cobblestone Heather Stroll socks I had been working on.

I have been making some longer legged socks with a shorter cuff. This is partly due to the fact that my sock blockers stretch out the ribbing of the cuffs when I block them. I am not a fan of that. The longer leg is also in part to be some added protection against potential blisters on the backs of my heels when I wear boots. I also kind of like the look of slouchy socks with boots.

The Cobblestone Heather socks were the test run for the newer pattern. I have started tweaking it a bit more with the latest pair of socks that I started yesterday. I cast on the first sock of a pair, using KnitPicks Stroll yarn in Hollyberry. It is a really pretty deep red.

To me, it’s interesting to see how the Palette and Stroll yarns work up, and doing side by side comparisons. The Stroll and Palette yarns are like comparing Fuji’s to Granny Smith’s. They are made by the same company (KnitPicks), they are both Fingering weight yarns with a similar thickness, they come in balls of the same weight and yardage, and I used to same size needles for both yarns. Even though they are similar they do work up completely different. The Palette yarn is rougher and knits up a little bit looser / doesn’t shrink up quite as much as the Stroll. The Stroll yarn is so soft straight out of the ball. I have noticed the the Palette also seems to hold in more excess dye, which comes out when washed the first time.

I still have a pair of black trillium fibres socks in the works. Comparing the black trillium fibres yarn to one of the KnitPicks yarns is like comparing apples to oranges.

I am not the biggest fan of the black trillium fibres yarns for socks, and once I finish up the yarn I have (I have another ball in addition to what I am working with), I am using up what I have and not buying anymore. You don’t know how you will like a yarn until you work with it.

A Knitter’s Dream

Hey Everyone!

The latest KnitPicks order I had placed, arrived yesterday.

I had ordered 4 balls of the aloft lace weight yarn in Kenai, 2 hanks of Alpaca Cloud in Bennet, 1 ball of Chroma Fingering Weight in Fog Bank, as well as 2 new pairs of 6 inch DPN’s in the two size 1’s (2.25mm and 2.5mm), since these sizes are the two I use the most. I also prefer the 6 inch needles to the 5 inch needles. That extra inch makes a huge difference in how they feel while knitting with them.

I really love the colors I got. I was unsure if I would like the color Bennet of the Alpaca Cloud yarn, but it turns out that the pictures don’t do it justice.

The aloft and Alpaca Cloud yarns I will be using to knit up wraps, and the chroma yarn I will use for more socks.

Right now I have a lot of sock yarn, so I really don’t need to buy more, and I need to work on knitting it up. Beings that it is winter that also helps with the whole not going on so many adventures / not needing as many pairs knit up, washed and blocked (since it is too cold really to hand them outside to dry), I am able to leave the pairs I finish knitting in the bucket I have to keep my wool socks until I can get them washed.

For now, my knitting supplies that I want are more substantial than yarn. I want some more blocking mats and some lace blocking wires. So for now I really need to curb the impulse to buy yarn.

I am not done blogging, I still have finished projects and other knitting related things to share with you all in the future, so stay tuned for more posts.

Sunset Over The Ocean Scarf

Hey Everyone!

I have had this scarf in the works for a while. Working on it has been slow going. While the pattern is not complicated, it does take a bit more concentration. The pattern I am doing is: (RS) Knit 3, Purl 1, and knitting the last 3 stitches, (WS) Purl 3, Knit 1, purling the last 3. I am also using two strands of Malabrigo Lace Weight Yarn to knit it up. 

I don’t have the tags anymore telling me what the colors are. At first I was totally unsure and on the fence as to whether I even liked the color combination. Then one of my friends pointed out that it reminded her of the sun setting over the ocean, which I can totally see. The color combination has grown on me. 

I am definitely needing to work on it and get it done so it will no longer be a WIP, and will be come a completed project. 

I had posted this picture on social media, asking for input as to which side people liked better for being the side that shows when I wear it. Let me know which side you all like the best!

I am also liking how this scarf is feeling, it is so soft, and warm, yet it isn’t super heavy. While I love my bulkier wool scarves when i will be outside in the cold for a while, or when it is really cold. I also like the lighter weight ones, as they fit better if I don’t want them hanging outside of my jacket, and / or on a typical Portland winter day, where it is chilly and wet. Portland winter days are chilly and wet, to the point you want something, but not down right cold enough to need to bundle up super warm. If I wanted an even warmer and bulkier scarf, I could totally put 3 or 4 strands together, and go up to a little bigger needle, so the gauge / tension wouldn’t be too tight, but not so much bigger that would negate the point of adding extra stands. I may have to try that some time. 

The Nordlys Yarn Saga: The Conclusion

Hey Everyone!

I finally finished up the pair of socks I have been knitting up from the Viking of Norway Nordlys Yarn. It took me more than twice the amount of time to knit up this pair of socks than a pair using KnitPicks Palette Yarn takes me. This pair of socks took me 17 days to knit up, and a pair of socks that I am using the Palette yarn for takes about 6 – 8 days to knit up. I was so ready to be done with this yarn, it wasn’t funny. I am seriously hoping this is the last part of the saga for this yarn anyway. Four parts in a continuing saga of how much a certain yarn was bad, is more than enough, if you ask me. 

I know I wrote up a negative review on this yarn about a week ago. That review is still relevant a week later. Besides the clumps, it also was a bit thinner in some patches, and it was hard to knit with. It was also hard to catch the full stitch or fully knit a new stitch because the yarn was being such a pain in the rear. 
I can still say that I don’t recommend this yarn, especially at the price I paid for it, to anyone. 

For wool sock yarn, I will definitely stick with the KnitPicks fingering weight yarns. 

The finished product:

This is how much was left after I finished the pair of socks:

I am keeping it on hand just in case it doesn’t hold up and I have to unknit a part of a sock and reknit it up with new yarn. 

The socks are currently sitting in my  wool socks to be washed bucket, until we get another nice, warm, dry day, so I can wash them and put them outside on the line to dry.

I have since started another pair of socks, this time using more of the Palette yarn I have. 

Knitting Socks

Hey everyone!

I finished the first sock in my first pair of socks last night. I got the second sock of the pair started today. 

My first sock turned out amazingly for the first try. I am hoping that with practice,  that it will get easier and I will get better at it. 

I know I could just buy socks but it is more fun to try to make my own socks. I know it is more expensive and time consuming to make my own, but I like learning new things.  

   

Seed Stitch Poncho

Saturday was a busy knitting day for me. I had pushed through and finished the Seed Stitch (British Moss Stitch) Poncho that I have been working on for a couple of months now. For this project I used Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool Yarn in Oak Tweed. I have to admit I had my doubts about how it was going to turn out, and if it was going to work the way I wanted it to, but in the end it turned out perfectly and beautifully. I knit it in two pieces and then hand linked the two pieces together.

I made this poncho for myself, and it will be nice to have once the weather starts really cooling off, and I want something a bit nicer than a jacket or coat, but that will still keep me warm. Especially with the weather we have around here, it is generally overcast, gray, and wet a lot of the time once the rainy season starts (usually in September or October and lasts until May or June). The fact that the Fishermen’s Wool retains its natural Lanolin, that helps repel and shed the rain. I love that is a mix of two of the different natural colors in the Fishermen’s Wool line.

Figuring out how to link it was the biggest challenge. I had done a little research during the knitting process, so I just went for it, and I love how it turned out. I was also a bit concerned that the neck hole would be too small, but was happy to find out that it is just the perfect size. This is a lesson in just going for something, trying something new, and not being afraid to try, because it will likely turnout just fine. I know I am overly critical of my own work, as are most people about their own work.

I will also be washing it. This kind of a project doesn’t really need to be blocked, since it fits well, and the pattern was free handed and something that I had come up with specifically for this project. I just want to get any chemical’s that the yarn may have been treated with or added to make it easier to knit with. I also like the idea of getting some of the sheepy smell (I like the sheep smell, but it can be overwhelming at times) out before I wear it. I use a lanolin enriched wool wash for all the wool garments I knit, and then lay them flat to air dry.

Working on Christmas Gifts

I have begun working on Christmas gifts. I figure if I start now, I will have a better chance of getting the gifts done before Christmas than being right up until the last minute and even then maybe not even having them done. I would be super happy to have all my knit gifts done by Thanksgiving, which is in November here in the States.

I have one part of my friend’s Christmas gift done, and I got started on my mom’s last night after making another trip to Joann’s since they are having a coupon event going on. They have 50% off 1 regular priced item coupons out. I was able to get the two skeins of yarn I needed to make my mom’s gift for the regular price of 1 skein, which was pretty awesome. I got two skeins of Patons Lace yarn in Mystic Teal, it is a really pretty color. I am using this pattern for the wrap that I am knitting up with the lace yarn I bought.

For the time being, since I still have a personal project that I am working on, as well as Christmas Gifts, my charity knitting projects are taking a back burner until I get these projects finished.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is about 3.5 months away, which means that it is time to start thinking about the Christmas gifts I will be knitting for people. One of which will take me a while to work on. I am starting my friends Christmas gift. I picked up the yarn today at the craft store, and her gift will be simple enough for me to knit up. Right now my local Joann Fabric and Craft Superstore is starting a round of coupons, most of which are good next week (which will be nice so I can finish getting the yarn I need for Christmas gifts), as well as having sales on their fall decorations so going yarn, craft and decoration shopping is hard for me to say no to, even if it is more or less window shopping. I picked up a couple little wooden pumpkin decorations since they were half off so I got both for the price of one, then one of the yarns I bought was on sale, and the other yarn I bought I was able to use the 40% off one full price item coupon for, which was a good buy on my favorite brand of yarn. I did not pay full price for anything today at Joann. I was super happy about that. 

I am also working on finishing the poncho I started awhile back. I am working on the second piece of it. It has been slow going the last few weeks with having so much going on. I am really wanting to get it done before the weather really starts turning. I want to make use of it this fall and winter. 

The poncho I am working on, as well as my friend’s Christmas gift are being made of 100% wool. I used to not like working with, and wearing wool. I used to think it was too hard to care for, wash and such. Then I decided to give it a try, and I fell in love with using it for personal projects. After working at a knitting studio for 5.5 months where we worked with a lot of cashmere and cashmere blends I learned about washing techniques as well as wool was and shampoos. I have also taken to storing my knit wears in plastic buckets with lids, and putting cedar blocks in with my wool garments. Wool has gone from being my least favorite fiber to work with to being my favorite for using for myself. I am excited for fall and winter to get here so I can pull out all the hats and scarves I have knit up, and be able to wear them again. 

 

Working with Wool = Bliss

Hey Everyone! 

This past week I have been spending time working on my fishermen’s wool tweed poncho. I am definitely going to be making a two piece poncho, but how I am going to link the two pieces I have not decided on yet. 

I am going between two straight pieces linked on the top and bottom to create a rectangular poncho, or linking side to end to create a triangle poncho. 

Having warm projects in the works reminds me that fall and winter are coming again, which I am getting excited for. I love the cooler weather and the rain. I am totally partial to fall and winter fashion, and the warm clothes. 

Fishermen’s wool has become my favorite yarn to work with for personal projects. It makes warm garments without being super heavy, and it still has its own natural lanolin which makes it very water resistant. Having that water resistance where I live for in the winter is very important.