Contrasting, coordinating and clashing!

Do let me explain..

The Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry has a challenge each month, and every other month the challenge is a mystery sock pattern.  4 clues, each released a week apart and this month it is slipped stitches in colour, aka mosaic knitting.  I haven’t done any colourwork socks, and I haven’t done any colourwork projects at all, come to think of it, since a jumper covered in Llamas that I knit in the 80’s that didn’t fit.  And so, in the spirit of challenge, I was up for it!

Here’s my first sock cast on and half way through clue 2, the leg.

Then, inpsired by some of the fabulous eye-popping combos that others were knitting, I decided I must have a bright purple/fushia to go with the bright sunshine yellow left over from the September mystery socks.  I hadn’t got any, so I had to dye me some!

And then..  I was so inspired by the contrasts that I dyed some Smoothie Sock in lots of opposites.  The combinations are endless, some bright, some more subtle, but here are some favourites..

and so they go on.  This latest batch would also contrast rather nicely with some of the blues and greens from the last Smoothie Sock installment.

I’m  also inspired to try Ysolda’s new mitten pattern in some of these combos – the fingerless version would be such a good way to use up sock leftovers too.  I’m suddenly finging myself interested in colourwork!  Who’d have thought it?

…doing Woolsilk!

I’ve had these sitting on a shelf for a while, so it’s about time I shared them with somebody!

This is quite a new yarn in the collection, and is a limited addition.  Once it’s gone, it’s…..well…gone!

The yarn is a smooth, evenly twisted lace yarn, and with 800m to 100g is a heavyish laceweight.  It is 50% silk, giving it a lovely subtle sheen and soft drape, and 50% wool (of an unspecified variety).  The skeins are huge, and vary a little in weight, and so have different prices, but mosty they range from 140m to 150m per skein.  Loads and loads for a big shawl!  Here’s a peek at what’s gone in the shop today….

Here’s my little honey, plainly more interested in My Sims Kingdom than Ishbel!

Smootherino, making for a warm, springy shawlette.  BTW did I mention I am becoming slightly obsessed with shawlettes?

As yet unblocked Ishbel in the gorgeously soft Gleam lite silk.

And a half finished Damson in Smootherino, dyed in my favourite colour.

There will be lots of smootherino semi solids available in the shop next week, after Fibrefest, as I’ve given in to my semi-solid urge!

Well, really.  There I am googling hand dyed yarn, and where am I?  Nowhere to be seen!  To put right this aberration and climb higher in the search engines, I’m going to unashamedly mention Hand Dyed Yarn lots!  There is some nice new Hand Dyed Yarn now in the shop, including Smootherino, at last.  Let me show you a picture of this lovely Hand Dyed Yarn.

The bottom one is a marl, and I have done these with lacey or cabley socks in mind.  This yarn lends itself to marling better that any of the others (it’s just amazing how differently similar yarns take dye) and I intend to do them in lots more colours.  I am just finishing the first of a pair of Cookie A’s Thelonious socks in the colour above, and I am really pleased with how it’s turning out.  The pattern calls for Louet Gem fingering, which is superwash merino like this one, so I think it is a good substitute.  I’ll put a picture up when it’s finished and I can get it on the blockers without first changing to a circular bendy needle.  About half way along the foot!

Oh, and… Hand Painted Yarn!!

xx

Spring is definitely springing.  The birds are really loud first thing in the morning.  There are snowdrops and croci everywhere (just in case you hadn’t noticed!), and there is at last a juicy shop update in progress.

Mostly it is Pop Sox.  There is also a little Softee, some Sweet Feet  and Buttersoft dk.  Here’s a taster of the Pop Sox.  I’ve had some good feedback from the knitting group I go to about the Pop Sox, how it is so much softer that the ‘regular’ sock yarns.  My husband is test wearing some which he has had since about mid November, and they continue to come out of the washing machine as good a new each time.  We’ll see how they are in a year or so!

So, here is some yarn candy………

And a new colour of Softee.

I’ve decided to reskein the Softee.  I think it gives a better indication of how the colours work for lace.  I would do the cobweb ones too, but I would need to inhabit a parallel universe to have the time, and have a bionic arm!

Happy knitting xxxx

Here are a few lovelies awaiting their photoshoot yesterday.  They are now in the shop.  You’ll have to scroll down to find them, as we can’t seem to get the new products to show at the top if the list!   Ho hum

Just a small addition to the sweet feet clan!  You’ll find it if you scroll down to the end of the Sweet Feet category.  Oh, and the KnitPro’s are all added now.  Loverleyyyy!

I actually want these for me, but alas, I already have just too many projects OTN!

Tiz about time there was a bit of new eye candy hereabouts! AP has been a tad busy this last little while, but Stash is now well sorted with Paletty goodness.  If you’re down that way, do pop in and take a peek.  Buy some Buttersoft dk before it all goes.  It’s only there ’til January, though there is lots of other yarny goodness to be had there! You can read a little about the yarn tasting here (scroll down), here and here.  They tell it much better than I could! And I forgot to take my camera anyway and they’ve got pics. A lovely evening, with lovely ladies.

So, anyway….I’ve been able to dye for the shop again, so here is a little look at some new things…

Rescue yarn which is Islandic Lopi, and chunky!

Glossy Quickstep merino tencel in blues

Darker blues,

Too-late-for-halloween pumpkin orange, plus some pretty pinks and purples in Sweet Feet and Pop Sox.  Oh, yes, and a few new merino rovings in darker shades.  Yum!

Knitpicks are on their way.  I’m going to be really mean and show you a pic of the gorgeous dpn cases I have, just waiting for the sets of dpns to match…

Nice, huh?  The needles are their newly re-branded ones, and they will be called ‘KnitPro’.  I may even have an interchangeable set or two.  Just in time to leave on the screen for Christmas present hints!

Happy knitting…….

It’s in Sweet Feet 1013.

I really really didn’t want to, but it has had to come to it.  I cannot see in my dining room in the day as there is so much yarn in various stages from slightly damp, through soggy, to ringing wet hanging on the dryer, aka the curtain rail.  So out trundled the heater. We now can’t get through the dining room door without stooping very low as that is now where the yarn is hanging with the heater underneath, gently humidifying the house.  House will be as humidified as outside soon, probably with added peeling wallpaper!  At least we well be able to see to eat our breakfast without having to turn the light on.

As you may be able to gather, yarn is steadily being dyed, including some new gorgeous aran I’m trying out, for all you ‘thickies’ (!) out there.  I’ve done 3 skeins in my favourite-at-the-moment deep rose red semi-solid to knit Ysolda’s Leisl so you guys can see just how pretty it all is – yarn and pattern.  I hope to have some ready for The Cotswold Craft Market on Saturday 13th Sept for those lucky Cirencesterites to squoosh, then we’ll pop it in the shop.  Tempting piccies soon when/if it clears up enough to take some

Bye for now x