Just when you thought there would never be any more……. there’s been a little Sweet Feet update!  It’s the last I’ll have.  I’ve loved having the bamboo mix, with it’s lovely drape and slight sheen.  Brilliant for shawls – I’ve worn my Forest Canopy more than anything else I’ve knit and it still looks good. Here is a little taster…

xx

I’ve sent some yarn off on a little trip to London, to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace.  There is a lot of Smoothie Sock (yes, that is why the shelves are a little bare!), and some Sweet Feet in new colours not yet in the shop.  You will find them on the Artisan Yarns stand, along with Anne’s lovely naturally dyed silks and linen.

All packed for IKnit now

Some of the Smoothie Sock from the shop is also coming, hence the slightly bare shelves in the Smoothie Sock department!  There will be loads and loads of new colours too, and I am also taking new colours of Sweet Feet and Cloud, for all those lovely drapey shawls!  Oh, and some fibre!

See you there

Just a note to say we are having problems getting the system to recognise the free shipping for international orders for the Smoothie Sock offer in the current issue of The Knitter.  Please be assured that we are aware that this is happening, and we are refunding the shipping costs straight away.

UK orders are working fine.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

Any orders placed between today, Saturday 14 August 2010 and Friday 20th August 2010 will be shipped on Saturday 21st.  I am unlikely to be able to answer emails too, other than sporadically, as we shall be getting rained on in wild and wooly Wales!  (Camping, no less – must be barking)

Normal service to be resumed next Saturday

Well….. the sock yarn from the shop is taking a little trip to Stirling this weekend with my friend Anne from Artisan Yarns.  Do drop by her stand if you can – she has some really lovely lace, and lots of other goodies to tempt!  I may even send up some pretty fibre!

There is also loads of Smoothie Sock to be uploaded into the shop in the next day or two, in rather a lot of colours!  Should be there by the weekend

I’ll be there!!!

I’m not on the official list, but I will have my mini-wall of colour making up part of the Artisan Yarns stand, number 119.

I’ve been dyeing, dyeing and dyeing some more!  I shall be taking mostly Smoothie Sock, my favourite of all my sock yarns, and some of my lovely alpaca, silk and cashmere Anna’s Lace.

I decided early on to concentrate on the aspect of dyeing I like the best – the colour- rather than many different yarn bases. They will all be non-pooling colours.   I am especially pleased with these two..

The first is a really deep bronze with bronzy greens and plum, and all the warm browns that a mix of the two makes.  The second is an amazingly saturated olive green.  In fact I like them so much, I am going to keep some skeins all to myself!   To knit a Tempest!

Might get it finished for autumn…….2015

Happy knitting 

I like dyeing my ‘painted landscapes’.  That is, where the colours move from one to another along the length of the skein, using as many as 12 different shades and tones.  However, they are sometimes hard to knit with as, depending on what you’re knitting, the colours can mix and pattern and pool in ways you might not want or expect.

BUT…there are times when this is exactly what you want.  Just take a look at these..

They’re the amazing pooling shawls of Wenat of Yarn Floozies.  Designed to make the very best of yarn dyed in a sequence from one end of the skein to the other, just like aformentioned painted landscapes, in fact, and many of the Wollmeise and Lorna’s Laces colourways.

She has full instructions and a pattern to show you how to work it all out here , and more (very generously free) patterns in the sidebar, not to mention an interesting and lively blog shared with her friend Dotty.

To make the most of this exciting way of working, there will be more Smoothie Sock landscapes coming to an APY store near you soon!

Lovely photographs used with kind permission of Wenat

update 9 June 2010 8pm BST

There’s lots of new colours of Anna’s Lace in the shop! Here are a few honeys…..

At 1200m per 100g, there’s plenty on one skein for a good sized shawl.  How about Madli’s shawl (Ravelry link) from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush which will take just one skein, or the stunning Cap Shawl (Ravelry link) by Jane Sowerby from Victorian Lace Today, taking 2 skeins, or indeed most of the fantastic patterns from either of these two books!

Happy knitting

Let me introduce you to this lovely pair of socks, knit by the very talented Laura who not only knits, but makes the most beautiful glass beads.

They’re Crocus socks by Wendy D Johnson from Toe-up Socks For Every Body.  The yarn is Smoothie Sock, in a non-pooling shade of pumpkin.  They’re quite splendid, are they not?  I’m really pleased with how the colour has subtly variegated – just the effect I was hoping to achieve

Thanks to Laura for permission to use the lovely photographs.