It Followed Me Home...Honest!

I'm stumped. I paid an innocent, benign visit to my LYS and found a stowaway in my back seat when I got home. 7 skeins of Aran weight Malabrigo. This particular shade is dubbed "Rich Chocolate" - yummmmm! It's so incredibly soft - I believe it's singly ply. I've never knit with it before but its name has been evoked a few times on various podcasts (said with hushed tones) so, I'm game to let it stay and hopefully become something beautiful.

I'm actually thinking of this design. It's Cardigan for Arwen from the new Interweawe Knits. It's been a while since I knit anything with cables and I'm jonesing for some now. Unless you've been in a monastery, you'll know this is one of the hot knit-alongs right now.

I've made little progress on Poppy. I'm still totally in love with the yarn and design. Here's a shot of the little progress I've made. I've passed the 1/4 mark and the second band of colour (to the right) should run directly up the centre front (if I've done this correctly). Quite frankly, I'd love to sit a only knit right now however, as we all know, life gets in the way. I've also been working at something on the side.

Here are the beginnings of Icarus. I'm making it out of Cherry Tree Hill Suri Alpaca. The colour is called "Raku" and it's a mixture of shades of plum, teal and smoky grey. I've got an amazing dress to wear to the company Christmas party on December 16 and I'd love, love, love to have this done by then. I'm plugging away but won't be making myself ill to meet the deadline. I plan to wear the same dress to the Cuvee wine-making awards in February so, it will be ready by then. I also plan to put some beads on the "Icarus Feathers". There's a tutorial here on how to do this. I know that lace really comes into its own when it's washed and blocked. Until then, it looks like a mash-up of stuff.

In the end, I've got about 5 active projects on the needles. This is when I'm happiest and I can knit to my mood and have a few projects to choose from. Oh yeah, the Malabrigo - it can stay.

Asking for Directions

Sometimes it's good to stop and ensure that you are - in fact - going in the right direction. Such is the case for my spinning. I've been "learning my wheel" for the last 5 months. I don't worry about creating the perfect yarn, I'm just trying the different settings on the Schacht. It's a great wheel because it can be set in double drive, scotch tension and bobbin lead. According to the Spin Off issue from 1994 - bobbin lead is the way to go for plying. So, I gave it a whirl...literally. Here are the results. These are the singles. As you can see, one is very bright (merino from Grafton) and one is a lovely rose colour. I plied them together and got this 2 ply yarn but in Bobbin Lead mode - the take up was not great so, the twist kept coming and the yarn is over plied. You can see it twisting as it lies here straight from plying. I love the way the rose "quiets" the hot-coloured roving and I considered the experiment a success except it bothered me that the Bobbin Lead mode didn't perform as I expected it to. After all - if Rita Buchanan says it's the bomb then ya gotta believe it's so. This is what prompted me to sign up for a "Spinning Wheel Clinic" at Gemini Fibres North of Toronto. I've met a co-worker who spins and knits (she has a Majacraft Susie) and we set off bright and early on Saturday to seek some "spinning epiphanies".

We got there a bit early which left a bit of time to case the joint to see what we might want to buy. The others arrived and it was cool to see that each participant had a different wheel. Here's a group shot - left to right are; a handmade wheel by this lady's husband, the instructor's Jensen Tina II, an Ashford, a Lendrum (Anniversary Black Walnut edition -this was gorgeous) . We started by learning the lingo and how to set the tensions for the best gentle take-up. We learned about McMoran balances which let you take a little piece of finished yarn and figure out how many metres per 100g it is (yes I bought one). We found out about the "Spinners Control Card". This is a tool that lets you measure the grist of your singles to be able to know what the resulting wraps per inch and gauge will be once it's plied. Very cool - scored one of those too.

I also got some Fleece Artist Blue Faced Leicester in amazing hand painted blues and purples. I picked up "Spinning Designer Yarns" by Diana Varney. This is a wonderful little book chock full of great information.

I also had an opportunity to try a Jensen Tina II wheel. The instructor Wendy knew I was interested in trying one so she generously brought hers so I could see what it was like. They're few and far between in Canada so, it was a real treat. The Tina spins like a dream but I really felt the stress in my ankle joints so, I doubt I'd enjoy spinning on this type of wheel for extended periods of time. Maybe it was just the way I was sitting?

I came away from the class with a better understanding of the basics. Preparing the roving, drafting, settings. When I showed Wendy my over-plied yarn, she felt a good bath and hanging with a weight would solve the problems. It seems to be working. She also thought that perhaps my challenges with Bobbin Lead were because I just wasn't ready for that setting. Her advice was to stick with Scotch Tension. I will probably do this but I'm not giving up on Bobbin Lead just yet - after all, Rita says...

Synergies

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. ...

We wear poppies on our jackets every November to remember those soldiers we've lost in war time. Poppies have come to symbolize our fallen war heroes because of this poem written by a Canadian doctor who served in World War I. John McCrae died at age 45 due to lung damage caused by serving so close to the front lines. He's from Guelph Ontario and I read in the newspaper this weekend that in 1969 his boyhood home was to be demolished to build an apartment building. His neighbours mortgaged their houses to raise the money to buy the house and preserve it. It was eventually purchased by the province and made into a historical site but I think it's so cool that regular people would put themselves on the line to protect this bit of history. I guess there are all kinds of heroes - even in every day life.

It occurred to me this weekend that it was a bit of Kismet that I was working on a sweater design named "Poppy". It's proving to be a great project. Easy/breezy with wonderful colour, amazing yarn and a bit of design challenge. In my last post I waxed poetic about the Fibonacci sequence. I loved the way it looked on Wendy's version of Poppy but I must admit that when it came down to it - my inner artist rebelled. You see, I had certain pre-conceived notions about where I wanted the vertical lines on the bottom piece to fall. I envisioned one just on the side and another distinct line right down the middle. Lisa's version on the cover of Yarnplay has one dead centre and I love the way it accentuates the v-neck. In the end, I simply decided to wing it and add the design elements when my inner voice urged me to. I'm enjoying it more than having to count the rows. Go figure - I've learned something about myself.

Here is my bottom piece of Poppy thus far. It's hard to see the purl ridges between the stockinette Silk Garden but they add a nice slight contrast. I've chosen to do a provisional cast-on with waste yarn and start at the side instead of the back. When I'm finished, I'll do a 3 needle bind off. This represents about 1/4 of the bottom finished. The Cash Iroha is nice to work with. It's single ply with some sections having very little twist. The colour glows however and I feel energized just working with it. I'm quite pleased that I chose this combo.

I'm still plugging away at the pink Vogue Koigu Skirt and I'm almost finished the first piece. This may end up being side-lined a bit since It's more of a Spring garment. I'll post a picture of the skirt once the piece is complete.

Until then, I'm enjoying Poppy. I highly recommend this design. It'll teach you a thing or two...about yourself!

You do the Math

Yesterday, 7:30 a.m. I'm alone in the house - the door bell rings. It's him. It's the one man that always brings me exactly what I need. Most times, he wants nothing in return. Sometimes, I must pay the toll. It's not his fault - the post office makes him do it.

My little indulgences often come disguised. This one came dressed as meat tortellini. The neighbours must think I'm a Pastafarian. I know better though. I know that inside dwells the nectar of the gods. On par with Socks that Rock, Koigu and Kid Silk Haze. My friends - inside this benign box is a glorious stash of Noro. Noro Silk Garden and Cash Iroha to be exact.

Now Noro and I have an interesting relationship. I buy it occasionally and knit it never. I stash it and revel in its potential. I can't seem to commit it to just one fate. It's too beautiful to actually exist as one manifestation. This particular purchase is ear-marked to make the amazing new design on the cover of the newly published book "Yarnplay" by Lisa Siobhana Mason. I definitely had a "gotta have it" moment when I saw this design and when I saw Wendy's version (of Knitty D and the City) I reacted with an involuntary spasm of my right index finger on the "buy now" button of an online yarn store with a nice robust Noro selection.

This design is interesting because the bottom section is "do what you think best". Wendy used the ancient mathematical strategy known as the Fibonacci sequence to determine where to place her unique strips on the bottom part. This stuff could actually make me like math!

The sequence was based on the question "How many pairs of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair, if in every month each pair bears a new pair which becomes productive from the second month on? It is easy to see that 1 pair will be produced the first month, and 1 pair also in the second month (since the new pair produced in the first month is not yet mature), and in the third month 2 pairs will be produced, one by the original pair and one by the pair which was produced in the first month. In the fourth month 3 pairs will be produced, and in the fifth month 5 pairs. After this things expand rapidly, and we get the following sequence of numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, ...This is an example of a recursive sequence, obeying the simple rule that to calculate the next term one simply sums the preceding two:

This is important to my knitting because:
a) My yarn stash appears to multiply this way (much like rabbits).
b) Nature uses this logic and therefore using this sequence for the stripe placement should have a "natural look to it".

On the Knitty D and the City Podcast - Wendy indicates that her stripes were placed at row 5, 8, 13, 21 etc. It looks pretty darn good to me.

My Noro needs to stay out of the closet. It needs to reach its full potential right away. Besides, it's now been rationalized into a mathematical experiment. Not bad for a day's work.

Getting Fleeced

On a scale of 1 - 10, Rhinebeck was a 55. Where do I begin? The best part was being with my knitting and spinning buddies. Left to right from front row; Adrienne, Vanessa (in her amazing Firebirds), Hopealope. (Back row right to left) Stephanie, Anmiryam and Regan. Veni, Vidi, Vitaculture. We came we saw, we drank wine.

It rained when it didn't matter and the sun shone when it mattered. Rhinebeck is like a Mid Eastern bazaar or maybe it was just the camelids that made me think of this analogy. Here are a couple of cute little Alpaca just passing through. The chocolate brown one is darling. It was so much fun to wear the sweaters that actually made it to the FO pile and have people recognize what book or designer it came from.

The festival is made of many outdoor buildings which are often barns. Vendors set up their wares and let the games begin. We really enjoyed checking out the unusual rovings and yarns. Here is a great shot of Stephanie fondling some colourful yarn. Her Koigu sweater garnered many admiring comments and longing glances.




I'm pretty sure this was the booth belonging to "The Fold". Talk about a feeding frenzy - Socks that Rock continue to be a big draw and the inventory was depleted pretty much the first day. Chalk me up for one skein of "Olive Garden" colourway. I also got a pair of the new Sheila Ernst Pyrex glass circular needles in a bright cobalt blue colour. They're a different feel to knit with and I think with a silky yarn they'd be perfect.

The other highlight for me was actually getting to try out both a Robin Wheel and an Wee Robin Wheel. I put a deposit on the Wee Robin wheel last March without having tried it. I figured if I tried one at Rhinebeck and I didn't like it I could cancel - no harm done. If I did like it though, then I'm through 6 months of the wait. The vendor was there and I did try one - I truly LOVED it. I'm so happy to have this reassurance. Thanks to Vanessa for enabling me on this one. Here she is spinning on the Wee Robin (she's ahead of me on the list). By the way, that's her Marina by VY Yarns that she's wearing. Seeing all of Vanessa's Starmore creations was another high point of the trip.

I did buy some Mostly Merino in a lovely Periwinkle colour to make Ariann by Bonne Marie. I had to guesstimate the amount needed when I bought my 9 skeins and after checking Hope's handy laptop at the hotel, decided to go back and get an insurance skein. DRAT - Murphy's Law. All the periwinkle was gonzo. I guess I'll just have to live on the edge. I think I have enough but it'll be close.

The objective of the trip was to beef up my roving stash and I was successful in doing so. Here's a shot of all the lovely colours. It's now packed away in a box so, I'll need this to remind myself of what's tucked away.

I tried to get a variety of breeds to try the different fibres. I got Blue Faced Leicester (Biffle as Hope calls it), Polworth and Corriedale from Grafton Fibers. It'll be interesting to see the difference in how the various breeds spin up.

I also nabbed some bright red merino made by Ashland Bay. This was to christen my lace weight Golding spindle. I got the tsunami design in purple heart. What is that next to it????

It's a long discontinued Lollipop spindle in the ladybug design. I have a sentimental attachment to ladybugs. My late mother collected them so I continue the tradition. Hope has let me be its Foster Mom for a while. If anyone knows where a used ladybug lolli is being sold, let me know.
Doesn't it look nice with the red roving?

It's been a busy stressful week but every now and again I picture the brilliant leaves and all the wonderful yarn and fibre. Better than Prozac baby!

Feeling Sheepish

2 more sleeps until I wing my way to Rhinebeck and in honour of that trip, I've been working with my new Schacht to attempt to do some plying. First I set it up in double drive and spun the singles from two different batts of merino roving. One was variegated ruby tones with flecks of mustard and charcoal from Grafton Fibers. The top bobbin was a deep rose colour from The Black Lamb. You can see the singles on my Lazy Kate here. I've been reading the Deb Menz book on Colour in Spinning and though these singles were intended as a way to get acquainted with my wheel, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and ply them to see what the blended result was.
Here it is - the first full bobbin of 2 ply yarn. It's interesting to see how the rose "quiets" the fiery colours on the bottom bobbin. I also boldly decided to set up my Schacht in Scotch Tension mode to do the plying. I chose the Schacht because of it's versatility so, I figure I'd better use the different settings. I did like the Scotch Tension for plying - the take up is nice. Of course, I couldn't get the plying to work until I used the hooks on the flyer on the left side instead. I couldn't find any reference to doing this in the instruction book, I guess I'm supposed to be bright enough to figure it out...guess again.

Up until now, I've only spun with Merino which I hear is a hard one to start with because the staple is not so long. It's so soft though that it makes it worth while. I have wanted to try some Blue Faced Leichester for a while so, I've treated myself to some roving from Lisa Souza. Here are 4 x 4 oz hanks of BFL roving in colourway Jonquil and colourway Lime and Violet. I can't wait to try this. Lisa's customer service is wonderful, I highly recommend her to do business with.

I'm sure these lovelies will be joined by my bounty from Rihinebeck. I'm hoping some of my favourite podcasters will cross my path. This trip is all about the roving for me (and the amazing friends I'm going to see). I'm not really planning to buy any yarn or books. Maybe a Golding spindle lace weight? I also want to try the Louet Victoria. Every girl needs a few wheels right?

Stay tuned - full report next week.

CIAO

Skirting the Issue

It's Saturday night and I should be writing two articles that are due soon. I write to make extra money to buy yarn. I rarely have time to knit because I'm busy writing...However yarn-buying on line, oh yeah baby that's easy to sneak in between paragraphs.

Though Ava has been my front burner project, I did manage to fall in love with and cast on for this little number last Spring. It's made from Koigu PPM pink, wheat (cream)and white. I love working on this project because it's a bit of a sampler where patterns change up and give some variety and also because "hey - it's Koigu. Nuff said."

Here's a shot of the skirt in the day light just shy of finishing the biased lace part. The pattern really twists to the left but that all gets hidden when it's assembled. I'm now zipping along on the top part which is straight stockinette and decreasing so hopefully the front will be done soon. Prior to assembling the front and the back, I'll weave in cream coloured ribbon on the upper lace part and use the white to embroider flowers and outline the cream bands.

Here's another shot taken outside on the grass and a bit more straight on.





Popular theory seems to be that knitted skirts are a "no-win proposition". They supposedly stretch and bag. I tried on a beautiful crochet ready-made skirt last spring by Nanette Lepore (selling to the tune of $385) and was hooked on the idea of knitting and or crocheting a skirt. I didn't buy the Nanette Lepore skirt but did stash up to make this adorable crochet skirt. It's by Doris Chan from the Fall KnitScene. Ms. Chan has a book about crochet coming out this Fall called "Amazing Lace" that I'm intrigued to see. I did actually get the exact yarn as specified (on sale no less) at Romni wools. It's
Muench Sir Galli (100 % silk; 104 yd (95 m)/ 50 g): #4907 beige rose, 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) balls. This yarn has been discontinued but my guess is that Rowan Summer Tweed would make a great sub.

In the meantime, I'll bond with my Koigu in front of Grey's Anatomy. I'm so glad Dr. McSteamy is back. Personally, I'm rooting for Addison to grab the brass ring. I actually bought season 2 on DVD to get my fix all week long. The podcast by the producers of the show is awesome too. There's even a Greys Anatomy Knitalong to knit something gray while following the show.

Happy Thanksgiving here in Canada. I'll be having Andrew Peller Signature Series Sur Lie Chardonnay with my turkey. The wine is aged resting on its "lies"(pronounced lees) which makes it taste like taking a big bite into a warm slice of bread with butter. Yeasty and buttery. Perfect with stuffing.

I Should do THIS more often

Voila!!! We have an FO. May I present the lovely Ava from Rowan #34 created in the prescribed yarns. All Rowan Wool Cotton - main colour Coffee Rich. I used to work for Rich Products and Coffee Rich was their flagship product so - I couldn't resist. My son took the picture so it's a bit fuzzy.

I made the size small which tends to always work for me with Rowan patterns. This is a Louisa Harding design -Lousia rocks.

The only qualm I have about the design is the arm length (a bit on the long side for my tastes but I can live with it). I decided to substitute a leather lace in the turquoise colour for the tie made out of yarn as indicated in the pattern.
I also added some beads to pick up on the colours of the flowers. I'm wearing it with a red cami to off set the brown.

Overall, I'll enjoy wearing this sweater probably more than I enjoyed knitting it. I like the fit and colours but with stockinette stitch and very simple intarsia - there wasn't much to keep me enthralled with the actual knitting process. I also found that I had to do a lot of calculations to complete certain sections. The directions were sketchy and said things like "knit until it looks to be about 2 inches shorter than the front". Maybe ok for some knitters but I like number of rows or total inches rather than having to compare to other pieces. Just my beef.

The Wool Cotton is fab and I can't wait to use it in another project.

Here's a closer shot- normally I'm not so serious looking. I guess a fashion photo shoot as we're rushing to karate class doesn't exactly make for a relaxed model. I'll have to have more wine next time. I really love the feeling one gets when a project is finally done and it doesn't suck. I think that this occasion calls for a real celebratory wine.

Therefore, I'll probably break out the Trius Brut. It's made in the traditional Champagne method and all bottles are turned by hand. After all, it's not everyday that one has an FO to show. Though, judging by the size of my stash, figuring out how to turn out one a day may just be needed!

The Love Schacht

I'm a relatively new spinner only having started on a wheel this past January. I tried many wheels during my search and was a good girl waiting to buy one until I'd done my due diligence. I had a feeling that the Schacht would be the one for me (thanks to the Hopester for the endorsement) but after trying one at the Ontario Handspinning Seminar in June (I actually stalked a poor elderly lady who had one and begged her to let me try it) - I knew it was a fit. I've had my wheel since the beginning of July and we're still getting acquainted. I haven't named it - does that make me a bad mom? Here she is in her special corner after giving my husband's retro uber speakers the boot to the curb.

I love the wide treadles and it spins like a dream. I know it's more wheel than I need right now but I'm planning to learn as quickly as I can so I can be worthy of such a beautiful tool. I especially love the laminate wood design shown here. I could sit and gaze at it all day. I should be spinning on it all day and now that my business travel is out of the way for a while, hopefully I can. Right now I'm just futzing around getting familiar with the wheel and playing with plying (jeeze - that sounded positively Seuss) and getting a nice balanced yarn.

My goal is to spin enough lace weight to make a shawl. I'm getting thinner (the yarn not me) but to make a 2 ply lace weight, it will have to be darn thin. I've jumped right into spinning merino which I now discover ain't exactly the easiest fibre for a beginner to start with. Exactly what is the easiest fibre to start with? I read that Bluefaced Leicester and Coopworth are good because they have long staple fibres but are they nice to handle? I'm a soft girl and that's why the merino blend is my drug of choice.

I did play with some Handmaiden merino sliver which had been hand dyed in a colourway called "Origin". Oddly enough, I purchased the same colourway in their Sea Silk yarn when I was in Victoria B.C. in August. I didn't realize it was the same shade at first. It's interesting to see the difference that plying makes. Here is the Sea Silk and my handspun side by side. The handspun is on the right and the Sea Silk on the left (like any of you needed to be driven there...pretty easy to tell isn't it?). The sprig of ivy is my artsy attempt to jazz up the photo. It's a 2 ply done on the Lendrum I rented from my guild. I've yet to ply on my Schacht - that's next and I'm going to ply up two different colours of merino wools from different suppliers. Just to see the effect. I suspect that if I had Andean (chained singles) plied this - it would be less "Barber polelike" (I was going to say Barber polish but that may actually qualify as a racial slur). I'm having fun and being away from spinning, knitting and yoga all last week has made me unbalanced - I need to regroup.

The only drawback to the Schacht is its lack of easy portability. I reason however that the number of times I need to lug it around are so few that it's not a deal breaker for such a great wheel. I also reason that I can always buy another wheel for portability. I'm chomping at the bit to try the new Louet Victoria. Hopefully they'll have one at Rhinebeck to try. I figure I'm just 31 sleeps away!!!!

Overzealous

This is my dog Echo. She's a Flat Coated Retriever. This is how she looks these days.

When the neighbours ask what happened, my husband tells them that I've gone way overboard on my spinning hobby and that nobody is safe from the shearing clippers.

Actually, she's just had ACL surgery. She's 9 and during a walk a few weeks ago, her leg went out from under her. Hopefully, this will do the trick. The vet bill could have funded that Kid Silk ball gown in Rowan #40!

I did have quite an enjoyable day at the Kitchener Waterloo Knitter's Fair. They had record crowds this year. As of 1:00 pm apparently they had 1,600 people. I had taken a certain amount of cash to spend on goodies. I must say this time I was much more spinning focused than knitting. There were more spinning vendors there than before and I tried to buy things that normally I wouldn't get elsewhere. For starters, I scooped this amazing Tom Forrester spindle. It's made of Black Walnut whirl and a Rock Maple spindle. Not only are Tom Forrester's spindles beautiful, they spin better than anything else. Yes - than anything! These babies go forever and the balance is perfect. The roving it's sitting on was purchased at the Black Lamb booth. I'm working with the same roving on my Schacht wheel and it's a delight to work with. She makes up these batts herself.

I picked up a Fiddlesticks "Paisley Long Shawl" pattern but resisted getting the yarn to make it right this minute. It calls for Zephyr Merino Silk and I do adore the lovely royal purple colour. I want to do Print 'O the Wave first out of some Hand Maiden Sea Silk I already have.

I also got the new Fall Phildar. There are a couple of patterns that dazzle. This cardigan in particular jumped out at me. The floral motifs kind of remind me of that cardigan in Rowan #39 but the ruffles and the cables really set this off. I may even make it from stash. I have some Jo Sharp SilkRoad Aran that might just fit the bill. It's a lovely cream colour.

I also got some blocking rods since I've always wanted to try them and I also got my first set of carders. They're the paddle type by Ashford. You see, looking at this naked dog has me thinking what a lovely yarn I could make if I carded a bit of her hair with some wool. It would be a way to immortalize her forever. I've read a tutorial or two but this is something I'll have to give some serious thought. Which brings me to my last purchase for the day.

I got this T-shirt at a booth run by Sheep Strings. On the back it says "Find your way at Sheep Strings". Gotta love a good logo.

Oh, and the wine for today. Well let's just say I got home, put up my feet and poured a nice robust Merlot. All in all - the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

I'm away on business this week so we'll it'll be quiet here for a few days. Cheers!

3 Times a Lady

I've always liked Louisa Harding. I like her understated yet trendy design sense and on the two or 3 occasions that I've met her in person at a seminar or show - she's been lovely. I was really rooting for her when she left Rowan and launched her own line of yarn. I will admit I was a bit disappointed to see the plethora of ribbon in her line up. I do not like knitting with ribbon. As a trim perhaps but not the whole thing. I've tried it several times and I just can't stay with it.

I did purchase both of her books from last Fall and even the yarn to make this design from one of her first books. It's called Cecile and the "drop stitch / cable work" you can barely see on the shoulder sold me. I actually started the sleeve right after Stitches (at the Philly airport no less) last year. This is how far I got. I just really struggle with the way the colour pooled and I wished there were more subtle colourways. Her Spring and Summer collections were pretty but nothing that "had" to come and live in my stash. Then - a few days ago, that all changed.

I received my new Ram Wools catalog and noticed some lovely patterns featured from Ms. Harding's 3 new books. A little "Googlestalking" later and I found the images on line. I must say, I was blown away and ordered one of them to check it out more closely.
Today, the postman delivered this to me. It's called Winter's Muse Portraits. It's part of a series of books built around the muse theme.


This is one of the most beautifully photographed knitting books I've seen in a long time. It's a winner because there are about 4 patterns at least I'd love to make. I'm thrilled to see soft, feminine shades of both the Kimono Angora and ribbon yarns. This lovely bolero jacket uses a soft pink variegated angora with rice coloured ribbon trim. It's so pretty and the yarn appears to be reasonably priced.








I also love this next bolero jacket and it took a couple of viewings before I realized that the arms are done in the Kimono ribbon for the first third ending in the angora for the balance of the arm. Same shade - just different textures and I love the lacy effect. I'm torn between these two as to which is my favourite.



Last but not least, this sassy little pull over in coral pink and bright raspberry appears to be feminine yet comfortable. I bet it's a fun knit too. I'm trying to show restraint in spite of my love for these designs. Organizing the stash over the Labour Day weekend was a sobering experience. (Remind me not to sober up next time).

My only advice to Ms. Harding would be to keep her website up to date. Knitters like to ogle on line and her website still has the summer collection featured. So what wine would I pair with this book? Why a floral, light Chenin Blanc of course. Elegant, romantic and very classy.

It's All in the Accessories

I've been enamoured of the really cute felted handbags that seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I've got to be honest, a nice quick project appeals to me right now and I've been dying to try the new Tapestry (self striping) yarn from Rowan. When I saw this bag in the new Rowan 40 - it all came together. Maybe it's the wicker handles, maybe it's the "Mary Poppins" vibe in the picture - I don't know why but I love this little bag. I was at the Needle Emporium the day the load of Tapestry was being unpacked and scooped 4 balls of this yarn in the shade "Antique". It's a lovely series of purples, violets, golds and taupes. I have a jacket that's a chinchilla colour with lilac polar fleece lining - it'll be perfect!

I even scored the wicker handles from a store in the U.K. and I'll be doing the bobbles in Kid Classic colours "Bear and lavender Ice". I also found some old Rowan Magpie in a grape shade called "Thistle". I've also decided to line it with a cute little gingham print in the royal purple and gold colourway. I'm using my new Knit Picks Options needles for this and I'm blown away so far by the quality of these needles.

It took a few rows to decide if I liked the Tapestry yarn or not. I'm LOVING it! It's got a haze to it and is loosely spun which can result in some catching and split yarn but once you get used to the yarn, it sails along. It's made with wool and "Soya Protein Fibre". The yarn has a "silk-like" luster and is buttery soft. It stripes like Noro but the shades are much more...well....British (subdued).

Ava now has button bands and a collar band so all that remains is the attaching of the arms and sewing up the sides. With school starting this week and a national sales meeting to attend, the knitting and the blogging will have to fit into the few spare moments I'll have. Is it September 16th yet?

New Toys

I'm growing to REALLY love 7:45 am. That's about the time my post man usually leaves my treat of the week in my mail box. This week, my set of Knit Picks "Options" interchangable needles arrived. Voila! Here they are in all their purply glory. I didn't go for the "starter set" because I rarely use anything over a 6mm needle. I ended up ordering ala carte and took 3.5mm to 6mm tips with all the stops in between . I then ordered cables in 24", 32", 40", 47" and 60" to cover my bases. The buzz on these babies is pretty good and they seem to be of decent quality. The real attraction according to various Internet posts is the nice sharp tips these have. I'm making the Vogue Cover skirt from the Spring 2006 magazine with my Holtz and Stein ebony needles right now and those pointy tips are a delight.



There is a little hole at the base of each nickle plated tip of the Options needles where you insert a metal "key" to help tighten the tip onto the cable and hopefully prevent the needle from coming loose. Those purple discs you see in the box are "stoppers" that screw onto the end of the cable so you can use the cable as a holder. Each cable comes with a twin - one for holding and one to continue knitting . That's a very cool and unexpected feature in my book.

I'm generally a far bigger fan of wooden needles than I am of nickle plated. I know many people swear by their Addi Turbos and they do have their place but nothing beats the warmth and silkiness of a luxury wood. I've decided to treat myself to a pair of Lantern Moon circular needles when I go to the Kitchener / Waterloo Knitter's Fair on Sept. 9. Guess I better tell Julie to bring them along when she sets up her booth. Though somehow, I expect she's planning to do so already. I'm planning to christen the Options needles this weekend by playing with some of the new Rowan Tapestry. I could probably buy a small island with the money I've spent on needles but when you spend so much time with a project, the yarn and the needles gotta be worth touching. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!