Category Archives: Yarn

Intarsia gone wild!

In the past I've shared different techniques that I'm learning.  I finally tried Fair Isle last summer, which I absolutely love!  Also, I shared that my grandson wants a lego hat. (that decision was after I convinced him he didn't really want a skeleton hat!) After lots of research and asking all of you, I've decided there wasn't a hat pattern out there that fit my idea of what the hat should look like.  So, as is so usual for me, I did things the hard way!!  I've created a pattern! But the only way to get the pattern to look the way I wanted it to look, was to do intarsia, a technique I had yet to learn!  The hat is not done, but it's on its way! (I'll blog later with the complete hat on my grandson).

Read more »

Handspun from the holidays

I had a little bit of relaxation time during the holiday season, and it was nice to be able to sink my teeth into some fiber projects (both new and old).  I did start a bunch of knitting projects, but I also had time to take my spinning wheel for a, um, spin.

Read more »

Woof!

When we first received our shipment of Full Circle, I was in love.  I love single ply yarns & this one was even more interesting since it was from recycled wool! I especially loved that it was in 100 gram skeins!  So I immediately snapped up a couple of colors...but then I had to decide on what to do. Later that same day, Mara Jessup sent me her newest pattern for IDP - Woof!  My decision was made.

Read more »

Sugarbunny Scalliwag

Do you have a favorite hat that, no matter how many hats you have, you always grab it first?  I certainly do, it's my version of Erica Jackofsky's Scalliwag. (that's Erica's version shown there - not mine!)

Read more »

Baby Blanket Decisions

Even though my Christmas crafting is over, I still have some really fun gifts I'm excited to get started on. I have some really good friends expecting babies this year so that means I get to make a lot of baby things! My first projects are for 2 dear friends who are expecting their first baby in May.  All of us are big University of Oregon Ducks fans (and if you are a college football fan, yes, we are all still celebrating the big win from yesterday) so I wanted to make sure I had a UofO theme for them.  I'll definitely make a Duck Hat of course!

Read more »

Brava Gifts

Like Kerin, I'm a bit of yarn snob.  I mean, I started out using big box store acrylic yarns but when I discovered how much I liked working with wool, I pretty much left them behind.  So I was initially trepidatious when we first received our initial samples of Brava.  But I always like to play with new yarns and I did have a project in mind where acrylic would be the best fiber to use.   These are the Feet Eaters from Knitting Mochimochi!

Read more »

Winter’s hottest knit trends that you can make!

I am what some people call a "fashion enthusiast".  More accurately, I am a fashion fiend. In my past life (before marriage, college and job), I used to model for some really cool local designers, and even a couple of high-fashion brands.  I stopped modeling professionally when I was about 18 but those years in the industry have definitely left their mark.  Every season since then, I have made a ritual of stocking up on fashion mags and gummy bears and devoting a full day to sifting through the pages of beautiful (and quite often crazy) fashion trends that will soon be gracing the shelves of local stores. Over the weekend, my husband and I were invited to attend a private shopping party at Nordstrom where, while being fed an unreasonable amount of champagne and hors d'oevures, we were allowed to browse some of the upcoming season's hottest fashion trends. While I am the world's biggest sucker for a new pair of jeans, this season's shopping party was all about accessories for me.  As I was calmly (ha!) sorting through the shelves of beautiful items, I started to notice a trend.  Knits! Most of the items that I fell in love with were things that most knitters/crocheters could make fairly easily! I thought that since so many of you are much more talented than I, I would share some of the things that I saw flying out the door last night in the arms of proud shoppers, like myself, in hopes that you can gain inspiration for any last minute gifts. 

Read more »

Introducing Full Circle!

Some of you might have noticed a new yarn at Knit Picks today. You can call it happenstance, a coincidence, or simply a happy twist of fate – no matter how you look at it, I think it is a wonderful sign that our newest addition to the special reserve line up, Full Circle, was launched on America Recycles Day! This yummy, single ply yarn is made from a blend of Merino and Highland wool fibers that would have otherwise been discarded. This allows the mill to reduce waste and conserve our valuable resources, while you get to enjoy an amazing blend of fibers that help the Earth!

Read more »

Under the influence of yarn

There are so many reasons to love yarn, and those reasons are as different as the crafters who use it. But, what we can agree on is that using yarn confers a benefit to us. (Otherwise, why would we keep on using it?) One of the greatest benefits for me, is that yarn and knitting give me a way to pass time that otherwise would be wasted, or spent doing something much less pleasant. It allows me to take those little chunks of time standing in line at the grocery store, in the waiting room at the dentist, riding the train, etc., and turn them into productive moments. When you're an on-the-go type of knitter, it's kind of amazing how much time you never knew you had! But, sometimes, life throws you a situation in which waiting is all you can do, and unless you have something to keep your brain busy, it drags on forever. Like the hospital! We checked in at 7am. I pulled out the little sleeves as the nurses went through the pre-op procedure.

Read more »

Happy Creweling!

Sometimes my fingers get tired of knitting so many tiny stitches (I seem to specialize in tiny needles and tiny stitches these days) which means that I'm always looking for another small project to break up all that knitting time. I know, blasphemy, but there it is! My newest intrigue is crewel embroidery. With crewel, I get to use all that lovely wool I enjoy so much while trying out a whole other world of needles beyond the clicky, knitty variety.  

Read more »