July | 2016 | Laura Chau

new skeins

July 27, 2016

I forgot to share my purchases from Verb in Oakland! One of the “reasons” I “had” to buy stuff was to pay Denny for her excellent sample knitting.

She got some fancy yarn…

And some fancy fabric! Khadi cotton and cotton grown by Sally Fox! I’m pretty sure Denny’s already knit and sewn up all this stuff by now ;)

I got just a yard of this wide naturally-dyed linen – I think it’ll be enough for a longish sleeveless top. And a little yarn, of course! I also picked up Sonya Phillips’ Dress No 3 pattern, since she had picked us up from the hotel to go to Verb it seemed like the right thing to do.

More new skeins, a few that I spun up in July. It’s a good thing I wasn’t reeeeally doing the Tour de Fleece because this is all I managed.

Top: Polwarth in Flintstoner from Indigodragonfly
Middle: BFL-silk in a colour way I can’t remember, also from Indigodragonfly
Bottom: Polwarth/silk in Reverberate (OOAK) from Pigeonroof Studios

For all of these, I split the top lengthwise down the middle and spun each half onto a separate bobbin, because mine don’t quite hold a full 4oz. Then once all the singles were done, I used the jumbo plying head on my Lendrum to chain-ply them, joining the two bobbins’ worth and hopefully keeping the colours nicely intact.

I’m planning to put up some handspun for sale soon so keep an eye out if you’re interested!

New Patterns for (shh) Fall

July 18, 2016

I have THREE new patterns out with Swans Island! I know, it’s only the beginning (maybe early-middle) of summer and we’re already talking about fall?! But we all know that knitting takes time, and you need a new project to take on vacation, so now’s a great time to start a new sweater that’ll be ready to wear for the earliest cool nights.

All three are worked up in Natural Colors Merino fingering weight, which is so light and has great yardage. Thank you SO MUCH to my amazing sample knitters – I couldn’t have done it without you.

River’s Edge Pullover is worked seamlessly from the bottom up with a bit of a flare, in an easy garter ridge pattern.

Fave, queue and buy River’s Edge on Ravelry

Rockport Henley is a sweet pullover with seed stitch details. Short rows shape the front and back hems. The body and sleeves are worked in the round to the underarm, then back and forth for the upper body and set in sleeve shaping.

Fave, queue and buy Lockport Henley on Ravelry

The Waterfall Cardigan is a top down cardigan that you’ll want to live in! The fronts overlap from the neck to the waist, before curving away to the sides. The long sleeves are ribbed for a close fit, and instructions are included for an optional belt.

We were able to get some more photos of the front from the photographer, so it’s a bit easier to see!

Fave, queue and buy Waterfall Cardigan on Ravelry

Snooker Mitts: New Pattern and KAL!

July 13, 2016

New Pattern Release! These fingerless mitts are knitted up in Mountain Colors Perspectives Twizzle. This worsted weight yarn is 85% merino, 15% silk – and the silk is a strand plied with the wool, rather than blended with it. The silk takes dyes differently than wool, so the plied yarn has a great marled effect to it.

Snooker Mitts feature a seed stitch cuff and simple buttonhole thumb. The main body of the mitt is worked in a pattern that mixes seed stitch with slipped stitches, which I really like – the purl stitches really sparkle in the Twizzle yarn.

There are three sizes, and although I personally have small hands, I knit up the Large size to make sure there would be enough yarn!

Looking for a little project to kick start your fall knitting? Join us in the Mountain Colors Ravelry Group for a knitalong starting August 1! You can of course start earlier if you want, the pattern is available now.

The knitalong will run from August 1-22 in the Mountain Colors group, and there are prizes! Check out the KAL thread for more details.

Fave, queue and buy Snooker Mitts on Ravelry!
$6.00 CAD

Monthly Archives: July 2016