Affectionately Colourful

I have always loved Veera Valimaki designs and I recently finished her new pattern, 'Colour Affection' and I'm thrilled with it. It's a beautiful shawl that stripes three colours of either fingering or lace weight yarn. When I first saw the pattern, I just knew I had to have one.

I knit mine out of a combination of my own yarn, Viola and Madelinetosh. I used Viola's Lace Merino yarn (held double) in the colourway 'Curry' and a skein of 100% alpaca that I had been testing in the dye pot for the prototype club colourway from last December, 'Breath'. I added a third colour called 'Lolita' in Madelinetosh Eyre Light and I think the three look lovely together. It's a really warm shawl due to its size and has been great during this cold snap we have been having. 

The shawl is a mixture of stripes and garter stitch that make for very addictive knitting. I love garter stitch and the short row shaping made this knit really fun to do. The pattern gives you the freedom to play with yarn weight, colours and different sizes which I enjoyed but found myself wanting to switch the final colours around a little. Ideally, I would have switched Breath and Curry round but I didn't have enough Curry. (Sidenote: There can never be enough Curry, yarnie or otherwise) Still, I love the result, don't you?

Limited Edition

I know so many of you like a little luxury and so I'm really excited about a new, limited edition base that I will be featuring in the next update at the etsy shop. The update will be on Friday 24th February at 4pm GMT.

The new base is Bowmont DK and it is made up of 90% Bowmont wool and 10% mohair. This limited edition base is a DK weight at 270 metres (approx 295 yards) per 100g skein. Bowmont is 75% Saxon (part of the merino sheep family) and 25% Shetland and is produced by the rare breed of the same name so expect softness and a little texture from this base. This yarn is fully produced in Wales.

I have a limited number of skeins for you to enjoy so be sure to snap them up fast as I only have limited quantities of this precious yarn. I am hoping to get my hands on some more as it comes off the mill in March, so fingers crossed!

pssst are you keeping an eye for update news? Follow my twitter feed, message me your email address for the newsletter or join the Ravelry Group to keep up with all TUT's latest news.

Heavenly

I have a few new bases for you all to enjoy and they are truly heavenly....

Heavenly DK is the same composition as my Heavenly Fingering weight: 70% Alpaca, 20% Silk, and 10% Cashmere. It has a smooth ply and is incredibly soft. The fingering weight has proved very popular so I'm thrilled to add this base to the Uncommon Thread family. At 225 metres (approx 246 yards) it will be great for wonderfully warm and soft garments and accessories.

If you want things a little lighter, there's also some beautiful Cobweb weight coming into the shop which will be perfect for delicate lace and fine gauge projects. The skeins are 100g and are 1200 metres (1312 yards approx). Again the composition is 70% Alpaca, 20% Silk and 10% Cashmere.

Heavenly will be featured in the next update (Friday 24th February at 4pm GMT) and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do.In order to keep up to date with all update news please keep an eye on the shop, the ravelry group or my twitter feed.

Testing, Testing

Recently I've been very lucky to be working with a new designer. I think she's very talented and I was thrilled to work on a test knit for her. The pattern is a lacy triangular shawl with a strong architectural feel. What's more, the shawl was designed to be knit in my yarn!

I used a base that I've been experiementing with and really enjoyed working through the pattern. It was made particularly helped by the 'Washi Tape' I have discovered. I think I'm in love! This is such a useful idea and great for knitters like me who want to be able to print patterns, fold them up and carry them about in a bag all day. The tape is really easy to use and you can peel it on and off your page easily to keep track of where you are in the pattern. It's great when you're using charts and it means that when you run for the bus, your place is never lost! I am definitely a Washi convert. 

Image Credit: Washi Tapes

Who is the designer? Well, you'll have to stay tuned for more news on that front.....

A fresh new idea

I have been wanting to share this 'recipe' with you for some time. This isn't the edible kind but it's easy to make and will transform your life. I'm not exaggerating, I swear!

What is it?

It's homemade deodorant. My friend Kirsten is a very talented nutritionist and recommended it to me and I was amazed when I tried it. It's really simple and you can pick up most of the ingredients from your local health food shop, supermarket or ethnic store. 

Here's how to make it:

Take 2 parts Coconut Oil and 1 part Bicarbonate of Soda (aluminium free is best if you get your hands on it). Put them in a jar and mix together. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but it melts at body temperature. It'll moisturise your skin and it works so well - by far the best natural deodorant I've used. What's more, if you want to add your favourite blend of essential oils, you can. 

Stay fresh!