The Uncommon Thread

Affectionately Colourful

2012-02-27T16:30:00.000Z

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

2012-02-23T13:30:00.000Z

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

2012-02-21T14:30:00.002Z

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

2012-02-18T13:30:00.000Z

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

2012-02-16T15:28:00.000Z

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!

On Feeling Lucky

2011-05-11T09:27:00.007+01:00

You know, I have been feeling mighty lucky of late. I have a wonderful son, a job I love, great friends and I am part of a fantastic online community which is a great source of inspiration to me. In fact, if it wasn't for this community I would not have the job I love, or as many friends or even be writing this. Of course you know I mean Ravelry.

Since joining Ravelry I discovered a whole new world. I learnt lots of new techniques, have access to loads more fantastic patterns from independent designers and I wouldn't have discovered the joys of hand dyed yarn. It's been almost two years and I have learnt so much.

In September last year I started selling hand dyed fibre and soon after hand dyed yarn on my etsy shop. Since then things have been on the up and up. And I have been fortunate enough to have some amazing designers create patterns using my yarn. First there was Veera Valimaki with Stripe Study (see this post). Then Lisa Mutch (who has become a great friend and sounding board - thanks Lisa!) has brought out some fantastic designs:

Ensomme, which uses one skein of Alpaca/BFL Fingering (shown in Twig)

Askew, which uses one skein of BFL Sock (shown in Squirrel Nutkin)

And Exposed, which requires 2-4 skeins of BFL Sock, depending on size (shown in Anthracite Brown)

Just yesterday she's also finished a prototype for a shawl (Van Doesburg), which uses a skein of BFL Sock (shown in Zitouni). Have a peek:

And look out for Dani Sunshine! She's written a pattern for a lovely girl's cardigan (using BFL Sock in Squirrel Nutkin), which is currently being tested:

Thanks guys! I feel so lucky...

Photos by individual designers, used with permission.

Vanadium on Fire

2011-05-02T12:38:00.002+01:00

I haven't posted for ages and have been a bit behind with photographing my FOs, but here's one for you! It was a test knit for Lisa Mutch, for her upcoming pattern Vanadium.

It was a super fun knit. I couldn't get gauge, so had to adapt the numbers a bit. Details are on the Ravelry project page.

I used my Organic Merino Fingering in Debauchery.

I'm really chuffed with the result. I love the colour and the fit!

Perfect Asymmetry

2011-02-19T13:12:00.005Z

My version of Stripe Study

The yarn is Shetland Fingering in colourways I created especially for the shawl (Anthracite and Zitouni) - they will be available in the shop soon. I am totally in love with this shawl. More photos on Ravelry.

Chocolate, figs and Veera. What else is there?

2011-01-31T11:24:00.007Z

I have two recipes I have been meaning to share with you for a while. The first is incredibly decadent - chocolate covered figs.

No sweat, though, it's really easy:

Chocolate Covered Figs

12-15 dried figs, stems removed

125g dark chocolate

125g milk chocolate

30g butter

cocoa powder to dust

Steam your figs for 7 minutes. Whilst the figs are steaming melt the butter and both types of chocolate in a bain marie. Once the figs are soft and the chocolate and butter mixture is melted you can start dipping your figs. You might want to reshape your figs into a more 'figgy' shape. Place your dipped figs onto some greaseproof paper and into the fridge. Once the chocolate is hard, dust with the cocoa powder. Yummy!

I have to give credit where it's due: this recipe is from my friend Rachida, an absolute genius in the kitchen.

The next one is an amalgamation of various recipes. I have no picture, because it was polished over Christmas...

Dried Fig Jam

750g soft dried figs, stems removed

200g caster sugar

150g jam sugar (this is just sugar with pectin added)

3 star anise

1 cup water

2tbsp sesame seeds

juice of ½ lemon

Cut the figs into quarters. Roast the sesame seeds on a frying pan until they start to smell and change colour. Mix all ingredients, other than the lemon juice, into a saucepan and put onto a medium heat, stir. Keep stirring and once the mixture is hot and the figs are softening, mash them with a potato masher. After the mixture has been cooking for about 15-20 minutes test and see if your jam is ready. Once you are happy with the consistency, remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and put into hot sterilized jars. This one is lovely with cheese.

Don't know how to test jam? This is how I do it: The first thing I do, before I weigh my ingredients is put a saucer in the freezer. Then I get busy jam making. Once I think the jam might be ready I take my saucer out, put a small amount of jam on it and put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes. I then slide my finger over the cooled jam and if it puckers and appears to have a good consistency I'm done!

Can you tell I love figs?

Now, last but by no means least: have you seen Veera Valimaki's latest design?

Isn't it fabulous? I love the asymmetry of the stripes. The red yarn is my very own BFL Sock in Sangue. I can't wait to knit this one for myself - Veera's designs are always so modern, yet simple and wearable, I'm a huge fan!

(photo copyright Veera Valimaki, used with permission)

Green Boy

2010-11-19T13:00:00.007Z

So, I haven't blogged for a while. I've been busy, I've opened the shop, have been dyeing quite a bit and knitting too, of course. I have finished a few projects that I've not been able to photograph yet as my photographer is only around at the weekends and light has been truly dire here. One project I did photograph was Green Boy, because I didn't have to wear it! The pattern is 'Fisherman's Pullover' by the wonderfully talented Veera Valimaki. I used my Merino Aran in the colourway 'Envy', which I dyed especially for Indi.

I procrastinated for ages on the knitting, but it was a breeze and was done in a couple of days. My only modification was to not do the sleeve decreases as it looked like it would be too tight. I also wanted the jumper to be a bit big, so that it would fit him for a while, because he's growing fast!

I'm now test knitting Heidi Kirrmaier's Atelier. I'm using Drops Alpaca, which I dyed myself. Fingers crossed I'll make the deadlines ok.

On the shop front, I've just received a few kilos of the most wonderful laceweight Bluefaced Leicester. It's a singles yarn full of character, which is produced in very small amounts each year. Truly wonderful stuff! Look out for it, hopefully from next week.

The Deep Dark Wood

2010-09-13T19:48:00.006+01:00

I've just finished another project. The pattern is Idlewood, by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. I used Jamieson & Smith 2 ply jumper weight, holding it double. It's my new favourite. I love the yarn, I love the pattern, it feels cosy and warm and will be perfect for windy winter walks by the sea! The yarn is 100% Shetland, which has to be my favourite breed of sheep - it has plenty of crunchy texture, without compromising on softness. Love, love, love it! I made the jumper a bit shorter, omitted the pockets (which I liked, but were a bit of a no-no for my body shape) and adapted the number of raglan increases for my bust size.

Some Dyeing and More Celery

2010-09-03T09:48:00.005+01:00

I have been busy dyeing and I'll open my etsy shop soon. These are some of the yarns and fibres you'll see in my first update:

I have also finished another Celery. I really wanted to knit one that fitted me a bit better, so I had another go, in TML Butter this time. I knit a swatch and blocked it and went on my merry way knitting away my Buttered Celery. When it came to blocking time, guess what? Huge again. I almost cried.

After much internal debate (oh, ok and reading lots of other people’s projects and forum posts) I decided to do the unthinkable and stick it in the tumbler. Hey presto! Now it fits!

It went in quite wet and came out almost dry. I wet blocked the collar and front bands again because they had gone a bit crinkly and all was well again. I’m still to do that with Beetroot and will post new pictures when I do.

Anyway, here it is:

Gifts and Prizes

2010-08-14T18:07:00.006+01:00

I have been very lucky recently. I got an amazing Tour de Fleece random prize from Hello Yarn, look:
Falklands wool 'We're All Winners', a card and a lovely hand-bound notebook.

And a beautiful gift from Leslie:
A hand-knitted silk lace scarf, just beyond words.

And I finally got to use the TLE gift voucher I got for my birthday (in March!). I had been waiting for them to receive TML, and here it is:I got 4 skeins of Lapis, a colourway I had been after for some time. Maybe I'll make a Hay Cardigan with it?

KnitNation and recent FOs

2010-08-03T11:52:00.001+01:00

I thought it was about time I started a blog. And there's no better place to start than with KnitNation. What a fabulous couple of days I had! It was so nice to put faces to a few names, be surrounded by like-minded people, get lots of inspiration, not to mention the stash enhancements and the amount I learnt.

I did two workshops: 'Popular Wheel Mechanics' and 'To Spin a Fine Thread', both with Judith Mackenzie McCuin. What a fabulous teacher! I learnt so much. We also played with some lovely fibres: BFL/silk, cashmere/silk, yak, pygora, cotton, merino and rambouillet. I managed to spin as thin as 2-ply sewing machine thread, but struggled a bit with the thicker weights, so more practice is needed!

Judith was really generous, in spirit and with information, good humoured and funny. It was a joy to be in her company and I hope I get to do more with her. We learnt about twist angles and how they affect the thickness of the yarn, without having to change the pulley or how fast you treadle and daft.

Oh, must not forget the Marketplace! So overwhelming! I was so busy looking and shopping that I didn't take any pictures. The busiest stall was by far Wollmeise, and they had loads. It was quite hard choosing colours as there was so much choice and so many people. I think I did quite well and only got one skein of 100% and one of lace (at last, yay!)

Anyway, here's what I got:

Now, onto different matters: I have recently finished test-knitting Veera's gorgeous Celery. It all looked great up until I blocked it. It stretched masses and is now a bit too big :( This has most definitely taught me to block my swatches. I still like it though, but I'm looking forward to making another, closer fitting one.

I have also completed my first Tour de Fleece! It was great fun and I produced some nice yarns. It was a great way to get used to my new wheel. I used up some Spunky Club Shetland, Hello Yarn thrums and Pigeonroof Studios South African Fine:

Not a lot of yarns, but I was away on holiday and hurt my neck half-way, so I think I did ok. I struck mega-lucky and won a fabulous prize: some Hello Yarn fibre and a book hand-bound by njstacie. Really looking forward to getting those!