Testing...

When I get a new base that I'm interested in stocking or a new colourway that I want to introduce, I really like to test it out and see how the yarn feels or the colour knits up. It's a really nice part of the creative process of dyeing as I want knitters and crafters to love the end product as much as the first moment they laid eyes on their skein to work with.

In the next post I'll be sharing some specific details about two new bases I will be including in the next update. There will be an update when I get back from holiday, on Friday 17 August at 4pm BST. Please keep an eye for news on the Ravelry Group's News Thread as this may well be our very first update on the new website. I will also send out newsletters with spoilers when I get back so make sure you're signed up. 

In the meantime I want to share some news about the colourways I've created and have been working with to test the colours. One of the new colourways that will be featured in the update is called 'Robin's Egg', a delicate and cool blue that I thought would be beautiful in a lacy shawl. This is also in a new base that I'll be telling you all about next post.

I cast on an Echo Flower Shawl, which is a free pattern by Jenny Johnson Johnen and enjoyed it immediately. I found the shawl really quick and easy to work up despite the heavy lace and it only took me about a week to complete. The shawl is knit top down and I worked 11 repeats of the chart and I realise now that I probably could have managed one more repeat as after I completed the repeats I had 50g of yarn left. I'd hesitated because the edge is full of nupps which I know from experience can really consume yarn, but I probably could have squeezed in another 1 or 2 repeats. Keep an eye on my Ravelry projects page for it to appear soon.

There's also another colourway coming, 'Twig' but you'll have to wait for the newsletter to see that one...!

Green Boy

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.

Some Dyeing and More Celery

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: