New Yarns

In the last post, I told you about a few new things to expect in this coming update and promised to share some more news soon. Well I have two new yarns that will feature in the update on the 17th August 2012 and here's some details to get you excited.

The first base is a beautiful new Merino Lace that is 100% superwash and works up a little like a light fingering as it's a bit heavier than a laceweight yarn. This is a singles yarn so will be soft and lustrous to work with. Ideal for shawls and finer knits. 

'Robin's Egg' will feature in the update

The other base is another 100% superwash but this time is a Silky Merino Lace. The Silk and Merino mix is 70% Merino and 30% Silk spun into singles. Again, it's a slightly heavier laceweight as there is 600m (656yd) per 100g skein. This would be ideal for a larger shawl and is actually the base I used to knit up my Echo Flower Shawl. 

Remember, for full details of each update, sign up to the newsletter or keep an eye on the Ravelry Group's News Thread.

Obsidian Designer: Lisa Mutch

The new Obsidian kits will be released on 15 August. This series of collaborations have been so inspiring and exciting and I'm glad people are enjoying them as much as we are creating them. Lisa is a distinctive designer who works hard to make clean lines, simple shapes and stunning hand dyes work up into moody designs and satisfying accessories to both knit and wear. I invited Lisa to answer some questions for the blog so that you can get to know her a little better. Here's what she had to say:

The stage is yours, tell us a little about yourself!

Well, besides knitting, dyeing, designing and spinning, I'm a mom to two wonderful and very active children, Brooklyn, 7 and Brodie, 3.  I also love reading, vegetable gardening, red wine and bubble baths.

What’s your knitting journey so far?

My knitting journey began roughly 10 years ago when I quit smoking and decided knitting would be a great way to occupy my hands. I bought 'How to Knit' by Debbie Bliss, a set of needles and some terrible acrylic yarn and taught myself how to knit. My specialty was scarves, or really anything rectangular or square with absolutely no shaping until I stumbled upon the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog. Reading her hilarious stories about knitting disasters gave me the motivation to teach myself a few crucial knitting skills allowing me to graduate to hats, socks, shawls and eventually sweaters. 

How did you start designing and what is your favourite part of the process?

I began designing very quickly after teaching myself to knit. I never seemed to have the right size needles or weight of yarn and I could never, ever get the correct gauge. (Which continues to be a problem for me to this day, I'm a notoriously loose knitter. Ahem.) So I started making up things as I went along with what I had.

Was there a particular inspiration for this design?

 I love garter stich at a loose gauge, it has such a wonderful texture and I've always wanted a sweater with a giant cowl neck so this idea of mine has been brewing for a while now. Ce's BFL Sock is such a wonderful yarn for sweaters, being tough and resilient yet soft enough for next to skin wear. I've used this base before for sweaters, cowls and shawls and it's one of my all-time favourites, especially in the 'Charred' colourway.....so dark and mysterious!

 

What drew you to working with TUT yarns and a collaboration?

Ce and I met on Ravelry a few years ago and since day one, I've adored her gorgeous yarn. I very quickly acquired quite the collection of TUT yarns and have tried almost all of her fabulous bases. My favourite colourways are all of her wonderful, smokey greys and charcoals, her warm neutrals and of course, I love to sneak in a bit of Debauchery here and there. ;)

What else can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have so many ideas for new designs, if only I could knit as fast as my mind dreams them up! I've been swatching with some heavier weight bases lately for a few squishy, warm winter garments, and of course, more shawls, cowls and scarves. It seems like I can't leave the house without something handknit and fabulous around my neck.

A huge thank you to Lisa for supplying such lovely answers that shows her gentle and warm nature. If you would like to purchase your own Obsidian yarn and pattern kit, you will find them listed on my Etsy shop on 15 August or check out the Ravelry Group News thread for regular update news.  

Something New

Things have been pretty busy around here and I've been planning lots of fun things over the last few months to keep things fresh and interesting. One of the things I wanted to do was update the skein labels and I am so pleased with how they turned out. 

They are made of 100% post consumer waste, hand-cut and strung with hemp. Then lovingly hand-stamped by my wonderful assistant Jo. Can you see why I’m in love?

The good news doesn't stop there though as I'm working on a new website that is being built as I type. I can't wait to show you!

Occitan

I'm so very excited to be kicking off a series of collaborations this Tuesday. The first pattern is Occitan, by Beth Kling and it'll be available as a pre-order yarn and pattern kit from 4pm BST (check your timezone here) on Etsy.

Occitan is a semi-circular shawl with a stockinette body and a pretty lace border. It’s a really fun and easy knit, as we have come to expect from Beth. It has an unusual construction, which will keep experienced knitters interested and a straight forward lace border, which won’t intimidate a novice knitter. I hope you love it as much as I do.


There will be six colourways to choose from each week and the colours will change a little each week. Each kit will comprise of one skein of Posh Fingering and a black and white printed copy of the pattern. If you give us your Ravelry name, we can send you a pdf copy there ahead of time.


I had lots of fun knitting my Occitan, especially as Jody (aka Sabinaknits) suggested I use beads and I think they worked really well with the pattern. If you’d like to bead your shawl, you might find these notes handy: using a crochet hook, I beaded the second cdd in chart A. Had I had enough beads, I would have also beaded the purl stitches which are snuggled between yos in the increase rows - if you’d like to do this, I reckon you’d need at least another 10g. I also beaded the cdds in the final row. Out of my 10g packet of beads, I had 2 left when I finished the shawl. Well, you might find another 2 or 3 under the sofa…

Catrina, Nadia, Jody, Teresa and Vera all test knit this pattern (thank you!) and made gorgeous versions of it too :)

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.