Photo Friday: Apple Pie Time!

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

BW: Lichen Shawl

When I created the 5 colorways for Beautiful Wreck I never thought that I would fall so in love with one particular color. That colorway being Betta. As you may have noticed, I am a purple sort of girl. I also love a lot of greens and blues. Oranges, browns, and golds usually not much at all. However, that changed when I made this colorway. It just is so earthy and breathtaking. I want to knit everything out of it!

So, when Larissa Brown suggested we knit up a few of her shawls inspired by the book out of my new colorways, I instantly knew I needed to have a Lichen Shawl out of Betta. After all, different lichens are just what Betta used to dye with. 

I also couldn't help draping said shawl around the beautiful oak tree in my yard. Doesn't it look like it just belongs there?

The yarn I chose for this project is the new MIO Columbia Sport. Grown right here in Oregon and then dyed by me. It makes for a gorgeous combination. It reminds me of the golden hills of Eastern Oregon, much like the area where this wool was grown. Best of all, it only takes a single skein!

I also decided not to block the shawl as vigorously as the pattern shows. I liked the slight curl of the edges, because it looked more like lichen to me. As you can see it can be worn a variety of different ways. Kits are available in the shop and are ready to ship out today!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I plan on spending mine knitting and getting ready for the holidays! Don't forget: Luxury Yarn Sale ends on Sunday!

BW: From the Fields Shawl

I'm pretty excited to finally have up on the website a collection of patterns designed by Larissa Brown while she was writing the book Beautiful Wreck. I have had a couple of the patterns knit up in colorways inspired by the book too. 

The first one is From the Fields in Cashmere Blend (MCN) Sock color: Har. It uses only 1 skein! 

I love the back panel and how it looks like waving wheat in the wind.

Then the front has another panel of lace, which folds around the front.  

When I spoke to Larissa Brown about the pattern, she said the shape is designed so it won't fall off your shoulders. It simply wraps around and sits there. Which means you don't have to use a shawl pin to keep it on! Though, I think it would look stunning with any of the Plover Copper Shawl pins.

This is a perfect holiday project. Knit it for a special someone or for yourself! Also available in kits, perfect for the love one, who can make their own!

Photo Friday: Finger

Epic Saga Hat

It all started with Larissa Brown's wonderful book Beautiful Wreck. I was inspired to dye colorways based on the characters from her books. Then I made little mini skein sets of 5 colorways. I got to thinking, what is a project that would use up all 5 mini skeins? This is what I came up with:

The Epic Saga Hat. It starts at the ocean, then goes through fields of wheat, and then on through mountain peaks. The motifs I used are based off of traditional Icelandic sweaters. It was a joy to design and an adventure to knit!

So, start an epic journey of your own and knit this hat today! It will be an adventure you never forget!

Dolly

Quite a few years ago I bought a copy of Jess Hutchison's Unusual Toys for you to Knit and Enjoy. The book has since gone out of print. I have held onto it, knowing I would knit something from it someday. 

Today is the day! I knit this little dolly (rav link) for my cousin's daughter. It was a lot of fun and knit up quickly. I think I might need to make a couple more of these. The only thing I added was the hair. I doubled Dale of Norway Baby Ull for the yarn and went down to a size #6US needle for the slightly finer gauge. The reason I did this was because I had the yarn in my stash and it was flesh colored, which is actually pretty hard to find. I also only used a single strand for the border around the dress, because the ruffle kept coming out too big. Overall, I love this little dolly. It's just the right size for little hands to hold onto.

Hats for the Kids

So after Spinzilla I had all this handspun yarn. Winter is coming, so I whipped out a couple of hats for the kiddos. 

I love simple hats that go right over the ears. 

These were fun and fast and a big hit with the kids! They both loved them and didn't want to take them off once they were on their heads. Hopefully they will keep them warm all through the winter!

Mom's Ocean Shawl

The shawls actual name is Nymphalidea (rav link). It is named for a butterfly wing. While I agree the pattern does look like a butterfly I wanted to make it out of blue and white like the ocean for my mom now that she is living in Hawaii.

I really love how it turned out! The blue yarn is by Trendsetter and claims on the tag to be 100% mink. I personally think it has a little silk in it to keep the fibers together. I got it last fall when I went to Seattle. I thought it was fitting because my mother grew up outside of Seattle and her grandparents raised mink. So it is a mink stole! The white is some of my Cashmere Blend (MCN) Sock yarn. Both mixed together nicely and the shawl is super soft. Just perfect for wrapping around one's shoulders on a cool Hawaiian evening. 

Here it is out blocking. The shape is really interesting to me, like a wingspan. I can see a couple different ways to wear it. I believe my mother will probably hang it on the wall over the corner of a picture or something. She always finds fun ways to display shawls and scarves.

Photo Friday: List Time!

Holiday Gift Guide

Need some holiday inspiration this year? I just posted up the Holiday Gift Guide! I'll be posting more to it throughout the season, so make sure to check it often! It has great gift ideas for all price levels! Inspirations to knit and inspirations to give!

Luxury Yarn Sale!

I'm happy to announce a Luxury Yarn Sale for the month of November!

Angora Lace, Cashmere DK, Alpaca Silk Lace, and Chunky Baby Alpaca are all 25% off! Make sure to check them all out before they are gone!