Ocean Waves Silk Wrap

Yes, another shawl/wrap!  This one is one of my favorites and is sooo incredible to touch and feel.  It is handknit with 50/50 silk/wool in very cool blues and tourquoise.  The center panel has a fun design and the border has tiny sky blue beads at each scalloped point.

I loved knitting this one. Although it looks a bit complicated, the pattern was very easily memorized so no checking off each row to keep track was needed. This one one of my 'on the go' projects and spent many hours in the car while traveling here and there.

 

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Burgandy Lace Wrap

I've spent the past two months knitting and ripping out lace shawls. Mostly ripping if truth be told. In fact,  I have another triangle shawl that I put aside because I need to rip back 8 rows and I just don't want to look at it for awhile.  But, even though these patterns are challenging me mathmatically, I really like the look of lace.

So I decided to try doing a simple rectangle wrap design with the KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) mentality. With the rectangle wraps, there are no changes in the number of stitches each row and it is easy to keep track of.  The result is this ZigZag Lacy Wrap.

What makes this simple design special is the yarn that I used to knit it ~  my own handspun alpaca, merino, silk blend in a gorgeous burgandy with subtle shade changes.  This wrap is soft, flowing and drapes beautifully. 

This photo shows the gradiant changes in shades:





The yarn is in between fingering and sport weight and I used 10.5 US needles to make the zigzags pop. 

I think it is perfect for cool summer evenings as a wrap to keep the chill off.  Or it can be worn as a scarf in the fall too ~ 

I really had fun making this easy lace and knitting with some of my handspun. Sometimes doing something simple will help build confidence for the more complex designs!

Now, off to rip and finish my triangle shawl that awaits me ~~

Keep you needles clicking!

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Reversible Cable Scarf

It is almost the end of February and we woke up to yet more snow today.  I was kinda hoping that spring would be showing her face soon, but here we are covered in white.

Today I can't help but show off my newest scarf. I combined some of my own hand spun alpaca yarn that has a bold colorway that goes from yellow to orange to reds with a commercial solid orange alpaca, merino, silk blend. The alpaca gives it softness and the merino gives it memory while the silk provides just a tad bit of sheen.


The cables are on both sides, making this one totally reversible and there is absolutely no curling in on the sides. It drapes perfectly and if I do say so myself, is just about the best one I've ever made. Now - I could be a bit too attached as I've spun the yarn and knit the scarf. Almost like a mother being proud of her babies.

In any event, here it is ~ Orange Colorway Cable Handknit Scarf in Alpaca Merino Silk Blend



The front has 3 rows of cables while the back has 2 rows. I worked the cables on the back while purling, which is something I have never done before.  It isn't much different that working them on knit stitches.  The only difference is I held the cable needle in the back rather than front when purling. 

What are you working on this weekend?  I would love to hear from you!

Fresh From the Wheel ~ Alpaca Merino Silk Blend

I had such a fun time spinning this alpaca merino silk blend.  It was exceptional during the spinning process and just flowed through my fingers. 

The roving was purchased from Corgi Hill Farm on etsy and was one of my most pleasant spinnings yet! 



Here is a little about my process: 

After spinning 2 spools,  I respun them together in the opposite direction.  (Called plying) 

 Once that was done, the yarn is wound on a Niddy Noddy to keep it all straight and managable

 I then soak it in conditioner for about 20 minutes and let it hang dry for 2 days.

The end result ~  3.5 oz of gorgeous soft yarn,  just waiting to be made into something special

This is yarn is listed for sale in my etsy shop, but if it isn't sold by the time I finish my current projects, I may just pull it out of the shop and use it myself.  It's just lucious!

Sunday Morning

Warren has gone home and life is back to normal here. I will miss the little bugger but I know he is happy back home with his Mom and Dad.

We had severe thunder storms off and on yesterday and through out the night yesterday, but woke up to a bright sunny day. Daryl and I resumed our walking schedule (we certainly didn't need to walk when Warren was here - he kept us hopping all day long!)

But now, it's back to business. I knit up a scarf and a couple scarflettes last week and they are available on etsy and artfire. And I have finally written up a pattern for the classic cable scarflette which is being tested by a wonderful woman who has been knitting for 40 years. When she gets done trying it out, I hope to have it available for sale for $5 on etsy.

New this week is a fabulous wool/silk blend cabled scarf in lucious chocolate brown. This scarf is thick, soft and warm!



Also new is a wool/acrylic blend scarflette in a double seed pattern. Just right to keep off the chill and the natural color will look great with any outfit.


This new 100% wool ribbed cable scarflette in a rich deep blue is incredibly soft and warm.


Hoping you will stop by my etsy shop and artfire studio this coming week as I will have some brand new felted bowls and another new scarflette!