Book Yarn, Part IV
I've never quite managed be one of those people who are always up on the newest or coolest things. Perhaps I'm not attentive enough or I don't try hard enough or maybe I just don't care. I've come to terms with that, and I don't even think it's a bad thing. Most of the time. Alas, in this case, my blithe dismissal of buzz led me to miss out on Sanguine Gryphon's Bugga for far too long. Now that I've got some of it in my hands, I see what all the chatter has been about. This stuff is really [...]
Book Yarn, Part III
So the last two book yarns were returns of old favorites. That's always wonderful, and I am excited to work with them again. That said, there's something marvelous in finding new favorites too. (If you were a brownie in the 80s that godawful Make New Friends song might be running through your head now too. Sorry about that.) That's what's happened here. This is the lovely Sock Plus 8 by Handwerks in the color Paprika. It's made of 8 tiny plies tightly twsited together resulting in marvelously smooth yarn. The stitch definition is fantastic, and despite all those plies, it's [...]
Book Yarn, Part II
Lovely as the Schaefer yarn is, 2 skeins do not a book make. Don't worry though, there is rather a lot more. The second yarn to arrive was Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Mediumweight in the color In the Navy. As with the Schaefer, this is not the first time I've worked with Blue Moon. I've used it for two pairs of socks before I started designing and two pairs since. Ensnared, one of my first designs, was made with it as was Scatterling, one of my most recent. This is another of those yarns that is just slightly on the [...]
Book Yarn, Part I
For the last few days my mailbox has been overflowing with a steady stream of some of my favorite yarns. You see, a week or two ago, I gathered up my courage and sent emails off to the folks who make my favorite yarns. I told them I'm working on a book, that I love what they do, and that I was hoping to use their work in my book. Madam Publisher was kind enough to send emails to back me up (ya know, just to prove I'm not just soliciting yarn with no intention of turning out a book). [...]
Still not the Big News
So this is still not it. There's a good chance the 'it' will be discussed tomorrow or Monday. Instead, I bring you some other news, this time accompanied by a photo. It's been an unreasonably long time since there has been a photo of a new sock. So, with no further ado, a picture. This is a sock with a bit of back story. The story is rather rambly. The short version is 'new pattern later this month.' If you don't want the long version, feel free to wander off now. I'll never know. Ok, now for the long version. [...]
Astonishing Restraint
There was yarn in Pittsburgh. Rather a lot of yarn. If you consider my purchases in light of the total amount of yarn available, I showed admirable restraint. Quite impressive really. I bought only two little skeins. One a lovely turquoise number from Decadent Fibers and another a dark purplish fancy from Creatively Dyed Yarn. Both of them even have a bit of nylon and so stand a good chance of lasting for more than a season. I also picked up a second set of the Kollage square needles (one of the first set has suffered an unauthorized relocation via [...]
Fine Line
I must now attempt to walk that fine line between discretion and rashness. Let's see how I do. I can tell you that I have a new sock pattern coming out. That really shouldn't be a surprise to any of you, and it certainly isn't breaking any vows of secrecy. I could probably also tell you that it's for a sock club. Now if you've ever looked into sock clubs, you likely know that they have only a limited number of spots, and that you have to sign up by a certain date. So this leads me to believe that [...]
Good Riddance…
To be honest, 2009 had more than its fair share of rough spots. Lets just say that it presented an exciting array of character building experiences. However, I can now say with certainty that 2009 is gone and I am still here. That means I won. To celebrate this victory and to start the new year on a better note, we took a wee jaunt to see one of our favorite bands, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. (If you know them only from that late 90's swing resurgence you're missing a treat. Go hear the rest of their stuff right now. [...]
Yarn Love
All of my suspicions about Happy Feet DK have been proven correct! I am in love. It is just the right thickness for my preferred needle/tension/foot combination. It's just thick enough to feel fast. Now knitting is not and will never be the quickest way to get socks. Speed is not the point. But I'm willing to bet that most of us wouldn't mind too terribly much if the process took just a tiny bit less time. This yarn takes care of it. I need about 10% fewer stitches around the circumference of the sock, which makes quite a lot [...]
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!
