What: A Woolie Trunk Show!
When: Saturday, December 1st from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where: The Woolie Ewe - Plano, Texas - directions here
We will be there with kits, yarn, patterns and fiber in hand. There should be food, spinning wheels, knitting needles and from what I hear a huge selection of Rowan Kidsilk Aura, ahem, you will know where to find me.
Hand dyed seawool making its debut at the Jenning Street Yarns Trunk Show tomorrow.
Seawool Sock
Fiber Content: 70% superwash Merino 30% Seacell fiber
Somewhat Solids from left to right - Maize, Crimson, Eggplant and Wheat
Yardage: 380 yards
Gauge: 7 sts= 1 inch on US- size 1-2 needles
A few skeins of Luxury Sock
Luxury Sock
Fiber Content: 50% Superwash Merino 50% Tencel
Somewhat Solid colorways - ginger glazed with eggplant above.
Yardage: 400 yards
Gauge: 5-6 sts = 1" on US size 3 needles
And a few of these little babies.
Silk/Wool Lace
Fiber Content: 50% silk 50% Merino wool
Somewhat Solid colorways - malachite pictured above.
Yardage: 800 yards
Oh,
And I have been knitting up a new cable-man sock pattern.
Clarabell (the suspicious sock-inspector) seems to be giving her reluctant and hard to gain approval.
At TNNA I was fortunate enough to flip through some galley copies of up and coming books set to be released this fall.
By far one of my favorites was this little jewel by Linda La Belle above. It is available for pre-order now at Amazon.
It truly showed the variety of ways to dye yarn and the stunning results you can get from all kinds of different techniques. The section on natural dyer Hand Jive was really great as well.
This book I have now added to my wish list although I know little to nothing about it. I have wanted to learn the magic loop method for awhile now and this seems to be even better.
I wonder if learning the magic loop bit would be better first and then moving on to 2 socks at a time. Hmmmm. Any advice on that one?!
As for patterns I must share what I saw as trends...
Look for some fabulous Fair Isle from Rowan and a thicker weight version of Kidsilk Haze this Fall. I really think overall it seemed the pendulum was swinging back to traditional knitting methods, Fair Isle, traditional/ethic patterning and designing inspiration etc. and far, far away from anything even remotely resembling fun fur.
Here is my donation to the new fiberlicious friday. A delcious little plate of wafers, that is hand-dyed sock swatches.
I loved the purl bee's sweet idea of the calla coasters so much, I incorporated it as a pattern for swatch samples. I think they turned out so very yummy.
They truly remind me a bit of a ferris wheel at a carnival...
And the wonderful result of a swap with megan, some gorgeously scented pure soap bars with, lavender, lemongrass, clove, ginger, citrus... and so much more in the way of wafting scents. I promise I have washed my hands more times today than I have in the last few days combined.
And of course some more tomten progress...
i know you are probably most sick of seeing this thing but i am really enjoying it so very much!
The rain continues... It has been years since it has rained all day, day after day. Wee and I ventured outside to grab a small hand full of flowers in between the periods during the gushing rain and the light sprinkle. He added a dandelion or two of course, nothing for him is ever complete without one. My favorite rose is the creamy one on the top right. It smells divine, a deep but not to heavy musky scent of an old rose instead of the staid smell of the new hybrids.
I must have had milky tones on my mind as I photographed the rose on my mother's old alabaster table top and later that same day while wee was napping came up with this...
... and of course I had to give it the moniker of alabaster as well! The weeks forecast includes a great deal more rain and that is something I welcome as everything is so lush and green as it was in my Georgia childhood. The local classical station seems to be inspired this evening as well. They have played a soothing line up of threatrical songs, soft arias and even some really nice and dreamy jazz.
Oh and a hint about the secret... I dyed up a some seawool this evening and the yarn is beautiful with such a subtle sheen.
Question: Why is your @#$#% shop always empty?
Answer: below...
As for why the shop always seems to be empty, there is a really good reason, i promise. And that reason is because I have decided to sell my wares wholesale to the great retailers that are already running some really wonderful storefronts, be it online or otherwise.
So here is the latest news. You will soon be able to grab my hand dyed yarn at both Kpixie and One Planet Yarn and Fiber - two fabulous online shops who are run by some really fun gals. And for in store selection, I will be adding a few new stores across the states here in a few weeks.
I also happen to have some really big news (well big to me that is) but i am sworn to secrecy. I am not telling you all this to give you a one line teaser or convince you of the dire need to read the post that follows this one as soon as possible. I am just relieving the tension that comes with having to hold in a really big secret while attempting to act all non-chalant about it all. I have never been good at keeping secrets, i admit it. I was always the one that let the bubble burst or revealed something when i should not. But my friends became wise to this inability of mine and no further damage was done. Instead of being the first to know I was always the last for fear I would leak the excitement by just the very look or smirk across my face. So there, I let out a little bit of the secret but you still don't know what color it is...
So, sock wise I have already started on another pair.
Well, just a pair of baby booties, but they cover the feet don't they? These booties were quick and fun and oh so freaking tiny.
Technical fodder:
Pattern: cashmere booties pattern from the Erika Knight baby book
Yarn: my hand dyed yarn in the peacock colorway
Needles: US size 5 addis.
Adjustments: none - i knit these because i wasn't particularly interested in thinking about anything that requires much in the way of mental ability of stamina, therefore no alterations.
Since I have finished these and sent them to their future owner I do not feel bad for revealing them here. I admit to having already cast on for another pair of socks. Dang those suckers are addictive in a needling can't get the words to that song that you hate so much out of your head type of way. Peakers beware.
Speaking of obsessions, color wise, I have been pining over all of the semi-solid hand knit socks popping up. So here is a nod to my latest diversion, that is the almost there but not quite solid, semi-solid sock yarn. The perfect way to show off a hard or hardly (depending on your knitting ability - mine would be the former) labored over 20 row repeat with no plain old knit or purl row to rest knitting pattern.
Kale
Bark
Finished:
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple - Easy Children's Light Weight Socks
Yarn: Madtosh Hand Dyed Sock in Amaranth
Needles: US Size 1 bamboo dpns.
The wee sock is finished and waiting for its mate. These were so fun to work up and are my first experience with a real heel, flap and all.
This is a great little pattern and fits wee's foot so well. The only change to the pattern is a shorter toe length as wee has rather stubby little toes.
Hope everyone is having a happy (decent) Monday.
xo,
Amy
Pictured left to right:
Waterfall (merino lace), Sweet Peas (thick sock), Amaranth (soft sock), Frida (thick sock)
Hello,
I have been bursting to share the big news and now that it's legit here it goes.
Madtosh has expanded just a little bit:
Here is a listing of our new retailers with more coming soon:
Hill Country Weavers - Austin, TX - 512-707-7396
The Knitting Nook, North Richland Hills, TX -
Bluebonnet Yarn - Cedar Park, TX - 512-259-4646
Twisted Yarns - Spring, TX - 281-528-8664
The Hen House, Spring, TX - 281-379-7306
One Planet Yarn and Fiber - online
Sandra Singh - online
I am also so excited to announce that Madtosh has changed its base yarn to offer a lovely, round and durable sock yarn in both fingering and sport weights.
I will post pics of some of the newest colorways tomorrow, along with a freebie sock pattern any virgin sock knitter could easily tackle or any accomplished sock master would have fun knitting while watching PBS (my fav of course)!
I was thinking I need a This Old House colorway dedicated to Norm the carpenter.
And a pinafore colorway dedicated to the foremost woman in our century in my book, that is Tasha Tudor.
xoxo,
Amy
To market, to market - off to Dallas for the Urban Bazaar. The first day went well, that is until the guy that had been working on a piece of stained glass with a sautering tool for and hour promptly stood up and shattered the glass on the floor. Big oops on his part there.
All of my favorite Shabby Sheep customers stopping by of course. I love you guys!
It rained mid-day and the weather felt much more like Georgia swamp, minus the alligators than Texas with the dense humidity. But the sun came out after the rain and kids ran by and jumped around in the puddles and the light gleamed on their curly locks; OK that last part didn't happen but hey the sun did come out afterwards which always bodes well for better weather tommorrow and the dj really rocked. He had the Pulp Fiction soundtrack on repeat for his lunch break, can you say heaven.
I am half way through my second sock now and I must say I don't see any ladders anymore. I think they are now ladder free and looking much more like a well knit sock ought to look.
I have also been working on some swatches for some new Madtosh Patterns, which will be available soon. Two sock patterns, a lacy hat, mittens and more ....
The above swatch incorporates a honeycomb stitch, linen stitch, a ripple pattern and a basketweave. I am leaning towards the linen stitch in the middle myself.
As for the yarn, I held two stands together of the Aster and Nasturtium kettle dyed tweeds above. Color wise it really seemed to turn out like a desert sunset in Arizona, don't ask me how that happened, but I really like it, very Forest Gump in his running phase.
Well, I know everyone else is in Maryland at the Sheep and Wool Festival. I am slightly jealous, OK really jealous, but maybe next year and I am honestly saving my pennies for Rhinebeck. Please oh please may the gods of monetary budgeting and expenditures shine on this wish and make my Rhinebeck fantasies come true! WILL trade yarn for a ride to the festival. Any takers?
... And for books, I finally picked up a copy of Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns. All I can say is why in the ^#^$% did I not pick this up sooner and @#$@ if I did not waste my money buying the Vogue Stitchionary. Oh well, consider yourself warned and please go waaaaaaaaaaay out of your way to avoid making the same mistake I did. In other words just buy this damn book already!
