You can't make anything with one skein of yarn!

How often have I heard knitters telling me that my yarn is useless to them as I spin only one or two of a kind usually? Well, I like a challenge, so I'm trying to make a selection of samples with my hand spun to prove them wrong!

Over the last few days I've been knitting with a dk skein in pinks and coffees. I decided to do a Ravelry search to find a baby jacket. I settled on Mignon by Loop of London The pattern is easy to follow, a pleasure to knit and very simple, but effective.

 The spun yarn

 Partially done

 the finished cardigan

My next challenge is to find another pattern for my one skein challenge. What would you make with one 100g skein? Any suggestions on what you'd like me to make or design? 

New fibre

So, having got the bug for dyeing again, here are my latest offerings, to be found for sale at www.knattersknits.co.uk

 Summer Berries Sherbet Dibs    

 Tyrian Scarlet  

 



Not only do I enjoy dyeing these fibres, but because they are so soft, I love spinning them too. This fibre has such a lovely sheen, it almost sparkles.

Life is becoming busy at last! Not only have my fibres been well received by Fibreholics box recipients, I have been asked to run my spinning classes again at the local college, and also to demonstrate spinning at their open day. Things are definitely on the up. I just llove my job, I think it's the best!

I'm now planning some more patterns for release in the coming months, and I will announce more details here as things develop. One is a child's dress, another is a cowl and the rest are hush hush right now. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Right, as it's nearly 02:00 here, I'd better get ready for the Guild meeting tomorrow, and then go to bed. So much to do, so little time....

New yarn and fibre

Well, the silence from me hopefully has been worth it. I have been a busy little bee! My website www.knattersknits.co.uk/shop has loads of new stuff for sale, from fibre for spinning to yarn and knitting kits.

I am so excited to be able to tell you that I am also part of the Fibreholics group, where you can purchase small samples before you decide to buy larger amounts of fibre or yarn. This is such a good way to try out new dyers and spinners. Before contributing to this box, I tried them out myself, and was so pleased with the contents. Why not sign up for the newsletter so that you can find out when the boxes will be released? You won't regret it!

Below re a few pictures of what I've been up to:

 Grapes of Wrath

 Raspberry Ripple

 Hydrangea Inspired

 Indian Summer

    Sparkle         

  Rusty Gate    

 Cloudy Morning Fibre

The miracle of dyeing

I did some dyeing  a couple of days ago and was worried when I saw this:

This sight was what greeted me in my drying area. Ok, the lighting isn't great, but it was quite sad that the time spent hand painting my hand-spun yarn had been wasted. I carried on regardless and rinsed it, dried it and skeined it. Imagine my joy when all of this activity was complete, to see my yarn looking like this:

Even more exciting is the news that my yarn will find its way into the  Fibreholics boxes from April 2014. Not only that, but my fibre will be there too! If you fancy a selection of samples before you try yarn of fibre, then the box is definitely the way to go. I love the products I've had from the box in the past, and I'm sure you will too - give it a try!

More yarn... Quick note

Just a quick note.... This is my latest yarn, blue faced Leicester in colourway Indian Summer. It. Spun up like a dream and has a beautiful sheen to it. It's currently on sale in my etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/knattersknits 

It was Navajo plied to achieve this gorgeous yarn. There is approximately 120 yards of this DK weight yarn in 100g.

Fos, WIPs and other things.

Well it's been a busy old week, what with Doctors appointments, work and general household stuff. I decided not to swap my car for that particular van as it was too large to get in most car parks I go to _ a bit of a problem! I'm sure you'd agree? I am now thinking about a smaller van, but I'm not in any hurry to change.

I'm currently spinning like a mad thing, having bought loads of fibre from Sara from www.sarastexturecraft.com here are a few I've spun up. They are different. One is Tussah silk and merino (bottom picture ) and one has silk noils in it, making it very textured (bumpy). 

I've also completed the shawlette in Sara's KAL on ravelry and I'm rather pleased with it.

  

It did take several attempts to knit, and a lot of frogging, and I have to admit to getting very frustrated at picking up 240 stitches after the border, but with a little mathematics and a lot of stitch markers, it came out fairly evenly in the end. The colours are a little deeper in reality, but I'm very pleased with it. It'll make a nice evening shawl or can be worn as a neckerchief. 

I spun the fibre (exmoor blue face) from my friend Sara. Her colour ways are gorgeous, I have several more on the table waiting to be spun up and hopefully I can show you these next time....

No Woolfest, but new van on the horizon.

No Woolfest stand.

So I've heard that I haven't got a stand at Woolfest which makes me sad, however, I am on the waiting list, so we'll see what happens between now and June. I do have a stall at Yarndale in September, so I am excited about that. 

I swap my car for the van next week. This means no more squeezing my stock and spinning wheels into a tiny Fiat 500! It also means I'll have more room in my tiny workshop to work, which has to be a plus! To say I am excited is an understatement. 

I am currently participating in a craft along on Ravelry, in Sara's Texture Crafts group. I am spinning up some of Sara's exmoor blue faced. It's quite a nice fibre to work with, but I won't wash it until I have finished knitting the shawl, so I don't entirely know what it'll be like, but I admit I like it up to now....