From Fibre to Finished Object

Very excited to share this little scarf with you.  Recently I've completed next to no knitting for myself, so when I spotted a little gap in the scheduled knitting, I grabbed my handspun polwarth skein from FiberArtemis which has been sitting in pride of place on my desk for quite a while now.

I've posted about it here before (and on Ravelry here) - the fibre is 100% polwarth from this lovely etsy shop.  It felt dense yet soft, and drafted beautifully.  There's a polwarth/silk mix in my stash from this shop too, so I might make a little time over christmas to spin it up a little finer for another shawl...  

Since I'm being good (and have spent all of my pennies on presents), the pattern is also one previously purchased on Ravelry - this is Artesian by Rosemary Hill. 

The pattern was very easy to follow, employing short rows for shaping.  The chart is laid out in a way I've not used before, so I used the written instructions, which are nice and easy to follow.    

And the yarn?  Oh dear, I loved it so much.  It's all smooshy and soft and, dare I say it, relatively evenly spun and plied throughout... (not that the garter stitch and yarn over pattern would show if it did!).

 

 

This is what the lovely fluff looked like when it arrived, and after spinning.   What are you working on at the moment?  I have something quite exciting to show you in a couple of weeks, but it'll have to stay under wraps until then :p

  

New Collection: As Autumn Falls

Autumn is my favourite season, and October one of my favourite months.  I adore the changing colour of the trees, the rapid change from peaceful green to burning reds, oranges & yellows.  As I've mentioned before, we chose our flat because of how close to the Kelvin & botanic garden it is, a lovely river which flows almost unnoticed in the west end of Glasgow through leafy green avenues, passing by a wonderful arboretum. 

I'm not sure if people really realise the arboretum is there, it's always lovely and quiet, even on the warmest of sunny days, tucked away across the road at the back of the botanic gardens.

It's from this changing of seasons, from the turning of the leaves and the crispy drop in temperature, that the Autumn collection is derived (here on rav). 

Front centre of "Baile" cardigan, as below

Comprised of a golden brown/orange cardigan - Baile, two gorgeous hats inspired by hay bales and golden twigs - Bulgurwheat & Slipthatch, and last but certainly not least, the Emmer shawl - a slightly more sombre pink/brown shawl, inspired by empty stalks and leafless branches. 

The entire collection is knitted in beautiful malabrigo yarns; a super soft merino for the shawl, superwash merino for cardigan (sensible), and silky soft merino/silk for the lighterweight hat with a single spun worsted beauty for the heavier weight hat.

Emmer- I wanted emmer to be loghtweight but warm, so used twisted stitches and occasional yarn overs to add detail to this delicate but robust shawl.  Using 150g of 4ply, it's just the right size for wrapping around your shoulder when those cold October winds begin to blow!

 

Baile - I wanted this cardigan to look complex whilst being very simple to knit, and think we've managed!  The front panels are a short repeat, easily knitted with only basic knowledge of ssk, k2tog and yo. 

Charts are written out as well, so if confused you can always use both!  

Slipthatch - this hat blocked beautifully.  The woven stitch creates a dense fabric in this worsted yarn - this hat is toasty!!  It's inspited by hay bales and thatched rooves and warm autumnal fun.

 

Bulgurwheat - after that toaster of a hat I needed something more delicate - how about one which reminds me of bare stems and golden stems of flowers long gone? 

 

On Ravelry the patterns are individually priced.  £9 for the 4-piece collection - I think ravelry adds tax to this depending on where you are! 

If there's enough interest, maybe we could run a wee knit-along in the Ravelry group? 

Which new item is your favourite??  What's your favourite time of year, and if it's Autumn, is it for different reasons to me?

Shawl Together: Shapes of Shawls

This post is part of the Fall Shawl Together [http://infinitetwist.com/fall-shawl-together/], a collaborative project featuring great shawl-related content from designers, bloggers, and podcasters. We're featuring a new post each week, now - December. You can check out all the posts on the Fall Shawl Together Project Page [http://infinitetwist.com/fall-shawl-together/] and show us what you're working on by tagging your shawl projects!  #shawltogether

Not long ago, Cate dropped a little email in my inbox about the Fall Shawl Together, which is a wonderful idea!  From last month until December, the Shawl Together page will be updated with lots of great bloggers posting about different aspects of knitting and shawls.

This week, is the turn of the shape of the shawl.   

Which do you prefer?  Why?  And do you prefer to knit one shape, but prefer to wear another?  It's very interesting to hear how this small decision can divide a group of knitters before even choosing your colours.  

The most common shape to crop up when searching for shawls on Ravelry, and the one you probably knit first, is the good ol' triangle.  The first shawl I knit was the 'Age of Brass & Steam' Kerchief by Orange Flower Yarn.  It was simple, it was a trangle, I figured it wouldn't make me cry.  Not that all triangual shawls are simple! For example, Rosemary Hill creates magnificent shawls, through the whole scpectrum of difficulty.  Saying that, my favourites are still Artesian and Knitwitch.  They're based on a simple idea, but have wonderful touches added. 

Triangles hang well over the shoulders, lending themselves well to shawl pins or being tied at the corners.

Artesian shawl by Rosemary Hill

   

Knitwitch by Romi Hill

Sticking to the simple shapes, you could knit a square.  This shape is definitely easier than the triangle, but that all depends on which stitch patterns you fill it with!  There are some beautiful examples of the square shawl on Rav; this is Quill by Jared Flood.  It just looks so cozy.

Squares are slightly less easy to wear than triangles, and tend to be used as lap blankets or folded back into triangles before wearing.  

Semi-Circles are one of my new favourite shapes to knit.  I love the way it seems to radiate outward around a wee central shape to grow into something wonderful.  My most recent design, Aston Lane, is a semi-circlar shawl which incorporates short rows to allow different distances between the strings of beads.  It's inspired by a lane filled with fairy lights and cobblestones near my flat in Glasgow.

There are also some wonderful circular shawls, though I've yet to bring myself to attempt one of these lovelies, they're usually massive and made from lots of laceweight.

Semi circles are similar to triangles in that they cover the shoulders nicely but sometimes do need a little help staying on.

Ashton Lane

Time for my favourites.  Crescent shawls are my favourite to wear (which is confusing because, as I just said, the semi-circles are my favourite to knit!).  Because of this, Bru & Kelvinway are garter & lace crescents.  I find that crescent shawls fit well, and sit snugly around my neck without the need for pins.  They're also usually made from one skein of yarn which makes for a nice portable project.

Many people love wearing crescents because they stay on much like scarves.  Longer and thinner than your typical shawl, we can wrap them around our necks, no shawl pins required.

Last but not least on this list, is the asymmetrical shawl.  One of the largest KALs I've taken part in was Ysoldas 'Follow Your Arrow', which provided 5 stages with two options for each.  I used Manos Silk blend which was magnificent.   There are too many combinations to describe, so if you're interested the projects page is amazing.

Now, this isn't by any means an exhaustive list!  There are heart shaped, pentagonal, hexagonal - you name it, I'm sure you could find it (or make it yourself).  My favourite atypical shape is this beauty - it's the Maple Leaf shawl by Elfmoda.

If you're just starting out knitting shawls, last weeks contribution to the shawl together project was about the garter tab cast on by Alex Tinsley.  This is a very common technique which is used to start off a shawl - it ensures your shawl can start with enough stitches in a small space whilst looking very presentable.  And stuck for colours?  Cates post on colour theory was very pretty!


What's your favourite shawl? or shape?

New Pattern: Ashton Lane Shawl

Last week, at the Glasgow School of Yarn, my shawl inspired by Ashton Lane won 2nd place in the design competition!  You can find it now on Ravelry, and join the Glasgow Shawls KAL as well (more about this later in the post)!  

Knitted top down from a garter tab, short rows are used to create sweeping lines of yarn overs to mimic the hanging strings of fairy lights so familiar to Ashton Lane.   After the yarn over ‘lights’, the shawl transitions to a ‘cobblestone’ section created with increasing size slipped stitches and purl rows - creating a wee sense of perspective & depth.  

Ashton Lane is a tiny cobbled side street in the West End of Glasgow.  Bustling even at the quietest of times, this fairy light adorned lane is a must visit place in the west end of Glasgow, with restaurants, pubs, cinema and nightclubs all packed into this tiny space.  For me, it’s the first and last port of call on a night out, and I’d take anyone who visits me in Glasgow here.  It’s not a trip out in Glasgow without a half-pint under the fairy lights. - I have a half pint, because large beer make me look even smaller.  It's true, see:

Knit in Ripples Craft BFL sock, it's a gorgeous grey as well, and the beads lend a really nice weight to the whole item.  I'll work on a wee beading tutorial this evening, so check back in a couple of days if you need a little additional help!  In the meantime, there are lots of very helpful youtube videos.  

The KAL!  Never fear, I haven't forgotten.  From the start of November, with a finish date at the end of December, there's a wee Knit-Along in the OwlPrintPanda group on Ravelry.  There'll be a couple of wee prizes, and a 10% discount on all of my Glasgow inspired patterns and 15% discount on my etsy yarns for those taking part.   Feel free to join in at any stage!  

Finishing Arrows

Having never knit a large lacy shawl before, I was unsure what to expect, but this shawl was brilliant fun, and the fletching edge really did make it for me.

I was a slow starter, unable to decide which yarn to use, but eventually settled on Manos Del Uraguay.  It's soft, fluffy, beautifully dyed and generally amazing.

Lovely yarn, lovely pattern, made me happy the whole time I was knitting.  And it was such fun to knit it along with so many other people (and sneak peeks at their shawls).

 

And the little arrow necklace?  It's from A Girl Called Boz :)

Ooooh also, I've just discovered The Sewing Bee!  Yes, yes, I know I'm a series and a half late to the game.  It's a  great show on BBC which sets sewing challenges for the people taking part, and is really helpful to watch for techniques.

I'm planning on making a pretty dress next, and am just gearing up the courage to but the fabric!!  Is it ok for a 24 year old to wear a fox and forrest print dress?

I think so.

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DIY: Bru Shawl & Glasgow Getup

Get the pattern here on Ravelry.

What better time to partake in a photoshoot than a dreary, drizzly, windy glasgow sunday afternoon.  No point in pretending it's sunny here, eh?

Or waiting on the sun to make an appearance either.  Might take a while.

Anyhoo, here are some little photos of a certain fizzy orange beverage inspired shawlette.  First comment & retweet on twitter gets a free copy :p

You can also grab it here on Ravelry or in my etsy store.




p.s.  do you have any idea how hard it is to take photies of a shawl in the wind?



Whilst we're on the subject, here are a few of my favourite glasgow based bands:

Belle & Sebastian, in particular 'she's losing it' with my favourite line right in the chorus, "when the first cup of coffee tastes like washing-up".  Also, mainly for the running-around-in-glasgow-so-lets-point-at-the-bits-we-know video, 'I'm a cuckoo'.

What's your favourite local band?  Comments so I can discover them all!

And, not to forget, I think 'The Dykeenies' might also be up there in my favourites, oh and 'We Were Promised Jetpacks'.  Now go play with youtube my lovely blog readers, google some glasgow bands.

From Sheep to Shawl

Not long ago, you may have spotted a post about some lovely purple fleece I bought from Fondant Fiber!

Well, this week I decided I had to actually start using the pile of handspun amassing in the basket on the shelf, and turned it into this simple shawl :)

Thinking about making a cardigan next, which fleece would you recommend?  Would love a breed which spins up lovely and soft.  Not too floofy though!  It'll aaaall go up my nose.

 The pattern is very simple, and can be found free on Ravelry by Orange Flower.    Nice quick telly-watching knit :)

In case you've forgotten, here's what the fleece looked like a few weeks ago:

then to this:

 It still never fails to amaze me that we turn little piles of pretty fluff into garments :)   What's your favourite type of yarn to spin?

Perhaps one day I will live near some sheep and they will donate their wool to a jumpery cause.