HRYC
Give us your best pun!
It's that time of year where I sit down to organise the tote bag design for Knit August Nights. This year, both Colleen and I are completely stuck for knitting puns. So we're throwing it out to you, excellent yarn lovers!
We've had Knit Me Baby One More Line
and
This is what a knitter looks like
But we need something fresh, funny and yarn related.
So, give us your best puns! Entries close 5pm Thursday 30 July and the best pun will win a $50 Holland Road Yarn Co voucher and a tote bag with the new design on it! Hooray!
July KAL: Slippers!
We are officially half way through the year! After the great success of our garment KAL, this next KAL should be a bit faster although just as toasty and warm. You can sign up to join us here (which means if i'm organised enough for prizes you'll go in the draw!) and you can find our chatter about project in the Holland Road Yarn Co Ravelry group.
Here's a few ideas...
Cadeautje by Ysolda Teague if you'd like to have a go at thrums
French Press slippers by Melynda Bernardi
Crocodile stitch booties (they come in bigger sizes too!)
Foot Oven socks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (free pattern!)
Stippers by Ashley Knowlton
We'd really love to have you join in the fun!
The Indie Shelf: Fibre 2 Go
June sees us with Fibre 2 Go on the Indie Shelf - Lyn is based in Auckland and dyes jewel tones on both fibre and yarn. They simply glow with vibrancy - and we love being able to treat our spinners with some special indie dyed goodness!
When you aren't busy dyeing yarn, what do you do?
Spin, knit, housework (when absolutely necessary), cook meals, visit my 96 year old Mum, browse Ravelry and Craftsy and I also have a keen interest in netball so I volunteer on the official scoring and timing bench at ANZ netball games and tournaments.
What is your number one favourite part of being an indie dyer?
Seeing the reaction of my customers (both regular and new) when they see my stock. The smiles often followed by jaw-dropping amazement. Then I know I have them in my trap!
How did you get into knitting? Are you a process or a product knitter?
My mum taught me during a three week drive around NZ on a family holiday. I was 8. I love to try new techniques so often my projects don't get finished. They get tinked and reinvented. Having said that I do love that sense of achievement when I remove a finished shawl from the blocking pins, or give a special piece to a friend.Do you have a particular fibre or fibre blend you love to dye more than any other?
Hmmm, let's see. Probably the 20%silk 80% merino. But I also love the Luxury blend which is silk/cria alpaca/fine merino. The colours migrate in a very special way and look incredible.
We all have colour tendencies - what's yours? Do you find this comes through in your dyeing?
Blues and purples but I get most of my inspiration from nature. Millions of years of product development already for me to use. But I do study colour theory and have a sense of what will work with fibres because you have to understand how to spin or knit to create the best starting materials for other crafters to work with. This is especially important for fibre as opposed to yarn. Yes, I hope my colour sense comes through in my dyeing. But I am always happy to work with customers to create something special with their own colour suggestions.If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
Tahiti for the underwater colour bonanza or India, I have heard that vibrant colours are everywhere and not to be missed.
Anything else you want to share with us?
I produce mainly highly colour-saturated fibre blends. When using coloured fibres for spinning or felting it is important to realise that after dyeing, each process the fibre goes through can cause the colours to optically blend and may result in muddy browns. Of course this may be your goal. But knowing how to use highly saturated colours for maximum effect is an art in itself. Your projects will look breathtakingly beautiful as much from a distance as up close. And when you do get close the feel of the merino-based garment will add to the magic.Summary of 2015 Blanket CAL patterns
Although links to each month's patterns are still available in the Ravelry forum, the older ones can take awhile to find. Here is a handy list of the CAL patterns to date:
(To see all our participant versions of these squares, check out our Facebook album)
February (patterns using only basic stitches)
March (patterns include back loop only and/or cluster stitches)
April (patterns include post stitches)
May (more patterns with post stitches or with slightly complicated/unusual constructions)
Bonus square (pattern includes spike stitches; original pattern in French):
June (patterns include crochet diagrams)
July (patterns include stitches worked multiple rounds below)
August (patterns include spike stitches and picots)
September (patterns include puff stitches and more advanced construction)
October (patterns may involve more complicated color work)
November (generally advanced patterns or patterns that were published mid-year and didn't fit anywhere else)
This last option is a bit of a challenge. The pattern is no longer available, but between the notes on Kate33wlu's project page & the other project photos you could still make it:
Cosy hats for chilly days
The Southern hemisphere has well and truly arrived - our warmest and dryest wishes are with all those who have suffered from the heavy rain and flooding over the recent weeks.
Days like today, with hail and wind, make me want to pull on the warmest, cosiest hat possible. Here's a few that i'm loving lately:
Classic cuffed hat from the Purl Bee (we have one knit up in Zealana Heron in the Grand Arcade shop)
Puck is a super cute kids hat by Dani Sunshine - it would be great knit up in Vintage DK
Gather comes in a full size range from tiny to full-grown, from Tincanknits
Basic baby hat is a free pattern by Heather Tucker - perfect for using up odds and ends of 8ply.
The trouble I always have, especially with kids' hats, is figuring out what size to make. Here's a really handy chart from Tot Toppers:
Happy hat knitting, and stay warm!
