For the Love of Cables

Over the past week I have been working on a bunch of new projects, all in different stages of completion.  I wanted to share one of my favorite projects which also happens to be one of my favorite winter accessories - fingerless mitts!  I enjoy them because they are a quick item to knit up, you can modify the pattern to add as little or as much style as you want, but above all, they are extremely functional!  They keep your hands warm while keeping your fingers free.

I really enjoy knitting in the round, especially on small circular needles vs. double pointed needles.  The circulars allow me to find a flow that helps me work much more quickly than if I were using dpn's.  My absolute favorite needles to use with pretty much any type of yarn are Addi's by Skacel -  http://www.skacelknitting.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.4/.f  I happened upon them at my local yarn store and instantly fell in love, they are lightweight, super smooth, never snag and have flexible, non-kink cords...they are well worth the price! 

For this pair of mitts I chose a cabled moss stitch that runs up the center from cuff to cuff.  I feel the moss stitch adds a great deal of interest to a basic twisted cable. I choose to use 100% pure wool in 'Winter White' from Patons -  

http://www.patonsyarns.com/product.php?LGC=classicwool I have quite a few skeins of this wool in my yarn stash.  It is reasonably priced, available at all 'big box' craft stores and is of great quality.  I love using this wool especially for felting projects.  

I chose to make this pair a generous length which allows for three diamond repeats.The ribbing along both cuffs allow for maximum stretch so they will comfortably fit a variety of arm sizes.  These are elbow length and can double as a pair of sleeves.  They are very warm!  I still have to make the mate to this mitt and block before I am truly finished but I was excited to share this project!  Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Amy L. 

Debut

Alright folks, my Etsy store is up and running!  I will be adding more items soon!  If you are interested in making a purchase let me know and I will send you a coupon code!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pozie

-Amy L.

Twisted Wool

A few years ago I picked up the book Spin-Dye-Stitch and was quickly inspired by the primitive simplicity of the craft.  I thought learning to spin my own yarn would be a fun, easy way to truly customize my knitting...until I tired it.  If you have never used a drop spindle let me create a visual for you:  You have a big ball of fiber that you attach to your drop spindle while at the same time keep the spindle spinning the same direction and consistently draft the fiber without over twisting or breaking the fiber or getting all tangled up in it.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Well I would equate it to patting your head while rubbing your stomach while jumping up and down with your eyes closed, and oh yeah, chewing gum.  The coordination required to spin nice, even yarn was something I failed to obtain so I threw in the towel and put the book on the shelf.  Until recently....

A few months ago my husband and I were having dinner with my cousin and her husband.  After a few glasses of wine the conversation began to gravitate towards starting a business.  My cousin being a knitter herself came up with the idea that we open a yarn shop (something we would still love to do someday), but with little to no start up money we began to brainstorm ways to make some money on the side while still building a name for ourselves within the artisan world.  Thus the idea of making our own yarn was born!  

I picked the book up off the shelf, bought some new fiber and reconfigured a drop spindle to fit my needs and we spent all afternoon yesterday practicing spinning.  

Before:

We caught on surprisingly quickly!

After:

We still have a lot to learn but are making great progress!  The freedom of creativity that comes with spinning your own yarn is easily comparable to the infinite possibilities of a painter.  There are many different types of fibers, countless fiber blends, dyes, beading, etc.  You are only limited by the depth of your imagination and I am glad that with the coaxing of my cousin I gave it another shot!  Thanks for reading!

-Amy L. 

Allow Me to Introduce Myself...

Hello!  I would just like to take a second to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about what you can expect from my blog!  My name is Amy and I plan to write mostly about my adventures in knitting.  I have been knitting for a little over two years now and it has become a huge passion of mine.  I enjoy experimenting with new yarns and adventurous patterns....I am in the middle of getting my very own Etsy store up and running so I may find myself writing about my adventures with that as well.  Other topics you can expect me to write about are hand spinning yarn, my gardens (vegetable and flower), home renovations and treasures found at my local antique/vintage shops!  I may throw a comment or two in here about my adorable yet moody cats as well!  My hope is to post at least twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Let the adventure begin, thanks for reading! (I received these last night from my husband, they smell delicious!)

-Amy L.