In the Mood
Moody Blues has been around for a while, but now it's getting officially adopted into the stable
Blimey!
A knockout sixties shade of lime green - partners well with Salamander.
"Unventing"
Want a warm winter hat for hubby (or you)?
I knitted up this this totally practical hat from 3 balls of yarn in three evenings. It's super-warm as it's double-ended, and has a stranded turnup. It's also reversible to a plain side. The pattern is here; password: HatPattern. Elizabeth Zimmerman coined the term unventing' t o cover those situations where patterns arise from a common thread or idea - this is one of those. I know this is a traditional style, but I can't remember which culture it originated from...do you know?
Bags of fun!
I've had a bit of fun felting in the last little while - you can find an instruction booklet for this bag in the shop at craftsy.com
Poppy
A bright and breezy red to warm up your winter!
Off to sea?
Don't forget your knitting - match the shades of the deep with new Turquoise.
Super-cute and super-creative Found on the net: fabulous creative ideas - this crafter has published a series of PDF patterns of adorable animals!
What's up, Kate?
Well, autumn has officially arrived and with it, the hedge cutter. The mighty macrocarpa (cedar) hedge that our house hides behind has just had its first cut in several years, littering the lawn and the road outside with branches, twigs and what passes for leaves on conifers. Last night it was a race against the dark to get the roads cleared! Once I've cleaned up the mess (my studio is buried under branches this morning) and we've had a tear-inducing massive bonfire, I'll be starting on my winter projects. Time to haul out that hibernated jacket project and actually get it done this time.
Read on for all the news: new wool stock, patterns, sites of interest and a handful of new shades.
19-21 micron Merino now in stock
Well, it took its time, but I have finally got some of my new merino stock carded and dyed – the rest awaits your colour choice! I’ve left the bulk of it undyed so that I can respond to orders. Different micron size wool always dyes up slightly differently, so you will see an update of the colour photos rolling out as I dye the new stock.
I also have a fair amount of the first batch of wool off the card left – I have designated it ‘felting wool’ because it has a moderate amount of second cut in it. If you’d like some of this, I have it all listed on my Etsy shop, or you can just email me to ask about available colours (not all colours available).
The new 19-21 merino is all New Zealand sourced and processed right here in Canterbury. It has that lovely ‘cotton wool’ soft hand, and spins up into a dreamily soft woollen yarn. Later in the year I’ll be stocking 21 micron combed merino which (of course) spins up as worsted. It also makes beautiful soft, dense felt.
Remaining stock of the combed 23 micron Merino and the combed Corriedale is listed on Trade Me and in my Etsy shop. The Corrie is listed as project-size packs of 200gr multi, 200gr toning single shade: ‘Perfect Partners’. Very limited colours only are available.
Patterns
I’ve been working away on a number of patterns – the first is the Woven Felt Bag, which I have listed for sale on Craftsy as an e-book ($5.95 US). This started off as an idea of combining weaving and felting (don’t worry, there is no loom involved!) and proved to be a success. I love my woven bag – I’ve used it to store wool in while I’m spinning and to bring things back and forth to group meetings. I’m thinking about making another one…and I have several ideas in mind for using the technique.
The double ended stocking cap came about a couple of weeks ago after I got a ball of Skeinz’ ‘Moondance’ in my goodie bag at the Unwind Fibrecraft Retreat (let's all go in 2013!). My first one was not as successful as I would have liked because of the colour choice, but it’s a very warm, comfortable hat which has headed out the door with my husband every morning since I finished it!
I’ve made the pattern freely available to my newsletter readers and my Ravelry chums. It’s here: the password is HatPattern.
Further down the track – I’m still in the process of testing my floral necklace design, but that should be out within six weeks. It’s taken a while, but I don’t want to release it until I’m quite sure it's as bug-free as I can make it.
Sites of Interest
The more I look on the net, the more exciting options I see for crafters. Do you belong to Ravelry.com? It’s a great place to meet other crafters from around the world, organise your projects and show off the results! There are tons of free patterns and a real sense of community. I’m on Ravelry as K_T_Pi.
Other sites of note: craftsy.com and knitty.com.: patterns and articles to whet your crafting appetite. I have also just come across Tangled, an online magazine that is ‘Proud to be Bi-Craftual’ and features both knitting and crochet. Have yet to see feltsy.com though!
Have a quick peek at this wonderful site, though – skillful needle felting applied to book illustration in a really engaging way.
And if needle felting’s your thing (or even if it isn’t – yet) take a look at all the inspiring images at the Morning Glory Workshop on Etsy!
New Shades
Now and again a new shade pops up – sometimes by request, sometimes (even) by accident. This month it seems to be new semi-solid colours – Blimey! (bright lime green), Poppy, a bright floral red; Crimson, a deep rich winey red and Turquoise – self explanatory! Sand is about to trickle in as well – I don’t have a separate photo yet, but it’s a light beige. See it paired with Harvest Home here. Multi Moody Blues has been sneaking around on the periphery of joining the stable, and now I’m officially welcoming it in the door.
Still to happen
If you've been waiting for the mix and match page, I'm sorry I haven't got it up and running yet - don't despair; it will be here soon!
