Inspiration - Alpaca Hemp Yarn & TGIF

This week I stopped into A Tangled Tale yarn shop to check out some intriguing yarn just in - a blend of un-dyed alpaca and hemp.  

This 400 yard, 180 gram hank has a really interesting texture and lovely drape.  The natural alpaca colors include flecks of brown, black, rust and tan, plied with the natural hemp, and I love the heathery, tweedy effect.  It will be fun to try out some ideas I have.  

What a busy week it's been for our family.  It seems I've flown from one thing to another with little time to knit or even take photos of stuff I've finished. I have; however, been busy at work on bits and parts of lots of projects and patterns for fall, including one that will be available as soon as I work out one or two more details and it's been test knit; it should be ready in the next couple of weeks.  

This weekend is Labor Day holiday in the US and I'll be taking a few days off from posting in this blog.  Part of that time will be spent visiting with relatives and part visiting some new yarn shops.  I hope to finish up a bunch of little projects I have going during this time as well and be back early next week with lots of photos to post.  

It was just one month ago that I took this photo of some blooming thistles.

And now, they look like this.  Still lovely, and food for the Goldfinches, but their life cycle is at an end. 

Time flies, and none of us is guaranteed another moment on earth, so I encourage everyone to make each day count for eternity and share love with someone else.  

TGIF, have a safe and fun holiday and weekend!  Peace and blessings to you my friend.

Bang for Your Knitting Time Buck

 

 

Last week I taught a class on the Brandywine Falls wrap pattern at A Tangled Tale yarn shop in Powell (this is such a great little shop and I will be doing a review in the coming weeks).  I met some nice ladies and had lots of fun working through a pattern swatch with them.

Very different yarns were selected by the students, which is one reason I love knitting - it's so easy to personalize a project.  Being able to take one pattern and choose different yarns, different sizes, and different detail options makes it a unique creation. 

I've enjoyed seeing the students' photos posted on Ravelry, and I can't wait to see how their wraps turn out!  One knitter confessed to me that she had wanted to make this wrap for awhile but thought it looked hard, and had been pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is than it looks.  

Which sort of sums up my approach to any pattern (my own or someone else's) - I love to make things that look great, but are not necessarily always expensive or time-consuming. Who doesn't?  

Yes, sometimes I crave a big challenge to sink my teeth into, but I like to balance that with simpler projects that don't look like they belong in a 'how-to-knit' manual.  And although I've learned that it's worth saving up and investing in quality fiber for any project, it's also nice occasionally to have a smaller project that won't cost you an arm and a leg.   Or, as I wrote on my project page for this charcoal grey version, "more bang for your knitting time buck!"  

 

BTW, my DH hand-carved this beautiful, natural purple shawl ring and stick from Purple Heart wood - that's not a colored stain.  He hand rubs each piece with Tung oil to give it a beautiful, durable finish.  If you are in the central Ohio area, you can catch these sticks and pins up at A Tangled Tale!

Summer Greening

I love so many colors it's tough to choose a true favorite, but I find myself drawn to the color green a lot recently.  It might be  because we've had a lot of rain and heat this summer and the grass is growing like crazy.  

Or perhaps it's because I found a couple of balls of a favorite yarn on the clearance shelf?  I love Rowan's Felted Tweed yarn (I hear they are bringing out a heavier weight version of this to which I say - hurray!!!).

Or maybe it's all the green things bursting forth from my garden - cucumbers, chives, onions, peppers and more. 

 I imagine I'll be doing some green projects sometime soon...

I finally have time to get back to my alpaca shawlette.  I started this earlier in the summer/ late spring as a lace piece, when the yarn, from my stash, caught my eye as it was so like the colors of the wildflowers blooming at the time.  The combo of yarn and pattern was too busy so I frogged.

After considering a traditional shawl and working the top portion in garter stitch and the bottom in Feather and Fan, that didn't grab me  either, so another frog session!  

I let the shawl sit and rest while I finished some deadline projects and now that I'm back at it, suddenly - inspiration strikes!  I know just what I want to do, and have begun working with new zeal.   I love the garter stitch portion but have again reached the border area and plan some pretty, simple lace elements and a nice edging.  It might become a pattern.  

Check out the HUMONGOUS FUNGUS I found along a path in the woods after the recent rain.  

This beast was growing along the side of a fallen tree trunk and although it's hard to get a sense of perspective from the photo (sorry!), it was nearly 30 inches/ 75 cm wide!  Cowabunga!

 

The scalloped edges remind me just a bit of my Brandywine Falls wrap pattern.

Speaking of which, I will be teaching this wrap pattern as a class at A Tangled Tale yarn shop in August, so if you are in the area, come join us for a fun session!