Let it Snow!

We don't normally get much snow in this part of the state until January or February, but this year we've already had a sugary dusting, just enough to be pretty. The snow seems to have caused a hush to settle over the woods I love to visit whenever I can.

In the quiet of the early morning it was not surprising to come across a small doe foraging among the leaves and snow for her breakfast.

 

We stood and stared at each other for a few minutes and then she bounded off into the safety of the forest.

I love to collect old buttons cut from clothes purchased at thrift stores, or found on the sewing materials tables at church rummage sales.  Some I use on sewing or knitting projects, others are made into jewelry.  

These vintage Jadeite-green glass rounds, trimmed with a hint of gilt edging, are pretty on their original card. 

The brown, carved squares below were labeled Bakelite (although I've not tested them).  Regardless of their material, I love their simple graphic quality.  They look like chocolate, mmmm.....

 

Each of these antique, molded black glass, shank rounds has a poinsettia picked out in red and gold paint, making them perfect for a special Christmas project.

Although I'm not planning to knit anything new at the moment - I have plenty of projects going to keep me busy for weeks - I've enjoyed following the Christmas Calendar patterns from Drops Design/ Garnstudio this month for a daily dose of festive knitting (and crochet!) fun (Drops photo).  

This sock design reminds me of what my Swedish grandmother used to call "Tomte."  It makes me miss her, especially at Christmas.  

It's never a bad idea to let loved ones know you care about them, you might not get another chance!

Peace, blessings and happy knitting to you.

The Need For Tweed

For some reason, I seem to be drawn to rustic yarns a lot lately.  I'm not sure if it's due to my penchant for texture, or perhaps the pleasing combination of subtly blended color.  Whatever the reason, it seems to be constantly catching my eye.

I recently began some new pattern-related projects, one using Cascade 220 Heathers bought at a recently-reviewed yarn shop, and I love this nice, smooth, basic workhorse yarn for lots of projects.  But as respectable and extremely useful as it is, it seems a little tame to me.  My fingers revel in knitting with yarn that has a more textural hand, or 'feel' to it - fluffy mohair, smooth alpaca, springy wool and nubby tweed.  

I am loving working with Debbie Bliss Donegal Aran Tweed for another project.  Debbie Bliss does a great job of creating colorways, with the tweedy nepps in one color being bits of other base colors, allowing easy coordination if using multiple colors in one project.  And the texture of this yarn is gorgeous - it has a crunchy, earthy feel, spun with just a hint of thick-thin variation, and a matte, handcrafted look. 

Donegal Aran Tweed is not a soft yarn (Debbie Bliss' Donegal Luxury Tweed fills that niche), but the natural roughness of the surface is pleasing, giving a lot of grab and snugging the knitted stitches together nicely. I am using garter stitch for this project which seems ideal for this yarn. 

I am not crazy about how some colors have a lot of 'tweediness' and high quantity of nepps, while other colors seem low-contrast and bland by comparison.  Or that one of the colors had a slight, but distinct, difference in gauge.

I also had one or two underspun spots that pulled apart when I tugged too hard on a stitch, although Donegal Tweed is very easy to wet-splice the ends back together. I've also noticed that in 5 balls of this yarn, I've not encountered a single knot. 

This 100% wool yarn has been used by knitters for just about every kind of project, including hats and cowls, but I think it would be too scratchy for next-to-skin wear for me, especially around the face.  I would; however, love to make a warm cardigan or jacket in this yarn.  Perhaps something like this A-Line jacket from Drops/ Garnstudio,

or Interweave Knits' Central Park Hoodie.

I'll keep you posted on my current project as soon as I am able to.  For now, I still feel the need, the need for tweed....