Page 60 – Elliebelly Knit & Dye Works

Nangou: What To Knit Next?

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

Before I start this post, I need to say: I have too many works in progress (WIPs). I know this. But it doesn't change my desire, at a certain point every summer, to start casting on new projects. I get one started and then suddenly, like June lightening, a new pattern calls me with an irresistable pull and I'm off again. Fortunately, I tend to have a fall spate of finishing up all those projects, but still, I view this riotous approach to knitting as something of a character flaw and envy those who are more restrained.

That said, I have fallen in love with Nangou.

Nangou is a simple garter stitch with simple eyelet lace patterning rows scarf that was written for a fingering weight silk-merino blend yarn, so think light and delicate but gently warm.

This version, by German knitter Blauregan, is knit in the pattern yarn, with the clever twist of using an undyed skein for the lace eyelet rows. It's one of my favorites.

Lismete's gold on gold variation is really eye catching as well, and I like the looser gauge she used for her project.

And AniaBKnits' version in a rich purple with darker eyelets looks like something I could toss around my shoulders every day.

Since I'm trying to knit from stash these days, I took a look on Ravelry, which let me know I had a number of possibilities already in my stash.

My Tosh Dandelion has a lot in common, color-wise, with several of the projects I like and the addition of 10% linen to the merino woud give it a nice drape. Plus, I've been dying to find something to knit with this yarn.

A lot of knitters have used Tosh Merino Light, and it just so happens that I've got three skeins of Spruce tucked away.

And then, I could always dye some yarn just for this project. I've been impressed with the BFL/Silk sock yarn I've been dyeing for the last month, so I may dye some in a brown-gray colorway just for Nangou.

Currently, Ravelry includes 333 projects and Nangou has a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, so it looks like it has made a lot of knitters happy. I'm looking forward to joining them!

I was unable to resist Sparrow

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

Quince and Co.'s lightweight linen yarn Sparrow has been calling my name all spring. I finally gave in and cast on for this pretty little shawl, Lida by Bristol Ivy. More details later, but this one is so pretty and I can't wait to see the yarn soften into linen's beautiful drape once this is finished and washed.

Random Saturday Musings

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

This morning started with a trip to the farmers' market, with plenty of time for knitting and coffee while we sat out a sudden burst of rain.

In the meantime, I'm happy to report that Harry, our Maine Coon Cat, is most appreciative of the window seat I had built to his custom specifications and is always happy to protectively snooze on any baskets of yarn that intrude into his space.

Despite it having nothing to do with knitting, we enjoyed seeing our ballerina perform last night. Her Pas de Deux was a thing of beauty and wonder. Whatever form your art takes, knitting, ballet, or something completely different, I hope you have a fabulous early spring weekend!

An Update on Antler

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I love Antler.

I am easily amused and still new enough to the sweater construction of knitting the sleeves, then knitting the body, and then knitting them together in one massive all-the-way-around row during which, magically, the sleeves align leaving you with just a few stitches in the underarm to graft together at the end of the knitting, that I find the whole process enchanting. And I love cabling, even these simple little cables. They are delightful as they blossom in the yoke with repeats all around.

As for the nitty gritty basics of this sweater, I am surprisingly in love with the baby camel yarn, which has a hairy aura and is very soft. I'm hoping to have enough left over to do a sweet little hat. This is my first knit on my new Darn Pretty knitting needles. I will rave about these needles at length, in the future.

The actual color of othe yarn is darker than in the picture above. This one is more accurate and shows the darker accents (low lights?) in the yarn as they appear in the WIP.

I can't wait to finish it and send it on to the new mom who it is intended for, with lots of no-rinse wool wash included in the package. This sweater is in the 1-2 year size, which is generous, and here in the south, it's heavy enough to be outerwear for at least the fall and perhaps on into winter.

What Would You Knit With It?

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I've been doing some dyeing for myself, as well as some for prizes at the close of the Adventurous April Knitalong. I thought it would be fun — and helpful too — to show off the yarn and ask what you would knit with it if it came to live with you. You can respond in the comments here or in this thread on the Elliebelly Group on Ravelry.

The first yarn is BFL Silk Sock — It’s a 55% superwash Blue Faced Leicester/45% Silk yarn with 438 yards to the skein. It’s a fingering weight, and I’ve dyed two skeins of it.

The colorway is Strawberry Roan — inspired by our trip to Iceland and the “Little Horses” (we were told it’s an insult to call them ponies) that populate the island. The Strawberry Roan horses were so pretty and particularly sweet.

Also inspired by our Iceland trip, this is the Gullfoss colorway on aran weight Blue Faced Leicester. There are 183 yards in a 100 gram skein, and again, I've dyed two skeins.

Panda is a silk and bamboo blend, roughly 50/50 that has 150 meters to a 100 gram skein. This is a new-to-Elliebelly yarn that I'm testing out for the first time. I am very fond of the sheen so far — the yarn seems to glow from within. There are two skeins of this and I wish I had dyed more as it would make a lovely large summer weight Clapotis for wrapping up on the beach at night or for movies in the park!

Pink Loves Brown is a classic Elliebelly colorway that I've dyed here on 8-Ply Coventry Cashmere. Each two ounce skein has 130 yards, and I've dyed two in this colorway.

As yet unnamed, this new colorway was my effort to replicate some of the rich blues and greens we saw on our Iceland trip. The three dye bath process was definitely worth it. I've dyed four skeins of this colorway on 8-ply Coventry Cashmere, again with 130 yarns per skein.

Finally, another classic Elliebelly colorway, Lakehouse. This is on aran weight BFL, with two skeins of 183 yards each. It's been a long time since I dyed this colorway, and it took all the strength I could muster to avoid casting on with it immediately. I love how the golden strands peak out from between the variety of blues and greens in this colorway.

So, friends and knitters, what would you knit with this yarn? What patterns have you been dreaming over? Inspire me. Motivate us all. It's so much fun to see different knitters' take on the same yarn!

Lente Lente Lente!

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I can't say enough good things about this cowl pattern. Lente is a relatively simple knitting project that even an advanced beginner should be able to manage (and you will find lots of support on Ravelry if you want to knit it, including the Adventurous April thread here.)

The design is a clever one and is written to be adaptable to different types of yarn. I knitted it with an aran weight, but it also looks fantastic in a bulky yarn and would knit up quickly enough in that weight to be the perfect holiday gift for friends and teachers. It also shows off multicolored yarns to advantage, but works nicely with solids or "quieter" yarns as well.

Have you knit Lente? If you have, make sure you add in a link so we can see it!

Swatching

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

I’m swatching a linen yarn, Quince’s Sparrow. I’ve fallen in love with Pam Allen’s Perkins Cove sweater pattern. It’s a simple pullover with a delicate elongated stitch pattern and it looks perfect for summer.

My notoriously loose gauge will be an issue here. On the pattern recommendation of size 3 needles, I originally got 6 stitches to the inch. The pattern calls for 5.5 stitches to the inch and I’m told that the swatch will shrink significantly when blocked. So I’m going to try this again on size 2 needles and hope for the best when I block it.