Inspired by the wonderful Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by the wonderful Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Living in a yarn shop, as I essentially do, it’s often very hard to justify making purchases from other such establishments. To be fair, most of the yarns I love to knit with and/or can’t resist, I have managed to squeeze into our ever expanding range and it’s not often I can’t find something to satisfy my requirements within a few yards of where I am currently sitting.
It’s not possible to fit it all in though and some of the loveliest independent yarn dyers don’t/can’t wholesale (no matter how much I pester them 
) so I still find myself coveting gorgeous skeins of hand dyed lace weight, stalking etsy for those gone-in-a-few-minutes indie updates and longing for the more specialist yarns that come to light. A couple of months ago I came across the Island Wool Company, a new enterprise devoted to importing yarns native to the Faro Islands. I’d come across some of these yarns when the ‘Sarah Lund’ phenomenon hit our screens and ‘that jumper’ became a hot topic of conversation. It was a commercial knit made from Faroese ‘Sirri’ yarn and I did briefly contemplate importing it for our little yarn emporium. Space was a serious issue for yarn that really required importing on quite a major scale though and I eventually forgot all about it. Thankfully, Fiona Parker and Daniel Rye didn’t forget and having both lived and worked in the Faroe Islands they were no strangers to the amazing heritage of the Islands’ yarn industry. They’ve done a ‘proper job’ of importing and offering a fine range of amazing yarns for our knitting pleasure…
The temptation was too much! I succumbed this week and a lovely brown paper parcel duly arrived this morning.
I am not disappointed! The 4 skeins of Snaeldan 2 ply (which knits as 4 ply much like a Shetland ‘jumper’ weight) are one of the un-dyed natural shades – a very rich brown aptly called ‘Peat’.
It’s a gorgeous, slightly ‘oily’, springy, subtly heathered yarn with a faint halo and it is exactly what I imagined as I ordered…
I have plans for a loose fitting, yet slightly shapely, contiguous sweater with a shaped hem, 3/4 sleeves and a deep crew neck. A ‘favourite jumper’ if you will, to sling on over a shirt… I’ll be plotting and planning and swatching later (when I should be finishing the enormous man card – ahem) and will no doubt find myself casting on before too long…
Thanks Island Wool Company, for such speedy service, lovely packaging and gorgeous yarn! There was even a little treat nestled in the parcel…
As well as lovely yarn to drool over, the Island Wool web site offers a lovely insight into life on the Faroe Islands and the wonderful sheep farming heritage. I’d head over for a browse if I were you
Just in time for a little spell of slightly warmer weather, where a sweater is still required but some of the layers have been shed, I got around to finishing this little number…
Perfect with a stripy T underneath!
It’s Harumi, a lovely pattern from the very talented Kyoko Nakayoshi of Cotton & Cloud. Knit from the bottom up, it incorporates a cabled panel which gradually increases to form a shawl collar. Simple increases across the shoulder create lovely little cap sleeves and the simple rib armholes and hem complete a very stylish garment. I snaffled some of the lovely Debbie Bliss Blue Faced Leicester Aran yarn from the sale before it all disappeared (there’s still some available if you’re tempted!) and it was a very quick knit. In fact, I cast on as respite from two stocking stitch sleeves for a new cardigan for Chris which were seeming to stretch endlessly into the distance and it proved the perfect antidote…
The yarn is springy and soft with a nice twist and it’s a shame we’re not going to be stocking it any more as I’d happily knit myself a sweater or two with some of the brighter shades! I had a half-formed idea for a slouchy crew neck in the lovely tomato red … then someone else read my mind and it’s all gone
Harumi closes with a single large button and crochet loop arrangement (and a little tiny one inside to stop the front drooping) and I had the perfect specimen in my Jacob’s Cream Cracker tin (Does everyone keep their buttons in a vintage Jacob’s Cream Cracker tin? You know, the one with the goldfinches on it…) A lovely concave, matt black button that I think works really nicely with the charcoal grey yarn and the style of the garment.
While I really would like it to be too warm for any sort of sweater in the not too distant future, if we are going to hang on to this endless winter for a bit longer it’s the perfect little number!
I’d highly recommend hopping over to Kyoko’s web site and having a rummage when you’ve a moment. She writes a lovely blog and her shop is a very handy source of bag and purse ‘fixings’ and Japanese pattern books, as well as her own inimitable designs…
While we’re on the subject of lovely blogs… have you visited Knitsofacto this weekend? Annie’s blog is at the top of my must-read list so I was thrilled when she asked if she could grill interview me about having the perfect job If you’re not already au-fait with Annie’s wonderful writing I’d head over there right away… but put the kettle on and fetch your knitting first.
All the details of harumi are Ravelled here
Inspired by the wonderful Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Yep, you guessed it… they weren’t. Indestructible that is. They *were* pesky…
I should have known really. We are talking about man-feet that make holes in *everything*. Those socks with goodness-knows-what reinforcing the heel and toe that are sold for big hairy men who work on building sites and wear steel toe cap boots. Yep, these feet make holes in them. Horrid acrylic… holes. Proper rugged mountain walking wool…. holes. And Alpaca/Nylon it appears…
These socks were, in many ways, an experiment and I was (almost) expecting to admit defeat. I’d read good things about Mohair/Nylon socks and had been trying to hunt down some suitable Mohair/Nylon sock yarn for a while. In the end I gave in to a retail impulse (and I think a pressing need for a Father’s Day gift from the boys to Chris) and purchased a pair of Mohair socks from ‘Wiggly Wigglers’. They were lovely socks and we had high hopes but sure enough, they soon joined the ranked masses in the sock drawer with holes in the heel and the ball of the foot.
So I cast on the never-ending socks using the absolutely gorgeous John Arbon Alpaca ‘Sock’ in an attempt to create the first pair of indestructible socks in the sock drawer.
Sigh… I knit them using 2.00mm needles so I’d create a nice dense, strong fabric. I dread to think how many teeny tiny stitches make up this pair of socks for a man with size 10 feet who especially requested that they be ‘long’ socks, long enough to sit above the top of his boots. Sigh… I’m absolutely not laying the blame with either the knitter or the yarn, oh no, I’ve years of proof that it’s entirely the feet that are to blame and while I am happy (ish) to bin store bought socks when they spring a leak, I am much less inclined to toss these ones after less than 2 months wear!
I went into town earlier this week and passing the little haberdashery store that keeps me stocked with zips and buttons and ribbon and other goodies I couldn’t resist popping in for one of these…
I think it is time that another traditional craft skill was acquired in our residence. Yep, we’re gonna be darning these babies. Well, I say ‘we’… here’s the handy You Tube video tutorial, it’s over to the man with the toughest feet in Suffolk, the darning needles are in the sewing box sweetie
And next time I’m in town I might bring my beloved home another little gift, a small token of my affection… a pumice stone. Maybe it’s actually the feet that need attention, rather than the socks
I’ll be sure to report back with a darning update!!
Inspired by the wonderful Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
