Gold silk… made with love

A little something rolled off the needles last week…

It is always a real pleasure to knit with Amanda’s amazing Natural Dye Studio yarns, especially the wonderful Precious silk which is truly a very special experience.

This simple lace scarf (Ravelry link) was a gift for my mum, whose birthday was this past weekend. A while on the needles, it was a pleasure to turn to it when simple, soothing knitting was required after a busy day. An easily memorised pattern repeat meant not too much ‘tinking’ (although obviously I was still making mistakes an inch from the end!!) and hopefully some of the calm moments making it will stay within it… it’s been a trying year throughout our extended family with plenty of stress, sadness & worry but the safe arrival of my wonderful niece 7 weeks ago (who I finally got to cuddle at the weekend!) hopefully signalled the start of a healthier, happier, more peaceful time.

Mum ‘doesn’t do wool’ – it terrorises her sensitive skin and she can’t wear it anywhere but especially not near her neck. I think I may be able to show her that some of our finest merino wools are not the itchy, scratchy ‘wool’ that she has in mind but that’s a mission for another day! In the meantime, I hope she enjoys this touch of silky luxury…

Just one little cloud in a blue blue sky…

Well, Enid is almost finished bar some jigging around with the neck, weaving in ends and blocking… Now we’ve hit mid-summer I wonder how many weeks it will languish before those final finishing touches are applied – ahem!!

Having worked with the gorgeous Alpaca 4 ply for so many weeks and with the arrival of some much needed summer weather I had been contemplating a little ‘lighter’ knitting for my next project. Enter Cloud…

This cake of dreamy Merino Silk lace weight from the Natural Dye Studio in a subtle heathery shade of dusky pinky beige is destined to become a gorgeous Annis shawl. As soon as this pattern appeared as a Knitty ‘surprise’ recently I knew it would be on the needles before long.  A nice, lightweight, airy knit for hot summer days spent lounging under a tree (well, a girl can dream!) and hopefully complete in time for cooler evenings when its Merino warmth will be just the thing…

Casting on 363 stitches ‘German’ style was challenging but the first few rows of the lace pattern are settling into a nice rhythm and I have a good feeling about Annis. I’ll keep you in the loop!

truly, truly…

We got our first delivery of Fyberspates Scrumptious DK earlier in the week…

mmmmmmm…..

Just 4 of the 7 shades that we ordered have arrived so far. To be honest, all 7 shades in one box might have been just too much to cope with! This is the silkiest softest silk/merino blend dyed in the richest, most beautiful colours we have seen in some while. I have a tendency to over-use the phrase ‘jewel-like’ when I’m talking about gorgeous yarn but honestly, it doesn’t do these tones justice.

I took a handful of skeins off to my local knitting night this week and they were passed around and fondled with spontaneous ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ escaping fromeven the most hardened yarnies! I came home with less than I took of course!

We’re intending to follow up the DK weight yarn with a sock weight and a lace weight in complimentary shades. I think Jeni at Fyberspates might have her work cut out in 2010!