infinity scarf

Where's yours?

A lot of people, now that they know I've opened this little business, ask me when they see me, "Why aren't you wearing anything you've made?"

Sigh.

I've been quite busy making Christmas presents, and frankly have sold most of my stuff (this was not an attempt at gloating) but I figured I should probably put something together to show off in person. Okay. I'll squeeze that in, along with the rest of my tasks....

So here it is. A new scarf. Based on this one, but scaled in both directions and I changed the pattern a little. Solely for me. Consider it an early present to myself.

100% alpaca with ombré over-dye

Yarn Co...

Often I buy fiber off the internet thinking it's one thing, just to get it in the mail and find out it feels totally different than what it is. Such is the life of buying tactile things in a not so tactile way. So I've started to scour the NYC area for various yarn stores. It's really hard to find spools for weaving, but there are lots of sources for knitting. 
Recently I went to The Yarn Company, the boon being that they are close to my apartment and also sell high quality yarns. I found this really great 100% merino wool. So soft, naturally dyed, knits up quickly. 

Perfect for last minute Christmas gifts!


How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

I've been perusing the free knitting patterns on ravelry.com lately to find different and unique patterns mostly to use for practice, practice, practice. When I first started to knit cables, I stumbled upon the pattern for this lovely cowl. (I got the free pattern here.) It's simple enough, and a good way to practice larger cables which I don't have enough experience. With enough practice, I will surely get rid of those uneven gaping holes near the cable and loosen up my stitching. (Why does it get so tight on the cable row??)

 And of course I had to ombré the crap out of it. It's ridiculous, I know, but I couldn't help it and it looks so good!!!

p.s. If you're a knitter and can give some tips on how to reduce the size of the hole near the cable or make them even, drop me a comment or email! Thanks!

Ombré on, hombre....

in

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Yes, I love to cook. Creating elaborate meals for my loved ones is one of my favorite past times. But my first passion is dyeing. Oh, goodness how much I love it! It can be a bit of a pain with getting out all the special pots and pans and laying down pieces of plastic tarp all over the countertops and floors (not sure our landlords would appreciate random splotches of red, yellow and blue all over the place.) But when I do it, I am in my element even when it might not turn out right.

Recently, I decided to fix some of my blah looking knits. I've been on this crazy knitting streak with some less than fancy yarn. So I've decided to ombré up a storm, hombre.

I love the irregular gradations - not a huge fan of the perfect ombré. Isn't it great? I'll have more pictures up soon...

Mistakes in yarn buying...?

in

There are times when I look at the yarn I have bought and I end up scratching my head wondering if I chose it in a past life. Most of the time I buy with good intention; I'll actually have a project in mind, a certain weave pattern, a color scheme perhaps. But there are times when I look at it and say - often out loud, "What was I thinking about doing with that?" Honestly, I can't remember. In this case it was a cone of wool in a "mushroom" color that must have looked better under the lights of my favorite yarn store. I know it was meant for some sort of weaving project, but lord help me, I can't remember.

 Anyway, since I've been on this random knitting kick, I decided to use it as my "practice" yarn. I made an infinity scarf using a honeycomb pattern.

Not to shabby, right?

And then I just kept knitting. I made two more - one of roughly the same size and another that was twice the size. But there was still something off, which of course goes back to the color. It's just blah... so I gave it a boost! Stay tuned to find out how...