knit: zig zag infinity scarf

The zig zag stitch is a pattern I've seen on several websites and in a few knitting books. I decided to use it to make an infinity scarf - to be wrapped twice - with lots of drape and stretch. I came across a simple pattern at Purl Bee, and I'm using it as my inspiration. One of the nice things about the zig zag stitch is that is looks good on both the front and back. I'll post a photo once I finish so you can see the completed product.

my yarn choice: 2 skeins of  Manos del Uruguay's
Handspun Multicolor in Fruit Salad

silver and gold

My favorite knitting project of late is an unbelievably soft and cozy silver and gold cowl. I love the sparkle, and think it's perfect for the holidays or to just lend a little shine to a dreary winter day. Plus, it's warm and oh, did I mention it's so soft?!  

I purchased the yarn from the Etsy shop,
http://www.etsy.com/shop/yarnsofitaly?ref=ss_profile
and couldn't be happier with the quality

the finished project -
silver and gold stripes

The scarf's colors remind me of that great, classic Burl Ives' Christmas Song, "Silver and Gold". Here are the lyrics to this Christmas standard: 

Silver and gold, silver and gold

Ev'ryone wishes for silver and gold

How do you measure its worth?

Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth.

Silver and gold, silver and gold

Mean so much more when I see

Silver and gold decorations

On ev'ry Christmas tree.

Silver, silver and gold

Silver, silver and gold

Silver and gold

Silver and gold

Silver and gold

Wise men brought gifts to the mange I'm told

Mary was humble to see

Shepherds and kings there on bended knees

It's silver and gold, silver and gold

Feeling the world with their lives

Silver and gold how they shimmer on ev'ry Christmas night

On ev'ry Christmas night

Silver, silver and gold

Thinking of Burl Ives singing this Christmas classic puts me in a holiday state-of-mind!

inspired by amber and sky blue (part 2)

The fall colors of amber and powdery sky blue inspired me when I bought some new yarn. Take a look at the photo from yesterday's post. Can you see the connection? 

Alchemy yarn

"Moonstone" - a silk, mohair, and wool blend
and
"Powder Blue" - a silk and wool blend

"Amber" - silk, mohair, and wool

I haven't decided exactly what to knit, but you'll have to check back in to see my creation(s). The yarn is so very soft and not one bit itchy. I can't wait to start knitting.

shout out: yarns of italy

It's an curious thing - I have little or no desire to knit when the temperatures are warm, but as soon as there is any crispness in the air, out of nowhere the longing to knit returns. I recently purchased these 2 beautifully soft yet full-bodied yarns on Etsy. They were shipped to me in just a few days, and I'm thrilled with the quality, not to mention their very reasonable prices and incredibly fast delivery! 

I think I'm going to make a scarf/shawl with
these 2 alternating

Here's the Etsy shop I bought these from:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/yarnsofitaly. 

The owners of Yarns of Italy are based in Missouri, but one is a native of Turin. And, do they ever know a good thing! Their yarns are so soft, very lofty, and not itchy - all perfect qualities. I know I'll be a repeat customer, and I hope you'll check out their products too. I have no doubt you won't be disappointed. 

Provence lace wrap

My current knitting project is slowly progressing and taking shape. I'm making a lace weight wrap using Cascade Lace Alpaca yarn in the color Provence. It is very thin yarn, and it took me a few rows before I really had a good feel for how to knit with this yarn. Now that I have the hang of it, I'm really enjoying knitting with this yarn. It's so soft, so light weight and completely itch-free. 

Each skein of this yarn is 437 yards, and I have 5 yards, so quite a bit of yarn! The wrap is approximately 23 inches wide, I cast on 138 for this width. So far, I've knitted 50 rows and because the yarn is so delicate and thin, this is a rather slow project. But, I'm sure it will be finished in time for autumn weather. Don't you think this color will look so nice in the fall? Stay tuned for the completed project!

this is 50 rows - so I have many
more rows to go!

a close-up of the yarn -
isn't it beautiful?

knitted tote

One of my recent knitting projects is complete, and I really love the finished project. You might remember a post from a few months ago, where I showed some new yarns I purchased. I used one of those yarns, Rowan's Cotton Glace in "Dijon" for a knitted bag; it's perfect for trips to the grocery or farmers' market. I followed a pattern I found on the Purl Bee, called Elisa's Nest Tote. If you'd like to check it out and give it a try, here's the pattern: http://www.purlbee.com/elisa-nest-tote/. I was cruising along with the mesh part of the bag, but just couldn't follow the pattern for the I cord. Thankfully, my mom was able to step in and help me with the cord portion of the bag. A big thanks to her for lending her hands to help complete the tote!

laying flat it doesn't look that big

the empty tote

the mesh stretches so that
the bag holds so much!

fully loaded!

a whisper-like softness - finished!

I recently finished another knitting project that I've been working on. I adore this scarf/wrap so much, and I think it's one of my favorite items I've ever knitted. For details about the yarn and the pattern I used, check out the 1st post in this series, "a whisper-like softness" from January 30th.  

I think the completed item works well - either worn as a scarf, because it's made from such a delicate and soft yarn, it can wrap around my neck multiple times without creating too much bulk, or it can be worn more like a wrap, making for the most feather-weight layer of warmth you can imagine!  

Isn't it so great when a project you invest a lot of time into turns out even better than you expected?  I could not be more pleased!

worn as a scarf, wrapped
multiple times

my finished project -
the full view

an extreme close-up of the
the lace pattern

worn more as a wrap than a
scarf - featherweight and
so very soft!

persimmon blanket - finished!

It's been a long time in the coming, but I finished the persimmon colored blanket I started just before Christmas. It's feels so great to have this project all wrapped up, and it feels even better to be wrapped up in this blanket's cozy warmth. Check out the post from January 4th for all of the details about the yarn.

the pattern is lacey 
yet substantial when used with this yarn

The pattern I used for this blanket is so easy & it's worked over any multiple of three. Once you have your stitches cast on it's simply: k1, *yarn over, k2together, slip on one as if to purl*.  Repeat and repeat from * to *. 

full view, just folded in half

a close up - 
I love the draping quality of
 this yarn when combined 
with this stitch

I really couldn't be happier with how the blanket turned out. I hope that we can look forward to many, many years of this blanket keeping us warm and toasty!

topaz for mom

For my mom's birthday last month, I decided to give her something simple, yet handmade and from the heart. She chose the yarn, and her pick was Manos del Uruguay's Silk Blend Semi Solid in Topaz. It's a 30% silk, 70% merino blend - the silk adds a touch of sheen - it's not too shiny, just the perfect amount of luster. I've used this yarn before for a few other projects, and I can say that this is my favorite yarn to both wear and knit. It's warm, breathable, and totally not itchy in the least. It drapes beautifully and knitting with it could not be easier nor more relaxing - this yarn allows for the right amount of "give" with each stitch. I can imagine a blanket or a throw knitted from this yarn and how elegant and cozy it would be. I love the color my mom picked out for this project - this shade is very much her! I think this jewel colored topaz is the perfect compliment to my mom's warm complexion.  

the topaz cowl, modeled my lovely mom

sky blue infinity

Knitting lace weight yarn is a new favorite winter past-time of mine. To me, scarfs are ideal - making it convenient to take each project with me whether it's for a long car ride, a business trip or vacation, plus I think I've always been partial to scarfs. I've been known to sport light weight scarfs - silk or cotton in the summer months too. There's just something about keeping one's neck warm!

For this project I used yarn I purchased awhile ago on Etsy - it's SRK Ovation Kid Mohair & Silk a 75% mohair/25% silk blend in the color "sky" (more green than blue). The pattern I used was a new for me. A few Christmas's ago my parents gave me a great gift - a little box that contains all lace pattern stitches - this box, more like a deck of cards than anything else, is called "Lace Knitting to Go" by Andrea Tung. I think it's a brilliant idea as it makes carrying one pattern around so much easier and as an added perk each pattern is beautifully photographed for inspiration! For this project, I used the lace stitch called "Orchard", which can be done over any multiple of 8 stitches plus 1.The pattern is 5 rows that repeat and repeat until you have your desired length. For my infinity scarf, I casted on 33 stitches (8 x 4 + 1). I connected the ends when I was done and voila, my "infinity" scarf was born! The #1 advantage of an infinity scarf in my opinion, is that there are never loose ends - a huge perk when one, such as myself, is prone to losing their scarfs!  

light weight and airy

doesn't it have such nice body?

a close-up of the Orchard pattern

the completed infinity scarf -
it wraps around two times...
lofty, soft, and warm!

cameo colored chevrons

A recently completed scarf made for a surprise gift to a friend - a friend who's an inspiration to me and if you knew her I bet you'd feel the same way! The pattern is called "chevron" - it was a fun new pattern for me to learn, and I doubled it to make the width I was looking for. The yarn is Manos del Uruguay's Handspun Semi-Solid in the "cameo" color - it's definitely more lavender than pink. My friend I knitted this for is one of those ladies with a fair, pretty & rosey complexion, which is why I thought this color would look nice on her! And luckily for me, it knitted up like a charm.

For all of you knitters out there that haven't used Manos del Uruguay's yarns, I really do adore them - great feel, never itchy, and beautiful colors. And what's more, the company stands for such a great cause. Since the late 1960's, Manos del Uruguay has promoted social and economic development for women in rural Uruguay. You can read more about the company's mission at their website -http://www.manos.com.uy/. The company's objective is obviously commendable, and their yarns are wonderful! A win-win, don't you think?!

the chevron pattern -
I doubled it to increase
the scarf's width

a close up - can't you feel the softness?

here I'm modeling the scarf - 
this yarn drapes nicely and has a nice weight

a whisper-like softness

You might remember the recent blog post, "a growing to-do list" where I photographed 2 new yarns I purchased. Happily, I've had a little free time this weekend, and I started a new project with 1 of the 2 new yarns. I'm using the "Sand" colored yarn that is such a delightful blend of mohair and silk. It is unbelievably light and airy. I'm using my size 8 bamboo needles and using the exact same stitch pattern I described in the "persimmon blanket" post. This "Sand" project is going to be a wrap or a scarf - depending on how much yarn I end up having! I'm not using a "real" pattern, but rather just knitting and waiting to see what ends up being created. This yarn, in this most gentle color, makes for such whisper-like softness!  I love how understated the color is. Don't you think this subtle hue really accentuates the delicate lace pattern?

a close up of my newest knitting project

this airy lace pattern is, to me,
quite timeless

a growing to-do list!

I bought a few new yarns recently, adding to my knitting "to-do" list.  I can't seem to just have 1 knitting project at a time.  I adore both of these fibers so much already!  They are so different from each other, but at the same time, I think they compliment each other so beautifully.  I wish you could reach out and touch both yarns!  

The greenish yarn is Rowan's Cotton Glace in "Dijon".  It has a lovely sheen for cotton, and I'm planning on making a netted shopping bag/tote from this yarn.  The pinkish yarn is amazing to the touch - as light as a feather and almost dreamlike!  It's as soft as it looks and is completely non-itchy.  This yarn is Madil's Kid Seta, a 70% Super Kid Mohair / 30% Silk blend in "Sand".  I think it will make a heavenly cowl or wrap.  

Now I just need to make time for these 2 projects!  I'll post pictures along the way.

2 completely different fibers

cotton with a polished sheen

kid seta - lofty and delicate

persimmon blanket

This is my big knitting splurge of the season.  I'm using Manos del Uruguay's beautiful Handspun Semi Solid wool.  I really love this yarn - it's soft, easy to knit with, and so warm.  I made a cowl a few seasons back from this yarn and was happy to have another project that could use the same yarn.  I bought the yarn from Purl Soho: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/1081-Manos-Del-Uruguay-Handspun-Semi-Solids, and they have the most amazing selection of colors.  I pretty much adore everything from Purl Soho, which made it was so hard to choose the color for the blanket.  I ended up going for persimmon for two reasons: I wanted a cheery color to cuddle up with in the winter, and it was one color my husband also liked. 

Persimmon Blanket

I have just about 1 foot knitted so far, and with the amount of yarn I bought, the throw should be about 5 1/2 feet long.  I'm using size 9 circular needles and think the gauge is just right - not too tight, not too lacy.  The pattern I use for this is so easy: cast on any multiple of three then k1, *yarn over, k2together, slip on one as if to purl*.  Repeat and repeat from * to *!  This is one of my favorite patterns because it's simple - allowing me to at least hold a conversation when I knit and because the end product always drapes so nicely.  I'll post a final shot when it's completed.  I think my orange tabby cat is going to look quite handsome on this blanket!