Waldorf Gnomes still make me smile

Waldorf knitted gnomes still make me smile. When I'm feeling a little blue, I get out my plant dyed yarn and start knitting gnomes. It's like comfort food without the calories. The knit up quick, I can make a few in the evening if I'm watching TV and then into my studio  to sew them together.

The colours of the plant dyed yarn are special and as they come together each gnome has its own individual character. I've tried photographing them inside, but they truly want to be placed in the garden and captured there.

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Yes, sometimes things can be challenging, but after 10 gnomes I'm ready to face the day.  And I didn't gain a pound.

 

Worsted...What the Heck is That?

As a newbie knitter. you walk into a yarn store and want to buy yarn. The sales person asks you about gauge and weight of yarn...Huh? The pattern says worsted...what the heck does that mean?

Knitting terms can be confusing..dk, aran, 16 stitches to 4", bulk, super bulky, gauge...There are many basic charts on the internet that will help you become more familar with the standards set by the Craft Yarn Council of America
 http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html  The chart lays out the different names used through the ages by different countries and the numbers that now go with them.

The term worsted originally comes from the 12th century weaving industry in Worstead England. It is also a term used for the carding of wool and the spinning of wool and the subsequent fabric made from it. Interesting but not relevant for the knitter who wants to know what size needles she needs and what yarn to buy.
In the end, its quite simple, its about creating a fabric that you like that will work with the pattern that you have chosen.If the pattern calls for a 4.5 mm needle and the fabric is too tight, then you are best to go up a needle size, and consequently if it is too loose go down. Making a swatch may seem silly or unnecessary, but it helps test the yarn you have chosen to see  if it works and mostly importantly whether you like it.  In the end its sillier to knit a whole garment to find out you don't like it or it doesn't fit.

Time of Change and Time of Goodbye

It's been quite a journey recreating and redefining myself since the days as a stay at home mom back in Basel Switzerland. Moving back to Canada when my children were older gave me an opportunity to step into the working world. My journey took me back to school and I completed  a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia as a mature student. Its funny how your labels change as you age, child, adult, mother, teacher, artist.
I've left my day job, that I have had for the past 7 years, at my local yarn store, and look forward to spending more time in my studio....doing my art.

Through the years, I've meet many wonderful women at the yarn store, and I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to all of you and express my joy at having gotten to know you.

I've got lots of fiber to share, so check out my etsy store.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ColourSparks

Dye Day is never long enough

 Dye day never seems long enough. No matter how much wool I have prepared, I always end up wanting more.
This time I split up a skein of Cascade Eco Wool in natural and tried to make approximately the same amount in each skein. The yarn took the wool beautifully and I was glad to add a chunky yarn to my stash of hand dyes.
Once I get enough colours, it will perfect for a fair isle baby sweater or something. Maybe a log cabin blanket...the possibilities are endless.

Urban Dude's Infinity Scarf

 I knit this scarf with my boys in mind. The infinity scarves that I knit last year where too feminine for the boys...so I took some yarn, Araucania Panguipulli and picked a colour I thought Son #3 would like....knit the infinity scarf and then asked who wanted it....no takers...oh well, sample for the store.
Now look whose laughing...me, of course, Son #3 is up in northern Alberta...freezing his butt off and no Urban Dude Infinity Scarf to keep him warm.
This pattern is available in my Ravelry store:
 http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/urban-dudes-infinity-scarf

Plant Dyed Yarn....

 I've been dyeing wool fleece and yarn for years. I began my ...shall I call it an obsession...when I was studying to become a Waldorf School Handwork teacher. I was fascinated by the variety of colour you could get by just dyeing plant material. I read all the books and for a whole year I dyed only things I could find....leaves, bark, flowers, lichens.. By this time, I had over 60 shades of yellow.and then I branched out into madder and cochineal and added the reds and the pinks.
My first indigo recipe was complicated but once I mastered it I finally had a whole range of colours including the greens blues and the purples.

 It's not that  easy, you have to dye enough of the yellows and pinks to get the greens and the purples.....It just seemed I never had enough.

So now, quite a few years later...I begin again. This time I am using superwash merino from Louet and 10 skeins later all I have are 1 of a kinds. Nothing to add to the madder or the indigo....Oh well...the next time will be different again.

Hats....Again?

I am adding a new section to my blog called Baby Hats....I love making hats...Working in a yarn store with a huge awry of yarns is amazingly inspiring. The problem is I can't knit something big out of everything. So I make hats. I am most interested in the yarns and not necessarily the finished project. I love wool,fibre and colour and that is the part of yarn that fasinates me the most. Yes, I love knitting too, but if I  tried to boil down what is my favourite part...it is definitely the fibre...and what better way to try all the interesting yarns in The Art of Yarn...than knit hats....(that way when the customers come in, I know what I am talking about).
So hats are the perfect object...they are functional...I wear hats all the time in the winter....my kids always wore hats and still do and I can carry them in my purse and knit them on the bus. I have become the lady on the bus that knits...ha ha ha...can hardly believe it.
I am working with a photographer....Linda Cunningham....I share my hats and she shares her pictures.

Ok..Truth...will I really finish this?

 There are some projects you start because you have an idea and want to try it out....but...part way through you realize you don't like it.Are we obligated to finish it?...Absolutely Not. I started this baby sweater...loved the colours...hated the yarn. Then one day my coffee spilled on my mittens that bled onto my knitting and left a red stain on both the yarn and the knitting. This was, to me a sure sign to stop.
I am a yarn snob and I realized that I have to love the yarn to finish the project. I can buy a cute acrylic sweater, but I can't buy a hand dyed superwash merino one,  made in a yarnlike Madeline Tosh. Now that there are so many        beautiful superwash wool yarns,

I don't want to knit in a synthetic fibre.
Sure people say they don't want the wool to irritate the baby, but very few people actually have a wool allergy. A wool allergy consists of being allergic to the lanolin in the wool. Most people have an ïtch factor" problem and that can be resolved, for a baby, by using a yarn like Madleine Tosh or Mulberry Yarns which are superwash merinos. Merino is the softest yarn available.
Needless to say, the orange and yellow baby sweater will never be finished...
On the other hand, I have been working on this crochet blanket for years....still love it, the yarn is cotton and I know |I will finish it when the right       reason comes along.

Do you love hats as much as I do?

 Well, I think I am a hat addict....I can't stop knitting them. I used to say I would knit about 10 per winter season....But I knit 4 since yesterday so I think I have surpassed that number already. My problem began when I started working in a yarn store....how can I try all these wonderful yarns in a short period of time. It takes me forever to knit a sweater...so that won't work. The only solution is something small and fun. Growing up in a cold climate has made me realize that if you dress for the cold you won't mind it as much. I wear hats...yes it does ruin my curls, but it keeps my ears from stinging. I actually wear the hats I knit, well except for the last bunch, they are baby hats...I had to photograph them on my felted heads as I have no babies to try them on.

Fabulous Finds at Summerhill Winery

Come and visit us at Fabulous Finds this Saturday....Luka and I have a booth...VBS and ColourSparks
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=245706178805870\