What a full year 2019 has been… from freelancing to pattern publishing and working on a secret non-knitting project! In 2019, we published 10 designs, bringing our total to the big 100!
Fiber Focus: Bamboo Yarn
Fiber Focus: The Good, The Bad, & The Eco… Bamboo
With the shine and shimmer of silk, but with a different touch, Bamboo is the new kid in fiber. First developed as a yarn (mixed with wool) patented in 1881 (1), bamboo stayed quiet in the fiber industry until it was “rediscovered” at Beijing University in the early 2000s (2). Since then, bamboo yarns began to pop up in indie dyers and commercial ventures alike. A recent trend towards the name Bamboo Viscose (or Viscose from Bamboo) reveals much about this fiber. Let’s dig deeper into bamboo to discover the good, the bad, and the eco!
Fiber Focus: Silk Yarn
Foreword: Are silk worms animals? If you answer “yes,” best skip this blog and avoid silk yarn.
A Tale of Two Princesses
Legend holds that a princess was enjoying a cup of tea in the garden when a silk cocoon dropped into her cup. The warm tea loosened the cocoon “glue” and as she pulled it out, she was first to see the lustrous and strong fiber that comprised it.
Working with Organic Cotton Yarn
Fiber Focus, this year we’re breaking from tradition by looking in depth at different eco fibers. First up Organic Cotton yarn! In a nutshell, organic cotton is cotton yarn grown and produced without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. But that’s just the beginning…
Invisible Hem for Top Down Knitting
Several years ago, I published a how-to hem-as-you-go for bottom up knitting. Those were the days when I never thought I’d ever try top down knitting (hehe, as my nephew says) “in all my life!” But then I was challenged and not wanting to back down, dove into top down knitting. I “mildly” enjoyed it, saw the benefits, and decided, yes, top down knitting is something I would like to investigate further.
The only problem, none of my bag of tricks were applicable!
Stitch in Focus Alternating Cable Cast On
The Alternating Cable Cast On is a great cast on option anytime you have a rib, twisted rib, broken rib, or broken twisted rib stitch pattern touching the cast on. It creates a flawless edge for these stitches! Check out the video below for a demonstration as seen in Fireside Knits. As an added bonus (starting at 4min), the how-to includes some tips on working the cuff in Fireside Knits. Puddles, of course, makes several appearances from his second favorite spot. His favorite being standing in front of the fire ;-).
Yarn Review Quiet Nova Studios
Bursting on the indie hand dyed yarn scene, a new sport weight organic cotton from Quiet Nova Studios. Like her name implies, Quiet Nova brings the subtle eco values of 100% organic cotton in all the vibrant, almost neon, colors of the sun!
Organic Lux
Organic Lux, a seemingly apparent contradiction, invites you in for a closer look. Stitch texture, a knitting delight, mingles with an all-encompassing fluidity of colour. Zoom in close to discover three distinctive stitch patterns. Take a wide-angled look to uncover the scrolling design inspired by our local mountainous landscape.
2019 Theme
Happy New Year, knitters! 2019 holds lots of exciting designs and events under this year’s theme…
Lindsay’s Disappearing Cast On
“I hate finishing!” How many posts have begun with that? So true for me! So creativity got to work figuring out a top down construction method that didn’t require the finishing of “seam shoulder” pieces. So I’m happy to introduce “Lindsay’s Disappearing Cast On™” for all your seamed needs (where you don’t actually want to work the seam)!