Blog Archives
Camp Loopy 2017 – Project 1
Even though summer doesn’t technically start until the Summer Solstice later this month, I measure my seasons by crafting milestones. Summer has arrived when Camp Loopy starts and Tour de Fleece looms on the horizon.
This month I completed my first Camp Loopy project in record time. The theme this year is dinosaurs and the criteria for the first project were to select a yarn or pattern with some texture that might mock the kind of texture you find on dinosaur skin. So you could either choose a textured yarn (speckles, stellina, etc.) or you could choose a pattern that would give your fabric texture.
I originally thought that I would knit socks for this project, but given the yardage requirement (400 yds) and my small feet, those would have had to be knee socks! So I started looking for something else with texture. I settled on a shawl/cowl combination, Appia by Hilary Smith Callis, and used a single skein of Knerd Fingering in the colorway Fired Up!
Overall, I loved this knit. I knit the cowl per pattern, only modifying by adding some extra pattern repeats at the end to use up all but about 4 grams of the yarn (~440 yards). I think this style of cowl is super wearable and I love the bright, fun color. I would highly recommend Hilary Smith Callis’ patterns, and she has several in this style in both fingering and worsted weight.
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 140, WIPitis
Welcome to episode 140! Today I have mostly WIPs – Camp Loopy, my next pair of socks and my ripple scrappy afghan. Also some spinning and a quick discussion of the events going on in the Ravelry group.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
- Mint Green
Knitting:
- Finished: Shirestones Hat by Mina Philipp, Cascade 220 Superwash in Turtle
- In progress: Camp Loopy Project #1, Appia by Hilary Smith Callis, Knerd Fingering in Fired Up!
- In progress: Vanilla socks, On the Round Everyday Fingering in After the Storm
- In progress: Neat Ripple by Lucy of Attic 24, scrap sock yarns
Spinning:
- Finished: Hello Yarn BFL in Hummingbird
- On deck: Hello Yarn Polwarth/Silk in Pebble
Extras:
- I am currently hosting a Sock KAL (knit or crochet) from May 1 to June 30. Come visit the group thread for details.
- I am once again hosting Team CKT for Tour de Fleece 2017. Come spin with us from July 2 – July 23 in celebration of the Tour de France. More details in the group thread.
Wood Sorrel
I initially unveiled Wood Sorrel a few weeks ago when I wrote my review of Mountain Meadow Wool Alpine but I am delighted to report that my it is now available for purchase on Ravelry.
Wood Sorrel is a squishy eternity loop cowl that I was inspired to knit after I found a beautiful leaf chart. I wanted a simple lace that would show off the hand-dyed yarn, and a style that would be fun to wear.
Many thanks to my test knitters and to Laura Chau for technical editing.
Please check out Wood Sorrel on Ravelry!
Knit Me: Mountain Meadow Wool Alpine
A few months ago I was contacted by the folks over at Stitchcraft Marketing to see if I would be interested in knitting something out of Mountain Meadow Wool. Mountain Meadow is a spinning mill set below the Big Horn Mountains on the Western Plains of Wyoming. It is a family operated mill, owned by Karen Hostetler, and dedicated to supporting local ranchers and raising awareness about ranching culture in the American West. Mountain Meadow is committed to revitalizing the American wool industry through eco-friendly operations and fair prices for ranchers.
One of the yarns that Mountain Meadow Wool was offering for review was its Alpine base. Alpine is a DK weight 3-ply worsted spun yarn that is 100% Targhee merino and comes in 260 yard/100g skeins. When I had the opportunity to try out this yarn, Mountain Meadow Wool generously offered 2 skeins, and I eagerly selected the Moss Colorway.
I decided before the yarn arrived that I wanted to design something with this beautiful yarn. Around the same time Frenchie of Aroha Knits did an Initiate Knit Design challenge. I spent lots of time swatching and planning, and ultimately I knit an eternity loop with a leaf pattern.
The yarn was really a pleasure to work with. I expected the Alpine to be a little rustic, but I was pleasantly surprised when it was so very soft. It was wooly, but was also super soft and almost cottony in feel. Once washed, it bloomed and developed a really nice drape. It stood up to some swatching and ripping and never showed any wear. I would definitely consider this yarn again; I’m thinking I could use a sweater in it!
I finished knitting my sample last week, and this week the pattern, Wood Sorrel, is being tech edited and is then off to testers. I hope to release it in mid-May. Wood Sorrel will be available on Ravelry shortly.
A special thank you to Stitchcraft Marketing and the folks at Mountain Meadow Wool who sent me the yarn (retail: $46.00) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 134, Wood Sorrel.
Welcome to episode 134! Today I share my Wood Sorrel cowl, and a review of the yarn I used, Mountain Meadow Wool Alpine. I also have other WIPs to share and Ply Away is coming up.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
- Argo Teas, Cinnamon Orange Green Tea (review here).
Knitting:
- Finished: My cowl, Mountain Meadow Wool Alpine DK in Moss
- In Progress: My dragon design, Cascade 220 Superwash in Turtle
- In Progress: The Avenues Socks by the Knitting Expat, Spun Right Round 80/20 Sport in The Walkers
Spinning:
- In progress: Combo spin – Southern Cross Fibre South African Superfine Merino in Space and Hello Yarn Rambouillet in Breathless Air.
Extras:
- I’m looking for test knitters for my new design! Please visit the Test Knitting thread in the Ravelry group for details.
- I will be hosting a Sock KAL (knit or crochet) from May 1 to June 30. Come visit the group thread for details.
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 133, All green, all the time.
Welcome to episode 133! Today it’s just WIPs, although I do share my second design inspiration with you. Have a lovely week!
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
- Harney & Sons, Birthday Tea
Knitting:
- In Progress: My dragon design, Cascade 220 Superwash in Turtle
- In Progress: The Avenues Socks by the Knitting Expat, Spun Right Round 80/20 Sport in The Walkers
- In Progress: My cowl, Mountain Meadow Wool Alpine DK in Moss
Spinning:
- Finished: Hello Yarn BFL in Pink Treacle
- On Deck: Southern Cross Fibre South African Superfine Merino in Space
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 128, Second verse, same as the first.
Welcome to episode 128! Today I have two FOs, some WIPs, a bit of stash enhancement and some spins. A couple are repeat projects.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
Knitting:
- Finished: Pink Protest hat out of my handspun
- Finished: Conwy by Nancy Bush, Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Turmeric
- In Progress: Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry, Yarns: Lamby Toes Sweet Pea Sport in Sweet Tooth, Suzy Parker Yarns BFL in Tangerine Twist, Hedgehog Fibers Twist Sock in All That, Knitcircus overdyed by me, The Fiber Seed Sprout in Merlot, and Supernatural Yarns Nymph in Malfoy Manor.
- In Progress: Cowl by Chrissy Prange (Leftsideknits), The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in Dragonfly Tattoo
- On Deck: Fiber Trends Felted Clogs by Bev Glaskas, Cascade 220 in Irlande and Heather
Spinning:
- Finished: Hello Yarn Falkland in Pounce
- On Deck: Simply Ewe Fiberworks Targhee in Berrylicious II
The Knits: Leftovers Cowl
Last year I decided I wanted to knit a massive scarf, with a ton of different colorwork motifs, using scraps and leftovers from all the sock yarns I have used over the years. With a little help from a few friends for some extra colors, I gathered my yarns together and started the Leftovers Cowl by Wendy Johnson.
Without giving too much away, the pattern is a series of repeated charts. Partway through a friend asked me if I was going to incorporate any of my own charts into the design. What a great idea!
Eleven weeks later I was done.
Knitting: Double Knit Kraken Cowl.
I posted tea accessories with everyone’s favorite cephalapods a few months back. For those who are crafty, I wanted to show you the fabulous kraken cowl that I just finished knitting for those cold winter days.
The Pattern: Double Knit Kraken Cowl by Kraftling
The Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Teal and Charcoal
Notes: If I had it to do again, I wouldn’t use superwash yarn. If I had knit with non-superwash wool I could have spit spliced all my ends and not had to weave any in, a bonus for a double knit piece since there is no “wrong” side.
