Archives for April 2014

I'm madly preparing for TNNA, but I took a break from packing (okay, maybe there was a bit of procrastinating involved) and created a mailing list. This is something I've meant to do for a while. I often get comments from people that they've missed a post about mystery knitalong or a new pattern. I think that this is most often due to the fleeting nature of social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc — if you don't log in at just the right time, you miss it. My email list will solve that. I will use it to send email updates with new patterns, events, announcements, and mailing list only coupons. I promise not to fill your in-box with daily emails, just once a month updates (maybe twice a month if something really big is happening).

To join my mailing list simply click here and fill in the required information.

Join my mailing list! I send out email updates approximately once a month with announcements of upcoming events, new patterns, coupons, and other infomation about my designs.

My new pattern, Saranac is a crescent shaped shawl that is perfect for handspun or hand-dyed yarns. The construction — with a long, peaked border that is worked side to side over a small number of stitches, and a stockinette body that is worked width-wise — lets the color variations in these yarns shine.

I've knit two versions. The first was with my own handspun yarn, made from Unwind Yarn Company's Hand-dyed Merino Roving in the delightful Sanibel Stoop colorway. I love how the color variations in this handspun show off the construction of the shawl. Dana, tells me that she'll have a few braids of Merino Silk in Sanibel Stoop available in the Unwind Yarn Company update at 4:00 this afternoon.

My second Saranac was knit with a beautiful soft grey from Tumbleweed Yarn in their Aurora fingering weight yarn. This more subtle colorway brings out the shawl's more elegant side. Tumbleweed, a new indie yarn company, is a collaboration between the extraordinarily talented designer Kitman Figueroa, and her sister-in-law Diana Story. Head over and check out their yarns. They have a gorgeous range of semi-solids that would work beautifully for this shawl, as well as some spectacular variegated offerings that would make a fun, colorful Saranac.

Whichever way you decide to go with the yarn, this shawl is a fun knit that seems to fly off the needles.

Sofie gave it her college student seal of approval when she modeled the grey version for me with a grey silk dress in almost the exact same color.

I wish I had more photos of the handspun version to show you, but the dreary, rainy days we've had lately have made photographing knits a challenge. Instead, indulge me with another photo of the grey version.

Saranac

Size: One Size

Finished Measurements: 14” deep x 62” long

Yarn: Approximately 550 yds fingering weight yarn. Grey version shown in Tumbleweed Yarn Aurora, 80 % Merino/20% Nylon, 400 yards per 100 g skein. Color: Weathered Grey, 2 skeins.
Handspun version shown in yarn spun from a braid of Unwind Yarn Company Merino Roving. Color: Sanibel Stoop.

Needles: US 6 (4mm) needles  or size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 19 sts & 32 rows = 4”/10cm in Stockinette St — blocked; always take the time to check gauge

Other Materials: stitch markers, tapestry needle

Price: $6.50