I am cranking away making samples of Lisa Cruse's various knitted hat designs ahead of her Embellishment Workshops on March 9 & 10 at Struan Farm! Here's the "Amy Beret" in a cherry red Cascade 220 yarn, which I've christened "Aotearoa Amy" to give it a bit of Kiwi flavor:
Obviously felting and embellishment to follow under Lisa's supervision. These are fast and fun to knit.
Here's one of Lisa's originals of this same pattern:
Next I'm onto "Vivian."
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Heidi sent through a great photo of her finished scarf, started during her recent visit to Struan Farm over Christmas. I lured her back into knitting with handspun alpaca and Mel Clark's Tweed Scarf pattern from "Knitting Everyday Finery."
I suspect it's helping to keep her warm given the cold and snow in Germany! Wonder what's her next project?
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Finished up my first "Nellie Crush" knitted hat ahead of Lisa Cruse's impending visit to NZ in March and our Embellishment Workshops at Struan Farm.
Can't wait to get this felted (it will shrink considerably), shaped properly and then embellished! Lisa, pack your bags please....I know it's meant to be a vacation, but....
Here's one of Lisa's finished versions of this same hat, I just love it:
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I'm busily making different versions of Lisa Cruse's knitted hat designs ahead of her March Embellishment Workshops at Struan Farm.
I've just finished my first "Piper Beret," made with Cascade 220 Heathers in colorway 2453. This will get felted and embellished under Lisa's strict supervision when she's here in New Zealand in March.
Here's a finished version by Lisa to give you a better idea of what this will (should?) look like when completed:
The Saturday workshop now has six of ten spots filled (only four left!) while it's the inverse situation as of today for Sunday. We have a number of participants who've decided to make a weekend out of it in Piopio and attend both workshops to maximize the learning and creative experience with Lisa.
I can provide information on reasonable accommodation in the area if need be. But if you'd like to come along best to contact me and sign up as soon as possible!
Next for me is I think "Nellie Crush."
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Come meet visiting US based knitting designer and fiber artist Lisa Cruse while she holidays at Struan Farm in Piopio this March. Known as “Ambrosia Cottage” on Ravelry, Lisa’s fabulous felted hat designs with their creative embellishments often incorporate recycled and salvaged materials sourced from op shops. Her Ravelry group has a following of more than 900 members.
Lisa has generously offered to teach two, one day workshops at the farm during her visit: Embellishment Techniques (Saturday, March 9) and Embellishments: Beyond Craft to Artistry (Sunday, March 10).
Depending on the skill levels and interests of participants attending each workshop, Saturday will focus on basic embellishment techniques such as needle felting, embroidery, beading and/or use of fabric to customize knitted/felted items such as hats, bags, cushions or garments. The possibilities are endless and for every budget. Working with swatches and various materials, participants will be able to experiment to get an idea of what can be done creatively with these techniques separately and in combination, also how to approach design. The workshop on Sunday, which can be taken separately by participants already familiar with the basics, will take these techniques to the next level.
Workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with morning/afternoon tea and lunch provided. Space is limited to 10 participants each day to insure personalized attention.
Fee is NZ$125 per workshop, payable in full at the time of confirmed registration. This covers a variety of materials and tools to experiment with on the day as well as food and beverages. Please be advised that no cancellations/refunds will be possible within one week of the workshops unless we are able to fill spots from our waiting list. I'll be making financial commitments for both materials and food at my personal expense.
Participants are encouraged to bring along knitted/felted items that they might want to embellish and materials they would like to experiment with, although there will be ample and varied supplies on hand for everyone to work with.
Come be inspired and learn creative techniques you can apply to many different projects!
For further information or for direct deposit details to make a confirmed booking contact me at [email protected]. I will keep you updated on news related to this event as and when appropriate.
I am SO EXCITED that I can hardly wait! It will be amazing to have Lisa with her creative talents teaching us about her approach to embellishment, including me! Best to book early if you're interested in coming along.
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I managed to inspire my friend Heidi back into knitting during her recent visit to Struan Farm.
Getting people knitting, or at least exposed to current knitting trends, is a bit of a personal crusade of mine. Most people aren't aware of the interesting, cool designs and fibers available now, so communicating about this is part of my mission.
Heidi had been a serious knitter in the past, so we could honestly categorize her as experienced but "lapsed."
I can be quite cunning if the situation requires. First, I gave her a Cashmere Bandana Cowl I knitted her for Christmas:
Next, I let her fondle some handspun alpaca yarn:
Then, I took her to nearby Riverdale Alpacas to see alpacas firsthand and tour Julie Mansell's mill, where she processes fleece and spins yarn. We were able to interact with the animals in the paddocks and fondle even more yarn. (Of course she'd seen our sheep and frolicking lambs already, which had softened her up.)
When we returned to Struan Farm we cast on and in no time she was halfway through Mel Clark's Aran Scarf pattern from Knitting Everyday Finery before she departed. (Okay, I did contribute the handspun alpaca and knitting needles, but it was for a worthy cause.) The prospect of returning to winter in Germany after a summer visit to New Zealand might have also been a contributing factor.
It was interesting for me to see that she knits and purls entirely differently to the way I do. The yarn is wrapped in the left hand around the fingers rather than "thrown" by the right, although the stitches look the same when knit. I could see what she was doing with the "knit" stitch, which she calls "right," but the "purl" or "left" stitch was much more complicated, at least for me! This technique is called "Continental," "German," or "European" knitting. There are lots of You Tube videos on it as well.
I'm happy I've managed to inspire her to re-join the club and remember the secret handshake. And the deal is that she's going to hunt down some Wollemeise for me.
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I was reading the Yarn Harlot's recent post with Christmas gift suggestions for knitters here. One of the gifts she recommends is a "nostepinne" for winding yarn into balls. This was a new one on me! Of course I was immediately intrigued, promptly clicked the link to the Etsy site and ordered a beautiful hand crafted wooden version made from recycled maple, now on its way to New Zealand.
This then resulted in a search to learn more about the tool itself and how it is used. It's clearly much more low tech than a ball winder and swift, but potentially better than winding entirely by hand with the skein wrapped over a chair (my coventional approach when I'm too lazy to dig out the ball winder and swift, which is most of the time). Could be that middle ground, but may require a wee bit of practice.
Turns out it was invented in Scandinavia. The term means "nest stick."
There are so many wood turners here in NZ, I'm thinking I should see if we can get some made out of wood from Struan Farm.
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I managed to finish the Jade Sapphire cashmere Bandana Cowl I've been knitting for my friend Heidi for Christmas. She's coming to New Zealand from Germany to visit her son, who is here studying English, and to see us at Struan Farm.
As previously posted, this free Purl Soho pattern can be found here. It's easy and quick. If you're intimidated about short rows don't miss the link to the tutorial, which explains what can be a confusing technique quite well. The Cowl looks great on, I'm wanting to make one for myself now!
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I've decided to start the Christmas knitting. First off the rank is this cute Bandana Cowl, an easy pattern by Purl Soho you can find here. I'm making it in a lush plum Jade Sapphire 8 ply cashmere (two skeins), yum! Will probably gift it to my German penpal Heidi, who's arriving to visit us at Struan Farm in time for Christmas and Boxing Day. She'll be heading back to winter in Germany after her short visit with us in the Southern Hemisphere so it should come in handy.
The Purl Soho website also has a very good tutorial on knitting short rows that I highly recommend. That can be found here. It's the most straightforward explanation of this technique I've found, and something I'm saving for future reference. There are explanations on how to do wraps on both the knit and purl sides, as well as picking up the wrapped stitches on both the knit and purl sides. Accompanying photos clearly show what to do and how to do it.
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I've finished knitting and blocking my "Secret of Change" shawl by Veera Valimaki. Given the gauge of the Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light used (colorway is "Cousteau"), it's quite a bit smaller than the pattern version. If you want a larger shawl another repetition of the pattern in sequence could be done easily. I decided it's okay as is, so didn't keep going, but I could see the merits of a larger shawl too. Maybe next time.
This is an easy pattern to knit and can be found here. I also used my Coco Knits "Knitter's Block" for the first time to block this project, and it is great, I'm a convert. Find info here. The kit includes a blocking cloth and T-pins in a nice storage bag with the blocks, which are pieced together like a puzzle to fit your specific project.
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I've missed knitting of late. Between work and running around the world on airplanes, I've been frazzled and tired. Not too tired to knit, but rather too tired to get myself organized with respect to a new knitting project. This week I decided it had been long enough, I had to take the bull by the horns. Or perhaps the better analogy is "to take the Addis by the hand."
I pulled out some beautiful Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in "Cousteau" colorway from my stash, a shawl pattern by Veera Valimaki called "Secret of Change" and cast on.
Here's where I am thus far:
Had a few false starts due entirely to not reading the pattern, but once into the groove I've found this to be a fast, easy knit. And it feels so good to be back on the needles!
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Frequent readers of this blog will remember the scarf that I recently made from a pattern in Mel Clark's new book "Knitting Everyday Finery." I knit it in a possum merino yarn in a beautiful kumara/sweet potato/persimmon/rust color ahead of the book signing we held for Mel at Struan Farm.
I have worn this scarf everywhere this winter. John tried to lay claim to it early on, but once it became clear that he wasn't wearing it, I seized the day and the scarf.
I'd purchased the yarn at Nelson's artisan co-op, Fibre Spectrum. So on my recent trip I stopped in to show them the scarf and look at other colors available in the yarn. I restrained myself entirely until the lady at the front desk told me that the mill in Timaru that produced the yarn would not be making it any longer. (I'd thought the yarn was handspun, which isn't the case.)
As you might expect, this news pushed me over the cliff, but I'm glad she told me. I came home with purple, burgundy and blue for the stash, enough of the blue for a sweater for sure. I'm still second guessing myself on whether I should have gotten more in other colors!
The other part of this story is that there is a growing shortage of possum fiber available on the local market. This despite the fact that possums continue to be terrible pests, causing serious damage to native birds and bush. China is taking as much of the fiber NZ can ship. So this means local mills and yarn companies can't assure supply.
You might think I'm trying to justify my hoarding--and you could very well be right!
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I can't really go anywhere without a knitting project of some sort in my bag. So for my recent trip to California I decided it would be good to knock off some baby beanies for colleague Ange and customer Sarah, both of whom are about to have babies. Ange knows she's having a girl, I'm not sure about Sarah; so I made pink and cream beanies for Ange and cream and a pale mint green for Sarah.
Pattern was the Rosie Posey Beanie from "The second little Sublime hand knit book." Yarns used were Sublime baby cashmere merino silk DK (pink and cream) and Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino (green).
These were quick, easy projects, perfect for knitting on the fly.
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I am almost finished making the "Shiraz Slippers" from Mel Clark's "Knitting Everyday Finery." They are a quick easy project with a few tricks like short rows and using Kitchener Stitch to graft the soles that keep the brain engaged.
Once they are completely dry I will stitch the suede patches on the soles with the linen thread. I purchased these from Mel c/o her South Seas Knitting website, but there are also templates in the book so you can buy suede or another material and cut them yourself.
Can't wait to wear them knitting by the fire!
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I was thrilled to discover some new yarns on my recent trip to Nelson, at least they were new to me. Cruellas Natural Fibre Boutique is always a pitstop, I enjoy catching up with Ruth and Vicky, the owners. Recently met Jessica, their store manager, a transplant from North America like me and now a friend on Ravelry.
This store is part of the Rare Yarns empire, essentially their flagship retail store, with the full range of beautiful yarns in all available colors as well as their creative designs, some of which are sold as finished garments. They also stock some interesting artisanal yarns. I couldn't resist the vibrant colors of this 100% merino by Knitsch, wow:
It was so hard to choose between them that I didn't, came home with the complete sampling. Colorways are: "Zissou," "Easy as Stone," "The William," Mulligan Drive," "Acre Dream," and "Sweetheart." Suffice it to say some of the names are more intuitive than others, undoubtedly of significance to Knitsch!
Also this lovely delicate silk merino lace by Spinning A Yarn, colors are "Lichen" and "Blaze."
And last but not least, some of Cruellas hand dyed alpaca in a beautiful soft colorway, so you can see that I can be subtle too:
Good to support NZ yarns, especially the artisanal players working to build their businesses.
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Next I'm onto "Shiraz Slippers" from Mel Clark's "Knitting Everyday Finery." I've bought two skeins of Cascade 220 from South Seas Knitting in color 2440 (same as the version in the book), along with a kit Mel sells with the little suede patches for the soles and some matching linen thread to stitch them on. The pattern calls for only one skein, used doubled, but I've decided to make it easy on myself and work from two skeins. (Now that I think about it, this means I should have enough for two pairs, duh!) I'll search out some cute ribbon for the tabs at the back in due course.
I managed to get the first slipper done, except for seaming the sole, in one long evening by the fire, watching bad television. Once I have both done I will felt them and sew on the suede patches on the soles. They're a really quick project to say the least!
For anyone interested, Mel's got a KAL (knit-along) started for these on her slipslipknit group on Ravelry.
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Finished the possum/merino scarf I've been making from Mel Clark's "Knitting Everyday Finery."
While I thought initially I was making it for myself, John has decided that he rather likes it, so I've gifted it to him. Perhaps he'll share.
What would you call this the color? Rust? Persimmon? Kumara/Sweet Potato? There's been some debate, so feel free to wade in. Yarn is handspun 60% merino 40% possum, purchased at Fibre Spectrum, the artisan's co-op in Nelson.
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Discussion ensued after our recent knitting related event at Struan Farm about vintage knitting designs. I've collected old knitting patterns for years in "op shops" around New Zealand. Love the designs, also the poses and hairdos; if I'm not too sure about a pattern it's often the latter two things that push me over the line.
It turns out I have collected a number of old patterns for rather elegant looking bed jackets, so just did a bit of research about when they came into vogue. Turns out that these loose fitting, waist length jackets were worn in the 1800's as working garments by ordinary women. The jackets were tied by pins rather than buttons to allow for flexible fit during periods of pregnancy. In the late 20th century they moved into the bedroom and were glamorized by various Hollywood divas. Notably, Joan Crawford accepted her 1945 Oscar for "Mildred Pierce" from her bed in make up wearing a bed jacket!
Knitters (and crocheters), we must try to bring these back into use! For me, it's tempting to consider actually having enough time in the day to lounge in bed, made up, with one's hand mirror (note to self: get a vintage hand mirror), reading, or breakfast (note the toast with marmite in the one above, mine would be peanut butter).
And since most homes in NZ at least are pretty chilly in winter, there might be a practical angle here as well. Donning a nice little knitted jacket would make those chilly sprints to the bathroom both comfortable AND glamorous!
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Quick shot of the table flowers from our book signing event to celebrate Mel Clark's "Knitting Everyday Finery" this past weekend. Their work is done, they just looked lovely sitting there on the bench!
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