Thursday, October 27, 2011

Shirley

Oh, what a month! You've already seen the launch of 2 new yarn lines, Chubby Bunny and Worsted Wooly, and now finally, here's #3- Shirley. I've been wanting to do this line for awhile now, because Shirley is an homage to one of the greatest artists I've ever known- my grandmother.

She was a spectacular quilter, and her use of color is really mind blowing. I learned so much from her, and now, as I look at photos of her quilts to pick out my colorways for Shirley, I'm paying attention to her work in more detail than ever before, and I'm learning even more. 6 colorways in the shop and counting, each named for the quilt that inspired it, and with a photo of that quilt on the lable.

And the knitters at Knot Hysteria with Stephanie Pearl-McFee will be the very first people to get their hands on it! I just shipping a big box full of Shirley and alpaca fiber for their retreat!

Shirley is a moderately soft yarn, but it has sheen and loft, and makes a wonderful texture in knitting. It also makes excellent hexipuffs- I know, because I knit my very first hexipuff this week as a swatch for Shirley! 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

October Winners!

My October contest has ended- and we have some winners to announce! All winners may choose the pattern they would like from my patterns page, or from ravelry if they prefer. Congratulations!

Via Twitter- @HeatheryDoune is the winner! Thanks for retweeting and for following @Knitolution!

Via Facebook- Kitty Crab is the winner! Thanks for being a fan of my page!

Congrats to the winners, and we'll do another contest soon!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Project Update

One new project started, one almost done, and one chugging along slowly but surely-

I cast on my new train knitting last week, a new pair of socks, this one knit from my Mir Sock Yarn in Aurora. I'm using my standard sock pattern, and I may or may not throw in some pattern stitches when I get past the toes. So far I love the way this is knitting up!

My sweater is almost done! After the heartbreak of having to rip the sleeves out completely, I've recovered and now have sleeves, yoke, and part of the hood finished. Just another foot of hood and then some kitchener stitch, and I'll have a warm fuzzy AWESOME sweater in time for winter!

I'm still making progress on knitting my veil, trying to do a row a day as much as possible. Its grown a fair bit since the last time I took a photo, and its onto one circular now which makes it a lot less of a pain than it was with 2! Also, the lighting on my kitchen table when I took the photos today was just spectacular, and it really brings out the texture of the lace in the most satisfying way.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Meet Worsted Wooly!


Another new yarn line!

Worsted Wooly is a luscious, squishy singles that's on the heavy side of worsted weight. It knits up quickly and is moderately soft. Because the yarn is not plied, it lends stand out texture to cables and other textured stitches. Its perfect for hats, scarves, mittens, and slippers!

So far, the only color available is October in Maine, but I'm dying up a storm- so expect more colors in the next week.

October in Maine is full of rich jewel tones that mimic the changing colors of a New England fall. It reminds me of jumping in piles of leaves as a child!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Introducing Chubby Bunny!

I'd like to introduce my newest yarn line, Chubby Bunny!

Chubby Bunny is a quick-knitting bulky wool yarn. It is 4 ply and evenly spun. It is not a super soft yarn, but its a perfect outerwear or cabling yarn if you have sensitive skin, and it felts beautifully! When felted it makes a dense, soft, fuzzy fabric perfect for bags, placemats, and rugs. The colors in Chubby Bunny are inspired by beautiful places in the world.

Approximately 4oz and 62yd per Ball.

Recommended needle size U.S. 10-11
Recommended gauge 10 st over 4 inches.

Fibers: 100% Wool
Care: Hand Wash, lay flat to dry

To begin with, Chubby Bunny is available in 2 colors, Midnight in Napa and Waves of Tahiti, but I'm dying more as quick as I can! I will have 2 more yarn lines coming out this month as well. 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

October Contest!

I want to do a big giveaway this month! You can enter up to 5 times, once by each method outlined below. There will be a winner from each, and each winner will win their choice of any of my patterns! You can view all of my patterns on the patterns tab on my website. Enter by midnight EST on October 19th, all winners will be chosen randomly.

Enter up to 5 times, once by each of these methods!
Blog- Follow my blog- near the top on the right hand sidebar, you'll see a button that says "Join this site with google friend connect"- click this, and join my blog! Then leave a comment on this blog post to be entered.
Ravelry Group- Join my ravelry group, then comment in the thread about this contest!
Twitter- Follow me on twitter, @Knitolution, and re-tweet any of my tweets about the contest.
Facebook- 'Like' my facebook page, and comment on my wall about the contest, or comment on any contest post on my page to enter.
Email List- Join my email list, then send an email to knitolution@gmail.com to enter.

Its that simple! Enter once or 5 times, and good luck!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Shop Update!

New stuff in the shop- gorgeous alpaca and alpaca/merino batts for spinning and felting (sooo soft and fluffy), and new handspun yarns in a variety of colors and textures!