Friday, April 13, 2007

She Lives!

My apologies for the gap in time since my last post on Monday. I've been busy working while also trying to find time to ready my home for guests this weekend. There's no way to hide the evidence of a thriving yarn venture under my roof, but I feel the need to at least get everything organized and ensure there are at least some surfaces in my home that are not covered by bags of yarn, stacks of labels, or other tell-tale signs of the omnipresence of Fearless Fibers!

Despite scurrying around like a lunatic this week, I have found a bit of time for knitting as well as a couple of new colorways. I've continued working on the edging of the lace shawl for my niece's prom. I thought I'd have that done in a jiffy, but it turns out that 80+ repeats of even a brief 16-row pattern takes time and perseverance. The halfway point is finally behind me, so I'll have it finished before too long.

In the meantime, I took the plunge and began the ripple-stitch throw blanket that I'm planning on slowly knitting on and off throughout the spring and summer. Here are the colors I'm using:



The yarn is my FF Sportweight Superwash Merino dyed in semi-solid shades. I'm knitting on a US #5 needle, which is a bit larger than I usually use with this yarn. I generally recommend a #3 or 4, since a tighter, solid knit is usually better for superwash merino as it has a tendency to stretch over time due to its slippery nature. For a blanket though, a bit of stretching won't hurt and it also won't have quite as much of that stretching tendency in a blanket, where the weight of the fabric won't continually pull the fabric the way it does in a worn garment such as a sweater.

Here's the work in progress.



It doesn't look terribly appealing in the photo, but I think the final product will be very nice indeed. The work in progress isn't particularly attractive because the heavier, springy yarn bunches and puckers with the lace ripple stitch, so it's going to take a serious blocking job to flatten it out. When I pull it and stretch it flat though, it looks as though it's going to look fine in the end.

On the yarn front, I also have two new colorways in my FF Laceweight Merino to show you. The first is called Feeling Blue. It's a straightforward blend of subtly varied blues that will show off lace stitchwork nicely. Although it's a simple colorway, I like it quite well. The blue is soft and springy, yet it has a good deal more oomph than a "baby" shade of pastel blue.



The second new laceweight is a doozy! It's called Notorious and it's a fabulous blend of burnished, reddish browns and bronze.


I can't resist showing you the closeup as well, so you can see the infinitely complex, yet subtle and harmonious variation of tones.



Enough yarn talk for the moment. There are toilets that need to be scrubbed! Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The colors in the ripple throw really show off your amazing color sense--I think it's going to be beautiful.

The two new colorways are lovely, and my credit card is starting to glow . . . . "Notorious", like all your browns, is incredibly hard to resist.

Micki said...

The ripple blanket is looking fabulous. Love those earth tones!

I was, um, stalking Etsy earlier today, and I saw the new colorways. Notorious = glorious. More temptation!

Sue J. said...

I love the colors in the ripple throw! Are you using your own pattern or someone else's? Would love to know the inspiration for the pattern. The new colorways are so tempting!

~Tonia~ said...

I really like the colors for the throw. They go so well together.

The new laceweight colors are very pretty. I haven't knit lace yet, but you are tempting me. ;)

Debbie said...

I had a very happy day this week. It was the day I received your "Vitamin C" colorway in the mail. My husband wound it for me and it's now ready to be knitted up into the happiest socks around. Can't wait to save up for more of your wonderful sock yarn.

Brittany said...

Notorious is beautiful! I love the complexities of the colours.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful colors! Gotta go (over to see your etsy shop:) Terry

knitspot anne said...

i LOVE the ripple blanket—the stitch ANd the colors. you should defintely write up a pattern for it.
and the new colors of merino are cool—especailly the blue.

Faith said...

Wow, those two skeins are perfect. Just two perfect skeins, hanging out on a blog. Great job!

Stacey said...

the afghan looks very autumnal! pretty!