Friday, May 11, 2007

Mmmmmmm ... Cashmere

Before I dive into my knitting update for today, I want to share two new cashmere colorways with you. I've been planning for ages to add five or six new colorways on cashmere to my FF line, but I haven't found the time to do that yet and so I've decided to at least move forward with adding the two new ones that are ready to go.

Both of these colorways are listed in my Etsy shop now and are available on both laceweight and sportweight cashmere (laceweight pictured here).

First, my obsession with browns continues with the addition of "Contentment."



And then there's Tranquility, perfect for a light and airy spring/summer knit.



I hope everyone likes these two new additions!

Now, on to knit talk. I first want to answer a couple of questions you asked about the broken rib pattern in the socks I'm working on and posted a few days ago. The rib at the top begins with a regular 3X3 rib, which continues static for the first 15 rows. Then, the broken rib pattern begins. You can, of course, create different effects and angles of spiral with a broken rib depending on how many stitches you stagger by and how many rows you complete before the next "step." I chose to work in increments of three rows, with the rib shifting over by one stitch every three rows.

New on the sticks I have a lace scarf that I just began using the Feather and Fan scarf/stole pattern by the incomparable Anne of KnitSpot. I'm using my FF Laceweight Merino in the Antique Rose colorway. I'm knitting in the scarf size (obviously :), but the pattern also provides instructions for a stole size.



This is a wonderfully simple and straightforward pattern that can be committed to memory in a heartbeat. As you can see from the progress I've made in such a short time, it knits up quickly. This is a lovely pattern choice for someone new to lace knitting or if you're looking for something that doesn't require your undivided attention. Despite the simplicity of the pattern, the finished knitting has the look of something far more complex and intricate. I can imagine that I may choose to knit this again in the future if I find myself with a short timeline and wanting to make a knit a gift for someone worthy of something special.

Here's a close up of the detail, which will be even prettier once I block the finished piece. The color in the photo above is more accurate on my monitor, but this photo with the light coming through from behind allows you to see the pattern better.



That's it for today. I'm looking forward to getting a bit more knitting done tonight during my husband's softball game. I must appear to be a very dedicated and supportive wife to the other players on the team (very few of the wives attend the games), but it's really the quiet knitting time that attracts me most. That'll be our little secret, OK?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Contentment" is one of your prettiest browns yet. I love every single one of your brown colorways.

Anonymous said...

Yummy! I am so glad you are obsessed with browns, because yours are so beautiful (and your grays are great too, by the way). I love to knit feather and fan, just for the reasons you stated: so simple and with such splendid results!

Anonymous said...

I really like the new colorways! I think Contentment looks like bees in honeycomb. Beautiful.

LookersMom said...

I acquired some of your lovely laceweight merino with the intent of making a stole. I've been looking at patterns, including Anne's (she does such lovely stoles - and it was her praises of you that sent me to your store!). My question is: in working the new scarf - what needle size are you using and why?

and I agree with the other comments: your brown colorways are lovely. keep up the obsession - its hard to find nice browns. though your purples/blues are nice also.

knitspot anne said...

cool! i love it in the laceweight gauge!

~Tonia~ said...

Ooooo very nice new colors.

The scarf is lovely.