Customer Projects – Lace is the Word of the Day!

Today, I have two absolutely fabulous customer projects to share with you. Both are lace; one knit and one crochet. You can click on the photos for a better view of these wonderful projects.

The first featured project was made by Marianne. It’s a "Flared Lace Smoke Ring" designed by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer at Heartstrings Fiber Arts. Despite the fact that this smoke ring is absolutely gorgeous and looks quite intricate and complex, according to Marianne it was pretty simple to make. She reported to me that “after the first few rounds, it sort of rolls off your mind, into the wool. I was pleasantly surprised by that!”



Here’s a close up photo for a better view of the detail and also a more accurate depiction of the color. Marianne made this smoke ring with Fearless Fibers Merino Wool Sock Yarn (the classic merino, rather than the superwash) in the Sage and Chino colorway. One skein was plenty for this project, with a comfortable amount left over.



As if one fantastic lace project isn’t enough, I have another to share with you! This one is a crocheted shawl made by Elisa. The shawl was designed as a traditional pointed shawl, but Elisa stopped short and created a narrower shawl that’s just the right size for her and allowed her to complete the entire project with just one 8-ounce skein of the Alpaca/Wool Yarn. She got the pattern for this shawl from this pattern directory site.



Elisa reports that she has received more attention and interest when wearing this shawl (which she says she now wears “everywhere”!) than anything she’s made so far. Well, it’s no wonder! It’s absolutely gorgeous. Elisa made this shawl with Fearless Fibers DK Weight Alpaca/Wool. The colorway is Moss. Here’s a closer look for you



If you’re wondering why you don’t see these colors currently available in my Etsy or eBay shops, the answer is that both of these were one-time only dye runs from quite some time ago. One of the myriad of reasons that I chose to sell online directly to the consumer rather than selling to retail shops is that it gives me the flexibility to experiment, just have fun with dyeing, and occasionally offer a bit of this and a bit of that to my customers rather than just sticking to a standard and fairly static “line.” That leads me into a reminder …

Don’t forget the Orphan Skein Sale coming to my Etsy shop on Wednesday November 8th! Scroll down to the post below this one for details. Perhaps you can pick up a bargain on yarn from a limited dye run, such as the yarns Marianne and Elisa used for their wonderful lace projects.

Finally, I’m counting on all of you to contribute your project photos for future Monday features. E-mail your photos to me and give you handiwork its moment in the spotlight!

SALE COMING – Don’t Blink or You Might Miss It!

ANNOUNCING FEARLESS FIBERS FIRST ORPHAN SKEIN SALE!
WHEN: One Day Only: Wednesday, November 8th, beginning by 8:00 a.m. PST
WHERE: Fearless Fibers Etsy Shop

I’m planning an Orphan Skein Sale! What’s an Orphan Skein, you ask? It’s a poor little skein all by itself in the world. Perhaps it’s the last remaining skein of a particular dye lot. It might be a remainder from a colorway I’ve put on the backburner for a while. It might be an extra skein I made for a project of my own but never needed. There are so many reasons that a skein might be orphaned. Regardless of the reason that they were orphaned, these babies need a good home! These are not damaged or irregular skeins or anything of the sort. They are perfectly healthy and beautiful little orphans that will be offered at 10 to 25% below my already-low prices. (I know, I know, I sound like a used car commercial with “already low prices” … but hey, it’s true.)

The sale will be one day only: Wednesday, November 8th. I will be listing the sale items in my Etsy store on Wednesday morning, as soon as I drag myself about of bed. All sale skeins will be listed before 8:00 a.m. PST. The sale items will remain listed until sold or until I awaken on Thursday morning, when the listings will be removed. The listing titles for the items on sale will begin with the words “ORPHAN SKEIN SALE” so you can find them more easily.

I haven’t gone through everything yet to select the orphans that will be included in the sale, but my guess is that there will be in the neighborhood of twenty to thirty skeins of a variety of types. There may even be some orphan twins – two matching skeins of the same dyelot, hoping to be adopted by one knitter so that they can remain together. There will even be some cashmere included. One skein of laceweight cashmere makes a generous scarf, so these orphans can easily be converted into fabulous holiday gifts.

So mark your calendars and stop by my Etsy shop on Wednesday morning. Perhaps you’ll find an orphan that will capture your heart!

If you have a blog of your own, please consider helping to spread the word. Thank you and hope to see you there!

QUICK UPDATE:

After I diligently informed you all yesterday that Etsy would be down this weekend for an upgrade, I got word this morning that the upgrade has been pushed out until next weekend. My Etsy shop will be and running as usual this weekend. Sorry for any confusion!

Housekeeping, a Bit of Bragging, and a Small Dose of Eye Candy

I have a few housekeeping items to communicate today. “Housekeeping” in the business sense, that is.

First of all, I want to let you all know that my Etsy store will be down this weekend. This is due to a major upgrade on Etsy planned to begin late Friday evening and continue through the weekend with Etsy scheduled to be back up and running by Monday.

Etsy will receive a slightly revamped look and feel, but more importantly there will be some important enhancements to make the buying experience smoother. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed this weekend, but as with any major software overhaul, it’s possible that it will take longer than expected. I’m sure there will be a few glitches to work out as well in the coming weeks, despite a rigorous test schedule. Please be patient during this downtime. I’ll be back up and running on Etsy before you know it!

That brings me to the bragging portion of this post. I just can’t resist sharing a tidbit of news that really made my day yesterday. As of yesterday morning, Fearless Fibers made it onto the list of the Top 100 Sellers on Etsy! There are somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 sellers on Etsy, so it’s quite a significant milestone to make it onto this list. A huge THANK YOU to all of my customers for driving my small and still very new business to this small milestone of success and most of all, for making the journey getting there such a pleasurable one! Now the struggle begins to maintain my position there!

In other housekeeping news, I’ve mentioned briefly a couple of times in the past that I’ll be opening my own webstore before long. That is still in the works and will, I hope, be up and running before the end of the year. I have no plans of closing my other shops in the near future but will begin over time to slowly consolidate my business. There will be an announcement here when the shop is up and running.

I also want to provide you with an update on the 4-ply cashmere (sport to DK weight) that so many of you have expressed interest in. In time, this 4-ply cashmere will become a regular part of my inventory, but right now, with so many other things taking priority I am primarily offering the 4-ply cashmere by special order. If you’re interested in 4-ply cashmere, you can purchase it in any of the colorways that are currently available on my laceweight cashmere. Just send me an e-mail and let me know how many skeins you need and which colorway you want, and I’ll be happy to whip up a batch for you. Most special orders are accommodated within two weeks and often even as little as one week. The 4-ply cashmere comes in 2-ounce skeins, 200 yards each, $30 per skein.

My apologies for the heavy text and rather mundane content of this post. From time to time it’s necessary to step back from the fun of knit and yarn chit-chat to talk a bit of business. For those of you who have stuck with it and read this far, I’ll reward you with some eye candy … fiber eye candy that is, of course! Here are a couple of new Superwash Sock Yarn colorways added to my Etsy shop this week.

This one is a handpainted colorway called “October.” The October colorway has been part of my line on Superwash Merino Sportweight for some time, but this is the first time it has been available on the lightweight superwash sock yarn.



This next photo is a new tone-on-tone colorway: Raspberry. Delicious!




There are a few other new ones peppered throughout my Etsy shop as well, but I’ll leave it to you to discover those on your own if you’re interested.

Thanks for stopping by and plowing through the biz housekeeping talk today. I’m actually very excited about the Etsy upgrade this weekend. It will be more work for me, as I’ll have to spend some time revising my store once the new version is up and running, but it should make the shopping experience much better for all of you and that’s what matters!

Now go knit or crochet!

The Sock Craze Continues!

Monday is becoming my favorite day of the week, since I get to post customer projects. It's such fun and so satisfying to see the wonderful things all of you are making with Fearless Fibers Yarn!

Today I have two pair of socks to share with you. The first were made by Elisa using Fearless Fibers Merino Wool Sock Yarn in Peppermint Pink. These are particularly interesting because they are crocheted rather than knit. I'd never seen crocheted socks before. Soooo cute and such a different twist on the handmade sock theme. I've had several other customers in the past couple of weeks mention that they are making crocheted socks. Perhaps a trend in the air?



The next pair to share with you today were made by Karen using Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino Yarn in the Abundance colorway. This is the heavier weight superwash yarn that borders between a sock and sportweight. I don't classify this yarn as a "sock yarn" in my listing titles and categories, as I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking it's lighter weight than it really is, but the fact is that most customers do in fact use it to make socks. It makes a nice, heavier weight sock for the winter, such as these wonderful socks that Karen made. Great job, Karen!



The "Abundance" colorway is one I haven't made in a while, but these are so cute that perhaps I'll have to whip up another batch here in the near future.

A big THANK YOU to Elisa and Karen for sharing their work! I have two new projects lined up for showcasing next week and let me tell ... they are both AMAZING! I can hardly stop myself from just posting them right now, but then I might find myself without anything new for next week, so I guess I'll just have to be patient ... and so will you. But believe me, the wait will be worth it.

Now stop cruising the web and get back to your knitting or crocheting!

Six-Color Sweater, At Last!

At long last, I found some time last night to weave in the yarn ends on the six-color sweater that I've had in progress for what now seems an eternity. I can finally call this a done!

So if you've been wondering what this:



Plus this:



will yield ... the answer is this:





This was made using my Fearless Fibers Sportweight Superwash Merino. I custom dyed the six semi-solid colors specifically for this sweater. I actually dyed two sets of the six colors and so I have another set that I'll list in my Etsy store before too long. I was holding onto it on the off chance that I might need more yarn to complete my project, but I actually had a fair bit left over when I was done.

This is the first sweater I've made for myself in quite some time and I'm reasonably happy with the way it turned out. Not a grand work of art, but a nice and comfy sweater to throw on with a pair of jeans when heading out on a cool fall day.

Now I just need to find time to make some more progress on the felted vest for the Red Sweater KAL!

The Monstrosity and The Sublime

I think I mentioned in a previous post that I've joined the Red Sweater KAL. My project for that KAL is now underway. I've given it the appellation "The Monstrosity." Perhaps that gives you a clue how I feel about the project?

With so little free time these days, I bought yarn for this project rather than dyeing something myself. My first mistake was a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop by a LYS to see if they had anything nice in red. The shop is along the route I was taking while running errands, but the place is sorely lacking by any yarn shop standards. The Portland area has so many fabulous shops that I've oftened wondered how this little shop gets by. It's tiny. It's full of acrylics and cheap, scratchy wools. There are few patterns or books to browse. It's just a crummy shop by today's standards. With that said, I do like to stop by now and again. The shop appears to have been around for ages and ages, dating back to long before the knitting boom of recent years. The folks there are very friendly and I just hate to see any yarn shop go under, so from time to time I throw them a bone and pick up a pair of needles or some other small item there. (Those needles I bought are sure to keep them in business.)

I wandered into this shop on a whim and searched for red yarn for the KAL. I was about to give up, after browsing through a ghastly collection of yarns that reminded me of what my grandmother would have used to knit an afghan in the 1960's (that is, if she had been a knitter and if she had been alive in the 1960's), when the gal working there pointed out one lone shelf tucked away at the bottom of a corner area. There sat a small selection of Manos del Uruguay wool.

I've never Manos before but have eyed it a few times. It's a thick and thick worsted weight wool, hand dyed in semi-solid shades. Some of the colors are lovely and it's reasonably soft. Compared to the rest of the selection in front of me that day, it was very attractive indeed. And so, of course, I bought some. Foolish, foolish woman! With a plethora of utterly fabulous shops just a short drive away, I selected my yarn based on how it compared to the rest of this particular shop. I can't stress enough how stupid I am. You have to keep in mind that I have a house that's bursting at the seams with yarn. It's everywhere. I mean, I sell the stuff! I have HUNDREDS OF POUNDS of yarn in my home. I haven't allowed myself the luxury of buying retail yarn in a very, very long time and yet I chose to buy this yarn based on the selection in the worst yarn shop in the area. I may be too stupid to live.

Okay. Stupidity aside, let's get on with the project update. This is the yarn I bought.



That evening, I dove into planning and swatching for a sweater. It quickly became apparent to me that the yarn was just too heavy for my taste for an indoor sweater. I'm not a fan of cardigans and I decided it was just too much for a pullover. After further swatching and noodling on the project, I settled on a vest rather than a sweater. I've never owned or worn a vest in my life, but I kind of like the idea. Yes, a vest it will be!

I swatched a bit more and eventually cast on, with only a vague notion of something simple, perhaps with a bit of cabling. No. That didn't work out. Ugly. Just ugly. I swatched again, playing with ideas for integrating the gray and adding a little interest to a simple vest through color. I cast on. No. That didn't work out. Ugly. Just ugly. The thick and thin nature of the yarn just doesn't lend itself to any type of patterned colorwork. It just looks messy. Perhaps, I thought, I needed to keep it even simpler and just use the gray for a bit of striping detail. I cast on. No. That didn't work out. Still ugly. Just ugly.

All in all, I cast on four times. On the fourth attempt, my husband looked at my work and - not known for his tact - promptly informed me that it looked as though it were knit by a seven year old. That led to the fourth frogging. Now let me tell you, I am not a fan of frogging. Frog is a four-letter word as far I'm concerned. I just don't have a very high tolerance for frustration, so you need to trust me that when I tell you that The Monstrosity was ugly enough to warrant a fourth frogging, I'm talking about some serious ugly here.

Eventually, I decided on a revised plan. I will still make a vest, but it will be a felted vest so that the ugly, sloppy stitches won't be visible. It will be even heavier and thicker when felted, so it will be an outerwear vest rather than a pullover to wear indoors. I'm going to keep it super-simple in stockinet, all in the red with just a bit of gray for edge trimming. Although the project may be rather boring to knit, it should be fairly quick and will likely hold my interest simply so that I can find out whether it will come anywhere close to what I'd like. I haven't done much felting and what I have done has been mostly bags, so it will be quite interesting to see if what I come up with fits (or for that matter, even resembles a vest!). There's a strong possiblity that The Monstrosity may live up to its name. We shall see!

In happier news, I've continued dyeing like a madwoman and loving every minute of it. One of my latest creations is a new favorite for me. It's Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in a colorway called "Sublime." And it is. Sublime, that is. At least I think so. I did a run of eight skeins and have listed the first one in my Etsy store. The colors are sort of brown, sort of wine, sort of sage, and sort of bronze, and all mingle together to create something that is ... well ... sublime.



I'll end this post now, as Blogger has been very uncooperative today so I want to get this posted before it goes haywire on me again! GO KNIT! (Or crochet, if you prefer.)

Customer Project!

Another week gone by and it's time for another photo of a finished project with Fearless Fibers Yarn. Some of you may recall the "Knitting Mistake" contest back in August. The prize for the contest was a felted bag kit and the winner, Melissa, has kindly provided a picture of the completed bag she made with the kit.



Lovely job, Melissa! And thank you so much for sharing the picture.

For next Monday, I have two project photos lined up. I'm taking a great leap of faith in planning to post two on one Monday, so you all need to come through for me and be sure to send more pictures so I'll have something to share the following week. So get busy knitting or crocheting!

Holy Potatohead, Batman!

Wow! Bam! Zap! I just LOVE my new socks!

Yes, I know, I’m rather ridiculously excited and exuberant about a simple pair of socks, but for whatever mysterious reason I just love these socks with my whole knitter’s heart. I probably should have blocked them, as the yarnovers look a bit sloppy in the photos. I've never bothered to block socks before, but I may just do that for these.



I’ve named them Lapping Water Socks. They are knit with Fearless Fibers Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Hudson colorway. I wanted a stitch pattern that would be reminiscent of lapping water, which seemed so appropriate for this colorway. I think this stitch pattern worked perfectly for that purpose.

I can’t put my finger on why I love these socks so much. As mentioned in a previous post, perhaps it is because they turned out just the way I imagined they would before I cast on the first stitch. Perhaps it’s because they seem to strike a good balance with just the right quantity of yarnovers to create a bit of openwork without so much lace that there isn’t enough “sock” left in the sock. Perhaps it’s the small details, such as the way the ribbing flows so nicely into the pattern stitch of the body of the sock.



Whatever the reason, I just love these socks! They are pair number three in what I hope will be a set of six pair for my mother for Christmas. Now, of course, I want a pair for myself too, so I may just knit another pair after the holidays.

For anyone who’s interested, below is the pattern. I make no promises that the pattern is perfect, but I’ve done my best to write it in plain English to make it easy to follow. If you would like to share this pattern with anyone, please feel free to do so but I ask that you provide the pattern as a link to this site. This pattern may not be reproduced or used to produce items for commercial purposes.

Okay, here comes the pattern … but I can’t resist just one more picture first.



PATTERN:

Fearless Fibers – Lapping Water Socks
Size: Women’s – One Size Fits Most

Materials:
One 4-ounce skein of Fearless Fibers Merino
Wool Sock Yarn
One set of four US #2 double-pointed needles

Gauge: Approx. 32 stitches to 4 inches

Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
YO = Yarn Over
SL1 = Slip 1 stitch knitwise
K2TOG = Knit 2 stitches together
P2TOG = Purl 2 stitches together
PSSO = Pass Slipped Stitched Over

Lapping Water Pattern Stitch:
Row 1: *YO, SL1, K1, PSSO, K4* repeat
Row 2 and all even rows: Knit around
Row 3: *YO, K1, SL1, K1, PSSO, K3* repeat
Row 5: *YO, K2, SL1, K1, PSSO, K2* repeat
Row 7: *YO, K3, SL1, K1, PSSO, K1* repeat
Row 9: *YO, K4, SL1, K1, PSSO* repeat
Row 10: Knit

Instructions:

Cast on: On U.S. #2 needles, cast on a total of 60 stitches, with 24 stitches on the first needle, and 18 stitches on each of the second and third needles. (NOTE: Dividing the stitches in this uneven manner will help to make following the 6-stitch pattern repeat easier.)

Ribbing: Using the fourth needle, join the yarn to begin working in the round, taking care to avoid twisting stitches. Begin ribbing. Work in P2, K4 rib for 14 rows. (Ribbing may be made longer or shorter depending on your preference.)

Begin Lapping Water Pattern Stitch (see above): Work 6 repeats of 10-row pattern stitch. On the final round of the 6th repeat of the pattern stitch, divide the stitches so that you have 30 stitches on the first needle, 15 stitches on each of the second and third needles.

Begin the Heel:
Work 20 rows on the FIRST NEEDLE ONLY in stockinet stitch. You will now be working back and forth on the first needle, rather than in the round. Stockinet = knit first row, purl second row, repeat.
After completing 20 rows on the first needle only, on the next row - still working the first needle only - begin short row shaping for heel as follows:

- K 16 stitches, slip 1, K1, PSSO
- Turn work and continue next row: Slip1 , P3, P2TOG
- Turn work and continue next row: Slip 1, K4, Slip 1, K1, PSSO
- Turn work and continue next row: Slip 1, P5, P2TOG
- Continue in this manner, decreasing by one stitch and bringing one more stitch into the work on each row, until all stitches on the first needle are being worked except one. On this final row, SL1, purl across to final two stitches and purl these two stitches together. 16 stitches now remain on the first needle.

Continue the heel:
- On next row, knit across the first needle. Pick up and knit 15 stitches along the side of the heel. You now have 31 stitches on the first needle.
- Follow Lapping Water Pattern stitch (beginning a new 10-row repeat to pick up where you left off previously) and work pattern across the 15 stitches on the second needle and – using the same second needle – across the 15 stitches on the third needle. You now have 30 stitches on the second needle and none remaining on the third needle.
-With your third needle and fourth working needle, pick up and knit 15 stitches along the other side of the heel. Continue on the third needle by knitting another 8 stitches off of the first needle.
You now have 23 stitches remaining on the first needle, 30 stitches on the second needle, and 23 stitches on the third needle.

Finish the heel:
ROUND ONE:
- You are now back in position to begin with the first needle. This starting point is the center division of your sock heel.
- Knit one complete round. This will be pattern row 2 on the Lapping Water Pattern you are working on the second needle only. From this point forward, you will work the Lapping Water Pattern only on the second needle (which is the top of the foot of the sock) and will continue in stockinet (knit every round) for the first and third needles (which form the bottom of the sock).
- Begin heel decreases by knitting across the first needle until you get to the last 3 stitches on the first needle. K2TOG and then knit the remaining stitch.
- Work straight across the second needle, keeping to the Lapping Water Pattern.
- On the third needle, K1, Slip 1, K1, PSSO, and then knit the remaining stitches on the needle

ROUND TWO:
- On the next round, work across all needles without any decreases.

Repeat rounds one and two described above, while keeping to the Lapping Water Pattern on needle two, until you have only 15 stitches remaining on the first needle and 15 stitches remaining on the third needle. The number of stitches on your second needle remains unchanged, with 30 stitches.

Work the foot:
Continue in pattern (stockinet on needles 1 and 3, Lapping Water Pattern on needle 2) until the foot measures approximately 7 inches from the back of the heel. (You may wish to make the body of the foot shorter or longer for particularly small or large feet. Keep in mind that the remaining toe to be knit will add a about an inch and a half more to the length of the foot.)

Complete the toe:

ROUND ONE:
- Knit across the first needle until you get to the last 3 stitches on the first needle. K2TOG and then knit the remaining stitch.
- Begin the second needle by K1, Slip 1, K1, PSSO. The knit straight across the second needle until you get to the final three stitches. K2TOG and K1. (NOTE: You are no longer working in the Lapping Water Pattern on the second needle. The toe is knit in stockinet.)
- On the third needle, K1, Slip 1, K1, PSSO, and then knit the remaining stitches on the needle.

ROUND TWO:
- Knit around without any decreases.

Repeat rounds one and two until 14 stitches remain in total. Knit across the seven stitches remaining on needle three, shifting them to needle two so that you have only two needles remaining, each with 7 stitches.

Cut your yarn leaving an ample tail of yarn to weave in your stitches. Use a tapestry needle and the tail of the yarn to weave the final stitches together. Kitchener Stitch is recommended for a smooth, seamless toe.

Weave in yarn ends and start all over again for the second sock.

Enjoy!

Sneak Preview

For Elisa and those of you who e-mailed me asking for a sneak preview of the next group of tone-on-tone sock yarns, here it is! The first skeins of these four new colorways will be posted tomorrow (Wednesday) morning in my Etsy store. There are plenty of other sock yarn options listed right now also, so have fun browsing!

SIZZLE



ISLAND



GENTLE PEACH



EMERALD CITY



On the knittng front, I'm about half way done with the second sock of the pair I posted about last week, so there will a finished sock photo posted soon. I'm also planning to post the pattern if I can just find the time to sit down and write it up!

The six-color sweater also received its neck a few days ago and is complete except for some ends to weave in and little final blocking for the bottom edge. Photo coming soon for that as well!

With these two projects concluding I'll be able to start soon on plans for the Red Sweater KAL that I joined. More info on that soon.

What's on your sticks? Has the cold weather given you a case of the Sweater Knitting Bug yet?

It's Customer Project Time Again!

It's Monday morning yet again and you know what that means! It's time again for another customer project photo! Here we go:



This lovely sock was created by Lisa using Fearless Fibers sportweight superwash merino in the Stargazer colorway. Fabulous job!! For a peek at more of her knitting adventures, check out Lisa's blog.

Next week's customer project is already lined up and ready for its turn in the spotlight. And guess what?! It's not a footwear project this time!

After next week's project, I'm wide open for a new customer project to feature, so please get those photos to me!

Thanks again to Lisa and all of the past contributors to this Monday feature. I just love seeing what everyone has created with my yarns.

New Tone-on-Tone Sock Yarns + Lots of Knitting Progress

The first group of tone-on-tone colorways on Superwash Merino Sock Yarn are now listed in my Etsy store and ready to find their new homes! Without further ado, here they are:

Midnight Blue

Rusty Nail



Lime Kiwi



Lilac



Coral Pink

At the time of this post, I have four skeins of each colorway available. I’ve listed one of each in my Etsy store and will replenish them as they sell. Of course, if you need more than one skein for the project you have in mind, you can pop me an e-mail or an Etsy “conversation” message and I can set up a reserved listing for you with a larger quantity, as long as they remain available.

There are three more of these tone-on-tone colorways still drying in my workshop now. There’s a wonderfully rich and vibrant emerald green, a gentle peach, and an eye-popping scarlet red. There's also an island green -- kind of green, kind of turquoise -- that's also ready now but for the life of me I can't get an accurate picture of it!

I particularly like these tone-on-tone colorways because of their suitability for knitting socks with cables, lace or other intricate patterns. Although handpainted sock yarns are wonderful, the variation of color can sometimes overwhelm the stitchwork and so I personally lean toward subtler color variations for more intricate patterns. Of course, the variation in the depth of shades in these new yarns are much too great to call them “subtle,” yet the commonality of basic color in each of these yarns gives them a certain continuity that will work well with most any sock pattern imaginable.

Speaking of socks, I have a new pair on the sticks. I started the first sock on Wednesday and found it just flowed off the needles incredibly quickly. In fact, it progressed so fast that I decided to take a picture of it before I got too far along. I didn’t want my first work-in-progress photo of these socks to be of a completed sock, as that would ruin the punch line for the final Finished Sock Photo! The photo is just awful, but hey ... that also helps save the punch line for the photo of the finished socks.



It’s a good thing I took this WIP photo, as somehow – apparently by some bizarre bending of the space/time continuum – I finished the first sock on Thursday. I’m not sure how that happened, as I barely recall having much time to knit. I did stay out of the dye workshop on Thursday (my first day without dyeing in quite some time!), but I didn’t spend my day sitting and happily knitting my sock. I did laundry. I went food shopping. I went out to lunch with my husband. I accompanied hubby to the computer store to buy some parts. I ordered supplies. I labeled lots and lots of yarn. I answered e-mails. I processed payments and shipped orders. I went bowling (it was league night). When did I knit the sock????

I suppose it will remain a mystery how I managed to knit an entire sock during a busy 24 hour period, but I won’t question it further but rather just revel in the miracle of the completed sock. I love the darned thing as I have not loved anything I’ve knit in quite a while. I’m not entirely certain why. Perhaps it is because it looks exactly as I pictured in my mind before I cast on the first stitch.

Now I need to make the second sock and then I’ll give you a full blown picture and I can also post the pattern if anyone’s interested.

Enough chit chat for now! I have much dyeing to do today … and need to find time to work on the six-color sweater. I am overjoyed to report that I unpinned it from its blocking position last night and – with much fear and trepidation – began the process of seaming the sleeves into place. I was fully convinced by that time that the sleeve caps wouldn’t fit and that the sleeves themselves were too narrow. I can’t even express my delight in reporting that the sleeves fit perfectly into the armholes and the sweater itself seems as though it will fit like it was made for me (which it should, since it was!). I now have to knit the neckband, weave in about 9 million ends, do a little last minute blocking to the bottom edge of the sweater which is still curling, and then it will be DONE!

My next project to begin will be a red sweater for the Red Sweater KAL. I have no idea what I’m going to do for this sweater nor how I’ll find the time, but some demon got hold of me and before I knew it, I had signed up. If a red sweater to brighten up the dreary days of winter sounds like fun to you, pop on over to the Red Sweater KAL site and sign up. It’s just getting underway, so you won’t be a latecomer!

Now go knit!

The Casino Shawl Pattern is Now Available!!!

For those of you who haven't visited KnitSpot and watched the progression of the Casino Shawl that Anne Hanson, designer extraordinarie, has been working on ... well, you're in for a real treat! Click on over to KnitSpot and take a gander at the completed Casino Shawl and you'll see just what I mean.

Anne designed this shawl using Fearless Fibers Laceweight Cashmere, available in my Etsy store. If the colorway you are seeking is not currently in stock, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm not taking any requests for custom colorways at this time, but if you are looking for one you've seen before or see in the sold item listing on Etsy, I may have more drying in my workshop already or I can whip some up for you in a flash. Anne also has plenty of other options for yarns to use for this shawl or perhaps something already in your stash will work. Whatever yarn you choose, the pattern is sure to result in an amazing shawl! It was truly a delight and privilege to watch Anne take one of my yarns and transform it with her amazing talents into a shawl that is nothing short of stunning.

A huge Thank You to Anne for her sharing her talent, not only by making her patterns available for purchase but also for allowing us all to follow along in awe as she progressed through the design process.

Enough from me. Now get over to KnitSpot and check it out!

An F.O. (or Major Frogging?) Coming Soon

I’m so happy to report that I’ve completed the second sleeve of the 6-color sweater and it’s now blocking! Although it feels great to have reached this milestone that marks the final stretch for this sweater, I’m feeling more and more uncertain about whether the sleeves are wide enough and also whether they’ll fit nicely into the armholes. That massive curling of the fabric that I showed you in a photo posted last week just made it too difficult to get a good feel for the fit.

The pieces will take a while to block, as I may have to spritz them again when they’re dry or perhaps do a bit of steaming to really get the curling out of the sleeves once and for all. The bottom of the body is also pretty curly and that may not be resolved in the first blocking. The sleeves were so curly that I ended up using about a million and one pins to hold them in place and actually ran short of pins for the body. I’m not worried about that though, because I can always complete the construction and then worry about the bottom edge curling afterward. The anticipation and trepidation I’m feeling as I wait to see how the sleeves fit is killing me and I’m not going to risk losing any time at this stage messing with the curly bottom.

In the meantime, I’m continuing dyeing like a madwoman. My recent obsession with browns continues. The latest addition to the brown family is this:



It’s Merino Wool Sock Yarn (not the superwash, but the plain old, vanilla merino) in a colorway called Mocha Spice. Although I listed the first skeins last week, you won’t find them in either of my stores. The first batch all sold within a couple of days, but never fear! There’s more drying in my workshop already.

I also have these same colors on DK Alpaca/Wool.



I haven’t listed these yet, as I keep procrastinating about the name for the colorway. The Alpaca/Wool takes the dyes a bit differently than the Merino Wool and I keep vacillating about whether to call it by the same name or give it its own name. Silly, I know! Perhaps I’ll just call it Rich Mocha Spice or something of that sort to give it a bit of differentiation.

In other news, I have nine new Superwash Sock Yarn colorways on their way soon. Six will be ready within the next week and three more will follow shortly thereafter. These are a new series that I’m tentatively calling “Tone on Tone.” Each of these new colorways is rainbow dyed using a single color in highly varied shades from the lightest, gentlest hint of color through to rich and vibrant tones, along with every shade in between. They are far more varied in tone than what one traditionally thinks of as a “semi-solid” yet they are still built on a single shade.

I absolutely adore these new Tone on Tone yarns and am just trying to restrain myself from making any more until I see how these are received. They’re such fun to dye and it’s so interesting to see how each color I mix comes to life in the Tone on Tone format that I think I could make a hundred different versions without getting tired of it!

It’s a little after 7 a.m. now so it’s time for me to get to work! I have more dyeing on tap today and am also hoping to find some time to get a new pair of socks on the sticks.

Great day to all!

Monday's Customer Photo Fun

It’s Monday and you know what that means. It’s time for another photo of a finished project with Fearless Fibers Yarn!

I am greatly enjoying receiving these photos. It’s not only wonderful to see the yarns that I spent so much time and care creating turning into lovely completed items, but it also alleviates my guilt for not having enough of my own knitting progress to share these days. I continue to be very, very busy dyeing and so there’s not much time left for knitting.

Today’s project is from “I.M. Knittified” who you can learn more about on her blog. The socks were knit as part of the Six Sox KAL and are Snake Scale Socks and my oh my, aren’t they just darling!




The socks were knit with Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in the Thoroughbred colorway. On my monitor, the colors appear quite a bit lighter than the Thoroughbred yarn, but that may just be my monitor or perhaps a heavy dose of flash or sunlight when the photo was taken.

I have one more great customer photo lined up for next Monday’s feature, but after that I’m wide open … so get your photos to me and let your project have it’s moment in the spotlight!

Everyone have a great Monday!

Not-So-Impressive Progress Updates

Before I begin my post for today let me forewarn you that the pictures in this post are absolutely terrible. It’s dark and gloomy outside and for some reason I also can’t seem to get a decent photo inside. Indoor photos with a flash are always a bit shaky on quality, but these are simply horrific. I would wait and take them again later if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been a terrible blogger lately and really want to get this post up right now. So, my apologies for the terrible photos!

Now on to today’s knitting talk …

It was all the way back on September 22nd that I expressed my embarrassment that I had not yet finished the raspberry-colored socks that only needed one final toe for completion. Now, here it is October 5th, and I am only now finally able to say that the socks are done. I don’t know why I let them sit so long, but at last, I found a few quiet minutes and finished them last night.



You may recall that I referred to these as the ugliest socks I’ve ever knit. Now that they’re done, I like them a bit better but they still are not much to behold. The colors are actually quite pretty (I know it doesn't look that way in this awful photo!), but there’s something about the plain ribbed pattern that leaves me yawning. I think all of my customers, along with the myriad of knitting bloggers out there, have spoiled me with your over-the-top fabulous socks!

This pair is the second in what I plan as a set of six for my mother for Christmas. After taking a month to complete the toe on this second pair, I have to wonder whether I will reach my lofty goal of six pair! I plan to go to my LYS’s Friday knit session this week (of course, I plan that every week but rarely make it!) and should be able to get another pair on the needles then.

In other knitting news, here’s a really impressive photo:



What the heck is that, you ask? It’s a sleeve, of course! This is the first sleeve of the six-color sweater I’ve been slowly working on. I have never had any piece curl quite so drastically! OK, I admit, I gave it a little extra help for the photo for dramatic effect, but truly, this thing is so curled that I’m having a really hard time deciding whether I got the proportions right or not.

A wise knitter would have stopped after completing this sleeve, blocked the body and sleeve, and seamed the sleeve in place to verify that the size and shape work. But I’m not a wise knitter. I’m wise enough to know that I should do this, but not wise enough to follow through. Instead, I set the pieces on the back of my knitting recliner and then ignored them for two weeks, after which time I decided to throw caution to the wind and just proceed with sleeve number two. This may turn out to be a fatal error, as I think there’s a strong possibility that the sleeve is too narrow. I think it will set into the armhole just fine (I have the stripes to give me a sense of comfort on that, knowing that they will line up and match the body of the sweater), but the width of the sleeve may well be around an inch narrower than it should be. It’s just too hard to know for sure when the damn thing is such a curled-up mess.

So why am proceeding with sleeve number two when I have these serious and well-founded doubts? It’s that Delusional Knitteritis flaring up again! It’s fine, I tell myself. Superwash Merino is slippery and has a tendency to stretch a bit with wash and wear, so a little narrowness on the sleeves should be fine. It’ll all work about in the end. (Delusional Knitteritis can be a powerful force!)

I also mentioned some time ago that I began working on a plain old seed-stitch scarf in Fearless Fibers Mohair/Wool, Blue Dreams colorway. Simple as can be. A little wider than is fashionable, but practical for warmth. A nice, easy quick-knit to set aside for a last-minute holiday gift. I haven’t picked up the scarf in a few weeks, but I will eventually finish this off and perhaps knit a hat to match. Here’s a closeup photo.



It’s about 3 feet long at the moment and progress – when I find the time to knit on it! – is quick, so it won’t take too much effort to finish it.

That’s about it for the knitting updates. As always, I’ve been dyeing like a madwoman! My husband has also been working hard to get the new Fearless Fibers webstore ready to go. I very much want to see that launched by the end of October, but I fear it will take longer than that. I’ll be sure to let everyone know when it’s ready.

Thanks for stopping by. Now get back to your knitting (or crocheting) and get those finished project photos to me!

Monday Featured Project

Another week has passed already and it’s time again for a customer project photo!

This week, we have a pair of lovely socks by Karen of Scarves for All Reasons. These socks are made with Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in the Brick House colorway.

You can visit Karen’s blog to learn more about her adventures in knitting and also link over to her online shop where she sells her knitted treasures!



I wish I could provide you a link to purchase this yarn, but it’s currently out of stock. Don’t worry though … there’s another batch drying in my workshop now, so more will be listed in my Etsy store later this week.

Please keep the project photos coming! I’m am so enjoying seeing them!

Busy, Busy

My apologies for the days that have passed since I last posted. I’ve been so busy lately that I just don’t know where the days go. The good news is that when I’m busy that means lots of yarn listings! Many of the colorways of Superwash Merino Sock Yarn that were out of stock have now been relisted in my Etsy and eBay stores. I also replenished the exhausted supply in my Etsy store of laceweight cashmere in Endless Night, Passion, and Exotic Wood. More Sedona, Blue Dreams, and Deep Sea will be listed soon.

In addition to replenishing stock, I have several new colorways in the works. One new colorway – Alpine Lake – is now available on Superwash Merino Sock Yarn.



I also have a couple of more new colorways, with warm and golden browns for the fall, almost ready for listing. Be on the lookout for those to be listed soon!

In other news, my husband and I have finally begun working on our own Fearless Fibers webstore. We’re a long way from going live with that, but come hell or high water, we WILL get it done! A Grand Opening announcement will be listed here together with a link once we’re up and running.

Be sure to check back on Monday when another Customer Project will be featured. And get working on finishing those projects with your Fearless Fibers yarn! I have only a couple more customer projects lined up and so I need your photos!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Monday Featured Project

It’s Monday again, which means it’s time for another featured customer project!

This week we have a pair of MaryJane slippers created by Amy. Amy sells a variety of handmade goodies in her Etsy shop, called My Sweet Loveable Goods, but MaryJane slippers are her signature item.



These slippers are crocheted with Fearless Fibers Alpaca/Wool in the Wisteria colorway. It was quite a kick for me when Amy contacted me to purchase the yarn and explained that one of her customers had specifically requested MaryJanes made from this yarn. What a lovely job she did on these slippers!

Don’t forget to e-mail your photos to me of the projects you’ve completed with Fearless Fibers Yarn. We’d love to see what you’ve done!

Sweater Progress

I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I still don’t have a photo of the completed raspberry socks that have been waiting for the final few rows of toe to be completed. I keep meaning to finish the socks, but every time I have a few minutes to knit I’m tempted away by the six-color sweater in progress. The good news is that I’ve made some real progress on the sweater!



What you see in this photo is a closeup view of the transition from the bottom section of the sweater with the checkerboard slip-stitch mosaic of color into the semi-solid stripes of the upper portion of the sweater. I’ve decided to give you only this tease of a photo so that I don’t ruin the punch line when the sweater is finally completed. The body of the sweater is actually done now (YIPPEE!) and I’ve just started on the first sleeve. It appears that the sweater will fit well, although it’s a little “poofier” at the transition into the stripes than I would have liked.

Some of you asked whether I would be publishing the pattern for this sweater. The answer to that question is No. It’s not that I don’t want to share with all of you lovely folks; it’s just that this isn’t a true “original” design. I saw a sweater similar to this a couple of years ago (either a Filati or Gedifra publication, I believe). It was a spring sweater in cotton that had the same type of slip-stitch checkerboard pattern at the bottom, done in pastel colors. The top was either solid white or possibly predominantly white with thin stripes of color. I don’t have the pattern book, but this sweater I’m working on is very similar to my recollection of that sweater and so I definitely would not call it an original design and so I’m not comfortable sharing the pattern.

What I can share with you is the slip-stitch pattern that I used for the bottom portion of the sweater. It’s a very simple four-row repeat with the only variable after the first four rows being the colors used. Once you’ve knit a base row of Color A, proceed with the four-row pattern as follows:

Row 1: With Color B, *K2, SL2* and repeat across
Row 2: Purl across, using Color A where Color A appears in the previous row and using Color B where Color B appears in the previous row

Continue rows 3 and 4 by dropping color A and introducing your next color, Color C, as follows:

Row 3: With Color C, *SL2, K2* and repeat across
Row 4: Purl across, using Color B where Color B appears in the previous row and using Color C where Color C appears in the previous row

Continue in this manner, beginning again with Row 1, dropping Color B from use and introducing a new color, Color D. You can continue introducing new colors as long as you like. I chose to use 6 colors for my sweater, so after introducing all six colors I cycled back around and reintroduced the first color again.

This may seem confusing, but if you try it with scraps of several colors over a small number of stitches, you will quickly see how easy it is.

Before I sign off for today, just a quick reminder to all: Please send me pics of projects you’ve completed with Fearless Fibers yarn for my new Monday photo feature! This new feature won’t last long unless I get plenty of pictures from all of you.

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!

Show and Tell Monday

Thanks to all for your comments to my last post. Since so many of you were so kind as to oblige my request for comments, perhaps some of you may help with another request?

I’ve been thinking that it might be fun to show a photo each week of a project someone has completed with a Fearless Fibers Yarn. Obviously, I’ll need your help to do this. If you’ve completed a project with Fearless Fibers Yarn and have access to a digital camera, please e-mail a photo to me of your project for inclusion in this new weekly feature.

If you’re a new knitter or just not very confident in your skills, please don’t let that stop you from participating! First names only will be used to identify the knitters, so there is nothing to fear. There will be no posse of enraged knitters arriving at your doorstep, wildly chastising you for irregular tension or a poor choice of stitches.

E-mail photos to me, along with any information you would like to include about the project. I’ll do my best to have a new photo listed every Monday.

For the first week’s project photo, we have this lovely pair of socks by Joan. These socks were knit with Fearless Fibers Merino Wool Sock Yarn in the Hudson colorway. To see the lovely detail of these socks, click on the photo below to view a larger version.



Per Joan, this pattern is “California Hikers” from the book Friendly Socks. There is a Knit-along for socks from this book as well. The book itself can be purchased from Sirius Knitting.

Great job, Joan! The socks turned out wonderfully. And thank you very much for sharing the photo!

Everyone have a great day … and don’t forget to send me your Fearless Fibers project photos.

Happy Knitting … and Crocheting!

Where Has All the Pretty Cashmere Gone?

Some of you may have noticed that the laceweight cashmere has disappeared from my eBay store. Don’t despair! The cashmere has simply moved from my eBay store over to my Etsy store.

I moved the laceweight cashmere to Etsy for one simple reason: to save my customers money! Because of the ever-increasing eBay fees, I simply could not continue to offer my laceweight cashmere at such a low price on that venue. Rather than raising the price, I’ve instead decided to give the cashmere a new home in my Etsy store and see how that works out.

There are quite a few colorways of the laceweight cashmere currently available in my Etsy store, although quantities of each are limited. If you see something you like but there is not enough listed for the project you have in mind, please feel free to e-mail me and – assuming my supplies hold out until my next shipment arrives – I’ll whip a batch up for you in a jiffy.

You’ll also see two new colorways in the Fearless Fibers cashmere line: Sedona and Morocco. Here are a couple of pictures to get those juices flowing!





In addition to lots of dyeing, I’ve gotten a wee bit of knitting done over the past week. The multi-colored sweater is slowly progressing. When I get a bit further I’ll post a new picture, but right now it just looks the same as it did in the last photo, only a bit longer.

The rather plain and boring raspberry socks that will be part of the Christmas Sock Package for my mother are almost done. One toe to finish and ends to weave in and they’re ready to go.

I also began something amazing and innovative and so exciting that you won’t be able to contain yourself!!

OK. Not really.

In truth, I began a very simple scarf. I haven’t knit a scarf in ages and particularly not a super-simple scarf. I like to crank out a few items of this type at this time of year, so that as the holidays approach and I suddenly think of folks to whom I’d like to give a small but special gift, I have some things ready to go. I’m doing this scarf in plain old seed stitch (rudimentary but still, in my opinion, one of the prettiest stitches!). I’m using my Fearless Fibers DK mohair/wool in the Blue Dreams colorway and I love the way it’s knitting up! The colors blend together in a lovely, muted, dreamy haze. I usually gravitate toward strong colors, but I really like the look of these gentle colors. They have a slightly romantic, feminine feel to them, without being so “cutesy” as to cross the line into the territory of the insipid.

I’m only working on the scarf during hubby’s softball games, just as I only worked on the socks in that setting. He has a game tonight, so perhaps I’ll have enough progress to share a photo next time.

That’s about all the news that’s fit to print. I will resist the urge to ramble on for the next 30 minutes about how my time was hijacked over the past two days due to attempts to hook up our new Tool 'O The Devil, Tivo. Sigh.

Finally, if you’ve actually read through all the way to this point, you are now bound by my magical spell and will be compelled to leave a comment for me. (Yes, that’s right, I’m begging. I see my blog stats and I know you’re out there. You’re visiting. You’re staying sometimes for a fair bit of time. I get your e-mails, telling me that you saw “such and such” on my blog. Do not leave me here feeling unloved and unwanted, with few of you willing to say hello. Yes, it’s insane, but blog comments give me a wonderful little shiver of delight, a small sense of rise that keeps me whistling while I work.)

Now get back to your knitting!

An Abundance of Riches

On Friday, I tore myself away from my dye workshop to go to a knitting session at my favorite LYS, Farmhouse Knits in Beaverton, Oregon. It’s so difficult to find the time to get away for these sessions on occasion, but every time I do I vow that I’ll make time more often. The gals at this session are such a hoot and it’s always a great time!

Here are a couple of photos of the knitting fun.

Just visiting Farmhouse is always a treat in itself! These photos were taken in a section of the shop with a small table for intimate group gatherings. This area of the shop houses some of the needles and a selection of mostly staple yarns. Of course, that’s staple yarns by the Farmhouse standard, which is miles above what you might find in some shops. There’s far, far more to this shop than one could ever gather by these photos. It’s absolutely packed with the most luscious yarns imaginable!

The owner of the shop, Sandy, is an added bonus. She’s a true fiber-lover and it comes across loud and clear when you visit Farmhouse. The selection is fabulous and the quality of yarns is amazing (you won’t find any acrylics here!). Once you get over the initial shock and delight of all the fabulous yarn tucked into every nook and cranny of the shop, you’ll begin to notice the abundance of knitted items hanging up around the shop, stacked in neat piles on top of shelves, sitting on worktables, and in just about every other place you can imagine. Sandy is a very talented and prolific knitter, with a special gift for combining yarns to create fabulous one-of-a-kind items. It’s a common thing to see her walking through the shop with a customer, picking and choosing yarn from the shelves and offering advice on yarns to combine to create amazing texture and variety in a project.

Sandy has also been amazingly supportive and encouraging to me as I embarked on the adventure of beginning Fearless Fibers. As a small thank you, I brought some yarn for her on Friday. This is my Alpaca/Wool DK weight yarn, but don’t ask which colorway … I custom painted this one for Sandy, so you won’t find it in my shops. It’s similar to the Morocco colorway on Mohair/Wool, but not identical.



For those of you who live in an area with limited choices for yarn shops, you may want to skip the next paragraph to avoid a terrible case of yarn-shop envy! OK. You’ve been forewarned …

Here in the Portland, Oregon area we have nothing short of an abundance of riches in the way of fantastic yarn shops! There are somewhere around 1.7 million people in the Portland metro area, so we are a sizable city but certainly not a truly large city like NY, L.A., or even Seattle. I’ve never counted the yarn shops myself, but another Portlander on the Knitty CoffeeShop board counted 17 that she knows of. That number doesn’t count the big box craft stores, such as Michael’s or Joann’s, that also have yarn available. Adding those to the mix brought her tally to 23. Additionally, she counted 5 more that are coffee shops that carry yarn, knitting books, and such, for a total of 28. If you ever visit Portland and decide to do a yarn shop tour, you better plan on a few days and wear your hiking boots, carry plenty of fresh water and pack a napsack full of food!

How about you? How many yarn shops in your area? Does reading about Portland’s shops give you a bad case of yarn envy?

Happy Knitting!

New Sweater Plan Underway … and, of course, more socks

As those of you who read my prior post know, my plans for a Fair Isle sweater are on the backburner and I’m re-allocating that yarn to a different sweater project. The new sweater is now underway and I can share a rather poor-quality picture of the progress-to-date. The knitted fabric is very curly at the bottom, so that’s the edge of my laptop holding it down for the photo. Blocking should resolve that when the time comes.



The stitch here is a simple slip-stitch combo, with two colors in play at a time out of the total six colors. I chose this stitch pattern for a few reasons. First ... well … I’m just a fool for slip-stitches! Also, I like the idea of having a sturdier knit at the bottom of the sweater. In this case, I plan to carry it all the way up through the midriff to the point just below the armholes where the “bodice” section begins. It won’t be form-fitting, as a ribbing would be, but the stranded nature of the stitch pattern gives the knitted fabric a firm and structured feel so it will have more shape than stockinet or many other possible stitches. The slip-stitch pattern and small vertical columns of color also help to draw the eye in a vertical line to counter the effect of the horizontal striping of the colors. That's appealing to me as I try to mask my pear shape.

When I get to the bodice, I will switch to stockinet and move in horizontal stripes of color. The change in stitch will give the sweater a bit of a blousing effect at the top and the horizontal stripes of the bodice should combine with the finer detail and vertical look of the lower section to create more of that slimming illusion that I need around the middle. At least that’s my theory and I’m sticking with it!

In addition to beginning this sweater, I also have a new pair of socks on the needles. They are going to be, in my opinion, rather hideous. Just plain ugly.



The socks are for my mother as part of a Christmas pack (I’m hoping to have six pair for her this Christmas). This pair is made of my sport-weight superwash merino. It’s a bit heavy for socks, but she likes to have thick, warm socks to keep her feet toasty during the cold Pennsylvania nights.

The socks are particularly ugly mostly because of the odd ribbing I chose. I used a 1X1 ribbing for the cuff and then switched to a 2X2 for the top side of the remainder. I decided to go with a 2X2 ribbing rather than simple stockinet body because these heavier weight socks seem to have more of a tendency to stretch out and so I thought a little extra ribbing might help with that. Regardless of how they look, they will be warm and cozy for the winter and if I really do follow through with my grand plan for six pair for mom, I will have plenty of other opportunities to make something prettier.

In fact, I already have one other pair done. I knit them some time ago, with no real plan for who would receive them, so I'm using them to jumpstart my plan my mother's Christmas pack. I need all the headstart I can get! These are cashmere. They are far less practical than the pair I’m working on right now and really just for occasional wear or perhaps bed-time only, as cashmere won’t wear terribly well in the long haul if cooped up inside boots trudging through the snow!



There’s more to the plan for my mom’s Christmas sock pack, but I’ll save that for another day.

What about you? Have you started knitting any holiday gifts yet? What’s on your sticks?

Fair Isle Shmair Isle

A few days ago, I finally began the Fair Isle sweater that I’ve talked about recently. Now, don’t get excited. The news is not good.

First, I had a gauge problem. I knit about 15 rows (which is a good amount on a sweater in the round!) and something looked off. Despite my careful swatching for gauge, it looked too large. I pulled it off the needles and indeed found that it was absolutely huge! The problem, I think, is that I did my gauge swatch with #3 DPNs that just happened to be handy on the table next to me. On short DPNs I tend to hold the needles more firmly and my knitting motions are small and restrained. When I switched to the large circular and got into a more natural rhythm, my knitting got much looser. I never thought of this before but it makes sense I suppose. I was knitting “sock style” with my gauge swatch and “sweater style” with the actual garment.

Oh well. Frog, frog, frog.

I started again with the right number of stitches, comforted by the thought that despite having to rip back quite a bit of knitting I would be proceeding with fewer stitches and so in the end I’d make back the lost time quickly.

With little time for knitting these days, I was thrilled with the speed of my progress. By yesterday morning, I had about five inches of sweater in the round done … but something was nagging at me. I just didn’t like the look of it. I set it aside yesterday morning and returned to it last night. Nope. Still didn’t like it.

I finally decided that there are two things that caused my distaste for the thing. First, I think the scale is too large for Fair Isle. I understand now why that Norwegian sweater pattern I mentioned liking so much calls for a laceweight yarn. Even though I was knitting with a sport-weight and #3 needles, which is a fairly small gauge for a sweater, it’s still too large a gauge to yield the kind of fine, detailed colorwork that I yearn for in a Fair Isle sweater. I just didn’t like the looks of the pattern. It was just too large for the sweater I had envisioned.

The second problem was the colors. I LOVE the six colors I selected for this sweater. I LOVE how they look together. I LOVE them individually. But I don’t love them for Fair Isle. There are too many dark colors and not enough light. I thought the contrast between the dark colors would be enough to give the look that I wanted, but I was wrong. I don’t know why exactly, as I’ve seen many Fair Isle sweaters done with darker shades where the contrast is still enough to bring the pattern to the forefront, but in the sweater I was making it just didn’t work for me. The pattern didn’t pop enough for my taste.

And so I frogged again.

I still have the itch to make a Fair Isle sweater, so I will return to the plan at some point, but this is not the yarn for it. Before I start planning again, selecting a new yarn, dyeing, calculating, etc., I want to make a sweater with this yarn that I like so much. I’ve actually got a new idea for it – much less interesting and intricate – but something that I hope will work out better. I’ve cast on again and will share pictures of the progress as soon as I get a little further along. I won’t bore you with the details of the new plan, as I’ve already wasted enough blog-time jabbering on about the now-defunct Fair Isle plans.

Sigh.

Some happier news on the yarn front: I’ve been dyeing like crazy! My workshop is bursting with yarn that’s drying. For any of you who have been disappointed with the low stock on sock yarn, that will soon be rectified. I’ve had quite a run on sock yarn lately and my stock is shockingly low, but there’s plenty on the way. I’ll also be diving into a new supply of cashmere in the coming week or so.

I’ve also got two of the “complementary color” sets listed right now. The first is on Etsy (click the photo below to go to the listing). In fact, this set is currently a Featured Item on the front page of Etsy! This is the first time I’ve had an item on the front page, so that’s quite exciting. It will stay there for a couple of days, unless it is sold first. Either way, it’s good exposure and makes me happy (easing a bit of the pain in my neck and shoulders caused by the Fair Isle sweater!).



The other set is a Christmas Color set. Click on the photo below to link to the Etsy listing. Perhaps it’s still early to be thinking about the holidays, but it seems that some knitters’ minds would already be looking forward and planning for holiday knitting.



Another set of each of these yarns is also currently at auction on eBay.

That’s all the news for today. Happy Knitting!