I am so happy and proud to present my newest yarn in my webshop:
Pirkkalanka 8/2 – beautiful 2-ply knitting and weaving yarn from Finland!
I feel a deep desire to design and knit some traditional-style mittens for this yarn! I’ll start that project up later today 🙂
About a week ago I finished the first Rosepath Rug on my Finlandia loom. It still sits there on the loom, because I have to weave a second rug before I cut down and finish the work.
I really like the look of Rug #1. I hope it looks good also when it’s off the loom and on the floor. Now it slowly dissapears from my eyes as it rolls onto the clothbeam..
For the second rug I first started out doing some weft-changing over the width, in order to create a rug with four color zones from left to right. I happily started working on the idea but it didn’t work out quite the way I had envisioned it. Gave it up. Then I took a break for a few days to think..
This is what I ended up doing:
The ground weft is a light gray wool yarn and the pattern weft is multiple strands of brown, red and purple yarns. I also altered the threading sequence to make this pattern – I like the way it looks – kind of old-fashioned. And Swedish.. 🙂
Take a closer look:
I would love to hear what you think! Does it look okay? (No, I will not show you my selvedges.. There is something to improve regarding those..)
So, I’m off!
This morning I began weaving the first of the two (maybe three) rugs that I’ve set my loom up for. Have a quick look at this very beginning:
At the bottom you see the hem. This is to be folded and sewed – no fringe for any rugs in my house, because the vacuum cleaner robot chokes on it..!
On top of that is the rosepath patterned rug fabric. For the tabby ground weave I use a beautiful 2-ply yarn of gotland sheep wool. Dark bordeaux. I use 4 strands as one. Actually I have plyed and then cabled the yarns to make it easier to get an even tabby-weave.
The pattern yarns, on the other hand, are just laying side by side. There are 8 strands of yarn held together, all different qualities and fibers. Only “rule” is that the yarns for the pattern weave has to be white, natural, tan og grey.
There are many many pattern possibilities with rosepath, but this first rug is just gong to have this diamond pattern, all over. For the next one I might get a little more adventurous and play with the threadling sequence.. 🙂
Lately I have been dyeing some one-of-a-kind colorways on my sock yarn BFL-Steps.
For socks you only need 1 skein and it’s always fun to knit – and wear! – a pair that is completely unique.
Take a look at my two latest OOAK- sock yarns here. You can find more in the webshop. Now, I’ll go and knit some special socks for myself.. 🙂
Yellow/red/green/blue in the top photo, blue/green/purple in the bottom pic.
I love them all.. All of my semisolids, or monochromatic, colorways. I have added more new colorways over the summer and now there’s more than twenty of them.
I even updated the page here to show all the monochromatics. Take a look, you’ll find the tab in the top menu.
I’m happy to take orders, you know.. 🙂 The colors can be dyed on my yarns or my fibers – your choise! Please also take a look at my webshop to see what’s on the shelves right now.
..of a shawl:
The Brande Shawl was designed by the very talented knitter and designer Bente Hein for the knit-event that took place in the fall last year: Brande Strikkefestival.
Now I have persuaded Bente to let me sell her pattern (as a loose pattern as well as a kit) in the webshop. But first I need to knit the beautiful shawl in some of my own yarns, and then I need to put together some kits.. So: back to knitting! 🙂
I dyed up a batch of Opus-yarn (and some spinning fiber too) in one of my favorite colourways last week: “Summer Garden”:
I dyed 12 hanks of Opus (it’s a 100% BFL-wool yarn, about fingering/light worsted weight, soft and lustrous) using a special procedure so that all hanks are different, but of course will go perfectly together in a project! 🙂
The yarn is now available in my webshop. More photos there as well!
Mostly I’m dyeing fiber, not yarn. But lately that has changed, mainly because of my dyeing of the wonderful Yorkshire and Buble yarns for BC Garn.
But I have decided to dye some yarns for my own webshop also. Of course noting like the colourways I do for BC Garn, but my own palettes, like this one:
And this one:
Today I’m doing a batch of sock yarn in the colourway “Bright Mountain”. It’ll go on the webshop as soon as it’s dry!
Business is going so well, I simply have too little time to blog. What a luxury problem! 🙂
I have recently accepted a rather large order from one of this countrys most loved knitting and weaving yarn supplier. This one: BC Garn.
BC Garn has asked me to handpaint a big quantity of knitting yarns for them to sell to yarn shops around the country. First I have been test-dyeing, then it was approved (yay!) and two days ago I recieved two enormous boxes of very white yarn to work on.. I’m so happy to get this opportunity, and very exited about it all. Can’t wait to see “my” yarn in the local yarns shops, and later also the garments made from it..
It’s just awesome! 🙂
Do you want to have a sneak peek at some of the colours? Here’s two batches I did last week:
My new dress (or tunic) in fair isle style stranded knitting is called “Mirabel”. It has been underways for a little more than a year, but last week I finally got it done.
I like how it turned out. What do you think?:
I have drawn the different patterns myself and it was a joy knitting the garment and watch how it came along. There was no plan for the colour placement – that part I just made up as I went.
Now I have hauled out another unfinished object from the depths of a knitting basket. Also a fair isle garment, a sweater. Very traditional. This one I knit with wool yarn that I have dyed with plants and mushrooms. It wont turn out nearly as beautiful as the dress, but it will be a warm and comfy sweater for next winter.
I’ll show it when it’s done. I’m good into the second sleeve.