Live Stitch @ Little Knits

I have been knitting.  Yes, I have been knitting and doing so somewhat obsessively.

The lovely people at Malabrigo Yarn was nice enough to send me a hank of their new yarn, Twist, a super soft baby merino that is loosely plied.  I tried to get a closeup of the ply to show you the difference in the thicknesses of the baby merino

that is plied together, which makes the yarn feel more organic/natural.   Twist is a pleasure to work with and makes a rather solid knitted fiber and I know I said it before but it is very soft and feels wonderful next to skin.

I looked for a project for my single skein and found Prismatic Scraf on Ravelry, a free pattern that works

beautifully with this hand-dyed yarn.  I am using my favorite needles (HiyaHiya circulars), in U.S. size 9 for this pattern but I think I could have gone up to size 10 as the yarn makes for a pretty substantial knitted fiber.  I think I will be able to soften the drape of the scarf if I block it with some vigor.  We have ordered all the colors Malabrigo had ready for shipment for the Twist and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

As to the pattern, Prismatic Scarf is a great (free!) pattern for hand-dyed yarns as it shows their beauty by allowing the colors distribute evenly on the knitted fiber.

I know that I will be knitting a few as gifts – it is a quick and easy knit and it is addictive like your favorite snack that you cannot put down.

We also got a new yarn in from Fleece Artist.  Nyoni is a merino, mohair and silk blend yarn that can be used for sock and lace projects and has a subtle sheen.  Nyoni is very similar to Fleece Artist’s Somoko with a slight difference in gauge and comes in 125 gram hanks at a great price point.  One hank is sufficient for a pair of socks for most sizes, two hanks is sufficient for a mid-sized shawl, and three hanks would make a large shawl or stole.  Another great project idea for this yarn is Tempest by Weaver Designs, which you can find on Knitty as a free pattern.  And here are a few of my favorite colors:

Pewter   Wine 

Boreal 

I am looking for a shawl pattern for Nyoni as I have put away a few skeins for self.  This shawl will be knitted for myself.  I say I am allowed to give myself a Christmas gift and so should you!

Hope you are all well and knitting and crocheting with a smile.

Well, one could knit/crochet anything one would like with Yak but Jennifer shared a FO with me and I swooned.  So therefore, I must share.

Jennifer used her own Yak but these beautiful kilt hose would also work with Bijou Basin Tibetan Dream as the gauge is right.

Did I mention that this is Jennifer’s own design?  She just sort of wipped it up.  You should see the back, it is truly incredible.

I took a photo of the heel but my photos did not come out right so Jennifer if you feel like adding to the post with some photos and additional details we would love to know.

So that is what I would do with my Yak if I could.  Jennifer, will you have a pattern available anytime soon?

I know I have been absent for a while and my excuse: we have been working on updating the site and the blog.  Sadly, our work is still not done.  And I noticed that for some reason comments for the last post was deleted magically by the system – I have no idea how – and I could not recover them.  My sincere apologies for those of you who posted comments.  Please post again; I will make sure your comments are published.

And, now to a much juicier topic, Fly Designs Wooly Singles.  You might have noticed, Winter Knitty is up and Ann Weaver of Weaver Designs has a new jacket pattern, Everybody Knows.  I love the easy construction of this jacket and the way it is fitted.    My favorite part of the design is the fact that the jacket has a futuristic look with a softly fitted body.  Everybody Knows makes me want to knit one for myself, wear it while riding a Ducati to meet my Klingon friends all at the same time (note I am running a 103 degree fever as I type this so I hope the last sentence makes sense – it sure makes sense to me).

I also like the fact that Ann’s pattern uses Fly Designs’ Wooly Singles, a fine single ply wool with a rustic look.  My personal experience with this yarn is such that I can wear it next to my skin but it is not a super soft fiber, at least not at first.  If I were to compare this yarn to a similar hand-dyed product I would say that it is something between Manos del Uruguay only softer and Malabrigo’s worsted weight merino only a little more rustic and slightly heavier.  Wooly Singles can be used for jackets, sweaters, cardigans, accessories and if one would like to do so, for felting.

With every new yarn I try to request a review from one our friends and this time was no different.  This is what Samantha has to say about Wooly Singles:

I am a huge fan of Fly Designs. From their sock yarns to the Flying Sheep it is all beautifully hand-dyed in colors ranging from dreamy soft to brash and wild. And most of their yarns come in fat, generous hanks just begging to be turned into whatever design your imagination can conjure up. What’s not to love? And now, there’s a new kid in the Fly Designs family, Wooly Singles.

According to its label Wooly Singles is a “single ply fine count wool” and comes in big half pound skeins with 520 yards. In the hank, the strands appeared broad and flat with very little twist reminding me a little of a wrapped cotton I have used for summer knitting. The yarn is not at all scratchy but it did not feel particularly cushy-soft either. On the other hand, the fiber does get softer and cuddlier with blocking, washing and use.

I wound my hank of Wooly Singles it into an enormous cake and decided to try it out with a baby jacket. I love the homespun look of baby items made in a heavier yarn and the soft lavenders and palest blue of the colorway I was given made the choice an easy one.  I worked the jacket on aluminum size 8 straight needles knitting from the top down in the round. The body of the jacket and the sleeves are stockinette so I could see how the colors played out and the yoke had a bit of pattern to it so I could judge elasticity and stitch definition. With size 8 needles I got 4.5 stitches and 6.5 rows to the inch in stockinette stitch.

My first impression, given that I was beginning with the patterned yoke, was that Wooly Singles worked okay on size 8 needles but would probably be happier on size 9 or even 10. I tested this theory later with a few swatches and found that the 10’s led to the most comfortable knitting and nicest finished product.  The yarn knits up much more smoothly than its appearance in the hank would suggest. I expected it to look slightly like a thick-n-thin yarn but it does not. Even with a single ply with little twist the good folks at Fly Designs have managed to make a consistent yarn that makes a lovely finished product.

Plain stockinette stitch shows even the slightest imperfections in the yarn and I never found a one. The patterned area of the jacket shows up nicely with clear definition and the eyelets at neck and hem were opened up perfectly even before blocking. This is a fairly rugged yarn and I don’t think it would be ideal for lacy patterns but I could easily see it with twists, cables, and knit-purl patterns. A moss stitch would likely play up Wooly Singles’ ruggedness nicely.

Fly Designs’ color work on the yarn impressed me hugely. It is hard to pull off multiple colors in a hank even if they are all a shade or two apart from one another. Things can get muddy and colors can pool when knitted. I knit Wooly Singles in four different needles sizes and every finished piece had excellent color distribution with absolutely no pooling. I wondered if the sleeves of the jacket would look vastly different from the body given that they were worked over a little more than a third of the stitches for the body but it looks just fine. When I looked closely I saw that the sleeves looked a little more striped than the rest of the garment but it is subtle and the overall look is harmonious.

I do think that Fly Designs has another hit on their hands. I would probably treat Wooly Singles like a chunky yarn if I were to knit with it again and I’d love to see a warm, wooly sweater out of it – you know, the kind you put on and just sink right into when it’s blustery outside. It’s definitely not a delicate flower of a yarn, but it’s beautiful and behaves nicely on the right size needles. Those of you who like your yarn with a little more heft are going to fall head-over-heels for this.

Well, here is one.

 My friend Ada sent me an email with a link for this washcloth that is made with Crystal Palace’s Cotton Chenille and I am knitting one.  The decision to knit one (or more), was made simpler as we have the Cotton Chenille on sale at the store (insert sheepish smile here).

But seriously, this is a really simple and functional gift.  I am going to enclose home made olive oil based soaps with mine and presto, I have my gift!  So I thought I would share the link, just go to Canadian Living and the pattern is there for you to see.

Thank you Ada!

Hope you are all well and knitting with a smile.