New Baby

  Working at the yarn shop means I am always thinking about which items might want to come home with me.
  We sell these beautiful drop spindles on consignment from the talented Tucson artisan Ken Ledbetter.  Each one is unique and they vary in weight, wood type, and embellishments.  This one has always stood out to me and I have seen it passed over time and again by shoppers.  Originally I was waiting until a spot opened up in one of the shop's popular spinning classes, but I decided yesterday that I couldn't wait any longer to bring this baby home with me!

This spindle features a lacquered Russian broach
on a Koa wood whorl
with dyed maple for the shaft.
weight: .88 oz

I watched several tutorials on YouTube and found this one to be most helpful to me:

My first handspun yarn!  It is merino wool which is known as the easiest
for a beginner to spin.  The only question is what will I use it for?

Goin International

In the words of my sister, "business is booming" for my PennyMae shop this week.  I've made four sales to four different countries (Japan, Australia, the US and Spain)!


Three of my items were immediately relisted, but the last one (my Southwestern top) I couldn't, due to a hard-to-find yarn I picked up in Sequim, Washington.  However, I do have the same yarn in a different colorway, which is light pink and orange.  Keep an eye out for this one coming soon...

Flat Fever

Ever since I found that Italian Ice yarn, I have become OBSESSED with flat yarns, aka ribbon or tape yarns.  Unfortunately the local stockist here doesn't seem to carry any.  I finally checked out the "supplies" section of Etsy and found some really amazing stuff.  I am exercising my self control and so far have only purchased the Sea Green Silky Tape below...

re-check your gauge!

     When you are working on something that really needs to be a certain size, just doing a 4x4" tension square before you start is not enough!


     Here is what I did last night to start my Italian Ice tank top:

When checking gauge transfer work
to a tiny needle so it will lie flat.

remember: stitches are v's

     I measured by gauge earlier at about 4.2 stitches per inch.  When I sped up and got going, I tightened up to exactly 5 stitches per inch.  It may not sound like a lot, but that's enough to make my garment several inches too small when you consider the front and back, which would really ruin an already close-fitting design.


     Now call me fearful of wasting six inches of colorwork, but I decided that instead of ripping back I am going to add one inch side panels.  Already you can kind of see that I kept two stiches on each side in garter stitch, but it isn't standing out as much as I'd hoped anyway, so a side panel would be just the ticket.

inspired by the yarn

     You notice on Etsy that a lot of knit designers say they are "inspired by the yarn" to make a certain item. I stumbled upon this huge stash of a precious yarn called Italian Ice that is for sale right now at Salvation Army for $3 a pack of 10. According to the label it is made in Windham, which is the next town over where I do most of my shopping.  I guess the company that makes it, Knit One Crochet Too must have had some overstock.

Italian Ice is
61% Cotton
26% Linen
13% Viscose

It is flat and takes a size 10 needle.
I love the look of flat yarns!

     

     I think this will look good for a lot of things, but the one I want to focus on first is a simple tank top showing semi-linear horizontal patches of the pastel pink and purple.