greenolive

autumn on my mind

 

Autumn Harvest Entangled Scarf in shades of pumpkin, squash, maize...now available in the shop.

Its really odd, today is our first real warm Spring day and I'm thinking of Autumn. Twenty-eight degrees and I'm surrounded by the colours of Fall – orange, rust, pumpkin, squash...

I've been knitting (and crocheting) up a storm in the past few weeks and today's sunshine means I can finally photograph the output and upload the scarves to the etsy shop.

That's the lot of an international etsy seller I suppose, to be totally out of the loop in terms of seasons, holidays and special occasions. I mean, what does Thanksgiving mean to an Aussie.

So for now I'm channeling the spirit of my New Jersey Zajacek relatives and thinking about Fall. But don't worry, I'm still thinking about Spring too.

PS: I had a very woe-is-me post running through my head this past week, but out of concern for you my dear blog readers I thought I'd spare you the gory details!!

my favourite yarn

what's yours?

Our recent house move meant I got to pack, unpack and play with my rather extensive yarn stash. While re-acquainting myself with all the balls I "rediscovered" some favourites.

Do you have a favourite yarn? One whose colour, texture and quality keep you coming back for more?

I do!

It's Jo Sharp's Aran Tweed in Dusk. It a yummy tweedy yarn with a dash of silk and cashmere. The meterage is a very generous 95m per ball and the colour is divine: a rich, complex purple-grey with flecks of purple, olive green, maroon and pale grey. And its produced by an Australian company – even better.

If you haven't heard of or seen Jo Sharp yarns, you must have a look. Her colours are divine, the yarn blend exquisite and the prices are reasonable.

What's your favourite yarn?

a new crochet favourite

move over Anne

 

A crochet scarf in purple yarn – a custom order requested by my Dad, a Mothers Day present for his mum. Isn't he sweet?

For awhile there Anne was my favourite crochet scarf pattern. I certainly made a few of them. But now she's been replaced with another....

Inspired by this photo and with instructions from Sue, I picked up some yarn and a crochet hook and followed my nose... and voila, a new scarf design was born.

I've made about ten already, most in tweedy Jo Sharp yarns. The juxtaposition of a "lace" stitch with a thick tweedy yarn is amazing.

They are proving a firm favourite with market goers – the "lace" is quite different, providing warmth while at the same time being very feminine and delicate.

Each one is unique: sometimes I make them long, sometimes I crochet too many rows of lace. But that's part of the fun isn't it?

I'm itching to try it in the Linnet linen yarns I've got for Spring/Summer scarves. I think it will be fantastic.

I might just have to call this scarf Sue.

great expectations

when a yarn doesn't live up to expectations

My slightly disappointing yarn, even the "Anne" crochet scarf pattern couldn't redeem it in my eyes!

I suppose it has to happen at some point in every knitters life, buying a yarn that doesn't live up to one's expectations. But I really didn't expect it to happen with Debbie Bliss.

Let me fill you in...

I was at Sunspun awhile ago. (Actually, it was probably more like two years ago to be truthfull!) Sitting in a pigeonhole in a lovely wooden display cabinet was this yarn. Maya, handspun and hand dyed. All lovely purpley-blue gorgeousness. A colour combo I'm often drawn to. So I bought it.

I was so in love with it I went back and bought a second skein. 200 metres of this loveliness - what as I going to make? Great expectations I had. It was bound to become my favourite scarf.

But alas, there is no fairy tale ending to this story. Numerous attempts. Multiple rip-outs and re-winding. Months passing. Expectations not met. Finally, last Christmas, I attempted Anne. You know Anne. I love Anne. She has never let me down before...

Not even Anne could save this wool. It's on the scratchy-side of the handspun spectrum. And the colour blends seem too harsh, clashing even. I just don't like it. Very disappointed with Maya I am. And Maya wasn't cheap either!

In contrast, here's a yarn I didn't expect much of – but it exceed my expectations.

The colour is a rich explosion of hot pink, red, orange and purple. It's a single-ply yarn like the Maya, but its has such a good body and stitch definition. I fell in love with the colours - even though they are so not me, a lot more Aunty Shabby than greenolive. I bought a few balls because it was good value.

When I eventually made it up (using Anne of course!) and listed it in the etsy shop it sold almost immediately. The second one sold not long after.

Oh I wish I had bought more of it.

I think I bought a few balls for Aunty Shabby as a gift. Can sisters ask for their yarn gifts back?

if I had a dollar

for every time someone asked me for Anne's pattern...

Another Anne just started, this time in 100% hand dyed silk single in a shade called Oyster.

I would be a wealthy woman!

While I was at the Show lots of people commented on my crochet "Anne" scarves and asked if I sold the pattern.

If only I did!

But alas, I don't. Its not my pattern. But you can find it here.

I must confess it is my all-time favourite pattern and it never fails to deliver the goods, regardless of the fibre I make it in.

I've made Anne in bamboo, wool, chunky tweedy wool, Jo Sharp aran, silk, wool blend, in plain colours, in variegated colours...

Why don't you try it for yourself? You won't be disappointed! I promise.

pear tree yarn

have you discovered them yet?

A skein of their 8ply super soft Australian merino wool in a lovely grey shade called Nut. 100g, 220m. The ball band is a printed fabric tag tied on with elastic. A lovely detail.

Do you know about Pear Tree Yarn? If you don't, go check them out now. You are going to want to know about them.

Pear Tree Yarn is a retailer I discovered at the Stitches & Craft Show. I reckon they were the best retailer there. I was impressed with their stand design and seduced by their fibres – I was powerless to resist. And do you know the best bit? Their product range caters for knitters, crochetets, spinners and felters alike – there is something for everyone.

Damson and Moss – two shades in the supersoft merino range.

Their supersoft merino comes in gorgeous shades such as Damson, Moss, Denim and Nut – I had to buy all four colours, but there are another six shades to tempt you. They have been really clever and developed this range to include a 4ply fine weight, an 8ply light weight, and a 10ply medium weight yarn.

100% merino wool roving in Damson.

I love their yarns, but I'm even more excited about their merino rovings! Once again, I just had to buy the roving in the same four colours – Damson, Moss, Denim and Nut. The roving is probably the softest I've even seen and felt and I'm sure it will spin like a dream. I love that it is available in the same colors as their yarn range – gives one lots of possibilities and options.

The Denim super soft merino.

As well as the merino yarns and roving, Pear Tree Yarn has a new range of 60% wool/40% alpaca blend yarn in natural shades such as Egg shell, Sand, Clay, Rock and Charcoal. Plus Summit, a chunky yarn with a merino/perendale wool blend.

Pear Tree Yarn is based in Torquay and is produced in a traditional old mill in Geelong. Pop onto their website and get yourself some of this beautiful Australian-made yarn and fibre. It is sure to become one of your favourites.

PS: more photos over on my flickr photostream – just so you can see the gorgeousness for yourself!

something soothing

Retreating from the hour-by-hour coverage, the pictures, the stories, the facts you just can't get out of your head, I find myself drawn to something comforting, something familiar.

In my case its Anne, my favourite crochet pattern made from left over dusky pink bamboo yarn.

The colour and yarn are just so soothing. So beautiful.

the yarn impulse

difficult to resist

 

A photo of the completed crochet scarf with all its textural textures.

Do you buy yarn because of your reaction to the colour or texture?

This is what happens...You are standing in the yarn store falling in love with a particular yarn. You have no real idea of what to do with it, no project queued in Ravelry just waiting for such a yarn, but  still you have to have it.

I'm like that. I suspect anyone of you with a decent sized stash is like that.

And this is exactly how I ended up with this yarn. I was drawn to the colour and texture, but they only had 3 balls. That didn't matter, I can make a scarf out of only just one ball! So I bought it and added it to the stash.

Fast forward about 12 months. On one of my usually-quarterly stash discovery sessions (you know the ones, you are bored and you want to play with all the yummy yarns you have bought and stashed) I found it and pulled it out, putting it in the knit-soon project box. I also found a plain yarn in the same colour and thought I could do something interesting with the leftovers...

So, yarn selected. Now we get to the part where I agonise over the perfect stitch and yarn combination. I've done it before and have written numerous blog posts about it. (I just can't find them to link to them right now!) And I'll keep doing it in the future too.

Attempt #1: the basic garter stitch - too lumpy and you couldn't really appreciate the ribbon running through the yarn.

Attempt #2: try a crochet Anne - not enough substance in the yarn to hold the stitch definition.

Attempt #3: a long crochet chain with a treble, chain repeating stitch pattern - we have a winner folks! The resulting scarf is simple and textural and the longer stitch lengths and gaps show of the yarn and ribbon beautifully. 

Finally its finished. I might even keep it for myself, perfect for those late summer or early spring days when you just need a little something to keep your neck company.

rain rain go away

its feeling a lot like winter

A mohair/ribbon yarn that looks like a brown opal to me. 

I know in my last post I said in my mind it was winter, but today it really feels like winter!

Fog, rain, mist, wind – this morning its 14.3 degrees (celcius) outside. Real scarf weather. For wearing and making them.

So I think I might stay in bed and knit. Or maybe watch a DVD and crochet. The tax returns can wait. After all, there is always tomorrow!

Oh, if you like the look of the yarn above and your neck is a little cold right now, you can buy this very scarf in the etsy shop.

Hope you are keeping warm and cosy today.

Oh, Day 6 of the Detox – tomorrow I can have eggs, chicken and fish! Yay! I wonder when I'm allowed chocolate?

pomegranate anyone?

I seem to be drawn to red, pink and orange now. Quite unfamiliar territory for me colour wise, but it's what I want at the moment.

And I can't seem to stop crocheting Anne. She's like an old friend. One I return to over and over again.

I've called this one Pomegranate. For once I managed to get the perfect stitch and yarn combo first time.

More photos on flickr site.