Beautiful Bariloche

The new Aslantrends Bariloche is so nice! It is a very lofty yarn, almost a thick and thin but subtle enough not to change your gauge. It shows stitch definition well, is soft and comes in amazing colours.

I made an earwarmer in Sky Blue from my free pattern (on the website) and some wristers to match. The set is for a silent auction for a friend's son's class going to Quebec.

Setting the Vibe

The sun was shining, colliding with the water and creating a million shards of light. While standing on the ferry, I noticed a little commotion off the bow. Too small to be whales, but certainly something playing in the water. Going out for a closer look, I saw two porpoises dart through the water to the left backside of the boat. No one else seemed to notice.

I walked to the back and looked out into the glittering water. There they were. Seven porpoises, jumping and diving and surfing in the wake of the ferry. No one else was there to see it so it felt like my own private show.

Such a sense of joy and being in the moment I felt watching them! Only one photo was in focus, I was too busy watching the porpoises to pay attention to what I was doing with the camera.

That's what I love about coming to Fun Knits, the journey itself is part of the adventure.

Kauni KAL

As the fall weather is just around the corner we turn our thoughts to knitting for the holidays. What could be a better way to start than with a cuter than ever stocking?!

Knit Kauni With Us!

Here at Fun Knits we love Kauni. So much so that we want to do another Kauni knit along! We have chosen a pattern designed by Shelley (Fun Knits owner). The Christmas stocking is a fun knit, and only takes a small amount of two Kauni colours.

The pattern is available for purchase here; and for the month of September we are offering the pattern free with a purchase of Kauni yarn. As Shelley explains in the pattern notes, this stocking was done with EM and EK, but would also look great done in other colours (what are your Christmas decorating colours?), or even one colour such as EQ started at two different colour sections.

Happy Anniversary Spinners

We just celebrated the second anniversary of our Tuesday Fun Knits Spinning group. Vyvyan, our original spinner/weaver/knitter/teacher extraordinaire, baked a scrumptious chocolate bundt cake, and Shelley and Linda took everyone out for pizza at the Lovin' Oven next door.

Below is a photo of the lovely Vyvyan wearing her handspun, handwoven (completed with handknit ribbing at the bottom), silk-lined vest. She's posing in front of several colourful rows of gorgeous sock yarn, including koigu, malabrigo and diamond footloose.

First, let me apologize for not hearing or retaining many of the details of everyone's first experience with handspun - it was a lively group with lots of laughter and talk.

Below are a few photos of the spinners....

Maria, myself and Carol with Roz and Linda talking in the background (Linda is a godsend - Shelley calls her ZP, short for zesty partner....go ahead and ask, the story's a good one).

Carol and Diane (If you can see her, Shelley is sitting quietly at the till.)

A vibrant Shelley proudly holding her first skein of handspun yarn. Thanks to Shelley for her inviting, creative spirit - she dreamed the spinner's group into a reality.

Maria holding her first handspun (the small white skein) which was so finely spun - almost threadlike. I think her hat is a brioche (sp?) pattern for which she used her handspun, hand-dyed yarn.

My first handspun using a fine shetland fibre - it was a wonderful experience.

Carol holds up the fisherman's sweater she knit for her husband with her first handspun - she's the one whose fingers seem to hypnotize the fibre into perfectly spun strands. Carol, you're wearing a hat, no doubt one that you handspun and knit but I didn't hear the details - looks great on you.

Our lovely Roz, holding her first handspun/handknitted items - she used Northern Lights for the gorgeous sweater in front. Roz has been knitting for over 50 years and produces so many perfectly beautiful knitted garments.

Here is Diane who lives on a boat with her husband (a beautiful boat - all dark wood and cozy spaces) that faces a forested shoreline and families of soaring eagles. She holds her first handspun which she wove into a beautiful pillow casing. Diane is a master weaver as well and creates exquisite tapestries, blankets and scarves.

Joy is our newest member - she was given an Indian Head Spinning Wheel for a wedding gift. Sharron seemed very interested in the workings of this wheel and attentively taught Joy about her new wheel and how to use it. Joy poses with her first handspun which she actually spun before she even knew how to use the wheel - amazing!

And here, Sharron and Diane talk about spinning alpaca fibre (I think) with her drop spindle. Sharron has been spinning for years and continuously offers invaluable fibre information and teaching tips to all of us. Check out her website to see her gorgeous weavings and quilts.

At noon we walked next door to the Lovin' Oven and sat down for more laughter and talk, delicious pizza, and Vyvyan's superbly delicious chocolate bundt cake. Happily, Marg joined us as well (on Shelley's left in the first photo) - she has been spinning, weaving and knitting for decades. Sorry Marg, I didn't see what you were working on but I'm sure it was beautiful.

I marvel at how inspiring it is to share time with so many wise, wonderful women -- all of us walking our own individual fibre paths and building community along the way.

Happy Anniversary Spinners.....

Lace Calls to Me

I love to knit lace. It appeals to me, all those yarn overs and decreases leading up to this article of beauty. The final moment when you take the piece of the blocking mats ... magic!

The shawl I am currently working on is A Curved Shawl, from Victorian Lace Today. It is the first lace I have knit on all rows (as opposed to a purl back row). It is rewarding and fun to knit, although the rows are getting longer and longer!

The yarn is Fiddlesticks Zephyr laceweight, in the charcoal colourway. It is soft and shiny and perfect for this shawl.

What lace projects are on your needles?

Shawl Delights

Sivia Harding's Harbour Lights shawl is such a delight to knit. The pattern is clear and easy to follow. Placing the beads with the crochet hook is simple, especially for a left-hander. And the finished product is gorgeous!

Luckily I'm a process knitter, so didn't mind too much giving this away to a good friend for her 40th birthday (of course, I had to try it out first).

Oh, and the Malabrigo sock yarn? To die for!

Dyeing Plant-Based Yarn

Part 3 of the dyeing series is on the front page of the website this week. In it you will find information and pictures on dyeing plant-based yarns. A lot of fun!

The series will stay on the website on this page, so it can be referred to when needed.

Weaving!

A quick post with a few pics.... and an apology for not blogging in so long.  Kate has been tremendously loyal with posting updates, providing instruction and offering enjoyable, thoughtful commentary - thanks Kate.

I've been weaving more than knitting this past couple of months, and loving every second of it.  Shelley has some gorgeous yarns for weaving.  Below are two turquoise scarves made from a cotton/viscose warp, and a weft of Noro Silk Garden and Sweatermaker 100% wool.

Another Noro Silk Garden in rust tones.

As you know, Fun Knits carries some stunning Araucania yarns - I have bought several beautiful skeins of sock yarn that I am thrilled about, and for this particular weaving project I chose Araucania's varigated Patagonia Nature Cotton in greens, teals and navy.  The scarf of wonderful - strong, crisp and sure of itself. 

Last Thursday at Fun Knits I was dreaming of being wrapped in the softness of Araucania Quellon, a cotton/viscose combo that feels like velvet.  I made a sample scarf that is so lovely I've decided to weave a vest with it too.

Below is a photo of Sharron, myself and Carol - weaving and spinning - at the Saturday Farmer's Market on Quadra Island. We are having a wonderful time together!  Linda (If you've clicked on her name she's in the third photo down - Linda is an absolute treasure and a bookkeeping wizard.) came by this past Saturday and bought one of Carol's infamous baby surprise sweaters knitted up in a sweet assortment of pink cottons.

Wishing you all a lovely evening of happy knitting, weaving, dying, spinning and/or whatever else you fashion with your fibre.

Knitting in the Wild

As a Knitter, I am never without a project (or two, or three, or, well, at least five). My family does a lot of camping, but I don't let that stop me. I pack my knitting according to where I think I will work on it.

Lace scarf with silk/cashmere yarn? That is for in the vehicle. Lace scarf with sock yarn? At the campsite during the daytime. Sock? In the backpack for the beach or some other place we might go. 

Some people are concerned about the dirt of a campsite, and I am cautious. I pack all my projects into their own plastic zipper baggies, with the pattern, needles and anything else I might need.

The campfire ... really that is perfect knitting time. But there is the issue of the smell of smoke and the potential for sparks. This is not the place for knitting a precious sweater or shawl.

The perfect campfire knitting is that most humble of projects - the dishcloth. I love knitting them at the fire, as I don't need too much light and I don't mind if they smell of smoke, after all they are made to get washed!

Another tip for campfire knitting: I use a headlamp around my neck if I'm doing a project that I might need to look at. I don't keep it on my head, as it can be rather blinding to the person I turn towards when talking.

Proof that I know whereof I speak:

Knitting at the fire at San Josef Campground (North Vancouver Island).

Not Just For Drinking ....

Oh I have been having fun!! Don't know if you saw it, but Shelley has Undyed Yarn on the website now. Over the next few weeks I'll be writing about dying yarn on the website -- so today I played around a little.

Here's a sneak peak.

My house smells wonderfully like kool-aid!

In the Red

Check out the front page of the website this week - in honour of Canada Day we have featured our red yarns! It was great fun to go through the yarns and find the reds - it's quite a selection. Now, what to make .....

Cruising on the KAL

I'm really enjoying knitting the Harbour Lights shawl as our KAL project for the summer.

The pattern is easy to read, and the beading is quite methodical and straight-forward. Plus I'm knitting with Malabrigo, (I'm using the Impressionist Sky colourway) on an Addi needle. It doesn't really get any better!

Victoria Fibre Fest

We are back from the Victoria Fibrefest and had a very good time. We went down on Thursday and spent friday just shopping and looking around Victoria. It is such a nice city to visit. On Friday night we went to the fashion show and dinner. The fashion show was excellent. Lots of fibre talent. Some amazing item in the fashion show. Mary Tanti's Mobius Entralac scarf knit with Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. It is a work of art. Catherine wove this teal blouse from strips of fabric. She also knit the white and pink tank top to match the skirt from strips of fabric the same as the skirt was knit from. The green dress was a show stopper. It is done with felting and silk fusion. Marilyn if you read this can you add the designers name in the comments please. I forgot.
My Mom's Revontuli knit with Kauni EQ was well displayed in the fashion show.
On Saturday, I taught sock knitting. This went great but I only had 1 student. It was nice to just have a 1-1 time with this new sock knitter. She did a great job.
Saturday afternoon we shopped again then in the evening we had a Round table discussion. This was nice to just sit and chat with a few knitters about our favourite topic, knitting, and all fibre related things.

Sunday was the Knit Out at Saxe Point park. I am always nervous of the weather for this event. It is scary to subject $1000.'s worth of yarn to whatever weather might happen. We had rain for about 5 minutes just after we got set up and then sun the rest of the day. It got quite windy in the afternoon but that was OK. The rain is the real problem and it was brief. So lucky us. Lots of people came and bought yarn. I left a lot of Kauni and sock yarn especially in Victoria.

Here are some pictures of the event. The picture of the baby was very cute. She was just loving the Kauni and then decided she needed to take that ball home with her so she popped it in her stroller. I love to see the very young knitters to be.

Brenda wearing her lovely Kauni is shopping for a new sweaters worth of yarn. She bought EF for her next sweater. Our view for the day was pretty easy to take. It was a nice weekend and I had fun.

Ready, Set, Knit!

Today is the official start of the Fun Knits Summer Lace Knit-along, with the Harbour Lights Shawl. We will be knitting through to July 31st, and I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone's adventures (if you haven't yet joined in, you can find us chatting over at the Ravelry Fun Knits group - you need to join Ravelry to be able to join us over there).

Yesterday I wound my yarn (Malabrigo Sock Yarn "Impressionist Sky") and got all my supplies together. I am a zipper bag knitter - love having my project all together in a clear bag.

Let the knitting begin!

Pictures of the WWKIP Picnic

Here are my pictures. What a wonderful day. There was an impromtu guitar lesson, lots of knitting and a Baby Surprise jacket figured out. Knitters of all ages were there. The kids built forts, swam, watched a magic show, ate and knit.

Knit in Public Day

What a wonderful day Saturday was! The weather was perfect and Shelley managed to snag one of the best picnic sites on Rebecca Spit. About 12 knitters along with various family members (and dogs) came and went during the afternoon; enjoying great company, refreshments, watermelon, gorgeous scenery and beautiful music (thanks to Shelley's husband Bill).

 

 

And when you have this as your knitting location - it's hard not to enjoy yourself!

It was wonderful to have knitters of all ages, working on everything from baby sweaters to scarves to hats and shawls. Truly a great event, and hopefully the beginning of an annual tradition!

(I'm hoping Shelley will also post about the event, as she had more photos than I did.)