Month: March 2023

Finished!

Gill has started and finished a  Sockhead Slouch Hat (ravelry link, also available on her blog but it doesn’t include all the sizes) knit in Mrs Peacock Yarns Sonic base on the Rainforest colourway.

Kylie finished a pair of machine knit socks using some Spotlight yarn Moda Vera Not Just Socks. It was her first pair of socks on the 74 stitch cylinder, and the first pair made using the ribber attachment!

Kylie has finished a set of dishclothes using a ball of FibraNatura Cotton Royal Color Waves purchased at Michelle Ann Woolshop in Pukekohe, Auckland- she got 6 dishclothes out of one ball though the last one isn’t as large as the rest. Pattern used was Dishcloth Recipe by Robin Wiest (ravelry link).

Gill finished her pair of scrappy socks for a KAL hosted on Instagram by @every.thing.shapes.us – you can follow along the hashtag #easypeasyscrappysockskal2023. It’s a toe up knit with a fleegle heel after not enjoying it!

WIPs

Kylie has cast on a Sockhead Slouch Hat (ravelry link, also available on her blog but it doesn’t include all the sizes) as her new handbag knitting. The yarn is from Knot n Tie (a lovely local Auckland dyer) on her Twistie Toes base – a fun zebra type yarn and it’s giving a lovely pooling effect.

Kylie has been inspired by the DRK March to May KAL. She’s picked up her
Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry started a while ago in the original Hedgehog Fibres fade colours in their Skinny Singles base. The Piwakawaka pin Kylie has on her bag is from Lisafdesigns.

Gill is knitting Dalekanium by Dena Stelly using yarn from Rainy Day Yarn in the Striped Pajamas colourway. This pattern is a free pattern with an interesting star toe construction.

Gill has also cast on a new sweater – Dayspring by Ainur Berkimbayeva, from the Spring 2021 issue of Pom Pom Magazine. They yarns are from Louie and Lola Yarns in Tasmania, Australia.

The Tolkien crochet blanket has been getting lots of love – Kylie has finished joining 54 squares in a join as you go method. Yarn is from Giddy Yarns in Scotland, and there are 5 x 10g minis for each month of the yar in 2022, Q1 inspired by The Hobbit and Q2-4 inspired by each Lord of the Rings book.

Spinning

We both have spinning to share this week!

Kylie finished a batt from Twisted Zisters – it was 2 identical batts layed on top of each other then spun from one side to the other. Yarn is spun on a traditional Ashford wheel from the fold to create singles which were then fulled in hot water and thwacked.

Gill finished some Anna Gratton Corriedale fibre in the Passionfruit colourway. It’s been sitting on her wheel for a bit and she has made 470m over 200g in a sport/DK weight.

Aquisitions

Kylie has been very busy ‘rescuing’ yarn this fortnight! Holland Road Company has started a ‘re-loved’ section on their website where people can resell yarn they no longer want/need. Kylie got a 300g skein of Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Lace Garn which she will use as the main colourway for the Foxthoughts Pullover by Hiroko Payne / The Hare And The Crow

Kylie also rescued some Hedgehog Sock Yarn from a facebook based yarn page in colourways Hush, Fool’s Gold and Guppy.

Nana-Cindy has stopped dying, so Kylie visited the Knit Nook’s website and bought some Nana-Cindy yarn!

Pom Pom No. 43 and No. 44 arrived. No. 43 wasn’t really Kylie’s thing so it’s gone to Gill’s library!! The Spring edition is more for Kylie so she’s enjoying flicking through that one.

Kylie has expanded her Ridged Heddle with some accessories including a verident kit, a double heddle upgrade and a couple of weaving books.

Gillian recieved her Vintage Purls Quindecenium Hat kit – a hat to celebrate 15 years in business. She also got some super cute extras including some fun tags and a bookmark.

#KiwiSummerWIP

Please join us in finishing some of your WIP’s started before 2023! We have at least one prize to giveaway – a skein donated from Purple Sprouting. Thanks Paula!! To enter, dig out a WIP started before 2023 and finish it; then snap a shot and post it on Instagram with #kiwisummerwip in the description. If you don’t have access to Instagram, please drop us an email via the link in this blog.

We are extending the WIP along until the end of April since the year has gotten away from us!

Finished!!

Kylie finished her Recalibrate by Shana S. Cohen (Ravelry link – you can also find it on her website). The yarns are both merino linen blends, purple from Life in the Long Grass (purchased at Skein Sisters, Sydney) and green/blue ‘Splash’ from Yeah Yeah Yarn.

Kylie also put the finishing touches on her machine knit sweater she did last year – blocking it and applying a knitted rolled neckband. Yarn for this was also from Yeah Yeah Yarn. Here she is modelling it:

Gillian finished her Painting Honeycombs Cowl (ravelry link, also available on the WestKnits site) by Stephen West. Yarn is a Zauberball and a random unknown pink skein – may even be hand dyed by Gill herself but she can’t say for sure. Doesn’t it look awesome!!

Gill finished her testknit for The Passioknit Spinner – colourwork socks which look amazing! Yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners and Wollmeise.

WIP’s

Kylie has cast on a Sockhead Slouch Hat (ravelry link, also available on her blog but it doesn’t include all the sizes) as her new handbag knitting. The yarn is from Knot n Tie (a lovely local Auckland dyer) on her Twistie Toes base – a fun zebra type yarn and it’s giving a lovely pooling effect.

Gill had to cast on some new handbag knitting too! Sweet Li’l Scarfette by Ambah O’Brien (Ravelry link – also available on her website). Yarn is Malabrigo Mechita.

Gill’s made great progress on her pair of scrappy socks for a KAL hosted on Instagram by @every.thing.shapes.us – you can follow along the hashtag #easypeasyscrappysockskal2023. It’s a toe up knit and she tried to do a flap and gusset construction but went to a fleegle heel after not enjoying it!

Gillian has frogged her Ripple Crop and cast on a Rib Lace Raglan (Ravelry Link, also available on PayHip) by James N Watts. The yarn is BC Garn Bio Balance GOTS (wool/cotton blend) purchased from Loopine Wool.

Kylie’s been working on her Scrappy Stripy socks using Purple Sprouting‘s ‘Jupiter Crash’ and matching mini’s – pattern inspired by the recipe by the Crazy Sock Lady. She’s using Avocado Socks for the heel by Georgiana Russell-Head (ravelry link).

Gillian has started the Crochet Sea Glass Tee by Wool & Pine in lots of ‘sea colours’ – greens and turquoise. She’s learning lots of new techniques such as the invisible join and will be doing colourwork with crochet for the body!

Kylie has been working a little on her Aurora Cabin Shawl (ravelry link – also available on the WestKnits site) by Stephen West, using the gorgeous Moon base from Life in the Long Grass purchased at Skein Sisters in Sydney, Australia.

Spinning

Kylie finished some yarn!!! And it’s art yarn!! The first ply is corespun – a grey natural polworth yarn from Starcrest Farm in the South Island of NZ with rainbow beehive sections using fibre from Waione Wool Carding. The second ply is some silver/gold/mixed sewing thread.

Kylie also finished a bobbin of her handspun sock yarn which is a gradient half black and then a rainbow. The fibre is a BFL braid from Cat & Sparrow Fibres in Australia.

#LastSewistStanding

Kylie’s jumped into a new sewing challenge – the challenge is to use your sewing stash. In the spirit of the challenge, Kylie went looking through lots of old patterns and found a pattern to make for her daughter – a fully reversible twirly dress – the CrossOver Flounce Dress from Designs by Callajaire. It required some creativity to get 4 circles out of the fabric but it came off OK!

Aquisitions

Gillian shopped at the Yarn On Sale – she got some Katia Tokyo and Kremke Lazy Lion. She also shopped at Cruellas in Nelson and got some new sock yarn to try out – Lang Twin Sock. As well as that she got some Spritzer yarn in the “Taranaki Twilight” colourway – gorgeous!

Gill’s also ordered a new hat kit from Vintage Purls and a Pride pack from Knot n Tie – which Kylie will also be investigating!!

#KiwiSummerWIP

Please join us in finishing some of your WIP’s started before 2023! We have at least one prize to giveaway – a skein donated from Purple Sprouting. Thanks Paula!! To enter, dig out a WIP started before 2023 and finish it; then snap a shot and post it on Instagram with #kiwisummerwip in the description. If you don’t have access to Instagram, please drop us an email via the link in this blog.

Kylie’s following the 23 in 23 WIP projects alongside The Passioknit Spinner, which is to finish 23 textile projects that were started prior to 2023 – at the end of February she has 6 projects finished!!