End of An Era//Knit Life

I made the change, I've gone over to Wordpress. If you want to come follow me over there then please do. I hope to blog more regularly and get myself organised.
Thanks for visiting.
V xo

Candy Skein Yarn//Review



I've been an avid follower of Tami's blog for almost 2 years; I follow her on twitter, I play along with WIP Wednesday and FO Friday so it was only a matter of time that I would have to buy some of her beautiful yarn, Candy Skein. And of course where beautiful hand dyed yarns are, reviews should be provided!!!

 

I knit this little lovely last year, and of course Candy Skein yarn in Yummy DK Merino was the yarn I chose to knit him in. And of course I was hooked - this yarn is so nice to knit with, the colour changes are lovely and not weird (IYKWIM???) - this yarn shouted soft toy at me. And of course it's the perfect yarn for a baby too.

 Forward to spring of this year and I was looking for some special yarn for socks.... for me. I haven't cast them on yet (don't judge - I have too many WIP's already) but this yarn has been cuddled and stroked - and it's gorgeous. The colourway is pumpkin and it's a fingering weight yarn AND Tami very kindly wound it into a cake for me:

Of course when you buy yummy yarn for yourself, you have to buy it for your wife too - so I bought some yarn for Jay using the Bananas Foster colourway - and I've cast on the very pretty Hermione's Everyday Socks (which I shared last week):

I like to photograph variegated yarns in Black and White so I can judge whether the colours work and Candy Skein yarns, well they work!!! The colour are just perfect.

I will definitely be buying more of this yarn in the future, I'm hoping to knit a shawl with some one day - maybe in a slightly thicker weight.
Thanks for stopping by, I'll be posting more regularly soon but things are crazy busy with the October break right now.
V xo

Startitis?//WIP Wednesday

You probably remember me sharing my new sweater last week? Well I've finished all of the ribbing and started on the cabling section - the cables are going to be beautiful and the yarn is knitting up really well, Red Riding Hoodie:



I have to admit that I've had a little case of startitis, because not only did I start the new sweater, I also cast on for a pair of socks. These are Hermione's Everyday Socks, or as I've named them Sweet Banana Socks. Why the name? Well I'm knitting them with yarn from Candy Skein - I know I've changed my photo to black and white, it's only because I'm going to do a separate post to review the yarn - and I'll share the colour with you then. I've finished the ribbing on sock 1, read through the instructions for the leg and I'm confident going to forward:

It's been crazy busy here since last Wednesday, hence the lack of blog posts. We had our Macmillan Coffee Morning and raised an awesome £529.84. I spent the weekend babysitting my nephews and now I have a sick child at home. Next week the schools are on holiday for the October break (for 2 whole weeks!!!) so it's scheduled hectic.

As always I'm playing along with Tami and Ginny. What are you working on this week?

V xo

Casting On//WIP Wednesday

 In all honesty I did not mean to become such a bad blogger - but it's been a hectic couple of week. 2 weeks ago, Jay and I went up to Aberdeen for a funeral; it was a really sad day but the service was beautiful. Then last week I was planning for our Macmillan Cancer Care coffee morning (which is this Friday) so really blogging went a little out of the window. However I am back now and I have a new knit to share. I got a little bit casting on happy; I've made up 4 projects to start but (thankfully) I only actually cast on 1!!! This will be/is my Red Riding Hoodie (do you see what you I did there??); the pattern for this is lovely, I just started on the cable section of the back. I've never actually knit a garment in pieces, so keep you fingers crossed. The yarn is a beautiful Rowan Tweed, made from silk and lambswool - the silk makes it so soft where the lambswool makes it sturdy AND the colour is so pretty:

I'm really happy with how this knit up; I had to knit the rib on a slightly smaller needle than the pattern stated because my ribbing was too loose. What are you working on this week? As always I'm blogging along with Tami and Ginny.

V xo 

Foxy//Knit Knit Knit-A-Long

I have to admit that I've always been a little nervous about KAL's; mainly because I don't want to take on something too complicated with too short of a deadline. However I never say never; and when Lisa and Tanya's Foxy KAL came along, I knew it was perfect.

 

I already had the yarn left over from my fox purse (are you sensing a theme?); but the knit version of the hat (there is a crochet version too) called for bulky yarn - so I made a few alterations and I cast-on:

I'm really pleased with this so far, I'm excited to get it finished as it's starting to get a little bit chilly and we're heading up North this weekend.
Have you ever taken part in a KAL (or CAL)?
V xo

Fibre vs Fleece//Spinny News

Being a new spinner is a little complicated - especially if you have no clue what you are talking about. For example I asked on Ravelry last week about Fleece when in actual fact I meant Fibre - I didn't know the 2 were completely different things and in all honesty I felt a little silly having not researched it all.

 

I have a small but very nice selection of fibres, that were kindly donated by some lovely people over on Ravelry. I have to admit that I've taken to looking at sheep a little more lovingly these past few weeks. During this past week I spent a day on a coach trip with my MIL, we went to a gorgeous place on the west coast (of Scotland) called Callander but on the way up there we stopped in Aberfoyle.

 

Aberfoyle has a small petting zoo type area, and I spotted this lovely:

Don't you think that fleece would make gorgeous yarn? And he's pretty cute too. I have to admit that I inquired about the sheep - hoping they might sell fibre but alas it was not meant to be. The lovely lady I spoke to did offer me a whole fleece (for just £12) but I'm not sure the other people on the coach would have enjoyed that.

I'm really starting to figure out the different types of sheep; the different fibres available. I love to learn!!!
What have you learned this week?
V xo

Oooh//Spinny News

I bought a spindle, yup you read that right - I BOUGHT A SPINDLE. She's a beautiful ashford, finished in Walnut and I already love her. I haven't had time to get a practice in yet because I went to a little party last night and may have gotten a tiny bit drunk (I said may have, don't judge me!!). Anyways I bought my spindle (who really needs a name, any ideas?) preloved, in knitting I bought most of my straight needles from charity shops - I like things that have a past - with a sense of history. So here she is:    

 The lovely lady who sold me beautiful Miss Spindle, sent me a bunch of fibers, including Merino and Shetland - I'm so excited to play with these, I can't figure out which one is my favourite - or which one to spin first:

I also asked on Ravelry if anybody had any fiber they would be willing to sell - just small amounts so I could play with a variety of different things. Well I had someone contact me who was willing to send me a RAK (random act of kindness) of fibres. She very kindly put labels on all of them - which really helps and she sent me loads!!! Here is a bunch of pretties:

 And then she popped some of the fluffier fibres in separate envelopes - and they are beautiful. This Honey Soya is so soft and the colour is stunning:

 Angora (a bit sneezy) is definitely sneezy - I might be allergic but I will still attempt to spin it after taking a antihistamine. The colour is so pretty - this would make something nice and wintery:

 This is silk hanky..... and is also very beautiful - I need to google what exactly I need to do with this but I'm excited:

 This is my favourite (I think) of all the fibers, Tussah (wild) Silk - it is unbelievably soft and the colour is yummy. What do you think this will be?

 I am super looking forward to having a play - maybe tomorrow? Do you spin? Do you have a wheel or a spindle? And do you have advice for a newbie? Also if you spin, are in the UK and you're on Ravelry make sure you join the UK Spindlers and UK Spinners groups.
Have a fibery weekend!
Vxo