The pattern for this shawl is available for free download here Norma G Shawl

It requires 1- 600 meter skein of Lopi Laceweight yarn, available for purchase here, or any laceweight yarn of your choice.

I used just one skein of this 100% wool, hand dyed yarn to complete the shawl pictured.  It’s a beautiful yarn to work with and produces a lightweight shawl, with an airy effect and great drape.

The shawl pattern is fairly easy to knit and can be adapted to individual tastes for size or type of yarn. I believe that a simple pattern can produce a very effective finished product when knit with the right yarn.

As part of my quest for new adventures in fibre, I’ve just completed this crocheted , tee shirt styled sweater.  I was skeptical about how it would turn out during the entire construction phase, half expecting that I’d be frogging it in the end and using this luscious yarn for a knitted sweater instead.  I’m pleased to report, however, that the finished project is a success.

It fits well with the shaping I added, drapes beautifully and showcases the shimmer and softness of the Baby Bamboo yarn.

Here are the details:

Yarn

I used 1235  meters, or 1352 yards, { 13 balls} of Sirdar’s Snuggly Baby Bamboo in Willow 133 and approximately 30 metres, or 35 yards, {1 ball} Baby Bamboo in Minky 140 .

A warm thanks goes out to my daughter Kasia for suggesting the fawn yarn for the trim.  I had planned to do it all in green which would have been so boring.

This yarn is 80%  bamboo and 20% wool. It ’s super soft , has beautiful sheen, and it’s lovely to work with.  The sweater ended up being a bit pricey though at $97 Canadian.  I did see the same yarn for $1.00 less a ball{$5.99 at Gina Brown’s Yarn Store in Vancouver} than what I had paid for it in Edmonton. That would bring the price down to $84 Canadian.  Any sport weight yarn would work for this sweater.

Pattern

The pattern is my heavily modified version of a shell pattern in an old crochet book I’d picked up at a local yarn store’s closing out sale.

Using the shaping ideas from the White Lies Shapely Knit Tank pattern for inspiration, I added side and bust shaping to my crocheted tee.

I also lowered the neckline in front a bit and added some back neck shaping. The original crochet pattern was just a series of rectangles put together to make a {sort of} sweater shape.

Sometime in the near future I’ll pull the ideas together into one pattern and post it on this blog and on Ravelry. Look for Island Time in the patterns section.

Forcing myself out of my comfortable knitting zone into crochet was inspiring, productive and just plain fun.

I wonder what my next fibre adventure will be…

I’ve just completed my heavily modified version of Vicki  Square’s Monk’s Travel Satchel.  I’m so happy with the result I need to Show & Tell.

The cranberry yarn is 100% wool, custom spun for me years ago from the fleece of a black sheep named Cromwell. I’ve had this yarn in my stash for many years just waiting for the right project. I recently overdyed it with Cranberry acid dye to produce a sturdy heathered yarn.

The grey yarn used for the gusset and pockets is Paton’s Classic Wool, purchased from Michael’s.

I lined the bag with vintage style drapery fabric.

These are the modifications I made to the original pattern:

- reduced all stitches and measurements by 25% to make a smaller bag.

- used cloth lining for the inside, pockets and gusset to add colour and reduce stretching.

- created trim with fabric rather than knitted-on piping

- used purchased fasteners rather than knitted i-cord.

- eliminated back pocket

- added a fabric pocket to the inside.

I stitched the knitted pieces and the lining for the gusset and pockets together using my sewing machine.  The bag lining had to be sewn in by hand, however, to produce a finished piece with no raw edges exposed.

The resulting bag is sturdy and roomy with a somewhat vintage feel. It’s suitable for use as a purse, knitting bag or even a laptop bag.

Hooray for the creative process!

I recently purchased a Toyota KS901 knitting machine from the aging mother of a friend and coworker.

This dog pillow is my first completed project on my  ’new’ knitting machine. Even though I’ve been a handknitter for many years,  learning to produce knitted fabric on a machine was a steep learning curve for me!

The pillow is knit with Bernat’s Baby Jacquard yarn.  I’m not responsible for the beautiful, multicoloured patterns; they appear automatically in the yarn.

I am responsible for (finally) figuring out how to cast on, correct dropped stitches and get the carriage to  move smoothly, though.

The pillow stuffing is alpaca fiber ’seconds’ which were not good enough for spinning but perfect for stuffing. My dogs love the animal smell buried within their pillow.

Once I got it going, the pieces knit up amazingly quickly. My mind is racing with ideas for future projects. A last minute baby blanket could be knit up in mere days!

Sweaters created on my machine are somewhere in my future…but not for awhile.  I need to master a few more basics first.

25 pairs of liquid brown eyes, staring out at me from their cozy barn space, is a sight I will not soon forget.  A couple of weeks ago, on a cold April day, my daughter and I visited Peeter’s Pride Alpacas, just north of Edmonton, in Canada.

Laurie Peeters, and her husband Pete, own 30 alpacas of varying colours and sizes, along with a herd of cattle, on a picturesque farm in north central Alberta.

Laurie’s passion for her alpacas is evident immediately upon meeting her. She was quick to share her vast knowledge and honest assessment of the current alpaca industry in western Canada, once she learned that my daughter is contemplating raising alpacas on Vancouver Island.

We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours learning about these beautiful, fibre bearing marvels, as well as fondling a number of items Laurie has made from her alpaca yarn, such as mitts and scarves and lined hiking socks which are made up for them.

I purchased 2 generous skeins of laceweight alpaca; one in a natural fawn colour and one for my daughter in various rich shades which Laurie had hand dyed.

I’m halfway through knitting my skein into a long, lacy scarf.  This yarn is incredible to work with; so soft with a beautiful silky texture.  Because of its’ delicate nature, alpaca yarn does stretch easily and  for a sweater or fitted garment I would combine it with a sturdier wool, but for my drapey, lace scarf it’s perfect.

I also purchased 200 grams of alpaca roving.  After spinning half of it I’m converted!  I may never go back to wool. The alpaca is spinning up into a beautiful, even, laceweight yarn with very little effort.

If you live in the Edmonton area, watch for a mini fibre festival that Laurie and other fibre enthusiasts host in the fall.  She’s promised to send me details once a date is set for 2010 and I will be sure to post that information here.

For more information on Peeter’s Pride  Alpacas visit:

http://www.alpacanation.com/farmsandbreeders/03_viewfarm.asp?name=12631

One last thing…

did you know that alpacas communicate through humming? The sound of them softly humming to one another, mothers, babies and mothers- to- be, all huddled together in that cozy barn space, made it a place that I could easily spend a  great deal of time in, and found very  hard to leave.