Year-round yarns

Some yarns are best for cooler temperatures, and some work better in warmer weather. With all of the great blended yarns available these days, more yarns are starting to be used year round.

Berroco Maya is one of these yarns. It's a blend of pima cotton and alpaca in a chainette construction. The yarn is really lightweight, and the small amount of alpaca really softens up the cotton. For people with aversions to wool, this yarn has been a great option. 

When Maya was introduced for last spring, the colors were very pale. Gorgeous for spring and summer, but not really colors that will jump off the shelf during the other months of the year.

Last week we ordered our new Berroco yarns for spring and summer of 2014. New colors for existing yarns (like Maya) were also introduced, and on some of these, the new colors were already in stock. Normally we wait to take delivery of new colors of spring yarns until at least January, but because the fiber content of Maya makes it a true year-round yarn, we decided to take delivery immediately. And look how the new colors breathed life into the old ones!

This yarn is often used by our customers as a sweater yarn. Our Niche sweater sample (from Norah Gaughan Volume #12) has been tried on and made numerous times. 

Another popular sweater sample in Maya is the Chuparosa vest from Berroco Book #331. This is a flattering piece that can be worn over any sleeve length, making it great for winter wear.

It's also great for accessories, and our Bajada scarf sample, which takes just 3 skeins, is a fun knit. (Berroco Book #331.)

I grabbed 4 skeins of the new Hermosa Blue and started a new project over the weekend. Can't wait to finish it!

Nymphalidea Shawl... what yarns will you make yours in?

Everyone here at Kaleidoscope Yarns knits a lot. But we're all different people. We like different things, different fibers and different types of knitting, so it's rare that we ever make the same thing as someone else who works here.

But when Barb and I were looking at Knitty Issue 45 last week, we both fell in love with the Nymphalidea Shawl. It's a pretty simple pattern, and easy to memorize, so that mindless kind of knitting certainly appeals to us, since it's always good to have at least one mindless project in the works. 

photo courtesy of Knitty.com

And we just love combining a solid yarn with a variegated yarn. Like my recently finished Dreambird shawl...

Dreambird Shawl in Ella Rae Lace Merino (solid) and Noro Silk Garden Sock

And who doesn't love a long semi-triangular shawl shape that can be worn draped around (and around) your neck, adding style to your outfit while being comfortable and warm to wear? The Nymphalidea is more than appealing.

So we immediately began the yarn selection process. For solids, we looked at all available fingering weight yarns in the shop, but narrowed it down to the Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine and the Frog Tree Pediboo. For the multi colored yarn, we agreed that this shawl would be best with a yarn that had some sort of repeat (like stripes) as opposed to just a hand dyed variegated. Our top choices were Lang Mille Colori Socks & Lace, Skacel Zauberball, and Lang Magic.

There were so many options! Barb chose a black Ultra Alpaca Fine and a Mille Colori Socks & Lace and got started on hers right away. It's going to be beautiful!

I picked a gorgeous brown shade of Pediboo and also went with the Mille Colori Socks & Lace. I was finishing up my Remix sweater last week so didn't get started on mine until last night. I'm going to love it, I can already tell.

What yarn (and in what colors!) will you make yours in?

On the Needles: Kaitlin

Many of you who've been in to the shop recently have had the pleasure of meeting Kaitlin, who is one of our 2 new employees. Kaitlin recently moved to Vermont from Utah, and we're thrilled to have her on our team. 

She brought in two of her projects the other day to show us. One is the Vernal Equinox Shawl - available for free on Ravelry. It's beautiful! She's using a wool and merino blend that she hand dyed at a "dye night" at the yarn shop she worked at in Logan, Utah. Her first attempt at dying sure looks like a major success to me... I love the color!

She also just started Stephen West's Color Craving Mystery Knit Along on Ravelry. She picked 3 colors of Fibre Company Canopy Fingering. Here is her progress on the first clue:

She's using Crocus & Blue Crown, and Parakeet will be added soon!

Wow, that's looking pretty cool, and crazy at the same time! I'm such a visual person - I need to see a picture or schematic... SOMETHING to show me what I am making. Kudos to her (and any of you doing this MKAL) for being able to do this without seeing it first. I can't even begin to imagine what the finished product will be. Stay tuned!

On the Needles: Jill

It's that time of the year... the air is cooler and I'm itching to start a lot of new projects. And you know how hard it is to limit yourself to just ONE project.

I'm really trying to be good about not having a million half-finished projects all over my house. But the other night my family room had about 8 or 9 vinyl project bags scattered about. In truth, some belonged to my kids (they have slacked off on their knitting since school has started. I'll cut them a break!)

I have a number of things on the needles right now. I recently finished the Little Boater Crew sweater (Thirteenth Little Sublime Hand Knit Book, knit in Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK), but it needs to be seamed! We're working on that today, so it should be hanging in the shop in the next day or so. 

Front of sweater

I started a Color Affection Shawl this summer. I loved these 3 bright colors of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine and thought it would be a simple knit. It is easy, that's for sure. But it's a little too boring for me... so I haven't made much progress. I have a trip coming up next month and will have some time to knit on the plane. Maybe it can be my project for that!?

Colors (l to r): Frove Mix, Grapefruit Mix, Orchid

I started a baby hat in June and really need to finish it! I must have misplaced it (I mean the yarn is SO tiny... it's My First Regia in 25 gram balls!) but now that I've found it I'm determined to finish it. Size 2 needles are a bit painful for my hands so I'll have to do it on a day when there's no gardening or interior painting on the schedule...

Pattern is in My First Regia Journal #005

This is what it will look like when it's finished: 

I started a sweater for myself two weeks ago with Berroco Remix, one of my all time favorite yarns. So far it's going really well, but I did set it aside when I found all of these other projects that are SO close to being finished. It's the Chic Knits Ariann Sweater. The feel of the Remix is just lovely!

And my Dreambird shawl is nearing completion! I think I have enough yarn left for one more feather, which will be a total of 14. It's going to block out nicely and I'm eager to see the finished result. The pattern was confusing, for sure! All of the moving of safety pins had me pulling out my hair, so I ended up making a spreadsheet in Excel that had row by row instructions. It was much easier to follow! But this was certainly NOT a project I could work on while watching tv. I pretty much needed to count each stitch. Oh well, it was still a fun project. 

Ella Rae Lace Merino and Noro Silk Garden Sock yarns

So that's 5 unfinished projects. Eeeeek! I better get a move on!

Swatching

We always recommend making a swatch before starting every project. Most of the time our customers say they hate swatching, they don't swatch, they've never swatched, they can't imagine swatching... etc, etc. So we know there's a lot of anti-swatching out there! But we're going to keep recommending it, and here's just one reason why...

We just rearranged the entire worsted room last week. (Locals... come on in and check it out. It looks great!) And while we were rearranging the yarns, we had to opportunity to touch EACH AND EVERY ball. Sure, we each have our favorites, but by being forced to fondle each ball, we got reacquainted with some long lost loves!

One yarn that I've always loved is Berroco Remix. Remix is a super soft worsted weight yarn that's made of 100% recycled fibers. It's machine washable (another plus for me!) and has a nice tweedy effect. While moving the Remix to it's new location in the shop, I really started itching to knit with it. 

I started looking through the sweater patterns in the shop, and settled on the Chic Knits Ariann sweater. I really wanted a cardigan and I like the look of this pattern stitch. I'm going to make the long sleeves (instead of 3/4), but I'll pass on the belt! The collar doesn't thrill me... I really wanted a v-neck, but I'm going to see what I can do with it. By the time I knit up to the neck, maybe I'll have come up with a way to modify it to suit my tastes.

This sweater pattern calls for a stitch gauge (in stockinette) of 4.75 stitches to the inch. Remix is 4.25 stitches to the inch on an 8 US needle. I started my swatching on a 6 US Addi Lace needle. 

[I went down 1 size from what the ball band said, because I needed to cram an extra 1/2 stitch into every inch, and then another size since I knit a little loose, and normally go down 1 size needle.]

I ended up getting almost 5 stitches to the inch which is pretty close to 4.75. But I felt like I was really trying to knit tight... and it was making my hands cramp up. That wasn't going to be enjoyable for me, and I like to ENJOY my knitting time.

So I threw a purl row into my swatch and tried a size 7 US Addi Lace. And I relaxed to my normal knitting tension. And the swatch... was too loose. It measured in at 4.25 stitches to the inch.

After another purl row, I went back to the 6 US Addi Lace and knit with a normal relaxed tension. The result? 4.5 stitches to the inch.

My final attempt was on a Denise size 6 US with a normal relaxed tension. And it was perfect. I ended up getting exactly 4.75 stitches to the inch.

Why did I keep trying different needle sizes and types, you ask? Isn't 4.5 close enough to 4.25? And isn't 5 close enough? 

Well, yes. However, in an adult sweater, that 1/4 stitch per inch difference can really throw off the sizing of your final product! I am making a sweater with a finished chest measurement of 38". If I used the Addi Lace size 6 (with a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement of this sweater would have been 40.2" That's more than 2" TOO BIG. 

And if I had used the same Addi Lace needles (size 6) and concentrated on just knitting a little tighter (with a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement would have been 36.2"... almost 2" TOO SMALL.

Moral of the story? We're always going to recommend you swatch. And if you can't get the gauge on a certain type of needle, you may need to try another type!

Bernie

Barb got a new puppy this summer. 

One of Bernie's baby pictures

Bernie is a black Shih Tzu who is quite the little charmer. He's not even 3 pounds and probably won't get to more than 5 pounds when full grown. 

And being so tiny means it's even harder to keep warm when the temperatures drop. Last week we could tell he wasn't fond of those cold mornings, and the brisk wind didn't really do it for him either.

So on Saturday we decided he needed his very first sweater. First we chose the yarn... Plymouth Encore. It was an easy decision. We wanted something that would wash easily (after all, Bernie is so tiny that each outing onto grass gets him pretty wet!) We also figured that since he's just getting into the naughty toddler teething phase, he'd be chewing on his sweater like a bad boy. So we certainly weren't going to splurge for superwash merino wool...

Then it was on to picking a color. With 69 solids, 9 tweeds and 26 colorspuns, the choice was a little overwhelming! We ended up going with one of the new neon colors. We figured that with the daylight hours on the decline, it was the safest choice!

I could have found a pattern for a teeny tiny dog sweater but I figured it would be more fun to wing it. So I grabbed Bernie and a tape measure and sketched some measurements. (You can tell I have cats. My drawing is clearly feline.) 

With a basic drawing of what I wanted, Bernie's measurements and a gauge swatch, I was off and knitting. This was a quick project and I brought it in for Bernie to wear this morning. 

He wasn't quite sure what to think of his new sweater. He chased his tail (and the back end of the sweater) for 5 minutes straight, and then was exhausted and napped it in for about an hour. Typical puppy behavior.

Seriously? I have to WEAR this!?

Note the buttons... skull & crossbones buttons... perfect for this little sweet terror.

So my attempt at a dog sweater was pretty good! We decided we'll move the buttons to make it more snug around his back for now, and as he grows we'll move them back again. 

Tiny sleeves are just the right size for his little chicken legs.

Settling in for my nap.

And sorry, I did not write down the pattern for this. It's really all about measurements and gauge... really not too difficult!

Brrr! Today's a chilly one!

What a gorgeous day we're having! It's in the high 60's with no humidity, and the breeze is actually almost chilly!

I wore a tank top into work today, since I'm so used to all the humidity we've been having. And I'm actually cold! So I'm glad my new stole is finished blocking - because it's just the perfect thing to warm me up.

This took just one skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn. The pattern is free on Ravelry, and it was super easy to make. I used US 10 needles and 45 stitches. 

A generously sized stole for under $20! Not bad.

Dead or Alive?

contributed by Shawn

I caught a whopper this weekend! OK, I didn't actually go fishing. I just finished a fish related knitting project.  

The knitting pattern Fish Hat [Dead or Alive?] by Thelma Egberts appears in the winter 2008 issue of Knitty but you can find the link and listing for this project in Ravelry. 

You can make your fish dead or alive, by changing how you make the eyes. I chose to make my fish alive. I made some small white crocheted circles, and then embroidered a smaller circle in black.

I had some Manos Rittenhouse in my stash (it's a discontinued yarn) and I thought the kettle dyed shading would look nice for this project. 

Now I'm thinking I'd like to make one with some Plymouth Encore - maybe the Blue Jeans Mix and Mod Light Denim would make a really cool tweedy effect. Berroco Remix would be another great choice for this hat.   

So what will your fish be? Dead or Alive?

Felting Fun & Fixes

Plymouth Gina has been a very popular yarn in the shop for knitting, crocheting and felting. I found a cute pattern on Ravelry for a Felted Flower Bowl, and decided to make a couple for the front counter. 

I grabbed two balls of Gina and finished these bowls in one evening. I felted them this morning.

It was my first attempt felting with a front loader and it went pretty well. But the bowls did not felt all the way, so they required some hand felting afterwards.

Red bowl - just out of washing machine, Blue bowl - after additional hand felting

I did have a teeny issue with one of the bowls. When I opened the door to the washing machine, I noticed a hole in the bottom of the red bowl:

I think I rushed a bit when weaving in my ends! The tail had come unwoven in the machine, so I grabbed some leftover yarn and a tapestry needle and did a bit of mending: 

Then I hand felted the bowl under hot running water in my sink for a few minutes and you can hardly see my mending job.

Bowls like this can be hard to shape but I found a piece of pottery that my mom had made and it was just the right size:

These bowls will dry quickly - today's sun and warm temps will see to that.

New Projects for Your Spring Wardrobe

contributed by Shawn

The new Tahki Yarns Intermix pattern booklet is all about texture and spring/summer layering pieces! The designs in this book caught our attention as soon as it arrived and many of our customers have already snapped up their copies recognizing that these projects are fashion-forward but practical and wearable knits that can be dressed up or down for a variety of occasions.

Barb has already finished the Destinations Top-Down Pullover knit in Tahki Rosa yarn. This incredibly soft 100% cotton yarn creates a wonderfully slubby fabric with its thick and thin profile. 

Barb's sweater is shown here:

With this bulky yarn the Streamlined Vest would be a quick project to finish!

The bright and easy knit Radiant Pullover on the cover of the pattern booklet invited us to explore the other designs in the book. Radiant shows off the iridescent qualities of Tahki Pixie yarn. 

For more relaxed style stop by the shop to try on our sample of the Spellbound Top.

The Tahki Ripple yarn was an immediate hit last year for spring/summer knitting. This season’s book features several new designs for this textured 100% cotton yarn. Michele couldn't wait to start this one and should have her very own Ruffle Tank to show off soon!

There are 20 different designs in this book and it is well worth a look – which one of these tops will become a part of your new spring wardrobe?

It's Coming Up Tulips!

We are very ready for spring weather here in Vermont and Michele decided to try and hurry it along a bit. Don't the colors remind you of spring? Green grass, bright blue sky, and tulips in shades of yellow, peach and red!

This is the Tulip Sweater kit from Dream In Color. The sweater pattern comes with the kit and can be made in two sizes, 6-9 months or 12-18 months. Each kit has a different selection of 8 colors of Classy yarn included. The yarn is 100% superwash merino in hand-dyed vibrant colors to inspire spring blooms. 

All of the staff have admired the kits and Jill knit us a sample for the shop since it is so difficult to resist the yarn and the colors! Note the different edging techniques that they chose:

We have a selection of these kits available in the shop so come on in and check them out. This is a fun project and perfect for all those baby showers that happen at this time of the year!

Baby Chucks

contributed by Shawn

Remember these?

Well I recently came across a pattern for Crochet Baby Converse sneakers by Suzanne Resaul on Ravelry and COULD NOT RESIST. They are amazing!

I used Knit One Crochet Too DungarEase yarn for the soles. I don’t usually enjoy knitting with cotton especially at the tight gauge required for stiff fabric like these little shoes. However, the DungarEase yarn is wonderful to crochet with. I enjoyed using it even on a small hook at a tight gauge. The yarn is made in a way that gives it a nice cushy feel and it has some elasticity to it when you work with it. My hands definitely did not complain about crocheting with this cotton blend like the usually do when I knit or crochet with cotton.

The uppers are Berroco Comfort DK. I was going to make little red Chucks, but we were out of the bright red color so I settled for the lime green. They are still awesome!

These little Chuck Taylors are an easy project and everyone who sees the finished shoes is enthralled. I highly recommend making up a pair for the next baby gift you plan to give.