Category: Knitting

Getting My Kunlun at End of Year Yarn Sale

Specialty yarn is on sale at the end of the year in Miss Babs shop and I took advantage of that sale.

End of year yarn sales can become overwhelming without a buying plan. Lack of money is usually my plan! Haha… but seriously, the one sale I’ve come to look forward to the most is at Miss Babs.

Without knowing much about the knitting world, I jumped in and joined a KAL (knit along) and Miss Babs yarn was suggested. We knit a shawl using lace stitches and amazingly enough I was able to do it. See my Vine Pops shawl here. It is when I discovered how lovely Miss Babs’ yarn is.

Customer Care

Not only was the yarn super soft and easy to work with, but some of the knitters were running out of yarn for the project. Miss Babs jumped in and offered some help in some form, which I can’t recall now. It was certainly not something they needed to do, and it was above and beyond. All the knitters were all impressed, and thankful for the offer. (I know this from reading the KAL forum). This was when I realized that this company was run by involved people.

Sometime after that I knit the Fine Sand sweater and once again used Miss Babs yarn (Tarte). Someone from the company actually left a comment on my sweater on Ravelry. I have never had another yarn company do that.

I’ve written about this before, but yarn orders come wrapped in tissue with little stitch marker gift. Also included is a small braid of yarn to use to create a little swatch. Who doesn’t like to feel like an appreciated customer?

The Yarn

At some point I ordered some un-dyed Kunlun yarn. It was probably part of a sale, because I had no plans for it. Eventually, I used it when I made two hats for my daughter and my son’s girlfriend. The white in these hats is the Kunlun yarn (it is combined with some variegated handspun I had purchased). They are the softest hats I’ve ever made. My daughter wears hers all the time.

Turkish patterned cap stranded knitting
Finished the cap
Crown star on Turkish Patterned cap
Blue star is a mess, white one is knitted correctly
Both Turkish Patterned caps hand knit with handspun
Hat one in blue, and hat two in brown and pink

This is how I fell in love with Kunlun yarn. The yarn contains 70% merino wool, 15% cashmere and 15% cultivated silk. No wonder it is so soft and lovely… and expensive. Each skein is $42 at the time of this writing, so I wait for a sale.

This year I had a project planned. I needed four skeins of Kunlun for this project. I looked online at the colors and had chosen a few favorites, then waited. I wasn’t sure when the sale would begin, but I get the Miss Babs newsletter in my e-mail and figured it would be coming soon.

One night, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw a mention of someone ordering their Miss Babs sale yarn… ! Yikes, I was late to the sale. That is all it took for my favorite yarn colors to be sold out! I was one day (possibly only hours) late…!!

I did not give up. I got up, in the middle of the night (this is when I can’t sleep and scroll instagram) and went online to find some Kunlun. I ended up with some Moss green yarn and it is very pretty. I’ll be using it soon to knit Joji Locatelli’s “Arco Iris” sweater.

Kunlun yarn in Moss green

So, did any of my fellow knitters grab some Miss Babs sale yarn? I’m sure I won’t be waiting another whole year before I buy from Miss Babs. I see they have new worsted weight wool (non-superwash) yarn now called Intrepid. I also love Tarte, which I used for a sweater and is able to be machine washed. This yarn is great for knitting gifts for people who will never hand wash anything! I’ve also used the Yummy 2-ply when I knit the Bay’s Edge shawl. There is a lot to like in this shop.

Recent posts from the blog

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Knitting the Goldenfern Sweater Pattern

Knitting the Goldenfern pullover, a Jenn Steingass pattern, in Rauma yarn with pink yarn colorwork at the bottom and on sleeves.

The Goldenfern pullover is a Jenn Steingass knitting pattern design. It is knit using fingering weight yarn and has colorwork at the bottom of the body and end of sleeves.

The yarns I chose were Rauma Garn, in light gray, combined with a gradient pink handspun. The darker, coral pink color is Jamieson & Smith, which I used for the very bottom of sleeves and all bottom ribbing. I chose to add one row of pink at the neck.

Casting On and Needle Sizes

My gauge was off, but in the end the sweater turned out fine. For me: The cast-on at the neck (this is a top-down sweater) was done on a size 3, 16 inch circular. The main body and sleeve knitting was done on a size 4 needle. All colorwork was done using a size 5, although a size 6 is recommended for the body colorwork, and I’m thinking maybe I should have done that. Size 3 needles were used again for the ribbing at the bottom of the body and sleeves.

Goldenfern
Goldenfern yarn used
Goldenfern

Knitting The Sleeves

I picked up the stitches to begin knitting sleeves downward, using a 16 inch circular needle. As the circumference became smaller with decreases, I switched to a 9-inch size needle.

Then I used a size 5 circular and did the pink colorwork down to Row 37. Using the J&S coral pink when the chart said to use a new CC color.

This is when I changed to size 3 DPN needles and did a plain color 1×1 rib for about 7 rows. The bind-off is a normal bind off and not the i-cord suggested in the pattern.

Total sleeve length is 18.5 inches. Pattern suggestion is 18, so I’m close.

Goldenfern sweater knitting
Goldenfern colorwork sleeve
Pretty colorwork on the sleeve
9-inch circular needle knitting
Using a 9-inch circular for the cuff

The Fall of 2022 was not a good one, with two disastrous hurricanes hitting the area. The knitting on the Goldenfern pullover began in September, and alternated with some other knitting I wanted to do. It has been a relaxing escape for me with other stresses, like the hurricane mess, that piled up. The pattern is easy to follow with lots of helpful notes by the designer.

Buy the Goldenfern Pattern

The link above goes to Ravelry, where you will find so many beautiful finished knits that use some truly gorgeous yarn color combinations. Go there to get inspired and knit your own Goldenfern. The designer has an offer to buy 2, get one free. Her patterns are so well written, and she has many beautiful patterns.

Goldenfern pullover sweater hand knit with Rauma in light gray, and pink hand-spun variegated yarn.
Goldenfern
Hand knit sweater “Goldenfern” hanging outside near the tomato plants in February.
February photo

Finished Knitting

January 7th and the sweater is finished! I took some photos before all ends were woven in. Now, for the wash and blocking. But before all that I would say the pullover is a great success.

I’m very bad at keeping track of the amount of yarn I used, so I can’t list it here. I had one ball of the hand-spun and it was plenty for all the colorwork with some left over. I have a small bit of the Rauma left as well, so my calculations worked. I probably used around 1,100 yards of Rauma.

This pattern shows the sweater as being more cropped, which does not work for me. I added a few more inches. Thevlength is perfect at 14 inches from underarm to bottom.

See my other Jenn Steingass sweater “Meadow Moon” here.

Please Continue Reading

Camel Yarn Weekend Hat Project

A simple ribbed hat pattern with enough brim folds to keep ears warm. The Weekend Hat is a pattern by designer PetiteKnit.

Pattern Review: Beginning the Magnolia Chunky Cardigan

I’m knitting a beautiful cardigan pattern by Camilla Vad. The Magnolia Chunky Cardigan is knit top-down with lace and bobbles on the body and sleeves. On this page I cover some issues I had in the beginning.

First Attempt at Knitting Clotilde

I didn’t get far when I began the Clotilde Cardigan pattern, but it’s a good looking cardigan, and I’ll try knitting the pattern again.

Christmas Gift Knitting; Hats For the Guys

Get an early start on hat knitting for Christmas. This page lists a few hat patterns, for free and to purchase, that work well for guys. Also, I’ve listed some machine washable yarn to get you started.

The Genius of Ravelry

Ravelry is an online fiber crafting (knitting) site that is very helpful in many ways.

Don’t know about Ravelry? I doubt there are many knitters, who are online often, could NOT have heard of the Ravelry site. It is a place for knitters, crocheters, and designers to gather and share, learn and grow together.

I use Ravelry to find patterns, share my knitted projects, find yarn, and check on colors before buying yarn. Occasionally I use the forum to find answers to questions about a pattern, or join a knit-along (KAL).

Lets look further at how Ravelry can benefit a knitter. I’ll speak about the craft of knitting here because that is how I use the site. Crocheters are included, and their experience should be about the same.

The Basics of Ravelry

Ravelry is free. Set up an account and create a profile. A blog feed can be linked, as well as up-to three other places you are found online. Of course you can fill in as much or little as you like. Social media sites can be included, and the Ravelry account can be linked to your Instagram.

I use all of these options because of my online business. Becoming a member is important because it allows you to view necessary things on the site. It’s free, and you can do more as a member.

Ravelry’s Learning Curve

There is a bit of a learning curve (for some of us) in the beginning. The profile page is pretty empty until you begin sharing projects, finding favorites, stashing yarn, and building a library. But the object is not to fill these places. They will fill nicely on their own as you discover favorite patterns and knit some yourself.

If I come across a member who has knit a lot of projects I love, I may add them to my Friends.

Finding Favorite Projects

When I get the urge to knit something, Ravelry is the first place I search. Anything that looks good – like I may want to knit it in the future – will be saved to my “Favorites” section. I have made various categories, such as “sweaters”, “ponchos”, etc. where I keep the patterns I find while conducting a search.

Finding Good Yarn and Perfect Colors

I can’t count the number of times I have been considering a project but can’t decide on a yarn type, or need to see a particular color. Ravelry has a search at the top of the page for “yarns” (among other things). When I am shopping for yarn but can’t picture the color all knit up, I use the yarn search to see what other knitters have made with the color.

When using a variegated or speckled yarn, it’s difficult to imagine the way the yarn will knit up. Usually there are a number of knitters who have already used the yarn color so you can search and find images to view.

Often other users have left comments about the yarn in the “comment” section. This is where to learn just how well knitters liked using the yarn.

When choosing a pattern to knit, click on the yarn used (by the designer) to read more about it. Each yarn page also includes a link to “buy this yarn online”. Find locations by country, with some shops including their current pricing.

Add yarn favorites to your own “favorites” area for further consideration.

Share What I Am Knitting

When I begin a knitting project I take photos with my iPhone. I do this to share on my knitting blog (the one you are reading), and to share at Ravelry on my “projects” page. Occasionally I share at Instagram as well. By the way, Instagram is a great place to find new pattern releases and designer discounts.

By adding this info about my knitting, it reminds me of how long it took to knit it, the yarn type and needle size I used, and comments about my experience knitting it. This helps me for future projects in case I want to knit it again. It also helps other knitters who are thinking about knitting the same project. I love it when others share their notes, and photos, on their knitwear pages.

Join a Group

I’m not a super social person. I’ve joined a lot of Ravelry groups just to do so, but a better idea is to join meaningful groups. Your local yarn stores may have a group, and many pattern designers and yarn makers have groups.

When a pattern is used the project can be shared on the designers group page (just join their group) where other knitters can find ideas and info.

For instance, when I finished my stranded colorwork mittens, Fiddlehead, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor yarn, I shared them on the “Stranded” group and with “Brooklyn Tweed Fan Club”.

Fiddlehead mittens hand-knit in Arbor yarn by Brooklyn Tweed

What are your favorite things about Ravelry?

Ravelry is used for a lot more than just what I’ve mentioned on this page. You can list your own yarn stash to keep track of what you have, and what has been used up. Some Ravelers will trade or sell yarn they have. Also keep track of your needle collection if you choose.

Ready to join? Begin at the Getting Started page. I’ll see you at Ravelry – you can find me here.

Keep Reading…

Here Comes the New Year, And Oh The WIPs

The end of 2022 has arrived. I have a few knitting works in progress (wips) to share, as well as a good-bye to a year that was not all that great.

Personally, I am happy to say good-bye to 2022. Overall it was a horrible year, but some good things happened. I can’t berate myself too much for all these WIPs hanging about. Usually I don’t let them get so out of control.

I’m finishing up the year with more WIPs (Work in Progress) knits than ever. I chalk it up to Fall being extremely busy here, with 2 hurricanes to deal with, and a surprise visit from my daughter – she came in between the hurricanes. We also had a 40th birthday party for my son in December, which was a ton of work. Then, of course Christmas. I just mailed out gifts today – December 30th! So, yes… I am behind.

My Current WIPs

The knitting projects in my baskets are the Brodgar Poncho, a Playdate sweater, the Goldenfern pullover, and two Easy V sweaters. I do have other projects that have been sitting for a while, like the thrummed mittens and spiral scarves, but I’m not counting them here.

Brodgar poncho
Brodgar
Playdate
Goldenfern
Goldenfern
short row shaping on Easy V sweater
Easy V in Brown
Easy V sweater in green
Easy V in Green

How many WIPs in your knitting baskets?

When I look around Ravelry, sometimes I see knitters with pages full of WIPs! Then, I don’t feel so badly about having the five I have.

Good Riddance 2022

The worst part of 2022 was being sick for over a month with Covid. We had just purchased a camping trailer, that we wanted to use, but that got put off until the end of August. It took me a while to get better, probably because I am in my 60s. Then the hurricanes hit. Ian brought flooding and Nicole brought damage to the beaches. Our beaches are still recovering, as are the people whose homes were flooded. We got off pretty lucky, but need a new roof and are working on making that happen.

We just had a few nights of below freezing temps here in Florida and I covered the plants, but lost a few to the extreme cold. It appears the winter will tend to be a cold one for us in the south. Some years we get off lucky and temps stay decent. It is the end to a year that I chalk up to not so great. And then there is the state of our country, and the world in general.

New Year’s Day Cast On?

I would love to CAST ON a new project on New Year’s Day, but we’ll see. I have some yarn coming from Miss Babs end of year sale, and recently spent my birthday present gift certificate on come soft Donegal yarn. Both yarns will be used to knit sweaters when I find the right patterns.

This year I cast on for the Solstice Glow chicken hat on January first. I finished it eight days later and it was a fun hat to knit. This year I think I will continue to finish up what’s been started before I do any more casting on.

Solstice Glow chicken hat
Solstice Glow hat pattern

Happy New Year, We Can Hope

Read About More of My Knitting Adventures

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.