My crafty weekend retreat at the Oregon Coast with a bunch of other ladies was a lovely time.
Often times I knit in solitude, but being with other creative people and feeling their swirling energy while they are creating, just like me, is a refreshing experience.
Not only were there knitters, there were also sewers. I was in awe of their productivity and silently absorbed all they were doing. It made me want to sew too…
But as much I was in awe of the sewers, I am at heart a knitter.
Knitting belongs to me, and I to it. We are an absolute perfect couple. There is no explanation why I love it so much. I just do it with much ease and dedication, it is almost as if I cannot help it.
If you ever have contemplated a crafty retreat with friends, I would say, DO IT. It is a lovely experience to be around creative and productive people, and I assure you, your creativity will bloom.
Developing a pattern
Over the weekend I have developed, yet once again, a fingerless glove pattern.
The initial idea for this pattern, sprung to mind right before I left for Amsterdam and finally has made it through several prototypes. All in all it took me 3 prototypes before I was completely satisfied.
I knitted the first try outs with a wonderful yarn from Classic Elite called “Fresco” (left in picture below) and the final design is knitted with a wonderful mongolian cashmere from the brand Jade Sapphire (on the right in picture below).
Besides being both red and sports weight, these two yarns have one other thing in common: they bloom so deliciously after blocking!
QUESTION:
Nancy, what does that mean “yarn blooms after blocking”?
ANSWER:
First of all, there are many ways of “blocking”. My favorite way of blocking is to submerge my piece in cold water with some Eucalan.
I then take my piece out of its bath, gently squeeze all the water out, wrap it in a towel and squeeze even more water out. Then I lay it flat to dry.
Often times I find, that after blocking, some yarns bloom so beautifully. They fluff up and their beauty radiates, giving it a delicious halo and softness. I simply adore yarn when it does that!
Going lighter weight
In recently published patterns, I have been working with worsted weight yarn or even bigger.
In future patterns, you will notice that I am going lighter!
Yes it takes longer to knit up a piece that is made with smaller yarn and smaller needles, but oh, the results are so beautiful. I simply love how flat the knitted fabric lays on my skin. Bellissima! So pretty!
Give me a bit more time to finalize everything and to find a model to do a photoshoot, okay?
And then you will see the final product!
Thanks for reading and until the next entry!