Archive | February 2019

Review: Andean Sun Alpaca

Does anybody else love alpaca? I’m guessing a few of you do. It’s one of my favorite yarns to use in winter, so when I was offered the chance to review some bulky alpaca from Andean Sun Yarns, I jumped at the chance. It’s available in packs of three in six colors, and I chose medium gray so it would go with almost everything.

Honestly, I’d never heard of Andean Sun Yarns, so I had no idea what to expect. But guys. OMG. I’m a convert. If you love super soft alpaca that feels like a warm furry marshmallow (think squishy, not sticky!), then this is your yarn. In the past, I’ve used and loved Plymouth Yarns Grande and Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky. This yarn feels even better. I’m not sure why exactly, but I think the Andean Sun alpaca felt a little denser, a little more substantial, and just a tiny bit fuzzier. Can you see a hint of that marvelous halo??

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The yarn arrived on a Saturday and I cast on for the Bandana Cowl that same day. I was done by that night, partly because I was lucky enough to have a whole lazy knitting day, but also because I didn’t want to put the yarn down. Each skein is about 50 grams/54 yards each, and I used about two and a half skeins for the cowl. The yarn slid easily from the little skein, there were no knots, and it tinked nicely when I inevitably messed up.

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It felt so good in my hands. Plus, it washed and blocked wonderfully, still super soft and with a lovely relaxed drape. My only caveat is that I want it in more than six colors! And I have to say, I’ve wanted to make the Bandana cowl for SO long, and always put it off because I didn’t want to mess with short rows. Remember, I don’t like short rows. Except they were easy and quick in this pattern with the bulky yarn, and I didn’t mind them at all, and now I adore this cowl!

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Andean Sun Yarns is a small, independent family business with roots in Peru and the US that’s been around since 2001. As near as I can tell, they don’t stock in yarn stores, which is too bad because if you felt it, you’d probably buy it! But you can get it from their website (and get 25% off for subscribing to their newsletter) or from their Amazon shop (with free shipping).

Thanks so much to Stitchcraft Marketing and Andean Sun Yarns who sent me the three-skein bulky alpaca kit (retail: $31.98) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.

Is it bedtime yet?

Feb12

Here’s the thing: 3:30 in the morning is not a good time to wake up. It’s just not. But for some reason Grace could not be convinced. The husband went down once to try to get her to stop barking, but it didn’t work, so rather than both of us lose sleep, I went down to sleep on the couch. And she was fine with that. She didn’t need to go out, didn’t seem to be hungry. Duncan immediately laid on top of me and went to sleep, Jack laid on the floor next to me and went to sleep, and she went off and did who knows what, but she was quiet and didn’t make a mess. Now, I love my dogs and there is a certain charm to sleeping with one on top of you, but man. I need a new couch if that’s gonna happen again or my back is not going to be happy. Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be a habit of hers, just something that pops up once in a blue moon.

Why?? Why is she like this?

So, I’m a little tired today. But I’ve figured out what my new cast-on needs to be: a Sockhead cowl! We have a band concert tonight and I have no projects that are suitable for in-the-dark easy knitting. You can’t get easier than the Sockhead. Now I just need to pick the yarn! I’m thinking this pink and black Done Roving Frolicking Feet would look pretty awesome.

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Oh, and something sad: I wore my brand new Hedgehog Fibres Gossip socks yesterday… and they itched me! Not right away, but by the time I got home from work, I needed to get them off my feet. I’ll wash them and see if that helps, but if not, looks like the girl will get a new pair of socks.

I hope you all got more sleep than I did last night!

Cast on and bind off!

Feb12

After finishing my Wave shawl over the weekend, I did cast on something new last night. And then I finished that something last night! I’d had some leftover Dream in Color Classy hanging around, and I decided they needed to become some fingerless gloves. Thanks to the really long Grammy show, I completed both mitts in about three hours.

Pattern is 75 Yard Malabrigo Fingerless Mitts and it’s one of my favorites. You might remember I used it to make some red ones for a coworker recently. Now I just need to figure out who the blue ones are for, because I haven’t a clue so far!

And here’s a photo of Jack on the window seat just because he’s cute.

FO: Rainbow Wave Shawl

Feb10

As I’d hoped, I finished another WIP yesterday, my Rainbow Wave. I only had about six rows left but each one had increases and they felt like really long rows! But it’s done and washed and blocked and everything!

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The yarn is Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Locura Fluo and I absolutely adore it and wish I had ten more skeins. I mean, these colors! I am swooning, and I don’t think it’s just because I’m so tired of all the dreary gray around me. No, this is just a swoon-worthy color. Another blogger made a sweater for her young daughter out of this yarn; I think I need one too! (Don’t worry, I wouldn’t wear the shawl with the sweater!)

This was an easy, relaxing knit and I blocked it into an easily wearable crescent shape. The pattern shows it more triangular, but when I laid the wet shawl out, it just seemed to want to be a crescent, so that’s fine. I’m not one to argue with my shawls.

This takes me down to only FOUR WIPs, guys! One is a sweater, one is a big shawl, and the other two are one-skein projects. Now I’m torn between pushing forward on completing WIPs, or casting on something new. I know I need to cast on a new sock because I have to have at least one sock on my needles. But I’m really tempted to cast on a cowl with my new Woolfolk LUFT today, since it’s slick and gray and wet outside, and a warm cozy cowl project sounds perfect. What do you think, cast on or finish more?

Two More FOs!

Feb9

Maybe I needed that fast FO to kickstart my finishing urge: I finished two more projects in the last two days! Apparently, if you keep knitting on something, eventually it gets done. Crazy, right? First I finished my Gossip socks, on the needles for two months.

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The yarn is Hedgehog Fibres Sock and it’s so pink that I struggled to get an accurate photo, but this is pretty close. I liked knitting with this yarn; it wasn’t like alpaca-soft but it felt good in my hands, and it feels like it will hold up well. I’ll let you know!

My other FO is my Standing Rock Hat, which took a month despite being just nine inches of ribbing. It was my travel project until I decided it needed to just be done.

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Mine didn’t look as good as a slouchy hat as the designer’s did, so I cuffed it up and like it a lot. The yarn is Primrose Yarn Co. Jasper, a DK merino. It wasn’t nearly as soft as I thought it would be, so I don’t know how it will feel against my skin for prolonged periods. I don’t normally block hats but I think I’ll unsnap the awesome removable pompom and give it a soak in some wool wash to see if it softens up.

I can see the finish line on another project, so that’s my goal for this weekend. Hope you all are getting some productive knitting in too!

A Fast FO

Feb6

You may remember that I was having a less-than-stellar day on Sunday, which led me to cast on a new project…with yarn from stash, I might add! I love worsted weight cowls so I picked my Nerd Girl Yarns Progression Worsted in Too English to Say Anything, which is a pretty rosy pink and gray mixture, and a simple cowl called Squeezie Hug. It was so easy and fun that I finished it last night, with just three evenings’ work!

It is a paid pattern but it’s a small price and totally worth it. I love the little ridges! It needs to be blocked before I can wear it, since my cast-off is looser than my cast-on, but I should have it ready to wear in another day or so. Duncan was my helper as I finished last night; I’ve definitely forgiven him for his book-eating debacle.

We’re gearing up for another round of ice and snow tonight…maybe I’ll get a snow day tomorrow?? Stay safe and warm, friends!

Review: Appalachian Baby Organic Cotton

Feb6

Last year I got to work with Appalachian Baby Design to review their Organic Cotton yarn, so when another opportunity arose, I accepted with pleasure. This time they offered a pattern as well, so I chose the Boho Baby Blanket, knowing I have a friend expecting a baby late this spring. I’m not usually a fan of knitting blankets, but I make an exception for new babies. They are totally knit-worth small humans, so they get blankets!

I could choose between pink and silver, and indigo and silver, and I chose indigo, thinking it might be the more versatile color. The yarn came beautifully packaged in a gauze bag, along with the pattern printed on sturdy cardstock. It would certainly make an attractive gift! The kit came with four skeins of indigo and two of silver, and one of my favorite things about this yarn is how easy it is to find the center-pull end! (It may not seem that important, but truly, it is.) The pattern was clear and well-written, and I quickly memorized the pattern repeats.

Though I’d originally planned to space out the knitting over two months, this soon became my nightly TV knitting project. I didn’t have to think about the pattern, and the yarn was soft in my hands, so it became kind of soothing. The yarn was rather splitty, but I find that to be true of most cotton yarns, so I could just roll with it.

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The yarn is a 4-ply sport weight, with 194 yards per ball, and I used almost all four indigo balls and about one and a half of the silver. My final product had the correct dimensions, but I only had 13 repeats of the pattern instead of the 17 that were written. Gauge, y’all. Thank goodness it doesn’t matter that much for a blanket!

My finished blanket went in the washer on cool and delicate, then in the dryer, and it came out even softer. I love using easy-care yarns for baby gifts! I also love using yarns without harsh dyes: Appalachian Baby uses a low-impact, earth-friendly dying process that I feel good about using for a baby.

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I just love the wavy chevron stitch! What a perfectly cozy blanket for a new baby boy, right? I probably should wait for a baby shower, but I wish I could give it to her now. If you need some soft cotton for a baby gift, be sure to check out the Appalachian Baby assortment!

Sending a special thank you to Stitchcraft Marketing and Appalachian Baby Design who sent me The Boho Baby Blanket Kit (retail: $73.00) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.

Retail therapy

Feb5

Yep, as most of you probably knew I would, I visited the yarn store for a little retail therapy yesterday! But honestly, by the time we left the house, I probably would have been okay staying home. I’d played in my stash and cast on a new cowl, and the knitting was helping a lot. Still, it’s hard to turn down a yarn store adventure, and the boy was happy because we were going to the guitar store after the yarn store, and I couldn’t disappoint him, right? Anyway, I think I did pretty well.

Only two skeins of yarn, though I touched many other pretty skeins! This is Woolfolk LUFT and I was so excited when I found out they were carrying it. I have a little cowl in navy LUFT and wear it all the time; it’s lightweight and soft and not itchy at all and I love it. I’ve been needing a basic gray cowl, so this will be perfect. I bought yarn specifically for a project! Crazy, no?

It’s not a great photo so you can’t see how gorgeous that hot pink fur pompom is, but it’s kind of amazing. It’ll go on a gray hat, once I figure out which yarn to use for said hat. And I couldn’t resist a couple new pins for my collection. “Weirdos unite” might be my favorite!

This is how it happens

Feb3

Today kind of sucks. I mean, not major suck, but a few minor sucks. I got up with the dogs this morning and discovered that Duncan had managed to push open one of the pocket doors and decided to munch on a couple of books again. As he likes the interesting old books, I found my first editions of Native Son and Black Boy had been destroyed. Not a great start to the day. Then I went to make waffles for a family breakfast and came across my dad’s handwriting in the manual with the recipe and that was a little unexpected sucker punch, maybe because I was already upset. Then the girl had to go back to college and those days are never my favorite.

So, yeah, today kind of sucks and I really want to go to the yarn store for some retail therapy. One skein wouldn’t be terrible, right? I’m in my craft room right now and I will fondle my stash a bit and remind myself of all my beautiful yarn, maybe cast on something bright and pretty, and see how that goes. I’ll work on my newest project, the Warrior Cowl, which I’m enjoying.

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But still. I bet you twenty cents I end up at the yarn store today.

New sock pattern!

Feb2

Remember those pretty lace socks I made recently, the Guildhall Yard socks? They were a test knit and I’m delighted to say that the pattern from is now live!

They were designed by Jem at Under the Olive Tree Knits, and they were a treat to make. I typically prefer simple socks for speed and mindless knitting, but these worked up so quickly! They weren’t knitting-group socks but they were fine for TV knitting if I didn’t need to be watching all the time, and the lace pattern kept my brain engaged and interested.

They’re cuff-down with a heel flap and gusset, and the pattern is well-written and clear. Check it out if you need a pretty new sock pattern! They’d be delightful for spring.

Pattern: Guildhall Yard Socks

Yarn: KnitPicks Stroll in Razzleberry (OMG this yarn attracted dog fur like a magnet. These socks will never be fur-free.)