Tag Archive | purple yarn

Super Shawl Sunday

I have a finished object!! Just in time for the end of the month too! It used seven skeins of yarn from my stash and it is EXACTLY how I envisioned it in my wee brain:

This is my second Rock Candy Mountain shawl and it was just as fast and fun to knit as my first one. I picked out all the yarn in Wisconsin so I knew I’d have enough to knit it as written, and it’s enormous. I used size 6 needles on my first one and size 8s on this one (as the pattern recommended), and honestly if when I make another one, I think I might land in the middle with a 7.

I swear, I cannot recommend this pattern enough. I’m already thinking about how I could do one in fingering weight with all my sparkly purple yarns, with a simple neutral in between! If you’re interested, here are the yarns I used and how much of each one. You’d think all the purples would be the same yardage used but somehow that wasn’t the case.

Gray: Hook & Shuttle Salty Dog DK in We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – used 162 yards

Purple 1 (palest): Northern Bee Studio Sturdy Sport in Old Wisteria Tree – used 150 yards

Purple 2: Sun Valley Fibers Superwash DK in Leap of Faith – used 156 yards

Purple 3: Leading Men Fiber Arts Dramaturg DK in Achieve Grapeness (this one was the softest & squishiest!) – used 135 yards

Purple 4: Hook & Shuttle Salty Dog DK in Violet Beauregarde – used 152 yards

Purple 5: Hook & Shuttle Salty Dog DK in Dancing with the Devil – used 160 yards

Purple 6: Sun Valley Fibers Superwash DK in Plum Crazy – used 165 yards

Happy Sunday, friends, and for those of you in the States, have a safe and happy Halloween tomorrow!

Rock Candy Mountain, Take 2

Sep25

You may remember that I recently finished a fabulous rainbow shawl called Rock Candy Mountain. And if you remember that, you may also remember that I wanted to knit a purple version. Getting the yarn for that was my primary goal at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, and I’m happy to report that I was successful, with much credit given to my knitters who helped me pick colors!

Although I was kind of hoping to get the yarn all from one dyer, that wasn’t an option. They are at least all DK weight…okay, except for one sport but that’s close enough. I got the gray and two purples from Hook & Shuttle, two purples from Sun Valley Fibers, one purple from Leading Men Fiber Arts, and the lightest purple from Northern Bee Studio.

I was so excited that I got started while we were in Wisconsin, and I got the first wedge done. But the Leading Men had to be ordered so I set this project aside while I waited for it. Now it’s here and the yarn is all wound and I am ready to GO … as soon as I finish this one quick hat, I mean.

Happy Sunday, friends.

Purple makes me happy, did you know?

Mar13

Saturdays always seem a little happier, don’t they? Time to relax with an extra cup of tea, or putter around the house doing whatever I want, a bit of knitting, a bit of LEGO, a bit of reading. Last night the husband said he’d had enough screen time for a while and he wanted to read, so instead of watching TV while I knit, I pulled out my little silk lace cowl. It’s made with Malabrigo Mora, which is 100% silk that’s supposedly fingering but it’s very much a light fingering, so the project feels all delicate and fiddly and I haven’t worked on it in ages. It’s looking good though!

I think I’m through four of nine 12-row pattern repeats, so almost halfway. I might spend more time with this one over the weekend, because a lightweight silk cowl might be just the thing I need for spring. Two other happy things from yesterday: some absolutely gorgeous yarn from Pandia’s Jewels arrived and I have no idea what they’ll become except maybe just happy desk decorations for a while, and I got more purple back in my hair. I’d been taking a break from the Overtone purple conditioner for a while, mostly to see what my natural hair is like at the moment. Well. It’s rather dull with 2-3 inches of bleached hair at the ends. It’s fine, it’s good hair, I like the little silver hairs I have. The real problem is that it wasn’t purple, honestly. So the “purple for brown hair” came off my shelf and into the hair and it makes me happier when I look in the mirror.

Happy Saturday, friends. I hope you have time to do something you enjoy this weekend!

FO Friday: Hopes and Feathers

Jan8

My second finished object of 2021 is another carryover from last year, my Hopes & Feathers shawl. I started this in September and at first I was addicted to it, but then like many of my bigger WIPs, it got set aside when I got bored. Thank goodness I have these bouts of finish-itis!

It has a fun zigzag pattern done with slipped stitches. Mine isn’t super noticeable because my yarns are so close together in color; I think it would be fun to use two yarns that contrast a lot. But it was fun to knit and it made an enormous shawl!

The yarn is from LoloDidIt but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten which base. They’re sparkly so I’m guessing Sparkle Sock, and the colors are Wonka (purple) and Beetlejuice (purple/gray/green variegated). The yarn is gorgeous, a treat to knit with, and blocked out beautifully. I’m learning that the sock yarns with stellina make my feet itch, so I’m very glad I made a shawl with these instead! And I used 792 yards, enough left over to add some to my scrappy blanket.

Happy Friday, friends!

emPower People Cowl

Jul14

With no socks to distract me, I finished my purple emPower People cowl yesterday. And I know we’re supposed to block ALL of our knitting but I’m not blocking this, so there! I absolutely love the squish of unblocked garter stitch and I’m going to wear this one as is until it absolutely needs a wash.

AED422B3-7FE5-4D19-9C7D-AB17134533C3_1_201_a The pattern was extremely simple and has such a lovely shape and drape. I wasn’t sure how it would be seamed until I got to the end and discovered that yes, I had two short, straight sections that were designed to be sewn together. So clever!

D3E26D06-D62E-4E8A-BE69-AFE5AF0E0058 The yarn is Ritual Dyes Priestess DK in the color Belladonna and OMG it is heavenly! I’d never used their yarn before and this one was so soft and squishy. If I didn’t know it was 100% merino, I’d have guessed it had a bit of cashmere in it. I’ll definitely be wanting to get more of their yarns in the future. Look at those subtle color variations!

D6D95A2F-A8F0-46D7-9EDC-4CAED2A40E69 As soon as the weather cools off a bit, you know I’ll be wearing the heck out of this … I mean, as soon as we’re all safe to be out and about. And I think I want a pin to go on it too, maybe just “Vote”. Has anybody seen a good pin for this cowl?

Pride in the Name of Love

Sep3

Back in June, I impulsively bought yarn after seeing a photo on Instagram. I mean, heck, it might have happened more than once, but today is about just one of those purchases. This yarn was a special collaboration between Three Irish Girls yarn and Eat.Sleep.Knit in recognition of Pride month, all of which I loved. But it was also rainbow colors with PURPLE. Well. Take my money immediately, right? It took me a couple of months but I recently finished the Taina shawl I made with it, and it’s just as gorgeous knit up as it was in a skein.

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The yarn was their Adorn Luxe base, which has 15% nylon, which means I *could* have made socks, but this yarn was way too pretty to go on my feet. It was heavenly to knit with, soft and supple, and it blocked into such a wonderful drape. Can’t wait to wear this little beauty!

The pattern was just my cup of tea too: simple but not completely mindless, forgiving of mistakes if you make a section too long or too short, and lots of squishy garter stitch. It’s a long, narrow shawl — more of a scarf, which is what I prefer. I wish I’d bought a sweater quantity, but alas, I just got the one skein. If you want your own purple Pride yarn, there is some DK still available…unless I snatch it up for a sweater, that is!

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Diamond Cowl

May24

We survived another school year; I’m now the mom of a junior and an eighth-grader. After a celebratory lunch at Steak n Shake, where I successfully resisted the call of a milkshake, I managed to find some knitting time. I took a break from the mermaid blanket and picked up a WIP that had been neglected for six weeks. I’d done the easy part, the ribbing, but was waiting for the right time to start the more complicated pattern. Once I got going, I realized it wasn’t that complicated after all! It’s called the Kerr Diamond Cowl but I’ve done the stitch before as a Butterfly stitch. After the first time through the repeat, it’s been smooth sailing. It’s working up nicely and is a lovely way to show off the yarn. But no matter how hard I try to keep the yarn loose, it still puckers up, which is what I noticed the last few times I used the butterfly stitch. It’s just heavily textured, and I’m okay with that. Gives it more visual interest. The yarn is Show Me Yarn’s Cyclone in the All Dressed Up colorway, and it’s marvelous to knit with.

It was a nice knitting break, but now I feel I must return to the mermaid blanket.