Recently in Moonstone Lace Category
Jennifer asked a question about the yarn used for Moonstone Lace Scarf. My reply bounced back from your address Jennifer, so here's my answer: The yarn is thick and thin, and overall I would call it an aran-to-worsted weight. It was my first time using hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn and it was amazingly soft and knitted up quickly. Luckily I have 2 more skeins in my stash! And how's this for enabling:
Chasing Rainbows Dye Works (Nancy Finn)
{a} a1700 Hilltop Drive, Willits CA 95490
{p} 707.459.8558
{e} nancyscrd AT saber DOT net
More info here.
Thank you for all your comments on Grace. As my first sweater/jacket, it was a great knit and a great learning experience. To have more experienced knitters commenting on my knitting is a BIG compliment. Thank you! (And special thanks to Kerstin for the blog shoutout!)
Secret Pals 2 ended of course last week. My Secret Pal was Mia in Maryland, who doesn't have a knitting blog up, yet, but I'm trying to persuade her. She's been knitting for a while and I'm curious to see what she's finished and if she's been using the yarn or book I gave her! I was Elizabeth's Secret Pal, and you've seen all the yummy things she's sent. I'll be swatching with a few of those yarns pretty soon!
Pattern: Feather and fan
Yarn: Chasing Rainbows Dye Works Kid/Merino (300yds) in Moonstone
Needles: US8 (5mm)
Finished Size: 7.5" x 52" (19cm x 132cm)
This was such a pleasure to knit! I frogged it early last week because I didn't like the edges, so then I slipped the first and last stitch on the wrong side. It must have been the combination of kid mohair and merino, or perhaps the stunning colors, or even the sensation of thick and thin yarn passing through my fingers, because I couldn't put it down. It practically knit itself up.
The back "pattern" is just as beautiful as the front. I had a scant 12" for casting off and weaving in ends, I wanted to use as much of it as possible. Nancy Finn or Willits, CA is the woman behind Chasing Rainbows Dye Works; she doesn't have a web presence (but if you Google for her you're likely to get a phone number). It's probably better to see her colorways in person, because no photos would do justice. My Moonstone colorway is incredibly luminous but understated. Just. Lovely. I know my mom will love this, I certainly do!
1 scarf down, 2 to go... (can we make it New Year's gifts instead?)
Friday afternoon we left L.A. for points north...
... both longitude- and altitude-wise. Saturday was spent hanging on this rock. What an epic it was: we left the city at 5.00p, got to our campsite at 2.30a, got up at 4.30a, ate, packed up and started the hike at 6.45a, got to the base of said rock at 10.30a, started climbing at 12.00p. Topped out 2000 feet later at 9p. Yup, 9 at night. You could see campfires, lights, cars down below. Started the looong 8.2-mile hike down (it's long when you're tired and it's dark) and got back to our cars 2.30a. Passed out at 2.31a. I lost 5 pounds and must have eaten twice that amount the following day, I was so friggin' ravenous. The 4 of us who stuck together looked like civil war refugees... It was quite an experience and I found that there's some crazy part of me that likes long, multi-pitch trad climbing. I would definitely do this again!
Got some goodies from my Secret Pal! Peruvian alpaca/wool/cashmere, scented with gardenia or jasmine! And chocolate-filled pretzel sticks, which I've already inhaled. Thank you so much, you've definitely enriched my stash!
Moonstone is coming along. Slowly. Here's 10 rows. I started this early in the morning so I was pleasantly surprised to see the colors blend so beautifully. This is now going to be a scarf for my mom (she really fancied the yarn) so I'm going to make something else for my gran.
Another quick winter knit: mittens part two for the incredibly petite friend with childlike hands. Like the first pair, this is in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Old Rose. This should be a snap to finish up. Uh oh, did I just jinx myself?
