The Joy of Beautiful Yarn

Looking back at my Ravelry Project page I realize I have been obsessed with knitting for five years now.  I'll never forget when my mother-in-law first told me about Ravelry.  I was hooked. The wealth of knowledge in this website astounded me.  Five years later I can honestly say I am more passionate about knitting than ever. I don't think a day goes by without me knitting a few stitches.  It just brings me that much joy.

Over the past five years I have bought a lot of yarn.  At the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing.  I just bought what attracted me.  At the time I couldn't get over how the variety of yarn available had changed, compared to when I had first learned to knit in my younger days.  But the more I read, the more I perused Ravelry and many knitter's blogs, the more I learned.  Books like The Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parkes as well as her Craftsy video Know Your Yarn helped me gain knowledge.  Nowadays I am much more picky about what I buy and I enjoying trying new yarn.

Besides learning about the variety of yarn available, I am also fascinated with the way dyers dye their yarn and the beautiful colourways they create.  Once such dyer is Melissa Thomson of Sweet Fiber Yarns. Her colourways are so appealing.  This year I joined the Sweet Fiber's Sock Yarn Club and was continuously impressed with the yarn I received.  I really love the expertise in which she dyes beautiful unique colourways.  Have a look:

Monarch

Wildflowers

Indigo Dreams

Stepping Stones

Riverbed

I have to admit that I had a hard time choosing just a few pictures of her yarn to share with you. I realize, as I was looking at my photo library, that I seem to take an inordinate amount of Sweet Fiber Yarn pictures.  They are just that pretty.  Here's a few more if I haven't convinced you yet.

 

When you join a Yarn Club it is a bit of a risk.  However, I was never disappointed.  I think it was money well spent.

This year another Sweet Fiber colourway that really caught my interest was Chartreuse.  I used the colourway in Cladonia by Kirsten Kapur, one of my favourite shawls I knit this year.

Cladonia

I loved it so much I couldn't resist knitting Amy Miller's Lake Effect in it as well.

Super Sweet Sock:  Chartreuse

Lake Effect

I have some other Sweet Fiber colourways in my stash and I excited to knit with them in 2016.  I look forward to seeing what colourways Melissa comes up with in the coming year.  When you are knitting the right pattern combined with the right yarn it is so joyous.  That's how I feel when I knit with Sweet Fiber Yarns. 

F.O. Indigo Dreams Socks

I finished my second pair of socks in Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock.  The colourway is Indigo Dreams and is part of the Sweet Fiber Yarns Sock Club.   As I am a newbie when it comes to sock knitting I stuck to another basic pattern called A Nice Ribbed Sock by Glenna C. that I knew would showcase this colourway.  Aren't they pretty?

Worked in a 3x1 rib these socks seem to fit well.

Once again Melissa Thomson has outdone herself with this colourway.  For those of you wishing to get your own skein of Indigo Dreams Melissa has said that she will be making it available sometime in the future. Keep your eye on her website for the latest information.  I am looking forward to seeing the third installment of the sock club which should arrive any day now.  I really think I am becoming a sock convert!  I am looking forward to cooler weather when I can start wearing them.

Cladonia

Cladonia, by Kirstin Kapur, is a pattern that I have had in my queue for some time.  It is a lovely shawl knit in fingering weight yarn, with a pretty lace border. I was waiting to have the perfect colour combination before knitting this shawl, and after my trip to 88 Stitches, I knew I had finally found it.  Look at this colour of Sweet Fiber Yarn:

Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock

Just before adding the lace section

I combined Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock in Chartreuse with some yarn I had in my stash, String Theory Caper Sock in Java (a merino, cashmere and nylon blend) and knit the most beautiful Cladonia.

Ta-dah:

In person, Chartreuse is such a vibrant colour, it just seems to glow.  Even my husband, who rarely says anything about my yarn, commented on the beauty of that colour. Sweet Fiber Yarns' Melissa Thomson has a real gift when it comes to dyeing gorgeous yarn colours.  (If you want to try out her yarn she is beginning a new Sock Club starting in May...check it out).

String Theory's Caper Sock is another old favourite of mine.  The colourways are also very unique.  This yarn added a softness to this project creating a shawl I never want to take off. (I bought my String Theory as Shall We Knit in Waterloo. The owner is bringing some to the Toronto Knitter's Frolic in Toronto at the end of the month if anyone wants to check it out).

Cladonia is one of those patterns that is so relaxing to knit.  Everything went perfectly.  The last row of the lace border took the longest to do but was not difficult at all.  I can understand why almost 2000 people have made this pattern.  I don't usually make the same pattern twice but I could see myself making this shawl again.  This shawl was a little break from the cardigan I am knitting.  More on that later!  Have a good week : )

Sweet Fiber Accessories: Endsleigh

Over the summer I had the delightful opportunity to test knit a few patterns from a collection called Sweet Fiber Accessories, which was released today by Melissa Thomson, owner of Sweet Fiber Yarns in Vancouver.  This collection consists of a beautiful shawl named Endsleigh, four hats and two cowls.  

The first pattern I knit from this collection was Endsleigh.  Although the pattern called for Sweet Fiber Yarn Merino Twist Worsted I used Coastal, a DK weight yarn, in Vintage Lace, using up about 2.5 skeins. The yarn blocked out beautifully creating a perfectly sized shawl.

Sweet Fiber Coastal

The pattern was well written and easy to follow. Any errors I made were easy to fix, making this a perfect pattern for those that are learning how to knit lace. This 50% merino and 50% silk combination feels heavenly and I will definitely be getting a lot of wear out of this beautiful shawl.

The perfect sized shawl

The colours in Sweet Fiber Yarn are so stunning.  Check out Melissa Thomson's online shop .  I may just be headed over there now ;o)

Stay tuned for my next blog entry about the other patterns I knit from this beautiful collection.