Stephen & Penelope Yarn Shop: Amsterdam

I have dreamed about going to Amsterdam for so many years and my wish finally came true.  I was so happy to visit this amazing city.  First on my list was a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens to see the tulips.  I was not disappointed as  the beauty of this place far surpassed what I had imagined.

Second on my Amsterdam list was a visit to Stephen & Penelope, a cozy yarn store situated in the heart of the city, owned partly by the infamous designer Stephen West. This store had an impressive variety of brightly coloured yarn from Europe and North America.  Of course I wore my orange Lumpy Space shawl designed by Stephen West which I had knit for this trip. 

Even though Stephen West was not in the store I enjoyed every minute of my visit, admiring the many gorgeous skeins of yarn.  Here are a few of my favourite photos:

West Wool:  Tandem

Stephen & Penelope St. Magnus DK Orkney Angora

La Bien Aimeé: Westknits Goes to Paris

Fru Valborg

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Qing Fibre

Qing Fibre

Qing Fibre

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Garn Stories

Bilum

A huge wall of Hedgehog Yarn

Lingarn Yarn

I really enjoyed seeing all the Stephen West design samples.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Mohairino Medley:  this shawl is definitely going into my queue

It was very hard to just pick a few skeins to take home as there were just so many lovely choices.  I picked some skeins that would be hard to find in Canada.  This is what ended up coming home with me:

Walk Collection Kid Mohair Lace

Undercover Otter:  Otter Pup

Qing Fibre Melted Baby Suri

Walk Collection Kid Mohair Lace

I am looking forward to knitting with these skeins as whatever I knit will always remind me of this special place.  Amsterdam was truly a wonderful city and I enjoyed every minute of my holiday there.  Now what should I knit with this yarn?

F.O. Lumpy Space by Stephen West

Pattern:  Lumpy Space

Designer:  Stephen West

Yarn:  Anzula Sebastian (70% merino 30% Sea Cell)

Colourway:  Cantaloupe

Anzuala Sebastian

Yarn:  Fiber Optic Yarns Foot Notes Paintbox Gradient (80% merino 20% nylon)
Colourway:  Neon

Fiber Optic Yarns

Yarn:  Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles (100% Merino)
Colourway:  Poppy

Hedgehog Fibres

Yarn:  Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label Cash Silk Single (75% merino, 15% cashmere, 10% silk)

Colourway:  Papaya

Needles:  3.75mm

Ravelry:  my notes

Added Notes: 

1.  Okay I get it now.  After knitting several of Stephen West's patterns I can understand why he is such a popular designer.  The patterns are fun to knit and keep you motivated to knit quickly, as you want to sees what's happening next.  Stephen's patterns are easy to follow and always teach you a few new things.

2.  Over the last couple years I have tried to find a pattern to showcase the Fiber Optics vibrant gradient kit that I had bought at Rhinebeck several years ago.  I tried a few other patterns with this yarn but had no luck finding the right match.  However, once I decided on Lumpy Space for my Fiber Optic yarn everything seemed to work.  I used the reds and orange skeins from the gradient kit and made a fade in Section One and Two. I used a speckled Hedgehog Fibres yarn that worked will with the Anzula Sebastian yarn.

I found some leftover Tanis Fiber Arts Red label that I had used on this gorgeous hat by Joji Locatelli called Vitsippa.  It was the perfect combination of pink and orange for the picot edge.  I love it when everything comes together like that.  

Section 1:  Fiber Optics Yarn alternated with Hedgehog Fibres

Section 2:  Fiber Optics Yarn

Section 3:  Hedgehog Fibres alternated with Anzula Sebastian

Picot Edging:  Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label 

3.  This shawl is knitted in different sections as you can see above.  I completed Section One with no problems.  Section Two was challenging for me. I knit the first part of the diamond shape with no problem. Then I had to join the second part of Section One and that's where the trouble started. The sections kept getting twisted.  After a few failed attempts I decided to leave that second half of Section Two and complete Section Three and the picot edging.  Once that was done it was quite simple to complete the second half of Section Two.  The pattern is very well written with lots of photos to help knitters.

I am so pleased with how the shawl turned out and will be bringing it on my holiday to Amsterdam.  I will be there during the national holiday called King's Day where everyone wears orange so I think this shawl will be perfect to wear.  I am hoping to visit Stephen & Penelope on my visit and I will be sure to share my pictures here on my blog and over on my Instagram account.  So stay tuned! Don't forget to check out Stephen West's gorgeous collection of patterns and make sure to sign up for his newsletter so that you can get the latest news and special discounts.

F.O. Vertices Unite by Stephen West

Spring weather is still a distant dream here in the Toronto area, so I decided to cast on a pattern that I knew would help me chase away my winter blues.  Vertices Unite, designed in 2014, by Stephen West is a popular pattern, and has been in my queue since it was published. I felt it was time that I made one for myself.  I dug deep into my stash and chose some speckled skeins I had been saving.  The combination of knitting a Stephen West pattern with beautiful coloured yarn, had the desired effect of putting me into a great mood. 

There are currently 2526 Vertices Unite pattern pages on Ravelry.  The popularity of this pattern is well deserved.  The pattern is easily modified to create any size shawl you desire. It can be knit with a variety of colours or with just one colour and still look awesome. This makes it a great stashbuster.  The shawl is one of those shapes that is easy to style.  Here's my version:

Pattern:  Vertices Unite

Vertices Unite

Designer: Stephen West

Yarn: 

Section 1:  Hedgehog Fibres Sock (90 % Merino 10% nylon)  Bubble
Section 2:  Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label (80% Merino 20% nylon)  Lemongrass &
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% Fingering)  Robin's Egg

Bubble (top) and Bounce (bottom)

Section 3:  Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles (100% Merino) Boombox

Boombox

Section 4:  Flock Fibre Studio Take A Hike Sock (80% Merino 20% Nylon) Feeling Lucky

Section 5:  Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles:  Bounce
Section 6:  Ancient Yarns Socknado Twister (80% Merino 20% nylon) I Met Stephen West and I Liked It (this was a sample given out at Knit City 2017)

Border:  Madelinetosh Tosh Sock (100% Merino) Button Jar Blue

Needles: 3.5mm

Ravelry:  my notes


Added Notes:  

1.  I wanted to knit a medium sized shawl and so I knit Section One to 76 stitches.  Once that decision is made the rest of the pattern is easy to modify.

2.  Stephen West striped three of the six sections.   I only striped Section 2.

3.  Section One and Section Three used the most yarn.  Some Project Pages list specific weights used of each yarn if you are interested in that information.

4.  I thought the I-cord bind-off border really made the shawl look great.  It is very time consuming to do but so worth the effort. The border used up 13 grams of yarn.

5.  If you are interested, Stephen West has come out with two different versions of this popular shawl.  There is Textures Unite, a shawl knit in fingering weight yarn exploring different stitches for each section, and recently he published the Vertices Unite Baby Blanket knit in DK weight yarn

Vertices Unite

Let me assure you that while I am waiting for spring to happen around here, I will be wearing this shawl often.  It's amazing how knitting a great pattern with some gorgeous yarn can change someone's mood.  Now I will return to finishing up some projects on the needles before I cast on anymore spring projects.  

Happy knitting and stay warm

F.O. Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West

Pattern: Boneyard Shawl  (free pattern)

Boneyard Shawl

Designer:  Stephen West

Yarn: The Blue Brick Niagara MCN (70% merino, 15% cashmere, 15%nylon):  discontinued  500yards (457 metres)

Colourway:  Iceberg

Needles: 4.0mm

In progress

Glacier colourway

Ravelry: my notes

Added Notes:

This is such a basic pattern I almost feel silly blogging about it.  However, I am choosing to write this blog to draw your attention to how beautiful the Blue Brick yarn is.  The reason I chose to knit such a simple pattern is because this yarn is so pretty, I only needed a very basic pattern to showcase it.  I love the passion and work of Shireen Nadir and her husband Tito of The Blue Brick, two Canadian hand dyers.  Each yarn they produce is based on a photo that this talented couple has taken, often from nature.  The Blue Brick's specialty is handpainted, ombre and gradient yarn, as well as tonals. Check out all the beautiful colourways available here.  I knit the Starshower by Hilary Smith Callis knit in The Blue Brick Killarney Sock in the gorgeous Labradorite colourway.  Have a look:

Killarney Sock:  Labradorite colourway

Starshower in progress

I had the pleasure of meeting Shireen at the Frogpond Organic Winery Art Show in Niagara-on-the-Lake last summer.  

Wearing my Starshower knit in The Blue Brick Killarney sock

I have been a long time fan of Shireen and have admired her many skills (including knitwear designer, photograper, and jewellery designer to name a few).  If you read The Blue Brick's blog or follow them on Instagram, you would have seen many pictures of their two gorgeous dogs.  I was so touched when I read the adoption story of their dog Sammy last year. I encourage you to check it out.

It's true that owning your own business has its challenges, but Shireen and Tito had an exceptionally hard year last year, as described on their blog.  Hopefully 2018 is better for them. I look forward to seeing The Blue Brick grow their business, and create new colourways and products.  So much talent!