Vanilla Velvet Mini

I finished this mini cowl (Vanilla Velvet pattern by Anne Hanson) a few months ago, but I finally blocked it. I used Shady Grove Alpaca farm yarn, Moonstar Sock with added nylon. When I first got the yarn back from the mill on 2016, my friend Lolita took a look at a few of my sample projects and exclaimed that this was the yarn that would show cables and lace the best. Sadly, it took me 9 years to give it a try. She was right!

I also washed the yarn before I knit the pattern so the yarn would preshrink. When my mom knit the sample socks, they shrank a few sizes after washing. I went down to size 1 needles, thus making the cowl much smaller than I intended. Since I already started knitting, I decided to make a tiny cowl with less pattern repeats. If I make it again, I will select the larger size and knit the recommended pattern repeats.

Two ways to wear: as a cowl and folded under as a turtleneck under a sweater. In spite of the added nylon, I still feel itchy while wearing, so I guess it's not the answer to my alpaca alergy.

The before pictures: I think prewashing the yarn made a big difference in the product, and the blocking was still needed to make the stitches appear smooth and expanded.

Happy Knitting in this early fall weather!

Change of Seasons Hat/Gaiter

Summer finish #1 is the Change of Seasons Hat/Gaiter from Mountain Meadow Wool company. It’s been a while since I worked with Shady Grove Alpacas yarn, and Dark Star’s Lopi spun does not disappoint!

The yarn is a good deal thicker than the pattern-recommended sport weight yarn. Knitting was done in two quick spurts. 

I enjoyed learning a new technique called the stitch by stitch hem from the ChillyDog YouTube channel. 

As advertised, the piece of clothing can also function as a cowl or gaiter for the neck. Next time I knit one, I will add more stitches during the increase row. I had 43 stitches on the needles and only added 4. It’s snug when you pull it over your head, but feels nice on the neck. It’s a bit tight if you want it to cover your mouth as well. 

The other change I would make is using different yarn or even something like smooth shoelaces inside the yarn tube. This yarn is pretty delicate and I’m not sure how long it will hold up with constant cinching. 

All in all, satisfying to complete and check it off the list! What will I knit next?

Frank is Finished

This knitting journey is complete! From a fabulous European vacation in 2022 that included a stop at the famed Stephen and Penelope Fine Yarn shop, to multiple pattern fails, to lack of motivation and other non-knitting projects, knitting this shawl has taken longer than I expected, but it was a lot of fun!

The shawl is inspired by the bold linear art of Italian-American Frank Stella, especially his early years in the 1950s. 

As usual, the Shady Grove yarn was not stretchy, so the piece does not block out to the full size as advertised. I’m not sad, since it is a monster size in the fully stretched version. I also felt that the eyelet rows were open enough to see the lace detail. 

Details:

Pattern: Frank Shawl by Joji Locatelli

Yarn: 3 skeins of fingering weight LITLG, color ways Dragon Seed, Hearth, and Tangerine and 2 skeins of Shady Grove Alpacas The Eleven lace weight held double 

Needles: Size 5 circulars

Date started: April 7, 2023

Date finished: November 19, 2023

Total weight: 305 grams 

It turns out to be in the perfect colors for fall and I enjoyed wearing it for Thanksgiving. 

Not sure if  “Signals,” by Jeremy Moon (1967) at the Milwaukee Museum of Art is inspired by Stella or just belongs to a general trend of that time, but it has some things in common with the shawl!

Modeling the ‘fit with my Herdwick sheep bag that I got on the same 2022 Europe trip in the Lake District in northern England. Beatrix Potter was famous for saving this variety of sheep and for preserving the tradition of Fell Farming before donating her Lake District properties to the British Land Trust after her death. 

Dark Star is also looking on. The Eleven was his half brother and the lace weight held double is so buttery soft and drapey! Of course it felt like twine while knitting before it was washed. 

Here’s wishing a peaceful beginning to the holiday season! I hope all gift knitting will be completed with time to spare!

 

Progress!

Fall Break was such a great time to refocus on this yarn beast! With relatively little ado I had this project back on track. The final triangle down the middle is nearing completion quickly as the rows are ever getting shorter. 

 I had a moment of terror when I saw how extremely bright the orange yarn is. But my eyes have settled down to enjoy the brilliance. Perhaps I’ll be able to wear it for Thanksgiving… We’ll see!

Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 

Yarn for Sale!

It’s been a few years, but a quick opportunity to sell some yarn close to home came up at the beginning of June. Westwind Farm and Fiber put together a small fiber festival during the pandemic to help local artisans sell products outdoors. They have continued to host the festival, adding fun activities for families and children. 

I had two tables for displays, giving me the opportunity to explore some options. I added depth with some empty cardboard boxes that were strategically covered with shawls and hats. 

Lots of room for all the felt sheets at the end. I still only put out a few skeins of each type of yarn with each sample to cut down on setup time. 

And putting my mom’s straw star display tree to new use by hanging yarn from it was a nice way to display lace- and fingering weight yarns. 

The setup still took a really long time, so new strategies for making that go quicker are needed. It was fun to see all the families enjoy the time with all the great animals and activities. Best of all, I had one significant sale, allowing me to also reconnect with an acquaintance from a few years ago!

Happy knitting!

 

Frankly

Frankly, I have a lot on my plate right now, so this one will be short!

Frankly, the Frank Shawl is the right pattern for my souvenir yarn from Amsterdam with a little special treat from Shady Grove Alpacas The Eleven lace weight held double. Winning combo! 

This shawl been a nice way to reduce screen time in those short moments where I just need something mindless to do. Or those long moments where I am chaperoning a class trip to Kings Island. Miles of garter stitch to the rescue!

More fun non-knitting news soon! Happy Spring Knitting!

Alpaca Sundries

Let’s be honest: I am posting tonight so I don’t lose my monthly posting streak. But aside from that, it has been a fun month for the alpacas. Mostly great weather has resulted in additional late-season pasture snacks. 

A special visitor stopped by to dispense some grain goodness. The visitor was adamant about fairness as you can see by the cane holding off the greedy one! Moonstar is getting more aggressive in her old age.

We enjoyed the first snow on The Farmer’s birthday. Several inches accumulated and stayed on the ground, meaning that we can start eating baked apples. It’s an old family tradition.

Finally, we’re excited to donate two skeins of yarn to our local youth orchestra for their silent auction on December 11th! Message me for details.

Here’s wishing all of you a joyous holiday season. Lots of concerts for me, followed by some time with family. Till soon!

 

Shady Grove Crochet

A few years ago, my husband’s colleague inquired about our Shady Grove Alpaca yarn. As she crochets, I really wanted to gift her some yarn to see how it works up. I had no samples and no idea what it would look like. But I procrastinated the gift until I saw her at a fiber fair this past spring. She was so delighted to try it and crocheted up this beautiful cowl.

The pattern is the free Seaside Continuous Scarf by Souma Crochet, and it sure makes the yarn show off! The yarn weight is DK in Bella (Brown) and Moonstar (cream). I might want to learn how to crochet now as I think the look is stunning! 

Thanks for a great partnership! And Happy Crocheting!!

 

Toph Hat

I have to confess that I am scrolling way too long on my Instagram feed. My algorithm is favoring knit designers, test knitters, indie dyers, and other fiber creatives. My Ravelry favorites have increased exponentially. 

One fine day (Labor Day weekend) I decided to untether and actually knit one of my discoveries. This hat is called Toph by Woolly Wormhead, a designer who specializes in hats knitted vertically. 

  

I used DK yarn from Shady Grove Alpacas Moonstar, and used up another skein of DK Diakeito Diavoyage. 

My row gauge was a little tight, so the hat fits like a beanie. At first I was a little sad that there is no slouch, but I really enjoy the close fit and extreme warmth!

One obligatory shot with Moonstar and new side-kick, Peggy-O. 

 

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you are celebrating a joyful and safe holiday in spite of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. *big sigh* Here's sending you some positive vibes for negative test results so you can enjoy the egg nog!

Slipstravaganza

I think this might be my last COVID-19 post, since I made most of this shawl before being fully vaccinated. I knit surprisingly little during the pandemic, but this project helped me pick up steam again. Introducing the Shady Grove Yarn starring in Slipstravaganza by Stephen West, which was launched as a Mystery Knit A Long in October, 2020. It was my first experience with a Stephen West pattern, and I was not disappointed. It just took me quite a few more months than most other participants!

I once again used fingering weight yarn from our foundation herd animals: Greta (black), Bella (brown), and Moonstar (white). The gray is yak yarn from a local yarn store. The next time I have yarn made, I will get fewer yarn weights and ask for a mix of black and white for a shade of gray. I really wanted to use only farm colors but only had three choices; other yarn weights have less options, in case I want to make something in multiple colors.

My favorite thing about the pattern is the i-cord edges that go around the entire shawl. I-cord is the most appropriate edge for the Shady Grove yarn. The most tricky thing about the pattern is planning the slipped stitches in the row before they need to be slipped. Make sure to make the loops extra long with this yarn, otherwise the rows underneath will pucker.

Upon finishing a very quick blocking of the knit (I laid it out and pinned it in under 7 minutes), we headed out East for a vacation. I managed to not pack enough warm clothes for a trip to the top of Mt. Washington (26*), so it got a little field trip up and down the mountain on the cog train. 

Stay safe out there, and PLEEEEEEASE get your vaccine if you haven't yet. And don't forget to remain kind. Much love to you, friends!

I *tink* I Made an Error

I didn't just make one error. I made two. In the same row! So that was a fun way to start my Sunday... Oh well! That will teach me to keep reading the pattern. Always the same mistake! This is the beginning of my Slipstravaganza shawl, the 2020 Stephen West MKAL pattern. It looks like so many people have already finished, and I'm still working on section 1, released one month ago... I'm just busy tinking back, haha! 

Anyway, I thought this knit would be a fun knit to celebrate 10 years of alpaca farming. I'm using farm yarns and a special guest yarn made of yak (gray color) that I procured from a local yarn shop. We've had alpacas here since November 3, 2010. I'll be posting more about the anniversary this week. 

Last month I read Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. It had come up on several teacher pages that I follow, and so it piqued my curiosity. It provided a lot of insight into growing up in rural Appalachian America. Lots of food for thought. Check out the other knitting and reading projects at Ginny's yarn-along page. 

Yarn Along - Slouch Potato

It's been a while. Turns out teaching school is hard this year, and it takes considerably more time than in the past. But teaching is going well, in spite of being at a new school and dealing with all the pandemic restrictions and accommodations. And I did take some time away to knit a hat recently!

I adore the knitting patterns of Anne Hanson. She has a weekly weekend pattern deal, and two weeks ago her Slouch Potato hat really spoke to me. It calls for DK yarn, which I have a lot of in our Shady Grove Alpaca farm stash.

My size 3 needle is made of brass. The oils on my hands must interact with the brass, because the patterned part on bottom turned light blue. It's only slightly visible in the photo above. Fortunately, most of it washed out.

Pattern: Slouch Potato by Anne Hanson

Yarn: Shady Grove Alpacas Suri DK in Moonstar, Size 3 & 6 needles

Started: September 27, 2020

Finished: October 3, 2020

Of course I needed to pose with the lovely lady who supplied the fiber. Moonstar is pretty skittish, so there was a long haul of walking around the pen making ineffective noises to get her attention! 

In this final picture, you will notice a new alpaca in the background. I hope to finally blog about him tomorrow.

As for books, I managed to read two books by Fredrik Backman: My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You Sorry and A Man Named Ove. Both feature very quirky main characters, possibly on the autism spectrum, who have hearts of gold. They were lovely to relax to. 

Check out the other Yarn Along projects and reading lists on Ginny's page. Till soon!

Mitts!

Chanukah and Christmas have come and gone, (with exception of the 7 remaining Christmas days), but of course the knitting is just now getting completed. At the very last minute I decided to knit my sister-in-law some mitts. I had one finished for our gift exchange on December 26, and managed to knit the second one by last night.

• Pattern: Wheaten Fingerless Mitts by Anne Hanson
  
• Start date: December 24 at 6:00 am
• End date: December 28 at 6:00 pm
• Yarn: 2016 Shady Grove Alpacas Sport in colorway Dark Star with 10% tencil, 1.7 oz or just under one skein 
• Needles: size 2 and 3
• For: Kate

This was another wonderful pattern, very easy and so pretty and rewarding. The Dark Star sport yarn is 90% alpaca and 10% tencil, a combination that I seem to be less allergic to than regular 100% alpaca. I might try this yarn in a project that is for me, just to test the theory... 🥰