I started the Pine Lake Shawl, a free pattern on Ravelry by Jaala Spiro, last Sunday and finished last night. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Tonals yarn (aran weight). After washing and blocking it overnight, here is the finished product:
Tag: knitting
17th Wedding Anniversary and Mystery Yarn
April 1st was my 17th wedding anniversary, so my husband and I hopped in the car and visited all of the outdoor places that were significant to us in the area. Since he proposed to me in the same city as my favorite yarn shop, he bought me another mystery yarn bag that Hook A Frog Fiber & Fun was offering for curbside delivery. I did tell the shop owner that I needed a row counter, so she threw in a row counter ring (Knitter’s Pride), which I absolutely love. I’m excited to start a new project with some of the yarn I’ve gotten from both mystery bags.
Mystery Grab Bag from Hook A Frog (Madison, AL)
Yesterday, I picked up a mystery grab bag from LYS, Hook A Frog Fiber & Fun in Madison, AL. They’re offering these mystery grab bags via curbside pickup or FREE shipping. I told her what I wanted (anything DK weight or heavier, yarn-wise) and she put a bag together for me to pick up.
They’re offering these bags at $50 (You get $75+/retail items) or $100 (You get $150+/retail items). I loved my bag and might go back for another before all this COVID-19 craziness is over.
You can also order regular items and mystery grab bags via her online shop or call in any order and she’ll ship it to you at Hookafrog.net .
Finally Finished! “Straight-Up Cowl”
I started working on the “Straight-Up Cowl” by Jillian Robbins during the Deep South Yarn Hop in early November…on the recommendation of a yarn shop store manager. It took me until yesterday to finish the cowl…not because I’m a slow knitter, but because the pattern about bored me to tears–and all the purl stitches threatened to blow my thumb off.
The shop I got the pattern from didn’t have the recommended yarn by Frabjous Fibers, so I opted for an equivalent weight from Madeline Tosh’s Vintage line. The yarn felt like a sport weight instead of the worsted that it was labeled as, so naturally, it took much longer to finished the 56 row cowl. I should stop here and say that being a weaver (who is used to very fast projects), I rarely knit with anything below a DK weight and 5.0mm+ needle. So, 52 rows of mostly purl stitches with “worsted” (sport weight) yarn is pure torture to me. Because I’m double jointed in my thumbs, purl stitches make my thumbs feel like they’ve been dislocated after a few rows, too…so I guess I’ll be switching to continental style or Portuguese knitting soon. I knit using a modified English-style at present.
So, here it is, the “Straight-Up” Cowl by Jillian Robbins (which I will never knit again).
December 2019: Finished Objects
December 2019 was a blur for me and my family. My father underwent a major emergency surgery on December 7th after three weeks of being sick with an undiagnosed illness. He spent 25 days in the hospital and underwent 4 procedures during that time. My mother never left his side, so I did a lot of running around on her behalf until my father finally got to come home on December 30th.
I did, however, manage to get several weaving and a knitting project completed when I wasn’t at the hospital. Weaving (and knitting) kept my hands busy while my mind worried about my dad. Thankfully, he is on the mend and I am now able to look forward to new projects in 2020.
Here a few that I completed in December:
Jewel Spun Shawl #1 (back) 
Jewel Spun Shawl #1 (front)
Jewel Spun Shawl #2 (back) 
Jewel Spun Shawl #2 (front)
Merino/Donegal Tweed Scarflett 
Merino/Beech Tree Fiber Scarf
Boomerang Shawl knitted with River Cottage Farm Fibers Romney “Son of Chiefton” Wool Yarn
This Week’s Project #1: From the Dyepot
Other than teaching beginner-advanced yarn dyeing classes at my LYS, I haven’t dedicated much time to professional acid-fast dyeing recently. I remedied that this week by dyeing five skeins of 100% Superwash Merino wool yarn in DK weight. I hope to start selling these at the LYS where my studio is (Yarn Boutique of Decatur–Decatur, AL). When I owned my own yarn shop (In the Loop, Hartselle, AL), I had my own handdyed yarn brand: Mythos Yarn. This is the brand I plan to revive at Yarn Boutique.
For this “test” project, I decided on two colorways. The first is hand painted with fuscia, turquoise, silver, and black. The other is a violet purple blend. Names are forthcoming.
Deep South Yarn Hop 2019: Yarn Haul
I only got to visit 6 out of 7 participating shops during the 1st Annual Deep South Yarn Hop, but I had a great time traveling to those shops…especially the ones I hadn’t been to before, bringing home some fiber goodness. Here are pictures of my haul. All the yarn I bought was discounted for the event (except for Taming of the Ewe and Bliss Yarns).
WIP: My Home Studio Space
After 11 years in a small, 3 bedroom house, my family and I finally moved into a larger house in the middle of August. Luckily, this new house has enough extra space that allows me to have a home weaving studio. The room is somewhat oddly shaped, so I’m taking it slow when it comes to figuring out how to be use the space. Because the ceilings are slanted, I’m thinking I’ll have to put shelves on the walls at some point to maximize storage space. The door to the walk-in attic space is also in this room…which is why the plastic bins are in front of it at the moment.
The closet came with the built-in shelving units, so I’m using them as-is for now, but I may end up moving them around later.
I’ve always tried to have some design-element to each room in my home, but at the moment, this room is just a purely functional space. Perhaps if I spend enough time on Pinterest, I can come up with some better storage and design ideas for this room.
Find me on YouTube: September 2019 Yarn Haul from Hook A Frog (Madison, AL)
Latest Yarn Score: Hook A Frog Fiber and Fun (Madison, AL)
Last Saturday (November 9, 2019) after I finished teaching a beginner weaving class at Yarn Boutique of Decatur (location of my weaving studio/retail space), I headed over to Hook A Frog Fiber & Fun, our neighboring yarn shop in Madison, AL. This was no typical visit, however, because this was Day 2 the 1st Annual Deep South Yarn Hop event–meaning special sales for anyone with an event passport.
I wasn’t prepared for what I found in the $5 sale baskets: Noro Tennen (50% Wool/25% Silk/25% Alpaca) and Berroco Skye yarns (37% Wool/35% Viscose/20% Yak/8% Nylon). I scooped up nine skeins of the Noro (5 skeins of Smoky colorway & 4 skeins of Alpine colorway) and six balls of Berocco Skye (Leo colorway).
As part of the yarn hop, I also received two free stitch markers…an additional perk to my already amazing score.
Free stitch markers from Hook A Frog Fiber & Fun
I came home that evening and used the Noro Tennen (Alpine colorway) as the weft of a new scarf I was weaving on my 32″ Kromski Harp rigid heddle loom.
Stay tuned for upcoming projects using these yarns! Visit my FB page to see more photos of finished projects or my main website Emily Wallace Handwoven Designs.
Diary of a Yarnophile 