Simple Knits | October

Hello, lovelies! I have something really special for you for October's Simple Knits Knitalong project - there was a bit of a delay in getting started this month, but I think it will be well worth the wait and I hope you agree...

I've been anxiously waiting the arrival of a super-special new yarn from Julie Asselin. In case you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a crush on all of Julie's yarns... she has an amazing sense of color and her yarn bases are pretty fabulous.  So, knowing that her brand new yarn, Nurtured, would be arriving at Firefly Fibers at the beginning of October had me thinking that this month it might be a bit more about the yarn than the pattern - after all, I'm really excited to get this new yarn onto my needles and I thought you might like to try it, too

Meet Nurtured...

 
Nurtured by Julie Asselin

Nurtured by Julie Asselin

 
"As fiber lovers we really wanted to come up with a classic, non superwash yarn that would meet all of our criteria for a great product that knitters will enjoy working with, maybe getting some of them to rediscover the joys of more traditional yarns!" ~Julie Asselin

Nice, isn't it? Nurtured is a worsted weight woolen spun yarn that has a bit of residual lanolin from the spinning process and that's something that I ABSOLUTELY love - it smells fabulously like sheep AND it's super nourishing on the hands as you knit. After washing, Nurtured plumps, softens, and brightens for a gorgeous finished project. Nurtured is sure to become a 'go-to' classic yarn.

This month I want to give you a few options since we have a brand new yarn to try out, and also because the gift-giving season will be here before we know it. So, I have 3 accessories for you to choose from (as usual, you can knit as many of each as you want)...

Option #1 - Dreieke by Very Shannon (1 skein): 

Option #2 - Spate by Jane Richmond (2 skeins):

 
 

Option #3 - Turbulence by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits (2 skeins - 1 each color):

Nurtured really is a must-try yarn and these smaller accessories are the perfect introduction or reminder of how beautiful rustic yarns can be. But... if you'd like to use a different worsted weight yarn for any of these projects, that's perfectly okay and we'd love to see these designs knit up in any yarn - Simple Knits is all about taking and making time for smaller projects.

I hope you knit along this month and enjoy the project selections. Nurtured is available at Firefly Fibers and we do have a sample hat knit knit up in Nurtured so you can really see how the yarn transforms after washing. If you're not local and want to try Nurtured, it's available here in our online shop and I'll pack it up for you right away and ship it off.

Want to hear more about Nurtured? Mr. Yarnista and I talk about how awesome Nurtured is in Episode 9 of our podcast. psst... you can subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or with any other podcatcher. 

Cheers!

Simple Knits | Simply September

Whew! I'm finally on the mend and feeling much better after my horrid summer cold. I shudder to think of the time I spent sleeping, when I could have been knitting - really, I know I needed to sleep, but this is just how my mind works. lol!

Now that I'm feeling better, it's time for the September Simple Knits Knitalong project - drum roll please... 

This month I couldn't resist going back to one of my all-time faves, Very Shannon. After looking back at our projects over the last 8 months, I think it's the perfect time to do another cowl and Shannon's Downton Cowl is perfect!

© luvinthemommyhood

A romantic yet modern lace cowl that’s perfect for showing off that gorgeous hand dyed yarn you’ve been coveting.
The Downton Cowl is a chevron lace cowl inspired by the castle in the tv show Downton Abbey that has a structural & garter like border that mimics & symbolizes the stability of a home - the foundation and the roof. Don’t we all know how up and down life is in between :) After all…where do you think downton abbey get’s all it’s story lines from…lol.

The Downton Cowl uses only (1) skein of yarn, is knit in the round and can easily be made in one evening. It’s a quick project that is both satisfying in it’s design but also fast in it’s execution.

© luvinthemommyhood

I usually contemplate yarn for awhile, but I've already made up my mind on this one. Shannon uses Madelinetosh Tosh DK (which we do have in stock at Firefly Fibers in the Glazed Pecan colorway shown in the sample and I may decide to knit a second in Tosh DK) and there are several project on Ravelry using Tosh Vintage so that's pretty tempting as well, but... I've been dying for a chance to use The Fibre Company's Acadia and that is what I've selected in the Kelp colorway (I'll need 2 skeins since Acadia is a wee bit smaller skein than Tosh DK).

Pretty, eh? I hope you'll join the fun this month and knit along with us! Really, we're a pretty casual group and you can join anytime. Also, there will be a giveaway coming up in the near future, so this is a great time to join in the Knitalong fun or just keep knitting along! All of the Knitalong details can be found here.

I'm off to wind some yarn and spend some time with Mr. Yarnista, who is also on the mend. After getting outside early today before the hot and humid weather moved in - Rollo and I for a walk and the Mr. tended to some yardwork - and recording Episode 5 of the Alisa the Yarnista podcast, we'll be hiding in the comfort of air conditioning and relaxing for the remainder of the day. 

Cheers!

On the needles | Sweaters, hats and more...

So, I'm a wee bit under the weather. This last weekend was Mr. Yarnista's birthday and I was lucky enough to come down with a dreadful cold 2 days before his big party and then give it to him. Happy birthday, my love!

The September Simple Knits project will be coming your way later this week, along with a new podcast since the hubby thought it would be best for me to go to bed and sleep this last weekend instead of chatting with you. In the meantime, the August project will extend through Sunday, September 6th, so you can finish up any WIPs (or maybe even cast on a second hat). 

Today, I thought I would share what I've been working on (between naps, that is)... 

There's this beauty - Unicorn Stripes.

I've made a little more progress since this picture... I'm 4 colors further down the line (of the total 30) and I'm knitting my way through that bright Edison Bulb - it's totally crazy but a super fun color to knit with! I have the next 5 colors ready to wind into balls and I'm excited show off the next series of colors! Tomorrow morning over coffee, perhaps? 

There's also a new sweater - Wolf River by Dandiliongirl Designs. This photo is from *gulp* February when I wound the yarn.

I decided to belatedly join Very Shannon's SSKAL15 with just a little over 2 weeks to go, so I better kick it into gear. LOL! I cast on last weekend (finally) and have about 1/3 of the back done. I'll share my progress with you soon on Instagram and Facebook

I finished up my August Simple Knits project, Go! and it's drying now. Since this is technically an "on" the needles post, here it is as a WIP on my crazy weekend night with Sam Seaborn, a box of Puffs and cough drops. 

This was my view all weekend and will be again as soon as my boss let's me go home for the day. Wait a second... 

Cheers!