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After an absolutely wonderful whirlwind time during June’s Design and Creativity theme, for July I’m casting my mind forward into the summer holidays. In fact, that’s the theme for this month. I’ll be travelling, so I’m pre-recording some episodes around the theme of holidays for the weeks when I’m in Australia.
Show Sponsors
Today’s show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their magnificently soft and beautiful Acadia yarn.
Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace. The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments.
My two-colour Whispering Island Shawl sample was knit in Acadia, and it’s gotten so many compliments. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor’s shop, Meadow Yarn:
Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It’s a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more.
Show Links
The Muse Connection Volume Two was last weekend and it was a really wonderful event. Lots of laughter and learning. A huge thank you to my co-host, Kate from A Playful Day, and to the special guests and sponsors who made it such a success.
Rachel Coopey, from Coop Knits who had us giggling about yarn shenanigans
Lydia Gluck, co-editor of Pom Pom Quarterly who regaled us with tales from the world of magazines
Anzula who provided their covetable yarn for our gift bags
and
Signature Needle Arts who gave us a “tasting session” with their remarkable knitting needles.
It was really special to watch everyone casting on Afternoon Tea at the end!
My visit to Brighton at YAK was so much fun, too. Thanks a million to Kate for hosting my Pebble Beach trunk show, and to everyone who dropped in!
Later in the show, I talk a bit about what I pack when I go away, including my “mobile workplace.” Stitch dictionaries are coming along for sure! Here are a few favourites:
A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns
Super Stitches Knitting: Knitting Essentials Plus a Dictionary of more than 300 Stitch Patterns
My old-school love for notebooks means I always pop a few into my bag to help me with my design work. Favourites include grid or graph notebooks, like this one from Moleskine and a larger one from Paperchase, something like this.
KAL News
I can’t believe it, but the Pebble Beach KAL is ending in two days, on July 5th. This has been so incredible to be a part of. Maybe the best KAL of all time. Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this, most especially to my friend Paula, for hosting it on the Knitting Pipeline Group, and to Jo, who has moderated it so beautifully.
If you’ve ever knit one of my patterns, it’s not too late to upload a photo: it doesn’t matter when you started or finished the piece, as long as the photo is in the FO thread by July 5th! You could win a skein of Lace Merino from The Uncommon Thread!
What’s in the WIP
With all the new and re-released pattern chatter lately, I haven’t talked much about what’s on the way. Summer holidays are a perfect time to catch up with WIPs, and I have quite a few I’d like to bring with me. I mentioned in the podcast that this year I’m going to take a break from the Curious Collective shawl design. It’s part of my word for the year: “Simplify.” I’ll miss it, but it’s the right decision for this year. Previous years are still available, if you’d like to revisit those yourself, and later in the summer I’m going to bring out a new design with a fun KAL or perhaps do a mystery KAL!
I’m also working on two totally new design projects, so they’ll be going in the suitcase. They are still at very early stages, but I’m excited to see where they go. Then I move onto the “just for fun” WIPs which are clamouring to come along.
A Candlelit Shawl in Skein Australia yarn (in the fig colourway.) I’m about halfway done, so I love the idea of actually getting a chance to finish something while I’m on holidays. It’s a beaded shawl, though, and traveling with beads is a little fiddly, so I’m not sure this is one for the airplane.
The Rachel Coopey Oleum Socks that I’m knitting in John Arbon yarn, on the other hand, will make perfect travel knitting, compact, interesting, and simple enough
The Magic Cake Shawl by Paula Emons-Fussle, host of the Knitting Pipeline which I began on the Georgia retreat, is also ideal knitting to travel with: it’s mindless and meditative.
Reyka Pullover by Cirilia Rose in Lopi yarn. I’d actually prefer to be packing the finished object to wear in the Australian winter, but I’d love to finish it while I’m out there.
I am certainly bringing Paula’s marvelous Cave Point shawl which she has just released with Quince and Co’s Shawls 2015 collection of patterns. It’s knit in their Chickadee yarn. I have four lovely skeins in the Audouin colourway, which I got in my giftbag at the Georgia retreat, and I think this would be a wonderful holiday project. really relaxing knitting, at least up to the lace selection!
I’ve also got some sewing WIPs. I might take the chance to use my Mum’s lovely new machine while I can! Here are the patterns I mention:
The Dress Shirt by Merchant and Mills
Geranium by Rae
Washi dress by Rae
Contest winner!
We have a winner for last week’s contest! The lucky Lex has won her choice of pattern from the Norah Gaughan for The Fibre Co. Collection! Here’s her comment:
I can’t decide, but it’s a tie between Parkview and Metropolis for me. I like Parkview because it looks so wearable. The think I love about Metropolis is it’s structure. It looks like it could easily replace a blazer in the office.”
So, Lex, which one will you go with? They’re both gorgeous!
Busy show this week! I hope you enjoy it, and that you’re looking forward to the Summer Series as much as I am. Thank you for listening, and happy knitting!
