We've Moved!

It's Official!  We've Moved!  

To a new website, that is.  Come, take a peek and see all of the super cool features of our new site.

While I am very proud of the way it turned out, I can't take full credit for it's creation.  My nine-year-old son was instrumental in helping me set up the new site.  There were several times during creation of the site that I heard, "Mom...Just scoot over and let me take care of this."  

The Etsy shop will remain open for now.  However, all yarn purchased through Etsy will be dyed-to-order.  For ready-to-ship inventory, make sure you visit the new site.

Thanks so very much to everyone who helped review the new site before it's formal launch.  You guys came up with some pretty awesome suggestions - many of which are still in the process of being implemented.      

  

Name that Yarn!

 Mid March we will be introducing a new sock yarn base.  

The gauge and feel of the yarn is very similar to our popular Celeste yarn.  

But, this new yarn is a blend 75% Superwash Merino/25% Nylon.  

The nylon adds to the durability of the yarn making it perfect for hard wearing socks!

 I need your help naming this new yarn base. 

Make your suggestions as a comment to this post or on our Facebook page. 

If I choose your suggestion, you will win a skein of this new yarn! 

Most of my base yarn names are one word and 

relate in some way to space (star names, comets, etc.). 

This is not a hard fast rule, but would be nice in keeping with the theme. 

The contest will end Friday, March 7th at midnight (MST). 

And, a winner will be selected the following day. 

Best of luck everyone!!!

Brier Island Sweater

Photo by Laura Aylor

I am super excited to share this latest project with you guys!  It's Laura Aylor's Brier Island sweater.  And, I absolutely love it!  It's construction is really different.  Different in a good way!  And, my interaction with Laura thus far has been nothing short of stellar.  She responds really quickly to questions via her Raverly Sweater Support Thread and even includes photo tutorials for clarification.  I will need to adjust many parts of the sweater to accommodate my very tall frame.  She is walking me through every step of that process, making sure this sweater fits like a glove!    

Photo by Laura Aylor

 Laura's pattern description on Ravelry totally sold me - because, you know, it's totally plausible that I will wear this sweater while strolling along the beach, collecting sea glass...

Brier Island is a small island in Nova Scotia at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.  Every year for 13 years our little family made the long journey by car and 3 ferries to reach this lovely, remote, unspoiled spot.  It's hard to explain why we love it so much - there's not much there but sea and shore, whales and seals, lighthouses and fog.  Summers are always cool (which was the initial attraction for us when we were trying to escape hot, humid Virginia in July and August!).  While I was working on this sweater, I was thinking that it would be perfect for evening walks down to the water to collect seaglass, watching the sun set at Western Light, or sitting at Northern Light looking for whales.  

Knit from the top down using a variation of Barbara Walker's simultaneous set-in sleeve method of seamless construction, this casual pullover features a front pocket, reverse stockinette panels on the sleeves and body, a double-layered reverse stockinette collar, and a split garter stitch hem.  

My Brier Island
knit with super soft Luna Grey Calypso yarn in Pewter

 This is my first time knitting one of Laura's patterns.  But, it surely won't be the last.  She's a very talented designer who provides fantastic customer support.  Couldn't ask for more! 

Friends through Knitting

 Calm Frenzy (available as a kit)

knit with Orion yarn in Moss
Photographed and modeled by Jami Davis

Like many knitters, I spend entirely too much time putzing around on Ravelry dreaming about all of the overly ambitious projects I will likely never have the time to complete.  Adding the projects to my Favorites list is oddly satisfying and allows me to catalog beautiful patterns - saving them for a point in my life when there will surely be more time for knitting.  

Flambeau Cowl (available as a kit)

knit with Orion yarn in Charcoal and Cranberry

Photographed and Modeled by Sara Gresbach

Last year, during various pattern searches, I kept finding my way to the work of Sara Gresbach of Front Porch Knitting.  Sara's adorable children model many of her designs.  It's hard to know for sure if it was her cutie patootie kids that captured my attention initially, or her fun, cleverly designed patterns.  Either way, I realized that we had a similar style and I wanted to connect with her.  Not surprisingly, Sara and I clicked right away and a friendship developed.  Despite never having met in person (Sara lives in Wisconsin and I'm in Colorado), I feel as though we could meet for coffee and talk for hours!  She and I eventually decided to work together, combining her patterns and my hand dyed yarn.  We now offer three of Sara's designs as fun-to-knit kits.  

Sara's newest design, the Clary Cowl and Clary Mitts, knit with Luna Grey Calypso yarn, are in the testing phase and should be released soon.  And, she is working on a brand new pattern using our newly introduced Aspen Sport yarn.  This design will be a loose-fitting, open weave, casual, yoga-type sweater.  I am super excited to see what is sure to be another stunning design!  

Clary Mitts (pattern in testing) 

knit with Calypso yarn in Cinnamon

 Clary Cowl (pattern in testing) 

knit with Calypso yarn in Cinnamon

To celebrate our collaboration, I am offering a coupon code to all of you.  Purchase any one of the kits designed by Sara, and receive 10% off your entire order!  Use coupon code: Frenzy10 at checkout.  Offer will be good through 2/28/14.

Paper Lanterns Cowl (available as a kit)

knit with Orion yarn in Mushroom

Introducing Apollo

I am super excited to formally introduce our new, bulky weight, 100% superwash merino wool yarn, Apollo.  Sadly, my base yarn supplier no longer carries the squishy, soft, Peruvian wool yarn, Spectra, that I loved so much.  So, I'd been on the hunt for a bulky weight replacement.  Apollo is just as lofty as the Spectra, but much softer and has a lovely luminous quality.  And, at 106 yds/100g skein, it knits up lickety split!

To celebrate the release of this new yarn, I decided to give away a skein of Apollo in the beautiful Tradewinds colorway!  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me which colorway is your current favorite in the shop.  Please make sure to include either your email address or Ravelry ID.  For extra entries, leave a separate comment letting me know if you "Like" Luna Grey Fiber Arts on Facebook and if you Subscribe to this blog.  I will close the comments on Monday, January 27th and announce a winner shortly thereafter.  (So sorry international friends, this giveaway is open to US residents only.)

Congratulations, Meg!  You are our winner!!!  Thanks for participating, everyone.

Betsy Hat in Sugar Plum Apollo

Snappy Hat in Tradewinds Apollo

 

Winter 2014 Colorways

Introducing Eight Exciting New Colorways for Winter 2014

I've been having so much fun playing around in my newly remodeled dye studio!  Seems the freshened up space has inspired me to create several new colorways, including the ones you see here.  I'm especially excited about Cinnamon and Honeycomb - they're both such warm, earthy shades and totally gender neutral.  And, Passion Fruit is so fresh and fun!  The perfect color to brighten up your winter knitting!

Oh yes, and I am excited to announce that I will be adding a few new kits to the shop soon!  One is a fun and funky hat pattern by Sara Gresbach.  The other, a shawl/cowl by Hillary Smith Callis (better known as TheYarniad) knit using one of our newest sock yarns, Celeste.  You guys will be the first to know when the kits are live in the shop.  

Stay Warm & Happy Knitting, Friends!!! 

Holiday Knitting

Sweater & Photo by Christelle Nihoul

I kicked off the season of frenetic holiday knitting with a super cute pullover sweater for my youngest son.  This is a test knit for French knitwear designer, Christelle Nihoul.  The pattern is Trooper - still in the testing phase.  I have not previously knit any of Christelle's designs.  But, she does beautiful work and I love her style!  The cool sleeve detail and raglan shaping of the Trooper sweater caught my eye initially. And, the boys were intrigued by the photos of the designer's son sporting warpaint and a tough scowl.

The yarn for my Trooper is Luna Grey Fiber Arts Calypso - our new, light worsted, 100% superwash merino wool yarn.  I love, love, love this yarn!  It's super soft and light.  And, it knits like a dream!

Sadly, I have run into many difficulties with the pattern.  Christelle has been so sweet and helpful.  Unfortunately, I think much of the problem is in the translation (French to English).  When I had to rip back over 2,000 stitches for the third time, I decided it was time to set this project aside until after the holidays.  I had originally planned for it to be an xmas gift for my sweet boy.  Not to be : (

My Ravelry Notes

After a frustrating couple of weeks knitting Trooper...I decided it was time for some instant gratification.  So, I cast on for a simple, cable knit hat for my man.  I had just dyed up a new bulky weight, merino base yarn and was dying to try it out.  The yarn is Apollo in the Tradewinds colorway and it's just dreamy - so super duper soft and lofty.  It  takes dye beautifully too!  Watch for it in the shop soon!  The pattern is Corrina Ferguson's Snappy Hat - a free pattern off Ravelry.  This is comfort knitting at its finest - just what I needed.  In two hours the hat is just about finished!  Love that!!! 

My Ravelry Notes