Tag Archives: review

mountain meadow wool

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in jr high,

at the end of lunch in the school cafeteria,

they sold creamsicles from a little ice cream cart.

on hot days, the line of kids waiting to buy

would wrap most of the day around

the big, old room.

when i first saw this yarn,

i picked out ‘natural cream color’ and ‘tesa orange’

because together they make up a creamsicle.

such yummy memories come to mind…

i was just going to

knit up a little two color swatch

in mountain meadow wool‘s alpine dk,

take a few photos, and put together this post.

honestly. that was all.

but this 3ply merino dk felt so great in my hands,

 with its just right light twist and

such fine stitch definition,

that before the swatch was even completely dry,

i’d planned out a new hat, cast on, and was working my way through the brim.

ha. guess my plans went a bit awry.

but i’m really going to enjoy the cozy of this merino when fall comes.

i wonder if wearing it will give me dreams

of creamsicles dancing

in my head?

‘hands’ taken from 19:1 ot psalms.

note: now for just a little of the nitty-gritty.

i was given these skeins from mountain meadow wool to review,

but, you all know me, and

a couple of free skeins of beautiful yarn

isn’t ever going to make me say i like what i don’t.

i’m much too stubborn and pig-headed for things like that…

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let’s do the (mango moon) twist

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there is just something about this yarn.

do you see it?

how the cotton/linen mix rustles up this kind of luxurious shimmer

i’ve no idea, but look how it almost glows with possibility!

this is mango moon ‘twist’, a sport weight beauty.

doesn’t the ‘blueberry’ colorway remind you of faded denim,

you know, that point where your jeans are so perfectly broken in

that they are almost faded into wearing right through,

which makes them soft as butter & makes you

never ever want to take them off?

…that color.

i started this post a few weeks back,

put it on the back burner to knit a little something in this yarn

and quite honestly, got so distracted by the possibilities

(there are so many things that i thought i heard

this soft, yet strong, yarn yarn begging to become)

that i’m only getting round to posting now.

you can see how that’s a designer’s rabbit hole, right?

this  lovely stuff is still on my needles

and i’m still enjoying it.

truly, that’s knitting

at its best!

‘shimmer’ taken from 18:4 of isaiah.

note: now for just a little of the nitty-gritty.

i was given this skein from mango moon yarns to review,

but, you all know me, and

a free skein of yarn (even if it is shimmery)

isn’t ever going to make me say i like what i don’t.

i’m much too stubborn and pig-headed for things like that…

Save

Save

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linear

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knitting is mostly

about lines.

the straightaways

that form the vertical columns

of stitches.

then more lines formed

by the horizontal rows of stitches.

if you’re a designer, those lines must be translated into the math of sizing.

21269771293_c7673275d7_zsome designers (of advanced skill) learn to think

beyond the ‘x’ and ‘y’ axes.

they manipulate and reconfigure

the lines within their patterns.

enter ruth garcia-alcantud (aka: rock & purl).

have you seen her

new patterns:

 in ‘the linear collection’?

these patterns are fascinating.21891336245_fc81f7a31f_z

it’s so interesting to think about

how her math skills intertwined

with the stitches

to make the textural details

of these pieces come alive.

i like to consider how fun it will be

to work the diagonals

watching them form at their intended angles

21271624273_a41011c979_zto the parallel lines of the

knitting needles

(both hers as she was still imagining the outcome

and now other knitter’s needles as they follow

her maps to knit them).

 because patterns

are basically maps, imo.

they help us to navigate the creative idea

that hatched from a designer’s mind

and make it

(by yarn choice & the fact that it is formed at our fingertips)

our very own. you gotta love that.

right? i do.

21270660853_024251f919_zas an added bonus, all 5 of ruth’s patterns in ‘the linear collection’

are on sale for 25% off

(from now until friday, november 27th at 11:59 pm eastern standard time)

as part of ‘gift-a-long 2015’ over on ravelry.com.

use the code giftalong2015, and the sale prices are yours.

now that’s a bargain.

‘branches’ taken from 17:8 of ezekiel.

flowery

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she begins like this,

‘music has been a part of my life forever’

hey, that’s me, too!  the things we have in common continue with

“chords grab a hold of you and fill you from the inside out”.

oh yeah.  they so do.

then there’s knitting, which melissa and i also have in common.

her stuff is classic in the coolest way.melissa sch collageif you don’t know it,check it out.

but, i digress. in the quotes above, she is writing a review

of my book ‘artistic differences’.

today i added a link to her site, along with other links

to other reviews and book signing date and places to buy the book.

it now has its own page on my website thanks to helene.

when i was updating it today i realized that

i hadn’t even told you it was there.

now i have.

photos courtesy of dandilion girl designs.

‘common’ taken from 10:13 of first corinthians.

rapping it up

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kater tater knits does not disappoint.

katertaterknits urbi asked if she’d take a look at

my new book, ‘artistic differences‘,

and (if she liked it)

to give it some love.

in true katie style,

she made a video and wrote a rap.

yup, ‘artistic differences’

has inspired a rap

(now that i never saw coming).

thanks katie! with another foot and a half of snow

predicted here over the next two days,

a fun, catchy video is

just the ticket.

you rock!

‘coming’ taken from 36:33 of job.