The Yarn Cafe

New Blog

2010-09-26T17:52:00.000+10:00

My new blog is up.....

http://evokeyarnandfabric.com.au/blog/

catch all the news and my creations there :)

evoke is open!!

2010-09-19T21:30:00.000+10:00

Some early morning shots...

And the fun begins :)

I really enjoyed meeting everyone :) It was a brilliant day!

You're Invited!!

2010-09-15T21:52:00.002+10:00

Manos del Uruguay

2010-09-14T21:38:00.000+10:00

Some pics to tempt...

Manos Silk Blend is scrumptious!!

And the Serena is incredible!!!

I've had patterns constantly running through my mind...

'this one with that colour or that one with this colour?'

Things are moving along..... unfortunately it looks like the fabrics from Auntie Cookie and Ink & Spindle won't arrive before the opening, but will arrive early next week.

One week to go!

2010-09-11T19:12:00.001+10:00

Things are quite hectic at the shop and at home, with the opening of evoke deigner yarn & fabric drawing near – in one week!

If you can make it, drop in for a look and a feel of some yummy yarns and fabrics

Saturday 18th September
9am – 2pm
28 Carrington St

Lismore, NSW 2480

Some photos to tempt you………

Umbrella Prints

Saffron Craig

Sprout Design

Namaste

I've also been dyeing up quite a bit of yarn....

the yarn cafe is closing ..... and a new shop opens!!

2010-09-05T19:55:00.001+10:00

I know there are hearts thumping madly out there and imminent anxiety attacks - but don't worry!! Yes, the yarn cafe is closing, but only to make way for some big changes.

The yarn cafe online store will remain open until the 10th September.

I have consolidated my yarn range for my new store, and some yarns will be discontinued at the yarn cafe. So get in quick to grab some of your favourite hand dyed yarns while you still can.

Don't forget to get your ruby&sage yarn club slot while they are still available!!

So what's happening exactly??

I am changing names and expanding my range considerably, as well as moving into a bricks and mortar store!! Woohoo!! It's been a dream of mine for the last 4 years, and this is way better than going back to my old job :)

I've been quietly working away on this for the last month or so and things are really moving quickly now.

And, yes! Yarns and fabrics! A funky northern rivers store, loaded with the ambience you would expect from the Rainbow Region of Northern NSW.

The shop opens on Saturday 18th September 9am -2pm.

28 Carrington St

Lismore, NSW 2480

Ph/f: (02) 6621 4384

info@evokeyarnandfabric.com.au

I will have a new blog by the end of next week, and I will keep you all updated :)

I will be without a website for a few weeks, but I will do my best to pop pictures up of stock as it comes in, and phone orders are very welcome.

To keep up with what's happening, join my Ravelry group or follow evoke on facebook and twitter.

ruby&sage slots are open!!

2010-08-31T19:46:00.001+10:00

I've just listed the ruby & sage slots for September and October. Get yours here.

Things have been hectic lately (more on that over the next few days) and I have lots of juicy photos to share. I realised though that I forgot to post some pics of July's r&s installment!

Introducing 'Berry'. Lush reds, with an orgasmic creation from Coastal Chocolates!!

Ridgy Didge Handspun

2010-07-21T19:56:00.000+10:00

I got some!! I have stalked Val's shop (Ridgy Didge Handspun Yarns) on and off for a while, and I am so happy I nabbed some!! Above is 'Cherry Espresso' on Oatmeal BFL and below is 'Apple Tree' on hand dyed superwash merino. I gave up trying to decide which one I like more, and have settled with deciding what to make with them (which is more exciting!). The problem is: with handspun this good it needs to be a really awesome pattern that will show off the yarn.......perhaps another Garter Yoke Sweater??

I am soooo Merry right now!

2010-07-19T17:02:00.000+10:00

It's finished!!! I wasn't able to stay faithful but I still managed to finish it this winter! I am so happy with how it turned out and the colour is just delightlful. It's Jo Sharp silk georgette in woodland, and I am lucky enough to have a ball and a half left over :) I am also relieved that it fits, I lengthened the body, arms and hood by a little more than an inch. These pics are before blocking (I couldn't wait, and it will need a wash after being thoroughly 'peared' anyway).

So I've promised myself a break from 5ply and from cables....but I am obsessively dreaming about Wicked in green (more green) and I've even dyed the yarn for it so we'll see how long I hold out :)

Cardigan for Merry by annypurls

Paxton

2010-07-12T15:00:00.000+10:00

Paxton by StitchyMama has recently left my needles to be gifted to new little Felix, who is just 10 days old today. Such a sweet knit for a sweet little baby :) I will definately be knitting more of these!

Tangled Yarns and Tea Cosies

2010-07-09T16:31:00.000+10:00

I just had to show off my latest haul from Tangled Yarns! The Stitch Pixie bags are incredible!! If you don't have one - get some. They have revolutionised my knitting life. I have all manner of knitting bags but these are just great! The shape, the handle...I have a row of them decorating my mantle piece (and I need a few more!).

So you can see some noro there - the purple is for my Garter Yoke Sweater, but more about that later. The orange/red noro is for one of these:

Loani Prior was at the Tangled Yarns stall at the Brisbane Textile Festival signing copies of her 2nd book....and I just had to get one. It's such a fun book to look through! And it's aptly named: really wild all right! I decided almost immediately to knit 'Coral Punk' for my inlaws. I think my husband really thinks I have gone a little knitting nuts, but they love Australiana gifts and they are big tea drinkers, and my MIL has a pencheant for orange and red. Yes, I'm very aware that this is something I may regret..... it may turn out tacky and it's quite likely to be tedious - Loani writes that she gave up making tubes after she had made 52!!

In any case, I have made a start. I figure if I make at least a couple a week, I might be able to finish with time to send overseas in time for Christmas?

Eden's Adam

2010-07-06T19:30:00.000+10:00

Another brilliant pattern from TiKKi - Eden's Adam.

I have wanted to knit this since I first saw the pattern, and Jules desperately needed a new vest. It was such a quick knit on Australian Organic Merino 8ply, and I managed to wrangle a 3year old size out of 100g (with some gauge adjustments). It worked out fantastic, though it may just be a little short for him next winter - he's growing tall fast!

Told you I had a thing for Teal at the moment!

Herbivore

2010-07-04T19:18:00.002+10:00

One of my recent FO's - Herbivore by Stephen West

This was a really easy and fun knit. The twisted rib was great, just enough interest but still simple enough to knit while the kids were around ;). I used Caress (alpaca, silk, cashmere - what more could you want in a yarn??) yarn in my 'Insight' colourway - a gorgeous teal colour. This yarn is heavenly - seriously. It has knitted up into a glorious fabric - and (addicted) I am planning to knit a few cardi's with it when the weather becomes to warmer. I finished this the night before the textile festival and it got lots of patting and ooohing and ahhing, and basically sold most of my Caress 4ply for me!

I don't have a good picture of it on, but it drapes beautifully, and I LOVE how the points hang and create flattering folds. I am seriously going through a teal and green phase at the moment!!

ruby&sage closing soon!

2010-07-03T17:12:00.001+10:00

The next ruby & sage yarn club slots are closing very soon!

The installments for July and August slots feature a 12ply Organic Merino (140m per 100g) and a cashmere/silk blend 5ply/sportsweight (180m per 50g). Kelly and I are pretty excited about these yarn bases and the colours we have chosen!! I am definately planning on keeping some for myself :)

For more details click here.

Our Ravelry group has been incredibly inspiring - check out everyones knits and feedback, and you can also see the hints for each month (just to make the waiting harder...)

July Stocking

2010-07-01T20:42:00.001+10:00

I have just restocked a huge selection of both varigated and swirled semi-solid colourways. I'm pleased to have Australian Organic Wool (WOOLganic) back instock in both 8ply and 10ply in lots of bright varigated colours - including some new colourways!! Gorgeous Pear Tree Merino is also back in a range of colourways, the 8ply is listed, and the 10ply will be ready shortly. I have also listed quite a few skeins in 4ply bases so have a look around, and there are a few lonely skeins of Andromeda (Silk Merino) left.

Here are some of my favourite yarn pics from this stocking (to tempt us yarnaholics)...

'Mojo'

'Paisley' (above)

'Retro' (above)

'Raspberry' (above)

'Alice' (above)

'Southern Lights' (above)

'Neptune' (above)

'Ruby' (above)

'Mulberry'

Brisbane Textile Art Festival 2010

2010-06-30T13:45:00.001+10:00

What a weekend!! I shared a stall with Kelly of Tangled Yarns at the textile festival and we had a great time! People lined up each morning waiting for 9am .... and the days were constantly busy (which we loved!). It was fantastic meeting online customers and Ravelry friends - putting faces to names - and it was a real kick to see people wearing some of my favourite patterns.

Here's our stall in a quiet moment before the doors opened, we were lucky to have the lovely Lauren to help us out as we literally passed eftpos machine and reciept book back and forth between us and over peoples heads!

I have almost sold out of quite a few yarn bases, so my store is looking quite empty.

We were also graced with some Nuno felted scarves by Fibre Artist Johanna Ierace - talk about wearable art!

If you missed the festival this year, we will be back again next year!

Silk Merino

2010-06-17T13:51:00.003+10:00

More yarns fresh from the dyepot!

Mojo

2010-06-15T16:40:00.002+10:00

Introducing a new colourway which I decided to call Mojo. There will be plenty of this at the textile festival in Brisbane and then in my store in late June. Something to brighten up the dismal weather we have been having here :) I would like some sun to at least dry my washing! (and my yarn!)

Knitting Circle

2010-06-14T22:06:00.001+10:00

It's been an especially long and hectic weekend here. We had a huge family gathering for my sister's 21st and also found time to celebrate my brother's 18th. In amongst a full house, the rain, the cooking and helping out at the school fundraiser I made the second meeting of our knitting circle a priority! It has quickly become the highlight of my week, my friends are SO awesome and I am over the moon that quite a few of them are showing signs of serious knitting addiction. One of them confessed to spending hours on ravelry! We are all contemplating a cardi knit-a-long....just need to find a good fairly easy pattern.

Hope everyone has a great time knitting this long weekend!

The last longies??

2010-06-11T14:58:00.003+10:00

Wow - a big thank you to all my keen customers! Unfortunately all of my rainbow gradients are now sold out. I do have more orders to fill so I will keep you posted when another small dye lot will be available in the next month or so.

I finished what will most likely be the last pair of longies (for my own children) a couple of days ago. They were finally dry after lanolising yesterday and I managed to convince Jules to stand still for me while I quickly snapped some pics. This is the revised/updated perfection pants pattern by Pamela Grossman from woolly wonder. I love this pattern, and seeing as I used to hold a cottage industry licence and knit loads of these, I am pleased to say I still remember the pattern by heart. (Or should that be something I should not admit to? LOL). These were a quick knit with Blackberry Ridge Bulky merino.

And behind the longies is my new yarn cupboard :) This was the last piece of furniture we needed in our new house - it is an old queenslander with no storage and no flyscreens, so naturally I was worried about insects and my yarn. I LOVE it. It's looking a little empty....but I am hoping to have a quick stocking before the textile festival in Brisbane later this month.

Happy knitting!

Rainbow Gradients

2010-06-10T18:11:00.000+10:00

I don't dye Rainbow Gardients very often - they take forever and they get a bit much if I do them on a regular basis. I love it when my orders fill up to a point when I need a few dye sessions to get them all done, and I can really get into the groove - the dyeing groove - which, yes, does sound absurd!! But it's true, I get hooked and I get so absorbed and dream about gradients and colours and patterns.... then after a week or so I get to the point of saturation!

I have just listed quite a few in my store, so if you are interested you'd best get in quick ;). I have 100g and 150g balls, and there are a couple of TiKKi's Rainbow Dress Kits available as well.

Knitting + Cake = a good weekend!

2010-06-06T19:06:00.002+10:00

We celebrated my sister's birthday today, and I decided to try something new with chocolate - chocolate curls. I have read many times that they require practice so I wasn't expecting perfection but I am happy with how most of them turned out. The hardest thing was being patient enough to wait for the chocolate to get to room temp. I can tell you it tasted fantastic!

The big and exciting news is that a bunch of friends and I have formed a knitting circle. Yesterday was our first meeting (that went for four and a half hours LOL) and it was a little chaotic choosing patterns, yarns and casting on but I think everyone is happy. Today I was inundated with pop-ins and phone calls for knitting help and I loved it. I have been longing to hang out with knitters for years and what better way than to get your friends hooked??

Here are some pics of my All Day Beret. I made the body longer than the pattern suggested because I wanted more slouch. It's funny that I haven't noticed the closing hole until now, I probably should go back and tighten it. I am seriously pleased with this hat!!

My Fabulous All Day Beret

2010-06-04T21:06:00.001+10:00

I just could not resist the ruby&sage may installment and cast on the All Day Beret by Debbie Stoller

This pattern is an absolute DREAM to knit..... really easy stitch pattern and the Andromeda yarn slides off those needles. At first I wasn't 100% convinced that the colourway worked with the pattern but then I realised the really cool thing about this hat - what you see is the wrong side (above) and the right side is the inside (below) so when you are done you wear it inisde out (if that makes sense?). I'm sure there is an easier way to say all that! Anyway, I love the way it has knitted up, and am contemplating a second one with the same yarn but a different colourway.

I am finished and have worn it out a couple of times. I wore it to the premiere of Sex and the City 2 (it goes well with my brown boots ;) and a bunch of women asked me if I'd made it and which pattern etc - I was pretty flattered :) Hopefully some FO pics soon.

May Instalment for ruby&sage

2010-06-01T17:37:00.003+10:00

Feast your eyes on this...

I called it tea party :)

Slots for July and August will open soon and close at the end of June, so don't forget to check back :)

Rolling

2010-05-31T15:39:00.003+10:00

In between the usual chaos of my life - I have started getting a life! I went out at night last month - without kids or husband! It was the first time in 5 1/2 years if you can believe it!! Or maybe I did go out to the movies between kids... but I can't remember. My sister and I went on a roadtrip to watch the sun state roller girls in Beenleigh. It was such a rush! My sister plays Roller Derby and now I am thinking of playing..... or perhaps just training. I couldn't knit very well if I broke my arm! I've been to a couple of games since that first one and yep, I heart roller derby.

Farm Birthday Cake

2010-05-23T19:20:00.003+10:00

My little man turned 2 today!! I'm feeling a little sad that my kids are growing up so fast :( But we've had a GREAT day, and he really enjoyed his presents and party and cake. So I just had to share some cake pics! I'm very happy with how it turned out, mostly because I really had no idea how it would all come together - it just morphed into this.... with the help of some toys and cardboard :)

Four Bags Full

2010-05-17T14:28:00.007+10:00

As usual I am popping my head up for my monthly blog post. I have really good intentions to blog more often but it seems that something always gets in the way, or if I do have time I would rather knit! I don't have much time for knitting either, but I have been making an effort to stay faithful to my two projects on the go. Given the cold turn we have had, I've been concentrating on my Cardigan for Merry by annypurls. I'd really like to get this off the needles and on my little guy this winter. I'm loving the colour and the pattern - I adapted it to knit in the round - a challenge for the sleep deprived I can assure you. My notes are on Ravelry. It's J's birthday this weekend - I'm hoping for a miracle - for once I might get something finished in time for a birthday!

Other than plodding my way through a busy life, I have been secluded in my makeshift dye studio these last few weeks. I think I can say the busy season for yarnies has well and truly begun. I have spent a lot of time on my biannual stocking of rainbow gradients - most are already taken but a few will hit the store next week.

And a quick heads up that the elusive Four Bags Full is back instock, but I have almost run out already - half my shipment was sold before it was even dyed!!! So get in quick :)

Print

2010-04-29T20:30:00.004+10:00

As usual, I have fallen into the hole of no blogging!!

A bit of interesting news about the yarn cafe - in the Taipei Times - thanks to one of my wholesale customers!

Yarn Passions

Colour Obsession

2010-04-07T20:12:00.007+10:00

I went on a road trip to Brisbane today - to visit Kelly at tangled YARNS. If there is anything that inspires me - its a room full of colourful yarn!

Among other things I came home with some Gaywool dyes and colour cards. I have always mixed my own dyestock, and have the basic colours - red, orange, yellow etc and mix from there. All my colours are hand mixed, and I love literally building a colour and mixing unusual combinations together to get something brilliant. My colours usually have green, brown, orange or black added to them .... dyers out there experiment!! It may seem wrong but you'll be surprised what you'll see when you combine green and orange!

But I am heading into new yarnscapes and wooly worlds and need something a bit more specific and pre-mixed and these dyes look incredible!! I drove home with the colourcards on my dashboard - how's that for obsessed with colour??? So I could safely glance at them whilst driving and let the colours go wild in my head....

First I need to make room for my creative space :) Then I will allow the colour madness to have free reign!

Hunting Chocolate

2010-04-06T21:41:00.003+10:00

The chocolate celebration has passed ..... and we are a little worse for wear. In a family with food intolerances, Easter can sure be a difficult time. This year we had egg shakers, presents and dairy free chocolate and still the kids felt sick, poor chickens :)

Waffles

2010-04-02T14:52:00.005+11:00

How good do these look? :D We got into the waffle-thing in Germany and our waffle maker arrived a few weeks ago so it was time to give it a work out. It was my husband's birthday but he was away working on the day so we've postponed it till now. Hence the waffles for breakfast this morning. Perhaps not very Easterish?

Things have been absolutely hectic around here to say the least. We moved into our house a month ago now and we are very happy here. It wasn't a big move this time, we literally moved across the road and down 4 houses! We walked the awkward stuff over, including our fridge and met half a dozen friends along the way. We love living in a small town :)

Unfortunately we had major internet problems. I hung up on customer service people quite a few times - I have never done that before! I also lost my temper at one point and wrenched the table out to get to the points at the wall, sending my screen crashing down...but I didn't care. All I really wanted to do was chuck the damn thing out the window. My husband calmly said 'an open window'. He could afford to be calm because he has no idea about computers - which added to my frustration. However (deep breath) eventually after 24 days they sent a technician out who quickly discovered it was nothing to do with us (hmmm) and spent a few hours fixing the exchange...when it was fixed I whooped at the top of my lungs!! I din't even consider what our new neighbours would think!!

Added to all this life suddenly got crazy!! I went back to work a few months ago - and quit yesterday. I was stretched too thin and want to concentrate on my other business. Things will be changing on The Yarn Cafe too - hopefully everyone will like the changes :)

The ruby&sage club parcels have been sent - no teasers out there yet, but hopefully the last of the parcels will have arrived at their eager knitters on tuesday. I'm so keen to see what everyone knits, and if I weren't so busy with other projects I would be casting on myself. It's entirely possible I won't be able to resist!

E xx

Yarn Club!!

2010-02-22T19:23:00.009+11:00

Kelly of Tangled Yarns and I have been talking about this for nearly two years now and we are finally able to make our (and your ;) dreams a reality - a super delish Aussie yarn club!

Each slot is for 2 months, each month you will receive your instalment of one skein of yarn. Each month will feature a delicious yarn that we personally adore, in a colour that we create just for you! In this club everything goes – any weight yarn, fibre composition, dye method and colour – prepare to be surprised!

Instalments will alternate between Kelly and Elissa, so each slot will receive a taste of the considerable dyeing power of both Tangled Yarns and The Yarn Café.

The price of the slot includes postage, and comes to $86 AUD. The club is open to overseas customers - shipping will be adjusted via email. Installments are sent at the end of each month.

ruby&sage Yarn Club Slots are available at The Yarn Cafe and at Tangled Yarns

And here are some pics of my second Simple Yet Effective Shawl, this one was finished more than a month ago but has been gifted to a very special friend. This time I used larger needles and swapped colours every two rows and I added an extra set of increases on both sides to create wings. I'm really happy with the result and was almost sad to see it go. I also washed it in conditioner (thanks to Sue for the tip!) and it softened up considerably!

We're Back!

2010-01-29T13:36:00.004+11:00

It's been two weeks, and I'm finally feeling like myself again. We all found it hard to get over the jetlag this time, with children waking in the middle of the night for a meal and getting up at 4am.

We also went from a climate like this:

.....to midsummer high heat on the noth coast.

But it is good to be home and back to routine, even though it is always sad to say goodbye to family and friends.

Just before we left I managed to finish 3 projects (no photos of the third as yet) - I did not get anywhere near completing the 7+1 projects I took along with me LOL!

Above are my Fiddlehead Mittens, which were a blast!! It was definately a child-free knit but very addictive and surprisingly fast and easy. I would love to make another pair. These were a gift for my Grandmother in law. And below are my Father's Day Socks, which fit great (except the pattern has the ribbing in the same size needle as the body of the sock) and will now allow me to say honestly that I knit for the whole family!

I do suffer periodically from yarn/knitting/internet burn out. I think all yarnies/cottage industry knitters etc think about quitting every now and then. I won't be quitting - never fear! But I will be taking things easy in regards to yarn. I have alot on my plate this year - with another business and study. There are some new things planned for The Yarn Cafe as well though :)

So while it is too hot to knit, and I can't seem to find skirts I like and need a little break from knitting, I have taken out the sewing machine. It has been sitting neglected for 3 and half years. Before that I sewed daily. Hard to believe now! I have been happily overspending a little on designer fabric :0 and will have some finished pics to share soon.

Time goes fast!

2010-01-14T04:33:00.008+11:00

As usual I have been slack at blogging! I realised after we arrived how burnt out I was and was glad to have limited internet access! But here's a little catch up.....

In beautiful Heidelburg and surrounding villages

I finished my 'Pasha' hat by Jane Richmond and have worn it ALOT :) I am over the moon with this pattern, and managed to squeeze it out of 50g of Jo Sharp Tweed.

I have been knitting, though I have had less time than I thought. Perhaps thats because my idea of knitting 'time' is actually quite extreme to non-knitters.

My Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilia are actually finished - I washed and blocked them this afternoon, so I will have FO photos tomorrow.

I have been wool shopping in Kappeln and Flensburg. Like Australia, good yarn shops aren't that easy to find imo. Above is some Lana Grossa and below some Mirasol and Zauberball.

It's the coldest, snowiest winter in 40years here and we are loving it. The kids are having a great time in the snow!

It's certainly picturesque!

Final Countdown

2009-11-20T15:23:00.005+11:00

Sad but true, I do have that song in my head at the moment! We are in countdown mode, the kind of countdown mode that will after the weekend turn into the dreaded Countdown Mania. We leave for Germany in just 5 days and I am seriously worried that my to-do list will be incomplete when we leave!! My husband has been away for the last 2 weeks, which were busier than normal and as soon as he got home I went straight to my office and I have been a squirrell ever since.

The new Caress yarns are now instock at The Yarn Cafe and coming any day to Tangled Yarns, and if you haven't tried Caress before you are seriously in for a treat. So soft and dreamy! Caress now comes in a true laceweight at 800m per skein and a 4ply/fingering weight, which is my new favourite. I have a couple of skeins ready to take with me! I plan to make Gaenor by Corrina Ferguson in Merlot and Herbivore by Stephen West in one of my new colourways for Summer (coming very soon).

The shop will remain open while I am away and I will still be doing all the admin, there just might be a little more delay in response time ;) My lovely friend Tracy will be sending your orders out - and don't forget the competition is still on until a couple of days before Christmas!

I have also been trying to find time to sort of my projects to take with me - which is SO difficult. How much to take?? How much will I potentially buy while I'm there? (Lots, if I have my way!) We will be away for 7 weeks and I'm figuring on a project a week .... plus a couple extra LOL. 4 projects are 100g skeins, and I decided against taking the Cascade I had put aside for my Mr Greenjeans (I'm sure I can find some yarn there LOL). Still, that means I am taking about 1kg of yarn ..... does that sound nuts?? 1kg is me being VERY restrained!

On the actual knitting front I finished my Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau as part of Kelly's Knit-a-long at Tangled Yarns, and I am so pleased with the result! It was a rocky start, I was really unhappy with the way the colours striped in the beginning - olive, purple and an orangey brown was not appealing to me - but I am so glad I persevered. I think I got a good ball of Noro, and I was lucky that the colours sort of striped in a good order (except the first part). I also used 3.5mm needles and probably should have gone up a couple of sizes. After blocking it looks even better and it is the perfect shawlette size. I have another ball of Noro to take with me!

I have also cast on Pasha by Jane Richmond in a last ditch attempt to get another project finished before we go. It's knitting up quick so hopefully I might be able to wear it in a matter of days (when we will experience a drop of at least 30 degrees).

FO Catch Up

2009-11-12T20:44:00.004+11:00

I have neglected to post about a few finished projects, so here they are in all their glory :)

This is Jules modelling his new Milo vest by Georgie Hallam in one of my gradients in Four Bags Full Merino. Really happy with this!!

Two hats for me for our up-coming sudden demise into winter-land: above is Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson in Whisper 10ply. This whipped up real quick on 6mm needles. Below is the Sidewinder Hat by Amy Klimt - totally cool hat!! Those cables are awesome :) Very happy about wearing this one!!

And a little something for Sienna, this gorgeous hat aptly named Molly by Alana Dakos. It was a really quick knit once the brim was done, and the lace is so beautiful I keep picking it up and gazing at it! It was actually quite nerve-wracking as I was so sure I would run out of the teal yarn but by some miracle I managed to finish with about 50cm left!! I have visions of a green one for me :)

Yesterday I Dyed

2009-10-31T20:14:00.004+11:00

Dyed yarn, of course! I've a full 2 lines of yarn drying - or trying to dry amidst spells of heavy rain. I just love these colours and I always have fun dyeing new yarn bases the first time - so fascinating to see how a fibre mix will take the dye.

This is how we go...

2009-10-29T20:02:00.003+11:00

......to the post office :)

When both kids are at home there is usually great discussion about what transport we should take to the post office. We live in the same block as the PO, so there isn't far to go. That's pretty lucky seeing as the little red wagon is popular, and happens to be QUITE loud - the whole village knows when we are on our way! (On this particular day S was dressed as a Snow Leopard - in a red wagon LOL!)

The WoolRoom

2009-10-26T18:31:00.003+11:00

On a recent trip to visit family we stopped in at The Wool Room in Uralla. The shop is mostly garments, but they do have a large set of shelves full of skeins, mostly hand dyed. I scored some possum merino and a wooden wrap slide, not to mention some incredible handmade buttons!! I am most impressed with the buttons and often return to thoughts of what to knit next that could feature a button or two!

Dye Sessions

2009-10-24T20:49:00.004+11:00

I've been indulging in quite a few dye sessions ahead of our trip overseas, so the shop is well stocked before we go. I have been working with some new yarn bases and some new dye techniques and I've been having a blast! Some of the yarn is up already, including some Organic Cotton and Tencel blend in 4ply. I'm itching to knit with this yarn, it feels so light and silky.I'm loving how the colours are bright but soft at the same time, no gaudiness with this yarn! There will be more instock soon.

Yarn Passions

2009-10-07T20:13:00.003+11:00

I have been quite busy these past months dyeing large dyelots for one of my newer stockists: YarnPassions in Taiwan. Anita has a beautiful selection of yarns and very good taste in my opinion! If you are in her part of the world, don't hesistate to email or comment on her blog!

I have also been experimenting with some new yarn bases and techniques - so stay tuned!

Weekend Knits

2009-09-29T20:08:00.004+10:00

A few projects off the needles this weekend ....

Jumping Sun by Suvi Simola on Australian Organic Wool 8ply in Vibe by evoke hand dyed yarns.

I have finally cast off on Sienna's tunic dress and after plodding along on it for so long I am so releived that she likes it. She was wearing it within minutes of casting off and named it the 'Storm the Lightning Fairy Dress'. If you're a parent with a child out there addicted to the Rainbow Magic Fairies, then you know who I am talking about! It was a good knit while the kids are playing with all that stockinette. I'm not sure I like the hip shaping and the short rows on the neck could have been written better - I altered them a little, otherwise I would have had areas of stockinette in amongst garter stitch. But overall I am happy with it and so is the girl, which is the most important thing!

Curly Purly Soaker by Marnie Ann Joyce

Jules was in desperate need for a new soaker so I knit a Curly Purly with Cestari and thoroughly enjoyed it, having never used the pattern or yarn before :) It's only the second soaker I have knit him, poor kid in hand-me-downs, and here I am finally knitting him some when he's almost starting to toilet train - typical!

And last, but by no means least, Clemence by Katya Frankel who has an awesomely cool sounding name in my opinion :) Knitting this cowl was pure bliss: Silk merino yarn (hand dyed by Dyelicious) in beautiful browns + lace = perfection! This one's definitely in the suitcase for Germany :)

The countdown begins

2009-09-22T10:45:00.007+10:00

I realised a couple of weeks ago that we had a bit more than 10 weeks until we leave the country. We're going to Germany to visit friends and family and it will be winter - hence the mild anxiety. 10 weeks and too many WIPs and lots of knits that *need* to be knitted. There was only one thing to do to calm myself down - knit quick!

Handspun Ribbed Hat by Vintage

'Charcoal' Gradient on Shetland Chunky by Evoke hand dyed yarns

I went for a surfer look, down low on the brow with no fold-over.

Thick yarn and big needles sure do the trick :)

I made the hats for the kids up as I went along. I added short rows to J's so that point of the hat was at the back rather than at the top. This whole thing took less than an hour. The kids hats are knit with some great Handspun yarn from a local Fibre Artist - Kerry Heinzel - and I am so happy with how they turned out.

This is Sienna's one - this hat is SO thick and warm!

And the best thing is: she likes it!

I do knit....

2009-09-16T20:01:00.006+10:00

I really do knit, it's just sporadic and usually while the kids are in the bath (this sure makes for interesting knitting) or in the car. Things are hectic at the moment, so the stress relief I get from knitting has been lovely!

Chinese Waves Dishloth by Margaret K.K. Radcliffe

I couldn't resist trying some Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton from Tangled Yarns.... and I've always wanted to knit this dishcloth. It was a brilliant knit: quick, fun and the yarn is fantastic!

Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer

I started this scarf an embarrassing 14 months ago... where does the time go?? This was my car knitting for a long time, but after the move I realised that I had better get cracking with my WIPs. There were simply too many around the place and too many other projects to cast on! I added a couple of buttons, one skein of yarn wasn't enough for a long scarf. I'm really happy with how it has turned out and the yarn (Merino Slub from evoke hand dyed yarns - now discontinued) created a beautiful soft rustic fabric :) I can see I will get alot of wear out of this, and it will definately be coming O/S with us for Christmas!

Something for your stash?

2009-09-08T11:55:00.005+10:00

The new Spring Collection has hit the store :)

'Petal' (above)

'Violet'

'Mai'

'Fields'

'Fern' (My favourite)

'Apple'

Shifting

2009-08-27T15:54:00.005+10:00

All has been quiet on The Yarn Cafe Blog. Just 4 days after I dyed the last skeins for the co-op, we moved house. It was a quick decision, and it all happened in just 3 weeks :) We are back in our favourite little village, and it's simply perfect.

I've been pretty tired, hence the zero blogging action, there is NO rest for the wicked I'm afraid! We are over the worst, almost everything is unpacked, my office is a workable space, the three teeth little J had coming through are here, S has made friends with all the kids her age in town, and everyone is well. Most of my custom orders are complete and the NEW spring colourways are outside drying as I type! How exciting ;)

Even though it has been absurdly HOT - try 37 degrees in WINTER!!! - I have been knitting. After at least a month where I had no time to even look at my projects (I was thinking about them though) I could stand it no longer. I've even started a new project, a small one for some much needed instant gratification. Photos to come :)

Happy knitting!

The Last Wall of Yarn

2009-08-01T10:46:00.006+10:00

Kris and I have been inundated with emails regarding the co-op. It's lovely to see how keen everyone is to get their parcels and start knitting :)

Here's how it's looking: a massive 391 skeins of the original 442 have been dyed. The last of these skeins are still drying but should be dry by tomorrow. The remaining skeins will be labeled and sorted in the next couple of days. Kris will have these skeins (except Pear Tree) by Wednesday 5th.

The Pear Tree yarns are still aprrox. 2 weeks away from arrival - I will keep everyone updated, and I will be having a personal party when they do arrive :)

Sadly, this is my last wall of yarn :( I will miss it!

The Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler

2009-07-28T17:46:00.003+10:00

Here are some samples that are well on their way to the lovely JD for the first Aussie Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler Boxes. Read all about it here on the Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler blog, which is currently awash with stunning photos of yarns and fibres! You can buy the boxes for $30 on Etsy (store coming soon I think?). There will be limited numbers so you'll have to be quick! I predict some good old yarny madness.....

Woolly Ears

2009-07-28T00:13:00.006+10:00

Yarn is everywhere and I love it!! Sometimes I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with the volume of yarny goodness that has graced various rooms in my house but it is SO worth it - even when the yarn isn't mine for very long! A lovely customer told me recently that she is planning to roll in her large parcel of yarn once it arrives, and to be honest I've been tempted to do the same. I could probably fill a small room knee-deep with yarn and throw it around like I'd won the lottery, have a bit of a roll around, curl up and go to sleep in the most heavenly soft (not to mention colourful) bed of yarn LOL!

I'm pleased to announce that I dyed the last (for now) skeins of the Co-Op on Sunday! Until the long awaited Pear Tree arrives, that is. I will pass the yarn on to Kris early next week (all going well) to get it out to those of you who have placed orders without PearTree. I have also managed to dye the bulk of my remaining custom orders, unfortunately I have had all sorts of supply problems these last couple of months and some of them have taken much longer than normal - but yay! They are dyed and drying, and you guys know who you are :) Now I just have days worth of dyeing semi-solids ahead of me and then I will take a short break from dyeing until mid August.

'Frolic'

It is simply impossible to have all this yarn around and NOT photograph it. I think I have been photographing yarn more often than my children in the past few weeks!!!

'Earth Mother'

'Polaris'

Just a taste..... enjoy!

Winter 09 Collection

2009-07-16T21:20:00.004+10:00

Introducing the Winter Collection by evoke hand dyed yarns.
Available only during Winter 09 or by custom order.

'Huntress' (above on Swift Superwash 8ply)

Deepest black, hints of grey and cherry red, dappled with
fawn and white.

'Tempest' (above on Swift Superwash 8ply)
Pale green ice, blasting turquoise and teal, bleak grey and denim blue

'Repunzel' (above on Bluefaced leicester 8ply)
Stone grey, ivy green, faded oak with violets

'Viking' (above on Swift Superwash 8ply)
Striking earth brown and orange-brown against a clear ice blue
and snowy white
'Twilight' (above on Swift Superwash 8ply and
below on Melody 10ply)
Light leafy green, seafoam, teal, shadowed purple and denim blue
'Heather' (below on Bluefaced leicester 8ply)
A rich red-brown swirled semi solid

Fargyles and Milo

2009-07-15T22:37:00.006+10:00

I have not had much time to knit. These two babies have been waiting patiently to be cast off. I don't know why I often finish a garment to that point, and it takes me ages to get around to grafting or turning the last end in - it's silly, really :D

These socks turned out beautifully, and I am not partial to orange! They are a gift for my MIL. The pattern is great, the only tricky bit is getting the middle stitches of the X tight enough.

Pattern: Fargyles by Jacki Kelly
Yarn: Orange Gradient in Four Bags Full Merino, 90g
Needles: 3.75mm

My little man turned 1 recently, and I was originally hoping to have it ready for his birthday LOL! I made the 18 month size, hoping it will still fit later in the year. It's such a lovely pattern, another fantastic tiKKi creation :) It took me so long because the yarn I used was a nightmare to knit with, I felt every stitch in my knuckles. It was worth it though.

Pattern: Milo by Georgie Hallam
Size: 18 month
Yarn: Nundle Classic Linen/Wool blend from Nundle Woollen Mills
Needles: 4mm

House of Yarn

2009-07-12T09:16:00.003+10:00

There is a phenomenal amount of yarn in my house at the moment. In the space of about 2 weeks I had orders for over 52kgs of yarn! This was mostly the co-op, which has been pretty exciting. So I've been dyeing 3 full days a week, which is as much as I can squeeze in between kids and everything else :) Still, I have about 4 sessions to go when all customs and co-op dyeing is done - until the Pear Tree arrives, that is. I'm at the point where my hands are really feeling it, and I'm looking forward to seeing a huge pile of dyed and labeled yarn waiting to be packed up rather than containers of undyed yarn, dye lists and schedules :D Here's a peek of what I have been up to.....and why I have been so quiet.

'Romani' above and 'Depth' below on WOOLganic Australian Organic Wool 8ply. I love this yarn - so soft and velvety, a delight to dye and knit.

I've also been dyeing quite a bit of fiber lately, mostly silk. There will be some BFL sliver for the shop soon. 'Evoke' above and 'Berry fuchsia' below.

And finally the co-op: Due to the amount of yarn being dyed, I hung a new extra drying rack outside and a line inside - this is the line inside. It is this full constantly. We have had alot of rain here, so I've had to keep everything rotating to get it all dry. It is such a lovely wall decoration, it will be a shame to see it go.

Co-op Pear Tree

2009-07-09T22:15:00.005+10:00

Just a quick update - unfortunately the Pear Tree yarn is approx. 4 weeks away..... If anyone has any questions or problems, please contact me or Kris.

My house is literally a house of yarn, I'll post soon with some pics :D

Happy knitting!

Co-op Update

2009-06-19T10:53:00.003+10:00

Thanks to everyone who ordered in the co-op (now closed).

I have been busy ordering yarns with some problems:

Treliske has sold out of cones so all skeins will have one join per skein.

Some Four Bags Full yarn will also have one join per skein, as hanks have been sold out

There will be a possible delay with Pear Tree yarns, when I have an expected time frame Kris and I will let everyone know.

I will post with news as I receive it. I will also keep track of my progress with a percentage bar on the right.

Happy knitting!

Hot from the Dye Pot

2009-05-11T21:32:00.003+10:00

The latest batch of Rainbow Gradients....

Though very time consuming, it's always such a pleasure seeing the colours come together :)

Anawol Alpacas

2009-05-09T20:54:00.006+10:00

Have I mentioned that I really really like Alpacas??? I often joke to my husband that we should move to Tasmania and have some Alpacas. He says 'some?' and I say 'Yeah, like a herd of them!'. I think alpaca is so soft - yes, and I hear you - hairy. But I've never found it to be anything like mohair, alot of people seem to think so which has always surprised me. Alpacas are such lovely animals. I don't really know what Tasmania has to do with my Alpaca farm dream though...

So when I got an email about Alpaca Week, and how a local farm was having an open weekend (not just a day), it became our Saturday destination ;)

Sienna had a great time trying to convince an Alpaca to eat grass from her hand, eating yummy homemade Danish and sat drawing pictures of Alpacas while I had a look around at the wares on offer. I am sooo lucky I didn't have alot of cash on me! The handspun 100% alpaca yarn has to be the softest alpaca I have EVER felt. So I got 2 skeins (300g+) and some large vintage sock blockers which was awesome! The labels have the name of the animal the fleece came from - mine came from Kirka, and this yarn is a beautiful caramel brown. What a wonderful Alpaca to grow such wonderful fleece! Did I mention I really like Alpacas??

April Sock Club

2009-05-08T20:30:00.003+10:00

Hmmm, well it was that time again (about 10 days ago), time for the Yarn Collective Sock Club parcels to be sent out. I'm pretty sure they have all found their new homes, so here's a peek!

'Tamarillo'

This month featured a new as yet unreleased base yarn for The Yarn Cafe and evoke hand dyed yarns - Superwash 8ply. Perfect for thick socks in the cooler weather.Talk about sliding through your fingers! This yarn is delicious!!! This time I kept some for myself, and I'm itching to cast on some Rainy Day socks. Only problem is I have 5 wips at the moment and about 10 things waiting to be cast on!

Pear Tree Merino

2009-05-07T20:52:00.004+10:00

I restocked the store last weekend and most of the yarn to go up was Pear Tree Merino. This yarn really is supersoft, and takes the dye beautifully, not to mention this yarn is sooo photographic. If you've never tried it - you must! Saying it is supersoft doesn't even come close! It has such a wonderful cotton-like feel, you could seriously go to sleep on a pile of this yarn and feel like a princess.

'Julian' (top) and 'Earth Mother' (above)

'Lullaby' (above)

'Rocky Creek' (above) and 'Volcano' (below)

Stitches and Craft Show

2009-05-04T13:25:00.012+10:00

Yesterday Kris and I made the trip to Brisbane to visit the Stitches and Craft Show.I've seen lots of blog posts about the show and yarn scored... but alas, there was no yarn in Brisbane for a yarn snob like me!

There was fabric like you wouldn't believe!! I exercised incredible restraint and only purchased a cushion cover kit from Ink and Spindle - reminding myself how I almost never get the sewing machine out these days... I used to sew daily before I was attacked by the knitting bug ....sigh. I would have loved to buy metres and metres of fabric!

Snowy Owls

2009-04-28T11:43:00.004+10:00

I cast off on and blocked this project more than a week ago, but didn't have a chance to put the finishing touches on until yesterday. We've all had the flu here - for two weeks! It was good to get some things done!

I've had this yarn for more than two years, from way back when Ali and I had a yarn swap. I'm really happy about how this turned out - perfect yarn, very snuggly, fluffy and wintery. Reminds me of Germany.

Pattern: Owl Baby Vest by Jodi Haraldson
Yarn: 100% Alpaca hand-dyed by Ali of BumNRound, 95g
Mods: Made it about an inch longer, P1K1 ribbing

Healthy for your stash...

2009-04-27T11:26:00.005+10:00

New to The Yarn Cafe!
Lovely Lanica from Fleece Artist.

A lush organic single plied DK weight yarn, coloured with natural dyes. They are all dyed with plant dyes except for Cochineal which is an insect. Fleece Artist has gone to great lengths to obtain and spin high grade organic wool, dyed in Italy in one of Europe's most famous eco-friendly dyehouses. Do the environment a favour and grab some!

I just love the subtle semi solid colours, I can really see myself in Ivy or Catechu :)

L-R: Cochineal, Catechu, Aldur buckthorn, Blureberry leaves, Ivy and Natural

StripeKnight without stripes

2009-04-14T09:33:00.002+10:00

I was lucky enough to score some elusive MonsterKnits yarn in a recent Yarn Collective Soaker Club. This slot was called 'Sea Life' and you can see why - those blues and greens remind me of our surfing trip down the coast of WA. I decided on the spur of the moment to pop in a wave repeat across the chest. I was a bit worried about how this would turn out, but I think it's worked really well.

Pattern: Striped Outfit for a StripeKnight by Suvi S.
Yarn: Monster Knits Worsted Weight Merino in 'Sea Life' 120g
Grass green mini skein from The Yarn Cafe/ evoke hand dyed yarns, 30g
Needles: 5mm
Mods: repeating wave colourwork

It fits J great - the sleeves are folded up about an inch so there is growing room. This is good though, hopefully it will get through this winter and more- we are going O/S for christmas this year so we get an extra winter! Just another good reason to knit more warm woollies :)

Anyone like green?

2009-04-10T11:48:00.003+10:00

Hmmm, so nice I wish I had kept some for myself!

Yarn : Drift (80% Superwash Merino 20% Bamboo)
Colourway: Pistachio
When: March Installment
Exclusive to the Yarn Collective Sock Clubs found here

It looked so good hanging up that I couldn't resist some photos ;)

A new baby!

2009-03-31T22:00:00.003+11:00

Okay, so I'm still ridiculously clucky! We got news last week that little Raphaella Pearl arrived and so I whipped out a couple more knits to go into a parcel. I just love her name!

Pattern: Rainbow Dress by Georgie Hallam
Size: 3 months
Yarn: Four Bags Full DK in 'Mont Martre' by evoke hand dyed yarns/The Yarn Cafe, 55g
WOOLganic Kundalini, 40g
Needles: 4mm
Mods: Increases under arms, picot cast off

I've been wanting to knit this dress for ages! It was such a quick and fun knit, instant gratification and excellent for gifting!

I haven't got the pinwheels out of my system yet! There will be a few more of these coming too! This was a big brother present, modeled below by my daughter.

Pattern: Top Down Pinwheel Beanie by StitchyMama
Yarn: Gradient dyed Australian Organic Wool in 'Ochre' by evoke hand dyed yarns/The Yarn Cafe, 30g
WOOLganic 'Sangha', 10g
Size: 2-4T
Needles: 4mm

Pinwheel Hat for a boy....

2009-03-30T21:12:00.003+11:00

And a cute boy at that!

He's quite adept at escape :)

Pattern: Pinwheel Sunhat by StitchyMama
Yarn: Gradient Dyed Four Bags Full Merino from The Yarn Cafe, 60g
Needles: 4mm
Size: 9-18 months
Mods: I put the bow on the inside rather than the outside
(for a more manly look) and I used a garter stitch edging.

And a finished Pic of the baby shrug for little Raphaella

Pattern: Seamless Baby Shrug by StitchyMama
Yarn: Melody in 'Sweet Heart' colourway from The Yarn Cafe, 75g
Needles: 4mm
Size: Newborn

Autumn is here....

2009-03-23T21:19:00.002+11:00

It's getting cooler and I'm sure we are all thinking the same thing - warm snuggly knits for ourselves and our loved ones. So I'm sharing the woolly love a little, making it easier to get more knits on those needles, more options, with an Autumn deal :)

Deal Conditions:
* The 3 skeins/balls chosen must be in the same yarn type and colourway - please note that custom order is available
** 1 Free skein/ball must be of equal or lesser value to the 3 ordered
** Please nominate 3 choices for your 1 free skein/ball in the message box at checkout - you will be given your first choice wherever possible.

All tangled up....

2009-03-22T10:12:00.003+11:00

Life doesn't get much better than a new yarn shop opening nearby - about 3hours away! I have always traveled for the good stuff and now I will have another stop on my trips to Brisbane: tangled YARNs which opened last Saturday. Seriously worth a visit - it is a total yarn experience, such a bright, light, airy and peaceful space- full of yarns, comfy chairs and fellow yarn enthusiasts! I scored a Namaste buddy and a needle holder, which I am very happy about - the colour matches a Colorado handbag I have and love dearly. The buddy is incredible - it is magnetised, so that when you open it all your little stitch markers are held to the base instead of flying out all over the place - forgot to take a pic of that! I have some sock blockers and more needles cases on order and I decided when I got home to get another knitting bag - I may have to make another trip soon!

It was a big day - last Saturday was also my husband's birthday, and what an awesome Man for being okay with me running off to the tangled YARNs opening :) I'm very aware that the Cafe side of my blog has been seriously lacking - but here's a teaser!

Berry Tart filled with vanilla custard.............he's partial to custard, especially home-made.

And on the knitting front I am sticking to my New Year's resolution of knitting more! So far so good. This is a shrug for a new baby girl just 5 days old today! In my favourite yarn Melody in the Sweet Heart colourway, a perfect mix of sweetness, softness and fluffiness. A finished pic soon to come.

Remember the orange socks from our last holiday that was not much of a holiday at all? Well they are finally having a come-back. This is Four Bags Full Merino, it was dyed in yellow swirl but I gradient dyed over the top in orange.

They look pretty awesome in Jacki's Fargyle pattern. The plan is to give these to miy MIL who adores orange (no comment). They sure are orange!

Knitting with Silk.......

2009-03-10T20:23:00.005+11:00

Knitting with silk wasn't as easy as I thought. I was knitting double stranded which probably had something to do with it. It took a bit of experimenting with different kinds of needles before I was able to knit smoothly. I ended up on addi turbo's and I was feeling alot better about the yarn and the pattern (both which I love but somehow putting them together turned into a struggle). The yarn is so scrumptious - it was a Dyelicious (now Kelly has moved on to Tangled Yarns) club slot and sooooo worth it! The Colourway is called 'Black Pearl' and I just adore it!

Pattern: Star Stitch Headband by Jennifer Fleury
Yarn: Dyelicious 2ply/fingering 100% silk, 'Black Pearl' Colourway
Needles: 3.5mm

This was my gift to my swapee as part of the swaps over at Woolaholics, go on over to see what's next. It's been a while so I figure its time to spill the beans :)

Fairies and Family

2009-03-08T22:58:00.004+11:00

For the last month or so I have been quite distracted with big family events, both good and bad.

My Nan died a few weeks ago and the long trip and stay took it out of me a bit. We were far from close, she was a very complicated woman, but packing up her house did affect me. She had a whole room dedicated to knitting and sewing. One wall of cupboards stacked with material and wool, two sides benches with a sewing machine, overlocker and two knitting machines. Pure heaven. So sad to see it all be packed away and dismantled. My other Grandmother taught me to knit, but my Nan was the one who was really into it. It's a pity I wasn't able to learn from her.

However, there have been great things as well - Sienna turned 4!! She decorated the cake :)

We planted these flowers before her party and she was waiting patiently to pick them! I really love how she collects leaves, flowers, stones and feathers and then arranges them in some out of the way spot for us to chance upon. Sometimes it's a fairy ring, sometimes like a mandala or a trailing line..... I find them so fascinating and inspiring. This time all those yellows and oranges led to a photo-fest that I thought I would share :)

Yummy New Yarns......

2009-03-05T22:17:00.005+11:00

Some scrumptious yarns are never far away.......

Introducing three new base yarns for The Yarn Cafe!

This beauty is 'Caress' - 2ply/laceweight

70% Baby Alpaca 20% Silk 10% Cashmere

Simply incredible, utterly divine!

Pictured above in 'Sage' and 'Emerald', and below in 'Merlot'.

This little darling is 'Whisper' - 10ply/worsted weight

80% Superfine Alpaca 20% Silk

Pictured below in 'Merlot'

Unfortunately my stock of Caress and Whisper sold out before they hit my store! There is more in the dye pot as I type, but if you're in desperate need you can find some IRL at Kelly's new store - Tangled Yarns.

This sweetheart is my favourite. I'm not really a gushing kinda girl but ohmygodthisisthemostdelicioussimplythesoftestmostsnugglyyarnever!

Melody - 10ply/worsted weight

60% Baby Alpaca 30% Merino 10% Bamboo

I have some on the needles now, and all I want to do is gush some more!

Pictured in 'Emerald'.

This last one is not a new yarn, but a new colourway - 'Ivy'.
For the green lovers among us.

Wheeling and dealing....

2009-02-11T21:41:00.003+11:00

Lots of Pinwheels going on here :) I've made a couple of StitchyMama's excellent hats. My daughter has a pink (and purple if you are lucky) policy so luckily I had a gradient with pink in it! I couldn't resist whipping up a second little one for an expectant friend.

Pattern: Pinwheel Sunhat by StichyMama (Katherine Oxlade Knack)
Size: 2-4t (above) and 0-3 months (below)
Yarn: Gradient dyed Four Bags Full Merino by The Yarn Cafe.
70g for size 2-4t and 40g for size 0-3 months, 4mm needles

The Pinwheel Sweater is finished, just need to convince my little model to put it on long enough in this heat to snap out a few photos ;)

Pinwheel sweater....

2009-02-06T12:15:00.003+11:00

This has taken awhile! I knit it in the evenings, sitting outside my daughters door while she goes to sleep. It's gotta be nice watching your Mum knit you something while you drift off to sleep ;)

I am so happy with how the colours have turned out - this has used about 200g of rainbow gradient. I had two 150g lots, and the next skein joined in at just the right time to complete a rainbow in garter stitch.

The I-cord edging took forever!

I have half of the second cuff to finish, and it's done! Maybe tonight I might get lucky and then tomorrow we can scoot over to Spotlight for some toggle buttons to finish it. Actions shots to follow....

January YarnCollective Sock Club Revealed

2009-01-19T13:56:00.004+11:00

Here's a pic of the January Sock Club skeins waiting to be re-skeined ... an ocean of colour ;)

Colourway:
'Parrot Fish' (Exclusive to the YarnCollective Sock Club)

Yarn:
Shimmer (50% Tencel 50% Merino) perfect for the warmer months

I included a Bodecare natural wooden nail brush (one side pumice and the other natural bristles) in the cute shape of a foot!! I figure it's all about beautiful feet, right?

Helena Finished

2009-01-13T20:53:00.003+11:00

Helena is finished! I love the pattern so much I am contemplating another one....

Pattern: Helena by Alison Green Will
Yarn: The Yarn Cafe EcoBamboo in 'Lilly' 300g

I made the sleeves shorter, and made one tie instead of two. I think it works well as a light summer cardi. Sienna wanted to take it to bed and cuddle it because it is so soft!

Now I've let myself go and I am totally addicted to the Pinwheel sweater. I've made it bigger so it is a 5-6yo size. Arm holes are done, and it's on to the garter stitch.

New Year Knitting

2009-01-11T13:39:00.004+11:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! It seemed tome that December just flew by. Yarn was flying out the door, and I was juggling work, christmas parties and the usual chaos all the while trying to finish some projects and get a fair amount of baking in.

I know I've been incredibly slack at blogging the Cafe part of the Yarn Cafe. I do a lot of cooking but I never seem to be able to take a photo in time ;) Here's some the best batch of yummies I cooked for Advent - Lebkuchen!! They actually didn't take very long to make. The hardest thing was that it was so hot, the chocolate didn't dry hard again, and it took me a while to sort out how to store them without squishing them.

I can't resist sharing our adorable Advents wreath. We light one more candle each Sunday for the 4 Sundays before Christmas. It's a lovely little tradition that they do in Germany, and you light the candle and have cake and coffee/tea with your family and friends. Oh, and the witch is for good luck, witches are nice and good in Scandinavian countries and Northern Germany where my DH is from.

I managed to get two things finished in December, surprising even myself LOL! A homespun scarf that Sienna asked me to knit her. I've had this yarn in my stash for ages, wondering what to do with it. I got it from a local market, and I have a few more skeins in my stash waiting for an idea. I just love the colours in this yarn, and Sienna loves the sparkly bits :)

The second project I finished just in time to get it washed and blocked before we left on holiday before Christmas: Boheme, a late baby present. I really like the tulip lace pattern, and it was really easy to knit. I think next time I will put the button holes 2 stitches in from the edge instead of three, as the buttons look just a bit too far over to me.

Pattern: Boheme by Allegra Wermuth

Yarn: Kundalini WOOLganic

Since Christmas we have had heaps of visitors. With visitors and hubby having time off I have been knitting and it's been sooooo good. One of my New Years Resolutions is to knit more, and so far it's working!!

This is a singlet I whipped up for Sienna. It took about 6 false starts, but after that it was quick and the end result is awesome and definately worth it! The Watermelon yarn turned out even better than I expected, I'm really hooked on these splatter dyed yarns.

Pattern: my own (coming soon)
Yarn: 'Envy' Dyelicious Sock Yarn (20g) and
'Watermelon' Drift Sock Yarn (30g) from The Yarn Cafe
Needles: 5mm

I'm also almost finished Helena by Alison Green Will. It's such a sweet pattern. I'm using bamboo yarn in 'Lily', which is my favourite. I'm making the sleeves shorter, so it will be a summer cardi.

Last, but not least, I couldn't resist casting on a kids Pinwheel sweater! I'm using some of my Rainbow Gradient that was deemed a second due to extreme circumstances (hubby away, zero sleep, 5 week old baby, phone rings, forget washed wet yarn lying in a heap, some dye runs, found it a day later!! Insert swear words here). However, my daughter was delighted, and has been eyeing it off ever since. She now loves the rainbow cardi I made for her last winter, which curiously fits her perfectly now, so it was time to start another one in order to guarantee that I get it finished before next winter. I didn't bargain on how quick and addictive it is though! I'm making myself finish Helena first. More pics to come :)

TYC Northern Star!

2008-11-18T11:55:00.009+11:00

I never thought I'd be in the paper with yarn on my head, but here we are!! In todays local paper. When I went to the corner store this morning the dude reckoned I was famous LOL. As someone who doesn't usually like attention, it's a bit strange but good too.

Article:

The Northern Star
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
www.northernstar.com.au
Written by Mel McMillan
Photos byDavid Neilsen

And, yes it's true. It's a little known fact that I grew up on a sheep farm in rural NSW. I spent my weekends and holidays doing 'sheep work'. My daughter thinks it's hilarious that I used to ride around on the back of a truck with a sheep dog. Hubby reckons I show my country roots whenever I say 'ute loads' - I mean, come on! What's wrong with that?? When my brother heard about The Yarn Cafe he said "Well, you can take the woman out of the country but you can't take the country out of the woman!'. Very amusing.

For those who are interested....

My first ever paid job was working as a rouseabout in the Shearing Shed during school holidays. Rouseabouts do odd jobs in the shearing shed, whatever needs doing. It's different from farm to farm. In our shed, as soon as the shearer had finished, and as he was pushing the sheep down the slide (to the run under the shed) I used to pick the fleece up from the ground, throw it in the air so that is spread out in the air (but did not break) and settled in one piece on the table. There's quite a trick to it, and it takes practice. My Dad would skirt and class the wool, and while he did that I would sweep up, by which time the Shearer had caught the next sheep. We had 2 shearers going at once (we were a relatively small farm with up to 1800 head of sheep - merino cross) so it was all very quick and busy. I love being efficient. I now look back and think that job had a huge impact on me :) Then we would bale the wool with a huge press, and drag these huge bales around the shed with hooks and stack them up into huge piles, which my brothers and I would play on in the breaks. I'm the eldest of 6 kids (yep!) but my brothers were never into it and pretty much hate sheep to this day.

I remember my hands and arms covered with scratches from prickles and vegetable matter but the skin being soft and sticky (from the lanolin) for days later. The unglamorous part was that we also smelt like sheep for days afterwards! I always wanted to learn to shear, I remember having fights with my Dad about it. Deep down I think that maybe he thought I was taking the 'I'm a girl but I can do anything' thing a bit far. Shame on you, Dad! ;)

Our farm was eco-friendly, we practiced sustainable farming methods where possible. I have never seen mulesing in process, it was never practiced on our farm. I didn't realise at the time what an amazing thing my parents were doing, farming that way.

Unfortunately the farm has been sold, years ago now. I often dream about having a small farm, some sheep and alpacas. Imagine all that fleece just walking around, just waiting to be hand spun and knit into something fantastic!

WIN!! A skein of your choice each month!!

2008-11-18T11:53:00.001+11:00

Don't miss out!

Catch Up

2008-11-18T10:58:00.005+11:00

I've been a bit remiss in posting lately. Mostly because things are so busy but also because nothing really exciting has happened. Not much knitting going on, but lots of other yarny goodness.

This is the November Installment of the Yarn Collective Soaker Club.

With a choice of boy and girl colourways with an overall 'Beachside' theme. Above is 'Wave Rider' (Boy) hand painted and splatter dyed and below is 'Beach Sunset' (girl) kettle dyed. Both in Shetland Wool 8ply/DK weight. These clubs are so much fun to be involved in as a store owner, and as a customer of course :) There's also the Sock Club for the Sock Lovers out there.

And so some yarny goodness! Since moving almost 8 months ago (where does the time go?) my office is also the playroom. Or should I say the playroom is also the office! We have a huge lovely big rumpus room with french doors and windows and a wooden floor. One large corner and one wall is devoted to me and everything yarn. This is a good chunk of my instock yarn, and it's lovely to look at. I can't think of a nicer wall decoration. Notice the kids books?? Unfortunately for my hubby, my yarn has migrated throughout the house quite extensively. His office is about half full, stacked high with giant plastic containers full of ... yep, you guessed it: yarn!

And my little man is growing up so fast :( We don't have TV, so skeining yarn is the next best thing!!

Gondwana

2008-10-23T22:47:00.001+11:00

WOOLganic's new colour "Gondwana" is here!!

Yum!

For Elsa

2008-10-10T19:10:00.003+11:00

Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater on Two Needles.

This pattern seems to be everywhere I look, and when a friend had a little girl, I couldn't resist! I love it, and I would really like to try and adjust it to fit Sienna - when some WIP's are crossed off the list.

The soaker in the set is a Wooly Wonder Soaker by Pamela Grossman.

Knit in 'Grapefruit' WOOLganic 8ply on 4mm needles. I used almost 150g/3 balls for the FBS.

Rainbow Gradients

2008-10-09T21:26:00.003+11:00

Imagine what you could knit with a Rainbow Gradient!

Up for auction on Yarn Collective now!!

Splat Your Heart Out

2008-10-07T20:24:00.005+11:00

I've been having fun with splatter dyed yarns!

Watermelon
Passionfruit

Big Scrub

Kiwi Fruit

Leopard

Strawberry

Dalmatian

Downpour

Dragon Blood

Fairy Bread

Absent

2008-09-30T20:40:00.003+10:00

I feel like I always say life is so busy. It just keeps getting busier. I'm hurtling along and the brakes are broken. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who think they can do everything. And the problem is, I can most of the time :) But I've hit the 4-6 month baby slump and it's like slamming into a tree, seriously. I remember this from last time, but last time I didn't have the social life I do now, nor was I working from home. I've turned into this yabber-woman, how did I get to know so many people? I can't seem to go into town 'quickly' anymore and it has nothing to do with the kids!!

It's funny in a way, because my new year's resolution was about friendships, and this year is shaping up to be all about relationships. New friends are great, especially a whole new world of similarly bilingual families but the ending friendships have been really full on, some relieving and some achingly sad. Surprisingly quite a few lost friends have returned, especially two very close to my heart and that has been wonderful.

With all the day to day activity, essential things get lost. Like sleep! Like 'me' time - like what is that? Where did it go??? I dimly remember it, a dusty memory shoved in the back of my mind. Knitting? Some - I hope to finish a project tonight for a baby on the other side of the world whose mother is one of the most amazing women I know.

I've been a bit preoccupied with this song, enamored perhaps :) It seems to sum up where I'm at at the moment - a sad beautiful song.

So I've been a bit AWOL online. I've been dyeing yarn like a maniac though :) It's my outlet for all my frustrations, and I get away with it because it's work!!! There are a few entirely new things about to go up, and some auctions! Yep, it's been a long time since I auctioned some yarn. Some seriously cool new colourways and scrumptious base yarns, I can hardly contain my excitement! Stay tuned....

Quiet, yes, but busy!

2008-09-30T20:10:00.005+10:00

I'm sooo addicted. How is it that yarn is so photogenic??? This is some of what I've been up to lately.....

Rainbow Earth

Rinn

Tiger Cub

Lavender

Mud Princess

Plum Tree

Calendula

Cornflower

Man Overboard

Evoke

I could go on and on...

Gradients......

2008-08-29T13:33:00.002+10:00

I love Gradients. I have been experimenting with a slightly different (faster) method and as a result the colour is mildly mottled within the gradient which will make for a spectacular effect. These are all true gradients, and the charcoal-black is what I'm calling a 'double fade' - from grey to charcoal, then grey through to black. In a new base yarn, UK Shetland Chunky weight. They will be available tonight, Friday 29th August at 9pm NSW time.

Hooded Cardi

2008-08-28T19:18:00.004+10:00

So here she is actually wearing it, I'm afraid I was a little optimistic when I hoped she would wear it to death!!! It has turned out a bit small after all - it looks smaller in the photo because she just stood up from bending down. It won't fit next year.

Next time I will change a few little things about the hood. The hood turned out well except it has a small point which I was trying to avoid with decreases, I think when grafting I need to decrease at the end to continue the curve. I think I will start the next one in a little while, after a few WIPs are completed, and fine tune the pattern.

Somebody Save Me!!!!!

2008-08-25T20:18:00.002+10:00

This unbelievable package arrived for me today from Kelly of Dyelicious Hand Dyed Yarns...... I have a serious addiction to her stuff. Every beautiful piece of this parcel was a heart stopping moment, and all I can say is 'Oh my God, cashmere!!!' (and green cashmere!). I cannot bear to put it away in my stash!

Rainbow Bright

2008-08-24T23:24:00.002+10:00

Yep, its finished and just (as in one week) before the end of winter LOL!! This is my little adventure into pattern design, a hooded Cardi for my daughter - who chose a 'rainbow'. We won't loose her in a crowd with this on!

The whole time I was knitting I was thinking two things: 1. I should have started this last year, and 2. I doubt that she will like/wear it. I wrapped it up in wrapping paper and she loved it for all of 5 minutes, whipped it on and off again in a flash, and it has lain in a heap in her wardrobe all weekend. I'm very happy that she likes it, and I'm sure she will wear it and hopefully wear it to death :) Some action shots will follow.

This is about a kids size 4-5. I used 350g 4ply BFL Nylon Sock yarn, I knit it all with 2 strands on 4mm needles. I couldn't figure out what buttons would go well, so decided at the last minute for a zipper, which was a good choice I think.

Holiday knitting????

2008-08-12T09:14:00.002+10:00

I've been away for a week and actually did a lot of knitting. Unfortunately it was mostly experimental knitting, the type of knitting that gets frogged. So I don't have much evidence, just sore hands and healthy amount of frustration :)

I cast on some socks in some spectacular yarn, almost finished one sock but didn't realise how stressed I was - surrounded by people, disrupted baby - which resulted in some serious hand clenching and a sock that got tighter as I went along. So the decision was hard, to frog or not to frog when you are at the toe??? Frog it was. I really want some socks in that yarn. I will pop a pic up when I cast on again.

I made progress on Sienna's Cardi, just one sleeve cuff and some edging to go. I had to frog back the first sleeve twice until I got the decreases right, the hood once, and now I've decided to frog back the bottom edge to make it a bit longer. I can't believe I haven't finished it and it's nearly the end of winter. She's already outgrown the length. I know the more I fiddle, the less time she will have to actually wear it before it gets too warm here but I can't seem to help myself. It definately won't fit her next year, so I have to hurry up. I keep wavering between states of 'why bother?' and a frenzy to get it done.

Despite the frogging frustrations on my holiday, I have finally come to accept the fact that I am not a prolific knitter, nor will I be any time in the near future. I have maintained the faint hope all this time. No matter how much I try to knit every day, no matter how much I think about it, how many times my dreams cameo an impossibly cool knitted item, it is simply not possible in my life right now. So I am all calm and centered and zen about my occasional knitting stints. However I am frantic about the lack of dyeing that has been going on here lately. Family members have been visiting from overseas the last 5 weeks and I have hardly got anything done!! My drying racks are forlorn and empty :( And so is my shop :(

Here is a pic of a cast on before we left on holiday, sadly untouched since then. This is the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer. It is really easy, very effective, and great for knitting with the kids around.

Julian's Cardi FO

2008-07-29T21:41:00.002+10:00

This was the little baby cardi that I was trying to finish before Julian was born! Ahh well, it's finished now and its a good thing I didn't make the newborn size. It took me an absurdly long time, but I so enjoyed knitting with this yarn that I was a bit sorry when it was finished. The little shell buttons are very cute (also very difficult to photograph) and I'm so happy with the end result.

Garter Stitch Cardigan
Pattern found in: 'Simple Knits For Cherished Babies' by Erika Knight
Yarn: The Yarn Cafe BFL Alpaca 'Lullaby'

Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf WIP

2008-07-24T19:05:00.003+10:00

As promised , some pics of my Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf by Toni M.Maddox in 'Depth' Australian Polwarth 4ply. I'm really enjoying the lace, though it is challenging trying to find some uninterupted time in which to knit. I cannot wait to see it finished and blocked.

Sprout

2008-07-23T19:30:00.002+10:00

More of this amazing yarn.... in a new colourway 'Sprout'.

Romani

2008-07-22T22:07:00.006+10:00

This is what I yearn for as a dyer - that perfect dyelot. There are times when it all just comes together - the perfect yarn and the perfect combination of colours to create a simply stunning skein of yarn. I dream of yarn like this, and it is truly very difficult for me to part with it.

Perhaps it's not to everyone's taste but these colours just sing to me. There's nothing special about the technique, but I know I will find it challenging to recreate this, especially on another yarn. It may have turned out less than average on any other yarn. (I will dye some up and see).

This is a new base yarn: Four Bags Full Merino Slub 8ply/DK. I adore this yarn, I am in love with it, I cannot express in words how beautiful it is. If I didn't have kids I would decorate my walls with it - whole rows of skeins hanging down....sigh.

And this is 'Romani'.

There will be 3 skeins available at my next stocking this thursday night on my website.

Lantern Moon

2008-07-19T13:33:00.002+10:00

I have been lusting after a pair of Lantern Moon needles for a long time. I love wooden needles and though I mostly use circulars I am partial to straight needles and prefer them depending on what I am knitting. I was originally going for the Ebony but I finally chose these: Lantern Moon Blonde.

I was ecstatic when they arrived. I had it all planned: Haruha scarf in Australian Polwarth 4ply 'Depth'. I cast on that night, desperate for some knitting pleasure. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed knitting with those needles!!. However my joy was dampened, my eagerness crushed...... after 2 repeats it just wasn't working for me. I cast on 'Branching Out' ...same problem. I finally relented and sadly put my new needles aside. Desperate to save the evening, I took up my 5mm circs and cast on Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf. It is turning out beautifully, though I gaze longingly at those needles on my shelf. Sigh.

Man Overboard

2008-07-11T12:19:00.003+10:00

A new colourway :)

Storming

2008-07-07T00:31:00.002+10:00

I've been dyeing up a storm. My dye-mojo is going strong and I am loving it. Hubby has been away for a week so all my spare time has gone into yarn, and I've really enjoyed it. These are some colourways going up at my next stocking, hopefully Thursday night.

'Channon'

'Earth Mother'

'Mud Princess'

Garter Stitch Cardi WIP

2008-07-02T20:17:00.002+10:00

This is Erika Knight's Garter Stitch Cardigan, which I was hoping to get finished before Julian arrived and have just picked up again. I'm knitting with The Yarn Cafe's 'Chai' Alpaca BFL blend, and I have fallen in love with this yarn all over again. It is sooo soft, perfect for my little one.

'Lullaby' colourway

Parcels!!

2008-07-01T14:52:00.002+10:00

Much to my daughter's delight, we recieved two lovely parcels yesterday, both the result of a little shopping spree at 2 new shops .

Some nappies and these awesome stitch markers from Kelly of The Crafty Caterpillar (formerly Caterpillar Cuties).

And from Katherine aka StitchyMama this awesome Blueberry Beanie. I fell in love with this and couldn't resist!

New Colourways For June

2008-06-22T22:15:00.006+10:00

My mind has exploded with colourway ideas of late. Here are the latest, unfortunately the varigated colourways sold out at my opening on thursday night. I will have more dyed and listed as soon as baby and life in general permits :)

'Lighthouse' (below)

'Rainbow Earth'

And introducing Semi Solid Swirls: (available at the moment in 4ply)

'Plum'

'Depth'

'Salvia'

Feeling the love

2008-06-18T21:28:00.003+10:00

Just wanted to post some pics and a thankyou to some amazing WAHMs for their amazing swaps/gifts!

These nappies are from Kelly of Caterpillar Cuties - I am still stunned by these simply awesome nappies!

From kelly of Dyelicious came this amazing set! I'm normally a regular at Kel's prolific blog, but was so busy with bub that I missed all the pics and so it was a complete surprise! I'm very touched :) See it here and here.

Modelled by my beautiful little man ;) Jules is 4 weeks old on Friday!!! It really does go so fast :(