Jamiesons Shetland spindrift

 

 Hello everyone,

 

  Of the many things I love about yarn, the colours, textures, content....I think the thing I love most is the history of it! I love knowing where it is from, what animals "grew" it, where it was gathered and spun, plied and and dyed, and finally how it came from distant shores to arrive at my little shop!! So, while I may never travel to Peru or Turkey, or get to see the Shetland Isles, I can hold their yarns in my hands and create something amazing!

 

  Such is this yarn...Jamieson Shetland...entering its fifth generation, the Jamieson family has struggled and persevered since the early 1890's to bring us a 100% Pure Scottish wool. With a carbon footprint of just eighty miles, this yarn is sheared, spun,dyed and shipped from the remote, rugged islands off the coast of Scotland. So, pack your bags ( o.k., maybe just your purse, lol!) and come in to see and feel this fabulous yarn, the colours are deep,  and the patterns available are simply gorgeous!  

 

  We have been doing a Knit-Along with this yarn for a great little Tea Cozy....

 Here is one in progress

 

  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sheep-carousel

 by Kate Davies. Next week we will be finished this project and anyone who wants to join us to work with this yarn, doing any of Kate Davies patterns, or any pattern for that matter which uses this yarn,  is welcome to do so.

 

  I will doing  either this great hat or these mittens or maybe doing both, LOL!!  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peerie-flooers

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peerie-flooers-mittens

  I know another lady is doing these great fingerless mittens: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tortoise-and-hare-gauntlets

  Please note these are Stranded knitting, and this is not a class on learning how, but a Knit-Along where we all help each other out with any problems. If you missed out on doing the tea cozy and now want to do it, you can certainly join us for this. This is a sort of loose kind of Knit-Along, as for this time only I am offering to let everyone work on any projects using Jamieson Sheltand Spindrift yarns, of which there are many!

 

  In the fall we will be doing Kate Davies wonderful Blanket and hat to match but that is for another e-mail!!

  This knit along will start Thursday May 29th 1 till 3 pm. There is no charge to join but I do ask you buy your yarn from me.

  One other note, this Saturday May 24th is the Annual Duck Race in Coldwater, this is great fun for the whole family!! Most stores will also be having sidewalk sales, and I certainly will have lots of yarns at 20% to 40% off. So come on out and join in the fun!!

 

  More information about the Duck Race can be found here http://coldwaterlions.com/events/coldwater-duck-race/

 

 Happy Knitting

 

Lynn

lynn@thepurplesock.ca

705 686-3455

 

Georgian Bay Fibres and New Blocking Wires!!

Hello everyone,

 

Just the name "Georgian Bay" conjures up so many stunning images...rocky shores, deep waters, white capped waves, rugged pines, and swooping shore birds. So,when Parry Sound indie dyer Carla, began using these images as her inspiration to dye her Blue Faced Leicester fibres, I knew they would be a treat to see. And just the names that Carla uses...Spruce, Squall, Granite, make me want to own them all (well, I guess I do!)..that is, until you come in and take them off my hands!

 

So, they have arrived and the depth of colour is simply spectacular....Blue Faced Leicester is a wonderful fibre  and is just gorgeous for knitting and spinning. In both untreated and Superwash, there are yarns for every project you could imagine.

 

So far I am carrying her Kilcoursie fingering weight great for socks, shawls and cowls!! Also her Untreated Blue Faced Leicester Roving.

 

 

 

 

  Every once in a while, a new item appears in the knitting world which really makes an impact! And these incredible blocking wires do just that...they are super flexible, making it very easy to block any of your knitted items... shawls,  sweaters, scarves, no matter the curves and angles, these wires do the job and then return to shape..just amazing! Plus they come in a handy kit with several sizes of wires and stainless t-pins, everything you need for a successful blocking session.

 

 

Check out the link below to get the whole story of the young woman who saw a need and filled it....

I have also included a link to a great article on blocking with them!!

http://www.lazadas.net/

http://www.dayanaknits.com/2014/03/ILoveFlexibleBlockingWires.html