Thursday, December 5, 2013

Summer Knitting

If you're in Melbourne, Australia you would have experienced winter 5 days into summer today, hail storm and all!  Some people might complain about the weather but not me.  I love winter and don't mind even if it continues through summer.  Not to mention, the cooler it stays the more suitable it is for knitting!

Although I must admit, I haven't done much knitting throughout this year.  Having three children under the age of 5 meant that I hardly had time to myself.  But I'm glad to say I've made it to December and things are getting easier. The older 2 play together nicely for most of the time and they simply love having their baby brother around.  And just when I feel like I finally have gotten the hang of things, it's all going to change again next year as my oldest starts school! But there is still lots of summer fun to be had before that happens.


I've got the heater cranked up and have spent the afternoon adding some delicious new yarns to my store.  I'm very excited to have a few more yarns by Manos del Uruguay in selected colours.

Manos del Uruguay Lace is a wonderful and luxurious blend of baby alpaca, silk and cashmere. It is light but warm, and is extremely soft to touch. It would be perfect for a few of my favourite patterns: Rock Island, Gradiente and Color Affection.




If you love Manos del Uruguay's Silk Blend then you will also love Fino.  It has the same merino wool and silk blend but is a sport weight for the more refined and elegant projects. Made with a new dyeing process, they come in subtle and tonal colours which are beautiful and different to the strong colours we have been used to seeing from Manos. I personally love soft, pastel colours and have fallen in love with this range of yarn. I also can't wait to knit up these: Fino Circle Scarf, Eternidad Scarf and Martine Hat.


A yarn that has beautiful drape for summer garments is the Manos del Uruguay Serena. It is made up of baby alpaca and prima cotton and has a very versatile gauge. They are coloured using the new kettle-dyeing process which gives the yarn a heathered, stonewashed look. Some suggestions for this yarn and also some of my favourite patterns are: Chiton Pullover, Serena Shadow Shawl, Rayures, Wharton and Sofia.

We have more colours in Lace and Serena arriving soon so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

Joan xo


Monday, April 22, 2013

Yarn With Heart

One of the things that we aim to do at Wool & Flax is to support brands that have socially and environmentally friendly products.  We have a large range of yarns by Manos del Uruguay who are a part of the World Fair Trade Organization, and we are now pleased to introduce yet another brand of yarn which supports community development in economically depressed regions in South Africa, Be Sweet.

Be Sweet was created by Nadine Curtis in 2003 while living in Cape Town, South Africa.  The company gives local artisans the confidence and means to support themselves and their families through job creation programs.  Their mission is to bring socially and environmentally friendly products to fashionable consumers and help support community development around the world.  They also donate a portion of their profits to educational development programs in South Africa.

We are proud to be a stockist for them and to have some gorgeous colours from their Cotton Candy range on our shelves.

 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

A New Life

So I mentioned that there was a baby on the way a couple of posts ago and how I was knitting a few little things for him. I am delighted to introduce to you our beautiful boy, Ryan. He came into this world on the 1st of January. Needless to say, over the last couple of months I have been busier and lacking sleep more than usual. All well worth it though!

Life with a newborn - I am once again reminded of how quickly time goes by and how fast they grow. Those early days with them are so precious, so fleeting. Now I know why so many older women whose children have grown up gush over every newborn they come across. It is such a short and wonderful stage. Yes they are usually seen through tired and blurry eyes but to be able to cradle a small new life in your arms, there's nothing else like it. I do not look forward to the day I have my last child, knowing that he/she will be my last newborn. I guess, although I didn't always know it, I was made to be a mum.

As for knitting, I have not done any since Ryan was born and am proud to say so. Life is so precious and should be cherished. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment with my special boy since he was born. He is growing everyday but my wool and needles will still be there unchanged until the next time I am ready to pick them up again.

Hence my new tag line for my blog "A blog about life with knitting on the side". While knitting is a great hobby to have, the rest of life also needs to be lived so I plan to blog more about the reality of life over this next year but will of course continue to update you on yarn and knitting too. And if you are in need of any knitting supplies, you know where to head! :)

Thanks for reading!

Joan xo

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

New Yarn!!!

Over the last few months I have been busy sourcing some new yarn for the store.  It's always an exciting time when they finally arrive! I'm happy to introduce to you some yarns from Shibui Knits.  Shibui yarn is not widely known or sold in Australia.  Their yarns are made in Peru and they only use fibers of the finest quality.

Here's some Baby Alpaca yarn by Shibui Knits, an amazingly soft and luxurious yarn.  I've got them in four basic colours, perfect for matching all clothing types.  A shawl in this yarn would be both elegant and heavenly on those cold winter days.

Shibui Baby Alpaca DK

We've also got some of Shibui Knit's Sock yarn which is spun from fine superwash merino. Sock is a touchable yet hard-wearing fingering weight yarn. In seven yummy colours, this yarn is perfect for socks, baby garments, or any fine-gauge project.

Shibui Sock

Enjoy!

Joan xo