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

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

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

A Few Pretty Things to Knit

I think most knitters would agree that there are far too many pretty things to knit and not enough time to knit them in.  I always seem to find myself looking up pretty patterns on Ravelry and putting them in my favourites folder with the plan that I might knit them one day, some day, whenever that may be.

Here are a few that I hope to knit in the next year...

Ceramic Flower

I spotted this pretty cowl on Pinterest and was very glad to find the pattern on Ravelry.  It is designed to be knitted with a worsted weight yarn and I think Manos del Uruguay Maxima, with its soft and squishy 100% merino wool, would be perfect for the job.  Or if you prefer a finer, smoother DK yarn, Manos Silk Blend, with its merino wool and silk combination, would do the trick.

In Threes: A Baby Cardigan


I love the simplicity of this little cardigan and would like to knit it for one of my girls.  I would probably knit this up in Manos Wool Clasica which is 100% wool and is perfect for outerwear garments.  Perfect for keeping our little ones warm and cosy on chilly spring/autumn days!

Whitaker

This lovely cardigan has been a favourite of mine for awhile now.  It is a Manos del Uruguay pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, one of the patterns which I have hand-picked to sell on my online store.  It is knitted in Wool Clasica.  The problem I have is trying to pick which colour to knit it in!  Aster, Citric, Cherry or Midnight... what do you think?

Preparing For A Baby

Apart from opening my wool store this year, I have also been busy growing a baby, probably part of the reason why I was also getting sick so much over winter!  As I haven't been a knitter for very long, I didn't get a chance to knit many things for my first two but my aim this time round is to have a little collection of knitted things for this next bundle of joy so here are a couple of them which I thought I'd share with you.

First, a stripe hat pattern I found in a book I borrowed from the local library called "Easy Baby Knits - Clothes & Accessories for 0-3 year-olds" by Claire Montgomerie.  In the book Claire calls this the cotton hat and uses Debbie Bliss Cotton DK but I already had some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino lying around so I have made a wooly hat instead!  This was an easy pattern which only took me a few evenings to complete.  I made it in size 6-12 months and tried it on my 2 year old.  It fitted her although was stretched so I'm sure it will be fine for a 6-12 month old.  Can't wait to see it on the little bubs!

The other thing I'm working on is a pinwheel blanket I found on Ravelry.  I am using Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in Deep Sea for this one.  It was a little tricky to start at first but once you get going it gets easier.  I'm not sure how big I'm going to make it yet but I want bubs to be nice and snug in it so I'll probably use at least 3 skeins.  This wool is so beautiful and soft, and the silk content just makes it devine to touch.  I'm sure the little one will feel extremely comfortable wrapped in this little number!

So there you have it.  I will definitely be adding a few more little cosy knits over the next couple of months but I'm also giving myself some time to get them done seeing we are just heading into summer now and I still have 7 months till winter!  And in case you were wondering, yes, we are having a boy! :)

The Birth of Wool & Flax

It is with great pleasure that I can finally announce the grand opening of my very own online wool store - Wool & Flax.  Head over to www.woolandflaxyarns.com.au to have a browse.  Check out our wonderful Manos del Uruguay yarn collection, Knit Pro needles and funky patterns.

This has been a labour in process since the start of February this year.  After 6 months of lots of research, working on a logo and website, ordering my first shipment of wool all the way from Uruguay, taking photos of the products and uploading them, as well as doing all the behind-the-scene things that are involved with starting a small business, we are finally here.  Today is the day I get to share my love for wool and joy of knitting with the rest of the world.  Enjoy! :)

Fingerless Stripes

Here is another simple pattern for you...some fingerless gloves I made for my friend over at Loysh Photography. They are super easy and take no time at all to complete.

Here's what you will need...

Yarn: Any 2 colours of yarn with a tension of 12st x 16rows (10x10cm).  I used Lincraft's Veronica Yarn.

Needles: 5mm double-pointed needles

 

Cast on 27 stitches (9 stitches per 3 needles) in colour A.
(Note: you will be knitting in the round.)
Knit 10 rows in colour A.
Knit 8 rows in colour B.
Knit 8 rows in colour A.
Knit 6 rows in colour B.
Knit 2 rows in colour A.
Stay in colour A for following 2 rows to make thumb hole:
1. Knit until last 5 stitches. Cast off 4 sts, knit last stitch.
2. Knit until thumb hole, turn work around, cast on 4 stitches, turn work around again and knit last stitch.
Knit 4 rows in colour B.
Knit 2 rows in colour A.
Knit 2 rows in colour B.
Cast off in colour B, sew in ends.
Your right handed fingerless glove is complete.

For left handed glove, repeat pattern but for thumb hole, cast off 4 stitches from 2nd till 5th stitch of the row instead.

If you need the thumbhole to be a bit bigger then simply cast off more than just 4 stitches.  If you want the glove to come up higher on your arm then add more rows of knitting before you add your thumb hole.  If you need the whole glove to be wider then add more stitches when casting on but you will have to measure your tension to figure out how many more stitches to add.

Another important thing to note for this project is that when swapping colours, knit the first stitch of the new colour with BOTH colours. That way you will avoid creating a hole between each interchange.

Let me know if you decide to attempt this little project.  I'd love to see the finished product too so you can send pics to info@woolandflaxyarns.com.au if you don't mind me sharing them on the blog. I'm also fairly new at writing up patterns so your feedback will be welcomed.  Happy knitting! xo

An Update On Life

Firstly, apologies for the drought in posts. The last month has been a busy one with setting up the business, ordering wool, twisting skeins of wool, sickness, weddings, bridesmaid duties, housework, raising two cheeky little girls and much more.  But I am glad to say that my friend's wedding was a beautiful one.  Unfortunately I was unable to finish my own shrug due to some time constraints so the bride's mum kindly finished it off for me.  Here's a pic of us bridesmaids in our shrugs...and I'm glad we had them too as it was a chilly day indeed.

On the business front, I am glad to share that the online store should be up and running in the next couple of weeks!  10 large bags of Manos del Uruguay wool arrived at my doorstep a week ago and we have been busy setting up my wool room since.  It feels so good to have wool all around me, my husband has been having trouble getting me out of there.  The blends are beautiful and everytime I look at each colour I find myself falling in love again. How could you not?!

 

Anyway, I am looking forward to showing you all my store very soon so you can join in on the fun and I'm sure you will fall in love as much as I have.  I will also be sharing another simple little pattern in my next post so keep a lookout for that!  In the meantime, I hope you have been keeping warm and knitting some cosy woolies this winter.

Knitting For A Marriage

Over the last couple of weeks I have had to put my own knitting projects on hold to knit a shrug for myself for a friend's wedding. I have the privilege of being her matron of honor and because it's a winter wedding, we need something woolly to keep us warm. It's a lace pattern so it probably won't be toasty but at least it'll look pretty!  I'll share some photos later on.

But speaking of knitting and weddings, I was thinking about how a marriage is a lot like knitting. 

In knitting:
First we pick out which pattern we want to commit to, then we obtain the tools and resources for us to be able to start on it, and then we begin.  There are bumps and mistakes along the way.  Sometimes we even wonder why we chose to start on this project in the first place.  We go back, unpick, try to figure out the pattern again and learn about what we might have missed the previous times around, and knit again.  And just when we think we finally got it, we lose concentration,  make another mistake and we find ourselves unraveling once again.  But I think most of us knitters will choose to keep knitting till completion, and finally, we have a beautiful piece of art to show for all our hard work.

In marriage:
We pick out who we want to commit to, obtain all the knowledge and tools available to enable us to start on this journey together.  We are excited about the start and can't wait for our lives together to begin.  Then, we realise that there are bumps along the way, our enthusiasm fades.  There are times of smooth sailing and times of turmoil and sometimes even doubt.  Unfortunately in this day and age, many then choose to walk away and leave the tangled mess behind.  But if anyone reading this is struggling today, I encourage you to unlearn and re-learn what you have to, be humble and know that mistakes will be made but they are not impossible to get over.  Forgive one another and re-commit your time and efforts to this project called marriage. Eventually the bumps will iron out and you will have something beautiful to show for all your hard work.  And even if at the end it is not perfect, don't worry, because nothing and no one is perfect anyway!

So, I hope I have given all of you out there some hope today, whether for the completion of your knitting project or for the re-commitment of your marriage.  Just know that whatever it is, you are not alone so hang in there and keep on keeping-on.  We will all get there one day. :)

The Sunkissed Scarf

I have been busy sourcing yarn for my store and stumbled upon the lovely Spud and Chloe. Unfortunately they do not supply to online-only stores but I still love their collection nonetheless. I'm sure you'd agree with me if you've ever had the chance to work with it!

I picked out this Outer, Super Bulky yarn for Amber and thought it would make a cosy, warm scarf just in time for winter.  It is made up of superwash 65% wool and 35% organic cotton, perfect for littlies as it is not at all scratchy. This size would probably fit any 3 to 5 year old.  Here is the simple single-ribbed pattern I came up with which you could probably complete within just a couple of evenings, or if you're really quick, just a few hours!

Materials:
1 skein x 100g Spud and Chloe Outer, Super Bulky in Sunkissed colour (7206)
1 pair of 10mm single-pointed needles

Pattern:
CO 9 stitches.
Row 1: K1, *(P1, K1), repeat * till end of row.
Row 2: P1, *(K1, P1), repeat * till end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 till skein is almost finished, leaving enough yarn at the end for tassels if desired.
(I measured out my tassels before I finished the knitting just so I knew I absolutely had enough yarn.)
Weave in ends. Add tassels.

And there you have it, a lovely, simple scarf for your special little someone! :)

 

A Manly Mossy Cowl

Here's a moss stitch cowl I have just finished knitting for my husband and I thought I'd share my simple pattern with you. A perfect little piece to keep you snug and warm over winter!

Materials:
- 3 x 50g Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (I picked the dark green for him to match his green eyes although I think this colour has been discontinued.  Don't quote me on that though!)
- 5.5mm straight needles
- wool needle






Pattern:
Cast On: 60 stitches.
Row 1: *(Knit 1, Purl 1), repeat * till end of row.
Row 2: *(Purl 1, Knit 1), repeat * till end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 till yarn is almost finished.
Cast Off: In knit stitch, leaving enough yarn to sew seam.
Finish: Lay piece flat and twist one end over so there is a bend in the center of the cowl, creating a Mobius strip. Then sew ends of cowl together with remaining yarn while maintaining Mobius twist. Weave in ends.

A Knitter's Rants...I can totally relate!

What's In A Name

As you might have noticed, my blog now has a new look, and of course, my new logo! For my branding I was wanting to achieve a soft, delicate look.  I have always liked the look of brands such as Crabtree & Evelyn and Jurlique's packaging.  When a friend of mine saw my logo, she said it looked strangely familiar.  She then went on to say that it reminded her of Crabtree & Evelyn.  I was very excited at that comment because it meant that I have achieved what I had set out to do. Although the process was a quick one, I paid great attention to the detail that went into my logo, right down to the baby leaves and petals.  Being the stickler for detail that I am, they had to be JUST RIGHT!

Anyway, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you about how I came up with the name for my store.  The journey began back in November 2011, when I stumbled upon a "For Sale" sign in the window of a wool store in Sassafrass. Owning a wool store had become a sort of dream of mine since I started my knitting adventures.  I would frequent my favourite wool shop, Sunspun, buy up wool for projects which to this day I still have not yet started, and basically find any excuse I could come up with just to be able to step in there so I could spend hours around the lovely yarn and all things knitting. I would say to Dave, "If they ever sold the shop I'd buy it." So, when an existing wool store was up for sale, I saw it as my chance to create my own shop atmosphere, a place where others would also love to come and spend their time, and to be able to create a community around something that I love doing.

For a few months Dave and I explored the possibilities of buying the wool store business but nothing eventuated. A big reason being I have been a stay at home mum since Amber was born and taking on the business would have meant that I was no longer able to look after them for the majority of each week.  This was not something we really wanted to sacrifice. During that time there was also an online wool store business for sale.  We explored this avenue also but basically could not see the worth in buying over such a business when it actually seemed easier and cheaper to start up our own!

Through this whole time, we trusted God to guide us and lead us and one night, I was reminded about a scripture in the Bible, Proverbs 31 - A wife of noble character, and how it talked about her doing business of some sort, so I turned to it and this is what I found... 

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. ¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ²⁹ “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 

Now I had read this scripture many times before but I never related to it from a business point of view.  And the fact that I was considering a business which involved wool and fabrics, it seemed so apt! (For those of you who don't know what flax is, it is a plant which linen is made from.) So, when I reached the point in my journey of starting my own wool store and thinking of a name for it, it seemed only appropriate.

The picture in my logo is of a flowering flax plant with some yarn trailing down from its stem and it simply represents "Wool & Flax". I hope you like it!

Joan xo

The Baby Cocoon

This is one of the first pieces I ever knitted, a baby cocoon for my baby girl, Lara.  Don't you just love the colours? This was yarn from Spotlight...before the days of me being aware that stores solely dedicated to selling wool actually existed.  It was my first time attempting circular needles and I quite enjoyed it!

Unfortunately I do not have a pattern for this cocoon as I actually used a combination of free patterns off the internet and tweaked it to my liking.  But if you really want it let me know and I can figure something out for you. :)  As you can see though, it is a simple stocking stitch.  However, because you are knitting on circular needles and continually going in the same direction, you actually just have to knit stitch through the whole thing!  As Lara wasn't born yet when I finished it, I had to trial it on Amber's (my older daughter) toy sheep.

I like the cuddliness of carrying a newborn in this however I don't think that Melbourne has winters quite cold enough for it to be used as often as I would have liked.  And if I was to make another one I would have made a hole for a seat belt/pram strap to go through.  That's what happens when you try to improvise when you're just a beginner I guess!

Photographed here is Lara fast asleep in the cocoon at just a few weeks old.  So peaceful and so warm.  The room was a little dim so apologies for the dark photo.

And So It Begins...

At the start of Feb this year I started entertaining the idea of starting my own online wool store. One and a half months later I find myself working on a logo, website and much more. As part of this little venture, I also wanted to have a blog, so here it is!

Before I continue I should probably mention that my online store isn't quite up and running just yet but do watch this space to find out more about that in the next few months!

So, it is here that you will get to find out a little more about me, the owner of Wool & Flax. I hope that this blog will add to your life in more ways than one, that it will entertain you, make you smile, maybe make you cry, give you hope and inspire you to do what you love and be who you were created to be. Needless to say, we will definitely have some knitting fun along the way!

An introduction...
I have been a stay-at-home mum since my first daughter was born back in 2008. Life got busier with the arrival of my second daughter who joined us in 2010. I have a loving and supportive husband who has encouraged me through this whole process and is probably the reason why I now have this little business I can call my own.

My husband and I first attempted knitting about 3 years ago. We went to Spotlight, bought ourselves some wool and needles, and found ourselves sitting up in bed on a Saturday night trying our best to knit. Riveting lives we lead, I know!! Our first project was just a simple knit stitch scarf. I think my husband ended up unpicking his about 5 times before eventually giving up. I managed to get through about 1/3 of mine but soon lost interest too. I tried going back to it a few times but just couldn't get into the groove. A year later, I went over to a friend's place and she was knitting a scarf. I thought to myself, maybe I should pick up that scarf again. I went home, dug out my needles and wool and did just that and...'kaboom!' I was hooked!

I knitted about 20 things in my first year of knitting. Scarves, booties, toys, fingerless gloves, a baby blanket, a baby cocoon, a cushion cover and even a vest! I Google'd anything I didn't understand, looked on YouTube for 'How to' videos and enjoyed learning new techniques and trying new yarns with every project I put my needles to.

I soon realized that it was actually my love for yarn which kept my interest in knitting. I found myself drooling over all the amazing fibers, textures and colours of yarns and wanted to use them so much that I just had to find relevant patterns to do so. This love and passion has led me here...starting my own online store, Wool & Flax. It is an expression of myself, a showcase of yarns and knitting accessories that I love. I am delighted to be able to share this experience with you and I hope that you will fall in love and gain a passion too.

Joan xo