Lomond City Cape

I have been working on something semi-secret…well several secret-ish things, but here is one I can now reveal! I will be releasing the new Kettle Yarn Co. website any day now! It will be the new home of the blog with yarn detail pages and have my proper shop and, and … EVERYTHING. So excited. 😉

The launch should happen very soon, so stay tuned as am planning  a bit of brouhaha for the big event.

As a result of needing to write web copy on top of dyeing for wholesale orders this week, I am struggling a bit on my early week blog post and am going to cop out by sharing what I just cast on!

Here it is… City Cape by drool-worthy Purl Soho. This one had me jumping for the needles and my secret hoard of LOMOND Aran as soon as I saw it. (Ok. It wasn’t really a secret hoard. I pirated the shop for the yarn. Sue me.)

image via Purl Soho

This is such a beautiful little cape and with waffle-y slip stitches as well. How could I say no?

One thing that I always find myself wishing with the gorgeous Purl Bee patterns, is that they show the garments on a real person. Yes, they look absolutely beautiful on the vintage mannequin for their photos, but it is still not the same as seeing something ON a person, you know? This always makes me balk at casting until I see the garment on people in Rav project pages. I wager this is an issue for others as well, as the lag time on people starting these stunning designs in Ravelry is always a bit longer than expected for such stunning free patterns!

However, I was lucky enough to catch this image on their Twitter feed the other day, and it sealed the deal. Exactly what I need right now for puttering around a chilly house!

image via Purl Soho Twitter feed

I have cast on with what will unfortunately be the last of LOMOND. I found out the other day that my supplier won’t be stocking it this winter, which made me very sad. It also made the hoarder in me jump for those skeins of Silver Leaf I had in the shop!

This cape will take 6 skeins for the smaller size and slightly over 6 for the large so there is enough of the Silver Leaf left for the smaller in the shop (there. I don’t feel quite so greedy now). The large should take 6.3 skeins, so maybe the turtleneck could be done in a different hue. Winter white would be lovely with this icy hue and as I scooped the very last bag of LOMOND my supplier had at the mill I should have more of that by tomorrow.  If anyone is interested in a specific shade (from my usuals) do let me know and I will add it to my dye schedule!

I also have 6 skeins left in Squirrelly taupe which would look stunning in this cape!

Now I just wish I could either knit all day or knit faster so I can wear it right away…

One year anniversary YARN-Y Golden Ticket giveaway!

A little over a year ago I loaded my first listings to Etsy and launched the shop. I didn’t really know what to expect but after months of dreaming, planning and preparation, clicking that button and making the shop live felt like the start of an amazing new adventure.

The kindness, support and friendship that has come my way since starting this business has been humbling and and truly inspiring.

I wanted to do something special for Kettle Yarn Co.’s one year anniversary and came up with a Willy Wonka-esque ‘golden ticket’ idea as a huge thank you to everyone who has followed and supported me over the last year!

All newsletter subscribers who purchase ANYTHING from the 1st of September to October 15th will be entered into the draw for … *drum roll*…

5 skeins of WIMBLEDON Sport in Melon Balls!

100% Superwash Merino – ethically sourced
100g = 262 m/ 287 yds

That is 1125 juicy metres of bouncy sport weight to get you started in your autumn knitting – a whole jumper’s worth!

You could also stripe or do some colourwork with this as I’ve got many other hues in the same weight:

clockwise: Fenland, Blue Pictsies, *Black Country, Fog, Ice Queen, Sherbert, Melon Balls, *Red Sky
*not in shop yet – contact me by email to purchase directly

I’d meant to post this earlier and run this promotion from 1st of Sept, so will extend it into October due to my tardiness in getting this out. Bad me. ;-?

The winner will be announced October 15th!

Here are a few recent projects in the blend to get you thinking…

merieb’s M a i l e

Tinkhickman’s Wee Envelope Jumper

actionmole’s Creamsicle

EastLondonKnit’s Effervescence

clockwise: Merieb’s Maile, Tinkhickman’s Wee Envelope Jumper, Actionmole’s Creamsicle, EastLondonKnit’s Effervescence

Actionmole – aka Sarah – recently left the most lovely review for the blend:

‘It’s so lovely to work with: Although the yarn has a lovely and firm twist, it can be knit up at totally different gauges and is lofty and soft at the same time.

I’ve been wearing my FO eveywhere and it holds up to all my adventures with only minimal piling under the arms. I highly recommend this yarn.’

Can’t get a better recommendation than that! Thanks again Sarah!

I am technically still on holiday until Sept 16th so will not be on email until then, but the shop is still open and I will get your new yarn-babies out to you as soon as I am back in action!

Good luck all, and thank you for making this last year such a joy.

Linda x

Weaving in ends – sneaky techniques with EastLondonKnit

EastLondonKnit has returned to the blog to help the speedy people already finishing up their Naloa in the ongoing KAL. Thanks Renee, and well done speedsters! 😉

(It is still not too late to start your shawl as the KAL runs till October 4th and there are many exciting prizes available for those who take part.)

I love how this technique hides the straggling threads and makes the weaving in seamless. So sneaky and clever!

Take it away, Renee…

————————–

Hello!

Naloa features gently undulating stripes of colours in the lace edging.  Each colour change begins on a right-side row, thereby making an end to be woven in once the shawl is complete. (So if you’ve just completed a RS row, slide the work to the other end of the needle, and begin the next row from the RS again!)

There are many ways to weave in ends, but when working with lace, you have to be more careful to keep it tidy and invisible.

I used duplicate stitch in Naloa. It’s a handy technique for  solving many different problems.  Check out this primer.

First, thread a sharp tapestry needle with the end, and following the end from whence it came, trace the row back through 4-6 stitches, splitting the yarn with the needle.

Although I wove in my ends before the shawl was blocked, many people prefer to do so afterward, to make sure they don’t tighten the edges of the shawl too much.

I can’t wait to see your beautifully finished Naloa Shawl!

Happy knitting!

Renee

—

Make sure to check out Renee’s other beautiful designs on Ravelry and find more  useful tutorials on her blog and follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

Little wayward tidbits

I have been on a bit of a break for the last few days and won’t be answering emails until the 16th as I take a proper rest!

Thought I would share some images of my Naloa in progress as I’ve just added my first contrast colour stripe…

…and an image of my new, local, vintage habadashery Wayward in St. Leonard’s to amuse you!

 

More soon!

Naloa KAL starting this Saturday Aug… 30th…!!

This last month has been a huge roller coaster ride for me as I have moved house/city and have relocated next to the British seaside! Your parcel of yarn-y goodness will now be winging to you from the lovely Hastings:

Hastings castle on the day I arrived!

With all the moving palava I realised only the other day that I’d made an error on the Naloa KAL start date. Huge apologies for the confusion…  We will be casting on TOMORROW – Saturday August 30^th, running to  Saturday October 4^th.

BEYUL fingering shown in ‘yurt’ and ‘turquoise tarn’ colourways , image © EastLondonKnit

There are still kits for the shawl on the shop…

Naloa by EastLondonKnit – detail, shades of BEYUL image © Kettle Yarn Co.

…and see the KAL group page for details of all the fantastic prizes!

I can’t wait to pick this project back up! The shawl will be my holiday knitting as I am taking a full 2 weeks off starting Sunday.

If you order any yarn after tomorrow please be aware that shipping will be delayed until September 16th while I am on leave.

 

Kettle Yarn Co. on Pomcast!

I was super chuffed (literally my very British, but very genuine, response) when the lovely Lydia and Sophie from Pom Pom Quarterly’s podcast invited me to be interviewed for their most recent Pomcast a few weeks ago.

image © Pom Pom Quarterly

You can catch the interview and listen to more of the ladies’ lighthearted banter on their site (and Lydia’s great laugh!!) 😉

Make sure you check out the images from the beautiful new autumn issue as well and download your digital copy now! It is a real stunner:

Pom Pom Quarterly, Issue 10 © Pom Pom Quarterly / Amy Gwatkin

Here are a few of my favs from the new issue:

Endellion by Christine Junggeburt© Pom Pom Quarterly / Amy Gwatkin

Selsey by Fiona Alice © Pom Pom Quarterly / Amy Gwatkin

Wenlock by tincanknits image © Pom Pom Quarterly / Amy Gwatkin

They’ve also got some great stuff in their shop, like this tote bag that I got at Unwind!

POM POM ‘SURVIVAL OF THE KNITTEST’ TOTE BAG

Thanks again, ladies. It was good fun!

Naloa shawl inspiration from EastLondonKnit

The ELK, herself, EastLondonKnit, has been kind enough to offer to help me out for the next few weeks as I am swamped with some personal stuff! Here she is for her first post, discussing her inspiration for Naloa! Thanks Renee!

—–

Hello!

When Linda told me she had a new, exotic yarn base made of silk and yak and that she was working on a palette for this new yarn inspired by Tibetan traditions, I was so excited!  The richness of tone and hue were visually intoxicating and I was only too happy to design something to compliment the beautiful combo of yarn and colour.

 

After much debate, we decided the undyed Yurt and the gorgeous Turquoise Tarn were destined to be a new shawl.

 

Now I have never been to the Himalayas, so I have no idea how accurate Google’s depiction of the beauty of the place is, but it looks stunning.

 

This is a Himalayan Tarn from Adam Elliot’s superb photography blog.

A beautiful image of a tarn from my neck of the woods.

I love the naturally bright blue green of the tarn against the stark, rocky mountain landscape, and took the water as my inspiration.

 

The summer-time weather dictated something lovely and lacy.  For this shawl, I wanted the ‘work’ to be right-side only— in other words, every WS row would be simple purling; I wanted the rivulets that radiated from the centre all the way to edges to create a distinct and easy-to-follow structure, and I wanted some variation on simple stripes. I began to swatch…

 

…and sketch….

 

 

And it wasn’t long before it came together. In the end, I think I managed a shawl that is enjoyable but not complicated to knit, which shows off a gorgeous yarn.

Naloa shawl by EastLondonKnit, image © EastLondonKnit

Happy knitting!

Renee

——-

You can find Renee on her website or blog and follow her on Twitter or Instagram.!

Naloa KAL details – starts Aug 31st!

We’ve decided we need a bit more time before starting the Naloa Shawl KAL, so have bumped it back to the end of the month… there is still plenty of time to get your yarn and join in!

The KAL will run Saturday August 31st – Saturday October 4^th.

Naloa shawl by EastLondonKnit, image © EastLondonKnit

You can buy your kit for the shawl on the shop or pick your own colour combination! See the KAL group page for details.

BEYUL fingering shown in ‘yurt’ and ‘turquoise tarn’ colourways , image © EastLondonKnit

Rules:

One entry per shawl – if you make more than one shawl you get more than one entry! 😉

All shawls WITH PHOTOS posted in the FO thread by Saturday October 4th 2014 will be eligible for the following prizes:

Social Media Superstar

Every mention with the hashtag #NaloaKAL on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram will go into the draw for 1 skein of Wimbledon Sport in colour ‘melon balls’ + a Kettle Yarn Co. project bag tag

© KettleYarnCo

Best photo

This one is for the most interesting photo that shows your shawl in the best light. This doesn’t have to be taken with a fancy camera – just take a shot that makes your shawl look BEAUTIFUL to win a copy of Pompom Quarterly’s beautiful Summer Issue 9 + a Kettle Yarn Co. project bag tag.

© KettleYarnCo

Randomly selected FO

This prize will be randomly generated and the person will win 2 skeins of the softest baby Camel DK + a Kettle Yarn Co. project bag tag.

© KettleYarnCo

This is going to be SO fun!

Keep an eye out on your email for a special draw coming up exclusively for newsletter subscribers as well! 

 

 

The Knitter reviews Islington…

Got a bit of a thrill last week as I got to see a review of ISLINGTON in the latest issue of UK knitting magazine, The Knitter – Issue 74!

© The Knitter

It is quite humbling to see the calibre of the other yarns on the same page and I am truly relieved that the author seemed to like my baby as much as I do.  😉

Here is the review:

review on p. 57 of Issue 74 © The Knitter

The issue has some beautiful summer patterns and this one caught my eye immediately…can anyone figure out why…  (shhhh Jo and Gail!)

Auriel by Jennie Atkinson © The Knitter

…apparently chevrons never get old for me! My eye always seems to pick them out and get drawn to beautiful patterns with a bit of chev.  ;-B

This design would even look stunning a little bit heavier in ISLINGTON, new BEYUL or even HEATH for a woolier version come September. Wouldn’t that be gorgeous? The seed stitch chevrons would pop even more and it would be the best layering piece come winter! Mmmm.

Click on the top image above to go to the pattern on Ravelry or the magazine image above to by a hard copy or subscribe to The Knitter.

Here is another funny thing – I was setting up this blog post and it wasn’t until I went to copy the link for this pattern that I realised I met the lovely designer, Jennie Atkinson, at Fibre East! What a wonderfully small world.

 

Naloa shawl now available – and impromtu London trunk show!

Renee Callahan’s breathtaking Naloa shawl is now available for purchase on Ravelry! A simple, elegant shawl, this is a top-down triangular shawl with streams of stacked eyelets running out from the centre to wavelets of lace in the border. Designed to be knit with 2 skeins of BEYUL fingering, Naloa features a simple alternation of colour to bring out the beautiful flow of the lace pattern.

As a little added bonus for anyone in the London area this weekend we are also holding at mini-trunk show at the EastLondonKnit studios for the annual arts festival Hackney Wicked:

You can drop by, enjoy the festivities, try on the sample and even purchase some Kettle Yarn Co. yarn to start the shawl! Renee will have some BEYUL in studio for you to see and fondle in person.

 

We are planning a marvelous Knit A Long (KAL) for this beauty which will start on Saturday August 9th and will run to the 13th September and will have some AMAZING prizes for various fun things. We’ll give you more details next week when we’ve worked them out.

Check the blog for details next week and get your Naloa Kit now in the shop while they last. I am planning on taking a bit of a break from dyeing through August, so skeins are limited for the time being!

yurt / turquoise tarn

yurt / electric amaranth

yurt / iceberg

yurt / sacred saffron