WIP Wednesday - Road to Fangorn

"He led the way in under the huge branches of the trees. Old beyond guessing, they seemed. Great trailing beards of lichen hung from them, blowing and swaying in the breeze. Out of the shadows, the hobbits peeped, gazing back down the slope: little furtive figures that in the dim light looked like elf-children in the deeps of time peering out of the Wild Wood in wonder at their first Dawn."  

JRR Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings
Part II. The Two Towers

Shelagh and I purchased several yarns from Amanda at Serene Fiber Arts last November. I was drawn to the one Amanda called "Fangorn" because I loved how the shades of green looked online. But I also loved it because I loved reading The Lord of the Rings--yes, this girl loved the books before the movies came out. What can I say? I was an English major and I "had" to read them in high school and again in University.

If you are familiar with the stories, you know it is a quest tale: the hobbits must venture out of their comfortable lives into areas of their world they do not know in order to save this world they do not know. The hobbits must travel through part of Fangorn forest, an ancient woods seemingly older than time. Think of the redwoods or the Brazilian rainforest in our world. The colours in this yarn show off beautiful shades of green. They range from rich Blue Spruce blue-green to pale aqua green. All are set off by shades of bark brown.You can see most of the colours in the photo above--aren't they lovely?

I searched for a pattern and when I found this "Cobblestones" hat pattern by Susie Gourlay on Ravelry, I knew it would work. Even the name tied in perfectly with the quest idea. Although I doubt the hobbits walked up to Fangorn on cobblestones, I liked this connection and came up with the name "Road to Fangorn."

And because Susie showed a variegated yarn in the pattern, I knew the yarn would work really well. It's a straightforward pattern and, so far, it is knitting up like a breeze. I just have to decide if it should be a beanie or a slouch hat; Susie has provided options for both.

Oh yes, and the yarn is soft and warm and colourful. Perfect to wear on a quest.

WIP Wednesday - Looking forward to 2015 with a Half Moon Scarf

Don't you love these gorgeous purples and pinks and blues in this aptly named Nova wool?

This is a belated WIP Wednesday. I realize that Shelagh and I haven't posted in a while . . . I think because the last few weeks have been busy for the holidays and the beginning of a lot of first anniversaries: the first day we found out Irene's cancer had returned. The day she went into the hospital. The first Christmas without Irene at the table to share dinner. Needless to say, it was a quiet Christmas.

And there will be more firsts as the days of this new year move on. (Don't the days just go so much more quickly as you get older?)

But, one of the my accomplishments in the last few days is organizing my yarn stash and projects! To the point where I was able to start a lovely new project. As you know, way back in November, we ordered some lovely yarns from Serene Fiber Arts. The lovely Amanda is an incredibly talented indie spinner and dyer, and Shelagh and I had fallen in love with her yarns. Nova is the name of the one I loved--and still do now that I'm working with it!

I knew it would be perfect for a scarf, so looked everywhere for a neutral design that would work for a man or a woman. I couldn't find one, so I searched my Stitch Guide and thought I'd try a lovely stitch I'd fallen in love with: Bamboo Rib stitch.  And it is working out so beautifully: this stitch creates a lovely "firm" and flat fabric when knit up. Paired with this yarn, the stitch is pretty without being fussy and sturdy without being severe.

And I've decided to call it the Half Moon scarf. Why? Well, several reasons. First, with a name like Nova (using those interstellar colours), I think of the universe, the heavens.

Next, this bamboo stitch in this Merino wool connotes earthiness.

And finally, the Half Moon pose is a difficult (for me, anyway) balancing and heart opening pose. One balances on one leg, the other extended parallel to the floor (like the yarn over stitch you see). In the pose, one turns the torso / pelvis and raise one arm heavenward, the other reaches to the earth.

Somehow, this yarn, this stitch, together, are the perfect balance. And, as always, it is knit with thoughts of love and good wishes for the wearer. A lovely, lovely way to close out a year of massive change for Shelagh and me and welcome with open hearts the adventures 2015 will bring our way.

Thank you to all our family and friends who have been so supportive this year. Best wishes for joy and happiness to all of you in 2015 and beyond.

New and Exciting Yarns!

Well Margaret and I spent a couple of days together last week. We wanted to photograph a few items with  a "winter" themed background. Although we liked what we were doing, the photos didn't turn out like we hoped, so we'll re-take them in the next week or two.

While we were together and checking through our personal FB pages, Margaret and I both saw a posting from a fibre artist we follow in the U.S., Serene Fiber Arts:  she had marked some of her yarns for sale in her Etsy shop! Excited? Yes, we were! Amanda French is the woman behind Serene Fiber Arts; she is an artisan who spins and dyes beautiful yarns using Merino, silk, alpaca and more.  She makes a variety of yarn types: some that are 100% one fibre and others that are blends.  We have loved Amanda's colour-ways for a long time and often thought about how those lovely natural fibres would feel to work with.

Margaret and I have been following Amanda on Instagram and Etsy for almost a year, eyeing and drooling over the absolutely beautiful dyed rovings and spun colour combinations she posts. When we saw she had put some of them up for sale in her Etsy shop, we discussed actually purchasing some. We went through every item listed for sale, checking the yarn content, weight and colours. We wrote down our favourite ones.

Then we went for a walk to mull over the choices. It seemed to be the last warm day before the cold weather arrives and we wanted to enjoy it. We walked into town to my (our) LYS, (Local Yarn Store) Soper Creek Yarn. Margaret and I had a good look at everything, inhaled some yarn air, touching and feeling the yarns (which always gives me chills). I did buy some sale yarn--it is difficult to go there and not buy anything!

By the time we got home, we had cleared our heads and knew we wanted to make a purchase. So, we  went through the yarns again in her shop (check it out at SereneFiberArts.etsy.com). We ordered five different skeins.

So now the waiting now begins. It will be about 2 weeks before we get them. So, Margaret and I are spending that time talking about all our project ideas for each skein. Check back in a few weeks to see what we have decided to make!