May Newsletter
It's confession time again. Those of you who received our March
Newsletter will have been surprised to learn that I am not a
proficient knitter. For me, it's garter or stocking stitch, my
projects must have minimum shaping, take fewer than three balls, be
knitted in a couple of evenings and require little sewing up. Baby
beanies are my forte, along with mobile phone holders, leg warmers
and maybe a hot water bottle cover. Well, I decided to break out of
my comfort zone and knit a sweater dress, the pattern said 'easy
knit', the wool was chunky and the needles big. I knew that it would
be feasible to complete the project over an Easter weekend holiday
in Taupo. Anyway, I had a wonderful long weekend away, meeting up
with friends on holiday from the UK. Rachael is also a knitting
addict, who on her final day in Auckland spent up big style in my
shop (what a friend)! The days were spent walking the Tongariro
Crossing, swimming in the lake and catching up on news over good
food and wine. I returned to Devonport with my sweater dress 1/12
completed (that's only one and a bit balls). I had actually ventured
into my third ball only to realise I had inadvertently used a 6 and
a 6 ½ mm needle. My dress required basic shaping for hips, waist and
bust, which I altered slightly as I am shorter than most. These
alterations I made without writing the changes on my pattern and
fully realising that there wouldn't be a 'cat is hells' chance of me
matching the front to the back. Upon reaching the section of the
back that said continue without further shaping for so many cm's, I
heaved a sigh of relief and raced ahead with mindless, memorising
and trace inducing knitting. Only after a number of hours of happy
knitting and quite a few centimetres of length did I realise I only
had to continue without shaping for about eight rows, then to start
the sleeve shaping. Off the needles came my knitting AGAIN! It has
come to a halt, and I don't recommend balancing a box of eggs on top
of your knitting bag. The yolks when broken make rather a mess of
your work and have stuck the pages of my pattern together.
My 'knitting problem' is caused by a number of factors. Firstly, I
have a very short attention span and a non-existent memory. The Wild
and Woolly staff know that I'm hopeless doing the coffee run. I end
up ordering drinks that weren't asked for, forgetting to take money,
and always losing our coffee card. I doubt in my five years at Wild
and Woolly I have managed to fill the stamps on my card to entitle
me to a free drink. Upon returning to the shop with refreshments, my
drink is normally tucked safely away where it won't get spilt. It's
usually found a few hours later cold and undrinkable.
The above scenario is repeated with my knitting projects in the for,
of misplacing my pattern book, knitting on odd sized needles,
inadvertently picking up different dye lots, changing the pattern
and forgetting how I changed it, and then losing interest in my work
and tossing it on top of my UFO pile (unfinished objects). It is
with great relief that I have returned to knitting baby beanies and
tucked my unfinished sweater dress in a safe place for the time
being (next few years).
I have actually been a very busy girl these last few months. Having
always been a bit sporty, I have recently returned to my love of the
triathlon. Most of my free time is now spent training rather than
knitting, although my passion for all things knitted does feature in
my sport. Last Christmas the local cycle group (The Devonport
Expresso's) arranged a festive early morning fancy dress cycle ride,
culminating in a swim at the local beach. Riding alongside the
Santa's, Rudolph's and fairies, I made quite an impact in my
crocheted white bikini and a pair of green, purple and orange
acrylic knitted hot pants, courtesy of a 1973 McCalls knitting book.
The sublime turned to the ridiculous at the beach. I presented the
guys with knitted mohair g-strings, decorated at the side with a
pair of pompon's. to my amazement the items were snapped up and the
sight of sanity clad men, dashing into the sea, had to be seen to be
believed. Upon there exit from the water a slight design fault
became apparent and I now know why men's bathing suits are no longer
made of wool! (I believe I have a pattern from the 1930's for a mans
one piece swimsuit).
I really am a very lucky girl to actually own a wool shop and have a
valid reason to buy wool from all over the world on an almost daily
basis. A few of you may also know that I also own an organic shop,
which is directly over the road from Wild and Woolly Yarns. Now
please don't put me in the category of an eccentric, alternative,
sandal-wearing girl who hugs trees at weekends. Organic and
environmentally friendly living is now a fast growing trend that
isn't about radically changing our lifestyle or furiously planting
trees. Rather is it about making smart choices that cumulatively can
make big differences. There is a saying, 'If God was our landlord,
we wouldn't be getting our bond back.' We have created a huge hole
in the ozone layer, polluted our waterways, killed off thousands of
wildlife species and lose huge amounts of fertile soil every year.
What's all this to do with knitting I hear you ask. Well if you come
to a knitting session at my house you would be served organic
cookies and fair trade tea, and you would also spy a large amount of
organic knitting yarn in my basket (well one of my many baskets) of
wool.
One of my favourite organic wools has been used in this month's free
pattern. Laura has designed a simple, understated baby's vest.
Organic wool has not been treated chemically throughout the entire
production, from the farm to the end garment. Because the skin can
'breathe' and absorb impurities and residues, the purity and
softness of Treliske Organic Merino may possibly offer some relief
to people with allergies and problematic skin disorders.
Another treat for our website and shop customers is this months
special offer. We have stashed away large amounts of a Merino et
Soie 10ply. This is a New Zealand blend of 70% pure New Zealand
merino and 30% silk. This yarn knits on a 4 – 5 mm needle with a
tension of approximately 20 stitches to 10cm. The colours we have
available a rich brown, deep sea green, sage green, English mustard
yellow (apparently one of the 'in shades' this year), kingfisher
blue and a purple. The retail price for this yarn is $9.90 a ball.
We are selling it at the special price of $65 a bag. I do recommend
you to quickly rearrange your wool stashes and get in quickly so you
don't miss out on this amazing treat.
And finally, while sifting through some very old but treasured
patterns I came across a Knitcraft Magazine from the mid 1950's that
gave easy instruction on how to hand wash knitted garments. I am
frequently asked for wool that is machine washable. The next
sentence is usually 'You know these young mothers nowadays don't
have time to hand wash and don't know how to hand wash, I have to
knit with machine washable wool for my grandchildren.' If I'm
feeling in a particularly mischievous mood I might enquire why the
errant daughter doesn't know how to hand wash and why hasn't her
mother taught her? But I do politely point out that a huge range of
beautiful yarns are machine washable but hand knitting really does
deserve to be washed in a basin of warm water with a good quality
wool detergent. This process takes just a few minutes and uses a
small amount of water. Here are the instructions on hand washing
from my lovely old knitting pattern.
Use mild soap flakes and lukewarm water for washing and squeeze suds
through the fabric. Never rub woollen garments – rubbing causes
thickening and felting of the fabric. Handle very gently and support
the garment while squeezing out water, so that the weight of the wet
garment will not stretch it. Rinse in lukewarm water thoroughly,
using three rinse waters. Don't twist or wring. Roll in bath towels
to absorb excess moisture, after you have squeezed out as much water
as possible. Pin garment, wrong side out, according to measurements
taken before washing to brown paper or a towel. Do not dry in sun or
excessive heat. Press garment lightly when dry.
Never hang knitted garments on clothes hangers or hooks. Always lay
flat when not in use and store in mothproof receptacle.
Have an enjoyable month of knitting,
Fran, Laura, Siobhan and Paige.
While Stocks Last!
Merino Et Soie 10ply
By Naturally Yarns,
bought to you at an extra special price while stocks last only
This 70% Merino, 30% Silk, machine washable, 10ply yarn normally
retails at $9.90 a ball. For a limited time we can sell this yarn at
$65 a bag (10balls) in a limited array of colours
For full details about this offer and to see colours available click
here.
Odds and Bods
This nifty wee Row Counter is from Clover. The stand alone design means no bulk or weight at the end of your needle, and the cool push button action is simple enough to do in between rows
Click for more details
