Hello everyone!
We have exciting news here at The Wool Kitchen and we want you to know.
You may have seen glimpses of our Advent for 2023 or you may be one of the luck yarn lovers that opened each day and already joining the fun.
The response has been amazing - thank you! x
Whether you are a knitter or crocheter or other crafter, would like to invite you to a MAL (a make along).
We have lots of options for you to pick from...
1. "I don't have an advent!"
We got you! Helen will be dyeing and releasing each section of the advent - 4 in total - over the coming months. Available in 4ply sock or our brilliant BFL DK yarn, the first of these is available now! Buy Advent Mini Minis! Look out for the next three over the coming weeks.
2. You can join in with ANY of our Advents from the last 3 years.
We want to include as many of you as possible!
3. You can use an Advent from another hand dyer, however it must be from this year - only 2023.
4. We will be running our MAL though our Facebook group - All the makes! The Wool Kitchen yarn
* That's right, we are going old school, we feel its the best place to be able to keep up to date with your amazing makes and to share with your fellow makers.
5. The most important bit!!!
We want this to be fun and inclusive. If you have a completed Wool Kitchen Advent project already we still want to see you there!
All sizes count! Use your whole advent or just a section, we really don't mind, we just want you to be part of the fun!
Our MAL will run from NOW until March 31st 2024 and completed projects will be entered to our prize draw for a £50 voucher for our website.
*Don't have Facebook? Drop us a note and we will offer an alternative.
]]>Thank you for joining me I hope to see some of you soon. H x
Suzanne Sommers AKA SoSu MKAL starts 17th of May 4 x 100g yarn bundle. http://www.sosu.at/en/
Yarn (A) That bit, (B) Frenchie, (C) Grey matter & (D) Bioluminescence
Now available.
https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/collections/pattern-kits/products/sosu-knits-mkal-merino-nylon-4ply
Couple of exclusives
Inspired by Maxim Cyr AKA Maxtheknitter Volcano trail https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/volcano-trail
Rose Gold, Finding feathers, For Frida, Grey Matter.
NEW YARNS
Incandescent on
Mohair silk
Merino Sock
Merino Silk
https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/search?q=Incandescent+
Pre-order Incandescent Minis Fade
5 x 20g mini 100% BFL
Ama Sweater and shawl,
Yarn bundles on per- order are Moon hopping and Grey Matter.
https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/collections/pattern-kits/products/ama-sweater-kits
Pattern links Maddie Harvey https://www.maddieharveydesigns.com
Amphidrom shawl
3 x DK BFL Silk in Twightlight.
https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/collections/pattern-kits/products/amphidrome-yarn-bundle
Pattern Link Renee Callahan https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amphidrome
Or https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/user/maker/e9c3457f-1ff9-40c9-b350-071ef35d83c7
Zip yarns
Sock colour way is Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo - Merino nylon - 4ply
DK BFL Rough
All zips.... https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/search?q=Zip
Enzo sweater
http://eastlondonknit.com
Vogue Knit Live exclusive,
Advent Moments of Light. 24 mini skins kit.
https://www.thewoolkitchen.com/collections/minins/products/advent-moments-of-light-open-orders
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On my needles!
I love to knit sweaters, so why not knit one of my most loved wearable jumper.
Enso by East London Knit, is knit in the round with a beautifully constructed shoulder which is really flattering.
My yarn of choice is Nebula one of my favourite hand dyed ZIP yarns and I really have enjoyed every stitch!
I’m even wizzing though sleeve Island. Yay!
Find this easy and fun to knit pattern https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/enso-3
So you can see Enso in all her glory this is one I knit earlier.
It truly is a wear it winner!
Fresh out the pan!
I have added “Neon Camo’ a modern take on well loved wardrobe colour stable to our best selling Bluefaced Leicester DK yarn! For all your sweater dreams.
I can not wait to see this new colour out in the wild so if you obtain a skein or two then keep me posted with your projects *hastag thewoolkitchen.
I love a good pool party but even I don’t want to hang out in the same place all the time!
Pooling is always determined by the pattern size you are knitting, your tension and where the same colour falls with in the yarn, and where is meeting on the previous knitted row.
Remember pooling is not a bad thing it is part of the beauty of hand dyed yarns combined with your natural gauge and always varies from project to project!!!
Placement of pooling or avoiding it altogether can be easily achieved by...
Alternating Skeins this is simply taking 2 skeins from the same dye batch and alternating the yarn every round in circular knitting carrying the yarn up at the beginning of the round, or every other row with flat knitting by carrying the yarn up one side.
Tying a section off, this is the method I use for my project you very simply make a loop in your yarn at the beginning of a round or row and tie it off. This means you have a removed a section of yarn meaning the colour change has shifted. Be warned this means you have a few more ends to sew in but it means you get a dappled section of colour more evenly placed.
Pick your yarn appropriate to the weather! It seems obvious when you say it out loud, but I have found myself on a sunny beach with an Aran-weight woollen with only one sleeve to go!!!
I would recommend a 4ply weight yarn with a mix.
Above is our Merino silk-based 50/50. It gives good stitch definition, is lightweight, and lends itself to shawls and light tees. It’s super soft yet incredibly strong.
If you are an avid sock knitter then look for alternatives to nylon. We are very proud of our BFL and Bamboo sock base offer from the kitchen. It was the first base I dyed and it has remain a strong friend of mine!
Bamboo offers strength, and its antibacterial and cooling properties make it a perfect summer sock knit yarn!
Oh, and we love Grellow love socks by Clare Devine.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/grellow-love
Every pattern tells us to do it, but I’m going to guess that only 1 in 3 do!
There are many benefits to knitting swatches. Ultimately it helps you to check you are knitting the right size. We are all different - that means our knitting style and gauge will be too! One knitter’s 4.5mm could easily be my 3.25mm to get the same number of stitches per 10cm (yes, I’m that slack).
Play with colour. This is your chance to go as wild as you like!! I had a few goes at finding the right combination for my project.
One of the biggest benefits to swatching is they are small, easily portable and a good way of practicing. Think of all the new techniques you can try.
What’s more, if you cannot face a new project you could swatch for all the things you want to knit in the future - these small squares will keep you knitting thought the summer!!!
Someone who is even more passionate about the the swatch is Wendy, AKA yarnsub on Instagram. I will pop her link here:
https://yarnsub.com/ You will find loads of tips there!
Picking a project!
We have all spent many hours in the Ravelry rabbit hole, and still found nothing to knit or just not the right thing.
Look back at the list of things you have knitted and designers you have enjoyed to knit in the past. What have they got to offer for this time of year? And ALWAYS have a look at what others peoples’ projects look like. Don’t just rely on the pattern pictures.
I’m no model so I need to see how it looks on others I can identify with. This has definitely made me rethink some ideas. I have opted for Tarmac by Anna Maltz:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tarmac
It’s really important to enjoy your project so remember to keep well hydrated in this weather.
Always wear your sunscreen, stay in the shade if possible and tell your family and friends to never leave an unattended knitter in a locked parked car as we really do lose track of time!
And most important of all: If summer knitting is not your thing then that’s absolutely fine, its not an elite club! It’s a place where you can come and go and no judgment is made. Read a good book and make a list of your winter wish knit list instead.
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Many of you will be familiar with ‘Hello Frida’, the first of my Frida inspired yarns, based on this image of the Woman herself. It was the beginning of my yarn Frida love affair...
Becoming Kahlo....
Most of my Frida colours are on our luxury Merino silk base. It’s amazing to work with; takes colour slowly, allowing an even rich colour, that then can be glazed to create depth. I was incredibly lucky to work with Sarah Shepherd who designed the Jags and Jewell’s shawl. Sarah drew inspiration from a traditional Mexican stitch to create this Frida loving shawl.
Pattern available here... https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jags-n-jewels-shawl
Frida loved to dress up! And jewellery was one of her key accessories.
’Kahlo’ is a rich gold yarn on our merino silk base that truly glows. This yarn is designed to sit alongside all of our Frida colourways.
Magdalena Carman Frida Kahlo.....A very colourful name!
Every time I see an image of Ms Kahlo there is a glow that is captured and this is how I see her!
This is the Blue House, Frida’s childhood home; deep blue with a mauve glow! I hope that one day, I too will visit this place.
She returned to this house when she divorced her husband Diego. They would later remarry.
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