Having Fun With Kool Aid! September 5, 2009

Keeping my two eldest sprogs entertained when they come back from School/Kindy is always a challenge, but we recently decided to have a play at dyeing yarn with the American powdered soft drink, Kool Aid (which I purchased from an Aussie supplier, but you can buy it off Ebay).  So, with two sachets of red and blue, I mixed up the powder with water, popped some pyrex baking dishes on the garden table, chucked in a hank of pre-wetted natural yarn, and let the boys have fun squirting on the colours.

A quick zap in the mircowave, a rinse, hang out to dry and VIOLA!  Two tasty skeins of yarn that my boys won’t let me knit with (Luka keeps his in his ’special’ box).

I would highly recommend this bit of creative fun, as a non-toxic alternative to yarn dyes (the wool smells yummy afterwards too!)

Fetching Gloves September 4, 2009

We LOVE this pattern….not least because it’s a freebie published in Knitty, but because it’s the perfect ‘gift knit’ using just one ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran!  The pattern is called Fetching and is a gorgeous fingerless glove design, with lovely cabling on the cuff.  Kathleen knit this pair as a gift for a lucky recipient in her ‘Christmas in July’ gathering….. it went down VERY well, as you can imagine!

Gathered Cardigan September 3, 2009

Jemma has been busy completing projects (she’s on a roll!) and the latest was a divine pattern from Knit 1 Magazine Spring/Summer 2008 called Gathered Cardigan.  Jemma knit this from Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran (now discontinued) that she had in her stash, plus trimmed the bottom, cuffs and feature band with Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Licorice.  This is such a wearable knit, although Jemma cut down on the number of stitches she picked up around the bodice (there were a couple of hundred!) as she wanted it less billowy.

Cotton Skull Hat September 2, 2009

It’s been a while since I blogged, so apologies for my absence,  it’s been a shocking few weeks all round (I won’t bore you with the details).   We have all been knitting though, so I will be telling you all about it in the coming days.

One of Jemma’s finished projects (we like those the best!) is a pair of Skull Hats for her twin boys (oh the pain of having to make everything twice!) and she decided to make them in the Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Organic Cotton.  The combo was fantastic and Jemma has proclaimed that the yarn is now her new favourite (until the next one comes along).  It was a quick knit, with enough interest in the funky skull pattern to stop you getting bored and I think you’ll agree they look fab.

More Spun Out Arrivals! June 30, 2009

I’m almost holding my breath for the imminent launch of  Spun Out!  For those of you who don’t know, it’s the new spinning arm of The Wool Shack.  New products are arriving weekly and being photographed and popped up on the new website (not that you can seem them yet!).  The website is still being developed behind the scenes and there will still be all the usual testing before it goes live, but hopefully the end of July or early August will see all the yummies online that we have on our shelves.  Here’s a sneaky peak of the goregous Superwash Merino fibre from Squoosh!

Kathleen’s Cabled Shawl June 19, 2009

This is a pattern that ALL of us want to knit (oh for more hours in the day!).  Kathleen knit her Jo Sharp Cabled Shawl from Knit Issue 6 in Silkroad DK Tweed in Magnolia.  It’s so wearable and Kathleen had fun knitting it, with the cables enough to keep her interest going as she knit the length of the shawl.  Great for the cooler months (WHEN they arrive in WA!!).