‘Dread falls’ are artificial hair extensions – Pie Knits has a few links on how to wear them and how to make them.
Quick join up members get recycled yarn and “quick knit” patterns to match – join the Leethal Quick Knits Club.
The small-scale designs in Leethal’s quick knits website section, and in the club, are perfect for both beginner knitters, wanting to try more complex techniques without being intimidated by a large project, and seasoned knitters in search of ways to use up yarn leftovers or knit up some quick gift items.
The spun recycled yarns start out as multiple strands unraveled from cast off sweaters, which are then spun on a spinning wheel and plied together, often with other threads or yarns added in the process. The recycled hand-dyed yarn also comes from unraveled thrift store sweaters, mostly wool or wool blends, dyed over in custom mixed shades of non-toxic food dyes (acid set for colorfastness).
For a small fee you can download the pattern to this very cool Felted Tapestry Crochet Skull Bag – from patternfish.
Voting is easy! Just go to www.ravelry.com/socksummit (sign in to ravelry first) and click on a category to see all the colorways that have been submitted in that category. Look at the pretty pictures, read about what inspired the dyer, and select your favorite by clicking the “vote for this yarn” checkbox. Voting is open until August 1st, 11:59 pm Eastern time.
there are a lot of eco yarns available these days – organic cotton, bamboo, etc but what about trying out all the upcycled / recycled and just plain alternative yarns that are currently available. While browsing the gorgeous yarn shops on etsy recently I came across so many variations. Deconstructed t-shirt yarn, unraveled sweater yarn, spun rag yarn and plarn (plastic yarn). Check out these etsy stores for some alternative eco friendly yarns.
1. Reclaimed bed linen yarn from retro revisited
2. unraveled recycled sweater yarn from RoseBloom
3. Hand-dyed recycled yarn from dyeTyarn
4. T-shirt yarn and plastic yarn from Bella Flower
5. tie-dye upcycled t-shirt yarn from DevilMakesWork
6. Plarn from copabanana
7. hand dyed recycled wool from cosymakes
8. Hand dyed, recycled, respun yarn from Soulfulhues
9. Handspun plarn from Jesspins
10. Handspun upcycled fabric yarn from Wild hare
11. Handspun upcycled newspaper yarn from mathilda’s threads
12. Handspun yarn made from all sort of stuff from inhope
whilst reading purlbee I came across spud and chloe yarns – we featured their free cupcake pattern here last week and here is this delectable pattern for these tiny wee flowers. Their yarn is equally scrumptious.
Thanks Carrie to the link for the 2009 International Year of Natural Fibres.
The main goal of the International Year of Natural Fibres is to raise the profile of these fibres and to emphasise their value to consumers while helping to sustain the incomes of the farmers.
Knitting Noro: The Magic of Knitting with Hand-Dyed Yarns
Knitting Noro introduces the effect of using multi-coloured wool, specifically noro yarn – a Japanese luxury yarn, which is very popular. This yarn gives even the simplest design an exclusive look all of its own.
The wide range of basic patterns in this book are suitable for the the most inexperienced knitter to achieve a garment they would be proud of. The patterns include options to enable the knitter to customise each pattern, with variations in body and sleeve length and neckline style.
Of course all the patterns are for knitting with Noro wool, but for those without access to this expensive wool, I would still recommend this book as it leaves open a whole lot of ideas for ways to use your own hand spun and hand dyed wool.
The patterns are very simple and well illustrated with good diagrams and sizing charts. They are extremely smart and stylish, and provide a good base for a learner to build on.
About the reviewer: Janette is an experienced knitter, she has been knitting and crocheting for more than 60 years, she also spins and dyes her own wool.
Teryn gives us a very detailed tutorial on the hot pour method of dyeing yarn. [via craft gossip]
