Christmas is coming!

And are we all prepared....nope!  My Christmas gift giving will be mostly achieved by post, as 3 children and 4 grandchildren live in Canberra which is about 3000 miles from me in Perth.  I live with my daughter and her 16 month old son Liam so we will be having a quiet Christmas day at the beach with Liam's aunt and her brood.  Ya gotta love summer Christmases!

So, what to make for christmas presents that is quick and easy?

Dish or washcloths come to mind.  These little cloths are an awesome way to test out new yarns and stitch patterns.  Once you have a couple of standard patterns in your box of tricks, they can be whipped up in an hour or so and matched with some lovely handmade soap for a gift for a teacher, daycare leader, workmate or anyone you can think of who would appreciate a small gift.  Knit up a small stash and you will never be short of a last minute present.

Leaf Lace Washcloth

The best yarn to use for cloths is cotton, bamboo or a cotton/acrylic mix.  These dry quickly and can be thrown in the wash or soaked in a mild bleach solution to clean.  They may fade over time but as they are a working cloth, we can forgive that!  I have cotton washcloths that I have been using for over a year and they are still doing their job, as long as I am there to direct them!

Some yarn suggestions - Heirloom Cotton, Heirloom Bamboo, Twilleys Freedom Sincere, Wendy Sorrento.

Here are some handy links to free washcloth patterns -

Knitting Pattern Central - pages and pages of free patterns for almost anything you can imagine!  Their sister site Crochet Pattern Central is another mine of information.

Ravelry - This is probably the largest knitting and crocheting resource in the world.  Although you need to be a member to use and view the site, joining is free.  Once you're in, you might never want to leave!

Knitting on the Net - another free site that includes a brief description of each design.

Dish and Wash Cloth Mania - a blog dedicated to this noble pursuit!

Washcloths and dishcloths are fairly forgiving so you don't have to use the recommended yarn if it isn't available where you are.


Other gift ideas are socks, shawls, toys, gloves, hats and scarves.  Socks and shawls can be quick and easy or intricate.  You can choose to make a simple design using a self-patterning yarn which does all the work for you, or go all out and use a luxury yarn for a special gift.

Scarves and cowls are hugely popular gifts.  A small scarf like this design from Tikki's blog takes a couple of hours and is a great stash buster.  I made mine from Naturally Aran Tweed (I did say in a previous post that I was going to use Filatura di Crosa Lovely Jeans but picked up the Aran Tweed instead!)

Paula's Scarfette Naturally Aran Tweed

Some lovely sock yarns from our shop are -

Wendy Happy - A 4ply blend of soft bamboo and nylon, great for warm weather as the bamboo has antibacterial properties to help keep your feet sweet;
Heirloom Jigsaw - A 4ply self-patterning wool/nylon blend that is hard wearing and looks great;
Naturally Waikiwi - A super soft 4ply blend of Merino wool, nylon, alpaca and possum make for a very special gift.
Twilleys Freedom Gorgeous - 8ply bamboo/nylon blend, again wonderfully soft to work with.

Crochet Amigurumi Tiger

Toys are another popular gift item.  Amugurumi, which originated in Japan, is the art of making small, crocheted (they can also be knitted but crochet is more prevalant) whimsical toys.  Some of them remind me of the manga style of cartooning, where heads and facial features are exagerrated.  There is a great tutorial here  The best yarn to use for toys (in my opinion) is a basic wool or acrylic.  These yarns are hard wearing, easy to use and buy, and come in a huge range of colours.  Some of my favourites are -

Naturally Loyal - 8ply 100% wool which is soft and easy to work with;
Heirloom Dazzle - 8ply 100% acrylic in a large range of plain and variegated colours;
Heirloom Easycare - A 100% wool crepe which is ideal for toy making.

Filatura di Crosa Solo 1 Minuto Scarf in Boysenberry

If I was in a real hurry  I wouldn't even knit!  I'd just give people a no knit scarf that they can make themselves.  A brand new one that has just arrived in Australia is Filatura di Crosa Ci Piace and Solo 1 Minuto.  Each 6m hank of soft squishy furry yarn can be made into a lovely narrow scarf (keep an eye out for narrow scarves as they are the next big thing).  You can mix and match colours and even plait them as a variation.

Filatura di Crosa Ci Piace Scarf in Hot Chocolate

I love freebies!

Let's face it – we all want to be able to buy all the yarn and patterns that's on offer out there. It's just not possible though is it? OK, so I am in the enviable situation of owning my own yarn shop, so I am surrounded by loads of gorgeous yarns and designs every day! Even so, I had to spend money on it, and I am well aware of how hard it is these days to feed your obsession at the same time as juggling mortgages and bills.

So, what's a girl to do? The answer is – drum roll – search the net for free stuff! Now I don't mean the free things that come at a price (signing up for some bogus offer that just fills your inbox with spam). I'm talking about free knitting and crochet resources that make the crafter's life just that little bit easier.

I admire independent designers for not only their talent (and I wish I'd inherited some design talent from somewhere), but also their drive and passion to produce their designs at their own expense, often with little or no financial reward. This is one reason why I rank knitwear designers as artists, in the same way that painters and sculptors, to name but two, are recognised.

In a future blog I will be presenting interviews with some of my favourite independents, to say thank you to them for their inspiration and talent. But for now, let me show you a few of the patterns that I am working on to show off these wonderful people, but also to show you how you can use the beautiful fibres from YarnSoft to compliment these designs.

Tikki aka Georgie's Blog is a showcase for her amazing childrens' designs. Her motto is "Simple, Seamless Knitting Patterns" and her colourful designs are well known for being easy to make and look awesome on kidlets. I've completed one of her designs, Eden, for my Grandson, Liam. I used Twilleys Freedom Sincere, which is a 100% organic cotton that is machine washable. I must mention though, this was not a free pattern, but I did want to show off some of Georgie's designs (and put up a pic of one of the golden grandchildren!) And please don't ask me why he is on his side...I tried and tried to get Blogger to insert the pic right way up but it wouldn't play nice :-(

 
I'm about to start another Tikki design, this time it's a free pattern, Sid's Beanie. I'm going to use Naturally Loyal, Lt Blue and Blue Print, which is an 8ply 100% wool. I'll post a pic when it's finished. I'll try to get Liam to be my model but he usually whips hats off as soon as they are put on him so I might get his mum Lou to be the camera person!

Other freebies on my list are –
Paula's scarfette. Another Tikki design.  I'm going to use Filatura di Crosa Lovely Jeans, 100% worsted weight cotton

PersnicketyKnitter – ZigZag Lace Scarf. Tahki Rio, a chunky alpaca, merino, silk blend.

Hey Julie – Baby Cabled Hat. Filatura di Crosa Zara Plus, worsted/12ply 100 % extrafine merino wool.

Well, if I'm going to get these things knitted, I'd better get to it!

Until next time, happy creating!

So many yarns, so little time!

I have way too many knitting patterns and magazines! Actually, I don't think there is such a thing as too many, any more than the strange concept that you can have too much yarn.

Anyway, I was leafing through some mags, looking for a summer tank top pattern. All this browsing made me realise that there are so many different types of yarns, from the big names, to hand-dyed, hand-spun yarns produced by independent boutique designers. Add to this the gazillions of patterns available and it's a wonder any of us can actually find time to knit after gazing at all that is available.

I did worry when I first started to develop my business plan for YarnSoft, that I wouldn't ever be able to provide even a small representation of the variety that is available today. Then I got to thinking, “from little things big things grow”. I love the yarns that I stock, and I hope you will too. I do intend to offer more products from the smaller independents, as I am passionate about promoting local artisans who are inspired to produce yarns that will be cherished by knitters and crocheters.

But, I have decided to start out by offering a broad range of well known brands and listen to you and consider your feedback for future stock purchases.

I'm about to order some Filatura di Crosa Centolavaggi, which is a laceweight, 100% Merino superwash wool. This wool is ideal for lacework shawls, scarves and garments. I will admit that I am not game to tackle lace knitting just yet! I used to do some lacework years ago for general stuff, like baby clothes, back when lacy matinee jackets were still popular, but age and less patience and time have meant that I just don't get it anymore. I find myself making mistakes and losing my place more often than I used to, so I tend to stick to smaller projects these days. Having said that, I have seen so many beautiful lace patterns that I will admit to being tempted to have a bash at a scarf or small shawl. I think I might start with some 4ply, Like FDC Dolce Amore, or Heirloom baby wool. If you have seen any beginner patterns, do let me know.