RDYARNS Arrives at Mont Tricot and knitting is no longer the same

RDyarns comes in different packaging ;-)

Today we had an excellent delivery unlike any other we have recieved. From the moment we got the boxes, I knew there was something different. No other yarn arrived with fun little drawings and scribbles.

When I opened that box, my jaw dropped open and seriously thought I might start hyperventilating. The colours are to die for and the softness of the merino is oooh so yummy. I quickly thought of the don't squeeze the charmin commercials not that you would want to be using this yarn on your bum ;-)

This yarn is 100% merino fingering yarn in 225 yard skeins. It has been handpainted by none other than fibre artist and world renowned creator of hand dyed yarn, Richard Devrieze in Ontario. To top it all off, the merino fingering yarn is machine-washable. Come see these delicious yarns and colourways at Mont Tricot. Available soon in our online boutique.

I can't actually wait to try it out. The difficulty will be in choosing the colour!! I want to knit with all of them!! I know my knitting just won't be the same once I start knitting with it. Stay tuned for lots of project suggestions in the upcoming days!!!
 

 

 

Advent Calender- Day 2 - Calendrier d'avent

Buy a full bag of Sampa by Mirasol for only $45.50! The regular price for a full bag is $70.

• Achetez un sac au complet de Sampa par Mirasol pour seulement $45.50. Le prix regulier pour le sac au complet est $70.

15 COLOURS AVAILABLE - 15 COULEURS DISPONIBLE

Based on the principles of Fair Trade. By purchasing these natural, precious qualities you are supporting the children of the Peruvian shepherds. Add to this the winning designs of Jane Ellison and you have an unbeatable combination.

"Sampa" from Mirasol is naturally dyed, 100% organic cotton which is certified. Available in a cascade of solid shades, "Sampa" is produced in a remote region of Peru with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this yarn going directly to education of the shepherd's children. This organic cotton fiber is commonly used for throws, pullovers, cardis, boleros as well as for baby blankest, hoodies and booties. 

  Leafy Baby Blanket (takes 8 balls) It’s a lace pattern that uses left and right slanting decreases on both right and wrong side rows. The pattern has both charted and written instructions.

 Yggdrasil Afghan (9 balls used)
An afghan worked from the center out, beginning with a square panel. Borders are worked out from the center, allowing for three sizes in the pattern—baby blanket, afghan, and large counterpane bedspread. Cables, grafting, and charts.
Lisa Jacobs draws on the myth of the World Tree to pattern the Yggdrasil Afghan. A central grove of four trees grows into braided and leaf lace patterned borders -- as in the old Norse stories, all things are interconnected.

Little Valentine
This gorgeous shawl knits up quick and easy!










Tussie Mussie

We usually call the purl side of a garment the wrong side. In this sweater, it's the right side. There's a humble beauty to reverse stockinette, enhanced here with a nosegay stitch pattern.

Get Ready for Summer in this Sampler Stitch Pullover  (7-10 balls)

Advent Calender - Day 1 - Calendrier D'avent

Woodland, part of the Verde Collection of environmentally conscious yarns, is a combination of wool and environmentally-friendly nettles. Each of these fibers takes the dye differently, giving both the neutral and vibrant colors of Woodland a heathered look.
Nettles are a perennial and require low levels of water and little or no pesticides. Nettle fibers are similar to linen and hemp but produce a softer, silkier fabric. Nettles show color well and when mixed with wool add lightness, minimize shrinkage, and are breathable.

Regular Price $10 per ball
Prix Regulier: $10 par balle

Description	:	65% wool, 35% nettles
Handling	:	hand wash cold, dry flat
Colorways	:	20
Gauge	:	5 - 5½ sts/inch on US 6 (4 mm) needle
Skeins/Garment	:	8/LS
Put up	:	ball
Skein Weight	:	50 grams
Skein Yardage	:	131

Free Pattern Ideas - Des Idées de projets gratuits:

Turtle Cowl

•  Druidess Beret  (2 balls needed) This slouchy beret is knit in dk yarn and features a cable and bobble pattern. The beret is worked from the bottom up, with a cabled ribbing band that becomes the cable pattern in the body of the hat.

• Turtle Cowl (3 balls needed) This cowl begins with a ribbing, to keep it close to the neck, and then increases to an unusual lace pattern that drapes well. The ribbing pulls the lace in at the top, giving the piece a gentle A-line shape without any shaping in the lace section. Woodland could not be more perfect for this project because it has body to help the cowl stand up and it blocks beautifully.

• 

  Woodland Shawlette

•  Woodland Shawlette (4 balls) To keep shoulders warm until the furnace stops running, this triangular shawl designed by Brenda Lavell in Woodland, is the perfect choice.

Come check out the pattern books:

Chulita's Colour me Comfy

Cast on 80 sts using 2 strands held together of Julie Asselin' Zetta
knit , purl or yo, k2tog on a bunch of rows
Cast off
Long story short... this project has been a dream. I LOVE LOVE LOVE ZETTA!! And the colours!! Oh my!!
Now, all that is left is a lime green border in Lana Loft from Brown Sheep
Chulita has once again claimed this blanket as her own. I placed the blanket on the floor for a quick picture and Chulita decided it was time to claim it.

Pattern will be available soon

Yotta Love

english text will follow:

Ça n'arrive pas trop souvent qu'une laine me surprend autant que Yotta l'a fait aujourd'hui. Yotta est la nouvelle laine de Julie Asselin. Je dois avouer que j'adore toutes ces couleurs mais je préfère souvent les multi-colores. Aujoud'hui, j'ai essayé cette laine. Je tripe vraiment sur la grosse laine et malgré tous mes projets en cours, je ne pouvais pas la resister.  J'ai monter mes mailles pour le vite cowl. Finalement, le patron est vite mais quand on a de la belle laine on arrête souvent pour l'admirer.  Dans l'écheveau, je ne pouvais pas me rendre compte de toute les belles nuances. En le tricotant.... c'était vraiment autre chose. Quasiment à chaque maille ou à chaque rang je remarquer comment c'était beau. Emily et Kam riaient de moi. On parlait et au milieu d'une phrase, je passer un commentaire sur la laine et revenait à la conversation aussi vite.
 Donc, je vous encourage à la tricoter, mais attention, cette laine va vous seduire.

Patron: Vite Cowl + un écheveau de Yotta

Not often do I get mesmerized by yarn. Today, Yotta completely seduced me. She make look ordinary in a skein, but she comes alive on the needles. I am enamored with Julie Asselin's sense of colour but I normally tend to prefer the multi colored yarn. Today I worked on a greenish skein. The nuances are quite incredible. With each stitch and each row, the yarn blossoms with nuances. I have to admit that I chose this pattern because it is called Vite which in French means fast, but there was no way I could knit it quickly. I kept pausing to look at the beautiful colour. It would have been one thing to silently admire it. But, no, I had to pause my conversation, make a comment about the yarn and go back mid sentence to carry on my conversation. It was not until Emily made fun of me for doing that did I realize the power of seduction of Yotta. So, I encourage you to knit Yotta...this yarn just may seduce you too!

Big Ole Encampment Blanket

 A few weeks ago, a client sent me a video of the giganto blanket. Click on the link and you will be amazed at what Laura made.

yarn in the box just after arrival

 So, it got me thinking that maybe I should attempt it since I am on a big knitting craze. I ordered the yarn and the waited. It took a bit longer than I expected, but it finally arrived. I had agreed with my client to brainstorm on how we could prep the roving and make it a team project. Well, it has been quite busy at the store and this has just not been possible. Today, the yarn came in. I was surprised how compact 8 pounds of roving could be. I tried to fluff it and bit and as it took on air it grew.

I brought it home thinking I could at least pet the yarn even if too tired to actually do anything with it. While waiting for dinner, I thought this could be a great bonding project for me and my Dad. So, the next thing you know.... here are a few pics that document the process of Papito and me

unwinding the roving

wrapping it in sheets to make roving sausages so it can be washed

the roving must be wrapped to that it does not felt onto itself

2 are better than just one

roving sausage making

you need to tie the sausage so it does not all fall apart

sausage before and after

a warm fire on a cold night is helpful

The sausages are ready for the bathtub

put it in hot water...

Stomping to felt the yarn

More pics to follow... stay tuned

PS The yarn comes from Encampment, WY... and I think the name is befitting

Great Minds think alike

I remember a few weeks ago having an aha moment when I was talking to Julie Asselin and fondling the baby llama from Illimani yarns at the same time. WOW wouldn't it be awesome if you could hand dye the baby llama. We looked at each other with such glee and excitement..... Fast forward a few weeks and I get a call from Sylvie at Lettuce Knit in Toronto... She wanted hand dyed Illimani yarns in Julie Asselin colours. And, thus, a knitting partnership was born. The next thing you know, Ilimani yarns sent yarn to Julie and here is the first look at it. More will be coming soon

Being a bit of a yarn brat, I insisted I should get first dibs and try out the first versions. Yesterday, the hand dyed silky baby llama arrived. Sorry, I am feeling very possessive... they are all mine ;-) I had been searching for days, for what seemed like weeks for a pattern that would show off the great colour work, great yarn, still look good on me and require minimal finishing. Yesterday, Arleen spoke to me.  Worked in the round from the top down with no sewing and simple raglan increases... she won the contest.

Big thanks go to Kam of Everyday Peacocks for combing through her 6,000+ favorites in ravelry to help me find the perfect project.... there are a few I have discovered and can't wait to knit.

Arleen by Donna Knits

So, I dutifully swatched. Rarely do I do this, mostly out of laziness and also lacking time. My main concern was how the colours would look. Would I get stripes? Pooling?? So I did a rather wide swatch to check it all out.

 All was going great. It seemed like my bamboo addi clicks were just weaving their magic with the silk baby llama heavenliness. The, something did not look quite right.... I was only increasing for the raglan shaping on one side of the markers. Grant it I did not have my fancy everyday peacock stitch markers. I was using  my plain old clover green markers. And while they work fine on most projects. The addis and the silky baby llama were having none of that. So, I ripped back several rows and waiting until I could get to Mont Tricot and get my hands on my special Everyday Peacocks markers.

Well, the next thing you know, the rows were flying by with increases of either side of the marker. It is as if the marker just gently whispers and reminds me kbf before the marker and kfb after the marker. If you don't believe this happened... you should try the magical markers out for yourself

Well, not a great picture, but here is a picture of my progress thus far....

In case there is any doubt. This is a heavenly project. I will be updating you on the progress.
 Stay tuned....