New Addi Click Bamboo Video Demonstration

We have just finished the first in a series of videos. The first one demonstrates how to put together our new Addi Bamboo Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needles. More to come.

Patterns Now Available Online!

I often receive requests from customers about whether they can buy the patterns from our kits separately. Well, now you can!

We are adding our most popular patterns to our shopping cart as PDF downloads in a new Patterns category. The first batch includes the ever popular Giant Retro Cowl Pattern (pictured). Keep checking back for new patterns as we load them up before Winter 2011.

Happy Knitting
Pat

In Memory of Marta Cantos

Four years today since mum passed away. What an impression she left! Lets all take time to remember a much loved and dearly missed artist.

Pat

Mixed Fibre Yarn Packs for scrumbling and freeform knitting

When you produce custom spun and dyed yarns you always end up with left-over bits. Over the years we have safely stored a treasure trove of these off-cuts and have recently packaged them up into delicious mixed seasonal yarn packs of 500gms each.

Each pack contains a unique mix of yarns making them perfect for scrumbling and freeform knitting projects. $59 each (normal retail a least $150 if sold as individual balls) - and a 10% discount on orders of 2 or more packs in the same seasonal colourway.

Happy scrumbling!

Book Review - The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin

For all our customers who have found taking the first step to transforming their craft hobby into a viable business a little confusing and daunting - we have the perfect book for you. The new guide by Kari Chapin - The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and Online demystifies the process of getting your craft business up and running.

From determining the right price for your creations to strategies for selling through both bricks and mortar shops and online sites, Kari gives you a comprehensive array of tips, resources and case studies of successful craft businesses which are sure to inspire and motivate.

There are also a great sections on branding, styling, photography and most importantly marketing.

Honey Comb Wristwarmers - New design

For a while now I have been thinking about a knitting project which would incorporate one of my favorite cable stitches - the honey comb stitch. It is a simple stitch which is great for practicing your cabling technique as it uses the two most basic stitches - C4F and C4B.

A few swatches later and the Honeycomb wristwarmer design emerged. Knit seamless in the round using the cable pattern and some carefully placed ribbing, these little warmers are a cosy fit. The original pair took just over one ball of a DK weight yarn (Sublime Extra Fine Merino in Salty Grey) to complete - however the knitting pattern includes instructions for a slightly shorter version which only takes one ball. I have put together a knitting kit which includes the yarn, knitting pattern and Addi Bamboo DPNs (15cm long) - available online for $49. Enjoy!

The Thread Room Newsletter 12 December 2010

The Thread Room Newsletter 12 December 2010

Ergonomic Crochet Hooks from Addi

These fabulous new crochet hooks from Addi - Addi-Swing - have been ergonmically designed to reduce the writst wear so common with crochet. They fit comfortably whether you are working overhand crochet or pen style. I have just started using the 6mm size fo super fast crochetted flowers.

Addi Click Bamboo Set - Just arrived!

Our lovely new Addi Click Bamboo sets have just arrived today. The bright green soft pouch and silk print lining on the cases give this interchangeable knitting needle set that extra touch of luxury. The smooth bamboo needle tips come in 8 sizes from 3.5mm to 8mm and connect perfectly with the gold Addi cords (60/80/100cm lengths).

The perfect Christmas present for a knitter!

Back to knitting basics

I have been getting back to the basics of knitting lately and thought I would share the story behind our latest knitting kit - the Beginners Knit Scarf Kit.

It all started when I was sorting through some of the yarn in my studio and wondering what to do with all the lovely extra Retro yarn balls we end up with after winding the 100gm balls. The colours looked so vibrant, that I decided to pick 6 of the most cheerful balls and design a beginners knitting project with them.

After years of teaching beginners knitting classes I have discovered that the ideal project for someone starting out includes both repetition - this gets your tension even - and some colour changes along the way - motivation to finish the project!

Using a 12ply (aran weight) yarn with 6mm knitting needles means you progress a little faster than you would with the standard 8ply (DK weight) yarn on a 4mm knitting needle. And, any bigger than about an 8mm knitting needle starts to get a little clunky for a beginner.

The width of the scarf is also an important consideration. Too wide and the rows seem endless, too narrow and you end up with a tie. I tried a few different widths and 30 stitches was just right.

The order of the colours involved a bit of colour theory and years of customer feedback. Pink and green placed together are always a winning combination - nature's colours. Placing high value colours (light colours) between low value colours (dark colours) also gives the scarf added variety eg. the yellow was placed between the blue and purple; the red between the purple and green.

Happy knitting!

Knitting Tutorial: Chunky i-cord knitting

Ever since Addi brought out their range of super-sized double pointed needles - up to 20mm - I have been having lots of fun knitting chunky i-cords. The i-cords can be used as a lariet scraf, felted for bag handles and felted and plaited too. The possibilities are endless. The Flower's lariet scarf kit is an example of this technique in use.

So, here is my step-by-step tutorial on how to make a cool chunky i-cord.

Materials: 2 thick double pointed needles (9 - 20mm) , chunky weight yarn. We used Slubby - Fluro Orange in the photos.

Step 1

Cast on 4 stitches with the double pointed needles (9mm used in the photos). Use whichever cast-on technique you usually use. I have used long-tail cast-on for the tutorial example.

Step 2

Knit the 4 stitches. The stitches will now be located at the left tip of the double pointed needle.

Step 3 - this is the most important step!

DO NOT turn the needles for the next row. Rather, push the four stitches you have knitted from the left tip of the needle all the way along the needle to the right tip - keeping the right side of the work facing you at all times.


Step 4

Knit the first stitch of row by inserting tip of needle in through front of the stitch and bringing the yarn around the back of the work and working the stitch (see photo below). When working the first stitch of each row ensure that you tighten it as you take it off the needle to avoid a long stretched thread at the back of your i-cord. Knit the rest of the stitches on the needle.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have the required length, giving the work a good pull every couple of rows to ensure the back thread feeds into the knitting evenly.


NB: The maximum number of stitches you can comfortably work an i-cord with is about 5 depending on the yarn you are using.

More ideas for the i-cord technique

1. Try a purl stitch i-cord. It gives you a great ridged look.
   
2. Try lots of different yarns together using the 20mm needles.
   
3. Try a fine yarn with the 20mm needles to get a fine gosamer tube look.
   

Silver Mix of Knitting Yarns

Here is a shot of our newest bundle of yarns dyed in soft silver colour. I can't wait to try our 4ply Mist Mohair in this great new colour-way. I will be adding to our shopping cart this week.

132nd AUSTRALIAN SHEEP & WOOL SHOW

Last week saw me making a nostalgic trip to the Sheep and Wool show as a guest at the Women of Wool lunch.

Mum and I ran a stall at the show a few years back when she had just started hand-dyeing wool. We had a lot of fun and I never forget the time Kaffe Fassett stopped to admire mum's colours and introduce himself. It was quite a buzz.

A few years on and the Wool and Sheep show is still thriving and full of activity. I spent quite a while in the sheep judging area and managed to snap this shot of one of the competitors. I was also lucky enough to sit next to the energetic Dot Vallance who organises the Woolcraft section of the show and have a chat about craft trends. Brenda McGahan from Wool Innovation also gave a great speech at the lunch about some exciting new projects the Australian Wool industry is involved with.

Cheers
Pat

Winding for winter

Here is a cute photo of David wearing one of our tangled hanks of hand-dyed merino. Check out his new laser-cut glasses.

I have been keeping my staff busy winding yarn over the last few weeks to make sure our yummy colours are all ready for winter. New colours are still a few weeks away as is the cold weather it seems.

Rainbow flower

I have always wanted to use our Rainbow Metro Collection - 24 perfectly graduated colours of the colourwheel - for more projects. This lovely Nicky Epstein crochet pattern is one of 8 motifs from the Medallion Medley pattern in Cocheting On the Edge. It is perfect for the rainbow yarn collection as is has 12 rounds of crochet - half the colour wheel. I am currently working on the blues and greens flower. I will put together a yarn kit for this one soon...

Benjamin's Bunny

My continued obsession with crochet saw me making this cute bunny rabbit for my son Ben for Christmas. It is the first project to use our new Lara Cameron range of fabrics with the colour-matched yarn. The pattern is from Erika Knight's "Essential Crochet" and has an adorable little pom pom cotton tail.

I have put together a kit which you can buy from our new shopping cart. It includes the yarn, fabric, wool top stuffing, ribbon and contrast yarn for the eyes (book with pattern is extra).

Super simple Rope Scarf

Since having my first baby 2 and a half years ago, I have been exploring ways to make simple but effective pieces that can quickly be put down without the fear of stitches being dropped or increasingly active little fingers getting a hold of pointy needles. So, I went back to basics and started experimenting with the most basic of finger knitting techniques and came up with a rope scarf design.

Basic finger knitting is simply a chain stitch created with your fingers. Just like the crochet chain you create a slip knot, and then using your thumb and index finger pull the yarn through the loop in the slip knot and form a new loop. Keep doing this until you have a long rope then start experimenting with it.

The scarf in the photo was made with one ball (100gm) of our Slubby yarn in a dusty pink multi-colour. I finger knitted the whole ball (less 1 m) into a long rope and then lay it out across a long bench zig zagging back and forth 7 times to create an overall scarf length of about 1.7 metres at the same time aligning the colour variations. The colour that stands out the most was positioned at each end. I then cut and knotted the yarn where it turned resulting in 7 individual strands. To tie them all together I used the left over piece of matching yarn to individually tie the strands to each other in two places about shoulder width apart, leaving about a 1cm gap between each knot.

The effect is a lovely rope scarf which highlights the colour variations in the multi-coloured yarn. This project works best with multi-coloured yarns that have been dyed on a hank and repeat the colour range consistently. Try to pick a hank that has a couple of contrasting colours and have fun.

Knitting Tips - My TOP 5

Here is a list of my top 5 knitting tips - crochet and felting to come later.

1. Knit a tension square for every project you embark upon. Tension is the key factor in succesfully following a pattern and making a garment that fits perfectly. Many people think they know their tension and most people think they have average tension. Unfortunately tension can vary a lot over a lifetime of knitting and depend on the type of yarn you are using. If you regularly substitute yarns you will have a better understanding of how important it is to check tension and that not all 8ply yarns are create equal. So take the time to knit your tension square - I usually aim for a 12 by 12 cm square - and try a few different needle sizes until you get it just right.
2. Work shapings one or two stitches in from the row ends. A lot of knitting patterns will have you working increases or decreases at the beginning or end of rows resulting in a bobbly finish to your edges. Working all shapings one or two stitches in from the end of the rows will give you a neat finish to your edges and make sewing the pieces together much easier.
3. Count all rows. Many knitting patterns will ask you to knit a part of the sleeve or back until it measures a certain number of centimetres or inches. Count the number of rows it takes you to achieve the stated length on the first sleeve or back and when doing the second sleeve or the front simply work the same number of rows again. This will ensure you have perfectly matched pieces.
4. Try it on as you go. Knitting allows you the time and options to tailor a garment to fit you perfectly. The key measurement for jumpers is the centre back to wrist measurement. Try the sleeves on before casting off and check the width of the back when you get to the arm-hole shaping. A loose basting stitch to keep the pieces together often helps when doing a fitting.
5. Start knitting with the yarn end located in the centre of the ball. Sometimes this is hard to find, but worth digging around for. It saves a lot of time chasing the ball around the room.

Olive houses with matching yarn

My favorite green is finally teamed with some lovely Lara Cameron fabric. Lara and I had a few hair raising moments whilst trying to colour-match our yarn to her fabric designs. But, it was worth it all in the end and we now have four yarn colours matched to 3 designs. I am knitting a cushion cover in this yarn at the moment. Front will be knitted and back will be fabric. I will post the image as soon as it is finished.

Spring Racing Carnival Fun

I have been wanting to see this lovely Nicky Epstein pattern knitted since the first time I saw it in her Knitting On the Edge Book a few years ago. It is so girlie yet so bold in our orange viscose ribbon yarn. I recently lined it with a light chartreuse version of the Lara Cameron print it is photographed on.