GWOY: June 2009 Swatches

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE to do swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn. The GWOY is erected twice a year at the semi-annual National Needlework Association's conferences -- one in January and one in June -- and I've participated since about 2003 (maybe even earlier) only missing occasionally (for things like moving to another state/country!). The swatches are from the latest yarns (either color, content or company) and are designed by the members of the Association of Knitwear Designers. Barry Klein and his helper, Heidi, from Trendsetter Yarns work hard to get the yarns out to us in a timely manner ... and it's always "christmas" when the box arrives!

Here are the swatches I made for the June 2009 convention in Columbus, OHIO ... [All the yarns this time (except the Dale) were "medium 4" as defined by the Yarn Standards committee.]

Baby Boutique (from Plymouth Yarns) is a microfiber/nylon with a wonderful hand. This feather 'n' fan swatch was knit on 7s, in the round to make a circular swatch.
Bambino from Be Sweet is a gorgeous organic cotton/bamboo blend that knits up really nicely on 7s. The swatch is a lace edging ... this would make a great summer top/sweater.
Camelino from Knit One, Crochet Too, is a sensual blend of merino/camel that knits up great on 7s. This cuff swatch is a mock-cable that decreases down to a k1p1 rib. The rich purple color is hard to photograph ... but trust me, this one is a beaut!
Dale of Norway's Heilo is a classic! I love using this yarn (and in fact, I made many of the designs in my knitting books from this stuff). Here, using #2 dpns, I knit a toe-up, mock heel flap (actually short-row heel) and loose bo at cuff. The stitch definition with this yarn is gorgeous.Kraemer Yarn's Perfection -- a washable blend of acrylic and wool -- is knit here on 8s. This yarn is so new it's not even on their web site yet! I did the "pointed eyelet lace" ruffle from Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge", decreasing down to sockinette and then to k1p1 rib ... I love the way the "lace" looks like leaves ... I think this would look wonderful as the cuffs on a sweater ... or even the hem as the lace doesn't curl but gives 3-d depth! This stuff really is wonderful to work with and I apologize to Kraemer for originally posting this wonderful yarn as one from Plymouth!

GWOY: January 2009 swatches

The Great Wall of Yarn for the January 2009 TNNA convention is one of my favorite things to do ... I love getting the latest yarns ... playing with them and designing with them .... knitting up swatches that show the yarn to the best advantage.

Here are the swatches I did this year (only two as the package was crushed by USPS and one skein was lost in the mail ...):

This one is O-Wool's (fully organic wool) "Legacy Bulky" in a lovely clay. I used #10s and did this cable pattern (with slight re-drafting of stitches) from Melissa Leapman's latest book Continuous Cables (which is one of those books every knitter should have on their shelves if only to do these cool, out-of-nowhere cable patterns!) This yarn is luscious and knits up beautifully! This yarn would make a spectacular hoodie with cable patterns throughout -- can't wait to start designing one.

This second swatch is SWTC's "Jezebel" (a hand-dyed sock yarn) which I did here in a toe-up, short-row heeled baby sock. The pictures don't do justice to this beautiful purple-shaded yarn that knits up in a delicious "hand" on #2 needles. I did a "heart" lace pattern on the top of the foot with a 2x2 rib sole ... than a mock-cable ribbed cuff that would hold the sock on but look a little more "posh" than a simple rib. Gorgeous, yes? Well, maybe you should see it in "real life"!

I love this opportunity that being a member of AKD gives me ... the chance to swatch with the latest and greatest from the yarn companies (with a special thanks to Heidi at Trendsetters for all she does to get this GWOY out, in and up!).

Happy knittin'