GWOY: January 2010 Swatches

I love knitting swatches for the GWOY at the semi-annual TNNA trade show!  I have been doing these swatches for years and have included pictures of them on this blog for the past couple of years: January 2007, January 2008, January 2009, and June 2009 .  This gives me such a wonderful chance to play with new fibers that I might not even hear about otherwise!  I also get a chance to try out some stitch-patterns or ideas that are roaming around my head ... as there is always so much up there that never makes it to the needle or a final project -- swatches are a great solution.

This time I asked Heidi at Trendsetter Yarns (the company that organizes the GWOY) to send all fingering weight yarns ... I just didn't want to mess with novelty yarns this time.  I love the classic look of even new fibers (such as POSSUM!) and how you can update them with styling and color.

Here are the swatches I did for this go-round:

I received two yarns from Zealana Yarns:

 Kiwi -- 40% NW merino, 30% organic cotton, 30% possum.  This yarn (this is "tussock", a sage/mustard color) knits up beautifully and really shows great stitch definition.  I knit the swatch on US#3s and this would make such a great year-round sweater/top!

 Rimu -- 60% NZ merino and 40% possum.  Who'd a thunk possum would make such a gorgeous yarn?  I received a ball of Paru Brown that just begged to be knit in a lace "tree" pattern.  The yarn is soft but holds a nice stitch-definition using US#4 needles.

Origin Cachemire is a yarn distributed by Bergere de France and is lovely -- but made of 90% cashemere and 10% wool, what would you expect?  I used US #4 needles and knit a small sock with a textured (knit/purl) design.  The sock is knit toe-up with a short-rowed garter heel.  Wouldn't you love a pair of cashemere socks?  This yarn would also knit up into a nice, year-round weight sweater.

Firefly from Classic Elite is a lovely yarn made of 75% viscose and 25% linen.  Stiff to the feel, it knits beautifully and once washed, the linen softens slightly but still keeps the great stitch-definition necessary when doing lace patterns.  Here, knit on US#5s, I did a lace-rib pattern with slowly decreasing purl ribs (down to 1 purl between) than increasing to 7 purls between the lace columns.  I can see this yarn as gorgeous summer top with a fitted waist. 

Be Sweet's Cotton Candy is an 100% organic cotton yarn that is hand-dyed and balled by women in a South African co-op.  This yarn is beautiful -- the color, the feel, the knittability.  This colorway is called Greens-Mix and is a beautiful blend from a pale yellow-green through to a very blue-green.  I did the knit-purl texture "hem" and a lace-arches above -- seeing a spring/summer top.  I love the way the color-patches follow the flowing lines created by yo's and k3togs!  I used US#5 needles to create this swatch and the "hand" was perfect.

Enjoy these new yarn offerings and revel in the ability we have today to create with fibers as diverse as between possum and organic cotton from South Africa!  Get a ball of something unique and test-drive it by doing a swatch and seeing if you like it ... and please, let me know what cool yarns you discover!

BTW, I challenged myself to only use Lisl Fanderl's Bauerliches Stricken 1 for the stitch patterns, playing with different stitches and ideas until finding just the right one that would show off the yarns in a unique or clever way.  The three volumes in this set are easy to use even though the books are written in German -- the patterns are all charted and the symbols are easy to figure out.  Lots of fun, traditional patterns based on hand-knit items from the Alpine regions of Germany and Austria.

Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve

By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

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'

GWOY: A great way to play!

One of the great benefits for me from membership in the Association of Knitwear Designers is the ability to knit swatches for TNNA's semi-annual conventions. These swatches are made into the famous Great Wall of Yarn -- showcasing both the latest yarns from the industry as well as the ability to showcase each designer's talents and creativity. A definite win-win! Here's a link to the swatches I did last year.


Here are the swatches I did for this year's convention in Long Beach:
This is my favorite yarn this time around. Dale of Norway haas a new yarn, called Lerke, that is 52% merino and 48% cotton. What a joy it is to knit! I just know this yarn will make fabulous spring/summer socks! And the color is a very cool dusty tealy green. I love this stuff. Knit on #2 dpns, the lacy toe-up sock went together quickly and looks great with the picot trim at the cuff.Probably my second favorite yarn this batch is the O-Wool's Classic 2-ply. It holds a lace pattern beautifully -- looking very crisp -- but is soft as butter to the touch. I swatched a cowl here that I think would be a wonderful winter accessory! On #2 circulars, this wool was a dream to knit.This mitten is knit with Lorna's Laces Green Line DK (100% organic merino). Because it's a hand-dyed yarn, it has some stripey-ness, but knits up beautifully and would make a lovely pair of cozy mittens. I used #4 dpns to make this mitten and the feel of the tension is close without being tight, if you know what I mean.

I have to admit it -- I LOVE wool from New Zealand. This sock was made using Magic Garden's Classic Prints, a 100% NZ washable wool in a gorgeous colorway. On #4 dpns, this sock feels perfect. I did a traveling stitch pattern on the toe-up sock (doing a k1p1 sole) following up the leg. The heel is a short-rowed garter heel.

This little sweater is done with M&K's Eco-Bomwoll (organic 100% cotton) that has a nice, soft feel that holds a nice clear look to the lace-work on this simple raglan cardi. I worked this flat on #5 circular from the top down (placing the sleeve sts on hold while I finished the body). The "hanger" is made with florist wire.

This is another sumptuous yarn ... Plymouth's Royal Llama Linen is 40% llama, 35% silk, and 25% linen. It holds a twisted stitch pattern nicely but has a very soft, comfy feel to it. This vest was done with #5 dpns and would make into a VERY nice vest or sweater for anyone on your list.

I love doing these GWOY swatches ... occasionally I'll hear from a company whose yarn I've swatched and I've had yarn shop owners who have seen my card/tag that I place on each swatch. So it's a nice marketing tool for me while also letting me play with yarn that I might otherwise not know about (or be able to afford).

Swatches for TNNA

As a hand-knits designer, I am a card-carrying member of a really cool guild named Association of Knitwear Designers. We all help each build the design profession as well as encouraging those in the yarn and knit publications industries to purchase our lovely designs.

One way we get our name out to those who should know us is by submitting swatches for the semi-annual convention of the trade association, The National Needlework Association (TNNA). They have a convention in January in San Diego and one in June in Columbus (Ohio). The swatches AKD members produce are then placed on the Great Wall of Yarn as way to advertise the yarn as well as the designers' talents.

For the January 2007 convention, I created seven swatches from some absolutely luscious sample skeins:

1. Silk purse made from GGH's "TajMahal" is a gorgeous rusty orange -- 100% silk and a dream to knit!

2. Baby cap made from Kraemer Yarn's "Vingtage 2006" -- a 100% alpaca yarn that I knit with thistle panels.

3. A traveling cable stitch called "dancers" makes this 50% silk/50% wool blend yarn from Lorna's Laces really look nice! The yarn, "Lion & Lamb" is soft but holds a texture pattern nicely.

4. Misti International has a lovely 100% baby alpaca yarn called "Misti Alpaca". Using a US#7, I have swatched a sample that could eventually become a lovely, soft, cozy shawl.

5. Another baby cap, this one uses a small traveling stitch panel and Skacel's "Sojabama" -- a blend of 55% bamboo and 45% soy. This picture doesn't do justice to the soft, cozy feel of this yarn!

6. Twinkle Handknits has a gorgeous 70% silk/30% cotton blend yarn that holds a texture pattern brilliantly. Here I've knit a cable/garter stitch medley called "Jacob's Ladder" -- this would make an elegant spring/summer knitted top.

7. Last, but certainly not least, this swatch is probably my favorite of all. Woolyarns, a New Zealand company, has a line of yarns called "Zealand" -- this is a black (which is why it didn't photo too well) yarn with that is a merino and cashmere blend. The softness of this one is unbelievable, especially if you see how well it takes a cable pattern -- this one is called horseshoe. Isn't it lovely?

I love helping with the Great Wall of Yarn -- I don't get paid for doing these swatches, but I do get to play with yarns I'd never be able to afford to play with; I can see all the latest colors, fibers, and just have a month or so of satisfying my fiber fetish.