I almost kept this...

Yay, hooray, update day is almost here! As I know I have said already, it's a big one, and I am not exaggerating! Being such a big update, I have been busily preparing for a long time now, and am very much looking forward to Saturday. Mainly because it means that the yarn mountains all around the house will go to new, loving homes. Because I can't fit even one more skein of yarn in this house! (I know, this is totally NOT a bad problem to have)

Without a doubt, the highlight of this update for me is the debut of Mooresburg DK! Until now, only Kickstarter backers have had their hands on this lovely yarn. So it is an exciting moment indeed, because Mooresburg DK is spun locally to me, from the fleeces of local sheep to boot! It's 100% Cotswold/Dorset cross fleece spun into a bouncy 2-fold yarn in a Double Knit weight. Rustic, soft and lustrous all at the same time. It's good stuff!

Mineral

 Sea Storm

 Soft

Each 100g skein is 238 meters (260 yards) and $25 USD. I cannot wait to cast on another sweater in this yarn, but haven't been able to settle on the perfect pattern. Think I'm getting close though!

I recently finished knitting this Humboldt Sweater by the brilliant and lovely Anna Maltz. It calls for 2 yarns held double throughout, and I jumped at the chance to use Mooresburg as the main yarn (I used Giant Peach with a natural grey Wensleydale yarn) 

Just about every Viola yarn is going to be represented in this update, so I am working hard to narrow my favourites down for this list...and here they are...

Golden Oak

Sock yarn was especially tough to choose, as I am really into mixing heel and toe and contrasting colours into socks...it's just an excuse to have 3 times the colours!

The highly coveted mauve-ish Eclipse that I have managed to recreate...just this one time.

Surf

 Mooresburg

I just finished up a pair of socks in the Mooresburg colorway and loved it so much I'd be happy to cast on a second pair this minute!

Which leads me straight on into the sock kits that will be also be available. To save you some of the trauma of choosing 3 whole skeins of yarn , I've put together 4 different options for kits! Each kit contains 1 100g skein and 2 25g skeins of sock yarn! When you purchase the kit, I will also send a download code for Emily's Favourite Socks. Everything you need!

from left to right: Surf (MC) with Titus and Eclipse, Graffiti (MC) with Amaranth and Soft

Mustard Seed (MC) with Bronte and Eclipse, Golden Oak with Bronte and Blot.

I'll be sharing more previews as Saturday draws nearer. Still to come is Mohair Lace, MCN Worsted, Polwarth and Alpaca, Merino Lace, Merino Fingering and Merino Singles 4 ply. How exciting!

the big move approaches

 If you followed along with the Kickstarter campaign this winter, you already know that my current (soon to be former) dye studio is not so much of a studio, but a dark corner of a basement. Not ideal. I've made it work for a long time, developing a work routine that involves dodging paint cans, laundry hampers and stored Christmas decorations. Perhaps not what you would expect out of a work space, but I'm used to it. I'd like to think that I am pretty good at adjusting to strange situations and environments, sometimes I even think that I work better in them. So you can imagine the peculiar feeling I have about moving into a proper work space. One that I have designed to suit my needs...with light, storage space, work surfaces and drying areas that are not obscured by the Halloween mobile made of old turkey bones (I actually love this mobile) I know I'm going to get used to the new space. More than that, I'm sure that I will LOVE the new space...so long as I bring that mobile with me...

As the moving date draws near, I am scrambling to finish up lots of little jobs, clear out all the corners and generally get sorted. Starting fresh in a new space is just around the corner...

 Top priority is to move as little yarn as possible! I'll be dyeing up almost all of the yarn I have in stock for this update, which means big quantities in lots of bases. Sweaters for all (who want them, that is) I've been dyeing non stop for the past couple of weeks in preparation and yarn mountains are already forming on many surfaces about the house. These have become a common feature, but won't be around either once I'm into the new space.

 I'm hoping that this big update will tide everyone over for a wee while, as I will be taking a short break from dyeing once I make the move to Mooresburg - another reason for my frenzied prep. Not long, just a month or so.

 I will announce the date and time of this momentous and extra-large shop update very soon, along with some previews and my favourites (as always!) I haven't been able to share many pics just yet, but that hasn't stopped me from my usual project day dreaming and imaginary shopping. So stay tuned for more details...

For now, I am very excited to tell you that I will be offering a few items that are new to the etsy store...

...including NEW COLOURWAYS in sock kits, Mooresburg DK (woo hoo) and Viola meets Mooresburg totes for a start!  

In the mean while, the Sock KAL over in the Ravelry group is about to finish up. Just three days left to complete your Viola socks, which is lots of time! I have loved seeing the socks popping up over the course of this KAL, and am seriously excited about all of the sock kits that were knit over the course of the KAL as well. Thanks to everyone who has participated and shared their socks! I will be announcing the winner (chosen by random draw) in the Ravelry group on April 1st, so check in then!

Because I am obsessed, I decided to knit just one more pair for the KAL, so here's a peek at the first sock...

I'm using Mooresburg for the main colour, with, giant peach, dew drop and mustard seed contrasts!

 I've been knitting a lot of secret things recently, but here's one more that I can share....

It's a Garland pullover from Pom Pom magazine, issue 7. I have wanted to knit this thing from the moment the issue landed in my mailbox, and finally have cast it on! Inspired by Lydia and Sophie of the Pom Pom crew, who have both recently knit the pattern as well. I'm up to the armholes now, because I can't seem to put it down! Using Viola Mohair Lace...in an Eclipse colourway that I could not part with. So much fun!

Righto, off to finish up the foot on my second sock. Happy knitting!

socks, stairs and dog love

 Right, so there were lots of other things that started with an 'S' this weekend. Namely SNOW. Lots and lots and lots of beautiful snow. However, it seems that I only took photos of the dogs, so I chose to leave the snow bit out of my collection of 'S' words in the title. Sorry, I do become distracted by the dogs at times...

 

Leading up to Christmas, I was in a sock knitting frenzy. Happily knitting sock after sock whilst working on my favourite socks pattern and dyeing up colours for sock kits. At the end of it all, both my parents benefited from a new pair of socks, and I just got round to photographing them this weekend. Above are my dad's in a Bronte and Mustard Seed combo that I'm quite liking.

And below, if you can see past the dog, are my mum's. These were the inspiration for the Sea Storm/Ghost/Dew Drop colour combination in the kits...and that's just what they are!

After a few minutes of pushing dogs out of the way, I just gave up and clicked away hoping to get a shot of 2 socks in focus...I think there's at least one in there...

There are so many delightful distractions outside the window in Mooresburg; wind, leaves, falling snow, any movement or noise at all...

...and so, the dogs danced around in between the socks and the camera enjoying the little bits of snow falling from the sky.

Oh, here's one of the socks!

legs...

tails...

behinds...

it's all cute really, so I'm not going to complain. Silly dogs. 

So I did manage to get a few decent sock pictures, but I think I like the dog-filled pictures better anyway...

The sock KAL is still going on in the Ravelry group until the end of March, still lots of time to join in! It has been so much fun to see Viola socks popping up, and some really lovely versions of the Favourite Sock pattern as well!

Like these, knit by the lovely traceyrr. She kindly test knit the pattern for me and made these beautiful socks in the process! Tracey's colour combo is Dew Drop (main) with Titus contrast. Thanks Tracey!

I have a pretty great prize in mind for this sock KAL as well, and I'll be dyeing that up this week so that I can share it with you soon. Stay tuned!

As for the second 'S' in the title of today's post, hooray, stairs are in place! my little dye studio now has access directly into the proper house - such a useful thing when there's 4 feet of snow outside the door!

And this seems to be the best photo I managed to take of the stairs over the weekend. I must have been really distracted by the cute dogs. Happily, I also discovered a new vantage of the studio space. It's looking pretty good!

If the weather had been on my side, last weekend would have seen running water in the shed as well. As it was, the brave plumber was rushing about Grey County fixing flooded basements and frozen pipes all over the place. I'll just have to content with my stairs for the moment.

socks socks socks...

With the way I go on about socks these days, I sometimes feel like a broken record. On the other hand, I THINK about socks even more than I mention them...so that's saying something. I have come to refer to my condition as a 'sockness'. Think I'm going to make it an official thing...'sockness'.

Anyhow, the sock news today is that I've been busy assembling sock kits for Viola meets Mooresburg Kickstarter backers. I've loved every minute of it, because making the kits has involved lots of creative problem solving, colour combining, drawing, painting and mini skein making. All things (except problem solving, which is a constant!) I do not get to do enough of. It's been a really fun excercise for me, and this is just the beginning!

All Kickstarter sock kits will be headed to the post office on Monday. I hope they find their way to their new homes swiftly indeed! The new sock pattern accompanying these kits will also be released next week, and will be available on Ravelry. I am really proud of this pattern, it's just a simple sock but it's my favourite sock. I had some excellent help from a friend in editing and test knitting as well, thank you Tracey! I am so pleased that I can share my favourite knitting project, and can't wait to see more pairs of my Favourite Socks cropping up around the interwebs (and in real life too!)

In other sock news, There is a Viola Sock KAL ticking along in the Viola Ravelry group. With all the excitement and frenzy of Kickstartering, I have not been as present as I would like with our lovely sock KAL. I also have been thinking that those sock kits might want a chance to participate in the KAL too...and so I propose that we extend our KAL deadline from the end of January to March 31st. Visit the Ravelry group to join in, I can't wait to see the Viola socks popping up!

For those of you who are still keen to get your hands on some Viola sock yarn (kit or no) you won't have to wait long. The next etsy update is scheduled for the first week of February! I will post more details soon, but there will most certainly be sock yarn in there (and it will reach you with lots of time to join in the KAL)

HAPPY 2016!!!

After a lovely holiday in Mooresburg, I've spent the past couple of days settling back into Toronto and work and the recent cold spell we're experiencing. My holiday time in Mooresburg seemed to happen in slow motion, and my return to reality has been even more jarring as a result. It's taken me the past 2 days to jump back in, but I'm here now!

My long and luxurious break provided lots of opportunity for exploring (yay!) and knitting (the best!)

 All the pairs of my Favourite Socks are finished. Ends woven in, photographed and ready to be given to their various recipients (not one single pair is for me this time, which feels pretty good I must say). If you can believe it, I still love knitting these socks. I've even got the yarn all ready for my next pair!

 

There was, unavoidable, a lag in studio productivity over Christmas and the New Year, but it was not completely without progress. The insulation is in, the insulation is in!!! Wahoo! I KNOW that if you had tried to talk to me about spray foam insulation a year ago I would have glazed over and thought about mermaids instead. All that has changed now. It's so cozy, so toasty and (my favourite bit) so PINK! I'm going to be sad to cover up that lovely colour...

As the weather in Mooresburg turned quite blustery and cold, my little shed remained warm and comfy even without the heat connected! I have my eye on a teeny little woodburner that should be just the right thing to heat this space. 

Next week a few local Amish carpenters are putting up these lovely wall boards. Can't wait!

Happily, I was able to explore a couple of new (to me) trails that are very close to the store. Both run through abandoned farms, sugar shacks and fields and are now protected land. Miles of beautiful stone walls, the remains of tiny cottages and old forest seemed to be everywhere.

 

I could go on with the pictures...forever...but I will stop there. It was so nice to take the time for long walks, fresh air and beautiful scenery. Back in Toronto, I'm jumping back into work feeling reinvigorated and ready to face the long to do list that is 2016. 

Happy New year to all!!