it's a PARTY

Seven days from now I will be happily planted in the Purple Purl, sorting and arranging the piles of Viola yarn I've been dyeing the past few weeks. So much yarn! The reason for all this? There is going to be a little party. A SHOPPING PARTY! Kickstarter backers, if you can get yourself to Toronto next week, I hope I'll be seeing you there!

polwarth + alpaca

Mooresburg DK

As I was snapping these pictures the other day, I realized that I've been dyeing some very springy colours. Seems that the seasons always influence me, and I only catch it once I'm staring at the finished product. Any which way, I'm loving the colours I've dyed up!

 I've already posted a few details, but here is the plan for the big day...which is next MONDAY MARCH the 7th...

4pm - 6pm: Backers who pledged $200 or more are invited to drop in for a Viola yarn sampling and knitting circle. Today, I'm gathering together samples of some of my favourite colours and Viola bases for you to knit away on. Test out stitch patterns, combine yarns and colours, change up needles, do what you like! Take your swatches home with you too if you like. It's all up to you!

little cakes, sweets, tea and coffee, and a goody bag to boot. It's going to be a good afternoon! This is a drop in, so you don't have to be there for the entire 2 hours. Bring needles if you have a specific project in mind that you'd like to swatch for, or a selection of needles if you just don't know what you'd like to swatch. I'll be hanging out, knitting and am looking forward to meeting you all!

Everyone who attends the yarn sampling is also invited to the shopping event that follows...

6pm-8pm: Private shopping party party! That's right, it's pretty much my favourite words ever. All backers who pledged $60 or more are invited to the private shopping party. I have been busy indeed dyeing up yarn for the party. I will have Polwarth + Alpaca, Mooresburg DK, Merino Singles 4ply, Merino Lace and even some fab eclipse colourways, there's lots of yarn you guys! 

There will be a complimentary glass of bubbly and more cake for all the shoppers. 

I'm really looking forward to catching up with knitters I haven't seen in ages, and meeting some new faces at the same time. Above all, can't wait to spend the afternoon chatting about all things knitting. Wahoo!

If all goes according to my plan, I'll be sporting a brand new jumper next Monday as well. I've been blasting through Anna Maltz's Humboldt Sweater pattern from her brilliant new book, Penguin Patterns. I can't stop knitting. If I hadn't mucked up the neck shaping THREE TIMES, it would have been finished on Friday. Anyhow, I think I'll get there by next week. I'm using the beautiful Mooresburg DK in Giant Peach and a natural grey Wensleydale spun by my good friends at John Arbon Textiles. Love them, love the yarn, love the sweater! Happily, Anna is having a penguin KAL over in her ravelry group, so I'm joining in there too. Always fun to knit with a group!

This is my first project with Mooresburg DK (brand new for kickstarter backers!) So I'll be doing my best to wear it into the purl next week. Also, it's driving me crazy that I'm not wearing it right now!

I almost kept this...part 2...

As promised, I'm back today with even MORE yarn that I really want to keep all to myself. Today has been a busy day of labeling, photographing, tagging and me daydreaming about yarn and colour combinations...what else is new?!

In honour of the garter triangle I just finished knitting in Mohair Lace and Merino Lace, I've dyed up lots and lots of Merino Lace for tomorrow's update! I know how intimidating lace weight yarns can be; small needles (or hook!) tiny stitches, it all takes ages and is so delicate and... (I've heard all the excuses). I'm telling you, it's worth conquering your lace fears for this combo! Held together, the two yarns are not intimidating in the least. They produce a light-as-air soft, squishy and warm fabric that knits up super quick! So if lace weight yarn was on your 2016 to do list, now's the time...

These are my favourite Merino Lace colours coming up...

Amaranth

Mineral

Elephant

I love dyeing Merino Lace. Colours always come out rich, unexpectedly speckled and glowing. I've dyed up a lovely selection of neutrals, to provide lots of choice for holding double with mohair.  I've also dyed up a little more Grafitti, a colourway in development that I am getting really excited about...

Every colour is so complex on this base that no two skeins could ever be the same. I find myself undoing skeins to admire little sections of colour.

Eclipse Merino Fingering

There will also be a really fun selection of Eclipse colourways appearing tomorrow.  Pictured above is the exact colour I used to knit this little gem of a baby cardi...

pattern coming soon...

I seriously LOVED knitting this little thing. The colour was such a dream, and even I saw new wonders in it once I started to knit...and I made it for heaven's sake! There are 3 more skeins of this colour ready to find new homes tomorrow, along with lots more brilliant Eclipse colours in Merino Fingering, Polwarth + Alpaca, MCN Worsted and Merino Singles 4ply.

And last but not least, there will be sweater quantities of the beloved MCN Worsted! It was a late entry, which is the reason I have not mentioned it until now...but here it is...

Garden Ghost

Righto, These are my favourites, and it seriously was a struggle to part with them. Hope to see you for tomorrow's etsy update @3PM EST!

shop update!

At long last it is time for a SHOP UPDATE! 

Click over the the VIOLA etsy shop next TUESDAY, FEBRUARY the 2nd @ 3pm EST for the latest and greatest!

I know, it's been a while. The past few months at Viola HQ have been action packed, and the time has flown by since the last shop update. I'm really excited about the yarns and colours that are lined up for next Tuesday. I think They're well worth the wait, hope you do too...

Polwarth + Alpaca is back at last! It's been away for a while, so for those of you who do not remember, Powarth + Alpaca is spun by my lovely friends at John Arbon Textiles. It's a blend of 70% Polwarth 15% Brown Alpaca and 15% White Alpaca. The natural hint of colour in the undyed yarn gives the finished colours such richness and depth. The yarn itself is light as air, soft, squishy and warm. It's good stuff!

I knit myself a Quill shawl in Polwarth + Alpaca and it has seen a LOT of action this autumn/winter. It was a perfect yarn and project pairing! Recently, I've been dreaming of a fair isle garment knit in this delightful stuff. Still in the dreaming/planning stages with that project...

 
Perhaps the best bit of news, however, is that MOHAIR LACE is returning! In the olden days of Viola (pre England) I dyed a very similar base, and it was so dreamy. When I took up dyeing again last year, I struggled to get the same base again. Just when I thought all hope was lost, this stunningly beautiful yarn appeared! Talk about good fortune, I'm still jumping for joy! 

The new Mohair Lace is almost exactly the same yarn as it's predecessor. It is a blend of 72% Kid Mohair and 28% Silk. Each 50g skein is 420 meters long.

I've just finished up a shawl (a very late birthday present for my mum) using Mohair Lace doubled with Merino Lace. The Mohair is in Twig (light golden brown) and Merino is in Ghost. I cannot even say how pleased I am with this project. I often find it really difficult to knit something so simple...always wanting to throw in some crazy detail, cable, stripe, lace, all of the above. Keeping it simple really paid off this time round!

It's a standard garter stitch triangle with this picot bind off. I'm going to be borrowing this shawl ALL THE TIME...I'll have to knit another one...that's ok. For anyone interested in knitting their own Mohair Cloud Shawl (that's what I'm calling it) I'll have lots of Mohair Lace coming up in the update, as well as Merino Lace to team it up with.

I used a 5mm needle, 2 full skeins of Mohair Lace and just over 1 skein of Merino Lace. It's big enough to wrap every which way, and light soft and cozy to boot! I wore it the other day layered over my favourite Mohair sweater (knit a very long time ago, and worn all the time!) Wearing all those layers of Mohair, whilst sorting Mohair Lace was a great treat.

getting back into the swing of things

 

  This week (is it Friday...I think so) has passed at a remarkable pace. I've been busy doing lots of little things. The sort of things that you think won't take any time at all, and then hours have gone by...there are so many ends to tie up for Kickstarter, whilst trying to carry on with the main task at hand (dyeing yarn!) Needless to say, things have been bonkers. Still a good and exciting type of bonkers, but I truly have no idea what day it is today.

I've started to send out backer surveys. So anyone who pledged in the Kickstarter campaign will be hearing from me soon if you haven't already. It's been so much fun to hear back from you about your colour choices. I always love to know who wants which colour! I forgot to mention in Kickstarter that 'Soft' is listed as the colour option in a few rewards, but I've shown Wild Rose. This is  my fault...there was a time when I was going to switch them, and I FORGOT! So There's a big picture of Soft at the top of this post, on Mooresburg DK. I dyed up lots of Soft yesterday, on Sock too...beginning of the kits! 

There has also been rather a lot of painting and drawing. I am so happy with the way my sticker illustrations have come out. I love stickers, I always want them even if I don't stick them on anything at all. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but here's the original of my favourite sticker design. It's all about the socks around here, don't forget!

I've been running around so much that knitting time has been rather hard to come by. Don't worry, my sock addiction is showing no signs of waning, just paused for a moment. As I am still knitting the last of my test socks, ironing out any kinks in the Favourite Sock Pattern, so all spare time has gone into knitting those guys. When some time frees up though, I'm casting on with the Mooresburg colourway for a pair of socks for me. I simply could not resist a skein of this colour - I love it more every time I look at it!

 There are a couple of other projects waiting in the wings too...

 

I've had my eyes on the Karusellen hat from Pom Pom issue 14 for...well, since it came out. I've seen a few in person. Loved them all. It's time I knit my own! Whilst trying to focus on something less exciting, these 2 skeins of Mooresburg DK announced that they would be the perfect hat and that now was the time to cast on...I cannot argue.

And then there is this...I've kept it quiet because it features something new(ish) and very exciting. A bit of a surprise...MOHAIR! I'm knitting a shawl for my mum. She requested a very plain and simple, no nonsense, Tasha Tudor-like shawl. I'm doubling Ghost Merino Lace with some old Viola Mohair Lace. This is just about the most dreamy thing I've ever met. It is so soft and warm and substantial, but light and delicate all at the same time. I think it's also a great way to use lace weight yarn in a non-scary way. I'm using 5mm needles and the knitting is going by super quick. Anyhow, the big reveal won't be far off...

Last, but not least, here I am in my Speckled Mist creation. It's been neglected of late, due to busyness and indecision. Now that I'm getting back into the knitting groove, I've returned to contemplating my options here...how long should it be? One friend (you know who you are) has suggested that I knit it super long, like to my KNEES. I just have no idea where to stop. Transitioning from rust to purple was lots of fun, although I do not want to think about all the ends in there...

So I've been wearing the partially knit jumper/dress/thing around all afternoon (right now, as a matter of fact) just to get a feel for it. Who knows what it will become...I certainly don't, but I love it all the same!

i almost kept this...

Sharing the yarn that 'I almost kept' has become one of my favourite things about shop updates...suppose I just love pretty pictures of yarn. Don't we all?!

Today's shop update is very exciting, because it features the return of SOCK yarn! I've mentioned this already, I know, but I just love it so much. As a very serious sock knitter, I did stockpile a lot of Viola sock before I went off on my little break, but it was running low (and I was getting a bit panicky). Just in the nick of time, Viola Sock is back and I've managed to NOT keep it all!

Winterwood Sock

Bronte Sock

Wild Rose Sock

Black Lodge Sock

Truth be told, I want all of the sock yarn. All of it. But I cut myself off at 4 colours, gotta reign in the sock craziness!

There's lots of lovely Merino Lace as well and this rich green Eclipse is hands down my favourite!

Runner up is another Eclipse on Merino Lace. There is so much going on in this colour, I've spent more time that I should just staring at it!

And last, but not least, Cosmic Merino Lace. This colourway is quickly becoming a favourite of mine as well. Each skein came out quite differently on this base, but each one is seriously cool too!

Hope to see you today @ 4 pm EST for all this and more great yarn too!

BIG NEWS...

This post is appropriately titled indeed, it is chokablock with news. I'm excited! It's a bunch of stuff that I've known about for ages, I don't know how it hasn't slipped out in a little explosion of enthusiasm...anyhow, I managed to keep it together until now, the big unveiling!

First off is my favourite; I am about to launch a Kickstarter Campaign to help fund the completion of my new dye studio! For anyone who does not know about Kickstarter, it is a crowdfunding website. I create a profile and a project page, outlining just what it is that I would like to fund, what costs are involved and what I want to achieve. Then, I come up with a whole pile of fabulous rewards for anyone who is interested in supporting my campaign. That's the short version. 

I can't wait to share more information about the project and rewards, and exactly that will be trickling out from now to the project launch date (mid November) and beyond! For now though, I will say that helping me complete my dye studio will not only mean that I can produce more yarn more efficiently...so that's a good thing. It will also mean that you have access to brand new and exclusive yarn, limited colourways, lots of Viola swag, studio visits and...more stuff that's going to remain a surprise. Phew, so that's my biggest news!

Up next in this action packed post is next week's shop update. Wahoo! While this update won't be the biggest, it can boast the return of SOCK YARN. I've finally resurrected one of my all time favourite Viola yarns. This is the yarn that I hoard like a maniac, seriously. I knit a lot of socks, like a lot, and it's my favourite base hands down. So it's back! In addition to sock I'll have Merino Lace and Merino Fingering as well. I'll share some photos next week as update time approaches! For now, here is the triumphant return of sock yarn in Cosmic...

So please tune into the Etsy shop next Thursday November 5th @ 4pm EST

Last, but not least on the list of exciting is the end date of our Breaking into the Pretty KAL. There are loads of lovely finished projects on display in the Ravelry group, and hopefully a few more will squeak in before Saturday's deadline. I'm looking forward to the random draw Sunday morning, and will announce the winner as soon as I know (as well as get chatting to them about their yarn-y prize). So much fun! I loved participating, even though I think I missed the point and kept casting on MORE new projects. I did get an awful lot knit though. Here are my last 2 pairs of socks, all finished on time and sent to their recipients (knit from Viola sock yarn too!)...

Congratulations to all those who have completed, good luck to everyone who is still trying to get their projects done before Saturday and thank you to everyone who participated and chimed in on Ravelry. It's been loads of fun!

I almost kept this...

It's shop update time again. Always very exciting (and very busy) here in Viola-land. I'm really enjoying my new tradition of posting my favourite skeins from each update. So, without further adieu, here are the skeins that I almost kept from Tuesday's upcoming update...

Ok, oh man, this one was really hard. I'm just jumping in with my number one, ultimate, the best new colour. Phew. I'm calling it Cosmic...in keeping with the totally cosmic kick I've been on these days. This guy a prototype. There will be more, but it's going to change slightly next time round, so yeah. It's a big deal! The yarn is Merino Singles 4 ply and there are 9 skeins going into the shop. I want a saggy, oversized sweater knit in this...but I'm not keeping it ;)

Next in the ranks is this Blushy beauty, also on Merino Singles 4 ply. I'm calling this one an Eclipse as it's not close enough yet...but it's just about all of my favourite things all mixed together...dusty pink, coppery streaks and plum splodges. Phew, too exciting!

An old favourite. I can't figure out how it's taken me so long to return to Mineral, a colourway from the good ol' days of Viola. Here it is on MCN Worsted, and there's 10 whole skeins of it coming your way. cozy autumn jumper methinks.

I can't get away from it. I just love Ice Berg. Every batch I dye is captivating to me, it's only a matter of time before Ice Berg doesn't make it onto this list...Here it is on Merino Lace and there's lots to go round with 6 skeins total!

And last, it's Giant Peach. Yep, I'm back to this again. I've dyed it up this time on Merino Fingering, again, with lots to go round (10!) So get in there, this soft, subtle and warm colour is the favourite of all Viola team members...but we're be seeing you on Tuesday.

Tune into the etsy shop Tuesday, September 1 @ 4pm EST

Hope you enjoy!

 

a shop update and an beautiful new yarn

I'm updating the etsy shop next week, huzzah!

There are lots of lovely yarns and colours appearing in the next shop update, which is scheduled for...

Wednesday, July 1 2015 @ 4pm EST

 Next Wednesday's update will include MCN Worsted, Merino Lace, Merino Singles 4 ply and a brand new yarn!!!

Luxury Merino Double Knit is the newest member of the Viola team. With it's soft, bouncy and smooth hand, this yarn is an absolute dream to knit. The fibre is certified by NewMerino Australia, a program that ensures sustainable and ethically raised merino fibre is coming out of Australia. I am so happy to know this yarn came from happy sheep! Read all about the program here. In my mind, the combination of this stunning yarn and my happy conscience makes this yarn a serious luxury.

Each 100g skein contains 225 meters (246 yards) and will be $31 / skein.

I've already been swatching Luxury Merino Double Knit in Barouni (above) and have selfishly snagged skeins in a few colours for...oh I don't know, I just wanted them!

Here it is again in Aurora Borealis!