Madelinetosh : hand dyed yarns

last-minute slouch

knitting for last minute gifts is part of the holiday season and often unexpectedly fun. this year a slouchy hat using two luxurious skeins of eyre, for a close friend seemed just right.

last-minute slouch :::

yarn :: madelinetosh eyre (225 yds (206 meters): “milk”, 2 skeins, madelinetosh tosh sock (395 yards / 361 meters) : “robin’s egg”, 1 skein. note : both yarns are held doubled throughout.

needles :: one US 9 (5.5mm) 32” (80 cm) circular needle.
change needle size if necessary to obtain gauge.

notions :: 1 stitch marker for marking beginning of round and a darning needle for securing remaining sts.

gauge :: 12 sts = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

here is what i did. ♥

CO 80 stitches. Join for working in the round.

Work a K2P2 rib for 3 inches and cast-on one extra stitch before starting the pattern rows.

Pattern:

Rnd 1 - K1P2 across

Rnd 2 - K across rnd.

Repeat 2 rounds until hat is 9″ from beginning. End with a Rnd 2.

Shape Crown:

Rnd 1 - (K1 P2 K1 P2tog) across rnd. (68 sts)

Rnd 2 - K across rnd.

Rnd 3 - (K1 P2tog K1 P1) across rnd. (54 sts)

Rnd 4 - K across rnd.

Rnd 5 - (P2tog) across rnd. (27 sts)

Rnd 6 - K across rnd.

Cut a 12 inch tail and use a darning needle to thread though remaining stitches, secure and weave in ends.

2009 12 15 Amy eyre
free patterns
knitting
last minute slouch Comments (4) Permalink

felt and fabric…

i have been playing with new textiles here lately seeing what forms i can dye and create with raw wool fibers and silk/wool based fabrics.

hand dyed and hand rolled beads

the fabric above was tied off to combine resist and immersion dye techniques. the idea being to create a glazed effect on silk similar to that of the slip glazes applied to pottery.

silk habotai

sueded silk charmeuse. i have always loved the matte texture of sueded silk the above is an attempt at creating slips of color in an ombre like effect.

link love

this albers book is on my holiday short list.

pining over this calendar.

headed to the netherlands in my head to see this mina perhonen exhibition

2009 11 20 Amy felt
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pattern release :: heirloom

pattern :: heirloom

designer :: amy hendrix

yarn :: tosh worsted

colorway :: wisteria

needles :: US size 9

i have loved the way everyone who has picked up the needles to knit mara has resized and reinterpreted the pattern be it using sock yarn or changing the finished dimensions of the actual shawl. that said i really wanted to see the same come about with a simple but lovely blanket/throw.

the heirloom blanket fits just such a request. knit as pictured it is a beautiful baby blanket continue the pattern repeat the baby blanket becomes a throw. divide the pattern repeat in half and lengthen again and the blanket becomes a scarf. i actually have the pattern queued to do the later, but even better the baby blanket as is only used two skeins of tosh worsted and the blanket doubled in length would use only four.

i also picked a lace pattern that was beautifully intricate but simple to execute with rows of knit and purl in between to rest a harried mind. the blanket above is now laying over our tufted chair in the living room and has already made its way onto our legs to wrap us in comfort for the cool evenings ahead.

a big thanks goes out to glennae for knitting the lovely sample above and at such great speed!

the heirloom pattern is currently available for download here on ravelry and here at madelinetosh.com.

2009 11 03 Amy knitting
pattern releases
patterns
tosh worsted Comments (3) Permalink

pattern release :: tea leaves cardigan

if ever there was a beautiful design it is this one by melissa la barre aka knitting school dropout. i am so excited to introduce our first sweater pattern, tea leaves cardigan, designed exclusively for madelinetosh hand dyed yarns.

pattern :: tea leaves cardigan

designer :: melissa la barre

yarn :: tosh merino

colorway :: tannehill

needles :: us size 6 and us size 7 needles

knit in the round from the top down, this cardigan is perfect for layering under a coat or wearing over a cotton shirt for fall. the simple ruching details around the neck are so simple but elegant at the same time. i am already trying to imagine this in a beautiful neutral like fawn or milk or in a soft pastel like ivy or windowpane.

for more information or to purchase this pattern please click here.

ravel it!

2009 10 27 Amy knitting
pattern releases
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nyc roundup

i am back from nyc and i have to share what i found in both the city and at rhinebeck.

i spent at least 3 hours at kinokuniya book store right off bryant park perusing all of the crafting books, pens and journals galore.

we rented a car and drove up to rhinebeck via the palisades parkway which was stunningly beautiful with trees in all colors changing for fall and the rock cliffs plunging down to the hudson river.

while at the show melissa was so kind to mail her finished sweater design for madelinetosh to us. look for this pattern to become available next week!

at the show i picked up a sweater’s worth of this beautiful, dk weight, merino and alpaca blend by hampden hills alpacas as well as a creme colored cabled hat as it was freezing cold!

thanks to all of you who attended the knitty city yarn talk! i so enjoyed putting names with ravatars and listening to all of the great questions everyone had. and a special thanks to connie for finding the perfect spot for us to eat afterwards and giving us such beautiful tips on where and what to see!

2009 10 22 Amy events
luddite diversions
pattern releases
patterns Comments (2) Permalink

event :: nyc yarn crawl

any excuse to visit new york city is always a good one but especially when the yarn stores have their doors open extra hours for a special event like the nyc yarn crawl.

fourteen yarn shops based in new york city have come together to host a free, self-guided tour, replete with door prizes, events, demonstrations and raffle prizes.

six huge baskets of goodies will be given away to participants in the yarn crawl with winners announced on the nyc yarn crawl website. each store you visit gives you a chance to win a raffle prize, fourteen stores visited means fourteen chances to win!

madelinetosh has donated yarn in our eyre, tosh merino and tosh sock yarn lines in some of our newest colorways for inclusion in the raffle prize giveaways.

tosh merino in the stovepipe colorway pictured below

what :: new york city yarn crawl

when :: friday, Oct. 9 through monday, Oct. 12

where :: participating nyc city yarn shops - here is a full listing of stores participating.

2009 10 07 Amy events
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introducing rustication :: elsa wool company

i have been searching out a beautifully soft farm wool to work with for a long time. i have visited many wool festivals handling different skeins large and small, picking at the hay and grass tangled in the wool fibers and comparing the never-ending gradations of grey created by the natural coloring of each unique sheep breed.

yet, after hearing so much praise regarding the soft hand and feel of the cormo wool raised by Elsa, the owner of elsa wool company, i decided to order a single skein of lace. i received the package at our warehouse early in the morning, opened it, and found a pair of needles to cast on. the minimal processing the mill Elsa uses to spin the wool is so apparent in the finished product. the hand is not rough from chemicals used in processing nor the color untrue from over blending.

what i found was a truly unique and naturally soft but durable wool.

it was very important to me to find a supplier directly in contact with the development of the wool in all its stages of growth, so finding Elsa was a perfect match.

and

as such i am so glad to say that we will be carrying limited quantities of elsa’s cormo wool in multiple weights over the next few months. we will be posting test skeins in our etsy shop to familiarize ourselves with how this unique yarn soaks up our bevy of colorways.

woolen lace weight pictured below in medium and dark grey