Busy Knitting with Sirdar Click

It has been a while since I wrote a blog.  I started a new job in mid-December and have been feverishly learning new things for that plus working on patterns for baby sweaters.

Right now I am using Sirdar Click to make little boys' cardigans.  This is a wonderful yarn as it has wool and acrylic in it.  Not only is it warm but it is washable and easy to care for.  Just what you need for the little boys in your life.

Sirdar Click - Loom Blue

I decided to change my direction a little with my business and not only sell yarn and accessories but also handmade items.  I just love making stuff for little girls and boys and have been busy designing and knitting cardigans.  I have gone back to machine knitting as well as hand knitting as there never seems to be enough time in the day.

I thought with all the years of hand knitting I might actually be faster but I am not so thank goodness for the knitting machine.  Sirdar Click works very well on the machine so I have been whipping up cardigans all over the place.  Still working on ideas to add to them to make them unique.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Have fun!
Julia

Enotion Design - Yarns on Sale!

It may be a little early for Spring Cleaning but I need to make room for the new Spring yarns coming in soon!  Each week this month, I will be offering a 25% off special offer on yarns and/or accessories.  Keep checking back for more offers.

Week one is beautiful Barisiene yarn from Bergere de France.  This 100% acrylic double knitting weight yarn is machine washable and dryable.  Perfect for all those projects for children and babies.  Bergere de France has a great selection of patterns for Barisiene to chose from.

Magazine 160

Creations Magazine 2012/2013

Magazine #171

 
Have fun knitting!
Julia

New Arrival - Cascade 220 Peruvian Highland Wool

I love getting boxes in the mail, especially when they are full of lovely, colourful wool!  Why did we chose Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn?  Well like most of you, we found a wonderful pattern but then couldn't find the yarn.

Cascade 220 Wisteria

There are lots of worsted weight yarns out there but not a lot of different colours and not 100% wool.  After much research (cutting into knitting time), we decided on Cascade 220.  This yarn is very versatile and has a good reputation.  You can use it for everything from fairisle to cables to plain knitting.  The colour choice is amazing.

We have brought in 10 colours so far of the Cascade 220 but we definitely will bring in more.  You can check out the colour selection by clicking here.  If you see something you like, please let us know and we can order it in for you.

Once we have finished our project, we will post a picture.  In the meantime, check out these free patterns from Cascade Yarns.

   

 

Content:  100% Wool

Wool Care:  Hand wash cold, lay flat to dry 

Weight:  Worsted to Aran

Knitting Tension:  20 stitches and 28 rows  

Meterage:  100g balls - 200 metres  

Needle Size:  4.5 mm

Happy Knitting!
Julia

Knitting in Summer - New Topper Hat Yarn

I love to knit in the summer.  The long warm evenings seem like a perfect time to relax and bring out the knitting needles.  I must admit that sometimes it is a little strange to make a toque in the middle of summer. 

I just received in from Nova Plus a new yarn called topper.  It is a toque (hat) in one ball.  Not only does it come in variegated colours with a little bit of fancy yarn for a nice texture effect, it also comes with a furry pom pom on top!  Topper has the pattern on the label for children to adult sizes.  In addition, there is a free pattern that you can download, click here for more information.  Lots of fun to knit!

Topper Glitz White

Topper Pink

Topper Glitz Lilac

Topper Blue

Topper Glitz White

So as I enjoy my summer evenings knitting projects for the winter, I wonder if any one else out there is doing the same.  I mustn't be the only one having all the fun!

Keep on knitting,
Julia

Enotions - Online Yarn Store

Beautiful country but can be isolated!

There is a strong "shop local" following in Canada which is wonderful and I fully support it.  (Yes I do shop at my LYS - you can never have too much!)  I started Enotions as an online yarn store to help people in areas without access or very limited access to yarn.  The lucky ones have at least one yarn source to go to but there are a lot of areas in Canada where there isn't that luxury.

I started Enotions to make beautiful yarns that the rest of us take for granted available to everyone.  I have family who live in isolated communities in Canada who love to knit but can't get the yarn they want. 

I knew this was a challenging adventure when I started out but I love yarn and I wanted to share my passion!  Canada is a very large country and it is hard to reach out to knitters.  If you know someone who would love to buy yarn but doesn't know where to get, please pass my store's name along - www.enotions.ca.  

If there is something that you want but don't see, please let me know as I have different suppliers with lots of yarn available.  Special orders are not a problem.

Have fun creating!
Julia

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Enotions Design Loves LanaKnits Hemp Yarns

Hemp

Hemp is grown in 31 countries around the world including Canada.  This fibre has been around for many thousands of years and has been worn by royalty and US Presidents.  Why did they like this fibre so much?

Hemp is one of the most versatile fibres on the planet.  It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter and is the longest, strongest fibre there is.  Now some of you may be thinking it must be like the rope but hemp yarn from LanaKnits is beautiful.  The more you wash it in your washing machine and dryer, the softer it becomes.   The yarns Enotions Design carry are made in Italy of the highest quality fibres.

The 100% hemp blends can be a little stiff to start off with.  LanaKnits recommends that you soak the 100% hemp skeins in hot water and hair conditioner.  Once it is dry, you can wind it into a ball and knit away.  How cool is that?  But with allhemp6lux, the 100% hemp has been pre-treated so you don't need to do this step.  Just start knitting!

Unlike wool, hemp doesn't have any natural elasticity so it suits certain stitches more then others.  Rib tends to stay stretch out so you are better finishing the bottom of your sweaters with a moss stitch, picot edge or even a crochet edge.  Blocking hemp is very important to give your finished garment the shape you want.

Free Pattern from LanaKnits

I tested Hempton on the knitting machine with wonderful soft results.  Hempton is a blend of 30% Hemp, 30% Modal (rayon) and 40% cotton.  It has a wonderful sheen and a lovely hand that drapes beautifully.  The little striped hat that I made was adorable and it blocked out very soft.  This is a great yarn for little ones as it resists up to 90% of UV rays.  Great protection in the summer.

LanaKnits allhemp6lux

LanaKnits Cashmere Canapa

Cashmere Hempton

I can't wait to try the allhemp6lux which is 100% hemp or the Cashmere Canapa which is a lovely exotic blend of 30% cashmere, 10% hemp, and 60% cotton.  Yes I have fallen in love with this fibre and it wonderful properties. 

Best of all, hemp is a renewable resource and can grown in nearly any climate and soil conditions.  It can grow without herbicides or pesticides so it is definitely more environmentally friendly then cotton.  Why don't you try it today, I guarantee you will be hooked!

Keep knitting,
Julia

Bergere de France Coton Fifty

First of all, I did not spell cotton wrong.  Bergere de France makes all of its yarns in France in one of the last wool mills in Europe.  So a lot of the names of the yarns and colours are in French which I have to say "nougat" sounds a lot more enticing then "cream".  Whatever the names are and the spelling, the yarn that they make is beautiful.

Coton Fifty is a lovely sport weight yarn made from 50% acrylic and 50% cotton.  It is machine wash and dry so it is easy to care for as well as to work with.  This is a great yarn for crocheting and knitting and comes in a beautiful array of colours.

Emma Varnam has started a great mystery project using Bergere de France Coton Fifty.  It is designed so that you can take advantage of a beautiful summer evening while doing  your favourite hobby.  It is featured in Issue 54 of Inside Crochet Magazine.  Now the good news is that this issue is available on line through http://pocketmags.com/.  You pay in your own currency whether it is Canadian or US or any other.

Emma Varnam's Blog

Coton Fifty's very pretty colours showing part of Emma Varnam's Mystery Project

Emma's "sneak-a-peak" of her mystery project.

I have most of the colours available and I made sure to order any that were missing to complete this project.  I can't wait to start making this!

Julia