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

Enotions Design Spring Sale

We have run out of room and need to make space!  All yarns are 20% off so if you need something for a spring, summer, fall or a winter project, they are all on sale!  Beautiful yarns from Bergere de France, Sirdar, and Hayfield. 

www.enotions.ca

Knitting Sirdar Summer Stripes Double Knitting Wool

Summer Stripes by Sirdar is a practical blend of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic.  As many of you may have experienced with cotton, it tends to stretch out of shape.  By adding the acrylic to the cotton, you get a fibre that is easier to care for and keeps it shape much better.

Pattern from Sirdar Summer Safari Book

Summer Stripes is a pretty variegated yarn from Sirdar that is good for adults and children alike.  It is machine washable (yeah!) and says to dry flat.  If you are careful, you can put the finished garment in the dryer at a lower setting for a few minutes to take some of the dampness out.  This will also cause the acrylic to come back into shape.  Be careful though as it will shrink if it gets too hot.

Summer Stripes double knitting wool is typically 22 stitches and 28 rows to 4" (approximately 10cm).  It is very important to knit your tension square before knitting your project.  I am a tight knitter and many times I have had to increase a needle size to get the correct tension. When I want to start a project I just want to go!  Well by taking the half hour (much less if you are a faster knitter then me), you will save yourself a lot of heartache and time by doing this quick step first.

Little Girls Sweater from Sirdar Summer Safari Book

With cotton or a cotton/blend, I would also recommend blocking your tension square to ensure that there isn't shrinkage.  To block, put your iron on a blend or wool setting where you will get steam.  Place the iron about 1" (2.5cm) over the tension square and steam it.  Then leave it to dry and recheck the tension.  If it is comes up to the tension you need, then you are good to go.  If it has shrank either width wise or length wise then you may need to adjust your pattern.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at enotions@enotions.ca.

Happy knitting!
Julia

Knitting Wool from Sirdar

Sirdar knitting wool has been around for a long time.  Started in 1880 by two brothers in England, it has grown to be a multi-national company that has over 900 colours of wool and more then 300 new designs a year.  They employ over 20 specialists to create patterns for knitters and crocheters.



When people think of Sirdar, they think of Snuggly yarn.  They have been manufacturing it for over 35 years!  This is a great wash and wear yarn and generations of children and babies have worn sweaters made out of this lovely soft yarn.  It is easy to knit with and a great for beginner knitters.  Soft and supple, it is a must have to make sweaters for the children and babies in your life.



Sirdar knitting wool is not just Snuggly though.  They have a wide range of fibres that they make their yarn out of.  Take Sirdar Summer Stripes double knitting which is a wonderful blend of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic.  It is machine washable and dryable and great for making lightweight sweaters and tops for the spring and summer.  What I like about this yarn is the colours.  Sun bleached colours just makes you think of the sun especially after the weather that we have had throughout North America this winter.  It has great meterage on every 50 gram ball so it is a very reasonable way to make a unique sweater.   The yarn is what they call self striping.  That means it is dyed to change colours while you knit it.  Depending on what you knit, it will change colours more or less often on the garment.  The more stitches, the more striped the effect is versus a children's sweater.



Looking at these sweaters, I can imagine the warm sun now!  Hopefully it won't be too long as I think we all will be glad when this winter is over.  Snow in March on the West Coast is just too cold for me!  I am itching to start on my summer sweaters now.

All the best,
Jules

Welcome to Enotions Design Inc.

I wasn't sure that I should create a blog with all the information that is already out there but then I realized that I had so much to share.  I love anything to do with yarn - whether it is collecting it to add to my stash, hand knitting, machine knitting, crocheting or tapestry - it just is a passion.

Enotions Design came about because of the lack of easily available quality yarns in remote areas of Canada.  Good quality yarns and patterns can make your experience a great one.  We don't even want to talk about the bad experiences (you have them hidden in your closet!)

Then the tough part came, where do I get yarn from and what do I choose?  It is hard enough choosing for yourself!  After much research I focused my attentions on a select group of quality brands - Sirdar, King Cole, Hayfield and Bergere de France.  Most knitters are familiar with the first three brands.  Check out "About our Brands" for more information.

Bergere de France is a less well known brand in Canada.  It is a quality yarn company based in France.  All of their yarn is made in their mill in Bar-le-Duc, in the heart of the Lorraine region.  The patterns are fabulous with Paris trends and are designed for babies, children, women and men.  They also have home dec patterns!  I have never seen such a range!

One of their latest pattern magazines is for Autumn/Winter.  At first I thought they were a little late in releasing this until I realized they are following the Fashion World.  It makes total sense!  Why release this in the Fall when it is too late to make the fashions for the winter season?  Release it in early spring and you have lots of time to make it for the Fall.  Bergere de France has it all worked out!

Magagazine 171 - no. 10 Crochet cardigan

This eye-catching crochet cardigan has colourful openwork flowers decorating both sleeves but just one side of the front.  The cardigan is crocheted entirely with a 3 mm crochet hook.  It is made out of Bergere de France's Ideal yarn which is a blend of 30% Acrylic, 30% Polyamide, and 40% combed wool.  The nice thing about this yarn is it has a lovely soft hand plus it is machine washable.  Click here to check out the wide range of colours.

Not a crocheter, check out this gorgeous sweater that you could wear in the late summer, early fall.

     

 Magazine 171 - no. 19 Short sleeve sweater

This sweater has short sleeves and a wide collar to make it just right whatever the weather: in winter, try wearing it with the collar up, over a long-sleeved top, to keep out the cold. And when the sun comes out, the openwork stitches will give it the very latest look. The sweater is knitted in 1 x 1 rib and cable stitch on 4 mm, 5.5 mm and 12 mm needles, plus a cable needle and a 4.5 mm circular needle.  It is made out of Bergere de France's Baltic yarn which is comprised of 40% Polyamide and 60% Acrylic.  It is a bulky weight yarn that is machine washable so easy to care for.  Click here to find out more.

There are lots of other lovely patterns in this magazine.  I just received them so I haven't decided what to try first.  If you see something in the magazine that we don't have the yarn for, just let me know and I will order it for you.

Until next time - happy creating!
Jules