30 Days of Knitting (part six)

26: Have you ever been a part, or wanted to be a part of a knit-a-long? What was it? If not, why?

No I haven’t. They’re a good idea though I think; for those who don’t know, they’re projects embarked upon by multiple people at once who then cheer each other on and compare. It’s quite popular over at Ravelry and I intend to do one once there pops up a project I can get my teeth into!

27: How do you acquire most of yarn?

Online. Ebay is the best but there are a lot of websites for buying good yarn. For example:

• Dragon Yarns
• Sanguine Gryphon – currently having a closing down sale!
• Natural Dyed Yarn
• Loop Knitting

And believe me, that’s just the start. Ebay has never failed me in finding cheap, high quality yarn though, so I always start there.

28: Do you do any other crafts besides knitting?

I crochet. Though I started knitting first, it was crochet that really caught my imagination. It was only when I went back to knitting to try a few pretty patterns that I realised how much I enjoy doing it.

I crocheted everything. Everywhere. This was at work.

Though I spend most of my time knitting now, I’d really like to do some crocheting again after the Christmas rush is over. I’d also like to try making jewellery one day, though my next obsession looks to be spinning and dyeing my own yarn once I have the chance.

Day 29: Do you have any tips, or things that you’ve learned from knitting?

See a previous post, Five Things I’ve Learnt From Knitting and Crochet.

Day 30: What’s your name on Ravelry?

My name over there is ‘Eternie’. Add me! Send me a message! Or just post-stalk me but beware – I hang out at LSG (Lazy, Stupid and Godless). My content might not be completely safe for work/life. 😉

And there concludes thirty days of knitting condensed into six. Quite appropriate, don’t you think, considering it’s nearly giftmas? I have weeks of patterns and only days to finish them. I leave for Canada in less than two weeks. I have about a thousand things to do before then, most of which do not leave much time for knitting.

Oh well. I’ll get it done.

Thanks for sticking through this meme and please – link me if you’re doing it yourself, I’d love to read!

Renaissance Dyeing

Natural dyers of fine embroidery threads – Renaissance Dyeing.

Once in a while I’ll come across a site I simply have to share. It’s not because I’m sponsored by them or anything – this blog is purely free range – but because I’m so stunned by what they have to offer that I keep the tab open for days just to occasionally flick through and see the gorgeous things they produce.

This is one of them. Renaissance Dyeing is a company that uses traditional dyes to produce modern yarn. Their reasoning sounds pretty sensible:

Plant and natural dyes give a light and tonal vibrance to your work that cannot be matched by staid chemical dyes and they help not only protect you and yours but the environment as well.

I have to agree with them. Their colours are sublime. Take a look at some of their designer knitting kits such as the Urban Troubadour which is a gorgeous pattern with rich yet not overpowering colours suited perfectly to one another.

2012 is the year I’m going to learn to spin and dye my own yarn, just you watch; sites like this inspire me. I can’t promise I’ll be starting out with vegetable dyes but it’s certainly not something I’d considered much before and this company has changed that. Especially since you can order the extracts online to dye this way!

I stumbled on the site looking for yarn made from Poll Dorset sheep’s fleece, a breed that originated in my county. I stayed for the beautifully rich colours and the ethos of the entire site.

Since I can’t afford these wonderful goods on such a small budget right now, I’m hoping someone can buy some so I can live vicariously through you!