Friday 29 January 2016

FO Friday Fun



Welcome back to another week of Finished Object Fun :)

This week I also have something to share with you all:

misae

Meet my Misae Shawl :)

I have finally managed to get it off my needles and I love it!



wolke 7

I love the stitch definition and the gorgeous colours of this lovely gradient Wolke 7 yarn made by Andrea @ Wollehimmel

I managed to finish this baby on my train ride home last week. I was on my last row, which I knew would be the last as I was sure I would have enough yarn for another 1.5 rows, when suddenly I saw the end of the yarn leering up at me and I still had about 20 stitches to knit! 

What was I to do?

  I did what any knitter would have done - I knit faster, as if that was going to help LOL!!

I managed to just get it off the needles with about 10 cm of yarn to spare - Whew!

wollehimmel

What have you managed to finish this week?

Feel free to share your finished objects below :)

See you soon
x


Thursday 28 January 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party


Welcome back to another month of linking fun!



You last chance to link your January crafts this week, enjoy!


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)


Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft


Wednesday 27 January 2016

Lovely Yarn Projects :)


Since the beginning of this year, I am having so much more added fun with my projects as I am loving the handmade goodness with which these yarns have been made :)

I have some brand new projects on my needles this week, so let me jump right in!

First up: My Avalanche

avalanche

When I cast on for this project I did feel a little worried as the pattern has all of these possibilities to it, long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, long hem, short hem....... and I really wasn't sure if I would understand the pattern.

I am still not 100% sure that I am knitting it correctly, but it looks right so I am hoping it is :)

I am knitting this in some hand-dyed merino singles from Sidispinnt and am loving the tones of grey that are coming through as I knit.

Next up: Interim Socks

interim socks

These socks I am making on the go and as an in-between sock pattern to keep myself from casting on the next month's socks before the time :)

As I was busy caking the yarn into two skeins my scale gave up the ghost and so I just randomly caked until I thought the two cakes looked similar in size.

Then, as these are socks for hubby (which I am sure he will only wear at home) I figured that I would just cast on and somewhere along the line the socks will start to look similar. Well, that has yet to happen :O

So far they actually don't look like they even belong to the same pair!

But I love them!
I think they look very original and don't plan on doing anything about them besides knitting them finished ;)

Talking of socks....


My Sea Wall sock yarn will be caked up today and ready for cast on on Monday :)

Are you going to be joining us in this month's Sock-Along?

I would love it if you do!

There are some amazing prizes up for grabs (you will be hearing all about them and the lovely sponsors behind the prizes over the next couple of weeks) and all you have to do to grab a chance to win is to cast on a pair of socks no earlier than Feb 1st (Monday) and finish your socks before March 1st. 

Post your cast on and FO images in the Ravelry group and have a chat along with us all whilst doing so :)

You can also share your images along on Instagram with the Hashtag #sockalong2016 and / or #marigoldsloft

I can't wait to see what pair you will be knitting!

You can find out more about the Sock-Along HERE

Have a great rest of your Wednesday.
See you soon
x

 (Do come back on Friday and share your FOs with us all - I have one to share with you too this week ;))

Monday 25 January 2016

On my Virtual Sofa - Antje from Wunderwolle


Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Antje from Wunderwolle to have a chat with me on my virtual sofa.

Welcome Antje :)


Wunderwolle is a young label. You founded this small hand-dyeing studio in 2014, and you are situated in Switzerland. Please tell me something about it. 
Why did you found Wunderwolle?

I love animals and am a vegetarian for more than 30 years. Also I am a passionate knitter for more than 30 years. When I heard that yarn often means cruelty against animals, eg. with Mulesing, I was really shocked. Moreover: wool is often polluted and usually not fair traded. In order not to give up knitting at all I tried to find hand-dyed yarn, where the procurement is ethical and made transparent, so that me, as a consumer, could be sure, only to use yarn that was made without harming animals, people and the environment. Unfortunately: This was nearly impossible - so that is the reason why I founded Wunderwolle.

What is mulesing?
Mulesing is a very painful procedure, mainly applied to merino sheep, in order to avoid fly strike (this is a parasitic infestation of the body by fly larvae/maggots).

To do this large parts of the skin from the back of the lambs are cut away - without anesthesia - to save on costs! 

The intended result is a scar formation, that prevents the sheep from fly strike - but at a very high price!
Mulesing, named after John Mules, is common practice in Australia, where 90 percent of the merino wool worldwide comes from.

The sheep also regularly suffer through chemical sheep dips, which is not only unpleasant for the animals but also negative for people and the environment – and of course for the yarn, that knitters use.

Furthermore the sheep are shipped for slaughter, when no longer needed for the wool industry, under incredibly cruel conditions.

Most knitters do not know, which cruelties are coming along with the yarn they use for their handicraft.

wunderwolle

What are you proud of?
We are really proud to have achieved the aim, to consequently sell yarn, that is manufactured in an animal- and environment-friendly way, in order to take a stand against exploitation of animals, people and the environment. All of our yarn bases are mulesing-free, fair-traded, sustainable and organic, as noted. Besides that, we wished our yarn to be washable, soft and long-lasting.

Where does the name "Wunderwolle" come from?
My idea was, that Wunderwolle should not only be wonderful for animals and the environment, but also be wonderful for the people, who knit, crochet or weave with it, thus being extraordinary soft, cheerful and colourful. We are proud, to have reached these ambitious aims, and are therefore convinced: Wunderwolle (wonder(ful) wool) is definitely the perfect name for our yarn.

If you had three wishes free, what would you wish for the Handmade culture?

First of all, I wished to inform more people about the horrible conditions under which most of our yarn is manufactured - Wunderwolle is my contribution to that.

My second wish: I would be glad if more knitters would take a stand against the big yarn industry by refusing to buy wool where the procurement is not ethical and not declared. It is always the consumer that has to force the industry to make a change of thinking.

And my last wish: It would be great, if people would be willing to pay more, for a) the precious natural product wool and b) for hand-dyed yarn. We should be grateful towards the animal that give us such an extraordinary material as wool is. And we should be thankful to the small hand-dyeing studios all over the world that make a huge effort in order to produce colourful yarn that is really unique. It really takes a lot of time - so this can only be done with lots of love and passion.


Thank you so much for that incredibly informative chat Antje, I myself did not know about things like Mulesing. 

I find it so amazing that there are people out there like yourself making such a big difference, thank you :)

Remember friends, where we shop is like voting, we are telling the market what we want more of!

You can find Antje's "Wonderful Wool" in her online store

or in her Ravelry Group:



Would you like to try her delicious yarn out for yourself?

The quickest way would be to purchase some :)

A fun way would be to win some!!


Antje is one of the lovely sponsors of this year's Sock-Along and has generously donated two skeins of her gorgeous yarn to be won by two of you taking part in the KAL.

When her yarns will come up in the draw will be broadcast to you here on the Blog as well as in the Sock-Along thread on Ravelry.

All you need to do to win a skein yourself is to cast on and bind off a pair of socks in a month.

Every three months (end of March, June, September and December), 3 winners per draw will get chosen from all the finished sock entrants of the previous three months.

I hope you will consider joining us for this super sock-along, it is so much fun already!

Come back soon for some more fluffy wonderfulness when I reveal the gorgeous skeins you will have a chance of winning!

See you soon.
x


Friday 22 January 2016

FO Friday Fun

fo friday fun

This week I too have something completed :)

spinnwebstube yarn

jaywalkers

These are my January socks for the Sock-Along :)

One pair down, 11 more to go!
If I manage to keep up at this pace then I will manage to complete all 12 pairs with ease I think.

I knit these socks with Spinnwebstube Sock yarn which was really wonderful to work with.
I love the colouring and the feel of them.

The pattern was also delightfully easy to remember and made for great TV knitting.
I did substitute the heel flap for a Boomerang heel as I prefer it.

In the sock-along thread, we also found a mistake in the pattern as to the toe decreases but managed to figure it out for ourselves.

How are your socks growing?
Have you joined in the Sock-along yet?
It still is not too late, and I would love to have you along for the ride!

You can find out more HERE

Do you have something to show off this Friday?

Feel free to link your finished projects of this week below.
Have a super weekend.
x

Thursday 21 January 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party


Welcome back to another month of linking fun!



January is here and with it a lot of New Year ideas and craft making!


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)


Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft


Tuesday 19 January 2016

Yarn Yumminess


I am in love with this yarn (okay, I say that about most yarns, but right now I have this yarn in my hands and it feels AMAZING!!)

This is my latest purchase from Antje @ Wunderwolle.

Whilst on my search for some hand-dyed local sock yarn I came across her Store and knew I just had to have some!

For my first projects to experience this yarn I have chosen the following colourways.

These are all Sock Yarn (Fingering) and are made with 75 Wool/25 Nylon Base.

First up:

wunderwolle - flieder im Wind

Flieder im Wind (Lilac in the wind)

This aptly named colourway is absolutely gorgeous!
When I was a little girl, everything had to be purple - so much so that I got really sick of that colour. This little skein is my first purchase of purple yarn for some socks for myself after all these years! And I am really looking forward to knitting this baby up!

My skein will be used in my February choice of sock pattern for the Sock-Along 2016 - Sea Wall by Tin Can Knits

Next up:

wunderwolle einzelgänger Strandwind

Strandwind (Beach Breeze)

Isn't this skein a beauty. I saw it and had to have it!
I don't really have a pattern in mind with this one, but as it is a unique skein, I am glad I got hold of it :)

I am contemplating knitting this up into the Smocked Guernsey Socks as I think the colourway could be perfect for those.

And my last must have for this yarn yumminess:


Wunderwolle wunderfullys Blumenwiese und Orange

Blumenwiese & Orange (Flowerfields and Orange)

This lovely couple of colour co-ordinated skeins will be made into a woven scarf or shawl sometime in the future (as soon as my Craftroom is ready and my loom is standing where it should ;))

Have you used Wunderwolle before?
What have your experiences been like?

Would you like to try some of Antje's yarn?

You would! Then you are in luck!

She has kindly offered to sponsor this year's Sock-Along and has donated some skeins for a couple of you to win :)

All you need to do to grab a chance at winning a skein or two for yourself is to take part in the KAL!

You can find out all about it HERE

See you soon for some more yarn yumminess :)


Saturday 16 January 2016

Great Beginner Sock Patterns


I have come to realize that a couple of you would like to take part in the Sock-Along but have either not knit socks before or would like to have a tutorial of some kind to help you along the way.

To this end I have been searching the Web to find some great beginner resources to help you along the way - this is what I have managed to find....

Beginner sock tutorials:
(According to the image above from top to bottom, and then right to left)


You Tube Videos:

Learn to Knit Socks by Very Pink knits (she has a variety of great sock tutorials)

Other How-To Tutorials:*

These are some really great Craftsy Courses that will get your sock-knitting juices flowing and will help you to greatly improve your skills.

I warmly recommend them all to you. 

My First Socks

Knit Sock Workshop

Knit Original Toe-Up Socks

Knit Original Cuff-Down Socks

A great Free resource:

I will be making these Smocked Guernsey Socks in May as my Sock-Along Sock (I love this pattern, it looks so cool!) :)

Knit-Along 2016: Socks

Do you have any other resources that you know of that would help others out there?

Let me know about them in the comments below :)

See you soon.
x

Craftsy

*These tutorials contain affiliate links. 
Marigolds' Loft is a Craftsy affiliate, which means I am a Craftsy Supporter (I guess my 54 active classes should be proof thereof :)) and by being an affiliate it may generate a small promotional fee for my Blog if you use the link above (There are no costs for you at all) 
I thank you kindly in advance for doing so.

Friday 15 January 2016

FO Friday Fun

fo friday fun

Do you have something to show off this Friday?

Feel free to link your finished projects of this week below.
Have a super weekend.
x

Thursday 14 January 2016

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party


Welcome back to another month of linking fun!



January is here and with it a lot of New Year ideas and craft making!


Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!


I would love to see them, so share them below :)


Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you would like a button for your site feel free to use the one below:

Marigolds' Loft


Wednesday 13 January 2016

Growing


A similar image to last week although both the pieces have actually grown :)


I decided to dedicate my weekend knitting time to work on my Misae.

I worked and worked and worked and have managed to move perhaps another 4cm forward in length!

I am well into the red now and still have a couple of weekends work to go until I can finally bind off. I am enjoying the mindless knitting that this bit of the pattern is giving me and each row seemed to move a little quicker than I expected whilst watching movies with the family :)

jaywalker

My Jaywalkers are also moving along nicely and I am in the second half of the foot section already.



I am loving watching the other Jaywalkers grow in the Sock-Along, each of them are so wonderfully unique and each pair looks completely different to the next.


Talking of Sock-Along, I have managed to get a couple of lovely sponsors on board who will be donating some lovely goodies for those of you taking part to win :)

I will be having a draw every three months where I will draw three winners, one for each month that is past.

To take part in the draw all you need to do is take part in the Sock-along. 

You do not need to knit all 12 pairs if you don't feel that you could accomplish that!

Set yourself a goal - eg. a pair every other month, 4 pairs for the year, or go for the full Monty and accompany me throughout the year to accomplish the full 12 pairs :)

Whatever you decide to do for yourself is great!

You can take part how ever you would like to, what ever you think you could accomplish.

For your name to be added to the draw at the end of every three months all you need to do is to have knit a pair of socks to completion in the same month that you started them in.

I would love to welcome you along for the ride, so come on over to the Ravelry group and join in the fun.


I am so excited about what will be happening sewing wise this year :)

I have been on the waiting list of a local sewing group for the good part of last year, and this week I finally managed to bag myself a place!

Each week I get to sew with an accomplished seamstress and she helps me to make my clothes get that extra edge to them - Isn't that cool?

I will share my progress with you all and look forward to seeing how my sewing skills (and handmade wardrobe) have increased by the end of the year!

What have you been up to this week?

Do come by on Friday and share your finished objects with us all, I would love to see what you have managed to complete.

I will be sharing this post with all of my woolly inclined friends this week, so do nip over there for some incredible inspiration.

See you soon.
x

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