Moda Dea Felted Bag
March 36th, 2008
Here’s the Moda Dea bag awaiting modifications and accessorizing in the “design shop.” There’s enough of this wool in the stash (in three other colors) to make three more bags. I love the dense, nubbiness of the felt, but think I’ll knit the next ones much taller and a bit thinner; not sure I like the proportions on this one.
Webs
February 6th, 2008
I stopped by Webs on my way home from northwestern Massachussets a couple of days ago. The place is not your typical local yarn shop oozing quaintness and character. The building itself is a large concrete warehouse set back off the main road among other sprawling concrete buildings. Pretty much what I was expecting for a shop with such a huge web presence. Once inside, I was greeted by a very friendly salesperson who escorted me to the back room where closeouts and major sale yarns were stored.
It had just started to sleet outside and I still had two hours of driving ahead of me, but couldn’t stop poking around and squeezing everything. By the time I finally got out of there I had amassed a large, impressively priced stash of beautiful things. Massachusetts has no sales tax on yarn (there’s no tax on clothing and I guess yarn is pre-clothing?) Anyway… it was pretty painless to stock up on a gorgeous bag of Classic Elite Beatrice (on sale) Rowan Plaid, and lots of Lopi, since I paid no tax or shipping, and received a 20% quantity discount to boot. Now I have lots of pre-hats and pre-sweaters in my yarn stash and can’t wait to finish the current project (the Moda Dea blue bag) and dive into the new stuff!
Lopi
January 30th, 2008
I love lopi yarn. I'm delighted by the little bits of hay I come across as I knit around and around and imagine the noble sheep of Iceland with their blank stares and matted wooly coats roaming that gorgeous land of the north. Their wool is unique, with its double fibers providing excellent protection from the elements. Hand knitting is an important Icelandic tradition that dates back to the 1600s and continues its contribution to the economy even in the 21st century.
I make earflap hats with lopi wool, then line them with light fleece since it’s a fairly primitive, somewhat scratchy fiber. My hands have stayed warm and comfortable in lopi mittens even on 10 degree windy days. If that’s not enough, it’s also reasonably priced. If you can’t find it at your local yarn shop (it’s part of the Reynolds yarn line), try Webs in the US, or Rams Wool in Canada.
As you can see, the dog likes lopi too…
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