Another month is over. And this one was quite a ride. So I’ll dive right in with my favorite things of April. For the top two things in April I have no links. The very best thing that happened this month was Little Wolf’s 5th birthday. His birthday party was a blast (mostly for him) and exhausting (mostly for Papa Wolf and me). And next year in summer he’ll be going off to school. I could swear I still rocked him to sleep just a little while ago… How time flies.
Wolves at play
The second best thing was dressing up the kids for the grandmother’s birthday. Little Wolf with an actual button-down shirt he’d picked out himself. In a color somewhere in between orange and apricot. And Tiny Wolf in a sparkly light blue dress with shoes in silver and glitter and pink bows in her hair (her idea). She can be so girly sometimes. But since she also loves to play with toy cars, climb trees and anything else she can find and loves to play with mud, it all balances out. 😉
But now on to knitting related things.
1 – The 5 Knitting Styles (And How to Knit Them) by Toby Kuhnke @ AllFreeKnitting.com
I thought this article was very interesting and decided I had to try out some new knitting styles soon. I had already heard of Portuguese knitting but never tried it. It sounds interesting. Shetland knitting seems as if it’s related to lever knitting but only works on straight needles. I would still be interested in trying it out at least once. I like to try out different knitting styles. You never know when you might need them and on top of that, you learn something new about different cultures or places or even history. At least if you are like me and wonder how some knitting styles came to be and why they are so very different.
2 – The Why of Ply by Jillian Moreno @ Mason Dixon Knitting
What a great article. It’s a look at yarn and how it’s plied and how the ply will affect different types of knitting from a spinner’s point of view. It’s fascinating and something that knitters should definitely read. It can help you with choosing yarn for your next project. And there are lots of photos to show the effects of the ply on colorwork, stockinette, and lace.
3 – Trading Office Life for Freelance: What I Wish I Knew by Julie @ Knitted Bliss
I’ve been a freelancer (programming) long before I became a mother and later a blogger. And I love to hear about the experiences other people have when they switch to a freelancer’s life and career. It’s a very different experience than a steady 9-5 office based job (which I had before). And you will have to find out for yourself how you can work best, get into the right mindset, and when you are the most productive. There are tons of tips on the internet but every person is different, and not everything will work for everyone. I work best when I’m in a room by myself, but I like having people close by to talk to when I’m doing technical work. And I am the most productive in the afternoon – which is unfortunate because the afternoons are spent picking up the kids and going to the playground…
Anyway if you are a freelancer yourself or thinking about becoming your own boss, read this article and search the web for more of its kind. Particularly if they are related to your working niche. That way you already know about some of the things others struggle with or what their experiences were and you know some of which you might be able to expect yourself. It’s always good to be prepared.
4 – Ziggurats preorder by Åsa Tricosa
Åsa Tricosa’s new book with 16 patterns based on her Ziggurat method is finally available for preorder. I’ve been interested in Ziggurat knitting for a while. I like the look of set in sleeves, but I dislike sewing them in. Åsa invented the Ziggurat method to get the same fitted look of set in sleeves without having to knit in pieces. I am interested to find out how this works and to see if the “seams” are stable enough and won’t lose their shape after a while.
Åsa already has quite a few patterns up on Ravelry some of which use the Ziggurat method. This new book is entirely dedicated to this method. If you follow the link to the pre-order you can see 12 of the 16 designs included in this book.
5 – //Mix & Mingle// The Perfect Shawl For Color-play by Andrea Mowry @ Drea Renee Knits
Andrea Mowry released a new pattern in April. It’s a pretty little shawl perfect for spring. As with so many of her designs, this one is also great if you want to play with color. Go check it out!
Mix & Mingle by Andrea Mowry (image from Ravelry)
6 – Non-Knitting Travel is Greatly Over-Rated by Glenna C. @ Glenna Knits
Now, this was just a fun post. I like to see that it’s not just me who thinks attempting a large knit with fine yarn and a deadline is a great thing to do. I blew well past my deadline and am still knitting on that blanket. But it looks like she might make it! On top of that, I love those colors together. Can’t wait to see what the finished sweater will look like!
7 – Knitty Spring + Summer 2018 Surprise
The Knitty Surprise went live in April and with it four new reviews of a lot of interesting looking books. Go check them out. And should you decide to buy one of those books use the links Knitty put up. Those are Amazon affiliate links. Knitty will be receiving a few cents per books purchased through those links (without it costing you anything extra of course). Using the affiliate links blogs (and the like) post is always a great way of supporting what they do.
Also, there are two new patterns. And I love them both. There is a top called Butterbloom. I immediately started looking for suitable yarn for it when I saw it. I think it would look great in a merino tencel or merino silk mix. There is also new a pair of socks that called Rainbow Roads that looks just amazing in that ultra bright rainbow gradient. And the pattern looks like a lot of fun.
And now we get to some of the Etsy shops I stalk regularly check up on that had updates in April.
8 – Blue Bird Yarn (*)
JANE BENNET (*) (The Bennet Sisters Yarn Collection) Superwash Merino and Nylon by Blue Bird Yarn
This shop is located in Canada. Her shop follows a book theme. Most of her colorways are inspired by older, historical novels (*). Or they have a vintage feel to them (*). And she has a new collection out – The Bennet Sisters (*) after the daughters of the Bennet family in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. My favorites are Jane Bennet (*) and Kitty Bennet (*).
KITTY BENNET (*) (The Bennet Sisters Yarn Collection) Superwash Merino and Nylon by Blue Bird Yarn
9 – WIP Yarns (*)
Orion Nebula (*) – Galaxy Hand Dyed Variegated Yarn by WIP Yarns
WIP Yarns is situated in Arizona. She has a great variety of very different colorways and offers them in seven different yarn bases. Five of them are different fingering weight yarns, and the other two are DK and worsted weight. She has an excellent eye for color. Check her out; you won’t regret it. (Or maybe you will, depends on if you have money to spend or not, I guess…)
Banded Agate (*) – Hand Dyed Variegated Yarn by WIP Yarns
10 – Artistic Lilly (*)
Vintage Valentine (*) by Artistic Lilly
Another shop in the States: Artistic Lilly has it’s home in Missouri. Her colorways feel very earthy and natural to me. They seem to me as if they were inspired by photos of landscapes and nature. Some of the skeins are available in two different fingering weight yarn bases (Everything called Gotta Have Fingering): One soft and durable for socks and one soft and squishy for shawls. There also are some alpaca fingering weight and some singles thrown in. And there are a few skeins of DK weight as well. But she seems to focus on fingering weight. Most of the skeins she put up in April seem to have sold out already, but there is plenty more to choose from.
If You Rest You Rust (*), hand-dyed alpaca/merino/nylon yarn by Artistic Lilly
What did you love in April? Have you knit a Ziggurat sweater before? Which dyers do you regularly check up on? Please let me know in the comments below.
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