Remember these little guys — very long on cute! We mentioned them a while back, reminiscing about a trip to the Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Shop in the UK.Â
We both bought yarn and patterns at the shop during the Jean Moss Knitting and Garden Tour we did several years ago. The trip was absolutely wonderful, and this little shop delightful.Â
From Susan: I started a sweater quite a while back in the aran weight yarn, in a lovely rosy red. The pattern is from an OLD Patons Booklet (c. 1996):
One sleeve almost done, and one left to do. It is ridiculous, n’est-ce pas? Even the neckline is completely done! Every once in a while I re-visit this baby, but it never seems to get to the finish line!
From Sally: She really should finish it, shouldn’t she? I mean who would desert a sweater with just one sleeve left? (Ducks and runs.)
I bought some very pretty dark green Wensleydale yarn, but being such a delicate flower of humanity I need to save it for a cardigan. It’s a bit too scratchy for me to wear right next to my skin. I did like a number of their original patterns, especially this one:
For some reason (more sleeve avoidance?) I decided to start it. I looked through my stash and chose some “Kid Koigu.”
plus
equals
We’re certainly not the first to combine Kidsilk Haze and Koigu, but we both love the combination and have knit several garments using the two yarns together. It makes a lovely fabric of 5 to 5 1/2 stitches to the inch on a U.S. 7 or 8 needle.
Here’s the beginning of my Cross Lanes.
I’m planning a few minor changes to the sweater: I’ll shorten it slightly and do something different at the neck (maybe a mock turtle neck?).
Changing the subject, we had an ice storm last night in the nation’s capital. A large tree came down behind us, but fortunately our house and most of our landscaping was spared. I “skated” out to get the newspaper this morning and took some photographs.
PS from Susan — if you can stand another re-hash!! Here is my Emmeline (from Rowan #28), in “Kid Koigu” to show how gorgeous this combination can be — I love this sweater!
From Susan — the ice pictures are great, but…! I hate ice storms because of a) the damage to trees and b) the damage to my a**. And I love the sweater — it is really looking nice.
Comment by lv2knit — February 13, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
As always you girls are an inspiration!! When using the koigu and kid silk together in a sweater; do you alternate skeins of koigu? or do you knit one ball to the end and start the next? Probably a stupid question but I think I want to give it a try myself– now I’m off to find the perfect pattern!!! Think sunshine- gray skies and snow I’ve had enough,
Comment by tonia — February 13, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
Tonia — I haven’t bothered to alternate. First, I try to find skeins of Koigu that look as much alike as possible although that can be hard. Sometimes the ends of the same dye can look like a different color. I’ve found, though, that the Kidsilk Haze as a constant throughout sort of smoothes out color differences.
Comment by surly — February 13, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
that combo is fabulous. i have a new inspiration for mixing different textures. and i love the roslin hoodie!
Comment by jen — February 13, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
Lovely. I especially love the combination of those two yarns and the colors are to die for!
Comment by Kim — February 13, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Thanks for the eye candy photos. I love the furry friends (even the sheep). The ice storm photos are lovely.
Comment by Ruth — February 13, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
What lovely sheep! I wonder how their fleece would spin. The yarn combo is especially yummy, too. Keep inspiring us with your beautiful work.
Comment by Nancy — February 13, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
It’s *never* hubris to use ksh as a carry-along. Really, it’s just the natural order of things reasserting itself. :g:
Comment by Romi — February 13, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
Your pictures in this post are gorgeous. Love that Kidsilk and Koigu combo!
Comment by Lisa — February 13, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
The knitting is great as always, but the ice storm photos are AMAZING!!
Comment by Lee — February 13, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
Thanks for the gorgeous pictures on this dreary winter day. The beautiful yarn colors and the knitting are a real pick me up. The ice is even gorgeous! Susan, will you post pictures of the entire Emmeline? The little photo of the bottom makes me think it is too yummy to only look at a small bit of it.
Comment by Nancy — February 13, 2008 @ 5:48 pm
Sally, your sweater is gorgeous!
Comment by Shannon — February 13, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
Love your sweater. The photos are beautiful.
Comment by Carolyn — February 13, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
I really, really enjoy your updates! Love them! I also enjoy looking through your previous projects. So inspiring!
But those icy pictures remind me of the ice storm we had in 10 years ago. Not so pretty living through it.
Comment by Esther — February 13, 2008 @ 8:43 pm
What a gorgeous combination!
Comment by Carol — February 13, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
Kid Koigu, symphonies in ice, and adorable sheep. You’ve got it all going on.
Comment by Susan — February 13, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
Wow! What fascinatingly beautiful combinations – both the Kid Koigu *and* the barren tree branches, frozen in time.
Comment by Karen B. — February 13, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
It’s all beautiful! Sheep, yarn, sweaters and ice storm photos! Love the way ice on the plants looks but I remember a winter in my childhood when a terrible storm coated the trees with inches of ice and it sounded like gunshots going off as the tree limbs broke.
You’re really tempting me with the kid koigu but I’ve started on a Widdecombe Fair and am convinced I’ve overestimated my knitting stamina. I suspect the baby will be an adult before it’s done! The first 16 rows have gone by pretty slowly,although I do seem to be getting faster. Another 235 rows plus the border and the due date in first or second week of April! How do you guys get so much knitting done so quickly?
I stand in amazement at your speed and abilities!
Comment by Evie — February 13, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
THESE ARE THE BEST PHOTOS OF MY DAY! Love the sheeps (I’m sort of a fanatic and love painting them). And the Koigu/Kidsilk combo would never have occured to me. The assymetrical cable pattern is gorgeous, too. AND the ice photos… Here in Texas there’s been hardly any rain, NO snow, and NO real winter! Would you mind if I painted from your photos?
Comment by PainterWoman — February 13, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
I want a pet sheep like that! And I really like that close up shot of the branches!
Comment by Nora aka Surly's daughter — February 13, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Susan- Are you calling it “KKK” Koigu Kidsilk Krack?
And sweetie, we don’t use the word “old”, it’s “vintage”-
kisses from your ‘vintage” friend Lorraine.
Comment by Lorraine — February 14, 2008 @ 7:15 am
I dyed and spun some Wensleydale recently for my pom pom mitts. It had a beautiful sheen to it and has a good weighty feel. I can imagine how lovely your red sweater is going to be when finished.
The pictures of the Koigu and Kidsilk are dreamy, what a combination. I’m trying to catch up with you with the hoodie and all you do is lead me astray! In the best way though!
Can’t believe the ice storm, we never have anything like that here, frost is just about all we are getting at the moment!
Comment by Mindie — February 14, 2008 @ 9:03 am
I love the kid/koigu sweater! It’s beautiful. A few years ago I did a simple scarf using Kidsilk Haze and an inexpensive sport weight Woolease (now discontinued). It was so ethereal it almost levitated. Okay, so I exaggerate. But my mom coveted so I gave it to her.
Comment by Kay — February 14, 2008 @ 9:30 am
What a great combination of yarns. And you can use a small needle to boot. Wow!
Comment by ruth — February 14, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
Yep – we had about an inch of snow down here as well (I’m on the good ol’ Eastern Shore) – nothing quite as icily beautiful as you, but still pretty and a nice change from either the freezing cold winds that we’ve had lately or else the bizarre warm weather we had last week.
I love the Koigu and KSH together – I wonder who first though of that beautiful combination?????
Are you going to do the little pocket on the sweater, exactly as shown? I can’t decide if I adore the pocket or mildly dislike the pocket. Either way, it’ll be lovely to see how you put it all together!
Comment by Susan B — February 14, 2008 @ 5:09 pm