Stories in the Making

If you're just starting out, or don't know what I mean by "reading" your knitting, let me first direct you to these two excellent series of blog posts: "Reading" Your Knitting (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Talena Winters The Secret to Becoming a Great Knitter! (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Felicia of the Craft Sessions These are great starting points for mastering this skill.  The best way to learn to "read" the stitches you are or have knitting, however, is practice.  Keen observation of what the yarn is doing in your hands as you complete each knitted stitch, decrease,...

So many great projects and patterns this month! Liz wore her Sunshine Coast sweater by Heidi Kirrmaier, made with Lang Seta Tweed. Valerie showed off her finished and blocked Croeso, Lace & Cable Shawlette by Camille Coizy Delahaie, made with Viking of Norway Alpaca Silk Erin brought in her Cascades pullover by Michele Wang, made with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter Karen showed her All About That Brioche shawl by Lisa Hannes, made with Paca Peds - Alpaca, Superwash Wool & Nylon. Terri brought in her tiny Raindrops pullover by Tin Can Knits for a new baby, made with Knit Picks Kettle...

In April, Yarn Club welcomed one of its members, Katherine Matthews, the artist and designer behind Purl Diving, the Guelph-based and -inspired yarn line. For the meeting, Katherine designed and dyed a custom colourway based on Emily Carr's painting Big Raven, based on a Yarn Club member vote of Canadian paintings. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Big Raven by Emily Carr (1931)[/caption] To achieve the colourway that she was satisfied with, Katherine went through many iterations, fine tuning her colours with each new batch: During her talk, Katherine shared some great online resources for finding your own colour inspirations, and becoming...

Here are most of the lovely and plentiful projects & patterns shared at the April meeting.  If you missed sending in your pictures, and it's not available on Ravelry, feel free to email me and I will be happy to update! Marilyn brought in her Ua Shawl test knit in Tosh Merino Light Marilyn also showed off her colourful Talulah Shawl using a variety of fingering weight yarn including Twinkle Toes by Dye Version Liz wore her Enchanted Mesa sweater made with The Black Lamb Merino DK Valerie brought in her Chiara Snood made with Misti Alpaca Handpainted Lace Laura...

In Part 1 I gave a brief overview and resources dealing with colour theory and how to use it effectively in your yarn craft. When I think about colour, however, the theory of the choices we make only accounts for half of the colour equation.  I believe that, in order to get a fuller picture of colour and how it motivates us, we should also consider how we perceive colour, physically, as well as emotionally and culturally.  Regardless of what the theory tells us is "right" in terms of schemes and contrast balance, colour choice is ultimately subject to an individual's...