TGV with Hand Dyed Yarn

TGV: High Speed Knitting




"TGV" is a pattern available for purchase from designer Susan Ashcroft on Ravelry.  The pattern link is HERE.   I've admired the pattern for years but never tried until this past week.  The pattern reflects TGV stands for two things:

TGV = train grande vitesse (high speed train)
but also
TGV = tricot grande vitesse (high speed knitting).


I had to look up TGV.  It is France's intercity high-speed rail service.  The pattern name does not lie... this is one quick knit. I loved it!  I am sure I will make this pattern again.  Ordinarily I see this pattern knit in yarn that changes colors very slowly to give the wrap a cool striped effect, but I recently saw the pattern knit up in a variegated yarn and I liked the look.

This is yarn I dyed myself!  A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to take an all day class at my local knit shop (Yarned and Dangerous in Canon City, Colorado).  The class was offered by Peggy Doney of "The 100th Sheep".  I will tell you more about the class and the dyeing process we used in another post sometime soon. For now, I will just show you some great shots of my TGV.  I love how nicely this project drapes.  I think it will be a very wearable garment (in a variety of ways) once the temperatures get a bit cooler outside.  Below you'll see some photos of the yarn I used and the shape of the shawl.

Skyline Drive Hitchhiker

Skyline Drive Hitchhiker



Yipee!  My latest project is done!  If you are keeping track, this is Hitchhiker #5 for me.  I added beads.  I blogged about this project just a few days ago; you can read more about this project HERE.



I am really enjoying knitting with beads lately. I've cast on a new pattern in gorgeous yarn with amazing beads.  Both were purchased at the Interweave Yarn Fest in Loveland, Colorado, back in April 2018. I'll give you a sneak peek sometime soon after I get a few more rows done.

More Socks

Plymouth Diversity Socks with FLK Heel

More socks. Another WIP is.... done!

Yarn: Plymouth Diversity

52 stitches on 2.75 mm needles

Fish Lips Kiss Heel





Knitting on the couch...

Knitting on the back patio... knit. Knit. KNIT. 

Hitchhiker #5 "Skyline Drive"

Hitchhiker #5 "Skyline Drive"



I am making another Hitchhiker shawl with super special yarn. This is another project being knit up with yarn from "Andromeda Sock Yarn".  A few posts back, I shared a story about my local yarn shop (Yarned and Dangerous in Canon City, Colorado) and a local Indie Yarn Dyer. Andromeda Sock Yarn approached the shop owner, Ann, and offered to hand dye some special yarn for the shop.  Ann asked me if I had any ideas and I mentioned yarn that displayed the beautiful colors of our local area. We are high mountain desert here and are known as Colorado's Climate Capital.  Our elevation is more than 5,300 feet above sea level and it doesn't rain much (about 12 inches each year).  We have brilliant blue skies, red rocks, cacti, and green trees and foliage of all sorts.

The Indie Dyer from Andromeda made this yarn and called it "Skyline Drive".  Skyline Drive is an amazing spectacle that looms over the west side of Canon City.  It's a one way road that travels along a rocky ridge where the Earth has lifted up.  Below you can see just a few photos that I had saved in my phone; these are all photos I've taken from hikes on and below Skyline Drive.  In order to REALLY appreciate what Skyline Drive is all about, I encourage you to check out this amazing video. Click HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO.  You can find many videos just like this one on YouTube.  Just search for "Skyline Drive Canon City, Colorado".

Here are some of my favorite personal photos of the area. What do you think? Do you think Andromeda Sock Yarn captured the colors of Skyline Drive?  I do and I am loving the project that I am knitting with this very special yarn.

Malabrigo Waffle Cowl

Malabrigo Waffle Cowl



I went to the Interweave Yarn Fest in April 2018 and... believe it or not... I only bought one skein of yarn and this is it.  Malabrigo Yarn is one of those yarns I see on line and I think to myself.... "If you find this yarn in person, you must buy it!"  So I did.  The booth where I found this yarn had a waffle-rib-sort-of-cowl knit up as a sample and the salesperson did not know the name of the pattern. I studied the sample a bit and tried to duplicate it at home. This is my result.



I was a bit disappointed when I tried this cowl on.  It was a little shorter than I had hoped. I was lamenting the fact that I could have started with four stitches fewer for a narrower and longer cowl. I decided to soak the cowl and try to block and stretch it to make it a bit longer.  The cowl does look longer now after blocking, but it also drapes more nicely and naturally now (it was kind of stiff before blocking).  The photos above show the cowl AFTER blocking and the photos below show the cowl BEFORE blocking.  I think I am happier with this project now.  Also below you will see a photo of the pretty skein of yarn.  It reminds me of a stained glass window.

The yarn is Malabrigo brand and the yarn type is "Caracol". The colorway is "684 Camaleon"





Finally, below you will see how much yarn I had left.  Just two grams!   You can also see how unique this yarn is.  It's reminds me of really narrow strands of roving and the roving is wrapped in thick black thread.  This yarn is a "super bulky" yarn. I loved working with this yarn and am glad this project is all done.

Brickless

Brickless

"Brickless" is another pattern from German Designer Martina Behm.  I love her designs.  In fact, I am working on two other projects using her patterns right now and have two more I am itching to cast on.  Thankfully I am really in a mood to finish up some projects which have been lingering so I will try to refrain from casting on new things for a little while.



I love how this project turned out!  The yarn is from Brooks Farm Yarn in Lancaster, Texas.  www.brooksfarmyarn.com They attended the Salida Fiber Festival (Salida, Colorado) a few years back and I found this yarn in their booth.  Of course I bought the yarn for an entirely different purpose, but I am glad I decided to try out the Brickless pattern with this yarn. It was a very good match. The yarn is called "Trio"; it is a blend of wool, alpaca, and silk.  It was great to work with and just looks and feels great after soaking and blocking.  The Brickless pattern is NOT a free pattern, but it's worth the purchase.  There is net lace portion, a garter portion, and a ribbed portion.  I just kept repeating the different sections until I just about ran out of yarn (I had 6 grams of yarn remaining).   The Brickless pattern calls for worsted weight yarn; I have also seen folks knit this pattern in fingering/sock weight yarn with very nice results.  I found it interesting that the pattern called for US Size 6 needles and worsted weight yarn; ordinarily, I would use slightly larger needles with worsted weight yarn.

It's fun to meet the folks behind the yarn when you attend fiber festivals such as the Salida Fiber Festival.  I love seeing the gals from Wooly Wonka and Greenwood Fibers.  I will never forget the gentleman from whom I purchases this Brooks Farm Yarn. When I was in the booth, I said to the seller, "Oh, I see you are from Lancaster, Texas."  I pronounced the town's name.... LAN-CAS-TER, with equal emphasis on each syllable.  He told me repeatedly that I was pronouncing it incorrectly and I remember repeating the town's name back to him "correctly" with his pronunciation.  He pronounced it something like "LANG-cas-ter".  All of the emphasis was on the first syllable and it sounded more like "LANG" instead of "LAN".  It still makes me chuckle to this day. It was a really funny exchange with this friendly Texas gentleman from Brooks Farm Yarn.  I love it when a project or a hank of yarn has a story to go along with it.



Brickless pattern link:  Click HERE

Yarn source: Click HERE