Fiddle Knits Designs

Crochet Beaded Wrap Bracelet

2012-01-10T10:34:00.003-05:00

Beaded wrap using crochet cotton and #6 seed beads

Not a crocheter? Pick up a beaded wrap bracelet in my Etsy shop, The Knitted Fiddle Boutique!

These crocheted wrap bracelets are a perfect instant gratification project! Whip one up in an afternoon and wear it out that evening. Depending on your choice of materials these bracelets will look great with casual attire or more formal wear.

Step 1: Gather materials.

Measuring tape
Size 3/1.5mm crochet hook
Beading needle
1 large closure bead (a 20 mm donut or 8mm glass bead works well)
Approximately 80–100 size 6 seed beads
Size 10 crochet thread

Step 2: Measure loosely around your wrist or neck and multiply by the number of wraps desired to determine how long your finished piece should be.

Example: my wrist is 6.5” and I wanted my bracelet to wrap 5 times so I need a finished length of 32.5”

Step 3: Use a beading needle to string all your beads. You can string extra for safety. Whatever you don’t need can easily be removed from the thread later.

Step 4: Start crocheting!

Chain 17*, slip stitch in 1st chain to form loop.

*This loop will hook over your large closure bead, so adjust number of chain stitches if necessary to accommodate your closure bead.

Chain 1, [chain 1 with bead, chain 2] repeat until bracelet measures about an inch shorter than desired length, chain 1 with bead, chain 1.

Cut thread and pull through last loop to make a knot.

Using a needle, pull thread through center of closure bead and through last stitch twice.

Wrap thread around base of bead several times and secure.

Finish the beginning loop end by wrapping thread just above loop (before first bead) and securing end by pulling under wraps.

What is “chain 1 with bead”?

To chain 1 with a bead simply slide a bead up thread until it’s snug against the last stitch you made. From here work a chain stitch as you normally would being careful not to let the bead get pulled through the loop.

Wrap bracelets are available at The Knitted Fiddle Boutique

Brava Worsted Yarn Review

2012-01-02T10:11:00.004-05:00

Comfort Zone in Brava Worsted "Cobblestone Heather"

Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Knit Picks Brava Worsted Yarn

Content: 100% Premium Acrylic

Weight: Worsted

Yardage: 219 yards (199 meters)

Grams: 100 grams

Care: Machine wash / Tumble dry low

Knitting Gauge: 4.5 sts = 1”

Recommended Needle Size: 7/4.5mm – 8/5mm needles

Crochet Gauge: 11 – 14 sc = 4”

Recommended Hook Size: I – K hooks

Number of Colors: 30

Price: $2.99 / Ball

Purchase Brava Worsted Yarn at KnitPicks.com

Manufacturers Description:

“Versatility meets affordability; Brava is a 100% acrylic yarn that will keep up with all of life’s adventures! Brava Worsted is a hard-wearing medium weight yarn that works wonders for projects where durability and easy-care is a must. With so much flexibility and a wonderful range of bright and vibrant colors, you will find endless possibilities for Brava Worsted. Make hats and scarves to show support for your favorite sports team, gift baby blankets and garments that new parents are sure to love, or simply use Brava Worsted for your charity projects.”

Brava Worsted Review

First impression: It’s soft! Definitely a nice feeling acrylic. Nothing like regular old Red Heart and not irritatingly shiny like Super Soft yarns. For an acrylic it’s a really nice yarn. I was pleasantly surprised at the first touch.

Use Brava yarns (it comes in sport, worsted, and bulky) for babies and children’s items as well as accessories, home decor items (it would be great for afghans!), and garments for non-knitters who might be unfamiliar with natural fiber care. Heck, use it for knits for yourself as well and give yourself a break from handwashing!

Brava Worsted comes in 30 colors! I love this. It’s important for a versatile yarn to be available in a wider range of colors otherwise the versatility might as well be null and void. The only comment I have on Brava’s colors is that I wish there were a few more heathers thrown in the mix. There are 2 grays, 2 browns, and a blue heather. It’s a good start. A purple, red, and green heather would have been nice to see to add depth to the crayon box.

Working With Brava Worsted

I enjoyed my experience working with Brava. It doesn’t “squeak” like a lot of 100% acrylics. Someone with less experience working with fine yarns probably wouldn’t even notice this, but there is a very faint “crunch” to the way Brava moves across the needles. (I use Knit Picks Harmony wood needles.) I pointed that out purely for honesty’s sake. The subtle crunch of the yarn didn’t interfere with my knitting speed or enjoyment. I could see it becoming a problem knitting the fabric more densely than I was, but that’s what the recommend gauge and needle size is there for.

Overview

For an acrylic I like it. I love color selection and there’s plenty to choose from with Brava, so finding the perfect shade shouldn’t be an issue.

Patterns Using Full Circle Bulky

Comfort Zone Mitts

*The yarn in this review was received complimentary from the manufacturer for test knitting & designing purposes. Reviewer was not otherwise paid, contracted, or obligated to review the yarn or product in this review.

Full Circle Bulky Yarn Review

2011-12-09T00:16:00.003-05:00

Staccato Beanie

Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

Knit Picks Full Circle Bulky Yarn

Content: 100% Wool

Weight: Bulky

Yardage: 110 yards (100 meters)

Grams: 100 grams

Care: Hand wash / Dry flat

Knitting Gauge: 3 – 3.75 sts = 1”

Recommended Needle Size: 10/6mm – 11/8mm needles

Crochet Gauge: 8 – 11 sc = 4”

Recommended Hook Size: K – M hooks

Number of Colors: 15

Price: $6.49 / Ball

Available only for a limited time!

Purchase Full Circle Bulky Yarn at KnitPicks.com

Manufacturers Description: “Take part in completing the cycle with Full Circle – a limited edition yarn that is made from recycled fibers! Full Circle is spun from a blend Merino and Highland wool fibers that would have otherwise been discarded. This allows the mill to reduce waste and conserve our valuable resources. A wonderful single ply bulky yarn, Full Circle works up into a dense fabric that is perfect for winter woolens to keep you warm. As with all Special Reserve yarns, Full Circle will only be around for a limited time!”

Full Circle Bulky Review

Loft and substance. Full Circle Bulky is a single ply yarn, so although it’s a bulky weight it has a nice airiness to it. At the same time, it’s not so lofty as to be insubstantial (like thinner yarns that have a generous halo making them knit up at larger gauges).

Warmth. This yarn is 100% wool. It’s warm and cozy and comfortable. Anything knit in Full Circle Bulky will be nice and toasty.

Single ply yarns have a special place in my heart. The rustic look of them appeals to me, so I was thrilled when the Full Circle yarns came out. (There’s also a Full Circle worsted weight.) My only regret with this yarn line is that it’s a limited edition!

I love the colors of Full Circle. I wish I could get a skein of each and make a collection of hats! All the colors are heathers, so they have a wonderful depth. They’re also rustic and earthy, even the purples. In the lineup we have 3 blues, 3 greens, brown, tan, grey, black, 2 purples, orange, red, and an orange/red.

Working With Full Circle Bulky

My first thought was, it knits so easily! I always work with Knit Picks Harmony wood needles and this yarn glides right over them. It made my knitting a real pleasure.

I decided to sit back and knit with this yarn the Friday after Thanksgiving. After the chaos of the holiday I needed a nice quick and easy project. Full Circle Bulky was the perfect choice, since, as I noted above, it’s a very comfortable and comforting yarn. The bulkiness is great for quick knit accessories like hats, chunky mittens, and cowls. I might even consider knitting a sweater in Full Circle Bulky, but I’m not 100% sure about that. Maybe a cardigan and not a pullover. That’s not to imply it’s scratchy and ill suited for next to the skin wear. Not at all. It’s actually quit soft. However, it’s very warm and I think such a warm bulky sweater would have me overheating. Perhaps if you live in a colder climate than Long Island it wouldn’t matter.

Overview

If you like single plies, wool, bulky yarns, and quick projects than Full Circle Bulky Yarn will be a great fit for you. This yarn will only be available for a limited time, so I recommend buying a skein or two or three in your favorite colors as soon as possible.

Fiddle Knits Patterns Using Full Circle Bulky

Staccato Beanie

*Yarn was received complimentary from the manufacturer for test knitting & designing purposes. Reviewer was not paid, contracted, or obligated to review the yarn or product in this review.

Biggo Yarn Review

2011-11-17T16:07:00.002-05:00

Biggo in Wonderland Heather

Rating: **** 4 stars (out of 5)

Knit Picks Biggo

Content: 50% Superwash Merino Wool, 50% Nylon

Weight: Bulky weight

Yardage: 110 yards

Grams: 100 gram hank

Care: Machine Wash, Tumble dry low

Knitting Gauge: 3 – 3.75 sts = 1"

Recommended Needle Size: US 10/6mm – 11/8mm needles

Crochet Gauge: 8 – 11 sc = 4''

Recommended Hook Size: K/6.5mm – M/9mm hooks

Number of Colors: 12

Price: $8.49

Purchase Biggo Yarn at KnitPicks.com

Manufacturer’s Description: This super soft blend of superwash merino and nylon is plied together into a light and lofty 2-ply yarn, making Biggo the perfect choice for easy care garments and accessories. The bulky gauge will have your projects flying off your needles and hooks in no time at all! Biggo is also well suited for cozy, oversized sweaters without the time commitment of finer weight yarns. Bulky, comfy and versatile – Biggo will have you longing for chunky knits all year long.

Biggo Review

The important part first: I love it. I’m weird with bulky yarns. Some of them are just too heavy, thick, and awkward to work with. Biggo wan’t any of these things to me. Yes, it’s a large gauge yarn, but it was still light and lofty. Ever have the feeling with bulky yarn that you might actually be knitting with rope? (Lion Brand Thick & Quick anyone?) Biggo doesn’t give you this impression at all. I agree wholeheartedly with Knit Picks description of their product. It’s definitely produces a great chunky knitted fabric.

When I received my first skein of Biggo in the mail I couldn’t stop hugging it. I don’t know if my enthusiastic squishing of the yarn tangled up the hank, or if it was already a little tangled, but when I opened it up to put on the swift I had to work for a minute to get it straightened out to wind. It wasn’t hard to do, I was just a little confused at first trying to open the hank up into a smooth loop. While winding the yarn it broke once. This can be frustrating, especially with thicker yarn since knots and woven ends are more obvious in your finished project at larger gauges.

My second skein of Biggo had absolutely no problems. No tangles and no breaks. I also didn’t use it as a teddy bear before winding it up. So, will the slight tangling and break in the first skein keep me from using this yarn again? Absolutely not! I’ve had much more expensive yarn break on me way more times. To me the way the yarn feels and knits up outweighs any problems I had.

Bum-Diddy Hat

Knitting With Biggo

Knitting with Biggo is a little like what knitting with a cloud must be like. Maybe it’s a lack of experience with bulky yarns (because there *must* be another lofty bulky yarn out there), but I’ve never used a yarn that was this weight and had this much loft to it.

I’m currently lusting after a cozy pullover knit from Biggo. Actually, I kind of want a sweater in every color this yarn comes in. For once a yarn line where I like more of the available colors than I don’t like! That amazes me a little. Maybe it’s because they’re heathers and not just flat colors. At any rate, there’s 12 colors in all. 3 blues (Calypso Heather, Wonderland Heather, and Sapphire Heather), brown (Reindeer Heather), a dark green (Forest Heather), pale green (Green Tea Heather), pale gray (Dove Heather), a grayish black (Asphalt Heather), 2 pinks (Dogwood Heather and Carnelian Heather), and 2 purples (Duchess Heather and Haze Heather). The color Haze is calling me particularly hard. A purple Haze sweater, how cool would that be?

If you like large gauge, quick knit projects then I’d recommend trying out this yarn. It would make great hats, mittens, scarves, afghans, pillows, sweaters, and slippers. For a single skein project try the Bum-Diddy hat, available for $2.99 from Knit Picks!

Fiddle Knits Patterns Using Biggo

Bum-Diddy Hat

*The yarn in this review was received complimentary from the manufacturer for test knitting & designing purposes. Reviewer was not otherwise paid, contracted, or obligated to review the yarn or product in this review.

Introducing Polka!

2011-11-01T17:59:00.000-04:00

Polka yarn from Fiddle Knits Fibers

There's a new yarn on the block and it's called Polka! This 2-ply superwash merino yarn is bouncy and full of life. I searched for a while looking for a fingering weight yarn with this texture and I'm so happy to have found it. The photo to the right is a closeup shot of an undyed skein of Polka. See the twist?

Because Polka is 100% merino it takes color incredibly well. Right now it's my favorite yarn to dye. As soon as possible I plan on designing something using a single skein (400 yards). Fingering weight yarns need single skein projects. It's just simply not possible to resist the temptation to buy/use hand dyed sock yarns and I, for one, don't like knitting socks. (Every time I say that I feel a little ashamed...) This means that I need other projects that can put the beauty of hand dyed fingering weight yarns to use. Shawlettes, cowls, gloves, mittens, hats, and fingerless mitts are some of my favorite things to knit and design. Polka will shortly be used for one or more of these designs. Can't wait!

Take a look at some of the colors available in Polka now:

Lady Grey (inspired by the tea) is a pale grey with orange, yellow, and lilac scattered throughout. This color is part of my new "Sip & Knit" colorway collection.

Lady Grey

Red Rooibos, also from the Sip & Knit collection, ranges from light to dark reds and browns. I dyed this colorway after seeing a pile of loose red rooibos tea leaves.

Red Rooibos

For now Red Rooibos and lady Grey are both only available on Polka yarn. However, either colorway can be dyed to order on a different Fiddle Knits base yarn. Please keep in mind when making requests that hand dyed yarns will vary between each batch. That's the beauty!

Shop Fiddle Knits Fibers

Little Bags

2011-10-26T19:26:00.001-04:00

Blue Floral Project Bag

I'm introducing something new to the Fiddle Knits Fiber shop on Etsy: project bags. These bags will be just big enough to carry a single skein project, like socks! Right now I have two designs available. One is a classic drawstring pouch. Setting these apart from all the other drawstring bags out there are the handmade kumihimo braids used for the drawstrings. The other style of bag, which you can see a sample of in my shop, is more of a hobo style sling bag, but smaller. The hobo tie bags measure approximately 8 inches wide by 11" tall (15" with the handle). Each bag size will vary slightly since they're all handmade.

Right now only one bag, the blue floral print, is up in the shop, but more will be coming as the days go by. As the Holidays approach you'll also start to see complete knitting kits turn up. These will include a project bag filled with a printed Fiddle Knits pattern, a skein of hand dyed yarn to make the pattern, and any extras (like buttons, beads or stitch markers) to complete the pattern.

Zombies!
Have you been keeping track of all the zombies coming and going in the shop? Zombie Strippers went up and down so fast! As did Zombies Ate My Boyfriend. My current favorite zombie color is called Lovestruck Zombie. It's blood red and white and charcoal.

Lovestruck Zombie

Another color has also been added to my "When In Love" collection. This one is bright red with gold undertones and called "Lust." The photos don't do it justice in my opinion.

"Lust"

Sugarbunny Yarn Review

2011-10-21T23:01:00.003-04:00

Snow Maiden Mitts knit in Sugarbunny

Rating: 4 Stars **** (out of 5 stars)

Knit Picks’ Sugarbunny

Content: 80% Merino Wool / 20% Angora

Weight: Worsted

Yardage: 136 yds (124 m)

Grams: 50 g.

Care: Hand was / dry flat

Knitting Gauge: 4.5 - 5 stitches per inch

Recommended Needle Size: US #6/4mm – 9/5.5mm

Crochet Gauge: 2.75 - 3.5 single crochet per inch

Recommended Hook Size: I – K

Number of Colors: 12

Price: $7.99 usd

Purchase Sugarbunny Yarn at KnitPicks.com

Sugarbunny is a limited time yarn!

Sugarbunny Review

Sugarbunny is the first “Special Reserve” yarn line from Knit Picks. Special Reserve yarns are limited edition offerings that are, as Knit Picks puts it, intended to “highlight extra-special fibers and unique blends.” Each Special Reserve yarn will be a unique blend. If you’re interested in trying one of these specialties don’t dawdle because once they’re gone they won’t be coming back.

Sugarbunny is a light worsted weight merino/angora blend. It’s soft to the touch and feels light enough to float away. The angora content forms a halo that surrounds two plies loosely twisted around each other.

The color range for Sugarbunny is decent. There isn’t any yellow, orange, brown, or tan represented. The closest is Topaz, a light honey brown. (It’s actually pretty much a mix of all the colors that are missing.) I personally don’t mind the lack of these few colors since there are others that I would work with. For neutrals there’s Black, White, Platinum (a very light silver gray), and Hawk (a medium gray).

Even though there are a few guy-friendly colors available I still probably wouldn’t choose this yarn to knit for my man. To me there’s something very feminine about it. Perhaps it’s just because my skein is White and delicate looking. I asked Chris if he would wear something knit from Sugarbunny and his response was that it looked “kind of girly.”

Working With Sugarbunny

As I mentioned above, Sugarbunny is comprised of 2 plies which are loosely twisted together. Using very pointy needles you might catch only a single ply, but this happened very rarely during my test knitting, so rarely that I myself wouldn’t take it into account. However, I felt the need to mention it anyway because some knitters may be more sensitive to this. With the double pointed Brittany Birch needles used on the Snow Maiden Mitts I never had a problem splitting the plies.

When I mentioned online that I received a skein of Knit Picks’s new Sugarbunny yarn I was immediately asked if it shed due to it’s angora content. Yes, it does. It’s got angora in it! I’ve personally never met anything angora that didn’t shed. That being said, it doesn’t shed too bad. I’ve set the skein of White Sugarbunny down on my olive green corduroy couch many times and the couch is fine. There are a few strands that get left behind here and there, but nothing to write home about. When I photographed the Snow Maiden mitts the model was wearing all black clothing. By the end of the photoshoot she was mildly fuzzy.

If I had several skeins of Sugarbunny I might try knitting a shawlette. It would be airy and warm and, I think, gorgeous. In Wine, a deep burgundy red, it would be luscious. What I wouldn’t want to knit in Sugarbunny would be a sweater. I feel like it would be warm and cozy, but that the halo created by the angora would drive me crazy when wearing it. I can see it attracting fuzz and causing my pants to look like a cat had been sitting in my lap. I think I’ll skip. Hats, mitts, mittens, scarves, and cowls would all be good choices for Sugarbunny.

Star Rating

The reason I gave Sugarbunny 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wasn’t completely bowled over by it. Sure, it’s a nice yarn, however, it’s not exquisite. It’s an affordable luxury yarn, which, I think, is a hard thing to be. I give Knit Picks kudos for doing it as well as they did.

Overview

Sugarbunny is lovely to work with. The yarn felt good slipping through my fingers and even better when worn as a fingerless mitt. I’d knit with this yarn again and would recommend trying a skein or two for an accessory project.

Patterns in Sugarbunny Yarn:

The Snow Maiden Fingerless Mitts

The Zombies Are In!

2011-10-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

Every season I plan on offering a limited time colorway collection in the Fiddle Knits Fiber Shop. This season I'm going zombies! I figured it was appropriate considering we're currently approaching Halloween. Naming the colors has been a blast.
Here's some show and tell:

Zombie Strippers

Brainzzz!

Zombies Ate My Boyfriend

Mutant Zombie

Yarn and Pattern Club!

2011-10-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

So I had this idea....
Now that I'm dying yarn I want to start putting the dying and designing together. My first idea was kits. I'll still get to that, but I had another idea that I'm really excited about:

A shawlette and yarn club!

What do you think? You'll be able to buy a spot in the club via my Etsy shop. Subscriptions will be for 3 or 6 months. Each shipment will include 1 skein of an exclusive hand dyed colorway and a full color printed shawlette pattern from Fiddle Knits Designs. The yarn will be dyed on a wool or wool blend base and will have enough yardage to complete the shawlette design for that month. Colorways will be available to club members only. (Designs will be available to the public after club members receive their shipment.)

I'll be offering a choice of color tones so you get yarns you love! When checking out (via Etsy) you can leave a message to seller. In this message box I'd like you to tell me whether you would like to receive cool or warm tones colorways. Warm tones will revolve around the main colors of red, orange, yellow, and brown. Cool tones will include greens, blues, purples, and gray/black. Also in this message box you'll be able to let me know if you'd like your yarn prewound into a cake so you can get knitting right away.

Before I open sign ups there are a few details I'll have to figure out (like exact pricing and shipping costs). I'd also like to get the shawls designed so they can get test knit and perfected before going out to subscribers. Taking all this into consideration I'd say I could open club subscriptions at the end of this year and beginning sending shipments out in mid January. What's everyone's thought on this? Would signups be too close to the holidays? So you wouldn't want to spend the money on yourself? Or is this good and you coud tell a friend or spouse to buy you a subscription as a gift? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Take It As A Compliment

2011-10-12T20:39:00.000-04:00

I've heard rumors of knitters being offended when nonknitters remark that something they've made looks store bought. When I first started knitting I jumped on the bandwagon and said "how could they compare what I did to what you find in a store?!" I don't think I ever really believed it was bad, though. I just kinda thought I was supposed to say it. Really, I don't understand. We're talking about nonknitters here. They don't know how much the yarn costs, the techniques involved, or the time it takes. All they know is that sweater looks nice, they'd wear it, and they could never make it because they don't possess the necessary skills. So why be offended when this nonknitter notices your latest creation and states, "really you *made* that?! It looks storebought!" Take it how they intended it, as a compliment to your great and mysterious knitting skills.

I bring all this up now because I just finished knitting a hat for my sister as a birthday gift. The hat, Lydian, is intended for my upcoming hat collection called In The Mode. It's knit from Karabella Aurora 4, a sport weight extrafine merino yarn. Everything knit from this yarn has a professional polished quality to it. When Annalee put the hat on her head my first thought was, "wow, that looks like I bought it." How do ya like that, huh? A couple days later I found out that one of Annalee's friends commented that it looked like it was purchased and not handmade. I don't know about you, but I'm going to take it as a compliment and run with it.

Karabella Aurora 4

2011-10-12T20:29:00.002-04:00

Rating: 5 stars *****

Content: 100% extrafine merino wool

Yardage: 197

Ball Weight: 50 grams

Gauge: Sport weight / 6.5 stitches per inch

Needle Size: 3/3.25mm – 4/3.5mm

Texture: Plied, smooth

Available Colors: 24

Price: $9.85 (approx.)

I’m going to put this out there right up front. I love Karabella Aurora yarns – 4 (sport), 8 (worsted), and bulky. All three make me squirm a little when I get to knit with them. Aurora 4 is a very light sport weight. I’d say it sits on the border between fingering and sport and depending on the stitch pattern of your project you could use it equally well for designs calling for either weight.

Aurora 4 has great elasticity. When you touch it you know you’re working with a quality product. Occasionally I’ll hold a strand in my hands and pull on either end just for the pleasure of watching the yarn bounce back. Finished items in Aurora 4 have a polished professional look to them.

I personally would use Aurora 4 for hats, mittens, mitts, gloves, arm warmers, scarves, cowls, sweaters. What I wouldn’t use it for would be socks, bags/purses, or anything felted. I’m not sure about shawls or shawlettes. I can see it going either way. The fabric would be great. The stitches would look good. However, I just don’t think it would be my first choice for shawl knitting.

I rate this yarn 5 out of 5 stars.

Fiddle Knits pattern in Karabella Aurora 4:

Harmonic Hat

Melodic Hat

Polyrhythms Hat

When In Love... With Yarn

2011-10-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

I started out this yarn dying venture aiming for all sorts of crazy colored skeins. (Groove and Better Together were some of the first.) After seeing numerous color concoctions exit the dyepot Chris asked if I was ever going to dye a solid. Well, that's no fun I thought. I've never been a fan of completely solid colors. They're too flat. Kettle dyed semi solid, however, are another story. I love tonals (and heathers and tweeds, but I can't dye those). So with that idea in my mind I set out to create a line of "as solid as I can manage" colors. At this point there are 5 colorways (definitely more to come) that I call my When In Love collection. Sappy name, huh? Sometimes I just can't help but be sentimental!

"Kiss"

Watermelon pink. Sugary sweet. “Kiss” is a semi solid kettle dyed colorway.

"Bear Hug"

This color is warm and welcoming like a great big bear hug from the one you love. It’s a blending of light and medium toned browns.

"Denied"

This is the color of love denied. Muddy purple with an overtone of gray.

"Wink"

This color is soft and sweet like an innocent wink. The blue in this color leans toward periwinkle purple while still remaining most definitely blue. Very light blue, almost white, shines through.

"Green Eyed Monster"

We’ve all been a little green with jealousy when in love, haven’t we? This colorway is mainly chartreuse with patches of darker green and teal.

Three More in the Store

2011-10-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

Three more skeins went up in the Fiddle Knits Fiber Shop today along with a create your own knit kit. A little show and tell:

"Gothic Purple" on Fiddle String Base

Dark and mysterious. This yarn yarn calls your name… Pulling you into it’s depths… You see purple, deep and lustrous, with hints of softer lilac peering through the dark midnight black that surrounds it. This color is regal, beautiful, and sensuous... waiting to be worked up into something lovely.

"Earth" on Dye-A-Tonic Base

Earth is a one of a kind colorway. This skein was first dyed green and then overdyed with blue.

"Better Together" on Dye-A-Tonic Base

A melding together of royal purples and golds. This skein of Better Together is heavier on the orange/gold side than the lilac.

That's all for today folks. I've been completed stuffed up and I think it's time to call it a night. Hopefully I can get more yarn skeined up and photographed tomorrow, weather permitting.

New Skeins in the Shop!

2011-10-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

Three new colorways hit the Fiddle Knits Fibers shop today. One skein sold right away. (Yay!) The color that zipped in and out of the shop was Fall Fire, a blend of chestnut, gold, burnt orange, and deep red. I'll be dying the colorway again soon, but on my Swoolk base instead of Dye-A-Tonic.

"Fall Fire" on Dye-A-Tonic Base

Soulful is probably my favorite color listed today. Potentially even my favorite color I've dyed recently. It's a lively blend of deep brown, black, and a range of turquoises. I love the contrast in the colors. Honestly, I wish I could keep this one! I think it would look stunning knit up as the Sugared Berries Shawlette.

"Soulful" on Dye-A-Tonic Base

The third skein I listed today is called Groove. It took me *forever* to think of a worthy name for this color. I wanted to list it yesterday, but I was so stumped on what to call it. Nothing seemed to stick. This skein is gold, teal, royal, lilac, turquoise, and a few colors in between. This yarn would look good in a simple sock or shawlette pattern that let the colors stand center stage.

"Groove" on Dye-A-Tonic Base

I'm so looking forward to snagging a few of my own colorways and designing a new shawlette. I need a new accessory for myself this Fall/Winter. I wore Sugared Berries all last year and loved having a shawlette. I don't know why it took me so long to realize how fun they are to knit and how cute they are to wear! This year I think I want a blue shawl, or maybe brown.... Hmmm... Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Fiddle Knits Fibers

2011-10-01T17:24:00.001-04:00

Coming Soon! Dye-A-Tonic in "Soulful"

Hand dyed yarns are now popping up in the Fiddle Knits shop on Etsy. At this point you can find selections in both the Swoolk (fingering) and Fiddle Strings (lace) lines.

Most recently listed are "Lucky" in Swoolk base:

And "Red Maple" in Fiddle Strings base:

Hand Dyed Yarns from Fiddle Knits!

2011-09-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to start sharing my latest fibery adventure!

Dye-A-Tonic -- "Earth"

Currently there are three yarn lines: Dye-A-Tonic, Swoolk, & Fiddle Strings.

Dye-A-Tonic is my main obsession right now. It's a fingering weight superwash merino/nylon blend. These skeins have 462 yards making them great for socks or, my personal favorite, shawlettes! With a single skein of this yarn you can complete my Frosting Shawlette, Sugared Berries Shawlette, or the Blackberry Blossom Scarf. Of course, you could also use Dye-A-Tonic for any of my sock patterns as well– Red Bird, SnakeWinder, and June Apple.

Swoolk -- "Lucky"

Swoolk is also a fingering weight yarn. This one is a 70% merino/30% silk fiber. The silk content gives the yarn a subtle sheen. Skeins have 440 yards. Still enough for a pair of socks or a small shawlette, scarf, or cowl. I don't currently have pattern support specifically for this yarn, but it's coming! Swoolk will be the first of my yarn lines to get it's very own pattern. Not to completely spill the beans, but it'll most likely be a shawlette.

Fiddle Strings - "Favorite Jeans"

Fiddle Strings is a lace weight 100% merino yarn. Skeins have 880 yards to their 100 gram weight. At the moment Fiddle Knits Designs doesn't have any patterns for lace weight, so this will be something new and exciting all around.

Buying Fiddle Knits Yarns
Hand dyed yarns are available in my Etsy Shop: http://www.FiddleKnits.etsy.com. You can get there directly through that link, or via the hand dyed yarns page on my website. The website will keep track of all the colorways offered and give a description of each yarn line.

Fiddle Knits Kits
Once I get designs specifically for each of these yarns you'll start to see Fiddle Knits Kits available via my Etsy shop. A knit kit will include a skein of hand dyed yarn and a full color printed pattern.

First Friday Shrug

2011-09-08T14:47:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the Holiday Gifts issue of Interweave Knits? If you ave then you might have noticed a Fiddle Knits design amongst the other wonderful patterns in this issue!

First Friday Shrug

The First Friday shrug is knit from Malabrigo lace on size 3 / 3.25mm needles. Yes, it's lots of stockinette on tiny needles, but it feels so divine to be wrapped in this shawl! The Malabrigo lace floats and moves with you. Armholes allow for maximum movement so pretty doesn't slow you down.

The First Friday design begins with a provisional cast on. If you use scrap yarn to hold the live cast on stitches while you work make sure to choose something with a high cotton or other plant fiber content. If you don't you might find the live stitches begin to felt closed, especially if you choose to work your piece from a single ply wool yarn like Malabrigo Lace.

Interweave Holiday Gifts 2011

Purchase print or digital copy for $14.99 USD

Slow Cooked Chicken Stew: A Little Sweet, A Little Savory

2011-09-07T15:59:00.002-04:00

When Chris and I moved one of the things on our essentials list was a slow cooker. Mostly we got it because we wanted to make pulled pork. We also figured it would be helpful for those days when I'm on design deadlines and Chris is at work all day. The thing is, neither of us had ever cooked in a slow cooker before and our recipe repertoire for it was blank. This means a lot of experimenting. Thus far they've all been successful. Last night I put together this chicken recipe. I don't believe in measuring very much when I cook. Instead I go with the "whatever seems right" method. In the recipe below I gave the amounts on any ingredient that I did take note of.

Serve over rice or with biscuits or naan.

Ingredients

Dry Rub
(use enough of each spice so the combined ingredients can throughly coat all the chicken)

brown sugar, approx 2 tbl spns
cinnamon, 1/2 tsp
cumin
chili powder
black pepper
paprika
garlic powder
oregano
rosemary
celery salt

4 Thick-cut boneless chicken breast

Potatoes, cubed

1 large tomato, sliced thick

1 cup water

chicken bouillon (proper amount for 1 cup liquid)

1 bay leaf, black pepper, rosemary

1 Tbl spn lemon juice

1 large onion, sliced

5-6 large garlic cloves, sliced or minced

olive oil

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

Flour

Prepare

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.

Place potatoes in cooker. Cover with water, bouillon, lemon juice, bay leaf, rosemary, and black pepper.

Place sliced tomatoes over potatoes.

Combine all ingredients for dry rub and fully coat each chicken breast. Lay chicken over tomatoes.

Layer onion mix over chicken.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

When chicken in done (make sure inner temp is 170) mix flour, milk, and cream in a bowl and add to cooker. Cook on high for about 15 minutes to thicken sauce.

Serve over rice or with biscuits.

In the Works: Ionian

2011-09-06T17:33:00.001-04:00

It's a miserable rainy day here on Long Island. Perfect for knitting, which is exactly what I've been doing! There are 2 designs currently on my needles – a bath rug and a unisex beanie. I've been favoring the beanie today because it has a little more going on. (The rug is a good social project, but it doesn't keep my attention well when it's just me and my knitting.) I've dubbed this beanie "Ionian." It will eventually be a part of another collection of hats named after musical modes. The Dorian slouch hat will also have a place in this collection. When will it come out? At the moment I have no idea. Sorry folks! This collection is in the very beginning stages. If I don't have it ready by January 2012 then I'll probably end up holding it until next September. Yikes! A whole year away! That's really not that unusual in the design world, especially when you're talking about putting together an entire collection (or book or magazine). It takes a decent amount of time to write, knit, edit, and photograph several designs. For now I've taken a photo of Ionian on my needles so you can get an idea where it's headed:

The Ionian beanie in progress

Excuse the poor photo quality. Miserable rain is good for knitting, but not so good for photography!

As you can see, Ionian is a cabled design. The pattern will be offered in 2 or 3 adult sizes and also in baby/toddler sizes with smaller ribbing and cables. Matching father and son beanies anyone?

Back to knitting! Maybe I'll pull out the bath rug and get some work in on that too.

On the Road: Stops 1 & 2

2011-09-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

When I began organizing the Shades of Green tour it seemed so far away, but stops 1 and 2 have already been complete!

Stop 1 on the tour brought us to the Knit-a-While blog hosted by Ida. Here you can read an interview with me as well as get Ida's opinions on the collection.

Stop 2 is the Knit Girllls videocast hosted by Laura and Leslie. Response to collection has been great over here. (I just finished reading through the comments!)

Remember, at each stop on the tour there will be a giveaway for a PDF copy of the Shades of Green Collection. Mark your calendars for the remaining stops:

Friday, September 9 – Sunset Cat Designs blog hosted by Stephanie
Wednesday, September 14 – Rainlover Knits videocast by Sarah
Thursday, September 22 – Crafty Girly (Deco Handspun) blog hosted by Lissette
Friday, September 30 – Subway Knits podcast hosted by Maria
Friday, October 7 – Knits with Benefits blog hosted by Kate

A Certain Shades of Green Shawl

Garden Grove Slouch Hat

Blackberry Blossom Scarf

Cutting Ferns Shawl

Peridot Tunic

Serpentine Beanie

Baby Greens Beanie

Leafy Greens Hat

Travel Mug Cozies

Green With Envy Hat

Shades of Green Goes on Tour!

2011-08-19T10:16:00.001-04:00

The Shades of Green Knitting Collection is all ready to head out on tour! Beginning at the end of this month the collection will be visiting several blogs and casts to give you different perspectives on the designs. At each stop there will be a giveaway for a copy of the collection. Make sure you tune in for all the details!

Don't want to wait for the official tour to begin? Fibernymph did a lovely review of the collection on the latest episode of her videocast – 90% Knitting. The discussion of Shades of Green begins around 35 minutes.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, August 30 – Knit-a-While blog hosted by Ida
Sunday, September 4 – The Knitgirllls blog/videocast hosted by Laura and Leslie
Friday, September 9 – Sunset Cat Designs blog hosted by Stephanie
Wednesday, September 14 – Rainlover Knits videocast by Sarah
Thursday, September 22 – Crafty Girly (Deco Handspun) blog hosted by Lissette
Friday, September 30 – Subway Knits podcast hosted by Maria
Friday, October 7 – Knits with Benefits blog hosted by Kate

Dishie Yarn Review

2011-08-19T00:06:00.002-04:00

Knit Picks Dishie

Content: 100% Cotton
Weight: Worsted Weight
Knitting Gauge: 4.5 sts = 1" on #7 - 8 needles (4.0mm-5.5mm)
Crochet Gauge: 11–14 sc = 4'' on I - K hooks (5.5 mm-6.5 mm)
Amount: 190 yards/100 gram ball
Care: Machine wash/ tumble dry

Buy Dishie Yarn at KnitPicks.com

Dishie Yarn Review

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like a lot of cotton yarns are stringy, especially those marketed for kitchen and bath craft projects. This is what I expected to get from a yarn called ‘Dishie.’ However, I was pleasantly surprised when I received the yarn and found something that was very obviously a 100% cotton, but was also very much yarn and not like the stuff I’d use to tie up my tomato plants in the garden.

Dishie doesn’t split or twist up on you as you work. The tight spin of the yarn makes it very durable, so feel free to use it in projects that see a lot of wear. I can also happily report that I didn’t encounter any knots or snags in the 4 skeins I used during my review process.

The 190 yards per skein is nice. It’s a bit more than you’ll find in the ever popular Lily Sugar’n Cream Solid, which offers 120 yards a skein. At the same time, it’s also a little more expensive at $3.99 versus Lily’s suggested retail of $2.49 to $2.89 for their solid colors. (Ombres are more expensive since they have a mere 95 yards per skein.) Taking yardage and price into consideration both yarns come out to be nearly equal in the bang you get for your buck.

I honestly couldn’t come up with any negative comments on this yarn. There was nothing that jumped out at me and said ‘look out!’ My only neutral comment would be on the color selection. The range is decent, but basic and crayon like. At the same time I can also say that the colors are very rich and vibrant. I was happy to see neutrals like Linen, Coffee, and Swan among the lineup.

Working With Dishie Yarn

I was happy with both the knit and crocheted fabric produced by Dishie yarn. I wouldn’t recommend attempting complicated texture patterns or colorwork with it, but that’s a pretty standard stipulation of worsted weight cottons.

Dishie is a good basic cotton yarn that will hold up well to frequent use and machine washing. Choose it for all your kitchen and bath crafts such as sponges, washcloths, towels, bathrobes, trivets, coasters, and rugs. Dishie would also work up well in baby and children’s garments, or even adult outerwear like a pullover hoodie.

Try Dishie with a free crochet bath puff pattern.

Black Beans on Rice

2011-08-18T13:27:00.000-04:00

This dish has become one of my easy go-to favorites. Sometimes I use the salsa, sometimes I don't.

Ingredients

Salsa

lime juice
chopped onion
cilantro
salt & pepper

Beans & Rice

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbl spn dark brown sugar
1 Tbl spn cumin
1 1/2 tspn oregano
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans
3/4 cup white wine
Salt & pepper
3 cups cooked rice

Prepare

In a large frying pan warm olive oil.

Add onion, pepper, garlic, parsley, brown sugar, cumin, oregano.

Cook until peppers and onions are soft. (About 10 minutes.)

Add beans and white wine. Simmer until reduced by one fourth.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice. Spoon salsa over rice and beans as desired.

Green Goes... Purple

2011-07-30T08:55:00.000-04:00

Blackberry Blossom Scarf

The latest pattern in the Shades of Green collection isn't actually green at all. What's up with that? I just felt like it. That's what! If you want to stretch the limits of green you could look very closely at Blackberry Blossom and see greenish blue patches scattered across it. Believe it or not, the yarn was originally supposed to be a green/blue color. The dark purple came about as a result of my less than professional abilities to dye yarn. I didn't get what I wanted to I just kept adding other colors. I was very surprised the yarn came out looking as it did. I can't complain, despite having messed up, because I really like the result. A happy accident. I decided I'd use the yarn anyway. So there you have it, the reason behind green going purple.

Blackberry Blossom is a shawlette, cowl, and scarf all in one. The design begins with casting on for the longest edge first. (Yes, it's a very long cast on. I won't even try and deny it. However, it balances out when you realize each row you work after that is getting shorter.) The last row worked is the inner neck edge. This is where the magic happens. A picot stitch bind off serves as embellishment and also functions as buttons loops. Small buttons placed all along the inner "v" allow you to wrap the ends around your neck and fasten Blackberry into a cowl using those picots we just mentioned.

In the end, despite the mistakes and wrong turns along the way, I'm happy with Blackberry Blossom. I hope you love it too!

Blackberry Blossom buttoned up

Don't have time to knit? Can't knit?

Check out the Knitted Fiddle Boutique for handknit designer originals like Blackberry Blossom.

Cutting Ferns Shawl

2011-07-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Cutting Ferns Shawl

Last Friday saw the release of another design from the Shades of Green Collection. This one, Cutting Ferns, has quickly become one of my favorite shawls.

What do I love about Cutting Ferns?
The pattern uses bulky yarn and size 10.5/6.5mm needles.
There are only 71 rows.
The longest row is just 201 stitches long.
The large leaf lace makes a very wearable design.

Cutting Ferns is worked from the top center wingspan out and down. All increases are formed with yarn overs. Three different decreases are used, all of which are written out in the stitch guide included in the pattern for easy access.

Purchase the Cutting Ferns Shawl Pattern

$5.00 PDF download

Shades of Green Knitting Collection – Are there several pattern in the Shades of Green collection that catch your attention? Sign up to receive the remaining designs as they're released (and the final copy including all of them together) and save a bundle! The price of individual downloads for these patterns comes in at around $40. Purchasing the entire collection is just $18! Visit the Shades of Green Collection page for all the details.