Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted

It's such a great yarn for felting and for mittens and hats. We have over 35 colors in stock and carry many of the popular colors  The green shades shown above include yellow greens (Lime Sorbet is a variegated, while Limeade is a solid color) and the bluer Persian Peacock.

Here are some of the red/violet/blue colors including the sweet shade of Periwinkle and that luscious Sapphire. Mmmm, great for a little girl's hat and mittens.

And here are some of the brighter colors, including the variegated color Elderberry Wine. Orange You Glad is always a punchy orange, often turned to in projects that need some warmth and brightness.

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, made in the USA.
190 yards per 4 ounce pull skein
85% wool; 15% mohair

Little Zauberball Sock

I had fun knitting a little Zauberball sock. My favorite pair of big handknit socks (these are the socks that get tucked into my rollabout so my feet have some covering in cold hotel rooms) are Color 1507 in the yarn known as Crazy Zauberball.

Addi FlipStix are great for small circumference knitting like little socks. I cast on a bunch of stitches and ribbed for a few inches. Did a heel flap, turned the heel, and knit the gusset. A little foot knitting and a shaped toe followed.

Presto, Eduardo! There was the little Zauberball sock, and it was pretty much the miniature of my adult sized pair.

Zauberball Crazy -- sock weight yarn, 420 meters per 100 gram ball

Addi FlipStix -- set of 5 double pointed needles, one pointy end, one rounded end  I used the 2.75 mm size.

Hope this description gives you a glimpse of some fun little knitting ideas!

Happy knitting,

Wanda

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Originally posted in 2015

July KAL (Knit Along): Summer Mittens!

Who in their right mind would be thinking about mittens in the middle of the summer? Knitters! That's who!

We are delighted to offer "Unleashed," a convertible mitten pattern as the next Knit Along (KAL) from designer Michelle Hunter and the fine folks at Skacel. Michelle calls this project a gem with a handy flip top. This mitten will be perfect for texting, walking the dog, or even knitting outdoors.

Yarn for the mittens:  Simpiworsted by HiKoo, a 55% merino superwash, 28% acrylic, 17% nylon blend that comes in 140 yard hanks (100 grams). Gauge: approximately 4 stitches per inch on US #10 needles.

Needles for the mittens: US #6 and US #8 double pointed.

So-o-o, here's what we are offering for this project -- NEW needles and NEW yarn.

We have added FlipStix to our needle lineup. FlipStix are double pointed needles manufactured from high grade aluminum. They feature dual tips -- one end is an Addi Turbo tip and the other end is an Addi Lace tip. When you need to have that more pointy tip, you just flip the needle!

Addi FlipStix in 6" length

Simpliworsted comes in six colors of marl and four colors of multi colors. The yarn has generous yardage, crisp stitch definition, and unparalleled softness. Check out all these colors on our website, choose yours today, and place an order.

Simpliworsted Marl

Simpliworsted Marls, Simpliworsted Multis -- 140 yard hanks.

Knit Along website -- be sure to check it out before July 2nd!

Graywood Knits KAL FAQ blog post -- general information about our Knit Alongs

It's summer! We're knitting mittens! We're crazy! So what!

Happy knitting,

Wanda 

PS  Just so you know. Michelle is suggesting a solid color for this project, so I'm out on the limb offering the marls and multis here. If you'd like to follow her lead and use a solid color, consider using another of our excellent worsted weight yarns. I would suggest a superwash yarn like Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash. Try a red, like Shane's Red. You canot go wrong with a washable, durable quality yarn. 

PPS As always, you don't HAVE to use double pointed needles for mittens! You can knit this project using the magic loop method and a long circular needle, 32" length recommended.

Where Have You Been, Graywood Designs

It's been a long, long time since the last blog post and, yes, there is a reason for that pause.

Here at Graywood Designs we are making the shift from one website interface to another. The new site has some "backroom" features that we have been yearning for, so those of you who are regular customers will notice some new things.

Coupons. Yes, we plan to offer coupons via our Graywood Knits emails and our Facebook page. That will be kind of cool. Right now we don't have that capability and we know that many of our customers would appreciate some fun offers. Coupons will bring us that possibility.

Downloads. You will be able to download PDF patterns and knitting helps right on our new website. Our free patterns will be available there as well as our for sale patterns. 

Events. We offer four regular KALs (Knit Alongs) and those will be right up on our home page. Front and center, that's where we want our events to be, not buried three clicks deep on the blog or in a hard-to-retrieve email.

More yarn, more colors. The best thing about our website, though small, is the multiplicity of yarns and colors that we offer. We've expanded colors and yarns, and plan to add even more.

I say this somewhat guardedly, since having a lot of yarn is not the focus of the website. Instead, we strive to offer yarns for discriminating knitting -- natural fibers, blends of fibers, colors that go beyond the ordinary. And we strive to do that by bringing you hand picked yarns. We'd like a yarn purchase to be a reasonable purchase, yet we know that good results start with the best fibers that you can afford.

Excellence in Tools. Most knitters have lots of needles but only use certain brands and sizes from their stash. We are aware of the cost of the more expensive needles like the Addi Turbo line that we carry, but we also know that those myriad of hours that you spent knitting using really good needles will be hours of pleasure, not frustration. So, we stock premium tools that work. Period. End of sentence. No apologies here.

Finally, the new website will be coming on line sometime this summer, Lord willing and the creek don't rise! So I hope you will bear with us and be looking forward to the next best thing as we move from one "house" on the web to another one with a newer look. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, happy knitting,

Wanda

Hat Knit Along Starts July 3

Be ready for the next KAL from Michelle Hunter of KnitPurlHunter. The next project will be a two-color hat design. Michelle says this project (remember, it is always a surprise) is "brimming" with new techniques and that it is the perfect portable project for summer travels. 

Hmm, that sounds great! We are featuring 20 colors. You will find neutrals, some saturated colors, and HOT colors for summer on our website's choices of the yarn for this project, HiKoo Simplicity, a butter soft machine washable yarn. The photo shows 6 of the 20 colors that we carry. Just look at that purple! Red Hat Purple! Cool!

Here are the specifics:

Yarn: HiKoo Simplicity
Content: 55% Merino Superwash, 28% Acrylic, 17% Nylon
Skein size: 50 grams, 107 meters 
Label needle size: US #4-6, 5 stitches per inch

Hat size: The pattern is sized for baby (child, and adult). It uses two colors of HiKoo Simplicity.

Materials for KAL project:
+ HiKoo Simplicity - 1 (2, 2) hanks Main Color, 1 (1, 1) hank Contrasting Color
+ US #4 (3.5mm) needle – straight or circular
+ US #8 (5mm) 16" circular
+ US #8 (5mm) dpns or 32" circulars for Magic Loop method (for crown decreases)
+ Cable needle
+ One 3/4" button

If you want to guess at what Michelle's hat project might look at, HERE are some of her other designs.

And, if you just want to knit a hat this summer, try the Softie Hat, knit using one skein of sock yarn, that I designed. It is a free download on Ravelry and HERE is the link to my pattern. 

And, (whew, one more link!) HERE is the link to sock yarns on the Graywood Designs website.

Happy knitting,

Wanda

PS I couldn't wait to knit with this yarn so I started a scarf using Color 10 Deep Turquoise. The yarn is super soft, holds to the needles well, and flows through my fingers evenly. It is a delight to knit.

Serendipity Tweed Vest

I'm knitting a vest for cool golf days using Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed. The pattern is the same lace that I'm knitting as a cardigan for my daughter. 

The yarn is smooth and so pleasant to knit. Here's the link to the website where you can read more about this made in the USA yarn from the good folks at Brown Sheep in Nebraska. 

http://www.graywooddesigns.com/product.php?id=92

Walk In Wednesday -- April 30th

FREE Diagonal Squares Class -- Wed., April 30 -- 1-3 pm -- Graywood Studio

Join us this coming Wednesday for our first "Walk In Wednesday." There will be a FREE class in the afternoon. You can see and buy our website yarn in person.

There will be some discounts, just like on our website. We have a bin of charity yarn ready. Some of this yarn is leftover skeins, some has knots or nubs, and it is all great for one of a kind knitting.

We've discontinued some yarns and those are marked way down. Plus, there will be a free copy of our NRS Socks pattern for each person who stops by.

Wednesdays are the days that we ship orders from our website and we are guessing that a lot of you who live or visit the Thumb area of Michigan might like to see our shipping facilities and have a gander at all of the luscious yarns.

The FREE class will be a Diagonal Squares class from 1 pm to 3 pm. You'll learn how to knit a square with a center decrease that is connected by knitting to the next square. For the class, bring a pair of US #7 or 8 or 9 needles and one or two colors of worsted weight yarn. You'll need about 30 yards of each color.

So stop by and shop a bit. We'll be open 10 am to 4 pm. That's Wednesday, April 30, in Pigeon, at the Graywood Studio at 40B South Main Street.

Come around through the garden and in at the double door. Bring some knitting! We'd love to see you!