Life LackaDaisiCal

 Hi there knitters! While in some aspects this has been a slow moving year what with all the pandemic restrictions; from a knitting aspect, it seems to me that it has flown by! It’s mid August and I’ve just finished another summer yarn project. It’s Neyah, from Kim Hargreaves’ latest collection Ravish. Featuring....CREATIVE LINEN by Rowan Yarns (Formerly Creative Focus Linen by Nashua Yarns) Creative Linen is a 50/50 Linen/Cotton plied DK weight yarn. Creative Linen is offered in 100 gram hanks, 210 metres (219 yards). It is odd that the Creative Focus Linen, with exactly the same yardage is listed as a worsted weight yarn.....hmmmm....... Recommended gauge is 21 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (recommended needle size is 4.5mm, US 7) I’ve been wanting to try Creative Linen for years! Seriously! About half way through finishing Rhianwen, I decided that this was the year to try Creative Linen (wth my new found appreciation for summer knits). Since Rhianwen was a #stashappy2020 project...

Rhianwen, Rowan Magazine 41 © Rowan Yarns Doesn’t this just make you want to pack your bags and jump on a plane to Morocco! Ah yes, maybe in the days before this global pandemic .... but we can dream of the day when we will be able to travel freely and safely. In the meantime....let me tell you about this spectacular Vintage Rowan design. Let me set the scene. February 2007, I’d just received my subscriber copy of Rowan Magazine 41. It always feel strange to receive a book of  “spring and summer” designs in what is usually our coldest month here in Southern Ontario....but that’s the way knitting seasons go...you are always planning ahead...right? © Rowan Yarns Rhianwen immediately caught my eye. I loved the look of the long duster coat...and the denim blue shade of Rowan Summer Tweed...gorgeous! Yet I didn’t buy the yarn for this design...why? I think at the time I wasn’t into summer knits! So 4 years later I’m in my LYS (now closed) and there is a yarn kit made up for Rhianwen....

I’ve wanted to try the Tanis Fiber Arts Purewash Wool for quite a while...so when I saw the City Limits design by Tanis Lavallee, well, I decided that the time was right! The fingering craze is starting to wear on me, I have to tell you. I love fine yarns, fine gauge knitting, but it takes forever to finish a garment, doesn’t it??? So this sweater, designed for Worsted weight yarn....but Tanis knit her sweater using two strands of her Purelife Fingering AND added a bonus strand of mohair.  When contemplating two strands of fingering...oh my, the possibilities! Strand two shades together for an all over marl. Use a fade of 5 skeins and alternate them in a striped marl! Use mohair, or don’t!  The TFA “Spicy Fade” with Metropolis Mohair Spicy Fade : Retro, Mimosa, Paisley, Roulette, Vamp Tanis previews her shop updates...and when I saw the Spicy Fade that was a billed as a representation of her Marled Metropolis   ..... a version of her M...

I had a great afternoon chatting with a knit friend who lives at a distance...we don’t see each other often, but we share a love of fine yarn and hand knits! While Darlene and I met and bonded over our shared passion for Rowan Yarns...recently Darlene has gone wild for speckles and pops, in particular HedgeHog Fibres Skinny Singles! Join us while Darlene talks about this new direction her knitting has taken, and shows off her fabulous collection of shawls! Darlene shows us her finished shawls..... Born Trippy by Beata Jezek Outline by Beata Jezek Feather Weather by Beata Jezek Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry Free Your Fade by Andrea Mowry   Boardwalk by Stephen West Dotted Rays by Stephen West Darlene is wearing  Birds of a Feather by Andrea Mowry My first project in Hedgehog Fibres is the Breathe and Hope shawl by Casapinka! Darlene and I get our HedgeHog from our LYS,  The Needle Emporium  in Ancast...

Join me as I sit down with my friend Renée on the LIFE LDC couch.....as we discuss our "twin" sweaters - our Love Notes! Two knitters, one design......different approaches to our Love Note sweater design by Tin Can Knits! Thank you to Tanis and Dana for allowing me to use their instagram photos....so inspirational!! Tanis isTanisfiberarts on Instagram Shop her fabulous yarn at www.tanisfiberarts.com Follow Dana on Instagram - Callmedwj Dana's Blog at www.yardsofhappiness.com The "Love Note" design by Tin Can Knits - www.tincanknits.com Love Note on Ravelry - check out the 2580 projects on Ravelry - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr... Follow Renée on Instagram - froggiemeanieknits for great photos of her knits! Follow me on Instagram - Lifeldc My Ravelry name is - LifeLackadaisical Happy Knitting! Anne

After some deep stash diving, organisation and Ravelry stash updating.... I can honestly say that I've fallen "back" in love with my stash!! Watch me critique my latest project - what needs to be done to make me LOVE IT! Happy Knitting, Anne #lovenotesweater #koiguyarn #kidsilkhaze

Join me as I critique the Rowan 67 magazine.....knitting and crochet designs for Summer 2020! Rowan stories “Twin Sets” and “Crochet”. Surprised to find top down construction in this collection! Fine Lace and Kidsilk Haze combined for luxurious fabric! See all the design details on the Rowan web site www.knitrowan.com Thank you to Rowan Yarns for this review copy of Magazine 67. I'm contemplating a couple of designs from this collection....what about you?  Happy Knitting, Anne #knitting #handknit #knitblogger #rowanyarns