Crafty Stories

I like to tell stories through the creative arts. I may be slightly obsessed with books, movies, TV shows, yarn and fiber. Wanna hang out?
Showing posts with label knitting sweaters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting sweaters. Show all posts

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Knitting a Hand Dyed or Hand Spun Sweater

Hello, everyone! Today I listed some exciting new packages in the Storied Yarns Shop - the Ultimate Fangirl Sweater Kits! These kits will give you plenty of hand dyed yarn (in the colorway and base of your choosing) to knit a sweater, and they're available in DK and Worsted weight yarn options as well as a Combed Top option for you spinners out there. For every kit you get two full pounds of yarn or fiber!



So, how about some suggestions of what to knit with these lovely kits?

First up: the Ultimate Sweater Kits (2 pounds of yarn or fiber) ...

For the DK weight option, you will have 2000 or 2650 yards of DK weight yarn, depending on the base you choose. What sweaters can you knit with that? Quite a few, I should say!

How about a simple cardigan with a pop of textured detail at the collar and sleeves? Roheline should do the trick! This one would look really great in a semi-solid OR a variegated colorway, I think. For something with a little more detail (that would probably work best in a semi-solid "Stock Character" colorway), how about The Archer, a hooded pullover with cable details, or a cabled cardigan - Locke Street Cardigan?

For the worsted weight option, you will get 1696 or 2480 yards. Emilien is a great, basic hoodie pattern that would look awesome striped with two colorways or in one semi-solid or variegated color. Girl Friday has been a favorite pattern of mine for quite some time, and I also really love Dark and Stormy. I think either of those would work best in a semi-solid, stock character shade.

If you're going to buy the fiber option, of course your yardage will vary depending on the weight you spin and the yardage you are able to make. However, a few suggestions might help you narrow down the sweater patterns that would work especially well for handspun yarns. My friend Brittany recently published Libretto, which has a really fun shape and structure that lends itself well to textural yarns. I also really like Idlewood, which would be super cozy in handspun. The clean lines and stockinette body of the Effortless Cardigan and Atelier would also work really well in handspun, colorful yarns.



Next up: The Major Fangirl packages (24oz of yarn or fiber) ...

For the DK weight Major Fangirl sweater kit, you will receive 1500 or 1980 yards. Summer Solstice is a cardigan that would look fantastic in a boldly variegated yarn or a tonal one. Vodka Lemonade is an adorable cropped cardi that would be really nice in almost any color. Gnarled Oak Cardigan has beautiful details which would stand out really well in a semi-solid stock character colorway, and Calligraphy Cardigan, which I totally lust over, would be fantastic in a variegated colorway (note: for the largest sizes you may need to upgrade to Ultimate Fangirl for that one).

For worsted weight, try these on for size: you're going to have either 1272 or 1860 yards to play around with. I love the interesting structure of the Levenwick cardigan. The Brownstone pullover has a male model but I think works really well for either gender, no matter who that sweater will be for! Don't forget Francis Revisited; that one would be great for a colorful worsted weight yarn OR handspun.

For handspun, any of the above suggestions would probably work, too, as would Abalone - it only needs 500 yards! :)

Don't forget to check out my album of available colorways, including the milder Stock Character semi-solids in addition to all the bold, variegated options. If you're interested in a sweater package but not sure which one is right for you, just contact me on Etsy! Together we can make you the fangirl sweater of your dreams. :)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Fiber Arts Friday: What's Happening?

Hello, fellow fiber lovers! It's Friday, and you know what that means - Fiber Arts Friday time, yay!!!!!!

Anyway, today is sort of a random post with the things that are going on here at Storied Yarns Central and in general. :)

This week I'm knitting away on the Shinkan Zen shawl by Susan Ashcroft. I'm super close to doing the pleated section; hoping to get to that today.

Here's an in-progress shot of the shawl - sorry it can't be a better idea of the shape, but I'm in the middle of a row:

The yarn is from Mulberry Fibers; it's the Carolina Beach colorway on Superwash Basic Sock.

Ok, let's see. I'm also spinning for my big Sweater Project. So far this is what I've done:

I've still got two more sets of batts to spin, then I'm going to ply them as a 3ply, so I've got a ways to go. But progress is progress, right? :)

I'm following along with some interesting things right now so I thought I'd share those.
- There's a group on Ravelry called Fantasia; each month they select books and they make knit/crochet/weaving/spinning/dyeing projects inspired by those books. I'm really loving the idea of it! Right now, for instance, we're exploring new skills as inspired by Snoopy and the Red Baron and completing projects about friendship inspired by The Burning Bridge. It's lots of fun to see what everyone makes!
- The Sexy Knitter Group on Ravelry is voting on their next KAL from the Sexy Knitter Patterns collection. I happen to know that the prizes this time around are going to be fabulous! ;)
- I'm reading along with the Focus on Free Motion Quilting Month on Sew Inspired. I really want to learn how to free motion quilt, because so far my quilts have been limited to "stitch in the ditch," and I want to explore beyond that. These posts are all about how to use a regular sewing machine, not a long-arm, so I'm excited to practice!


Ok, I think that's about it. Head on over to Andrea's blog now and check in with the rest of the group. :)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!