Dear Friends

I have some difficult news to share. I had a miscarriage this week. I had waited to tell you all that I was expecting a new little Pixie, but life decided otherwise. I will be recovering this weekend. I will not be putting new colorways on the website this weekend but I know what next week's colorways will be. If you want to look at my inspiration, you can check the internet for the gloriously painted kimonos of Itchiku Kubota.

Easy Colorwork Cap

I just learned Cascade 220 has color names along with numbers for each shade. I've always used just the numbers in patterns but Yarn Country gives both numbers and names for Cascade 220 HERE.

This Easy Colorwork Cap (from the Stranded Color Knitting booklet) was knit in various colors of Cascade 220. I'm trying to use up all the pink I have in my stash but I guess I didn't do such a great job of that. The main color in this hat is called Blue Velvet.




I like it worn sideways as a jester hat. Seen here it is actually floppier than usual because it was still wet from blocking during the photo shoot.

SockPixie Retrospective

This week was a week of reflection for me, and I decided to bring some of my favorite colorways back for a special encore.
Choosing was difficult of course. This color called to me and then that one but I eventually settled on a few. I hope you will enjoy this SockPixie retrospective.
Here is Raspberry Cheesecake, one of my first colorways...

Color Knitting Quiz #2

COLOR KNITTING QUIZ #2

Because I'm still bogged down in the mitten booklet it is time for another quiz on working with multiple colors! Play along and see how well you do - I think this quiz is a little easier than my last quiz (HERE).

1.In this photo of the reverse of the Dale of Norway Salt Lake City sweater, the bottoms of the yellow lines are pointing out:

A) Bad Stitch Tension

B) Places where Floats were Woven

C) Locations Where the Knitter Changed Which Yarn was in Which Hand

D) Moth Holes

2. When knitting with two colors it is important to:

A) Have Fun!

B) Make Sure Your Floats (unused yarns on the back of the work) Are Not Too Tight

C) Find the Best Way for Your Hands to Hold Both Yarns

D) All of the Above

3. What is the most accurate term for all types of knitting where two or more colors are carried along the row?

A) Fair Isle Knitting

B) Intarsia

C) Old Lady Knitting

D) Stranded Color Knitting

4. The technique used for the pattern on the back of the hand on the Placitas gloves knit in the round (shown in the glove on the right) is:

A) Intarsia

B) Duplicate Stitch

C) Fair Isle

D) Crochet

5. Ribbing that uses more than one yarn color is:

A) Corrugated Ribbing

B) Less Elastic than Single Color Ribbing

C) More Likely to Curl

D) All of the Above

6. Why does the glove on the right look smoother than the glove on the left?

A) It is a trick of photography.

B) Blocking!

C) The knitter was more relaxed while knitting the glove on the right

D) I can't tell the difference between the two gloves

7. Extra Credit Question - Where exactly is Fair Isle located?

Scroll down for the answers.

x

x

ANSWERS:
1. B Look for the places where the floats look diagonal.

2. D

3. D Fair Isle is a specific type of stranded color knitting.

4. B although technically you could use intarsia in the round.

5. D

6. B Almost every single item of stranded color knitting benefits greatly from good blocking.

7. EXTRA CREDIT: It is the southernmost Shetland Island in Great Britain.

Scores - 0 to 3 - Keep Trying - it really isn't as hard as it seems!

4 to 6 - Very Good - soon you will be knee deep in colorwork charts and yarn.

7 - Excellent - you're a color master!

Homme Fatal

There is a little story behind the inspiration for this week's Homme Fatal Collection. It all started because Mr.SockPixie was gone on a business trip for 5 whole days... I was so bored at night, that I decided to entertain myself with some of my favorite classics.
I watched Pillow Talk, Gone with the Wind, North by Northwest, Out of Africa...
As I was sitting there, enjoying every minute of the movies, I realized that I rarely created manly colorways, and why not try to bottle up in a skein of yarn what made each of my favorite actors so irresistible? And there you are, the Homme Fatal Collection!

Here is Cary Grant, perfect in grey.



Enjoy!

BLUE BUNNY

There is an ice cream company here called Blue Bunny. Apparently Bubbles is planning on getting a job as their new spokesmodel.




I was curling my hair and I heard this weird noise. (When you have a house bunny you ALWAYS have to investigate weird noises to see what they've gotten into.) I had this water-impervious item called a Neat Sheet under her litter box to catch spills and she was digging underneath it and for some reason it turned her blue. It came right off with water and obviously it didn't affect her appetite.



Awww - There is nothing as cute as a pair of bunnies cuddling. Next Saturday, February 14 (Valentine's Day) we're having an special Adoptathon at the Albuquerque Petco on 10700 Lomas NE between 10 am and 2 pm. There will be pre-bonded couples and you can bring your bunny in and see if he/she will bond with one of the single adoptable bunnies. Pumpkin (on the top right) was just bonded to former rescue bunny Buttermilk and we're keeping our fingers crossed it will be a love match.

Valentine's Day Colorways

As Valentine's Day is approaching, I tought I would dedicate this week's colorways to famous real and mythical couples.

Here is Lucy and Ricky:



Happy Valentine to you all.