My Projects: Seed Stitch Scarf

Well, you may remember from this post that this scarf was to be a Christmas gift for my husband. I didn't finish it in time, but it is now finally done! How handsome is he modeling it? 

It's pretty basic but for some reason, knitting scarves take me forever. I am much faster at crochet. For this scarf, cast on 32 stitches and knit, purl, knit purl until you reach your desired length. The texture is really wonderful!

I used Cascade Ecological which comes in large skeins of 478 yards! When the ball was wound I couldn't believe how big it turned out. I used every bit of it. No wonder this scarf took forever. It finished over 6 feet long!

Here is a detail of the seed stitch as posted previously. You can view more details on my ravelry page. This scarf is super warm and my husband loves it!  

Mid-Week Inspiration: Yarns From Maine

I splurged on some gorgeous yarns while I was in Maine.  In the town of Bath we found Halcyon Yarn which quickly became my favorite yarn store, ever. They sell all sorts of yarn from the familiar and wonderful Cascade (which I bought a large hank of for a scarf for my Husband) to smaller brands from Norway, Iceland, etc. They also sell several brands from Maine including their own. If you're into weaving, they've got supplies for that too!
I was overwhelmed and it took me a while to focus. In addition to the Cascade, I decided on some additional hanks from two Maine companies, Peace Fleece and Swans Island. The colors are magnificent and my photos do not do them justice. 

Not only are the yarns themselves inspiring...oh what am I going to make?...but the stories behind these two yarn companies are inspiring too. 

I bought two hanks of Peace Fleece Worsted. The darker blue (Patience Blue) will be a hat for my Husband. The teal (Blue Jay) will be something for me (TBD). Peace Fleece is from Porter, Maine. They started in the Mid-Eighties with a mission to bridge the US and Russia during the Cold War. The owners imported wool from small Russian farms and turned it into delicious yarn in amazing colors. Now they also support small farmers in the Middle East and Dakota Indian reservations. I love that their company has flourished and the community they have created. 

I also bought one hank from Swans Island. I had a hard time capturing the richness of this purple natural indigo dyed yarn. The layers of colors is incredible! This was a total splurge at $32 a hank but I couldn't resist it's beauty! Swans Island is a small company located near Acadia National Park. Formed by two Boston lawyers who decided to leave the hustle and bustle behind and work from the land. They moved to Swan's Island, use local wool, learned how to naturally dye it, and started making beautiful blankets. The blankets are a Martha Stewart dream come true and are hand loomed. They now make naturally indigo dyed yarn and they, as mentioned before, are gorgeous! Keeping days old traditions this company has a labor of love and it shows in the quality of their products. Next time I am in Maine, I would love to visit their facility. 

I can't wait to show you what these yarns become!