You win some; you lose some

I am so grateful for the opportunities Vogue Knitting has given me. My first project for VK will be on the newsstands soon. My second one, soon thereafter. And one of my more recent submissions was accepted into a book they'll be publishing featuring Noro yarn.

I had never knit with Noro yarn before, but its reputation preceded itself. I think Noro is known for its rainbow of colors. And for my austere color sensibilities, I was anxious about what yarn I would receive for my project. I was pleasantly surprised when an earthy range of browns greeted me when I opened up the FedEx box. (I think they took pity on me, probably imagining me faint if faced with greens, reds, yellows and purples.)

While the texture of the Noro Kureyon was fairly different from the yarn I imagined my design in, it worked out well. I altered the pattern ever-so-slightly to compensate for the difference. I think it was good practice.

Here's a sneak peek:



I really love this design. Easy knit, fun to knit, not boring and I think it's fashionable!

While finishing up this project, I read my rejection e-mail from Twist Collective. My design submissions didn't make it into their winter edition. And I haven't heard back regarding my next submission to VK for their Winter issue. I'm thinking it's a no-go. Oh well - you win some; you lose some. So, I think my next course of action will be to self-publish. I'll keep you posted!

Quince & Co. + Me = Happiness

As far as knitters go, I can safely say that we're all pretty f'ing excited when a new yarn company hits the market.

So I'm sure you've all heard about Quince & Co. Headed up by Pam Allen and a super small team, it was launched last week.

Love at first sight. Their site is gorgeous, and so American... so New England... so dreamy. Knowing nothing about the company, I was so impressed by their story. Selling directly, they can keep their retail price point low and they use American sheep. I can't think of a better combination.

And then I checked out the options. Four weights, and a ton of colorways. It sort of reminded me of Blue Sky Alpacas' colors. Subtle and gorgeous.

I ordered two skeins to get me started.



I haven't knit with them yet, but they have a soft hand and very slight fuzziness to them. Stay tuned for some swatches. I have a feeling these will knit up beautifully.