BSA winner!

Congratulations to Manyakitty307, you have won a lovely squishy skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport!! If you would please let me know how to contact you (Raverly name? email address?) in the comments, then I we can sort out the details to get this pretty yarn to you quickly. 

Thanks to all who commented! Keep checking back with the blog often. I have big plans for giveaways in 2016!

Yarn Review: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport

I hope you have all taken a few minutes to explore the Knittin' Little website- a fun site with cute knitting patterns for kids and a well written blog by the creator, Andrea Sanchez. In September, she released the inaugural pattern collection for Knittin' Little, which included a design from me, the Sleep Fox Jumper.

Oh how I love this cozy dress and particularly love that sweet little fox! You can read more about the design here and here. Today, however, is all about the yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas' Sport.

This sport weight yarn comes from a company that creates luxurious yet affordable yarns. Blue Sky Alpacas provides generous support for designers and produces a quality yarn for their customers. I have knit with several BSA yarns before, but this was my first experience with Sport.

 
I admit I was hesitant about this yarn choice while swatching. It seemed stiff and not at all forgiving. Forgiveness is key with intarsia. After wet-blocking my little swatch, my patience paid off. What a result! The stitches really softened, settled down, and nestled together, which resulted in fabric with excellent drape and a pretty halo effect. The drape from the alpaca fiber gives the fabric an overall relaxed and comfortable look. I've always felt that intarsia motifs look a bit more polished and professional when the project yarn has a little halo to it.  My daughter Emma (the model), said the dress had a "swishy swirly feeling" when she walked, which is code for awesome yarn.

Petal Pink colorway

Today I have one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport yarn in the Petal Pink to give away to one of my readers.  Be sure to leave a comment below sharing what you'd like to make with this bit of perfection. I foresee cute pair of fingerless mittens for someone.

I will select a winner using the online random number generator next Monday December 14. Be sure to include a way to contact you: email or Ravelry name. Until then, happy knitting!




Company: Blue Sky Alpacas
Yarn: Sport Yarn
Weight: sport weight
Fiber Content: 100% baby alpaca
Yardage:  110 yds (100 m)/ 50 g

Yarn Review: Trinity Worsted

In early September, Sweet Georgia Yarns published a beautiful collection of autumnal patterns in Fall with Sweet Georgia, Volume 1.  I was fortunate to be among the contributing designers in this issue. What a treat to work with such a generous and positive yarn company! The real joy came when working with their beautiful Trinity Worsted yarn.

Just look at the silky sheen, smooth plies, and gorgeous color! Trinity Worsted yarn is a smooth worsted weight yarn with gorgeous drape. There is an illusion of heaviness while knitting with it, but never fear, once your item is blocked, the stitches settle and distribute the weight beautifully leaving you warm, comfortable, and very pleased with yourself for selecting this yarn. 

I love this close-up shot of my pattern, Slice, from the fall collection. You can clearly see the subtle blend of colors in each colorway. This pattern needs only 2 skeins: 1 in Nightwatch (main color) and 1 in Silver (contrasting color).

Each skein is packed with 200 yards and is made up of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% silk. If you are an Anzula For Better or Worsted fan, then I encourage you to try Sweet Georgia's Trinity Worsted.

Company: Sweet Georgia Yarns
Yarn: Trinity Worsted
Weight: worsted
Fiber Content: 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% silk
Yardage:  200 yds (185 m)/ 4 oz (115g)