On the Needles | Sweaters and Baa-bles, oh my...

October has been lovely in Wisconsin - the temps have been cool enough to start wearing the handknits, but not so much to have to bundle up yet. I love fall and the instinctual nature that comes with it to suddenly knit everything and prepare for winter. It's unrealistic to knit everything, but that never seems to stop me and I usually do find the time to get most of it done. This fall is no exception. 

I have a lot on the needles and maybe one day I'll get brave enough to divulge the dirty details, but for today, here's a peek at what's getting the most attention...

I have two sweaters that are actively in progress, the first is Eddy. It's a built-in CustomFit design and a fast knit. I cast on last weekend when we went we made a run to IKEA to pick up more shelving for the shop and knit a good portion of the back in the car and finished it up on Monday evening. See, I told you it was fast. These are the sleeves in progress last night after wrapping up the work week and tonight I'll be finishing up the sleeve caps and casting on the front. I'm confident that I'll be ready to start seaming in just a few days.  

This one is knit to fit me, but it won't be FOR me. Yeah, I'm really okay with this and have not lost my mind. One of the lovey shops that participates in the CustomFit program has coordinated a CustomFit trunk show and I'm one of the shops that volunteered to knit a sweater to donate. I'm really excited to see everything come together with this joint effort from the shops and I think Eddy will be popular with sweater knitters from beginner to experienced - larger yarn, quick knit, super cozy and a classic cowl neck style. 

Next up is another CustomFit sweater... this one is a beta-test for the new shapes that will be launching in the near future. I'm testing a straight shape and I'm using Meadow Road by Bonnie Sennot for the front and back lace design. It's really coming along nicely and I should be on sleeves for this one in just a few days, too. I usually opt for neutrals and fitted sweaters, so this will be quite a change for me and I'm kind of excited. 

The last project I have to share today is one that jumped onto my needles this morning, Baa-ble by Donna Smith. I fell in love with this version knit by Courtney Kelley of Kelbourne Woolens in their newest Fibre Co yarn, Cumbria. This gorgeous new yarn is featured in our fall knitalong and I haven't had a chance to knit with it yet, but a couple weeks ago I saw Courtney had cast on her version of Baa-ble in Cumbria. So, for what seemed like forever (really, it was about 2 weeks), I sat on pins and needles waiting for our backordered colors of Cumbria to arrive and the wait was finally over this last Friday.

This picture is from this morning and I'm now getting into the sheep and loving it - along with one of our new yarn bowls that also just arrived this last week! I'm knitting like the wind so I can make some fabulous Baa-ble kits for our lovely knitters when I get back to the shop this week. Yes, I said KITS!!! If you're interested in one of these kits, just contact the shop and we'll email you as soon as they're ready. Otherwise, just stay tuned... 

Oh, that lovely Fringe Supply Field Bag that my 2 sweaters are being transported in, is another new arrival at Firefly Fibers (it's been a rather exciting week)! I've had one for awhile and I absolutely love it and am confident it will be with me for the long haul. 

So, there you have it. I'm going to go back to "reading" Eleanor & Park via audible and knitting on Baa-ble until I'm summoned by Mr. Yarnista to record this week's podcast episode. 

Cheers!

Simple Knits | October

Hello, lovelies! I have something really special for you for October's Simple Knits Knitalong project - there was a bit of a delay in getting started this month, but I think it will be well worth the wait and I hope you agree...

I've been anxiously waiting the arrival of a super-special new yarn from Julie Asselin. In case you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a crush on all of Julie's yarns... she has an amazing sense of color and her yarn bases are pretty fabulous.  So, knowing that her brand new yarn, Nurtured, would be arriving at Firefly Fibers at the beginning of October had me thinking that this month it might be a bit more about the yarn than the pattern - after all, I'm really excited to get this new yarn onto my needles and I thought you might like to try it, too. 

Meet Nurtured...

Nurtured by Julie Asselin

"As fiber lovers we really wanted to come up with a classic, non superwash yarn that would meet all of our criteria for a great product that knitters will enjoy working with, maybe getting some of them to rediscover the joys of more traditional yarns!" ~Julie Asselin

Nice, isn't it? Nurtured is a worsted weight woolen spun yarn that has a bit of residual lanolin from the spinning process and that's something that I ABSOLUTELY love - it smells fabulously like sheep AND it's super nourishing on the hands as you knit. After washing, Nurtured plumps, softens, and brightens for a gorgeous finished project. Nurtured is sure to become a 'go-to' classic yarn.

This month I want to give you a few options since we have a brand new yarn to try out, and also because the gift-giving season will be here before we know it. So, I have 3 accessories for you to choose from (as usual, you can knit as many of each as you want)...

Option #1 - Dreieke by Very Shannon (1 skein): 

Option #2 - Spate by Jane Richmond (2 skeins):

Option #3 - Turbulence by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits (2 skeins - 1 each color):

Nurtured really is a must-try yarn and these smaller accessories are the perfect introduction or reminder of how beautiful rustic yarns can be. But... if you'd like to use a different worsted weight yarn for any of these projects, that's perfectly okay and we'd love to see these designs knit up in any yarn - Simple Knits is all about taking and making time for smaller projects.

I hope you knit along this month and enjoy the project selections. Nurtured is available at Firefly Fibers and we do have a sample hat knit knit up in Nurtured so you can really see how the yarn transforms after washing. If you're not local and want to try Nurtured, it's available here in our online shop and I'll pack it up for you right away and ship it off.

Want to hear more about Nurtured? Mr. Yarnista and I talk about how awesome Nurtured is in Episode 9 of our podcast. psst... you can subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or with any other podcatcher. 

Cheers!

Inspiration | Slow Fashion October - Week 1

The lovely Karen Templar of Fringe Association (one of our favorite accessory lines at the shop) has inspired me to participate in Slow Fashion October. What's Slow Fashion October, you ask? It's all about thinking more about our wardrobes and where they come from. As a knitter, sewist, and general lover of natural fibers, this is right up my alley.  

This is all inclusive and anyone can participate - regardless of if you create your own wardrobe or not, it's about about the bigger picture. Karen has (thankfully) provided a weekly theme for those of us *a-hem* that need some structure. So... here we go! 

“Week” 1,  October 1-4: YOU
First let’s introduce ourselves: Where are you at with all this / What first got you interested in Slow Fashion / What are your skills / What do you hope to get out of Slow Fashion October / What are your personal goals for the month / Do you have a special project you plan to tackle this month?

For those of you that don't know me, I'm Alisa. I knit and sew and just generally love creating and adding to my handmade wardrobe. For as long as I can remember, I've dabbled in creating handmade clothing - some attempts were more successful than others - and that led me to continuing my education in fashion, and eventually to my current career as an entrepreneur where fashion is at the forefront. I own LYS Firefly Fibers in Beaver Dam, WI with my husband Mike (sometimes hubby or Mr. Yarnista) where my passion for natural fibers, color and texture is fed on a regular basis.   

I'll be sharing my Slow Fashion month on Instagram, Facebook, possibly Periscope (I managed to survive our first broadcast last night), I'll be chatting about it on our podcast, and, of course, I'll post about it here on the blog. 

As for goals... there's so much pride, pleasure and thoughtfulness that goes into creating a garment that will be worn for years to come, so I want to add a couple items to add to my handmade wardrobe this month. I'd love to finally get to the Washi Dress with that lovely Art Gallery fabric in the photo - the yarn has long since been knit into a lovely toque, but the fabric has been staring at me for months and, I'll admit, I'm a wee bit nervous to actually cut into it. I also want to knit a sweater for myself in a new and very special yarn. More on that next week.

What do you think? Are you interested being part of Slow Fashion October? You can read more about it here and you'll find Karen's instagram feed here and the Slow Fashion October instagram feed here. I'm really excited to spend a month being inspired by others!

Cheers! Alisa

PS - the new Simple Knits Knitalong project will be posted in a few days next week (trust me, it will totally be worth the wait) and the next episode of our podcast will be available for you on Monday. Happy weekend everyone!