9/30/2013

Review: Madelinetosh Prairie

Today I am going to be doing my first product (yarn) review on Madelinetosh .  You can view their beautiful fiber products at http://www.madelinetosh.com/



This yarn is very different from any I've seen.  It's a lace-weight, single-ply merino wool yarn.

The structure of the yarn is very simple, since it is only made up of one ply.  For the most part, Prairie has a fairly consistent thickness, but like other single ply yarns, it does have it's imperfections.  While I was using this product, I noticed that the slightly varied thickness of the yarn actually made the knitted fabric look really pretty.  The only downfall I can see with the single ply structure, is that the yarn pills and creates a fuzzy texture.

Madelinetosh Prairie is a very soft yarn.  Like I mentioned earlier, it's a merino wool, so there is no question on where Prairie's cozy, soft, and warm feel comes from. :)


My absolute favorite thing about this yarn is the colors.  the colorway is called"Mare"and I have to say, the color combination is so unique and gorgeous!  The deep blues and hints of brown look beautiful together.  If you have time, I would take a look at Madelinetosh's other color ways, they are all so stunning and vivid!

You get a good amount of yarn for the price.  Each $20-24 skein contains 840 yards - that's enough for a large lace shawl or even a small sized lace cardigan!  I only used half of my skein to knit a Citron Shawl.

Overall, this yarn is a great choice for lace projects!  I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you have time, please check out the Madelinetosh webiste!

Emily


9/24/2013

Sneak Peak!

Here's a SNEAK PEAK of a design that'll be available soon in my pattern shop!  What do you think?  I know my pictures don't completely reveal the design but I think a good mystery is fun once and a while.  Have fun guessing and don't forget to leave a comment with your opinion!







9/22/2013

Some Important Information

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to pop in and do a quick post with some important information. 

1.  I have deleted my old Ravelry account and have started a new Ravelry account: I've changed the side bar link to my ravelry page to take you to my new page.  I also moved all of my patterns over to that account, so if you want to download my designs, they are still on ravelry! :)  My new username is: AYarnfulLife .  If you read this blog, please friend me or say hi!  I'd love to hear from you!

2.  For a while now, I have been debating whether or not to make my Forbidden Forest Cowl free. So, as a special treat, I made the Foridden Forest Cowl available for free download for the rest of 2013!

3.  Stay tuned for a delicious giveaway!


9/20/2013

FO: Citron

Hi Everyone!
I know it's been a while since I've blogged here,  but I am so excited to be back - writing, knitting, snapping photos with my camera.  Now, I am so happy to be able to say that I have finished my Citron Shawl!







I cast on for this shawl at the end of summer, so it took me a long time to finish.  However, this Citron Shawl is actually deceptively a large project.  The stitch count goes all the way up to 540!  The first rows were fun and easy, while the last rows where long and agonizing.  None the less, it was a good pattern with a fabulous result.


The yarn I used is called Madelinetosh Prairie.  It's a single-ply lace, weight yarn and is luxuriously soft and light.  I love the colors - the rich blues and hints of brown really complement each other.  I'll be doing a full review on this yarn in the future, so stay tuned for that! ;)


The pattern is written by Hillary Smith Callis.  I love how thorough the instructions are and I think it is very well written.


Have a great day!

9/07/2013

The Final Ruffle

Hi!
I've been working on my Citron a ton lately and I am finally ready to work the last ruffle in the pattern! Hooray!  Sadly, I did not reach my personal deadline, which was before school starts.  Clearly I am not a 'person of deadlines' because I usually never meet my knitting deadlines.  Anyways, I am almost done, and I'm hoping to finish my Citron this weekend.  For now I would like to show you some of my progress pictures!


There are 5 ruffles in the pattern total.  4 of them or finished, and there's only one more left.  When I finished the 4th ruffle I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.  I'm sure all of you have felt like that before, especially when you reach a certain milestone in your knitting project.  Since this shawl has so many stitches, one ruffle is a pretty big milestone, I think. ;)


As you can see, the shawl is pretty large now.  When I first saw the pattern I thought it would turn out too small and that I would have to add a few pattern repeats to make it the size that I desired.  But by the looks of it, after the 5th ruffle my Citron shawlette will be the perfect size!


Well, I should probably get back to knitting!  Stay tuned for the FO post!

9/02/2013

August Giveaway Winner

Hello Everyone!
I know this is a little late, but I was on an overnight hiking trip with my family.   But, without further wait...


Congratulations Becca Huben!  You are the winner of the August Giveaway!  Please contact me ASAP with your contact information!!

Stick around for the September Giveaway, coming soon!