Bristol Ivy reintroduces Color Commentary

We hope you are all having a fabulous holiday season!

Do you remember Color Commentary? It was a program we did a few years back giving us the opportunity to partner with prominent designers to create their own. Then they designed a pattern using that color and we sent it out into the world. It was a lot of fun for us. We had an opportunity to look at color through the eyes of someone else's talent. Pretty cool if you ask me! 

A while back Bristol Ivy was visiting our studio and we thought it the perfect opportunity to relaunch Color Commentary. We chatted a bit with Bristol about her vision for the perfect color. Here is what she had to say...

One color palette that has always fascinated me is patinas and rust.  I never love metals when they’re shiny and new; rather, I prefer them a few years (or decades) down the road, when they’ve lived a little bit and developed depth and complexity—sometimes in tones startlingly different than the metal itself.  My favorite of these is the patina that develops on copper.  Ranging from deep emerald to vivid jade to soft cedar, there is no iteration of it that I don’t love.  When Lorna’s Laces contacted me about creating a custom color, I knew immediately that I wanted to play with the possibilities of copper patina.  In Bristol’s Copper, the vivid jade takes center stage, and flashes of deep emerald and true copper peek through unexpectedly.  The colors all blend and meld harmoniously, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

When it came to designing a pattern for Bristol’s Copper, I wanted a sweater that was truly me.  In addition, I wanted to choose a construction and stitch patterns that blended the colors of the yarn even further: brioche, slip stitch texture, right and left twists, and sideways knitting.  Finally, I wanted to take advantage of the drape of the yarn, while adding some structure to keep it polished.  Buckley was the result: a little preppy, a little vintage, a little modern, and all me.  I hope you love it, too!

We loved the idea, Bristol set color to dye and magic happened if I do say so myself. 

  

The pattern, dubbed Buckley, is available now and her color has started making its way to shops. The design is knit is Sportmate with a huge array of sizes from 37 1/4 - 65" using 5 - 8 skeins of Sportmate this sweater will be a great fit for most anyone. If you are in love and need help finding the pattern or the yarn just let us know and we will point you in the right direction.

P.S. Stayed tuned next year for more Color Commentary from some amazingly talented folks! 

KAL with Franklin Habit and Tin Can Knits!

Let's all close our eyes for a minute and fast forward past the holiday wonder and madness and imagine that we finished all of our projects with plenty of time left over to enjoy an extra glass of eggnog. Yeah, I know it's magical thinking, but this is my story and that's how I want it to go.

That post holiday lull is probably my favorite time of the year when it comes to projects. No pressure, just fun. It can be anything I want it to be. I have time to join in a KAL if I want and maybe have a little fun with my yarn peeps.

We were talking the other day about how we might want a KAL to look and decided that Franklin Habit would make a wonderful master of ceremonies. As luck would have it, he was available! Rumor on the street tells me that Ms. Dolores Van Hoofen will be joining in as well! Did I hear a squee?!

The next question was what do we want to work on? We all agreed that a blanket would be ideal. We liked the idea of working on something cozy. Plus, Tin Can Knits had just released their new book, Colour Madness and the Marley Blanket had struck all of us as SO DARN CUTE.

See, I told you!

It's pretty simple with lots of garter stitch and a tiny bit of lace to keep things interesting. Oh, and it shows off color like it's nobody's business.

The pattern is written for three weights of yarn. Our Cloudgate is perfect for the Bulky and Shepherd Worsted is great for the Aran.

We've created 5 special color packs for you to choose from They will be available in both yarns.

Pedro

Ernie

Cam

Samwise

 

And last but not least Rosamund 

The blanket comes in four sizes. Here's how many packs you'll need for each size.

Cloudgate SM=1, MED=2 LG=3 XL=4

Shepherd Worsted SM/MED=1, LG=2 XL=3

We'll be running the KAL on the Lorna's Laces Ravelry page starting on January 1. There will be FB Live posts and other fun as we knit 

Tin Cat Knits, Mrs. Crosby and of course Lorna's Laces will be providing prizes along the way. 

Reach out to your LYS for your yarn. A few have even reached out to us for special color packs. 

This is gonna be fun! Whose in? 

Spattershot!!

You'd think I could put fingers to keyboard a little more often than this, wouldn't you? It's kinda crazy how other things just seem to push their way to the forefront these days. Between Facebook and Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, I'm not sure lately if I'm coming or going. Add the fun and excitement of the recent TNNA in Washington D.C. and I've felt like the proverbial dog chasing its tail.  

We launched some really fun stuff at market. The biggest thing is a new dye technique that we're calling SplatterShot! There are ten colors in the new collection that we named for places we yearn for. Some of the yearning is for a city we always longed to visit, other times it is wanting to recapture a fabulous memory. Without further ado:

Minneapolis

(Yes, purple. This is an unabashed Prince homage.)

Paris

Calgary

Glasgow

Singapore

Sydney

Tokyo

Cozumel 

Kauai

Prague

We also thought they made a great dance party. 

SplatterShot! was one of those magical times where everyone on the crew here had a hand in creating. I think it is a testament to all of us. Bravo! 

Color Inspiration

One of the things we like to do around here is create idea boards. We all collect magazines for a few months and then have a day where we go through them and glue things to poster board that seem to make sense together. Sometimes the theme in a board might be color. Or texture. Sometimes it's about a type of animal or clothing.

Then, when it comes time to start thinking about colors for a new season, these boards are one of the places we go for inspiration.

Recently, we laid out a bunch of the boards and started deconstructing them. That sounds crazy doesn't it? But since the boards aren't necessarily about color, we need to distill that out. Everybody grabbed a few pictures that spoke to them. We ended up with a collage that looked like this.

 Then we broke it down further.

And created a bunch of small tableaus.

 Some of the pictures are actually in focus.

Others, not so much.

But, they were all lovely springboards to get us thinking about colors and where we wanted to go with the season. 

Ripplerock

This is Ripplerock, Allison LoCicero's design in the latest Twist Collective. Right now, Ravelry tells me it's the second most popular design from this issue. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

I have the privilege of seeing a lot of designs. I mean tons. Every day several come across my desk. And every so often, one makes me stop and take a closer look. This picture by Crissy Jarvis made me pause. It's a showstopper.

The photo did its job. I wanted to take a closer look. And the closer look didn't disappoint.

I'm a sucker for a picot edge.

And upon further inspection of the pattern, I see that it's worked top down and the edging gets added as you go along. I like that too. 

At the end of the day, I call this a stunner. It's made from our Shepherd Sport, so it's substantial, but not bulky. That also means that it's going to knit up pretty darn quickly. Maybe not in time for Christmas quickly, but if you are so inclined, this could certainly be your New Year's Eve wrap. 

Brava Allison LoCicero! Beautiful work! 

Thanksgiving

Things are winding down around here for the long weekend. Amanda is off to visit Derek's family, Grace hit the road for Detroit about an hour ago. The rest of us are finishing the day. 

For whatever reason we are quiet. The radio isn't on and people seem content in their own thoughts. You can hear the sound of the tape dispenser cutting tape and the tap tap tap of the rubber stamp putting dye lot numbers of labels. From time to time a timer dings and yarn is pulled from the dye pots.

It's nice this time of year. We gather with friends and family new and old, connect with loved ones near and far and to raise a glass to those who we can only hold in our hearts. It's a time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves and to open our hearts and minds to new beginnings.

And sleeping in your favorite chair, yes, sleeping in your favorite chair.

To you and yours, cheers. 

Hi! Remember Me?

Yeah, I know. I haven't blogged in months. I'm not sure why. It's not for lack of stuff going on around here to tell you about. It's been super busy and we've been having a ton of fun. I think maybe it's as simple as getting out of the habit. Then so much time had gone by that it felt like I had to have some momentous news to share. Then more time went by and I started feeling guilty. Silly, right?

Then a couple of weeks ago, Mason-Dixon Knitting got their blog back on after a hiatus. And Mercedes Tarasovich  started her newsletter back up. I was delighted to hear from them again. I have to imagine that people would be happy to hear from me again too. So, here we are. 

I'm not going to promise you X posts a week or a month. But I'm going to get back in the groove. 

There have been a couple of changes in the crew around here since we last chatted. Let me introduce you to Grace. She's been with us since last Spring and has turned into an ace dyer.

Girl is busy too. When she's not making pretty string with us she's working on her master's degree in Aquatic Biology. And if that's not enough, she teaches classes at Windy Knitty. I know, right? It makes me tired just thinking about all she's got going on.

Grace has Timber Bay by Melissa Schaschwary on her needles right now. I can't tell you about the color quite yet, so it's in grey scale here.

Dang, that's kinda boring, isn't it? Oh well. Click on over to the pattern, it's pretty cool. And be patient with us on the colors. We're working on it.

Tenuous Connections

I got news last week that a woman named Meghan Galbraith died. I had just reached my seat and was settling in at the theatre when I got the text. I was able to get some of the details before the curtain went up but the first act was a bit of a blur.

I was surprised the news hit me as hard as it did. You see, Meghan and I weren't what I'd describe as friends. We'd never stayed up late laughing over a bottle of wine. We never went out to dinner or took a walk. We weren't "friends" on Facebook. I didn't even know her last name until she was gone.

Meghan worked at the coffee shop right up the street from the studio for the first few years that I owned Lorna's Laces. She was the dynamo that made the shop tick. She probably moved on sometime in 2006 or 2007, so it had been a  long time since I'd seen her.

I'm sure part of my reaction is because I saw her every day for several years. Just for a few minutes, but almost every day. We said hello and sometimes shared a little something about our lives.

In the very early days of Lorna's Laces, I worked ridiculous hours. Fifteen hours days were pretty common. Seven day work weeks too. I often strolled up the street in the late afternoon or early evening for a little pick me up. Looking back, I realize sometimes it was as much for the smile as the coffee. Meghan was that person. The one who brought a little sunshine into your life just by being Meghan.

This death is tragic. Thirty-five year old women should be making music and living life in the largest possible way.

My takeaway from this is to remember that you might not realize the impact you can have on someone's life. Small interactions can touch hearts in big ways.

New Colors

It's that time of  year again. New color time! We launched 7 new colors at TNNA earlier in the month and they are shipping out to your local yarn shop.

This season, we named colors after women one of the crew holds dear. A mother, a grandmother, a friend. I'd like to bring your attention to one in particular, Go, Sandy, Go.This color honors our friend Sandy who is fighting uterine cancer right now. We'll donate 10% of the proceeds from the yarn we dye that color to cancer charities. If you have a particular charity in mind, let us know. We always like your input.


 Without further ado:

Turkey Day!

My favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. I guess what I like about it the most is what it's not. It's not about religion. It's not about gifts. It's about gathering friends and family around a table to give thanks for the bounty of the season. And maybe a little football.

We're super happy to be part of Jimmy Bean's Wool's Fit for a Feast celebration again this year. It's an event where they gather hand-dyers together to create a collection of yarns based on their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. You can buy the yarns one at a time or the entire "dinner" or even "sides" or "desserts". Awesomesauce.

Just a few days before they asked us to get involved, I was over in Michigan and stopped by a cute little farm, FloraLia. It's small farm with forty or so bee colonies, a donkey, a few sheep, a bunny or three, a bunch of chickens and Mr. Turkey.

When he gets excited he puffs all up and struts around. He was doing that the day we were there. It's hard to tell from here, but he was easily 3 feet across. Isn't he amazing?

Anyway, when Jimmy Beans Wool called, I knew immediately that I wanted our "dish" for the feast to be turkey. But, instead of using a cooked turkey for our inspiration, we were going to use Mr, Turkey. He had so much more going on than even the most lovely roasted bird. Of course the brown and red stand out, but can you see the bits of blue on the tips of feathers? And all the grey?

So after a little experimentation, voila, Wild Turkey.

We're a little biased, but we think it's pretty nice. It's one of those colors that would work beautifully with almost any winter coat for a hat and scarf set. Think about it, camel, navy, black, grey, red. We pretty much have you covered.

So hurry on over to Jimmy Beans Wool and and get your feast before they sell out. This is all limited edition and they're going to go fast!

Naming Contest!

Well, it's that time of year again. We have fallen desperately, shamelessly in love with a new yarn but we can't for the life of us figure out what to call it. You've helped us in the past with Honor, Solemate, and Sportmate. I'm hoping you can work your magic one more time.

The yarn is yummy. It's a bulky weight with a super tight twist. Around here, we call that "sproingy". And I'm going to say it's a "technical" term. Or at least as technical as we're ever going to get. It's pictured here undyed, but we'll be dyeing it all of our colors.

So, the details. This is 90% superwash merino and 10% nylon. Why nylon, you ask? Well here's the logic: There isn't enough nylon in it to make the hand of the yarn feel any different than 100% merino, but that much nylon will make the yarn nice and strong. So, if you are the sort that loves a nice knit slipper, this yarn would be perfect.

Perhaps Cadeautje by Ysolda.

Of course the yarn isn't just about slippers, it's also be a fine choice for a nice chunky sweater or a fabulous hat and mittens or scarves or .... You name it, this will work. I swoon when I think what will happen to cables or of curling up under a toasty blanket made with this yarn.

Perhaps something like Susan Hanlon's Stylish Squares Blanket?

Between the superwash and the nylon, a blanket would be pretty bullet proof.

This will knit up at about 3.5 sts/inch. A 100g hank witll have 120 yards. Lovely, don't you agree?


I think that about covers the details. Except for the name. Can you help?

Email your suggestion to contest@lornaslaces.net. We'll narrow it down to the top three when I get back from vacation on December 1 and then we'll put it up for a vote. Winner will get a bag of the new yarn in the color of their choice.


Pretty sweet don't you think?

Vogue Knitting Holiday

You're going to be seeing a ton of reviews in this space over the next few weeks. I've gotten quite a few books lately and I've been remiss in telling you about them. That said, the first thing I'm going to talk about is a magazine rather than a book because it's on the top of the pile on my desk. 

So, Vogue Knitting Holiday. I really like this issue. I think the thing that tipped it for me is that it's not a bunch of green and red. It's holiday but not HOLIDAY. I like subtle. I like sophisticated. 

Of course there is a special gift section. And the New & Now section is chock full of great ideas to make your special knitter happy. And one of the stories is about things that sparkle. But after that, the patterns and such are all good, solid, beautiful winter wearables.

Comfort and Joy is all about soft, chunky, wrap yourself in cozy. Just what we'll all be looking for in the coming months.

Next up is a section of designs all worked in red wine colored yarn. There are all types of garments here, sweaters, bags, cowls, you name it. There is something for everyone. It may sound silly to say it, but just because it's shown in wine doesn't mean you have to knit it in wine. There's a statistic that gets tossed around that says something like 75% of all garments are knit in the colorway shown in the magazine or book. Isn't that crazy.

One of the great things about being a stitcher is that you can pick and choose and make it your own. Don't like red? How about blue? Or is green your color? Make it work for you. There is no limit to where your imagination can take you.

The last story is called Merry & Bright. This is all about colorwork. Fresh and fun colorwork. Jacqueline Van Dellen created Modern Fair Isle Raglan in our Shepherd Worsted. It's shown here in 0ns Natural and 1ns Pink Blossom.

I have a couple of Fair Isle's on needles right now that just need things like a steek to turn them into FO's. Something about this kind of knitting is really appealing to me right now. 

All in all, I like this issue quite a bit. You should take a look. My guess is you'll find more than one reason to take it home with you.