Progress on "Aya" and "In The Pink"

//Here it is, almost half-way done! I love the progression of color in this yarn, it is a joy to behold. Have any of you knit with Noro before? Well, I have not and this is also my first time to work with silk. It definitely has a different feel but the visual and tactile effect is spectacular, don't you agree?!

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//A little peak at the "In The Pink" scarf as showcased in this previous post. I am happy with the color change I made and really like the progression!

//New and exciting stuff in the world of blogging:

• Sheep & Stitch:  A fairly new site (to me anyway) with a lot of information to offer, namely about knitting, patterns, etc. 
• Little Things Blogged: a great crochet site with great colors and pictures.
• Tolt Yarn and Wool: a neighborhood knitting and spinning shop located in Carnation, Washington. Check out their blog.
• Harmony and Rosie: written by a displaced Brit living in Vancouver, a very simple and elegant blog with some great pics.
• And last, but certainly not least, Liesl Made: another great knitting/food/sewing, etc. site with great images written by a girl named, (wait for it) Liesl who lives in New Jersey.

//Patterns I am ogling in my Ravelry library:

• Stonecutter by Michele Wang
• Couronne by Helene Rush
• Opposite Pole by Joji Locatelli
• Channel Cardigan by Jared Flood

Any favorite blogs and/or patterns you would like to share with the rest of us? Happy hump day!

xoxo Shannon

A Little Snow, A Little Knitting . . .

***It is beautiful where I live right now, with the sun shining on the iced trees, snow covered gardens, a sight to behold for sure. It is God's gift this morning even though it is in the single digits! 

***Update: It's starting to melt! This, outside my back door.

***My newest knitting gig from a previous post, a project I have been working out which is going to be the "Aya Scarf". Here are the facts:

• Yarn: Noro Aya
• Colorway: No. 9
• Fiber Content: 50% cotton, 35% silk, 15% wool
• Weight: DK 
• Needles: #6 straights
• Gauge: 6 sts per 1 inch,  7 rows per 1 inch
• Stitch Pattern: Welting Fantastic, consisting of garter stitch welts worked straight across with purling on the odd numbered rows. The chevron formation of the background makes the welts go up and down in a wave pattern which I really like.

It has been going well, and I am very pleased with the outcome so far. I did find that working with Noro yarn is a little different than previous yarns in that it is a little "grabby" probably due to its silk content, it doesn't work that well with bamboo needles, so I had to switch to metal and the pointier your tips the better! I love the color changes in this yarn and the way in which it does change which is beautifully and gracefully and also the texture it brings to the table, wonderful! I have always been enamored with Noro and the results it produces.

***Here is one of my favorite uses of Noro yarn in this POP blanket by Emily Wessel of Tincanknits.

• How about this Noro Taiyo Cardigan here.
• Or this Lizard Ridge afghan by Laura Aylor.
• And the Noro Scarf V from Brooklyn Tweed.

I have decided for now to shelve my previous design-in-the-works due to just not being able to get it to work. I need to bone up on my colorwork techniques and being able to figure out how to make the color changes come out looking right. I am a work-in-progress myself. Anyone out there relate?

I hope you are all staying warm and happy in this "snowmaggeden" we have been experiencing! Have a great weekend, until next time.

xoxo Shannon