So here are some of the shops that have caught my attention.
I'm looking for 2 ply yarn for my jumper that my Mum has promised to knit me, and it's not been easy! Fortunately I don't need much, but what I've found has mainly been baby wool in soft pastels, or very very expensive! I did find 2 good sources though.The first, Silver Viscount, has reasonably prices new wool in a good range of colours. It's not terribly exciting, but it looks like it'd provide me a good choice. However, I'm not so terribly keen on wool, firstly because I do find it itchy and it can also be a bit unpredictable in the wash.
The second site I found was much more drool worthy. Violet Green sell the most beautiful cashmere, merino, and cotton yarns in a wonderful range of silky colours. These are the ones that made me go "ooooooooh"
I've also been looking at cross stitching charts.Now, I'm working on a sampler I started back in the early summer and I'm still only about 1/4 done. In addition, I have 3 kits waiting to be stitched and 4 books of projects waiting to be sewn. So, in short, I shouldn't be looking at MORE cross stitch projects, but I did. Ooops.
I particularly liked the charts I found from the Historical Sampler Company. I'm a big fan of the traditional stitching styles and these mostly traditional, with the odd slightly trendier style thrown in.
Since I was on a roll, I thought I'd look for woll dressmaking fabrics. I need some warn skirts and dresses and good wool is hard to find. But. I did a search and came across MacCulloch and Wallis in London who sell on the web. It's pricey, looks wonderful and is fair for the quality that's apparent from the photos. I'm itching to get up there and see the fabrics for myself now!
Finally, I wanted to share this photo shoot. It's by a modern photographer in a mix of retro styles and is stunningly beautiful.
And last by certainly not least, I keep forgetting to mention that the very lovely Evie over at La Couturier Dimanche awarded me my first blog award! Thank you very much!
I'm supposed to pay it forward to 15 other bloggers, but I am very lazy and am finding it hard to find bloggers I follow who don't already have the award! So here are my 10 nominees, in no particular order.1. Welsh pixie
2. Land girl 1980
3. A Sewing Odyssey
4. Canadian Twenty Something
5. Did You Make That
6. Miss Magpie's Musings
7. Ohhh Lulu
8. Steam
9. Swingin' it in Vintage
10. Vintage Loving Librarian
The yarn and fabric are gorgeous! I'm loving the plaids. And it's so nice to see that other people do such nice cross stitch. My cousin does beautiful work, but she's one of the only people I know who still does it. Good luck keeping your focus on projects!
ReplyDeleteJamieson and Smith and Jamiesons (both Shetland wool firms) both do excellent 2plies, although they knit like a modern 4ply. They're ideal for knitting vintage patterns.
ReplyDeleteOut of interest, what tension is the pattern your mum is knitting done to? A lot of vintage 2 and 3plies are more equivalent to a modern 4ply than a modern 2ply. I've just finished a 1938 one myself, and used Rowan Cashsoft 4ply.
(Yup, knitting nerd!)
Evie - I do feel a bit like an old lady sometimes, but it's surprisingly easy and good to do in front of the TV 5 minutes at a time...
ReplyDeleteMim - errrr... "over the pattern, 7 1/2 stitches and 8 rows to 1 inch, after pressing". Does that make sense? There's a reason my Mum is knitting this for me!
Yup, that makes sense - depending on the stitch pattern, you could probably knit it in a modern 4ply, as they're in the region of 28 stitches to 4in in stocking stitch.
ReplyDelete:) Old lady hobbies rock!
I know nothing about knitting (but I do like that wool fabric), I just wanted to say thanks for the award! :)
ReplyDelete