I’m sorry there’s been a gap in blog posts - but you probably know our physical bricks and mortar shop is now open again! Because we had turned it into an online dispatch centre, there was a bit of re-organising to get on with. I can only hope real sorting offices up and down had a more refined process than ours..... I would fly into the shop on the bike, put through an online order and fling the excess wrapping or those labels covering the sticky bits on envelopes to one side, before dashing off to the post office. Until the day I came in and found that Rebecca had put a bin very pointedly on the table next to the envelopes. 😬
So, yes, there was a fair amount of tidying to do before we re-opened.
And amongst that the weather has been out of this world. I LOVE the hotter temperatures. I really really do. And as long as I choose my yarn carefully, I still keep knitting.
My choice of yarn for Summer knitting this year has been Rowan’s fabulous Summerlite collection. It comes as a 4ply and a DK- both in really beautiful colour palettes.
Now, my absolute favourite Rowan pattern book is: ‘Rowan Loves.... Kidsilk Haze and Felted Tweed’. And for all the patterns in there (one of those occasions where I simply love EVERY pattern in the book), it is an easy substitute to Summerlite DK to get the same tension and knit up the same pattern. I picked the one on the cover, which is photographed in Kidsilk Haze - a dream yarn, but too too hot for Summer days or evenings. After a good hour or so of deliberation I settled on the colour Indigo (no 450) and the back is now complete and I’ve started the Left Front.
So why do I love this yarn so much? Well, firstly it comes it two very popular weights, the 4ply and DK. It’s also a very economical yarn - 130m per ball of 100% cotton, machine washable and very easy care. BUT it doesn’t act like a cotton yarn, in that it is beautifully soft and drapes. Some cottons can be very hard on the hands when knitting - but this is made with Egyptian cotton - and you can feel the difference straight away.
So if you’re looking for a beautiful but practical yarn to knit with over the Summer, then look no further. There are plenty of patterns in Rowan’s books and magazines, but don’t be afraid to use it as a substitute if you have a favourite pattern calling for a wool DK or 4ply.
Happy knitting - and do visit us in Pottergate if you’re in Norwich, or remember we are still taking online and telephone orders.*
Boo
*shop opening hours Monday-Friday 10am-3pm for in person or telephone sales.