Handmaiden

Is Pink a Colour?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:16:00 -0400

I'm entertained by the current war on the colour pink. Unlike red or violet, Pink it does not appear in the light spectrum. So is it an actual colour or just and interpretation of a mixture of red/violet light?>

This interests me as I've always had troubles dyeing pink. It needs nuance as it is easily turns into a Barbie Bus colour, or putrid pale baby pink if dyed without considerable attention. It often just feels like a failure by itself. I wonder if this is some sort of subconscious reaction to the interplay between red and violet. Or maybe I just haven't hit my pink stride yet.

Regardless - Rose will be back in the colour cards this year. I will have to come to terms with my prejudices.

Knit East

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:53:42 -0400

Many thanks and best regards to all of the wonderful knitters we had the pleasure of meeting this past weekend at the 1st Knit East Fibre Festival at St. Andrews-by-the-Sea. What joyful people! I think that the Yarn Harlot is on to something - knitting definitely relieves stress and makes us generally happier people. I can't wait to read her new book.

Thanks for everyone who attended my dye demonstration. We were pleased with the results of our "Algonguin in the fall" colourway. My daughter was especially happy that we used her mood board.

MAGICAL MOHAIR

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:52:52 -0400

As promised, here is a picture of the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2011 Magical Mohair contest pattern in Maiden Hair designed by Lynette Meek. This issue hits Newsstand June 7th.

This piece was knit in white, then painted after. The painting makes this a challenging piece, but as suggested by Lynette, can also be knit in dyed yarns with beautiful results. Suggested a subtle series for the Fleece Artist Montegue, with a matching variegated colourway for the Maiden Hair.

Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2011, photo by Rose Callahan

Designer: Lynette Meek
For Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large

Yarn Information:

Hand Maiden Fine Yarns Maiden Hair
3 (4,) hanks in undyed

Fleece Artist Special Montague - a kid mohair and Silk blend. Ask your retailer.
3 (3, 3, 4) hanks in undyed

Knit your Own Royal Wedding

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:41:01 -0400

What can I say? Absurdity in wool.

Congrats Lynette

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:21:41 -0400

Lynette Meek from Mad about Ewe in Nanaimo BC has just won 1st runner up in the Magic of Mohair competition in Vogue Knitting.

This unbelievable beauty called Victorian Falls is a wrap and sheath combination in Fleece Artist Montague (baby kid with silk) and Hand Maiden Maiden Hair. Lynette has hand painted rose details and has also provided instructions for hand dyed yarn. We look forward to the Vogue issue.

Congratulations Lynette

Pictures to follow

Flaxen for Summer

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:34:05 -0400

Just got pics of this stunner from "Peggity" (Ravelry). Thank you! Love to see it knit up. Flaxen is a perfect summertime yarn. Linen for crispness, silk for drape and sheen. The yarn softens beautifully as you work with it. Just remember to block!

"I just completed an infinity scarf using Handmaiden Fine Yarns’ “Flaxen” and I think it is lovely. The Flaxen is luminescent! Thank you for a beautiful yarn with which to complete this special gift for my daughter-in-law. "

Simple Elegance Afghan

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:00:52 -0400

Linda's Craftique has this created this light and lovely afghan using 2 BFL Aran, 2 MO and
2-Curlylock 750g in total. Available as a kit here.

Drool worthy Felt

Fri, 14 May 2010 06:28:13 -0400

This article about Dana Barnes new collection was sent to me by art lover Brie. Ms. Barnes makes all sorts of felt objects but began as a way of softening her loft space. I do wonder though if all that fiber makes for more dust bunnies though, 'cause that's the way it is in my house. And she has kids! I just can't imagine being able to live like that but I can dream oh I can dream.

Beautiful felt.

Baby Sweater in Bess

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:31:30 -0400

Sarah Wright of Nantucket Needlework Design sent us this picture of a sweet baby sweater in Bess. Size one. Used 1 1/2 skeins in Sangria. Nice.

Bess is BEST

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:32:56 -0400

Generally, I'm not a huge fan of superwash yarns. There is something about them that feels, well, lifeless. And then there is the environmental issues as superwash yarn is treated with chlorine. It is very useful for socks, but I find that I don't wash my wool sweaters often enough for it to really be an issue. But lately I've begun to understand the appeal of machine washable garments. While my "mini-maiden" daughter was fairly gentle on her sweaters and blankets, my 4 month old "mini-man" is not. He spits up so frequently on himself and on me that I'm rarely getting to wear a sweater more than once without needing to wash it. So I seem to be dressing him in his Casbah and Sea wool sweaters more than the Lanica. I dress him in the cashmere but it's constantly in the sink being washed.

But we now have the solution.

Bess is soft. Bess is lovely. Bess is the Best.

We are pleased to introduce our new merino/cashmere blend Bess. This machine washable yarn has been treated with the totally new BEST wash process. No chlorine is used in the treating of this merino making this much better for the environment. Perfect for shawls, baby clothes, camisoles and the like. The hand of this yarn is soft and still feels alive. And it takes the colour so well. 88% BESTwash merino, 12% Cashmere. 100g /275m 24sts/4"

Warmth Visualised with Wool

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:33:23 -0400

Have you seen this ad for Natural Gas? Don't know if it actually makes me think of natural gas or rather how cozy my wool socks are in the winter. We love it anyway.

How did they get the cat to stay put and not chase the yarn all over the place, I wonder?

Eureka!

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:01:20 -0400

Did this actually post? Horray!

Sorry about the blog glitches. I know that there have been troubles downloading patterns and such. I'm working on it as I've got a really scrumptious new yarn that I'm dying to preview. Coming soon.

Swiss Mountain Tussah

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:11:46 -0400

We received this lovely photo of a Moebius from Mara Subo via Perl Grey.

Butterfly Moebius from the Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes in Swiss Mountain Tussah [in hummingbird] Knit by Pamela Subotincic.

Mara writes -
"In playing w/ it during a try-on session, I determined the center spot between my shoulder blades hosts the twist detail best. I reworked things a bit by stringing an elastic thru one edge for stability. This stabilizes the draping, effectively injecting a bit of collagen into the flipped over part where the moebius turns. So now I’ve resolved to wear it w/ the flat span across my chest, instead of across my back. Showcasing that ikat effect on the front of the piece makes it totally stunning. "

The striping is particularly wonderful in this one, don't you think?

New Colours

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:00:45 -0400

We’ve combined the best of our Fleece Artist tonal colours with our Hand Maiden subtle series in this new elegant spectrum. Salt spray – a pale blue, green grey – is a brand new addition. These are available in all fibres with both lines.

Top Row: Topaz, Ocean, Berry, Ruby, Amethyst, Wine, Chocolate, Ebony
Bottom Row: Ivory, Smoke, Salt Spray, Straw, Pumpkin, Cedar, Moss

We've also added three new variegated colourways to our collection.

from left to right
Orchid - creams and corals
Cezanne - rich golds, reds, turquoise with hints of greens and purples.
Labrador - dark brown, grays and blueberry

Heart Felt

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:05:56 -0400

My dear husband doesn't knit. But he felts. We started off many years ago felting fabric for laptop bags, years before the current selection of handmade ones. These bags need to be lined so that tiny fibres didn't get into the USB ports but gave truly great shock absorption. This past christmas my mother-in-law was lucky enough to receive one of his creations - a Tea Cosy. He added insulating fabric on the inside and nearly 1 inch thick felt. Tea stays hot for an hour.

in Fleece Artist Merino Sliver, Mugs by Laura McLean

Cross section with interior

I'm envious. hint, hint. (Valentines day is coming up and I don't need any chocolates, honey)

My husband makes felt by layering wool sliver in a grid. This piece had a core of cheese cloth in the middle with 4 layers on each side in a plaid pattern. Then he rolls it up in a piece of non-felting fabric and sprays it with very hot soapy water.

Then the fun begins, the part that 10 year old boys get a kick out of. He beats the crap out of it - first rolling it gently and by the end thumping it heartily. Every so often he unrolls and changes the direction of the log, adding more hot soapy water.

After a loose fabric has been formed, he carefully places the piece in an old fashion washing machine and runs a load. It's important that an older style washer is used as the fancy new HE washers don't agitate the same way.

Voila! - inch thick, indestructible felt.