Visiting Good Karma Farm - in Pictures!

I recently took a drive over to Belfast, Maine to visit Good Karma Farm—meet their animals, and see what their process is all about! Jim and Amy Grant raise alpacas and sheep, and process their fibers into beautiful hand-dyed yarns.

Visit their website to see what they have to offer: www.goodkarmafarm.com

Yarn, out to dry beside the entrance.

Prayer flags along the walkway to the store.

Yarn!

Monsters!

Felting fibers

Undyed

Handspun

Sock crankin' station.

60% alpaca, 40% wool; combed and ready to spin!

So, silky soft!

And, in case you're wondering what inspired me to go visit Good Karma Farm, here's a sneak peek at something in the works!

Stay tuned!

New Pattern - Nadi Coat

Introducing the Nadi Coat!

This beauty is knit from the bottom up in one piece to the armholes. The back and fronts are divided and knit separately to the shoulders. The front and back neck stitches continue to be worked into a hood, which is shaped at the top using short rows.

I really love this way of shaping hoods—I'll never shape a hood any other way, ever again.

The center stitches are worked in short rows while decreasing the outer stitches. It provides for a nice roomey hood with the perfect shape!

The sleeves are knit flat, and sewn into the armholes. There's a cute li'l cable detail at the top of the cap that matches the one at the center back—just smaller.

The front has a single row of toggle buttons at the chest, and is open at the bottom. The button band is knit at the same time as the body, so there is no need to pick up any stitches. The wooden toggle buttons that I used are from JHB.

Read more about Nadi
 

The sweater is knit using 9 (10, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) hanks of Cheyenne, by Mountain Meadow Wools. To read more about this fantastic, eco-friendly yarn, check out the review!

Auger

Auger is the newest design published by O-Wool. It's knit in their Legacy Bulky yarn, which is 100% organic wool, and uses low impact dyes. This cardi is super cozy, with some pockets to keep the hands warm and a pretty vine growing out of each.

Pattern available for $6.00 on Ravelry, from Tunney Wool Co. (aka O-Wool)

FINISHED SIZE
29¾ (33½, 37, 40¾, 44½, 48¼)” bust circumference, buttoned with 1¾” overlapped button band. Garment shown measures 33½”.

YARN O-WOOL LEGACY BULKY (100% certified organic merino; 106 yds/9 7m 100g/ 3.5 oz); 9 (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) skeins, shown in 4199 Rutabaga.

GAUGE 13 sts and 20 rows = 4” in Moss St; 15 sts in Vine Panel = 3½”. Take time to save time, check your gauge

NEEDLES Size US 10 (6 mm): 32” circular and double-pointed (dpn). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

NOTIONS Cable needle, stitch holders or waste yarn, stitch markers, six 1” buttons, tapestry needle.

NOTE Circular needle is used to accommodate large number of sts; work back and forth in rows unless otherwise specified.

Purna

Sweater-weather is finally here! Introducing Purna.
One day last winter, while sitting in my cold living room, I drempt up this cozy every-day cardigan. It's exactly what I wanted to wear that day. It's perfect to throw on over practically anything! I can't wait to get it back from the photographer so I can start wearing it on these chilly Maine mornings.

The body of this everyday cardi is knit in one piece, from the bottom up. At the armholes the back and fronts are divided and worked separately to the shoulders where they are joined with a three needle bind off. The sleeve stitches are picked up around the armhole edge, short rows are worked to shape the sleeve cap, then the sleeve is worked in the round to the cuff.

No seaming is required to make this piece.

Finished Measurements:
33 (36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51)"
84 (91.5, 99, 106.5, 114.5, 122, 129.5) cm

Yarn Requirements:
Shown in Plymouth's Homestead yarn
100% Peruvian wool
100 gram hank = approx 191 yards
5 (5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8) hanks in color 101 Light Grey Heather, or approx 900 (970, 1050, 1130, 1230, 1300, 1390) yards in a comparable earth-friendly yarn.

Knitting Needles:
One 32" circular and one set of double pointed needles size US 9 (5.5 mm).
Or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 16 sts and 23 rows = 4" in St st. Take time to save time, check your gauge.

Sneak Peek - Fall 2012

Some sneak peek photos to get you excited about this coming fall!

New designs from Quince & Co.

Quince & Co. recently published two of my designs—Lydia in Sparrow and the Budding Forest Cowl in Lark—both fantastic, eco-friendly yarns. Patterns are available as PDF downloads from the Quince & Co website.