Now in an alpaca free zone...

I can annouce with some pride that Chez Sassy is now completely alpaca free!  I have delved into, and searched and sorted my ever growing stash and all my alpaca had gone to new homes where hopefully it will be loved and used.

In Chez Sassy we are very used to reading the labels all all food stuffs as Mr S is a ceoliac.  It is really unbelievable the amount of gluten in ready made meals - which is probably why we don't do the ready meal route very often, but when we do - the first thing is to read the ingredients and then decide.   But I have never had to read the the yarn labels before deciding whether I like the yarn.  But since discovering my allergy to alpaca I have become increasingly aware of the number of yarns that contain the fibre!  I have looking for some yarn to make this season's must have cowl virtually every yarn I found contained - yes Alpaca! But I have found the perfect yarn in my stash a cashmere yarn from the Posh Cashmere Club a couple of years back. 

But enough of that - besides looking for non alpaca yarns I have been busy dyeing, designing and experimentingwith pencil roving.

First up the latest from the dye pot

Double Jeopardy (Polwarth)

 

 

 Light Wings (Polwarth)

 

Spring Meadow (Polwarth)

 

 

 

It might not come as a surprise to see that I am very fond of Polwarth.  It is lovely to spin and blended with silk an absolute dream!

 

While I was dyeing these I also dip dye some pencil roving which  I thought I would try knitting with, rather than spinning.  I have spun pencil roving in the past but it seems a bit senseless as most of the work has already been done for you.

 

Any way here is the result of the experiment - using 9mm needles, and the DOS 4 in what I think is a autumnal shade.  I have about 500 grams of this so now to dip dye in larger quanties!

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The other must have item this autumn is wrist warmers or the fingerless mittens, but could I find a pattern that I liked, no there was either too much or too little pattern, and I had decided that I wanted cables and no thumbs.  A quick look at patterns of Ravelry showed that you don't really need a pattern so here is my take on the fingerless mitts.  These I knit with some handspun merino and silk dyed with Gaywool Denim.

 

 

But not everyone has my handspun yarn so I am knitting and writing up the pattern for an aran weight yarn.......................details later!