I am in need of some help. Specifically, I am looking for a knitter who maintains a regular blog (Podcasters/vidcasters are also welcome!) and would be willing to receive a knitting kit, knit up the project and review both the pattern and the yarn. Active Tweeters and Facebook use a plus! The project will be socks, and the base yarn + colors will be at my discretion. If you have strong color preferences (either loves or dislikes) I am happy to take those into consideration.

In full disclosure, this is part of a promotional collaboration between Yarn Love and a start-up craft company. There is a time limit, but we’re flexible. Our aim is to have the review up by early June.

Here’s what you get:

• Fully tech edited, professionally published sock pattern. (Yep, I’d be happy to add it to your Ravelry Library.)
• Enough hand dyed yarn to knit the socks in your size. This could be a single color or a combination of main color plus accent colors.
• Feature post here on your review.

Here’s what I need:

•  A blog post with clear, well-lit photographs of at least one finished sock. (Oooh, you only have to knit one!)
•  Your honest review of my pattern and yarn.
• Content needs to be ready to publish early June. I’ll be in touch with further details on the final release date.
•  The sock patterns are intermediate/advanced, so prior sock knitting experience and ability to read a chart are necessary.

Despite the general cacophony that we call life here at Villa Franceschi and Studio Yarn Love, Fletch is thriving. (Fletch being the baby bird rescued off the sidewalk a week and a half ago.) So here are some more pictures for all you bird lovers to look at.

(Even if you’re not a bird lover, it is pretty fascinating to watch how fast a baby bird grows and changes.)

Fletch is getting to be big. Overnight he’s gone from the “floppy neck” baby stage to being able to sit up and hop around on his own. I’ve moved him from a small 8 x 8 in box to a much larger 12 X 12 in. box. He likes to show off and has spent all day roosting on the edge of the diaper-lined bowl “nest” I’ve made for him just to prove how grown up he is.

Fletch 14-16 Days

There’s a three day gap in my photos here. We have a lot going on in our family this spring, and I didn’t get photos taken as I intended. You can see he’s got a lot more feathers now, but still shows a lot of translucent skin. No, that’s not a horrible tumor on his neck, it’s his crop. He’s just been fed and it’s full of food. He’s laying against the wall of his “nest” and can’t support his head on his own.

Fletch 15-17 Days

One day since the last picture. His feathers are noticeably thicker and he’s starting to really use his legs. Despite how spindly they are, he totters around his nest and generally gets himself tangled up a lot. Notice his tail feathers just starting to come in?

Fletch 16-18 Days

This is Fletch today. Despite the fact that he was doing a fantastic drunken-sailor imitation all day yesterday, he can now sit up and hop on his own today. I switched him to a box that is 50% bigger, so that when he hops out of his “nest” he has room to move. So far, he’s shown off all day by sitting on the edge of his nest and pooping into his nest.

This is a big departure from his MO all previous days. Robins are apparently born with the instinct to turn and poo along the outer rim of the nest when they’re young, so the parents can flick the poo onto the ground & keep the nest clean. Perhaps we’ve entered into the rebellious teenage phase?

If you hadn’t already guessed, birds are messy. That’s 8 hours worth of bird poo.

In non-bird related news I’m busily knitting and dyeing. Sock club yarns will go out early next week, and I have four pattern deadlines in the next two weeks. Lots of excitement around the Villa and Studio this week – it must be spring!

It’s spring. Love is in the air or so they say. Around here it’s likely to be allergens, rain, and birds. Oh, and those helicopter things maple trees drop. We have those by the millions. That’s probably why while I was out on a walk with my kiddos I discovered an orphaned baby bird on the sidewalk. (I reference the birds here, not the helicopters.)

He had fallen from his nest and was lying injured on the sidewalk. He narrowly missed an unhappy demise via scooter (two of my kids were scootering & somehow missed him) and I nearly ran him over with the stroller. Not an auspicious start!

Ordinarily, I am not the type of person who adopts strays. We have fish. They are lovely fish…and with a young family they’re about what I can keep up with. I am apparently not the type of person who can leave a teeny, tiny bird alone and orphaned on the sidewalk either.

Since no nest was apparent and no parent birds were about, I decided to see if I could revive the baby, figuring due to his injury from the fall, the extent of what I could do was make him more comfy in his final hours.

But Fletch is resilient. Despite being 2-3 days old when he fell from his nest, being injured, cold and hungry for a long time, he pulled through. He even made it when a severe thunderstorm knocked out our power for 24 hours, which left him without his necessary heating pad. He’s growing, his eyes have opened, and his feathers are coming in.

So meet Fletch, a baby North American Robin who is now about 8-9 days old. He’s nearly 50% bigger than the day we found him and enjoys long naps on his cloth diaper lined “nest” and eating softened cat food. He’s strong enough to chirp and even does so in his sleep. If I feed him, he’ll curl up in my palm and go to sleep.

Here are progression pictures of him with my estimate of how old he is. Fair warning, baby birds are pretty ugly. He’s growing less ugly, but when I first found him he was a translucent pink, covered in a fine fuzz, and extremely floppy….which makes it hard to take cute pictures. Just think of these pics as an educational experience.

Truth be told, he’s quite fascinating to watch in person. He grows and changes visibly each day.

Fletch 3-4 Days Old

Fletch two days after we found him. It took me this long to be confident that he wasn’t going to die. His body mass is a little bigger than a quarter here.Most of the debris you see around him is tidbits of food. He’s a messy, messy eater.

Fletch 5-6 Days Old

Fletch the next day. He’s bigger and he’s now able to open his eyes. His feathers are a touch longer around his wings, and beginning to appear down his back. He’s able to move more and has better control over his neck. Still messy, though.

Fletch 6-7 Days Old

This is Fletch last night. He’s substantially bigger than when we first found him – I estimate 40%. In one sitting he eats as much now as he did his first day with us. He can now stretch his wings out, and use his legs to move. He can also sit in a roosting position. Still really, really messy.

Welcome aboard the crazy Yarn Love wagon, Fletch. I sure hope the internet is right when it says you can learn to fly from watching other birds. I can feed you, but you’re on your own with the flying, little buddy.

P.S. I’ve categorized this post as a work in progress. Baby birds, like fledgling knitting projects are an ever-changing experience.

It’s showering today. Gentle droplets of rain plopping down to water the ground and creating puddles which my children will, no doubt, be irresistibly attracted to. Brightening the grey world around is the vibrant green of the newly grown grass and the bright splash of this month’s colors.

Elizabeth Bennet is our heroine this month. This special sock yarn is custom spun for Yarn Love and is everything you want for a special pair of socks or a glimmering shawl. (Ok, maybe it’s everything I want in a special sock yarn, but I can say with certainty you’ll love her, too.)

• 65% superwash merino/25% bamboo rayon/15% silk
• 195 yards / 178 m per 50 gram skein
• Hand wash, lay flat to dry.
• $12.50 per additional 50 gram skein. (2 skeins per pair of socks recommended)

Blossoms on the Wind

I have never been to Japan, but I often imagine the swirl of pink cherry blossoms filling the air as a breeze brushes by. Vibrant purple blends into blossom pink, accented with ivory and warm tan.

Creamsicle

That wonderfully orange flavor married to sweetened cream and made perfect by nostalgia. Indulge in this calorie-free version of a childhood favorite without guilt.

Once upon a time, there were two girls. Ladies, really, because they were all grown up with young kiddos of their own. They “met” via an online forum concerned with all things related to cloth diapers. They might have been a little odd, but they derived great pleasure from wrapping cloth around baby bums, topping them with conscientiously knitted woolen soakers, (Think underwear-esque diaper cover here.) and sending them off to explore the wide and wondrous world.

Their friendship grew, and so did their obsession with the wool. Soon they stopped knitting woolen diaper covers and started selling dyed yarn. Soon after that they started dyeing and selling their woolen wares under the same banner.

Time passed, and even though they eventually reverted to selling their yarny goodness from separate stores (It’s quite hard to run a business when the business partners live in different parts of the country.) their friendship and affection remained.

I am the short half of this duo, and Sharon, the Yarnista behind Three Irish Girls is the tall half. She’s paid me the highest compliment one dyer can pay another – she’s knitting a baby blanket for her coming Shamrock with my yarn.

Dear little Shamrock and Sharon – I hope you always find yourself wrapped in love and sincere affection.

Pssst – Yes, you can get the colorway, too.

A mighty congratulations to the winner of 3 months of Yarn Love: beccah!  I’m so pleased to have you as the newest member of the sock club! I know we’ll both enjoy the next three months of yarn related fun.

A big thank-you to everyone who entered – all 283 of you! The response to my little contest was amazing and it’s made it ever so much fun to do. I’m going to have to keep it in mind for a fall giveaway.

If you didn’t win, but are still convinced that you need a monthly infusion of Yarn Love, there are a few spots available. The club spots will remain up in the Etsy shop until they’re sold out. (If you really want in, I’d subscribe now due to the low number of remaining spots.)

I’m having a great day. I got a lovely night’s rest, the flowers are in bloom and a warm breeze is blowing. I’ve decided to share the happiness with you:

I’m giving away 3 months of free yarn.

If you want to be entered into the free yarn giveaway, here’s what you need to do:

Go to my Etsy shop & favorite anything you like between now and midnight (11:59pm) April 1st.

That’s it. On Monday, April 2nd, I’ll choose the winner from among the favorites.The winner will have full club benefits for 3 months – that means you get to choose your favorite from two new colorways every month, plus will receive some fun extras, too. (I’m actually assembling April’s extras right now. You won’t want to miss them!)

What are you waiting for? Go enter! Then go tell your yarn loving friends about the giveaway – there are only three days to enter.

Today is a lovely day. The earth is wet from a warm rain, the birds are singing, and early spring blooms are bursting forth. Clearly all that is lacking is a new sock pattern to make today perfect.

If you’re a sock knitter then today is perfect! I cheerfully announce the release of my latest pattern, Concoction Socks, over at KnitCircus. They’re bright, they’re clever, they’re sure to please. I learned a lot while designing them and you can, too. (I mean while you knit them, of course.)

While Concoction might not look like a ground-breaking sock, it is. There are three techniques which I’ve included in this pattern which are quite clever. This is no ordinary pattern. If you’ve ever been bored by regular sock construction, warm up your needles. Let’s look at why Concoction is special:

Short Rows make toes & heels fantastic

Short rows are an incredible tool used by knitters to add fullness to a specific part of the garment, rather than the whole. You’re probably familiar with the standard short-row toe and heel. Short row heels are easy to work, but for many knitters the fit leaves something to be desired.

Not any more.

• Clever combination of wedge style toe + strategic short rows prevents stretching & wear along the top of the toe wedge.
• A forked heel: taking the traditional short row heel to the next level. The forked heel is as easy to work as a traditional short row heel, but is more anatomically correct. This means a better fit for more feet.

Charts make me cross-eyed

For some knitters charts are nothing but frustration and bother. But this makes it hard to work complex stitch patterns and colorwork. I’ve solved this issue, too:

• Chart free colorwork
• The same color pattern is worked forwards and backwards to create spirals and zig-zags.

But wait. I can’t do that fancy, backwards knitting thing.

That’s ok, neither can I. All you’ll need to do is pull your sock inside out, and purl around the “backwards” rows.

There’s a lot to love in my new Concoction socks – I hope you’ll enjoy knitting them as much as I did. Snap up the pattern right here & cast on!

After a bit of back & forth with the mill regarding yarn base availability, I’m pleased to announce the March colors! They’re fresh, lovely and full of sensual hues. Dyed up on the effervescent Scarlett O’Hara, they’re sure to perk up your sock knitting in time for warm, spring breezes.

Scarlett O’Hara

410 yards / 375 meters  per 4 oz / 115 g skein. 60% superwash merino, 30% bamboo rayon, 10% nylon. Fingering weight. $21 per additional skein.

Seaside Breeze

A salty mix of sea blue, touched with sea green and grey salt. A moderately variegated semi-solid. Your fabric will show a good mix of hues as you knit it up.

Fern Frond

A kettle dyed amalgam of chartreuse, lime, and kelly green with intense aqua and bark layered through out. The colors are added to the pot and allowed to swirl and mix freely resulting in multi-layered, complex hues.

Read part 1 of the contrast discussion right here. 

Now let’s continue talking about designing colorwork socks. In the last post I told you that successful colorwork requires contrast. You can achieve contrast via saturation (light vs. dark) or pairing complementary colors (color wheel opposites naturally contrast with each other). But that’s not the end of the discussion on contrast. You can also achieve visual contrast by varying texture.

That’s right. By adding textured stitches, you can create contrast and dimension in your knitwear. (You can also do this with other textiles, but for now we’ll talk about knitwear.) While this might not be 100% relevant to traditional colowork, it is still a useful design concept, and I would feel remiss about skipping it. And, let’s face it, it’s not unusual to see textured stitches paired with colorwork, so let’s discuss.

Contrast

3.) Texture  – creates visual contrast

Using both knit and purl stitches, rearranging stitch order, and skipping stitches all produce contrast in knitting. You may know this technique by a common name: stitch patterns. Stitch patterns are as old as knitting itself and consummately popular. Why? Because they’re interesting and draw the eye. You can use texture all by itself to create contrast.

Take a look at these examples:

This swatch has a single, highly saturated hue: black. If you have ever knit with black yarn you know that the depth of the saturation really reduces the eye’s ability to distinguish one stitch from another. (Have you ever found yourself/heard your knitting buddy talk about when you can only knit on that black project in full daylight while bending toward the window…. That’s because the saturation is so dark that your eye has trouble distinguishing one stitch from another. There’s not enough contrast to knit easily.) The gigantic bubble textures plus the open holes on the edge creates contrast when very little is present otherwise. While it might not increase the ease of knitting, adding big texture to a super saturated hue increases it’s contrast and gives the knitting more visual interest.

Additional notes on adding texture to super saturated colors:

• Bigger & bolder is better. Finer textures are likely to get lost.
• Use holes: yarn overs or bigger i-cord holes like above. This allows the background to show through increasing contrast.You could even use a buttonhole technique to add longer slits.
• Decreases are really hard to see on super saturated hues. Keep them to a minimum to save your sanity.

Another extreme example. This cowl features a single color – white. While white allows the eye to see more contrast than black simply due to it’s lighter saturation, a flat stockinette fabric would blur together. Here holes (yarn overs) and increases/decreases are used to great affect. The entire fabric has a glorious texture which is easily seen, despite the lack of other contrast.

This isn’t knitting. It’s a woven jute rug, but it’s still a fabulous example. (You could knit up something really similar by plotting out a stranded colorwork chart or grabbing a mosaic knitting stitch pattern.) The colors here only have moderate contrast. To my eye, they are borderline for being good choices in a colorwork project. From a distance, their close saturation and close relationship on the color wheel means that the over all look is likely to be “blendy” – without distinct edges. Blendy means your pattern will be lost due to the lack of contrast. However, texture has been added to give the rug the “pop” it needs. It takes it from being borderline boring into pleasing with a hint of interest. (Not to mention great for cleaning off the bottom of your shoes.)

Conclusions

So what can we take away from this? If you have a colorwork project that is almost there, but your colors aren’t quite working out, consider adding a spot of texture to one of the colors. Try reverse stockinette or seed stitch but add it only to one color. The play of texture is often enough to achieve that elusive visual “pop”.

Take a look at this detail shot of my design-in-progress. While it’s true that this project doesn’t lack for contrast, thanks to my choice of complementary hues, don’t you think those few purled rows really set off the hem? I think so, too.

Finally, eye candy. Low contrast, high texture. Isn’t it wonderful?

Lady Elinor Socks

Lotus Cardigan by Rowan

Rivulets Bedding by Anthropologie

 Photo Credits & Thanks

A huge thank-you to Heidi and Carrie for allowing me to use their swatch & cowl photographs respectively. I ran across their work via internet searching and they graciously allowed me to share their wonderful work with you. It perfectly illustrates my points and I appreciate their generosity. Catch up with them here:

Heidi: Ravelry & Heidi’s Blog

Carrie: Ravelry & Carrie’s Blog & her work for Quince & Co.