It's cold outside. Go knit a sweater. Or two.

Last year, I wasn't a garment knitter. I was all about the socks and mitts and hats. 2012 was also the year of shawls for me.

Then this year? Bam! I got hit by the garment hammer of Cast On All The Things!
I can kind of see what it is. When I started as a knitter, I could only afford single skeins of anything.  You can make a whole project out of one skein of exquisitely beautiful sock yarn. Your investment was much smaller.
Even if you screwed it up, you hadn't invested a lot of time or money.
Instant gratification.

But really, how many shawls can one girl need? Especially with the weather we're having.
I love shawls, don't get me wrong, but I might have reached shawl saturation. For now.

Side note: I still don't have enough socks.

So I was going to try it. A nice transitional pullover, knit out of cotton. I fell in love with the way Sazerac was modeled, and I had to have it. So I made one. And I love it. It's fabulous, and the cotton yarn is fingering weight, light enough to not be bent out of shape yet.

Then I made another cotton pullover, this time short-sleeved.
Then a Wollmeise cardigan. Then one with all-over lace. And a mystery sweater. And a lace cardigan.

Then I cast on a big, cushy pullover out of Tails DK, the squishy, cloud-like singles yarn I stock in my shop, in a colour I've been trying to create fora  while, a deep red with black overtones.

And then I cast on Sambuca, my latest obsession. It crept up on me. I bought the yarn in the backroom of Bendigo Woollen Mills, just to play with it. It's just a grey DK wool, non-superwash, how good could it be?
Pretty great, actually. I love everything about this wool. I'm going to add Noro to this project, because knitting with Noro pretty much guarantees I will love this pullover forever.
I'm even adding some shaping to it.

How will all of this turn out? Who knows? But I'm loving the journey.

Are you a garment knitter? Or do you prefer accessories? Or something else?

World Traveller Club: April

By now, everyone in the World Traveller Club should have received their April shipment, and the may shipments are well on their way.

I had great fun picking the theme for the inaugural trip. After all, the first trip will set the tone for your entire voyage!

So for our first trip together, I wanted to take everyone to a region close by that is near and dear to my heart: The Australia Alps.
We're getting ready for our wintersport season, such as it is, so this area has been on my mind.

The Australian Alps consists of two biogeographic subregions: the Snowy Mountains including the Brindabella Ranges, located in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory; and the Victorian Alps, located in Victoria. The latter region is also known as the "High Country", particularly within a cultural or historical context.

While I mainly visit the alpine region in winter, there are many gorgeous things to do there in summer. It's dry and has a stark beauty all of its own. but that dryness comes with an ever-present danger: Bushfires.

In 2009, the bushfires were so devastating and widespread, they are now known as the Black Saturday fires.

Just this summer, fires raged around the mountains almost all the way to the peaks. The images from those fires were striking. I was planning the club colours during that time and I could smell the smoke. I wanted to do something that reflected what was reality in our area.

The variegated colourway for this month was inspired by photos of yellow and orange fires and billowing blue-grey smoke against a deep blue sky.

The tonal colour is inspired by the Pygmy Possum, a tiny marsupial native to only the Victorian Alps, and whose already small habitat was vastly decreased due to the fires.

And there you have it. Our April trip. May travellers will be going somewhere different, and then it's time for our April travellers to pack their bags and hop on a virtual plane to somewhere completely different.

#socks365

I’ve started a new project to help me practice my photography. 
I’m sure a lot of you have heard about Project 365. Well, I’m putting my own twist on it and calling it Socks 365. 
But it’s no fun to play alone, is it? 
So I’m challenging all of you to play along, too!

Take a picture of your socks (on you, or get creative!) every day and share them in the Ravelry group, or on Twitter (#socks365), on your blog, on the project365 website…

And who knows? There may even be prizes for those who play along… ^_^

You can follow my project on the Project365 website, on Google+ or on Twitter.

Tea & Stripes Club Roundup

November '12 - French Earl Grey

The inaugural Tea & Stripes Club is well and truly over.
I had a wonderful time choosing the teas and coming up with colours.

There has been lots of activities in the group, which was super fun.
Of course the greatest thrill is seeing what people knit with my yarns, and we've had everything from socks to cowls and hats.

December '12 - Morning Dew

For those of you who missed out this time around, fear not! There will definitely be another Tea & Stripes club later in the year.

First, I'm going to focus on a new adventure though. The World Traveller yarn & goodies club is open for sign-ups right now, and it's going to be a blast!

January '13 - Cleopatra's Champagne

It's going to be variegated and tonal yarns (to give me a break from balling dozens of self-striping yarns each week!), but once that's through, the next round will be better than ever.
I've already got a few new and exciting teas lined up for you all.

What's your favourite tea? Which tea do you think would make an excellent addition to the line-up?

And which of the current crop would you like to see added to our regular Yarn vs Zombies line-up?

High Tea at Downton Tea & Yarn Club

 
Welcome to Downton, where we take tea with our intrigue, and high drama calls for high tea.

Are you in love with Downton Abbey? 
Then this club is for you. 
Every other month, for three months, you will receive a shipment of one skein of yarn (at least 100 grams of fingering weight) and a sampler of tea inspired by or relating to the characters, setting and period of popular BBC drama Downton Abbey.

Love clubs but want some control? One month before shipments go out, we’ll send you a preview of two colourways -- one variegated, and one tonal. You’ll get to see them before making your decision about which you prefer. You’re not stuck with yarn you don’t want!

Want them both? Club members have the option of ordering extra skeins of either the tonal or the variegated yarn for as long as they are members of the club.

Want a different base? We can do that, too.

High Tea at Downton ships on the last of April, June and August with previews going up one month before.

The base yarns will include one merino/nylon blend, one luxury fibre blend and one surprise blend! All yarns are superwash and perfect for socks, shawls, accessories or baby clothes.

Sign-ups are open, but places are strictly limited.

In The Dyepots

What's in the dye pots this week?

I finally got some merino fibres back. As well as Squish, my regular superwash merino base, and Grip, my 100% Australian Corriedale, I've got Slink, 100% Tussah silk (and the softest thing I've ever touched) and a new base, a non-superwash Australian Merino top of a wonderful 18.5 micron, Squoosh. Think of it as Squish's untreated sister.

But of course it isn't just fibre that's been brewing. I've also been busy re-dyeing some variegated favourites as well as playing with more semi-solids.
Semi-solids are difficult for me to keep in stock, mainly because most people who are looking for semi-solids are looking for very specific colours, and it's impossible for me to keep a full palette in stock right now.

So if you're looking for a specific colour, make sure to let me know, and I'll dye it up for you!

I'm trying to dye a semi-solid or two each week so I can add them to my gallery, to make it easier for people to choose what they like.


There aren't going to be many self-striping yarns in the shop this week, but you never know, there might still be a few!

Why World Travel?

Why would you want to choose to travel with Yarn vs Zombies?

1. Fun Yarns Each yarn has been selected to best showcase the colours of each destination, or to reflect something about the destination itself Our club will feature both traditional merino and merino/nylon blends as well as more exotic and luxurious fibres and yarns.
2. Something new Each level will have at least one new, never-before-seen in the shop base!
3. Flavour It’s not just the yarn that’s delicious! Each shipment will highlight a dish from the region you are travelling to.
4. Exclusivity Each of our handpainted colorways will be exclusive to the club, never to be sold on our regular site. You’ve got to travel to get unique souvenirs! Plus, club members will be able to order as many extra skeins as they like for a year from the start of our world tour. Seen something the other travellers got you particularly like? You can order those, too!
5. Souvenirs Who doesn’t love souvenirs? From little goodies inspired by your destination to free coupons, stitch markers, and patterns, there’s something for everyone. Contests and prizes. We’ll also run periodic contests and drawings that only club members can enter. Win free yarn, or other awesome gifts.
6. Friends Get to know other club members. Hear about your fellow travellers’ stories and adventures, show off your yarn and goodies, and make new friends from all around the world!
7. Bonus Club members are eligible for special prize drawings and other shop surprises. What are these? You’ve got to travel to find out…
   
   
   Club sign-ups are open until the 28th of February 2013. Places are strictly limited and will be assigned by lottery on the 1st of March 2013. If you are selected for a spot, payment will be due in full by March 15th.

World Traveller Yarn Club

 
Sign-ups are now open! Simply fill in the form to be added to the lottery. 
Link here.

Yarn vs Zombies is taking you on a world tour to visit different destinations.

Experience a truly international club with colourways inspired by locations on different continents.

Extras will include a recipe from the region with each shipment, as well as a goodie or pattern inspired by the location or yarn colour.

There are four levels of club in two flavours.

Choose from:

• Quick Trip Traveller (1 skein of sockweight yarn of 100 grams plus goodies every other month)
• Long Distance Traveller (2-3 skeins of coordinating fingering weight yarn of 100 grams each plus goodies every other month)
• Big Traveller (2 skeins of coordinating DK or worsted weight yarn of 100 grams plus goodies every other month)
• Adventure Traveller (1-4 braids of fibre of at least 125 grams/4 oz total)

Choose from two flavours: variegated or tonal.

If you are interested in more than one club, please fill in the form once for each club of your choice.

All clubs have the option of re-ordering extra skeins of club colours (variegated and tonal) for a year after sign-ups.

Club sign-ups are open until the 28th of February 2013. Places are strictly limited and will be assigned by lottery on the 1st of March 2013. If you are selected for a spot, payment will be due in full by March 15th.

If you no longer wish to be part of the club before payment is made, please let me know asap so I can offer your spot to someone on the wait list.

So, are you ready to go travelling?

Shop Update 12/2/13

Have you been waiting for summery yarns? 
Introducing Skinny Ginny, our firsst line of cotton yarns! Skinny Ginny is a fingering weight (we’ll bring you a DK soon, too), and up for the first time in the shop. 
 
There’s also some stripeys! 

Unicorns

Aaah, unicorns. Whinnying and deadly. (Just ask Diana Peterfreund. No really, do!) A quick search on Ravelry reveals an amazing array of unicorn patterns, from headbands to doorstops, to the fabulously named Unicorn Barf scarf.
But most of them are of the happy, sparkly variety.
What I'm looking for is something a little more in line with the true, sinister nature of unicorns. Something that will go great with a skein of Zombie Unicorn. I'm thinking a shawl...
Any ideas?

Shop Update 28/8

That's What She Said

Zombie Unicorn

It's heading towards autumn in the northern hemisphere and Halloween is only 2 months away.
With that in mind, some new colourways inspired by the goodness of autumn and some gruesome monsters.

Apple Season

Ghoulish

Shop Update 21st August 2012

 The shop is back!
There are some old favourites as well as some new things today. We've got some self-striping balls in several bases, a new-to-me Corriedale fibre and some brand-new colourways, both semi-solid and variegated.
And I've been playing with some luscious silk-merino blends for some stunning one-of-a-kind colourways.
What's your favourite today?

Waving Hello/Goodbye

Yarn, meet project.
Sometimes, I really want to make a specific item. Sometimes, I want to use a specific yarn.
And in the case of the Headbumps hat made out of slow-changing Zauberball Crazy in Fliederduft, both came together in a fun and flexible knit.
The colours are a bit duller than I usually wear, but this little beret goes with heaps of things, conveniently dressing up or down as the occasion requires.
Added bonus: It goes with some of my knitted scarves.

Norwegian Rose saga

They're done! The Norwegian Rose socks that took forever are done!
Remind me never to attempt an 800-yard colorwork sock project in a month again.

They're glorious and a pain to get on, but once they're on, they're warm and cushy.
I'll have to redo the ribbing though. Size 0 after size 0 colorwork made it too sloppy for my liking.

The knitting itself was reasonably straight forward, all things considered.
Wendy Johnson is known for her great toe-up sock instructions, so following them was easy as sock knitting can be.
The charts were great and clear.
I'd heard the heel was a bit of an issue for some, so I changed mine to the heel I did for my Bob & Weave socks, and that worked out excellently.

To get all the yardage into the sock, I extended it by one repeat vertically and one horizontally, meaning I did some calf shaping. And good thing, too!

I love how they came out.
They're the perfect height to fit in snowboarding boots, and I intend to try them for this very purpose.
Let's see how the fabled Solemate stands up to some hardcore shredding, eh?

Speaking of Solemate.
The colorway, Bigger on the Inside, I got looked dark in the skein. I was a little sad about that, because it meant the contrast wasn't quite what I envisioned.
Then it got worse.
When I soaked the finished socks, the dark blue dye bled. A lot.
As in, even after a vinegar bath and dye fixing and many, many rinses, there was still dye coming off.
My pretty brown variegated? Blue tinted.
Sad face.

I know this can happen. I dye yarn. No one deliberately ruins your colorwork. If I had thought about this, I would have pre-washed the skein just to be sure. It's dark blue. Dark blues and reds bleed.
But this felt a bit excessive.
So I let Lorna's Laces know that I had a problem. I wasn't trolling, or trying to be rude. Just feedback.
They got back to me within a day. They were apologetic, they were nice, and they offered me a skein of yarn as a gesture of goodwill.
How nice of them! But I'm in Australia, and I know international shipping is a pain. I gave them my address anyway. Their response? "A happy customer is NEVER a problem". Don't you just love that?

Mistakes happen. Things don't always come out perfectly. it's what you do afterwards that really counts.
And Lorna's Laces' response? Perfect.
You know I already love their yarn. But now I also love the company behind the yarn.
Fantastic.

Shop Update July 3rd

This week's shop update is live!

Something new going up this week in the shop:
Fiber!
This wonderfully soft and springy Merino top is grown close to me (just one state over, on the island of Tasmania), and has to be felt to be believed.



Of course, there'll also be some stripey goodness again.

Shop Update 26/6

 This week's shop update is live! Inspiration came from my travels, both past and future, as well as nature itself.

Come take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/yarnvszombies

Hole In The Wall (But Not The Sole)

 I had some greyish-blueish sock yarn my mum sent me. I wasn't sure if it was variegated or self-striping, so I wanted to do something straight-forward with it.
I was just going to vanilla my way through.
Instead, I went for Anne Campbell's Circle socks, a fun pattern that's just entertaining enough to make vanilla into more-ish knitting. At least for me.
These are slightly larger than my usual socks, but the structure of the holes makes the cuffs stack and stay up by themselves.

I think this pattern would be fabulous in the right kind of striping, or a loud variegated, too.