Sleeping Beauty Socks

I am surrounded by talented professionals and a team of absolutely wonderful test knitters, and thanks to them, The Lair can proudly present a new pattern for sale! It has been a while, but I hope the wait is worth it! And there will be many more to follow soon. I've also updated a few of the older patterns, see the end of the post for details.

The new pattern is a spur-of-the-moment thing. I bought two skeins of a beautiful semisolid turquoise sock yarn, slightly thicker than what I prefer for my socks. It was definitely too thick for gloves, and I was hesitant to use it for socks as it is 2-ply merino-nylon blend, and not too tightly spun. But then it hit me: I need a pair of sleeping socks, the kind you slip on when you get to bed and eventually end up kicking them off at some point at night. The merino would be perfect for them, it's soft and warm, and since it doesn't need to be very durable, I decided to use the newly acquired yarn for a pair of sleeping socks.



I wanted to knit lace for my socks. I usually have no patterning in my socks, merely because I like knitting stockinette and cables and other patterns would be uncomfortable to wear with shoes. I don't wear store-bought socks at all, so I knit stockinette socks mostly as they're an easy, perfect traveling project to take along. But with sleeping socks I could go wild and choose a lace pattern! And so I did, taking a lace pattern from a Japanese stitch pattern book and modifying it slightly.



The pair itself is relatively simple, knitted toe-up with a upside down French heel and a garter lace edging.



I really loved the pair I knitted. I thought it was the perfect marriage between yarn, purpose, color and stitch pattern, and then it hit me. Perhaps others would like it too! A quick call to my test knitters, and here it is: the Sleeping Beauty Socks Pattern!



This button will take you to Ravelry where you can get your copy of the pattern:


Red Dragon Shawl pattern has also been updated (new lay-out, no changes to charts or the pattern).

If you already own a copy, you can download your new version at the Ravelry pattern page. Don't have the Red Dragon yet? Here's the link to Ravelry where you can purchase your copy:


Also updated are the Deep in the Forest Mittens. They have been a true favorite - thank you everyone for your support! The pattern has a completely new lay-out and looks really good to me!

If you already own a copy, you can download your new version at the Ravelry pattern page. Don't have it yet? Here's the link to Ravelry where you can purchase your copy:


Exhausted? There's one more! The Winter Skirt has also a new lay-out:

You can find the new version at the Ravelry pattern page, where you can purchase a copy of the pattern. Or just click the button below:


That's it for now! Enjoy the fall weather and stay warm - we're feeling the misty chill of the mornings here and I've cast on for many many projects, which are soon ready for blogging. Stay tuned then!

Long Time No See

I seem to have stepped and got stuck over there in the dark side (see last post)! The truth is, I haven't knitted much. This summer was the hottest on record, and it felt like it. This, for a knitter, means no wool. Even the thought of it made my hands sticky and eww. I did knit a little, though - but I suppose you don't want to see Mount Doom of Dishcloths, especially since they're all the same.

I haven't spun much, either, although I went a little crazy and bought a spinning wheel.

He (yes, he) is a Schacht Matchless, DT as you can see. And he is wonderful! His name is Jeremy, after Jeremy Irons and Jeremy Clarkson, although my friends seem to believe there is a connection with a Ron Jeremy, too.

If you have no idea who Ron Jeremy is, do not google him. Trust me on this.

Anyway, I love the new wheel! I've wanted one for a long time, after I tried my friend's Matchless. And I can't figure out why I didn't get one sooner. It's a true workhorse, does everything I want and need, and adjusting it is so easy. I've been a Scotch tension spinner, but have now seen the light and will spin everything in DD if possible. I absolutely love the double-drive, although my spinning technique did require some adjusting when I first learned to spin with a double-drive.

I also bought the WooLee Winder for mine 2 days after the wheel arrived, and a Strauch 405 carder, which will arrive sometime this week. I wanted the carder for blending batts, and working with finer fibers too. I spun some pure samoyed (mmm yum) and it turned out absolutely lovely - fluffy, soft and fuzzy. It was like an affair between angora, mohair and merino! But it could use a little oomph (that's a technical term, I'm sure it is). There is a seemingly endless supply of the fiber, and you know what I mean if you've ever seen a samoyed! So next time I'll use my fancy carder to blend it with a nice merino or Shetland or some other lovely fiber like that, and hopefully it'll have a little more elasticity then. However, 100% samoyed is a nice fiber for fluffy two-ply (longdrawn straight from the combed hair).



I have one more thing to show you, and it's proof of the fact that I still knit. In fact I finished this prototype in May, but I'm working on the second version right now with a team of test-knitters, which means the pattern will come out soon.


It's a top-down bolero with Haapsalu and Shetland lace. The prototype was knitted with devilish 7-stitch nupps (never again! at least never again in 85F weather), using 440yds or 400m of 2-ply wool. This can be knit with one skein of fingering weight then, but with two skeins, the sleeves and the body can be knit longer.


The second version on my needles will be worked with 6/0 beads instead of nupps, and with approximately 900yds of handspun 2-ply angora blend. I'll show you when it's finished, right now it's a fuzzy lump embellished with beads!



The pattern for the bolero will be out later this month, as well as the patterns for the gray Alpaca tunic and the Emerald Sweater you saw earlier this year. And there is also a sock pattern I'm anxious to show you! Next up will be previews of the new patterns, and updates on the older ones. And the next post will not happen in early April, but hopefully later this week!