Happy Birthday, The Gift Of Knitting!

Aug 16

Written By

It is hard to believe for me, but The Gift of Knitting is two years old today! My baby is growing :) This blog year flew by in a split second and it was such a blessing! I finally published my first official pattern and got over the fear of putting my ideas on the paper. One of the most important events for me became the collaboration with Moeke Yarns, the company that I have been admiring and following for a long time. I am so happy to say that The Gift Of Knitting Designs will be a part of the big Moeke Yarns event that starts in several weeks. But most of all I am grateful for YOUR support – for visiting, commenting and inspiring me every day. Thank you!

Meanwhile the last couple of weeks I spent at my grandparents' village. In the woods, in the middle of nowhere. A place where food comes straight from the earth, the water from the well and the light from the candles. It is my Tara (as a child I was obsessed with Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind").

This time I decided to take a break from the intricate knitting and just enjoyed a good old garter stitch knitting – a simple shawl for my dear Granny Lidia. The yarn I chose is perfect for this simple project – it is so addictive to watch how the colors are changing and mixing in its own color pattern. It is also a great companion for listening Olympics on the radio (yep, no TV in this corner of the world).

I also have a small yarn stash enhancement – 500 g of Egitto, 100% Egyptian mercerized cotton spun in Italy. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Egyptian cotton is known as the world's finest cotton.

Here's what I found out about this fiber:

The length of the fibre makes it possible to make the finest of yarns without sacrificing the strength of the yarn.
The strength of the fiber makes fabrics more solid and more resistant to stress.
Its ability to absorb liquids gives fabrics made of Egyptian cotton deeper, brighter and more resistant colours.
Its softness feels like nothing else in the world.
Egyptian cotton is hand picked which guarantees the highest levels of purity. In addition, hand picking puts no stress on the fibres - as opposed to mechanical picking - leaving the fibers straight and intact.

Source

Deep royal blue color with a slight sheen. Mmm… My mind is swirling with ideas for a future pullover! It has to be light, simple, maybe slightly textured to show off the beauty of this precious fiber and its mesmerizing color.

Though the calendar summer is still here, the evening air is already crisp and clear; the leaves are slowly and almost imperceptibly changing the shade; the rain is cold and brings the breath of fall... There are just a few days left before I leave my family and head back home. These lovely yarn balls will remind me of this wonderful time I got to spend with my dear ones.