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Today is South African Heritage Day and we are so excited to have some uninterrupted time to do some knitting!
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If you've been toying with the idea of getting your hands into some beautiful knitted lace knitting (not necessarily in lace weight yarn!) but not sure which pattern would be enjoyable, look no further!
You are invited to cast on our new staff KAL (Knit-a-long): The Traveling Woman shawl by L Abinante with us between now and the end of the month. The KAL will 'officially' run until the end of October.
You are very welcome to cast on at the shop! (We are open between 9am and 4pm today, and the rest of the week through Saturday).
If you live too far away or can't come through to us, you are welcome to join us from wherever you are! The more the merrier! Please tag us on social media or send us photos via Whatsapp as we would love to see your progress!
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I'm not one for knitting the same pattern more than once... but after completing my first, I knew absolutely that the Traveling Woman shawl would be one that I knitted again as the pattern is so enjoyable! We are confident that you will also really enjoy this project!
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Reasons to cast on (as if we need reasons to cast on!):
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- FREE PATTERN
- Beautiful confident-beginner-friendly lace knitting
- Stash bust or knit in some gorgeous new yarn from our shop!
- Cast on with us any time before the end of September to join our KAL
- Tag us in your social media feed (or send us pics via whatsapp) to show us your progress
- Knit in your favorite yarn weight!
- Lace (2 size variations in the pattern)
- Fingering (3 size variations in the pattern)
- Sport Weight (2 size variations in the pattern)
- DK (1 size variation in the pattern)
- Worsted (2 size variations in the pattern)
- Stash bust or find beautiful yarn options in our shop & online shop
- Support: As with all our KALs, Natural Yarns staff will be available every step of the way to support you in your KAL journey!
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A few tips for lace knitting projects:
Placing stitch markers between each pattern repeat can be very helpful in making sure that the right amount of stitches are between the markers at all times. In this case, there are 14 stitches between markers. I count to double-check the stitch count between the markers on the WS rows. That way, if I have made any errors, they are quickly found and fixed before continuing.
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Lifelines:
As it can be intimidating to have to correct knitting a few rows down with lace knitting, it is advisable to thread a "lifeline" to hold your stitches in case one needs to rip back.
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I usually keep a reel of sewing cotton in my project bag for this purpose. This can be done by threading and feeding a darning needle through the row that has just been knitted.
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If you're knitting on Chiaogoo interchangeables, they are great for putting in lifelines: Thread the end of the sewing cotton through the tightening hole and pull through at least 15cm. Knit the row, break at the reel end of the cotton and tie the two ends of the cotton together to secure the lifeline through the stitches.
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I usually add a lifeline after every pattern repeat section.
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If an un-fixable mistake occurs, pull the circular knitting needle out completely and rip back the knitting to the lifeline. Pick up the stitches held by the lifeline and continue knitting.
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Yarn ideas for lace shawls and other projects:
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Lace weight:
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Many assume that if one is knitting with a really fine yarn, that the needle size needs to be tiny, but this is not true! Although the yarn is really fine, lace shawls in lace weight yarn are usually knit on a 3.5mm-4mm needle.
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At first it can feel as though one is knitting with spiderwebs, but the feeling of working with the fine yarn and the resulting fabric can be quite addictive!
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430-480 meters required for the Traveling Woman Shawl.
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STELLAR FIBREWORKS
Cinderella Lace
Merino/Silk: 800m/ 100g R325 each
[1 skein needed for the Traveling Woman Shawl]
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NATURAL YARNS
Coast
Cotton/Lambswool: 350m/50g
R110 each
[2 skeins needed for the Traveling Woman Shawl]
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NURTURING FIBRES
Eco-Lush
Cotton/Bamboo
200m/50g
R52.50 each
[3 balls needed for the Traveling Woman Shawl]
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Sock weight:
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There are so many options in our shop for sock weight shawl knitting! Below are 3 of the options that we suggest for lace shawls:
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285-550 meters (depending on the size) required for the Traveling Woman Shawl.
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LILYROSE DYEWORKS
Fezziwig Fingering
83.3% Merino 16.7% Linen
375m/100g
R245 each
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MISS LA MOTTE
Twist Sock
100% SW Merino
330m/100g
R250 each
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CASCADE
220 Fingering
Peruvian Highland Wool
250m / 50g
R138 each
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Sport, DK & Worsted weight:
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Sport weight is a yarn weight between sock and DK weights that is neither too fine or too thick.
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In the case of DK and Worsted weight yarns, one will see progress delightfully fast with heavier weight yarns.
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250-475 meters (depending on the size) required for the Traveling Woman Shawl.
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ROSARIOS4
Balada
80% wool | 20% silk
140m / 50g
R105 each
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MALABRIGO
Susurro
50% Mulberry silk, 25% Merino, and 25% Linen
297m/100g - R385 each
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NURTURING FIBRES
Eco-Fusion
50% Cotton | 50% Bamboo
125m / 50g
R46.75 each
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KNOTTY HABIT
3ply DK
100% Merino Wool
216m/100g
R250 each
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FIBRA NATURA
Papyrus
78% Cotton 22% Silk
120m/50g
R62 each
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MALABRIGO
Rios
100% SW Merino
210m / 100g
R310 each
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Knit & Craft Fridays...and Saturdays!
Every Friday from 11am till closing at 4pm you are welcome to join us with your knitting / crochet / weaving / embroidery / yarn spinning / needle felting etc WIP!
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We have had so many requests to add Saturdays to our social yarn crafting:
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You are very welcome to bring your WIP and come and yarn craft with us at the shop on Saturdays too!
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Please let us know in advance if you are coming through with your knitting group so that we can plan chairs and space accordingly!
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Long weekend joys...
We hope that you're enjoying your long weekend so far, and that you're seeing progress on your WIP's if that is what you're up to!
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As always, happy yarn and fibre crafting!
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The Natural Yarns Team
Gina, Liesl and Sara
xxx
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PS: We LOVE to see what you have been making!! You're welcome to share your projects with us - tag us at @naturalyarns or hashtag your projects with #naturalyarnsa on social media, or send through an email with a picture of your FO to [email protected].
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR NEWS AND UPDATES:
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SHOP HOURS AT OUR SIMON'S TOWN SHOP
Monday: 10am - 2pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 9am - 4pm
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120 Saint George's Street
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