New Year

It's a few days into 2012, and I've been thinking about my New Years Resolutions.

Apart from the usual get healthy, etc, there are a few new things I'll be doing with The Quizzical Owl. And I'd like to share them with you here.


1. Hand dyed yarn

I'll be hand dyeing yarn. I'm so excited about this! I've bought in my supplies  - dyes, yarn, gloves, etc. I am itching to get creative! I've bought some amazing lace yarn (made from Baby Alpaca and silk), and several varieties of sock yarn (an organic merino, a merino and nylon mix, and a merino and silk blend). I've also got a special order of some sparkly yarn from the UK on its way to me.

2. Commercial Yarn

Fyberspates is a UK company and is owned by the lovely Jeni. I became friendly with Jeni through attending various yarn shows. Jeni has a range of yarn called Scrumptious. This yarn lives up to its name, it's yummy! It's a blend of merino and silk, and comes in weights from lace to aran. There are also 10 colours in each weight. I've knitted a Clapotis in the DK weight in a lovely deep purple. There are also two pattern books to support the Scrumptious yarns - one for adults, and one for babies (released soon!).

3. Pattern books

I've got some of the fabulous Ysolda Teague's pattern books - each of her three books. I'll be loading them onto the website for purchase soon! Ysolda's patterns are well written, and easy to follow. Her latest book, Little Red in the City is a combination of a pattern book and knitting manual - if you are a shape that doesn't fit "conventional" measurements (you are between sizes, different sizes top and bottom, etc) then this book teaches you how and where to alter patterns to suit you. Invaluable advice for all knitters who are not supermodels!!

4. Jewellery

I'd like to experiment more this year with Fimo. It's a fun medium to play with, and I'd like to get creating with it. There will be lots of Lego, of course. I'm thinking about other new things I can do with Lego and Fimo pieces.


So there you go! It's going to be an exciting year. I'm getting used to being back in Australia, and slowly getting used to the humidity in Brisbane.  I'm looking forward to sharing 2012 with our growing fan base. Thank you for welcoming us back to Brisbane and to Australia. Keep checking back to keep up with our progress on dyeing and creating.

Remember you can Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our homepage.

Alex :-)