Happy Holidays from at KnittenKaboodle.com!

It is very exciting that this project has come to life over the course of the past 12 months. It was slow to take off, mostly because I was working two long-running assignments in my other life as a management consultant.

This is a time of year to give thanks and reflect on the many family and friends that form the fabric of life -- and I would like to take a few minutes to do just that:

Thanks to Yan and all my friends back at Forever Yarn http://www.foreveryarn.com/ who kept after me to get the project going, and gave input on projects and never ever ever thought I was buying too much yarn. Yan also provides a wonderful backdrop for many of the photos and some occassional modeling! Also thanks are due to Nancy and my friends at Sew Smart Fabrics http://www.sewsmartfab.com/, who encouraged my ideas of melding together knitting and sewing, and even display one of my aprons in their shop window.

Thanks have to go to my able and willing assistants, my niece Meghan and friend Emily. The brave first artisans to contribute content include Cindy, Maxine, and Peggy. A few more people are working on projects that will become available in the new year. Some very interesting things to come!

Thanks go to Pam and Jack at Mikula Web Solutions http://www.mikulawebsolutions.com/. They made the shop come to life, and Pam got the the look right in one.

Finally, last but far from least, thanks go to my customers. I can only hope that you enjoy your new hand crafted items as much as we all enjoyed creating them!

Very best wishes for a joyful and peaceful New Year!

Joan and the crew at KnittenKaboodle

One of the most useful shapes a scarf can take is the basic triangle. Aesthetics and practicality come together in this three-sided wonder. There are many ways to knit triangles, and no limit to the materials, colors, size and overall dimensions from accent scarves to ponchos and wraps.





How do people like to wear the triangle scarf?? There are no wrong ways and your imagination is the limit. This season, many people are choosing to wear the scarves with the point in the front, which provides a lot of color and interest while serving the function of blocking out cold. Indoors, scarves brighten up jackets, denim shirts, turtleneck sweaters -- anything.





It is amazing that a simple concept, the triangle, can yield so many different looks! A small sampling of this versatility can be seen in some of the triangle scarves presently available on the KnitteKaboodle.com website:

• Some styles such as the Painted Desert Scarf (linen) and the Jewel Tone Accent Scarf (silk, wool, rayon) are created in open lacework patterns, while the Wildflower Triangle (merino with cotton trim) and Burnished Metals Accent Scarf (linen and poly) are of a more closed stitch composition.

Different artists turn the various yarns into unique looks that add color, texture, interest, and fun into a wardrobe. Adding one to your collection will garner compliments for years to come!

The scarf shown here is the Painted Desert Scarf created by Peggy.
http://www.KnittenKaboodle.com

About Fine Fibers & Yarns - Part 1: Mohair

When I was little, I thought yarn came in two general varities: scratchy wool and acrylic which was typically not scratchy. As an adult now wandering through the world of knitting yarns, I've learned about many different varieties of yarns and fibers. There is such a thing as wool that is not rough and scratchy. And there is such a thing as yarn that is so soft and luxurious you want to wrap up in it and never take it off!

One of the most amazing discoveries has been mohair and mohair blended with silk. Of course there are many different yarn companies that produce this wonderful material, which comes from the fine hairs of young angora goats. I recently sold a lovely collar scarf made from Habu silk-mohair http://www.habutextiles.com/. Now I am working on two different pieces from Rowan kidsilk haze http://www.knitrowan.com/ . The yarn is light and fluffy and yields remarkable warmth at the same time. Natural fibers give the benefit of breathing, keeping them drier and warmer. Some knitters claim that they are addicted to this yarn --they can't stop coming up with projects and uses for it!

I am early in the creative process with this oversized scarf pictured above. I couldn't decide on only one color, so I ended up choosing five colors and am working a stripescape that will evolve into color blocks. I will update this posting when I'm finished, so you can see the final result.