Friday, March 14, 2008

Knitter's Delight

Wendee a.k.a. the Color Maven of Hazelknits
The absolute highlight of my recent work jaunt to Seattle was the evening I spent with Wendee, the color maven/yarn genius extraordinaire behind Hazelknits. She was kind enough to pick me up and off we went, first to the Ballard neighborhood for delectable Thai food at Thaiku. After great conversation and a fantastic meal, she took me to see her yarn empire. One word: WOWZA!!

It was so exciting to see her layout and the way that she creates her fabulous yarn. You know the fumes that hit you when you open a bag of fresh yarn? That was was what greeted us upon entry--I love that smell! She showed me step by step how she does what she does and was very patient with the many questions I had. So many questions...I learned so much about both the creative and the business side of her craft and feel so lucky that she was willing to share what she does with me. Her new colors are 'gorge' as a certain someone would say, and you can find them at Woolgirl as well as at her Etsy shop. Rumor has it that there will be a big update on Sat. 3/15. ;)

As if the generosity and kindness described above weren't enough, Wendee also surprised me with a very unexpected parcel in the mail today, can you take a guess what was in it?
Hazelknits parcel!
'Peach Sanguine'--one of her new colors, can you stand it? Is this not the most heavenly color of peach you've ever seen? I had been fiendishly coveting it the entire time of my visit, so receiving it gave me a special jolt. One thing about the Hazelknits solids that I so appreciate is the depth of color to them. I believe I once heard a Stepford Wife cum Make-up Pusher at a Bobbi Brown counter call it 'tone on tone'--an expression that I thought seemed ridiculous at the time but that I now completely get. Peach Sanguine. *sigh*

Seeing all of the Hazelknits yarn has rekindled my interest in knitting a certain garment...you know, the one that is made in pairs on little bamboo skewers?

The sock mojo, she is BACK.

The first thing I did upon return was to wind my skein of 'Sailor's Delight' into a yarn cake and get cracking. I performed a little experiment, one which yielded very useful data.

hazelknits experiment
On the right you see 56 sts on a size 2 needle, and on the left you have 52 sts on a size 1 needle. Isn't the difference striking? I prefer the result on the smaller needle, so I am going with it. Thank you so much Wendee for bringing this sock knitter back from the precipice of sock despair and helping me find my way back to the happy sock knitting place!

31 comments:

YawnOver said...

Love the sailor's delight, the colors are simply fabu. I am impressed with your experimenting on the socks as well - fight the pool!

Courtney said...

I love that Sailor's Delight! I've had similar experiences with other yarns and pooling and I also prefer the result on the left.

weezalana said...

Ooooohhhhhhhhh! That peach is so pretty! And I LOVE the way Sailor's Delight looks on the smaller needles. I've heard great things about her yarn, she's on my list of must tries!

Out of curiosity - were you acquainted with her before? How did you arrange a visit to her yarny sanctum?

kaetrn said...

peach sanguine- ahhhhh! the name is pretty, the yarn is ever better! sounds like it was a fun visit, can't wait to see what peach sanguine turns into!

Wendee said...

Awww - you're sweet. That was fun - even if I did try to get us killed by driving on the wrong side of the street :).

Come back to Seattle soon!

Philigry said...

love the peach yarn! beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what fun! As I was reading, I felt as though I were right there with you. That peachy color is so pretty, and I just love the colors in your sock experiment too. Um, almost makes me want to, um, make socks again. Almost...

Sarah said...

Now I'm wondering how you managed to visit the yarn haven and not leave with yarn stuffed into every pocket, nook, and cranny on the sly ...

Kirsten said...

I'm so glad to hear that your sock mojo is back! But then again, how could it not be with such temptations around you? That yarn is beautiful. I must get myself some of that tone on tone goodness!

Jennie said...

How amazing to be surrounded by gorgeous colorwork. :) And what a sweet gal to send you such a lovely gift.

yay!! for the sock mojo. :)

indieknits said...

Ooooh the peach yarn is yummy!

Olga said...

Doncha think that peach color would make an awesome lipstick shade? Be all matchy-matchy with your knit goods. I'm glad you have come back to the sock cult,er, fold.

Jessica said...

Hooray for the return of the sock mojo! Sounds like a great trip and a great visit. She does nice work!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip! The peach yarn is absolutely gorgeous. Glad your sock mojo is back.

bockstark.knits said...

oooohhh, the peach is lovely! isn't wendee the best???

Yarnhog said...

Lucky, lucky you! That peach yarn is delicious. I am astounded by your sock experiment. I would never have thought there would be such a dramatic difference.

a friend to knit with said...

how fun is that! so envious!
love sailor's delight. and amazing! the difference is unbelievable!
looked for you yesterday at knitone. where were you? :)

Anonymous said...

Tone on Tone. True that. Hooray for Wendee and your renewed sock mojo!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous yarns! You are so lucky!

schrodinger said...

What an excellent highlight to your trip, and how sweet of Wendee to send you the yarn you were eying up.

Sereknitty said...

Oh my ... all that amazing yarn goodness in one place. Those colours are amazing!

Jess said...

That is the coolest peach yarn I have ever seen. I can totally see how you have fallen in love.

Sourire11 said...

Yeah for sock mojo! Can you send some my way please? Although I can see why that yarn brought it back... beautiful stuff!

WonderMike said...

Color me positively pea-green with envy!!!! I'm happy that the mojo, she is back!

Octopus Knits said...

Wow! What a wonderful gift : ) That is some beautiful yarn...

Dove Knits said...

You are a lucky, lucky girl!

Anonymous said...

How fun! Enjoy the pretty yarn!

Michelle O said...

The Sailors Delight is beautiful! I love those colors. My sock mojo is back too! It must be going around!

Sonya said...

That is the perfect peach color! Love the sock colors too. My sock mojo has returned too. What a relief.

Knittymuggins said...

Hooray!! Wendee told me the two of you met up and that she had *so much* fun hanging with you! Isn't she the sweetest? I'm just a wee bit envious that you've met her and I still haven't ;) I just bought some Sanguine Peach in a sock kit for baby socks. Sooooo pretty! Enjoy!

knittymuggins

pamela wynne said...

wow, I cannot believe how big the difference is! This means I'm going to have to start swatching socks, aren't I? Sigh.