All Sparkles All The Time

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I don’t  really know what came over me when it came to this sparkle yarn, but I’m a smidge obsessed. (I know.  It’s so unlike me.) It came into our local shop a few weeks ago, just one skein in each colour, and the competition was immediately stiff.  (If by "stiff" you understand that a group of people who love and care for each other a great deal were inexplicably reduced to hoarding and hiding skeins within minutes.) That day I only scored one skein (I could have done better, but refused to lower myself to do what it would have taken) and I’ve been very busy knitting it up into a pair of sparkly Chinatown Apple Nutkins,

although it doesn’t really look a lot like Nutkins because I mirrored each alternate cable, but in my heart it’s a Nutkin none the less.  

The sparkles, as much as you wouldn’t expect them to move the heart of this hippy-crunchy-natural fibre, vegetarian pacifist’s hear… do indeed move me, and I can’t get enough,

which might explain why when Megan got in more of the sparkly yarn, I immediately scooped up a skein of the white with silver.  (I would have scooped two, but you should ask Rachel H how low she’s willing to go to protect her own sparkle yarn interests.) Another skein was found at another shop, and now I have two, which is totally enough for a scarf.  (I do have dibs on Denny’s leftovers for mittens too, should this obsession not run itself out in two skeins worth.) 

As soon as I saw the glittery white, all I could think of was snow. The way that fresh extra cold snow glitters like adamantine crystals, and a little idea that has consumed my weekend was born.  There have been swatches knit, charts made and wild imaginings of swathes of glittering snowflakes wrapped ’round necks.

I’m trying, with varying degrees of success to convince myself to end one sparkly affair before taking up with another and finish the Nutkin socks, but I ask you.  Who could resist the promise of a sparkly snowflake scarf?

PS: Megan did kit up the Pretty Thing pattern and half skeins of Mooi and she has them at Lettuce Knit in several colours.  Rumour has it that they’re $30 CDN.  She ships.

PPS: For anyone in the neighbourhood, the tiny little market (Blue Moon Fiber Arts and Carolina Homespun) that’s present at our retreat in Port Ludlow will be open to the public from 1:30 till 6:30 this coming Saturday.  Maybe we’ll see ya.
 

134 thoughts on “All Sparkles All The Time”

  8. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll go for the sparkle yarn after my mink/cashmere obsession runs its course.

  9. Reading Tang China frontier poetry about the cold and the snow in Central Asia right now… I can really see the snow glistening in that skein- erm, I mean, under the moonlight, while a Tartar flute sings a melancholic tune. (And then the poet and his mates get drunk and will probably start singing. It wasn’t all bad, y’know)

  10. I seem to remember that the Viper socks were knitted up with the same Starry yarn. I also fell under the spell of a skein of pale blue Starry and knitted a beautiful pair of CookieA socks. It’s so tastefully subtle and not really garish. Just the kind of glamourous glitter I love. And I’m an old tree-hugging hippy too.

  11. Ooh-sparkly objects! I have a lot of stash to knit through before I can buy new yarn,but that may have to be the next purchase-the possibilities do look on the endless side…

  12. What, ’cause you don’t get enough snow up there ya gotta knit some up?
    Nice sparkly yarn though!

  14. I, too, love that yarn! Though I haven’t used it yet – I look forward to knitting up something nice and sparkly!!

  15. p.s. Which is not to say that I don’t LIKE the snowflake scarf. I just find it, ya know, ironic. 😉

  16. Reminds me of the Viper socks you did with the Diamonds at Night from CrashIntoEwe…..I have just finished a scarf with the Diamonds at Night, maybe I’ll have to do something with Starry now! I went to the website but found no shopping cart links, and no New Mexico store in the links. oh, what to do….

  17. Remember how you realized it wasn’t so hard to post/sell the pattern for Pretty Thing?!? So now that you had that pleasant experience, you will quickly and without hesitation post the pattern for the pretty sparkly Snowflake Scarf! Pleeeeeeze, Christmas is coming quickly and I just bought sparkly yarn!

  18. Love the scarf! Is it your own, a pattern you’ll soon be selling (love Pretty Thing) or just a regular one that someone could purchase? 🙂

  19. I want sparkles! Just used sparkly yarn for a certain pretty cowl. Now I want to do more, and more…

  20. Don’t know whether it was the sparkly, snowy yarn or the reminder of the Pretty Thing, but I really just loved this post.

  21. White sparkly yarn, signature arts needles, snowflakes, I’m actually swooning. You will make this lovely little scarf pattern available between now and christmas (that should give me enough time to locate some of that crack yarn).
    gorgeous just gorgeous….

  22. As pretty as that yarn is, I can’t believe you mentioned the Precipitation That Must Not Be Named! To speak its name is to call it forward, and it was just too beautiful a day in Toronto today to think about such cold futures!
    Also… any point in heading over to Lettuce Knit to check this out now, or should I wait a week or two for the hoarding to die down a bit?

  23. I love the lace snowflakes! And with different yarns and gauges, no two will be exactly the same in the hands of knitters to come who (will we get to?) buy the pattern from you when you’re done with it… (Please?)

  25. I made up a pattern for my granddaughter because she needed a hat. I seem to have created a monster because everyone I know wants a hat like hers. I’ve dyed a couple more skeins of hat yarn because otherwise I’d be really sick of knitting hats (instead I get to see what my yarn knits up like).
    At least the pattern is fast, so I might actually get all my Christmas presents done BY CHRISTMAS this year.
    The sparkly yarn is very pretty. I wonder how it’d look as a hat?

  26. The scarf is fabulous. Yes, the sparkles in white are totally snow, no doubt.
    How could you tantalize me like that, telling me the market will be open to the public, but not telling me how I can get to Port Ludlow over the weekend when I live over a thousand miles away?

  28. Love the socks, but the first thing I thought was, “Nutkin? As in Squirrel Nutkin?” and it gave me the giggles. Just don’t leave them out where your furry bandit may think you made them for him. And no, I wouldn’t be able to resist the call of the pretty sparkly scarf either.

  31. I used the white sparkle yarn against sparkle deep blue for my Snoflinga snowflake mitten (on Ravelry). Talk about sparkle! They are awesome.

  32. I’ve been resisting the sparkly yarn like nobody’s business, but it’s hard. Especially when the alternative is that I add beads to things. And when I’m not adding beads to things, dreaming about adding beads to things. It’s just not healthy.
    I probably should just give in to the sparkly yarn.

  33. How long are we going to have to wait for the Sparkly Snowflake Scarf Pattern? And are you going to follow Sam’s dictum of “not too knitty” (January 21st, 2009 blog entry, Excuse the 7th) and design a hat and mittens to match?

  36. You just KNOW that if you reread this post in March you’re going to think you were crazy for talking about snow as pretty 😀 So far though this looks like the only way most of us are going to see any snow this winter. 10C in November in Winnipeg, whodathunkit?
    I love the yarn though, and I hope I can get my hands on some myself! If only it weren’t a 22-hour drive to Toronto…

  38. It does look like snow, and yet the nutkin season has barely begun before it is gone. For Holy Mother of Winter’s sake, it’s early November. I am still pining for blue skies and warmth … I don’t want snow yet.
    But I would have wrestled you to the ground for the yarn!! And it does look heavenly …
    xxx

  39. I am knitting the nutkin socks in the ST-2 colourway from Blue Moon..I haven’t gotten far and its the first time I have knitted from a graph..yes I know that this is a simple one…but I couldn’t figure out how to mirror image the cables..thanks for the photo…it helps me visualize them.
    I do have to have some of that yarn tho…tomorrow for sure…you said that Lettuce Knit ships…I think that their number is on the tote that I got there the last time I was there.
    Love the scarf…I could so do that too!! LOL

  41. I have had 2 skeins of this pretty, pretty stuff. I have one of the Dream in Color Deep Seaflower for Viper Socks and I made the burgundy color (I can’t remember the colorway at the moment) into Firestarter socks for my adorable hippie Auntie in California. Even granola eaters need some bling sometimes.

  42. I discovered Starry six months ago and can’t seem to keep my hands on the resulting projects (stolen and fought over by friends and family!)
    And I need Torontonian knitters’ help… I’m going to a conference in Toronto early next week, and always shop for souvenir yarn when traveling. I have four hours late on Tuesday afternoon; any key shops a Saskatchewan girl shouldn’t miss?

  43. 1) Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that you’re knitting socks named after a SQUIRREL?!?
    2) The socks look great, and the sparkly snowflake scarf is indeed a perfect combination.
    3) The sparkles in that yarn are real silver. Silver is a totally acceptable hippie material. Ask Joni Mitchell.

  44. I know exactly what you’re talking about with the snow sparkling in the sunlight. That sparkling snow under bright clear winter sunshine. That yarn is absolutely perfect for a snowflake scarf. Perfect.

  45. Re: your Twitter post and titles, if I was going to write a knitting humor book I would probably call it “Sheepish Grins.” Just a suggestion. 🙂

  47. Shiny! Oh what a lovely scarf pattern. And of course you shouldn’t finish one before indulging in the other. Where would we multifocal knitters be if you up and left us all alone for the world of monogamous knitting? Thanks, as always, for the inspiration!

  48. Surely the sparkly snowflake scarf is meant to go with the delicate snowflake Frankendaughtermittens?

  49. love the socks – love the pattern
    STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS YARN, you temptress!
    I don’t see how to order the Pretty Thing kits – do I need to call Lettuce Knits?

  50. Must be the season for sparkles, just finished spinning some lovely red merino to which I added Red Firestar. On my needles is some Fleece Artist
    Silk Merino plyed with a beaded thread. Knitting Three Sisters Scarf #2. Love the sparkles.

  51. The obsession will not wear out, at least for me. As much as you love knitting with it, wait till you get them on, you will want the world to admire your feet..and they will!! Have made 3 pair, have enough in solids and variegated colors from differing mfgrs for every holiday. And I so wanted to finish a sweater this fall!!! Ah well…

  52. And here I thought I was over the whole glitter thing (when I had it, I had it BAD, let me tell you,) but it turns out that I’m not. That is gorgeous yarn you’ve got there, and it’s knitting up into its respective somethings beautifully.

  54. Oh dear. I have just determined to put more color in my life (no more safe neutrals, I’m going all bold) and then along you come with your WHITE scarf (can’t get more neutral than that even with the sparkles) and I’m suddenly finding all my yarn much too colorful. A white sparkly scarf with a snowflake motif is just divine — now to figure out a wool free alternative and a way to quickly knit all this color out of the house.

  58. re twitter— what is your book about and maybe we could suggest a title?????
    Re bras: If I didn’t wear one, I would look like a quivering mass of jello from the waist up.
    Re today’s blog with the snowflake: Very very nice!!

  59. So, the sparkles are very pretty, I really like the scarf. How’s the hand, do the sparkly bits make it at all rough?

  60. LOVE the snowflake scarf!! I hope you’ll be sharing that pattern with those of us that are design-challenged.

  61. That scarf is absolutely lovely. I couldn’t think of a better thing to do with it. Sometimes sparkles get the best of even the most hippy-natural fiber-vegan/vegetarians 😉

  62. Ooooh, I like the snowflakes. A lot! Pretty little project for Christmas gifts! (Hint).

  63. Are these to add to your own sock drawer? Or gifts? Will every other or third pair be yours? Do you ever have people you give socks to but the socks never see the light of day? I just wondered…

  64. If you told us what kind of book we would have a better idea of the name to suggest….is “The Blog Made Me Do It” taken?
    And snowflakes….. Sorry……6 sides.

  65. When you finish the socks…send them to me…then you will have to have some for yourself and will have to get more sparkly yarn. This is called blatant begging, by the way…new book title contest might be a cool idea…how about KNIT ONE, PEARL-McPHEE TO — JOURNEYS OF THE TRAVELLING SOCK. If that one doesn’t work, it would still be a great book idea about the places the sock has gone and the people who have held it and what has been learned…sparkly and otherwise.

  66. I’ve never seen snow, but that snowflake scarf is just PERFECT! what a great idea 🙂 the socks are looking great too!

  67. Oh, drat it. I have several skeins of that yarn in a wishlist online, and now I may just have to pull the trigger before some other enterprising knitter gets to it. So much for the yarn diet. Have fun this weekend, and say hi to Morgaine for me!

  69. Yes, Stephanie, that yarn is perfect snow. But. . . have you seen the dark, dark blue? Leaves me weak in the knees. . .

  71. I, too, have the white with sparkles. I’m thinking those Let it Snow mittens that Elli designed for VK last year in the mitten issue. Sparkly snow!

  72. I have recently spun up some bright white merino with sparkly thread plied in. I’m going to make Celestine – it’s a dodecohedron that you stuff then use as a Christmas Tree topper!

  73. Chinatown Apple Modified Nutkins, yes. Shivery shuddery sn*w allusions, not so good. I like the shiny (real silver?!! wow!) yarn, just not the associations. Oh, and thanks from me and several other people for the almost-daily cheering up – it makes the day much better when there’s a new YH post to read.

  75. Oooooooooooooooooh! Spaaaaaaaaaaaarkly! Snooooooooooooooowflakes! Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!

  77. Dear Stephanie,
    Thank you for sharing the delightful sparkly yarn. Now I must purchase a skein or two somehow.
    I was also able to hassle Rachel H (just a little bit) on Ravelry about her mad sparkly scooping skills. She made an excellent case for the yarn.
    Lurve,
    auntietracy

  78. I guess the only reason I was able to bag a skein of Midnight Derby was that I emailed Megan as soon as I got her newsletter. By the time I get to Toronto this weekend, I suppose you, Denny, and Rachel will have denuded the store of sparkly yarn. Pout!

  79. oh please, the pattern – are you gonna share?… I would love to have that scarf for our first trip to NYC in December….

  80. It is probably best to knit the snowflake scarf before the actual snow comes and ruins your enthusiasm for it.

  82. Book titles. Let’s see. “The Blog and I” or how about “Sock it to Me” or “Sharing Skeins” or “Climbing the Sock Summit”?

  83. Do the sparkles scratch? Always worried that it would be uncomfortable to knit – which given how long it takes me to get a FO – these details matter greatly.

  86. The sparkles make sense. When it starts getting dark, cold, and grey, you want your yarn to perk things up for you a little.

  87. Since sterling silver is all natural, I don’t understand why it would not be hippie approved. I second Sheepish Grins as an awesome title. I’d like to know the status of your furnace upgrades. Lovely work, YH.

  88. Beautiful choice for a snowflake scarf! Apropos of bras, the whole concept of silver thread in yarn reminds me of a very comfortable but quite fugly breastfeeding bra I used to live in, which has silver thread woven in for its ‘antibacterial properties’. Don’t ask me why breasts, in particular, need to be kept antibacterial. So maybe this scarf will have similar bacteria-battling abilities?
    Does the silver thread itch, by the way?

  89. I love reading your blog…very funny bra post…you always make me laugh! I especially need that now since I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.You’ve inspired me and given me confidence to begin knitting socks! Since you are a very experienced knitter,any hat patterns you would suggest I could knit before I begin chemo treatment? Muchas Gracias! Have a beautiful day!

  90. Gorgeous scarf! I love reading your blog…the bra post was funny…you always make me laugh! I especially need that now since I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.You inspired and gave me confidence to begin knitting socks! Since you are an experienced and expert knitter,any suggestions on a hat pattern I could knit before I start chemo? Muchas Gracias! Have a beautiful day!

  91. Now, reading that without seeing the photo yet, I was picturing a classic Scandinavian Snowflake in the sparkly on a bright blue background! When you are “driven” (not obsessed, of course) by a pattern idea, do you dream about it, or is that just me? Any one??

  92. Ooohhh, that’s beautiful!! And I love the scarf pattern! There are a lot of sparkly hats coming in to the library recently (on heads of members of the public, of course!), so it’s a “thing” on this side of the Atlantic too, it seems!

  93. REALLY loving the snowflake scarf…you should make the pattern available to your adoring (yet pattern-creatively-challenged) fans!!!
    Thank you!
    P.S. If you don’t want to wear a bra, don’t. And ask all the guys that look at you funny where their jock straps are!!!

  94. Wow. I need to find this yarn. I have a convertible glove/mitten pattern I want to make for my daughter for Christmas. The pattern recommends smooshy. I think this sparkly yarn must be substituted.
    Wow.

  95. So this yarn reminds me of a korean yarn called hand and hand which i can’t stop buying. i have all this wool with glitter in it!!! i mean ok everything in korea has glitter in it but still…

  96. Ooooh, pretty! I bought a skein of pink and a skein of blue and was wondering what pattern to use. Thanks for the Nutkin link….off I go to the knitting chair to cast on!

  97. I too fell in love with sparkly yarn!
    I think after knitting all the socks some of us knit . . . at last a new twist to socks and so fun! I found on mine after the second wash all the sparkle itch went a away and they are great.
    When you live some place that the days get down to a bit over 4 hours of daylight some sparkle is what one needs!

  98. It’s not like silver is an unnatural fiber; it’s simply and unconventional one. But last I checked, silver is a naturally occurring thing. So you are really no less crunchy, just unconventionally crunchy. Which is what being crunchy is all about; rejecting the conventional for something you perceive as better or healthier. So you are, in fact, extra crunchy. Like my peanut butter. And being like peanut butter is never, ever a bad thing.
    Yay, peanut butter!

  101. I also found this yarn recently, at Twisted in Portland in August, and immediately grabbed three skeins of the same pink/purple/silver sparkly that you have for your socks. I made a gorgeous little sweater for my almost-seven-year-old granddaughter (the trifecta of colors for that age!), and there’s enough left for matching little socks. The silvery sparkles aren’t as obvious in the finished sweater, but just catch the light now and then very attractively. The scarf idea is great! Have fun at Port Ludlow, Best, Randknitter

  102. Oooh, pretty! Oh wait, Pretty Thing is already taken. I’ll add my pleading to those above me for the pattern.

  103. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the Nutkin Socks. I did the same mirror cable thing on the pair that I made. I changed mine even more than that though. I only put the cable pattern on the top of the foot and for about 2 inches up the leg. I gave it a k2 p2 ribbing cuff instead of having an up the leg cuff and when you fold it down, it covers the start of the cable pattern so that the change from ribbing to cables looks smoother. I prefer the fold down, crew-type sock with Levi’s so that’s what I mostly make for myself.

  104. I have been eyeing the Starry stuff since out LYS got some this summer. My BFF got some for a shawl and its gorgeous. Its gonna be my gift to myself when I knit better…still on my first scarf then onto other fun things.

  105. I should have made it clear that, living in southern California, I wear Birkenstocks year round so the tops of my feet show.

  106. At this moment in time, I cannot think of anything more beautiful than that sparkly white snowflake scarf.

  110. Hi Stephanie,
    I looked at the pattern for your Nutkin socks and noticed the needle size is 1.5. Not sure if I could use a 1 or a 2? I use Cat Bhordi’s two circular needles method size 1 or 2 depending on the yarn. What size needles are you using for these socks?
    Colleen

  111. Love that yarn! I want the pattern (I want them all)and you should sell it to us, because we would all buy the pattern, and you can use the money to afford airfare to come give us lectures where you share more knowledge and earn more money! PS, Collen Issac- you use whatever needles you, yourself, require to obtain gauge. It doesn’t matter what size needle the pattern calls for, or what size needle I use, or your neighbor uses- knitting to size requires gauge, and gauge requires the size needles you, yourself, require to obtain the stated gauge.

  112. I’m totally taken with the snow flake scarf – pretty pretty please let us buy it! *lash twinkling* ;-))
    Snow aproaches also fast here in Munich and I still have to figure out where to buy the perfect yarn for the perfect snow flake scarf!
    greetings from the other side of the atlantic
    Claudia (Munich)

  113. Shiny! I just ordered some of the Starry in November Muse. I must admit, I laughed when I read you were knitting socks named after a squirrel! I love how you mirrored the cables. Brilliant idea and one I am going to copy.

  114. LOVE the sparkling beauties!!!! And I sure wish Port Ludlow was in the neighborhood. (I’m in CT now, so not so much….) ENJOY!!

  115. Are those KnitPicks Harmony dpns? I have some of those and I just love them. You can’t not make something beautiful when your needles are that pretty. Add sparkly sock yarn, and I’d be totally won over too.

  116. Regarding a book title:
    Tack “More” in front of a previous title, or append a number on a previous title.

  117. To the dear lady recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and knit myself 3 lovely berets based on the ‘Le Slouch’ pattern mentioned previously on Stephanie’s blog. I had to modify it using the instructions in ‘knitting rules’ as the the wool we use here in OZ is thinner than your worsted. I used a pure merino and it was lovely and soft on my ‘nekkid’ head and the pattern was puffy enough to make it look like I had tucked my hair up under it. Good luck my dear. Take your knitting or crochet with you to treatments. I made 3 and a bit baby blankets during mine. It helped to keep me focused and sane. But seriously, ‘Le Slouch’ – no-one will know as you can bring it down onto your forehead and over the ears and everyone will think you are seriously trendy/hip/cool. I was 42 at diagnosis and most of the hats available were for ‘older’ ladies.

  120. OH. MY. GOODNESS.
    The socks are truly lovely, but for me the scarf is to die for. Thank you so much for knitting it for me, I cannot tell you how much this means to me. I’m stunned. 🙂
    Kidding aside, it truly is gorgeous, and after all that knitting and charting, if you were to put it up for sale on a site we both know… I might actually (gulp) buy it.
    Sioux B

  121. I thought I’d stick this comment in here even though it’s about bras. Google Bra-makers manual There’s a woman in Hamilton who’s written a book on making your own custom bras. She also runs classes to train you as a custom bra maker. Certainly not for everyone but I’d say we’re talking to crafty types here.

  122. I have some similar sparkly yarn from Fresh From the Cauldron and just love it to pieces. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s become obsessed with it! I just finished a Lacy Baktus and am contemplating starting a Multnomah with another skein. I can’t wait to see that scarf when it’s finished — it’s going to be divine!

  123. To be honest, I had my doubts about sparkly yarn. However, that scarf looks like the perfect winter project for it! It will be beautifully festive!

  125. For us symmetry-loving newbie knitters, might you be up for a tutorial on how to mirror cables? Someday?
    Thank you

  126. LOVE IT!!! Reminds me of another silver-infused yarn, and I had the same reaction – a snowflake scarf!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep it for myself. Fortunately, that’s a good excuse to procure some of this for a second snowflake scarf…

  127. hmmmm, went right over and scoffed down that Nutkin pattern. Have some yarn (no sparkles) that would work with that pattern nicely (and for me). I wonder if…if I could get some of that white sparkley tho, and would it work on the pretty thing? I bet I could make it work! and it would be so frothy, sparkly beautiful…another presant for ME!

  129. For a girl who professes to be all crunchy and organic you certainly are a sucker for the sparkle. I think it’s great that you let your inner princess out to play with the yarn.

  130. Long time lurker, first time poster! I just had to mention that not only is Dream in Color awesome, the people who run it are also awesome! They used to have a yarn shop dangerously close to me before Dream in Color took off, and I still mourn its loss. They were always the friendliest!

  131. Blast! I’d been successfully avoiding the impulse to buy a skein of pale pale silver sparkle-containing yarn from this one Etsy seller for several months, but then you had to mention snowflake patterns in white sparkle-yarn, and that reminded me of the snowflake socks pattern I’ve never been that compelled to knit because it seemed so boring in plain white… (Skein not linked to because I can’t buy it till I get paid tomorrow…)

  132. Tell me that lucious snowflake scarf will be up for public consumption! Please, please, please.
    I adore snowflakes and that is a lovely scarf.
    I have a thing for silver.
    And snowflakes.

  133. Dear Stephanie,
    Your snowflake scarf is exquisite!! Will you consider publishing the pattern and making it avaialable to the knitting public? I know many a knitter and a few knitting recipients who would dearly love snowflakes around their necks.

  134. All very pretty, and I admit I’m among those begging for a pattern for the beautiful snowflake scarf. I have some Kraemer Silk and Silver that is dying to become one! 🙂

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