Progress on the Spin-Off sweater been halted for a couple of weeks while waiting on a order of more merino/tencel top from Paradise Fibers.
While working on the body of the sweater I kept thinking about the merino/tencel yarn and wondering if it wasn’t just a bit too thick compared to the pure merino yarn I had spun. Once I finished the torso, I paused before continuing and quickly to knitted up a swatch. The swatch confirmed my suspicion. I should have never spun all the merino/tencel top without actually making a swatch to check whether the yarn would produce the correct gauge. At that point there wasn’t much to do but order more fiber.
So, after 1-1/2 weeks of waiting for my order I started wondering where it was. My previous orders had always been shipped out promptly and arrived quickly since Paradise Fibers is only about 380 miles away.
I sent an email on Tuesday but got no reply. I called several times today and finally got someone on the line early this evening. She said my order of needles had gone out last week! After telling her I didn’t order needles, she mentioned that she did have my fiber order and that they didn’t have it in stock. They would need to order it from Ashland Bay, which might take two months! I didn’t bother to ask why they hadn’t let me know about this and just asked have my order canceled. All of this seemed quite odd so I asked the girl on the line if Kate Painter still owned the business. She said that the business had been sold last month.
I just placed an order for the top with Woodland Woolworks. Earlier this month I had an opportunity to stop by their shop and can confidently say that they can professionally handle the order.
While I wait for more fiber, I’m going to start a new project. Do you recognize it? It’s #11 from the current summer issue of Vogue Knitting.
Purlwise 
The sweater is looking amazing! Isn’t it fun to knit with yarn you’ve spun?!!
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Hi Sue,
Thanks for the encouragement.
Oh Yes, I love knitting with yarn I’ve spun. The yarn seems so much more lively, which I find really hard to explain to people that don’t spin.
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I love #11 from Vogue — a really gorgeous design. One of my goals is to design a way to make it longer, or design a sweater that incorporates the rest of #11, since I can’t get away with that cropped look.
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Hi Rob,
I don’t think it would be too difficult to make #11 longer. The outline of the sweater is basically a T so just adding a few inches shouldn’t affect the design too much.
I usually like to wear sweaters that just hit below the smallest part of my waist so I’m keeping my options open and might add an inch or so.
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oh, i’ve been thinking about that pattern for a while – and the great cabled sweater facing it, too. both in that lovely summer blue that’s all the rage right now. 😉
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Ooh, that project is on my “to do” list, but I can’t find a yarn I like. What are you using? I like the subtle shading.
I was considering making it longer, but then it occurred to me that it will be a top layer–lenghtening doesn’t seem necessary.
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That is such a lovely yarn you chose for Vogue #11. I’ll have to check back here to see your progress on that one. Looks great!
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My family purchased Paradise Fibers from Kate Painter last year and I’m sorry to hear about your poor experience with our company. You unfortunately caught us in the transition period, but there is no excuse for the service you received regardless. If there is anything we can do to make it up to you please let us know. We’re now setup in our new location with most orders shipping same day, I can assure you any orders you place with us now that we’re setup will be handled efficiently.
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All I can say is WOW as I looked thru all your pictures, you are amazing. Knit on.
Elizabeth
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