Image Details: ‘Arasaig + Heroes = this weekend’ by starshaped, via Flickr.

So, day 3 of the Knitting and Crochet blog week and day 1 of my submissions. I find blogging a very organic thing that happens when I have something to say and usually the writing happens very easily. I must say, writing what someone else has told me to is quite hard, maybe I should try and do a bit more of it in future instead of prattling on about whatever is currently getting my goat.

My current knitting or crochet hero is the fabulous Carle of Nurturing Fibres. I have mentioned her a few times in recent blog posts, as she dyes some excellent yarns near Cape Town, here in SA. I only discovered her yarns as I was coming to SA to live and decided to do some research via the medium of Ravelry, and found her and a whole host of other super-lovely South African knitters. I have said it before, but knitters are lovely, and South Africans are lovely, but South African knitters are about the loveliest people ever.

I am currently still wading through the Damask of Doom, and found to my abject horror that due to a bit of wanton buffoonery, I had completely miscalculated the amount of yarn I would need for the project. I had been bought a beautiful -and unluckily for me, one-off – ball of Nurturing Fibres yarn by my dear and wonderful husband. I only figured out that I had completely porked it when I was close to half way through the shawl, having spent goodness knows how many woman-hours on it. I asked Carle if she might be able to help me find some more to finish it, but alas, it was a one off. Being the consummate fibrey professional that she is though, she offered to custom dye me another ball if I could send her a swatch. She is also custom dyeing me another Top Secret skein for another purpose, which will, of course, remain secret.

Image Details: ‘Elements: Fire’ by denizyildiz, via Flickr.

I think Carle is very talented with her way with colour; it is one thing to be able to complete the physical dyeing process, but another altogether to place colours together that work well. My favourite yet of her yarns has got to be the Elements Club Fire yarn. She took inspiration for this from a picture of a burning log fire. Below is my favourite project from the ensuing KAL to the club, reproduced with very kind permission of Rene’ Sharp and probably the reason I became a Nurturing Fibres groupie. Alas, I wish I could claim that I had knitted this – sadly not!

Image Details: ‘KAL-3’ by Rene’Sharp, via Flickr.

I thoroughly recommend NF yarns for all kinds of projects, and there is a very friendly and active group on Ravelry for all those who have smooshed the yarn and are now hooked!