June | 2017 | poppyandbliss

The question I am most often asked is ‘what yarn do you use?’ Since the answer to this question is so varied depending on what I am making, I’ve decided to start a new semi-regular Yarn Review series.

To kick off the series, today I will be reviewing the new Tina Tape yarn from Wool and The Gang

I’ve never used tape yarn before so I was very interested to see how it would work up, I’m also getting back into knitting after a bit of a break so I decided on the ‘Addicted To Love’ kit to try out. How gorgeous is this Quetzal Green!

Tina Tape by WATG yarn review

I loved the silky feel of this yarn and was happy to see that it is made from fibre from sustainably sourced eucalyptus trees, is 100% vegan, uses no harmful chemicals and is processed in such a way that any water and solvents used in the manufacturing process are reused instead of ending up as pollution and waste.
Tina Tape by WATG yarn review

I would say this yarn is more suitable for Spring/Summer garments with a feel somewhere between silk and linen. Even though we are in throes of Winter here in Australia I couldn’t wait to cast on and get a head start on my Spring wardrobe which is in dire need of updating.

I’m really enjoying knitting with Tina Tape, it works up very quickly, has beautiful stitch definition and the fabric has a lovely heavy drape to it. The only downside is that it has a tendency to twist as it comes off the ball. This drives me bonkers but it’s not really making a difference to my stitches so I’m learning to live with it.

I also received another ball of Tina Tape in the Eucalyptus Green colourway so I’ve had a little play with it in Tunisian crochet.

Tina Tape by WATG yarn review

I’m still undecided what this will be yet but I think it will be a bag. The black yarn is dk cotton held doubled and worked in Tunisian Simple stitch and then I’ve worked the Tina Tape section in Tunisian Full stitch. How lush is that stitch definition!

Until next time

Michelle x

Disclosure: The kit featured in this post has been very generously gifted to me by Wool and the Gang in exchange for my honest appraisal. All opinions are my own and I only accept such offers if they are relevant to my readers and that I am happy to recommend.

vivo_wmark

Hooray it’s new pattern day! I’m excited to introduce my Vivo bolster cushion pattern to you today. She’s bold, she’s colourful and so much fun to have in your home.

I’m so happy with how this pattern has turned out and hope you will love her as much as I do.

Getting Vivo ready for the world has been a slow process though. I actually finished making the cushion several months ago but I must admit to a tiny bit of procrastination when it came to writing up the actual pattern. But it’s all done now and back from the testers ready to go.

Vivo_white_wmark

Inspired by the colourful ethnic textiles from around the world, this stunning cushion is created using tapestry crochet and textured stitches to create the designs.

The pattern is rated as intermediate, mainly for all the colour changes but it is not as complicated as it looks using only basic stitches and each design element is set out in strips with easy to follow short pattern repeats for each section.

Vivo_end_wmark

The pattern also includes a quick guide to tapestry crochet, photo tutorials for the special stitches used and full colour charts for all the different design strips as well as smaller charts for just the pattern repeats to save you going cross-eyed working from the whole chart.

There are two versions of the pattern available. One written in US terms and one using UK/Aus terms and can be found in all the usual places :

Etsy: US Terms UK/Aus Terms

Love Crochet: US Terms UK/Aus Terms

Ravelry: Here (Ravelry will only allow one listing per design so your download will include both versions of the pattern as 2 separate files. You will only need to print the one you need)

I hope you enjoy.

Until next time

Michelle x