• Welcome to ehdknits.Here is a glimpse of debonnaire’s distinctive hand-dyed yarns,fine knitting accessories and Erica's original patterns (as well as my random comments!) . All yarns are specially chosen for quality and relative value and are extensively road tested. I also have a large stock of hand-painted needlepoint. with something to interest all. To stitch , I carry a large stock of traditional and specialty threads, including Rainbow Gallery. My mission is simply to inspire you to stitch while providing the best personal service possible. Please feel free to contact me at ehdknitsATgmailDotcom or call (0788-799-4351) to discuss any knitting or needlepoint needs. My patterns are also available through Ravelry and selected knitting yarns at debonnaire.artfire.com (click through buttons on right). Have fun with your project! Erica Downs
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    scott's golf club cover
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    needlepoint santa
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    cashmere red
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    MOOSE- a debonnaire cavalier moose

A new use for 80′s ski sweaters

Spotted in the Joseph window on the Fulham Road today- it took us a second to figure out .

My first thought was short knitted leggings- even worse than knitted lampshades. But then I realized they were sweaters turned upside down with the arms on the legs and presumably hemmed through the neck. I seriously hope this a trend my daughters do not pick up on, although I do have lots of old heavy ski sweaters that could now be put to  better use.

Knitted Lampshades

Usually most say knitting is not the most economical way to get what you want.In this case , I think not. If these appeal,get out the 9-12mm  and your chunky yarn and go-

Available online for a mere £215-475.

As reported in Daily Candy London this am :  ”Made from thick wool sheared from sheep in the remote Alpine valleys of Tyrol and then knitted in Holland, these adorable hanging lamps come in two sizes and colours (off-white and raspberry). The wool is treated to make it fire resistant (phew) and repellent to moths and other insects that have a tendency to munch through knitwear. “

If i put these around the house- it may be the final straw ( or strand ) for my family.

The Star of IKNIT Weekender 2010

De’Shaun- the 10 year old knitting wonder-

De Shaun’s aunt taught him to knit at the age of 8. He carries his knitting to school- where he knits “when I’m bored”. The next design wonder? Love all my customers, but he’s my fav so far.

teenager knits

Savannah is so desperate for a chunky cowl that she’s knitting it herself- does this mean that she’s moved out of the separation stage and the one where I can’t do anything right or everything s…s and I’m a b….?

(and yes, it is a lollipop). Actually much of the time , Savannah  is an absolute sweetheart ( and no, I’m not just covering myself in the off chance she sees this)

Spinning on NYC’s Highline

Spinners meet regularly  and add a new aspect to the urban landscape architecture of  NYC’s  Highline. A really friendly group,but of course I’ve never meet a yarn lover I didn’t like.

Knitting Vistas

When I’m not attempting to improve my golf game, this is where I hang out and knit most days- enough said.

Not Just Novelty Yarns

My friend Renee who is the chicest person I know(sorry Annabel) goes straight for the dramatic in the store we visited. She has me knitting this:

Online linea Solo ruffle yarn . This is seriously easy, fast and fun. She loves orange.

She also asked me to knit her a long scarf with fringe in  Ironstone’s Starlight- a hand dyed blend of mohair with some thin rayon ruffled strands.  You may notice in big letters the Spun in England- I’m presuming that Ironstone plyed this up themselves. Where’d they get the base yarn from?

I have been calling this genre of yarns novelty- but they go beyond  the typical novelty we see in England – a  scratchy crude acrylic eyelash, ribbon or ladder. I was in the  local yarn shop for the south shore recently – Ribbonesque . The store was a riot of  yarn concoctions, more often than not hand dyed and a mixture of  natural and synthetic fibres.. Think loads of tilli thomas, Prism, Blue Heron , Great Adirondack etc concoctions stuffed everywhere.So-called  standard yarns  were present but not prevalent. Also interesting, sock yarn was downplayed (which I also noticed in New York).

These non-traditional yarns spur my imagination , but if you can see the price tag,more often than not, they are some what pricey. $30 (~£20) a skein for 140 yds of the Ironstone. To do the kind of scarf she wants , I need 3 skeins- not so sure this will play in the UK…..

Vermont Farm Markets and Yarn

Londonderry Farm Market- The first stalls:
I bought this lovely skein from Isobel, the Romney sheep which are apparently lovely and docile sheep as compared to BFLs which are very “nasty” according to the owner. The yarn is spun in Maine by a mill which will process small amounts of fleece for individual owners ( probably Harmony Mills- a rehabbed Victorian facility)

Other farmy offerings:

While some people think of Vermont as too “granola” (can’t decide what I think of this as an adjective), I love it: it feels like the best parts of Somerset and the Lake District to me.

knitting in vermont

I’m up in Vermont for a few days visiting . There are 4 needlepoint shops and at least 9 knitting shops that I’m aware of (not including Cherry Tree Hill and green Mountain Spinnery, which of course should be included). Vermont@s ambiance sorta reminds me of bits of Dorset and Somerset but plop mountains in the middle. It’s also a very small state by US standards.Here’s the shop closest to me today
Most americans are shocked when I tell them how few knitting stores comparatively there are in England- for them, England is the holy grail,mother of it all in knitdom…. They also like Debbie Bliss yarns….
By the way, please email me if you need to get in touch, my phone service is abysmal.

Long-Tail Cast On (via Happy Stitches)

This is the cast-on method I most often use, recommend and teach- I thought this was a good description from Lucy Neatby

Have you ever really looked at the Long-Tail Cast On? It is such a versatile method, that it is worth a second look. (If you are familiar with the technique skip straight to the What is going on? paragraph.) Try an experiment and tie two colours together one to be the tail yarn and the other the stitch yarn and look at the function of the two different yarns! How about doubling the tail yarn for super-elastic hard working edges, such as sock tops … Read More

via Happy Stitches

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