Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Damson & Slate - A Breath of Welsh Air



Looking at the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2010 magazine + Dylan Thomas birthday + hand-washing Laura Ashley Welsh knit scarves & lacy cardigan = Damson & Slate website gazing. (There's also a tornado watch until tonight & therefore madly hurrying to be ready for catastrophe. OK, a bit of Welsh-American drama, so sue me.) Just about everyone on US design blogs talks about Toast & I do like them. But here is a site that actually toots their Welsh horn. Things are far too shaky to buy anything from anyone at the moment, unless it's Julie the Cat necessaries. When I can, though, I will figure out how to replace some knits from D&S. Helping to support the Welsh economy is a good reason. (At this point, I would roll around like a feline in catnip if I had their Rosehip & Baobab w/Neroli face cream.)

Anything to put off cleaning the apartment & less-than pleasant reading, I've dragged out bags of needles, rolls of yarn, & am unravelling some half-done projects. I am not one of those "whip up a sweater in a day" people. I admire those who can though. My mother made some very cool stuff when I was little. My redheaded Barbie in her bottle green bouclé Chanel-inspired suit (yep) was the talk of the neighborhood Barbies.

Scarves, mittens, & a few other projects are enough to make me feel (undeservedly) accomplished. Yarn is expensive so choose something small if just starting out. There is (or was) some lovely yarn in the Made4Aid Etsy shop (the badge & site are on the right or at bottom. Template shifting continues). On the Pringle of Scotland site, there's even a little how-to-knit video. I'm not linking it for now because it won't teach anyone to knit, really. The point is that anyone (even me) can learn knit/purl & crank out a straight scarf.

(first 2 images via Damson & Slate, 3rd via Vogue Holiday 2010 Knitting magazine)

5 comments:

Katharine said...

Oh, how pretty. Love knits. Off to visit the Damson - I haven't seen their stuff before. Thanks.

secretfragileskies said...

I am finally going to learn how to knit! This did it.

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Beautiful images Susan
Makes me almost wish for winter.. ALMOST.. haha... in fact some of our spring days here feel more like winter lately..

I used to knit many years ago.. and meant to again this winter.. forgot!! oops... Have a lovely week.. ciao xxx Julie

Giulia said...

Katharine--I have this fear of embarrassing myself--that everyone knows about it & I'm silly. Maybe I'm just behind the curve--I do wish I'd known about them when buying some new things last year.

Secret, fragile skies--I'm so glad! You have such great taste that it will be the classiest first scarf on record, no doubt.

Julie--I did not know you knit. (Once you can, etc.) I know what you mean...you Aussies are going into summer & it is much less attractive to be handling yarns. (Unless someone is a 'power knitter' - I see them & do have twinges of jealousy, I admit. Most unattractive of me.)

Angie Muresan said...

My! What gorgeousness. And I bet you can whip up something in a day. I just know it.