Eye Candy Monday

Good Morning, Knitted Whit Worsted! If this doesn't wake you up, I'm not sure what else to do. Stay tuned for more pics of this pretty stuff. It's not all neon, by the way.

The Deep End of Neon

We are a bit concerned about Sally.  She might have gone off the deep end.  She ordered this.

Is that a super bulky nylon tape yarn, you ask?  Why, yes.  Yes it is.  Can you tell that it's all neon?

This is Filara.  I was very skeptical until Sally brought in her swatch. 

It is squishy, lofty, and has a very nice hand...not snaggy and sticky like some synthetic tape yarns.  This little swatch has got me thinking about all the crazy cool things you could do with neon super bulky tape yarn.  (Aside from a mini dress and an oversized boxy cardigan, of course.)

Maybe a headband?  This would be another easy way to keep track of my daughter on the playground, and it should wash up easily enough when she drops it in the mud.  This one looks like it should work up with just one ball.  I like the texture of this one...it should look really cool with the tape yarn.  There are plenty of free pattern choices on Ravelry.  I know a few vegan knitters chose this for their Cowlbertas during the yarn crawl.  Legwarmers might be crazy fun, too, if you or your people are itching to relive the 80's.

It looks as if this neon craze is sticking around for a little while longer, so let's join Sally in the deep end, shall we?

I Spy...

Something bright!  How about some really vibrant sock yarn to liven up that knitting basket?  This is Neon Now from Plymouth Yarns.

I know I promised to make socks for myself this winter (and spring and summer and fall).  Time to get started, I think.  How about you all?  Do you have cold toes?  The kids, too.  They would love this stuff.  I could get a few pairs of kiddo socks out of each ball, too.

According to the Plymouth site, it looks like it does some loose blended stripes.  (Roll over the photos of the colorways on their site to see a knitted up sock in each shade.)  

Photo borrowed from Wooly Wormhead.

It would make a fun little hat, too.  How about an Angular Cap, a sweet freebie from Wooly Wormhead?  It is garter stitch in the round, squishy and reversible.  The Neon Now version would be great for spotting someone on a crowed playground!  We just took the kids tubing this weekend, and it would have been brilliant to have one of these on each of their noggins.  Hmmm, next time, for sure, because I need some bright to break up all the grey of February in Portland.

Just a Reflektor

Believe it or not, we are stocking reflective yarn at Close Knit.  This is Schachenmayr Lumio.

It's a nice bulky yarn in some rather loud colors.  No big deal.  Until...BAM!

Shine a light at this stuff and it shows off the reflective thread running through the strand.  There is nothing natural about this yarn, but that hasn't dissuaded our knitters!

It would make a great hat or mittens for a cyclist commuting in the dark or the kiddos walking home from school in the dark at 4:30PM.  We had someone take a few balls home to make a dog sweater, too.  There are a few free patterns for that sort of thing, if your furry friends need sweaters, too.

The ball band (well, most of them, we discovered) have a free pattern for this basic Lumio Hat, which requires just one ball of Lumio.  It's also available on the website for free.

Vampire-ish photo borrowed from Schachenmayer site.

Our friend Jami from The Knitting Bee designed the Big Brio Slouch, which also requires  just one ball of Lumio.  Another free pattern!

Photo borrowed from The Knitting Bee.

Obviously, you could make a scarf or a cowl out of Lumio.  But what about a Smitten?  This smart lady made hers with just one skein of the pretty bright red.  Seems like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, doesn't it?

Some cozy legwarmers would be fun, too.  These are a nice basic choice.

Photo borrowed from Knit on the Net.

These are less basic, but still pretty cool.

Photo borrowed from Knit Freedom.

Some boot toppers would be nice, too.  Especially with all of this chilly, wet weather we have been seeing.  Those rain boots could use a little sprucing up, right?  Whatever your reflective yarn needs, we have you covered!