WIP Wednesday: Spring Leaves Market Bag and Yarn Thoughts!

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Well, welcome back to WIP Wed!    This WIP Wed is something a little bit different, since I'll be coupling it with a yarn review (and stay tuned for more post about this yarn, as well!)  The reason for this is that I'm a member of the LoveKnitting Flock, which is a group of bloggers who get various support from LoveKnitting.com.    And, this time, they sent me free yarn!  Don't worry, my musings are still completely my own, though!

So I'm trying out Rowan Creative Linen, in the colourway "Stormy.", and I'm doing so with my own   Spring Leaves Market Bag, which was a perfect fit with this yarn.  I'm through the base of the bag, and with a bit of luck, will finish the rest of the bag soon!
Lace knitting on a circular needle, done in navy blue yarn. The knitting and ball of working yarn is inside a wooden yarn bowl.  There is a small blue disk stitch marker clipped into the work.  A twisted skein of yarn is beside the yarn bowl.

The yarn is a blend of 50% Linen and 50% Cotton, and so far, I'm really enjoying it!   I was originally a little skeptical, since linen can be really harsh on the hands to knit, but this yarn, not at all.  The cotton gives it an amazing feel, and it doesn't dry out my hands nearly as much as some other cotton yarns have done.  I'm finding it has a bit of a tendency to split, but the only time that's been an issue is when I'm doing the increases for the base of the bag.  For the rest of the knitting, it hasn't been a problem at all!   

Winding the yarn was relatively painless; it comes in a twisted skein that you do have to wind, so you will want some way of winding it up into a ball, I just used my knees and a nostepinne, and that was fine!  I got a bit of a tangle near the end of my winding, but it was super-easy to untangle.  Usually if my yarn tangles while winding, it takes -forever- to untangle it.  This yarn untangled really quickly and easily, without pilling, so that was definitely a win!

Packaging and shipping was great, even internationally, the yarn came well packed and tucked into a small bag (that I've re-purposed as a project bag, of course!)  No delays with Canada Post or any trouble at customs, which is always nice on an international shipment.  So yes, LoveKnitting ships to Canada no problem, plus, they price in Canadian Dollars if you're shopping online.  No more guessing about the exchange rate! And, they do have a free shipping deal in Canada if you're looking to avoid shipping costs -- orders over $100 (Canadian Dollars) or more ship free. 

So, overall, yes, I'm really enjoying the yarn!  Once I finish and use the bag, I'll be able to comment on how well it wears, which is the one thing I don't know yet.  The yarn hasn't pilled at all yet, and it feels pretty sturdy, so I'm not expecting it to wear out for quite some time.  And so far, there's been no colour bleeding (even with the colour being as dark as it is), so no problems there, either!

My only real grumble with the yarn, (and this not a fault of the yarn at all, much more of a hint directed at yarn producers!) is that I'd love it if this were organic cotton.  I love pretty much everything about this yarn, it's just that I prefer organic cotton over conventional cotton wherever possible.   Finding a heavier-weight organic cotton/linen blend is quite a challenge, even on Ravelry!  So if someone (hint to yarn producers who might be reading!) made an organic cotton/linen blend that is as awesome as the Rowan Creative Linen, I would be in knitter's heaven!

As for the pattern, I'm working it on smaller needles then the pattern calls for.  The pattern calls for 6mm, but I've gone down to 4.5mm -- I want a bag that's a bit smaller and denser then the original pattern sample.  So, the needles are my *4.5 mm HiyaHiya circular needles., and I'm magic looping pretty much the entire pattern.  

Yarn bowl is from the amazing *Natural Knot Wood, and I've been singing the praises of it since I got it. Sadly, Wayne of Natural Knot Wood passed away in July, so the shop will only remain open long enough to deplete the remaining stock.  It's always a blow when someone in the creative community passes away.  I'm glad I got to know him, even if only a little, and I'm honoured to have a piece of his work. 

The little blue disk stitch marker is part of a set from *Fibremancy -- it's another set I got at the Barrie Fiber Festival, and I'm quite in love!  Again, this is one of Fibremancy's stitch markers that use an earring back rather then the standard lobster claw, and I quite like it!

So, I know this was a bit of a different WIP Wed, but I hope you folks enjoyed!  As always, I'd love to see what you folks have been up to this week -- feel free to post your projects and links in the comments! 

Until next week!

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