Sep 1st, 2010 by pdxknitterati
I’ve been looking at the batik needle cases in the warehouse. This is the green butterfly batik case.
And this is the blue and natural batik case. (Yes, I like to take pictures on my piano, because the white balance for pictures is perfect!)
I saw some of the tools used to make batik fabric when we visited the Tigard Knitting Guild. These are copper stamps.
The batik fabric for our needle cases is made in Bali using a traditional wax-resist dye process. The cases are sewn at an orphanage in Bali. The batik needle case is another Heritage Textiles Project, in which techniques are taught from generation to generation. You can read more about the batik process at this link (Lantern Moon Batik page).
Tags: batik, needle cases
Posted in Heritage Textiles, fabric, needle cases | 1 Comment »
Aug 30th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
I finished a project the other day.
From the beginning on circular needles…
…to the ruffles…
to the i-cord edging at the end…
I knit it with Lantern Moon ebony needles. Even the dpns that I used for the i-cord edgings were ebony Sox Stix!
The pattern (Ruffle Tank) is by Leigh Radford; she’s a very talented designer. She sees with an artist’s eye. Leigh has a yarn that she developed in collaboration with Lantern Moon. It’s called Silk Gelato, and is made with 100% silk taffeta. You can see all the luscious colors, and some of Leigh’s patterns for Silk Gelato, here.
Tags: Leigh Radford, silk gelato
Posted in General, knit, needles | 2 Comments »
Aug 24th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
I’ve had the iconic Lantern Moon sheep tape measure for several years. Several of them, actually, one for each knitting bag.
When these first came out, they were sold to stores in packages of 12, with one black sheep in every batch. The elusive black sheep was hard to get! But it was my favorite gift to tuck into a young knitter’s first knitting bag. It’s a little easier now; Lantern Moon is currently wholesaling these to stores in all black sets while supplies last. Ask for one (or more) at your favorite yarn store.
The very newest sheep are beige and brown. You can see them here. Add them to your flock!
Sheep not your thing? Lantern Moon has added more cute tape measures to the line up. Here are a couple friends of the sheep. There are a lot more.
And here are some of the latest. I saw some at my local yarn shop last week, so I know they’re out there!
In case you need to coordinate your kitty tape measure’s yarn ball with your bag or project, you’ll be glad to know that they come in several colors.
Knit on!
Posted in notions | 2 Comments »
Aug 21st, 2010 by pdxknitterati
Lantern Moon has new wooden knitting needles coming out in September. They’re not quite here, but they will be soon.
I don’t even know what they’re called yet, but there’s an ad in the new Fall Vogue Knitting. They’re beautiful. They have the same signature needle top as the rest of the Lantern Moon needles.
These are the world’s first wooden needles that are made from Forest Stewardship Council certified and sustainably harvested trees. Very cool. They’re really lightweight, and have a dark gray finish that looks like slate. The finish has just a bit of “tooth” to it, so they’re not ultra slick. Just enough grab to keep stitches from sliding off before you want them to.
I had a chance to play with some sample needles, and I’m impressed. I hope you get a chance to try them out, too.
In other news, Lantern Moon is planning a re-design of their website. What would make the site better for you? What content do you want? How would you like things organized? If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comment section below.
Knit on!
Tags: knitting needles, website design
Posted in General, needles | 3 Comments »
Aug 20th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
The random number generator at random.org says that comment number 5 is the winner of our drawing.
Pamela Hanson! I’ve sent you an email; please get in touch with me and I will mail your prizes to you. That’s the A-Luoi tool case and the Lantern Moon fan. Congratulations!
Thank you to everyone who participated. It was great fun to see what you’d put in your A-Luoi tool case.
Tags: A-Luoi
Posted in General | No Comments »
Aug 12th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
This is our A-Luoi tool case.
The fabric is woven by women in the A-Luoi tribe in the central highlands of Vietnam, a 3 hour drive from the old capital city of Hue.
Sharon met some of the weavers at a TrAIDe fair sponsored by the French government, and loved the intricate patterns in their weaving. The white beads are woven in on the weft strings, resulting in the beautiful fabric you see here.
Traditionally, this fabric has been used for daily wear, but will probably become more for ceremonial wear as tourism increases and there are fewer weavers. The A-Luoi tool case is another product in Lantern Moon’s Heritage Textiles Program. Creating a market for this weaving means that a traditional handcraft will not be lost. This allows the weavers to stay in their communities, passing their skills on to the next generation.
Would you like this tool case? We’re giving one away, along with the iconic Lantern Moon fan.
Just leave a comment below, telling me what you’d keep in your A-Luoi case. Contest closes on Wednesday, August 18, at 5 p.m. PDT. I’ll draw a winner with the random number generator on Thursday.
Good luck!
Tags: A-Luoi, contest, Heritage Textiles
Posted in Heritage Textiles, bags, fabric | 50 Comments »
Aug 8th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
I talked to Sharon and Joel about the fans of their fan, and here’s the latest word. There are 300 fans coming from Vietnam; they’re currently on the water (in cargo on a ship) and on their way to Lantern Moon in Portland. How they’ll be distributed is currently under discussion. For sale? For PR to yarn stores? Time will tell.
I do know that I have one in my possession, and it will be part of a giveaway that will be announced later this week. Stay tuned, hot knitters!
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
Jul 29th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
I was posting pictures of all my blue knitting on my other blog, and realized that while my knitting is blue, my needles are black.
These are my favorite needles, Lantern Moon Destiny ebony circulars. They have been for several years. I love the way they feel, and the way they sound when I knit with them. And the tips that are just pointy enough. I scoop into my stitches rather than poke, and these are just right for me.
I like circulars both for knitting in the round, and also for knitting flat, back and forth. It keeps the weight of my knitting balanced under the needles, and keeps me from whacking people with my needle ends on airplanes. It also means the cat doesn’t want to attack the waving ends.
What’s on *your* Lantern Moon needles?
Posted in needles | 7 Comments »
Jul 29th, 2010 by pdxknitterati
Lantern Moon is offering a very special version of the silk needle case. The raw silk fabric is handpainted in small batches in Danang, Vietnam.
They’re quite elegant. They come in two colorways, aqua and orange.
Due to the nature of hand crafting, each case will be a little different, reflecting the artisan painter. The fabric is dyed in this studio.
And then dried on the rooftop.
The fabric then goes to Saigon to be sewn into combination needle cases to hold your circular and straight needles.
Posted in fabric | 4 Comments »
Jul 22nd, 2010 by pdxknitterati
Sharon brought this prototype of a Sapa bag to the Tigard Knitting Guild meeting. It’s a large, roomy bag.
I love the appliqué and tiny cross-stitches.
Sapa is town in a mountainous area in the northern part of Vietnam. The handwork on this bag is representative of the textiles unique to this region. These handwork traditions are slowly being lost as young women leave the area to find work. Lantern Moon’s efforts to establish business relationships here enables these skills to continue to be passed from generation to generation.
The bag in the first picture isn’t the finished product; Sharon is working on perfecting a bag shape. But a Sapa bag will be coming soon…
Posted in Heritage Textiles, bags, fabric | 2 Comments »