Monthly Archives: March 2015

Episode

Episode 2: Dublin Dye Company

Welcome to Episode 2!

This episode, Dearbhla met with Yvonne of Dublin Dye Company. Even though Yvonne was in the middle of getting stock ready to sell at Edinburgh Yarn Festival – her first major show – she generously took time out to be interviewed for BLASTA.

Some links and visuals for what was mentioned in this episode:

    • In the dye shed, Yvonne mentions that Dearbhla previously bought Shetland Roving from Dublin Dye Company’s Etsy shop:
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Shetland Roving from Dublin Dye Company, colourway “Cloudy Day”

    • The naming of Dublin Dye Company Patterns was discussed and later on Yvonne’s designs for Howth socks and Stepaside socks were discussed in detail.
    • Dearbhla used Alpaca Lace from Dublin Dye Company in this Petals Wrap:
petalswrap

Petals Wrap in Alpaca Lace by Dublin Dye Company

  •  Back in the dye shed, Yvonne discusses how she dyed the custom-dyes yarn that Caroline requested for Dearbhla, Prism:
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Custom-dyed Merino DK by Dublin Dye Company, colourway “Prism”

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On the drying rack

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One of four 45 litre boxes of yarn going to Edinburgh Yarn Festival

  • At the end of the show, Dearbhla and Caroline do some taste-testing of wine and ciders from Llewellyns Orchard:
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Range of wines and cider from Llewellyns Orchard

Links to the wine and cider that were tasted:

Come and meet us in the Podcaster Lounge at Edinburgh Yarn Festival on March 14th and 15th. In the meantime, engage with us on social media at:

Theme Music is “Trouble With a Capital T” by Horslips and is used with kind permission of Horslips’ management.

Note: The initial introduction between Claire and Dearbhla was done using a Skype plug-in which created a split-channel track with questionable audio quality. You may need to readjust your volume levels but the segment is only a few minutes long. Our apologies for this and thanks for your patience while we scale this learning cliff!

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pattern

BLASTA Pattern for Episode 1: Muireann

This is not an episode! This is Claire and Dearbhla having a chat about the pattern for Episode 1.

As mentioned in Episode 1, we plan on releasing a pattern with each episode. Each pattern will be free until the next pattern is released. At the end of the year we will publish an ebook collection of all the patterns released during the year.

The pattern being release with Episode 1 is called “Muireann” and we hope you enjoy the pattern and enjoy the chat.

VATMOSS

We held off on issuing this pattern in the hope that the repercussions of the VATMOSS mess would have been resolved. As you’ll hear us discussing, we sought advice from a Chartered Accountant. Since recording we have received the following response regarding VATMOSS:

Hi Claire,

There is no requirement to register as you are well below the VAT threshold of €37,500 of turnover per year.

If you need anything else just let me know.

Kind regards

_____________________________

FCA | Principal

The following is an extract from Dearbhla’s blog about the pattern being attached with this episode:

Introducing Muireann

Introducing Muireann

Introducing Muireann

Muireann is a top-down girls’ cardigan with ribbed bodice and feather-and-fan lace swing that started with the buttons! My daughter fell in love with beautiful ceramic buttons in the shape of dolphins. Blue-variegated yarn was quickly purchased and a sea-themed jacket was promised. The girls’ name Muireann (pronounced Mwih-RhaN) is derived from the Irish words for “muir” which means ‘sea’; and “fionn” meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair’. True to its name, the combination of the color-changes and the shaping of this jacket re-create a “fair sea” for the dolphins. The colour-changes of the yarn on the bodice are like the play of sunlight on a deep, blue sea. When the structured ribbing reaches the empire line the change of gauge to ridged feather stitch allows the fabric to flare. The ridged feather stitch pattern is textured enough to allow the variegations of the yarn to shine. As a bonus, the waves formed by the stitch pattern are like the waves breaking on our local beach.

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“The ridged feather stitch pattern is … like the waves breaking on our local beach. “

Muireann is graded for all sizes from 2 years old to 16 and is worked from the top-down using Barbara Walker’s method for simultaneously set-in sleeves as follows:

  1. After a provisional cast-on, the back is worked until it is one-sixth of the armhole circumference.
  2. Then each front is worked from the cast-on stitches to the same length as the back.
  3. Stitches are picked up for the sleeves and the fronts, back and sleeve-caps are worked simultaneously, with paired increases forming the sleeves.
  4. Just before the sleeves are divided away from the body, stitches are added to the body and the sleeves for the underarm shaping.
It started with the buttons!

It started with the buttons!

Thank you to all of my awesome test-knitters especially Maritere and Myjoha who posted great pictures on their Ravelry Project pages. You can download Muireann from my Ravelry store. ETA: [For those of you who just want to put it in your queue or library, for now, (hint! hint!) here’s the link to the pattern page on Ravelry.]

I’ve laid out the pages with the photographs grouped so that the pattern falls over the central four pages – to minimise printing. I hope you enjoy spending time with Muireann!

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