New knitting

Hello! Janna Maria Vallee here again with a new addition to my series of articles, which I’m writing with the intention to help you gain more confidence as you venture into the art of tapestry weaving. Today, we are talking about tapestry looms: what to look for, the pros and cons of the tapestry looms on the market today, as well as some great DIY options. When shopping for a tapestry loom, there are absolutely some key things to look for, but there are also specific wants and needs that you will have regarding size, budget, and comfort. So, in this article, I cover all the things to consider when shopping for a tapestry loom with the hopes that you will have a clearer idea of what will be best for you. We will consider versatility, what size tapestries you want to weave, what features to look for in a tapestry loom, price, and finally DIY options. I will also touch on yarn and tools. Mirrix tapestry loom. Styles of Tapestry Looms The first thing you should know is that all of t...

You visit your local yarn store or festival and fall in love with the deep, mesmerizing hues of sock yarn from your favourite dyer. However, then you realize you were looking for yarn to knit a garment, not socks, and you may feel a bit disappointed. But fear not—just because the yarn label says “sock” or suggests it’s for socks, doesn’t mean you can’t use it for your next sweater project. Sock Yarns Fibres One thing you’ll notice about many popular yarn brands is that their sock yarns tend to be very soft, and most are superwash wools. This is because knitters often prefer softer sock yarns as well as the convenience of throwing their socks with their regular laundry. Among the sock yarns with the most projects on Ravelry, 7 out of 10 contain at least 50–100% merino wool, and 70% of them have 20–25% nylon. SweetGeorgia CashLuxe Fine The fibre found in sock yarns will bring their characteristics to your garment fabric. Let’s go over a few common fibres. Wool Most sock yarns h...

It feels like it’s been a little while since we sat down to make a video and just chat and catch up with all of the things that have been going on. And there’s actually a really good reason for that. It’s just for the past few months, I have just had my head down working really intensely to finish up all of the lessons and the filming for the brand new first ever circular sock machine course for the School of SweetGeorgia. The new CSM course is coming out at the beginning of October and I’m really, really excited about that. I’m excited that it’s finally done and that I can share it with you all very, very soon. But now that that’s finished, I feel like this is the start of a new season. It’s the start of a new year. Felicia’s Falling Leaves Sweater It’s September and it feels like everything starts over and we’re at the beginning of this new autumn season. II’m just feeling like I’m ready to sit down and cozy up with all of my knitting projects, all my yarn, all of my socks. And I...

There’s something magical about seeing hand-dyed yarns come to life in a finished garment, and this knit sample is no exception. Created as part of a collection pieces we brought along with us to h+h Americas 2025, the Sparkle Cardigan by Joji Locatelli beautifully showcases the elegance and versatility of our SweetGeorgia CashLuxe Spark yarn. With a delicate stellina shimmer and luxurious blend of cashmere and merino wool, this sparkly, hand-dyed yarn transforms a classic cardigan into a dreamy, lightweight layer. It’s perfect for both everyday wear and special occasions. SPARKLING SOCK YARN FOR GARMENTS While fingering-weight “sock” yarns may be normally thought of for keeping toes warm, this project proves they’re just as stunning in garments. Glittery stellina fibres paired with the softness of cashmere and merino wool produces a beautiful yarn blend. The softness of our SweetGeorgia Cashluxe Spark invites you to to dream of new favourite pieces. Those classic sweaters you w...

My name is Janna Maria Vallee and I’m the tapestry instructor at the School of SweetGeorgia . I am beginning a series of tapestry weaving articles to accompany my video lessons found in the three courses I teach in the school, so that I may offer more ways to support you in your tapestry journey. Within this series of articles, I hope to answer some of your questions about tapestry, contextualize some of my video lessons to offer different perspectives, and just talk more about how to be creative within the medium of tapestry. Teaching tapestry is a passion of mine, and my hope is that between my online classes, the School of SweetGeorgia forum, and this new series of articles, I can fully support you in your ventures into tapestry weaving. Janna showing her tapestry in her Fundamentals of Tapestry course. This first article is titled “What is Tapestry?”. The answer to that question is simple, but in unloading each tapestry characteristic for you, I hope to help you acquire ...