Author Archives: Julia

Back in stock: Cricket looms.

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Our first round of Schacht Cricket looms sold out quickly over the holidays, so we ordered twice as many for our second batch, which I’m happy to say are now here at the shop. Two of them were purchased the moment they came in. You guessed it: Anne and I each have Crickets of our own now, and are eager to learn more about rigid heddle weaving.

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I’m anxious to get weaving on scarves and kitchen towels, and just as anxious to see what others are making with their Cricket looms.

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Molly wove this scarf on a Cricket loom with a variegated fingering weight yarn for warp and a solid lace weight yarn for weft. She used a 10-dent reed, which makes a lightweight fabric, and a slightly open weave with yarns of this weight. Variegated yarn behaves so differently in woven fabric than in knit fabric; Anne and I were surprised and delighted by the results.

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Come by the shop to learn more about the Schacht Cricket loom, and explore the rest of our new little weaving section.

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We have books and dvds on the subject, UKI Supreme cotton weaving yarns, Zoom Looms and kits to go with. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Binkwaffle bags.

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I’m so happy to report that Binkwaffle bags are once again back in stock!

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These colorful project bags have been selling out in no time, thanks to their whimsical prints and reversible design.

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The small bags are a good size for a pair of socks or mitts, a hat or scarf, perhaps. The large bags are big enough for a generous shawl or even a sweater.

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Each order has brought new fabric combinations, and no two in this batch are the same.

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Come by the shop to treat yourself to a new Binkwaffle bag!

Knitscene.

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The Spring 2015 issue of Knitscene is here!

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This issue arrived at the shop on one of the coldest days this winter, giving us plenty of warm-weather projects to look forward to.

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This cabled tee is knit in Berroco Maya, a lofty blend of cotton and alpaca, and the lightweight pullover below uses two shades of Malabrigo Lace.

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Along with patterns for tanks, tees, shawls and other accessories, there’s an article on knitting pockets–an easy way to customize a sweater.

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Come by the shop to pick up the latest issue of Knitscene and peruse other recent magazines and books. We hope you find inspiration here!

 

Araucania Coliumo: now on sale!

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UPDATE: As of 4/22/2016, we are totally sold out of Araucania Coliumo!

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Another discontinued yarn has found its way to the sale trunk. We’re now offering Araucania Coliumo at over 35% off!

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Coliumo is a single-ply, super-bulky wool and silk blend, with 95 yards on each 100 gram skein, and a suggested gauge of 3 stitches per inch on a US #11 needle. One skein is enough for “An Unoriginal Hat” or “Anthro-tastic Headband,” while three or four skeins would make a cozy “GAP-tastic Cowl.” Come by soon to pick up some Coliumo before it disappears!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks! 

Hello, UKI Supreme weaving yarns.

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We’re happy to announce that we now carry two cotton yarns for weaving from UKI Supreme Corporation, based in Hickory, North Carolina.

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With guidance from weavers, we selected a mercerized cotton yarn in two weights: 10/2 and 5/2, each in 6 oz mini-cones.

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The 10/2 is the thinner of the two, with ~1575 yards per mini-cone, making it a very fine lace weight. It comes on red cones, to distinguish it from the thicker but otherwise very similar-looking 5/2 mercerized cotton.

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The 5/2 mercerized cotton has ~787 yards per mini-cone, making it a light fingering weight. It can be easily identified by its blue cones.

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Weavers might use yarns like these for placemats, napkins, and other fabric-making; crocheters might use them for intricate doilies and other fine stitching. Planning a big project? Both yarns come in 1 lb cones as well, and we’re happy to special order them for you; come by the shop to see the 100+ available colors on our UKI Supreme color-cards.

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We’ve so appreciated hearing feedback from weavers about your favorite books and yarns, the kinds of looms you’re using, and your enthusiasm for buying weaving supplies locally. We have so much to learn about this craft, and we welcome your input. What do you like to work with, and what would you most like to see on our shelves? We’re so looking forward to seeing woven projects in these Supreme cotton yarns; come by to see them for yourself and tell us what you’re dreaming up!

Shibui Trunk Show.

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Today we were surprised and delighted to receive our Shibui Trunk Show a few days early. This show features five garments from their Fall/Winter 2014 collection, which we’ll have on display until January 21st.

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Shibui yarns are designed to be knit on their own or held together, using two or three strands at a time to make bespoke yarn blends. We currently stock five Shibui yarns: Cima, Pebble, Silk Cloud, Linen, and Maai. Some of these trunk show garments are knit with one or two of those yarns, and some of these garments combine them with Shibui yarns that we don’t keep in stock at the shop, like Shibui Staccato and Baby Alpaca. We’re happy to order any of those yarns for you if you’re willing to prepay for a special order.

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It’s also possible to substitute yarns, of course; above is one such example, serendipitously brought in for show and tell only a few hours before the trunk show arrived.

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Paula knit this “Mix No. 34” cowl with Shibui Maai, rather than the Silk Cloud/Staccato mix suggested in the pattern. She was able to get gauge, and though the texture is a little different than the original, it’s just as lovely.

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There are many fun and useful things about trunk shows, like being able to play a bit of dress-up and try garments on for size, but one of the best aspects of a Shibui trunk show is seeing these yarn combinations in person.

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It can be hard enough to imagine how a single yarn will behave as knitted fabric; throw two different colors or fibers into the mix and it can be a real leap of faith. That’s where our shop samples and swatches are most helpful–ah, this is how Cima and Pebble work up together–and whole garments are even more illuminating.

Come by before the 21st to see the Shibui Trunk Show for yourself!

New year’s eve.

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New year’s eve is a time to look back, and I often spend part of it scrolling through the past year in blog posts, remembering projects I’ve started, completed, and witnessed here at the shop. I also spend part of it knitting, as I do every evening.

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Here’s my perch at home in my living room, where my “Puffin Sweater” is well under way. The pattern is from Kate Davies’ Colours of Shetland, and I’m knitting it in a favorite yarn: Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

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New year’s eve is also a time for looking ahead, and there’s some knitterly looking-ahead in this pile of recently-acquired books. I’m looking forward to learning more about weaving in 2015, too.

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What are you stitching this new year’s eve, and what projects are you itching to start in the new year?

Thank you so much for continuing to support the shop, and for reading this blog, as well. It’s so much fun taking pictures and writing about all that goes on here, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Happy new year, everyone!

Norah Gaughan, Vol. 16.

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The latest collection of patterns from designer Norah Gaughan is now here! Take a peek inside volume 16.

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For modern shapes and styles and unique garment-construction techniques, we turn to Norah Gaughan. This latest group is knit all in beachy blues, with warm-weather yarns like Maya and Modern Cotton.

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Each garment is decorated with a lace motif, often set against simple stockinette.

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Come by the shop to see Norah Gaughan’s latest, and flip through her older booklets, too. See you there!

Araucania Panguipulli: now on sale!

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UPDATE: As of 2/10/2015, we are totally sold out of Araucania Panguipulli!
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We are blown away by how quickly our latest sale yarn sold out–our entire stock of Berroco Peruvia was gone in less than a week! It left a hole in the sale trunk, which we promptly filled, of course.

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Araucania Panguipulli is an aran weight merino yarn that is both marled and variegated. It’s been discontinued, so we’re now offering our remaining stock of Panguipulli at over 35% off!

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Each 100 gram skein has 193 yards, with an expected gauge of 4 stitches per inch on a US #10 needle. This colorful stuff makes a great scarf, hat, cowl, or pair of mitts.

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Sale yarns have been going very quickly lately… come by the shop soon to snag a few skeins of Araucania Panguipulli before it disappears!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!