Show and tell: sweaters, shawl, and socks.

Posted by Julia on February 11, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “show and tell” post, not because there’s nothing to show or tell, but because my camera is not always handy when some finished piece is held out for Anne and I to admire. I’d like to photograph them all; here are the few I’ve captured of late.

Anne took a trip to New York last weekend to visit with family, and managed to finish this adorable sweater for her granddaughter just in time. It’s made in Fibre Company’s Acadia, a sport weight blend of merino wool, alpaca and silk–nothing but the best for baby Willa. She used the leftover yarn to improvise baby mittens, and spent her flight to NY knitting i-cord to connect them.

Here, Margie models a colorwork sweater she made in a variety of fingering weight yarns, some solid and some variegated, the likes of Marion Foale 3-ply, Isager Alpaca 2, Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, and Colinette Jitterbug. It’s a unique take on a pattern from Vogue Knitting Magazine a few years back, one that Margie modified heavily to create exactly the sweater she wanted.

Marion came in on Saturday wearing her completed Promenade shawl, a Hanne Falkenberg kit purchased at September’s trunk show. Promenade is a large shawl knit in garter stitch on small needles; to finish knitting it is an enormous accomplishment.

Congratulations, Marion!

Margaretta completed the first in a pair of French Market Socks, from a pattern by Nancy Bush in Sock Knitting Master Class. For this pair, she used Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight, a sturdy Shetland wool that is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork like this. Any adventurous sock-knitters out there who haven’t flipped through Sock Knitting Master Class ought to come in and do so; there are all sorts of intriguing patterns there, from the cable-crossed to the lace-covered, not to mention socks featuring entrelac, shadow knitting, and traveling twisted stitches.

Thanks to all for the show and tell, whether it makes it to the blog or not! Looking forward to seeing all that comes off your needles.

Hello again, Brown Sheep.

Posted by Julia on February 9, 2013

Many of you are already familiar with Brown Sheep, a yarn company out of Mitchell, Nebraska. For some years now, we’ve stocked their Lamb’s Pride yarn in Worsted and Bulky weights, along with Cotton Fleece, Serendipity Tweed, Wildfoote Luxury Sock, Top of the Lamb Sport, and Nature Spun Sport.

Since 1980, this family business has been producing yarns right here in the U.S., doing most of the process in Nebraska, save for the scouring, carding, and combing, which takes place in South Carolina. A couple of years ago, they redesigned their yarn production so that 70-90% of their daily waste water is reused. Their products have always been a good value, and their practices are admirable, too. Over the holidays, our supply of Lamb’s Pride Bulky had grown low enough that a reorder was necessary. Since we were already ordering, we went ahead and filled up on Lamb’s Pride Worsted, too, and even selected a brand new Brown Sheep yarn for the shop: Lamb’s Pride Superwash Sport.

Soft, machine-washable, and available in plenty of solid colors, Lamb’s Pride Superwash Sport was calling our name. It should be perfect for baby things and accessories that are likely to get a lot of wear, like hats, mittens, and socks. Looking over the colors as I unpacked the box, they said to me: colorwork. These bold colors just beg to be combined in high contrast stranded color patterns.

The Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride yarns are a staple for many knitters and crocheters: fuzzy yet sturdy, quite suitable for felting projects, and available in a wide range of vivid colors.

Lamb’s Pride Worsted knits up at about 4.5 or 5 stitches per inch, while Lamb’s Pride Bulky knits up rather more quickly at 3 stitches per inch, and both are comprised of 85% wool and 15% mohair. They are both single ply yarns, which, combined with the mohair content, makes for soft yarn with a bit of a wooly halo.

Come by the shop to see these refilled cubbies of Brown Sheep yarns, and remember Lamb’s Pride Worsted, Bulky, and Superwash Sport when planning your next project. See you there!

Cables, colorwork, crochet: the latest books.

Posted by Julia on February 7, 2013

It’s been box after box of books lately. The teacart is filled to the brim with new magazines and books of patterns.

Scottish Knits is a colorful bunch of patterns from designer Martin Storey. Fans of stranded colorwork and cables will likely find something compelling between its covers, be it sweater, hat, or mittens.

Tunisian crochet is a technique that uses an elongated hook to crochet a fabric that sometimes resembles knitting. The New Tunisian Crochet offer a wide range of patterns for this technique, from garments to home decor.

Along with those two new books, we also received the latest issue of Koigu Magazine and two collections of patterns from the Craft Tree collection: Easy Knitted Hats and Easy Knitted Accessories.

Not sure what your next project will be? Come by the shop to browse these latest publications, along with all the rest.

Creative Knitting.

Posted by Julia on February 5, 2013

Another Spring magazine has arrived: hello, Creative Knitting.

Look inside for lace-patterned garments and knits for the home. Perhaps you’ll find your next project in these pages. You’ll find this issue of Creative Knitting on the teacart among the very latest in books and magazines.

New color in Kauni Effektgarn.

Posted by Julia on February 3, 2013

This week, we received an exciting shipment: a brand new colorway in Kauni Effektgarn, a sport weight, self-striping wool.

The yarn in any given skein of Kauni shifts gradually from one color to the next, and it’s these long color repeats that set it apart from other self-striping yarns. Kauni can yield fascinating and stunning results in colorwork, brioche, mosaic, and double knitting, and you can get a good sense of how this yarn behaves by looking through patterns and projects on Ravelry that use it. It helps even more to see finished pieces in person, and to that end, we have two knit samples in the shop made of Kauni–a Wingspan and a Wiggle Wrap.

We also have a binder of Kauni patterns that holds all kinds of uses for the yarn; come by the shop to flip through it if you’re seeking inspiration.

Shaune Bazner shawl pins.

Posted by Julia on February 1, 2013

We recently replenished our supply of Shaune Bazner shawl pins.

These lightweight wooden shawl pins are perfect closures for wraps, scarves, and cardigans. They are so-named because they secure shawls, which can sometimes be unwieldy garments, anchoring loose fabric into place around your shoulders or neck so you don’t have to keep adjusting it. Because they aren’t permanent, like buttons, they allow great flexibility in how a wrap or shawl can be worn.

If you’re seeking such a closure for your finished garments, come to the shop to see the options. While you’re here, be sure to check out our shawl pins and closures from Jul, as well!

Lava Flow Cowl.

Posted by Julia on January 30, 2013

A new sample is decorating our walls: here’s a Lava Flow Cowl.

This Lava Flow Cowl was made by Amy, who’s teaching an upcoming class on the subject. It’s full of interesting techniques, like a provisional cast-on, reversible cables, and kitchener stitch in a ribbed pattern. If these techniques are new to you, consider taking the class and reap the benefits of Amy’s guidance, as well as the camaraderie of other knitters. The pattern is available as a free download from Ravelry, and is a perfect garment to showcase a special yarn in a dk or light worsted weight. Amy’s sample is made in Mirasol K’acha, a light worsted weight blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk.

Come by the shop to try it on for size, and see if you’d like to make one yourself!

Snow day.

Posted by Julia on January 27, 2013

The shop was closed most of Friday and all day Saturday because of the mix of sleet and snow that covered the Triangle, making for dangerous driving. It wasn’t much snow, to be sure, but the threat of slippery, icy roads was enough for us; better safe than sorry, better to stay home and enjoy one of the pleasures of a Southern winter: a snow day. No surprise, I did a lot of knitting. What better use could there be for an unexpected day at home? I worked on Burrard, a cabled cardigan that has kept me company this past month or so. Thanks to a class I took at TNNA in June and to the oh-so-useful Charts Made Simple, I finally feel confident knitting from charts. It’s exciting to watch the cable patterns emerge, row by row, and to be liberated from written instructions.

I hope you all had the chance to spend some time playing with yarn this weekend, staying safe and warm. If you missed us on Friday or Saturday, come by soon and show us what you’ve been working on. We’re back open today, Sunday the 27th, at our regular business hours. See you there!

Araucania Limari: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on January 25, 2013

UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Araucania Limari!

*************************************************************

Next time you come into the shop, you may notice a big basket of bulky wool right in the middle of the front room, by the teacart. What’s in the basket? Why, it’s our latest sale yarn: Araucania Limari.

Araucania Limari is a super-bulky blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk, and because it’s no longer being produced, we’re now offering it at a 40% discount. It’s perfect for any accessory that needs to be thick, or quickly made: hearty cowls and scarves, cozy hats, and the like.

Come by the shop to snatch up the deeply discounted Limari while it’s still available, and stash it away for next year’s gift-knitting!

New color in Silken Straw.

Posted by Julia on January 23, 2013

Alchemy’s unique yarn, Silken Straw, has been warmly welcomed here at the shop. Since it first arrived in November, it’s unusual texture and lustrous jewel tones have been admired by many. We sold out of a few colors, enough to reorder, and when we did place that order, we couldn’t resist picking one new colorway, as well.

Here’s Silken Straw in Platinum, a creamy, shiny white. We think it sets off the brighter colorways beautifully. Use it with Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub in a White Caps cowl, or in one of Alchemy’s shibori felted wraps, or in some other imaginative way.

Look for this tempting basket in the second room, near the equally tempting baskets of Acadia and Titus. See you at the shop!