August 25, 2009
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009It’s getting pretty exciting around the shop – all kinds of beautiful things are here or on their way. I heard from Misti Alpaca, who is shipping me Tonos, a beautiful hand-dyed monochrome worsted weight. The colors are really stunning and I have some of the brightest coming – a little something different and special. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait to see it in person. Also, Duchess Fibers called to let me know they’re shipping Meritwist and Merisoft, beautiful hand-painted merino yarns in colorways you just won’t believe. I have lovely sock yarn on order with them also, but it’s not ready to ship yet. Don’t you love new yarns – getting to know them, figuring out what to do with them, what they want to be? September will be the biggest month for arrivals, with stock orders for new and old favorites arriving in droves. With that in mind, I’m working like crazy on the class schedule and hope to have it up on the website by Friday. That’s really enough computer work, so I’ll keep this post short.
But first, a great beauty tip. Tired of those forehead wrinkles and droopy eyelids? Forget the Botox and go annoy a bee. Get her to sting you right on your front hairline and watch as your scalp and forehead swell up. Yes, you may look a little Neanderthal-ish, or possibly like an alien from a sci-fi movie, depending on the direction of the swelling, and it hurts a bit, but hey, wrinkles disappear and it’s like an instant eyelift! (Darn bee! I hope her rear end hurts as much as my head.)
Check out David’s Danielle coat below – it’s absolutely gorgeous. He didn’t care for the casual way the cast-on edge curled so he added a hem in a lighter coordinating yarn and it worked to correct the curl. And he’s right, the new Classic Elite books are, as always, awesome. There are several things I want to make all at once from most of the books – we’ll see how many I can get to. The cardigan from Vogue I’m working on is taking lots of time, which is fine because I’m really enjoying it. The King George yarn from Plymouth (wool/alpaca/cashmere) is absolutely scrumptious and I just ordered a bunch more (I like to try before I dive in too hard) – that will be here in September too.
Check out this neat new sock yarn called Zauberball Crazy. 
It’s got a non-repeating long color change so your socks absolutely will not match – they’ll be fraternal, not identical, twins. If you can’t stand that, use it for a wonderful scarf or a Baby Surprise Jacket. I’ve got the brightest colorway sitting on my desk smiling at me right now. And the Leaf Lace shawl in Winter Lace from Mountain Colors is finished – it turned out quite well. 
It’s a simple triangle that, as I said last week, I’ve done several times before. Gives me a lace fix without making me want to jump out a window. The colorway is subtle and doesn’t interfere with the pattern at all.
Two of our customers finished entrelac projects this week. Peggy Scott finished her Silk Garden Sock scarf 
and Danielle Smith completed her stole in Noro Yuzen. 
Both so beautiful! Peggy and Danielle both learned the technique from Karen Walter’s Lady Eleanor Stole class last winter.
Carol Whitcraft finished these Bobble Mittens in Manos Silk Blend for her granddaughter: 
Aren’t they so cool?
Ann Kennedy made this beautiful sweater from Handmaiden’s Mini-Maiden, a truly luxurious lightweight blend of silk and wool. This is a yarn your skin will yearn to wear. Ann modified the neckline to deepen the ribbing – I love that look.
And Dorace Leinbach is halfway through this wonderful afghan from the Noro “Family” collection. The stitch is fun to work, she says. She’s using just two colors of Silk Garden, one as background, one as accent, and it’s so beautiful it makes your teeth hurt. It will be soft, warm and lovely for cold days.
Way to go, all you wonderful knitters! Okay, that’s it. Off to the grocery store then back to the class schedule.
See you soon…
Trish
which is Karen Walter’s beautiful shawl made from a soft pink Kidsilk Haze for her mother-in-law! Isn’t it just beautiful? She says it’s easy. That’s when you’d like to smack her. Just a little smack.
It’s alpaca, merino and silk and just really lovely. It may be hard to see from this photo but the fabric comes out just slightly mottled in color, very subtle and very beautiful. I don’t know what’s to become of it yet but I think I found a real favorite for this year.
I love all the different stitches used and the asymmetry of the cabled edge on one side and not the other. It will be in red, of course.
The fabric drapes beautifully in Palace and it’s definitely a next-to-the-skin yarn. The front panel is knit on an angle so that it drapes well (you don’t look like you’re pregnant) while the upper part of the bodice is fitted so it doesn’t look sloppy. Fun to knit! Here is Berroco’s version in their merino wool.
