Yarn Gallery Blog

This is it blocking, taking up all open floor space in my bedroom. I had to roll across the bed if I wanted to get to my blow dryer. Luckily, with the incredible temperatures we had, it dried in about 24 hours.  You can see the construction of the shawl in this photo, all the modules building from the outside edge to the center.

Here it is at its soft and drape-y best.  Even though it took several intense weeks of knitting, I really loved the project and couldn’t be happier with the results.  Norah Gaughan’s design for Berroco was excellent, the pattern had only one problem, and the only thing I changed was the top edging, by making it a few rows less wide.  It took 14 balls of Classic Elite’s Fresco and was worth every penny and minute spent on it!  And, thank goodness, it’s out of my system and I can get on with new things, which I’ll be talking about soon.  Meanwhile, if you feel as I did about this wrap – that it simply must be knit – the pattern and yarn (in wonderful colors) are available now at the shop.

The heat has been something else, yes? and I think my brain was cooked – couldn’t think of one thing to say here, plus the computer room was always so hot, I just didn’t want to be in it!  However, the best things about July are also here – ripe local peaches (got some beauties at the West Reading Farmers’ Market) and my homegrown tomatoes are ripening as we speak.  Two things I love and only eat in season.  The stuff they ship from elsewhere shouldn’t even be called the same name!  Thanks to David Ritz for posting his amazingly numerous and beautiful projects and providing inspiration (and provoking envy)!

Fall yarns are arriving weekly now and the gals and I will be talking about fall classes soon.  I don’t want to rush through life, but I have to say I’m ready for fall weather and fall clothes.  From what I’ve noticed so far, vests are making a comeback – check this out:

Yarn and pattern coming soon.  Armwarmers optional!

Longer sweaters, or short sweaters layered over longer tops.  Big wraps and capes. Cowls and neckwarmers of all types.  Hats that have something special about them – cables, an interesting shape, fair-isle patterns, several colors or textures.  And, so I’m told by yarn reps, who admittedly have their own agenda but also see lines from the European markets that haven’t reached us yet, there is new interest in “fashion yarns” – those fun yarns that make great trims and accessories without a lot of fancy knitting.

I’m on a quest to find a great outside jacket pattern in superbulky yarn that will be warm enough to walk the dogs and run errands when the weather gets quite cold.  Low hip length, a big collar that can be buttoned up to my chin, an overlapping front for warmth, and a yarn that will make a dense but not heavy fabric.  Pattern Quest.  We should design a video game!

Okay, enough!  The heat wave has broken and I’m going out to do errands and enjoy the freshness of this beautiful day.

See you soon!

Trish

Yippee! I can upload pictures again, but first, if you missed the post from last week, be sure to update your bookmarks/RSS feed and any other preset for the blog from http://blog.yarngal.com to http://www.yarngal.com/blog.

The MadelineTosh has arrived and the afghan gals snagged a bunch of it.  I’ll have to reorder right away because I was at the store this morning (ordering fall yarn – gosh, so fabulous!) and saw that the carton was half-empty.  Still some wonderful things in there and I’ve got my eye on a skein of Tosh Sock that absolutely rocks.

Reminder: The shop will be closed on Sunday, May 30.

Let’s catch up with some older photos:

This is the Springtime Bandit shawl that I mentioned several weeks ago, a free pattern on Kelbournewoolens.com.  It’s pretty, fun, quick, and frankly, mine looks better than theirs, probably because of the blocking.  It’s a good pattern.

This is my Let’s dance a fandango! version of the Horizontal Feather and Fan shawl, a pattern that Janet teaches in her beginner lace class.  I used Noro’s Furin and inserted a few rows of Trendsetter’s Cha-Cha, and it’s just plain fun.  Fran Krieger is doing a beautiful version in off-white, very, very pretty.

Here are some photos that might get you into a class this summer.  First is Yuko Lewandoski’s version of the Adult Surprise Jacket.  The colors are bright but overall the effect is tailored and elegant.

This is Janet’s version of the shrug she’s teaching in her Mother-Daughter Design a Shrug class.  It’s too cute in a combo of Jelli-beenz and Fizz:

And here is the toe-up sock in progress, from Karen Walter’s class this summer.  It may be finished this week – it’s sort of like a striptease, every time I see her she shows a little bit more!  (This week she was in to raid the MadTosh before anyone else got their paws on it.)

Carol Whitcraft is knitting like a madwoman for her first great-grandchild.  Look at the beautiful blanket and this perfect little sweater in Jeannee, a soft cotton/acrylic blend.

And Karen Shearer’s granddaughter came in in her Baby Surprise, and even though we’ve shown her before, I had to take her picture again.  You can see why, can’t you?  Do you love the little pants or what?

Anne Nordhoy is an A-one knitter who knits like the wind and does the most intricate colorwork as naturally as you and I breathe.  She and her husband host an auction and fundraiser for the Y every year, and she knits many beautiful treasures to auction off.  Here are a sampling of what she’s offering this year.  They’re just too remarkable to remark on:

A Trio of Christmas Stockings

Thumb Detail (a boy and girl) of a Pair of Mittens

A Multi-Stitch Baby Blanket

Christening Gown and Bonnet

Delicate Lace Shawl

A Child's Ski Sweater

Child's Sweater

See what I mean?  It takes your breath away!

Enough for one day… see you soon!

Trish

Well, after an exhausting week, the spring yarns (most of them) are finally out front where they need to be and, although there is a lot still to do, the chaos of last week has been somewhat tamed.  I have to say, it was exhausting to move everything and showed me just how physically wimpy I’ve gotten.  I came home every day absolutely wiped out!

Here is a shot of what we did most of the week:

That’s Karen vacuuming behind the shelves.  We moved winter yarns, fluffed and culled (the bargain bin is full!), then cleaned the emptied shelves and brought out the new goodies.  Bending, stretching, carrying, squatting, kneeling – whoof! But the new yarns look wonderful, and we’re supposed to have great weather this week so we’ll all feel very spring-y.  And I need to go into spring training!

Stop in soon…

Trish

We got socked, didn’t we?  It was really just lovely to wake up to a world in white and know that I didn’t have to go anywhere.  I hope all of you who have to get to work, no matter what, made it safely, and thanks for being there for all of us.  The only thing I did all day was shovel, nap, and knit.  It was very nice.  My sister lives in Baltimore and sent me updates from time to time on Saturday.  At 1 pm we were clear but it was still coming down at her place:

That little gate you see is taller than my head.  I bet her dogs are still peeing on the deck!

The second wave that we’re supposed to get this week may not seem just so very special!  I have yet to dig out my driveway, because I can walk to work, but I think I’d better make the effort today and run all those errands that I’m tempted to put off. But first! Here are some fabu projects to inspire your snow-day knitting:

Loretta Hollenbach made it to class on Sunday all the way from the wilds of Womelsdorf and modeled her beautiful gansey:

and Sarabel Conn also sent a photo of herself in her completed gansey:

I should have a page just for these wonderful sweaters – they have all turned out so well, thanks to some very good knitting, persistence, and Donna’s Guthrie’s inspirational and supportive class.

Nancy Rambo had a back operation and came in beforehand to make sure she had some knitting to do while she was recuperating.  These two pretty baby blankets are the results, and I hope everything else went as well as her knitting.

Nancy used JelliBeenz for the top blanket and Encore for the lower. Both are from Plymouth’s 8-Hour Baby Blankets booklet, our most popular booklet, and you can see why it’s so popular.

Karen Shearer used a self-striping Encore for the child’s sweater above.  It’s from a pattern by Cabin Fever and we were all enchanted by the way the stripes worked out.  The pattern is fun to make – garter stitch, all one piece, no sewing to do!  There’s an adult version that I would love to make – it’s on my list for fall.

Debbie Andrews made our Scribble Lace Scarf and had enough yarn left over to make this adorable tam to match.  She looks great in the set and finished them just in time for all this wintery weather.

Some additions to our class schedule:  Donna Guthrie is starting a new group for the Great North American Afghan soon – if you’re interested, email me or call me at the shop 610-373-1622.  Janet will be doing a second session of the February Lady Sweater and the Beginner Cabled Scarf.  Again get in touch if you’re interested.  You can check out the projects on our Classes Page on the website.

Well, I probably won’t see you Wednesday but I hope to see you soon!!

Trish

I love the change of seasons for many reasons and one of them is that it brings new fashions and colors to our notice.  I don’t rush out and buy stuff, of course, but I do love to see what the designers have thought up and see what the trends are.  As far as I can tell, the trends this season are for muted ombre colors and bright tone-on-tone prints, lots of ruffles and gathers and ties and other embellishments, loose plain jackets, and the safari look, which raises its pocket-y, lapel-y, belt-y head every few years. ( I ignore it because I look like Elmer Fudd on his wabbit-hunting trek. Don’t need all those extra things hanging on my clothes.)

I have to say, Berroco is right on top of these trends.  They’ve added an ombre line to their wonderful yarn Seduce and Norah Gaughan’s new collection is full of pleats, gathers, ruffles, and embellishments.  I can’t decide which to do for the shop, but I loved this the minute I saw it:

Lots of knitting but I think it may be worth it.

Karen Wenrich is knitting this gorgeous tank for the shop in black Bonsai:

This is the subtle pleat at the center of the eyelet detail.  Love it!

Bonsai and Seduce colors as well as the new Norah collection are at the shop already.  This was one thing I couldn’t wait for!

More about new yarns as time goes on.  Meanwhile, many of you are finishing up wonderful winter projects as you can see below.

Jettie Hunt and Kim Walker both finished their ganseys from the class that ended just before Christmas.  Jettie’s husband Michael is modeling his:

The sweater is not hot pink, it’s a gorgeous rich burgundy but I couldn’t get the photo to look like that.  So, I’m sorry, Michael, you’re not only headless but also extremely colorful!

Kim Walker knit her gansey in a beautiful dark green tweed, which  looks gray but gorgeous nonetheless in this photo.  It’s absolutely lovely.

The gansey was quite a project, with a huge commitment of time involved.  Congratulations to all who have finished theirs, and for those who are still working on it, keep going.  It’s definitely worth it!

Last week I showed you the Abstract Leaves Vest that Karen Walter is making and teaching.  It had three steeks (extra stitches added that allow you to continue to work Fair Isle in the round even after the garment has reached the armhole and neck openings).  This picture shows the neck finished and one armhole being worked on, while the third steek is still intact.

And here is the finished vest!

It really is a beautiful piece, and the yarn (Nature Spun Sport) makes a crisp design with a very soft hand.  Wonderful!

Lynne Nagle brought in this fabulous wrap that she crocheted.  It’s done in a self-striping yarn, with a beautiful swirling motif.

The pattern is called the Infinity Wrap and is available for download from Interweave Press’s store.  I hate to promote expensive downloaded patterns on this blog, but if the magazine is unavailable, at least it’s a good thing if the pattern can be still be purchased.

Jennifer Gensemer brought in this pretty cabled “snood” (which is not a snood but a neck wrap that can also be worn over the head as a hood.  A snood is an old fashioned hair net popular with Victorians.)  (Okay, I’ll try to quit the quibbling.) Jennifer did a beautiful job on it, working it in black Baby Alpaca Grande.  Margie Jozwiak was in the store and volunteered to model it for us.  Aren’t they both gorgeous?

Jennifer bought the pattern on the internet (Ravelry, I believe).  You can find it by googling “Snooty Snood.”

And here is this week’s Belle of the Blog.  Annie Harlin is a well-known artist and has worked in many media.  She’s retired, she says, but how do you retire from art?  By pleasing yourself and not potential customers, I guess, and look at the wonderful hooded cape she made from – oh, my gosh, I can’t even estimate the number of different yarns she used!  The braided fringing alone must have taken hours.  How wonderful to have this kind of vision, yes?

That’s it!  See you soon…

Trish