Yarn Gallery Blog

Even though it’s totally frigid today, I’ve got the spring-cleaning bug.  You all have got the spring-knitting bug, because we’ve been getting a lot of questions about spring yarns.  These two inspirations have combined into my wanting a permanent place for our lighter weight fibers in the shop.  Currently we put all the cottons and blends away for the winter, and then have to root through the piles of bags, interrupting classes and so on, when someone wants to look at “summer” yarns.  So, I’m going to replace the novelties, which are in the upstairs front room, with the cottons.  That part is fairly easy.  Finding a place for novelties won’t be so easy and they won’t be available until we do.  Most of you won’t miss them!  Anyway, that will all be happening this week because most of my spring yarns will be shipping in the next two weeks and, as usual, I have no room for them.  And as usual, I just can’t wait for the new stuff to get here.

Here’s one new model that’s finished.  It’s from the current Debbie Bliss Magazine, and was quite fun to do. You start by making the back and both fronts to the armholes, then cast on for the sleeves, combine everything on one needle and finish in one piece.  I knitted it from Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton, because I wanted a really bright color. I didn’t change anything except to add a border of single-crochet to the front edges to reduce curl. (With forethought you could just add 2 or 3 extra stitches and work them in garter.)  You can use any DK weight yarn.  I didn’t buy Prima, which is what all these designs in DB#2 are purportedly knitted from.  I didn’t like it, it’s slinky yet hairy and I can’t imagine it being comfortable to wear in any season.  And very few of these designs were originally knitted in it – most were in Cathay which has been discontinued.  In other words, don’t be afraid to substitute yarns!  If you’re not sure, do a swatch or get some advice.

The shop has been full of people working on projects and I have lots of wonderful pictures to show you this week, so let’s get going:

Mary Ann Posey brought in this delight:

It’s a beautiful lace scarf knit from qiviut, a rare and precious fiber from the muskox.  It’s lighter than a feather, softer than cashmere, and warmer than down.  Mary Ann’s daughter bought the yarn in Alaska and knit the scarf as a present for her father.

Margie Leisawitz knit this sweater using intarsia to add color to the cable panel that runs up the front and down the back.  A perfect skating sweater!

Donna Howard is taking the Great American Aran Afghan classes and brought in her partially-done afghan.  It was the first time I’d seen any of the blocks put together and just had to have a photo even though it isn’t finished yet.  She has, I think, 8 more blocks to go; every single one is a work of art.

And she also brought in a version of the Lady Eleanor Entrelac scarf, done in a bright colorway of Ty-Dy Sock: Can’t wait to get in the new colors of it, and the new colors of regular cotton worsted-weight Ty-Dy.  Speaking of which, check out David Ritz’s latest posting below this one – he’s knitting like a fanatic, as usual, and I really like the design, don’t you?  Looks like it would be fun.

It was tough getting a photo of this cute baby sweater that Sandy Albert just finished (her 6th version of this design!)  You can see how crowded the table was that day  – so many people trying to finish up their projects, we had overflow into the back room.  I love it when the shop is buzzing like that!

I finished a baby sweater too. This is from a Cabin Fever design, very clever one-piece construction that just flowed from the needles.  I did it in Hopscotch, a thick and thin superwash wool, soft and practical too. And Susie Crump finished her Sitka sweater and I had to show you how very special it is.  Now, if I had to bet, I would bet that this little grandson of hers is going to have this sweater for the rest of his life.  Where else is he ever going to find something with his name on it, and that displays the tree he was named for? 

And Lynne Nagle and I sat down to talk about crochet classes and she’s got some good ideas about projects for beginning classes.  We don’t have a schedule yet but we’re getting there.  She brought in this beautiful lace collar that she made from Frog Tree alpaca:

Isn’t it gorgeous?  That lace!  But don’t be intimidated – I made this pretty scarf from Ruca (hand-dyed sugar cane fiber!) and it’s soft and silky and I’m extremely proud of it, even though it was a simple 2-row pattern done on a pretty big hook.

Great yarn, a little (very little, in my case) skill and some patience, you got yourself a real purty scarf!

Okay, that’s it for this week.  I’m yearning to re-do my 80-year-old bathroom and went looking at fixtures and so on today.  I’m still in sticker shock and need to go lie down.

See you soon.

Trish

The campaigns are all over and I’ve voted and now I’m looking forward to election results coverage tonight.  After so many years of being half-hearted about most candidates and down-right sick about some, this year there were two good people to choose from and either will be less painful to listen to than GWB, so I’m happy.  I hope everyone got a chance to vote – I went at a non-popular time and still had a half-hour wait, so that’s pretty great.

Still kind of foggy-minded from this darn cold.  It’s on its way out, but it’s been a tough week.  I feel kind of stupid complaining, though – one of my best friends just had her first chemo treatment and is starting to feel the effects.  Her prognosis is excellent, but she’s got to get through this course of chemo and she’s going to lose her hair.  She asked would I make her a soft hat.  Shoot, I’ll make her a jillion hats! So that’s what I’m going to do this afternoon, pick out something soft and pretty and start a little hat for her.  I’m going to let you check out the great projects below and I’m going to the shop for some cashmere.

See you soon!

Two announcements before I get going on the topic (it’s funny having to think up a title for each post – the first thing I think of is always Yada, yada, yada):

First, for those of you who have been in classes and knitalongs with Trish Nierle, I’m sure you’d like to know that she and John are now proud parents of Alise Katharine, born on July 11, 8 lb, 11 oz. Grandma Patsy Gibney brought in pictures. Alise is beautiful, and I hope that they’ll post a photo to our gallery when they get a minute. I know she has some beautiful handknits to wear!

AND there is a mistake on the class schedule from long ago (I know there will always be a mistake, but sometimes it takes a while to surface.) The Seams Sew Easy class on Thursday, July 31 is at 6 – 7:30 pm, NOT 10 – 11:30 am. Were you wondering why we scheduled it for such a dopey time? If the schedule was keeping you from signing up, I hope you’ll be able to make the evening class. Sheesh. There is also a space or two left in our Omega Wrap class that starts this Thursday.

Now on to the topic:

A little story on NPR caught my attention a day or so ago. The subject was something called the Maker Movement, and it concentrated on people who were using old MP3 devices together with new software to make something useful out of something obsolete. At the very end, though, the story tied this rather techie angle together with the resurgence in crafts of all kinds, including knitting, sewing, cooking, and other things we are all doing to take matters into our own hands. It seems that there is a growing realization that we’ve given over control of many aspects of our lives to great big far-away corporate entities that really do not care whether we’re healthy, happy, or financially secure as long as we’re spending our (or anyone’s) money on their products. It’s been an easy, lazy way to live, but we’re getting the message in so many ways that we really must watch out for our own interests and the interests of our communities, and that the choices we make in how and where to live and shop can have a profound effect on our own health and the health of our neighborhoods. So, how can knitting be relevant in our daily lives, besides being a pleasant, wardrobe-enhancing, stress-relieving pasttime? Here’s one idea:

There’s a lot of worry out there about the price of heating our homes this winter and all the winters to come. Many of us will be lowering our thermostats, and handknits can make a big difference in how comfortable we’ll be in our colder homes. Think: afghans for cozying up with a good book, watching TV or doing homework, lovely warm handknit socks to insulate our feet from our hardwood floors, a light but warm ruana to throw on while we’re working around the house, and those wonderful warm sweaters we love to get into on cold mornings. Leg warmers, neck gaiters, and fingerless mitts are also good inside pieces when the house is chilly. All these things are non-binding and lightweight if made in natural fibers and therefore don’t need to be bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable to keep someone warm. And the best thing about handknits (at least the best thing for non-knitters – we all know that the best thing is the actual knitting) is that, properly cared-for, they will last a lifetime. A gallon of heating oil is gone in a few minutes – a good wool sweater will warm you for many, many winters.

I know you really don’t want to hear about this when it’s 85 degrees, sunny and beautiful outside, but let’s face it – handknits take time. Think about your own wardrobe, think about your kids, grandkids, even your parents and what they could use this winter and start planning. I just made Jackson and Geordie’s next grooming appointment – it’s in September, just 7 weeks away!!

I’m trying to think ahead. I’ve started a pair of socks for my brother-in-law although very little progress is being made, I’m afraid. I’m making pretty pink cashmere mitten liners for my niece, the Manhattanite. I made her a pair of sturdy black (of course) wool Subway mittens (with a pocket for her subway card so she can just wave it at the gate) and now I’m doing liners for those extra-cold New York days, and since they won’t show, they can be in a fun and girly color. One is done:

The shawl I mentioned last week blocked out beautifully – here is Karen modeling it. It’s the “Highland Triangle Shawl” from Folk Shawls in a Cascade yarn called Venezia Worsted, a lovely smooth silk and wool blend.

And I told you about the Tilli Tomas yarn I ordered to start the Heartstrings shawl. It arrived and I chose the red colorway to make the model in (there is an off-white and a platinum set of yarns, too – both very pretty). This is how far I’ve gotten on the border, which in this design is made first, then the body of the shawl is joined to it as you knit from the point up. The yarn is a lovely silk, with a strand of tiny beads plied with it. Not fast knitting, for sure, but fun and interesting.

Okay, enough about me! Here are a couple of great projects completed beautifully.

First, Rochelle Mann designed and knit this pretty summer cardigan. The yarn was tiny, slippery, and splitty, but the color was so pretty and just what she wanted, so she struggled through, ripping when necessary (and it’s always necessary when you’re designing on the fly.) The lace and cable design, the open neckline, close fit and bracelet-length sleeve were all part of her plan. She’s delighted with the result and agreed to model it for us even though she wasn’t dressed for it:

Sheila Yarus knit this beautiful sweater for her lucky husband. The design is a classic from an old Rowan collection; the yarn is Claudia Handpaint’s Sportweight Merino.

(Yoke detail)

Lovely! Now, don’t forget you can post your own pictures to our customer gallery just like Joy Janotti did. You’re allowed to show off a little – we all enjoy seeing what others are knitting.

Okay, I think that’s it for this week. See you soon!

Trish