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

Last week was so busy (thank you!) that I only got to take a few pictures.  Two of them are below, and the others I promised not to use because one thing wasn’t finished and the other thing was a gift for someone who keeps up with the blog.

We finally got our Addi Clicks in!  My, my, they’re very nice.  For the price ($150) they should be even nicer, but I must say they’re a joy to use.  We’re keeping the set at the store so you can inspect it in person.  The cords (24″, 32″, 40″) are super-flexible.  The tips look and feel like aerospace-quality.  Joining cord to tip is easy to do, secure and smooth. The shipping is still taking forever because all of these pieces are made individually by hand in Germany – they haven’t set up a full production line yet.  I hope that will come soon, and with it, some enhancements or available accessories, such as US size 5 tips (this size is not widely used in Europe), additional cords and connectors, and a more convenient storage system.

Lynne Nagle was in this weekend with some show and tell, but we were so busy I only got to take one picture and I missed half of the pretty neckpiece she made.  After that I lost track except for a few seconds to talk about crochet classes.  I hope we’ll find time to get together soon to talk about it.  Lynne is an excellent crocheter and I’d love to have crochet classes at the shop again, so I hope we can work that out.  If you are a knitter who turns up his/her nose at crochet, you’re not alone; Elizabeth Zimmerman felt the same way.  I feel very disrespectful to say this, but I heartily disagree.  Crochet is an art unto itself, and done with skill, good quality materials, and an adventurous spirit can produce amazingly beautiful pieces.  And, if you have no interest in crocheting an entire sweater, adding a pretty border or a central motif to a knitted piece can really enhance your garment.  I’m not a good crocheter (like every other skill, it takes practice and I spend all my time knitting, of course) but I often find it useful, and occasionally find it fun as a change from knitting.  I just received a bag of Araucania “Ruca” which is a yarn made completely from sugar cane fiber (I can’t wait to see what they’ll think of next).  It’s very pretty, very slippery, very splitty.  Knitting with it would be a pain, but I’m making a scarf using a simple 2-row crochet stitch and the yarn is very pleasant to work with. The scarf will be lovely and drape-y – and will take me a long time because I’m quite slow, but not in a hurry anyway!

I promised photots of spring projects and just didn’t get to take them.  Janet and I cleaned one morning last week, and we’re slowly spring-i-fying the shop.  Blast this cold weather!  I’m ready for warmth, sunshine, and bare toes.

See you soon…

Trish