February - 2008

February 27, 2008

UNH! I feel good...like I knew that I would, now.  (I could do the whole James Brown song, but I 'll spare you.)  Yesterday I mailed off my taxes to my most excellent brother-in-law - now all I have to do is wait for the verdict and write the check (probably).  Always such a relief, and now I can really anticipate better weather, lighter clothes, and gardening.

In the meantime, though, don't all your wonderful wool sweaters feel good? The store has been open for six years (as of Groundhog Day) and I am still amazed at how far our clientele has progressed in that time.  The most frequent story I heard the whole first year was that the customer hadn't knit since Ann Grossman closed her shop in the early 90's.  Mrs. Grossman made her own top-down designs - which are still very fresh today - but unless you were quite persistent, she would simply do the difficult parts or fix your mistakes, then send you home to knit, knit, knit, instead of teaching you how to help yourself.  And I understand that - teaching is much harder than doing it yourself, as any of you who have children (or husbands) already know.  So when she retired, few of her customers were independent enough to follow a pattern on their own or fix their own mistakes. 

I always wanted to be sure that our customers became real knitters, who understood the whole process of knitting, that you are making not just a garment but that you are also making the fabric of that garment.  That the fabric can be anything you want - plain smooth thrifty and elegant stockinette, or a bumpy conglomeration of fabulous textures or an exciting play of colors in stripes or Fair Isle or blocks or pictures.  The fabric is shaped as you go, into almost anything you can think of - sweaters, hats, socks, mittens, scarves, even shorts or lingerie, curtains, pillows or bedspreads. The written pattern is just a starting point. The possibilities are endless, and the small act of pulling one loop of yarn through another is endlessly satisfying.

Uh oh, I'm soliloquizing (word or not?) about knitting again.  I'll stop, except that I must just say how proud I am of our staff and teachers and of you, for all the time and talent you pour into your projects.

An announcement:  

Socks are so popular  - there is absolutely nothing so wonderful as wearing socks that are made to fit your very own feet) and there are so many beautiful sock yarns and great patterns these days.  So I'm excited to say that Janet Kakareka is going to be doing Sock Class every Friday from 11 am. till noon.  The hour will cost $10, payable when you come.  You can come every Friday till you know how to knit socks, or every other, or whatever suits your schedule.  There's no need to sign up in advance, although it will be a good idea to call a day ahead to be sure she's not on vacation. You'll be using double-pointed needles for this class, and you'll want to have yarn and needles before you come to class. The sessions start this Friday, February 29 - Take a Leap and Learn to make Socks!

Take a look at Jennifer Gensemer's version of our quick-to-knit top-down sweater.  How fun is this in bright orange!  Our model was rather staid in a subdued blue, but Jennifer likes her sweaters to make a statement.  And I want you to notice that even with this casual look, her jewelry is, as always, fabulous.

And this is an amazing picture.  This is Elaine Vardjan's husband, daughter and three granddaughters, every one dressed in a sweater (plus a hat) that she knit for them last year. I wish I could have a better image for you (I scanned the photo she gave me and my aged scanner leaves a lot to be desired).  Elaine's knitting is really wonderful and these sweaters are beautiful and fit perfectly.  And don't they all look happy?

All I can say is WOW!  And that's a good way to end this session.

See you soon!

Trish

February 19, 2008

Mother Nature gave us a little shot of spring yesterday, and I'm going to give you another little shot today, with a preview of some of the things we've been working on for the coming season.

First, here is the Heartbeat T-shirt from Just One More Row, knitted in hand-dyed cotton.  The design is really fun to knit and adjustable to any length or width. The yarn is pretty and soft, and the design would be striking even in a solid color.  Love those diagonals!

This little Lace Rib Tank is knit in Infiknit's Ecoknit Cotton, very soft and pretty in 4 natural un-dyed colors.  The lace pattern is not hard to do, the shaping is simple, and the picked-up borders are quick.  This will be a free pattern on the site very soon!  I like the vertical lines below the bust, and think that it will be so easy to wear that you'll want it in more than one color or you may want it in a dressier yarn as well.

This next sweater was knit by Janet Kakareka.  It is sooo pretty, in pink Linen Isle.  It's top down, with a cable down the center front (it's hard to see with this picture, I know - I should have gotten Janet to model it!) and ribbed sleeves with a slight flare.  I can see this with linen pants for the office or a summer party or with a pretty flowing skirt for an evening out.  It's very feminine and very flattering.  This will be a class this spring, when we get our new schedule together.

This next little vest is from Filatura di Crosa's Terra Collection but I made it in Punto, our favorite cotton/acrylic washable yarn.  It's so practical and the vest is soft and gorgeous in it.  I used a stony gray, but it would be great in either a pastel or a really strong color.  The lace and cable design is probably best for an intermediate knitter, or advanced beginner with some help keeping the pattern straight during the shaping.  I've seen a version of this top in several collections for the spring but I have to say, this was the best design (IMHO, of course.)

So that's Spring Part One.  Part Two will be coming in 2 or 3 weeks.  Meanwhile, here are a couple of wonderful projects that I want to show you. First Sandy Albert knit a cute little sweater for her granddaughter - it only took a couple of weeks, but I know that she was in avoidance mode - she's deep into a complicated cabled sweater and needed something quick and fun.  Lucky little Kiana!

And here is Martha in her very first sweater, a beautiful top-down number with rolled edges, in a gorgeous tweedy teal shade of Lamb's Pride Worsted.  Her knitting was lovely and the sweater fits her perfectly.

Kudos, Martha!  You did a great job, and thanks for letting me take the photo.

Okay, that's all, folks.  See you soon!

Trish

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, that's all I can think of to say.  My mind is just as blah as the weather has been the last two days.  Thank goodness for some sunshine, maybe my head will clear a little too.  The only bright spot this week was yesterday when I met a new sales rep who slipped and slid down I-81 to get here.  So I had to buy some stuff, didn't I?  It wasn't hard - he sells Opal sock yarn, which I haven't bought for over a year (they were having some distribution problems here and I just wanted to see how it would all shake out).  Pretty yarns and one sock that comes with instructions on how to knit it vertically, which should be interesting.  I didn't buy much else, except a self-striping cotton that should be fun for summer tops and even children's things.  However, he's also the rep for Jamieson's Shetland and I'm thinking about bringing in at least some of that line in the fall. They always do beautiful design collections and their color range is amazing.  I'll have to add another room to the shop somehow, that's all there is to it!

You've all been staying at home the last couple of days, like the smart people you are, so I've had a lot of time alone in the shop.  I've been straightening and cleaning and tackled the closet in the classroom yesterday.  Found a box of elderly - no, just rather mature - BagSmith purse kits.  I'm putting them in the sale closet this afternoon at $20 - they were originally $32.  These are older kits, mostly black with bamboo handles.  They're cute by themselves but you can dress them up with crazy yarns and make them your own design. There are instructions for knit or crochet.  Nice gift for a knitter or crocheter, too.

Several people were in with beautifully completed projects this week.  These are the most-knitted sweaters of this season - our ever-popular Napa pullover and the top-down wrap sweater.

Carol Slifka and Mary Hofmann both finished their Napas this past weekend:

I love this sweater, I love how it looks on both Carol and Mary, and I'm so proud of both of them for the quality of their work. I've found a great yarn for a summer version of this sweater - I'm waiting for color cards so I can order the yarn.  (Hmm, I believe I was going to be very conservative this spring.  I vaguely remember saying I wasn't going to bring in much new yarn...no, that couldn't have been me - must have been someone else.)

Diane Taylor-Raring finished her beautiful top-down wrap sweater in a beautiful colorway of Schaefer's hand-dyed "Nancy."  The color and fit are perfect for her and she looks happy, yes?  She is, because she ended up with about 3 yards of yarn left!  She was sweating it out through the last sleeve, I can tell you.

Karen Wenrich finished this cute baby sweater (in about 3 days, I think). 

With seed stitch trim and stockinette body, it's from Wee Knits, Too, the old Mission Falls booklet that's full of cute baby stuff.  I found a bunch of them - if you're knitting for a little one (or hoping for a little one), buy one now because when they're gone, they're gone.  I sound like a used car saleman, don't I?

And when that happens, it's time to sign off.  Next week I'm going to give you a shot of spring, with pictures of some of the cute models we've been busily knitting up for you!

See you soon...

Trish

February  7, 2008

What a day we had at the shop yesterday!  The UPS guy just kept getting out box after box, so Becky and I had fun, fun, fun opening them all.  The new Interweave Knits arrived as well as the new issue of Cast On.  The Go Knit pouches that I mentioned yesterday came in so we're well-stocked right now - and I know that two people were waiting for turquoise and I'll find my note pretty soon, but if you're reading this, I'm holding them for you!  A big shipment from Plymouth came in, bringing new colors of Encore (bright, with a sort of frosted effect, knits up in a ragg effect), and Encore Bouclé, nice new colors for grownups, along with a new brochure full of patterns for prayer shawls.

What I loved most in the Plymouth cartons, however was their new sock yarn, Happy Feet.  It's a really nice yarn, soft with a lot of twist, in superwash merino and a little nylon.   There's a free pattern for a one-skein beanie that looks very cute.  Socks take 2 skeins, but the price is much better than other yarns of this quality, and the colors are quite good.  See for yourself:

I'm casting on socks today, but I don't know which color yet.

But the piece de resistance was this:

The new Manos Silk Blend!  You can't believe the colors, some so vibrant, some so subtle.  The drape and sheen and silkiness - ack, I'm on overload.  Manos yarns come in these bundles, and I just want to carry them around like babies, they're so luscious.  I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with this yarn yet - I have to get to know it a little.  Therefore you can't have any - no, no, bad shopkeeper!!  Becky laughed when I put it in a tote in the kitchen - she knows me.  I promise to look for a place to display it and not hide it away.  You have to see this yarn!

Okay, enough already.  I said I had some great projects to show you and I do.  First Linda Solvitsky came in with a beautiful mitered scarf made in a bunch of different colors of Boku.  It's so pretty and I love the way those little flecks of silk reflect the light.  She crocheted an edge around the whole scarf which gave it a really nice finish.  I love how all the colors of this yarn blend.

And last but not least, it was the Barb Piazza show last weekend.  She wore her wonderful mitered jacket, she brought in her Wrap-Me-Up shawl, and her husband Ray came in wearing a great sweater she had just finished for him. 

Ray loves the sweater so much that he had to leave when I dismantled the bottom of the sweater so that Barb could knit the border a little tighter. "What?  You're going to cut my sweater?!!  I don't think so!"  The surgery went well, by the way.

Well, I must get these doggies out for a walk.  They are heartily sick of my ravings about yarn and knitting - how is that going to get all the trees in the neighborhood peed on?  They have a job to do, for pity's sake!

See you soon -

Trish

February 6, 2008

The groundhog said six more weeks of winter but it doesn't feel like it today.  This little bit of spring is making me think of gardens, air conditioning (because I don't have any and I must get something before summer), and cotton sweaters.  We have such pretty things in the works for you to look at, it's going to be a great season for spring and summer knitting.

Nothing new came into the shop this past week except the newest ToFutsies limited edition colorway, a pretty aqua with a black accent, and of course a new free pattern to go with it.  I am hoping this week brings the new Plymouth sock yarn, the new Manos silk/wool blend, and a new batch of Go Knit pouches.  Everyone loves the small Go Knits for socks, and I've ordered a few medium and large sizes, too, to see what they're like.  I just finished a pair of socks in Step in a simple K6, P2 rib.  The yarn just flows through your fingers and I can't believe how much pleasure there is to be had from knitting a simple pair of socks.  If the Plymouth comes in today, I'm starting another pair immediately.

Oops, sorry.  Update Interruptus - it's time to go to the store.  Check back because I have some great projects to show you...

Meanwhile, I'm seeing some beautiful projects