March - 2008

March 25, 2008

Gosh, Easter was early this year - it's still so cold!  It reminds me of my childhood in western Pa., where, by golly, we were wearing our new spring clothes to church on Easter, whether the snow was 6 feet deep or not!  Many a patent-leather Maryjane was ruined, I can tell you.  I'm tired of all my heavy sweaters and want to wash the little darlings and put them away for a few months.  But I can't do without them yet, even though I'm yearning for sun on my skin (just a little!) and silky-feeling fabrics.

My diet suffered greatly from Easter dinner at my friend Susan's house.  Everyone brings something, and everything must be tasted!  And yes, I know I'm not supposed to call it a diet - nowadays it's an "eating plan" or some such euphemism.  All I can say is, if it doesn't involve lots and lots of cookies, it's a diet. 

Last week was quiet at the shop, but I have two great projects to show you.  First, Sylvia Kurpiewski made this absolutely gorgeous shawl for a niece (I think) who's getting married soon.  She made it in Panda Silk (the yarn I raved about last week - I'll spare you this week) from the book Wrapped in Comfort.  This is her first lace project!!  It's so beautiful, and the yarn gives it incredible softness and drape.  What an amazing gift for a bride!

Donna Hain finished this beautiful afghan in Manos in record time - I can't believe how she whipped through it.  The yarn is a knitter's delight and comes in the most beautiful semi-solid hand-dyes.  Donna blocked each panel separately, then sewed them together and edged the whole blanket.  It's soft and cozy, and the autumn shades combine and play off each other to perfection.  Karen found it irresistible, and Jackson found Karen irresistible:

I've just finished the lounging jacket but haven't blocked it yet, so I won't show you. I'm not sure it's a success anyway.  Yup, I make some mistakes when I'm choosing projects and substituting yarns, like we all do.  It's very slinky and maybe it just needs the right body inside it to give it some shape.  I may not possess that body.

I just started this pretty white short-sleeved jacket on the cover of Vogue this spring.

  As soon as I saw it and saw that it was designed by Deborah Newton, I wanted to make it.  Ms. Newton is an independent designer who doesn't write books, doesn't have her own pattern line, isn't employed by a yarn company - she's one of those rare people who makes a living designing what she wants and then selling it to magazines or yarn companies or knitwear companies.  Anyway, her designs involve dressmaker details - sometimes too many for my taste - and are almost always fun to knit.  I ordered the yarn, called "Sky" from Filatura di Crosa, just to make this particular sweater because I love it so much. The true color of the yarn is not the bleached white as shown - I'm guessing the white was brightened to up the contrast with the model's skin color. It's very effective, but this is an unbleached organic cotton so the color is off-white.  Anyway, the bottom portions of the body and sleeve are knit sideways, then stitches are picked up for the yoke and shoulders and knit vertically.  Love the pattern so far.

Oh, for heaven's sake - it's late and I have to get going.  See you soon!

Trish

March 18, 2008

Did you all have a great St. Patrick's day and eat corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer?  I did but without the food and the beer because I am on the 7,189th diet of my life so far.  I've made a bargain with myself as a motivating factor: if I don't reach my goal by June 1, I'm sending money to an organization I absolutely hate and despise. (I won't say which one, of course, I don't want to get into a philosophical debate here.)  We'll see if it works.

Two announcements:

1) WE'LL BE CLOSED THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 23.

and 2)  our gift certificate drawing for all our Frequent Buyer participants was held on Saturday (we try to find somebody who has never been in the store before to draw the card) and the winner was...

David Ritz!  Some of you have been in class with David and know that he drives down from McAdoo in Schuylkill County - he's an amazing and prolific knitter and loves new patterns.  Anyway, we were happy he won - makes up a little for the gas he burns driving to the shop. The next drawing will be sometime in June, so keep filling up those cards.

Last week we got shipment from - oh, lots of stuff.  Classic Elite sent us new Classic Silk and Premiere and their new summer collections.  I hadn't even put the yarn out and had to re-order the books!  Pam Allen, former editor of Interweave Knits, is their new Design Director, and you can see it in these collections.  I'm deep into this yummy-soft cardy they call a lounging jacket, using Plymouth's Royal Bamboo. 

I don't know how much lounging I'll get done, but we all need a little fantasy here and there.

We got another colorpack of Panda Silk, that wonderful fingering-weight yarn from Crystal Palace - bamboo, wool, silk.  I've made socks from it - gorgeous stuff - and am slowly making a little summer top in black.  It's taking forever, of course, because it's just for me, not the shop so it takes low priority, but I love the yarn and really wanted something more than socks from it. We have two skeins of each of these beautiful colors back in stock.  The little black fuzzball at lower left is Jackson's head and is not for sale.

And speaking of sock yarn, the new Opal is re-stocked so if you missed the last shipment, it's back, with some additional colors.

We got these pretty colors of Cotton Classic in

...but the bright blue is already gone.  Carol Whitcraft snatched it up the minute she saw it!

And here is a new yarn, a chunky textured kettle-dyed cotton called Chacabuco from Araucania.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, I've been swatching for this and that - any ideas?

It's really soft, with beautiful semi-solid colors.

And the Claudia Fingering 55 (55% silk, 45% merino wool) arrived - you have to see it and touch it.  Here is a little skein I took home to contemplate:

The colorways are wonderful, as always, but they gleam with silkiness in this yarn.  I may have to do the Coriolis socks in this yarn, because they would combine an intriguing design with a fabulous yarn.  I'm not sure I could ever bear to put them into a pair of shoes, however, so I have to think about that.

And now to the most fun:

Here are Sharon Restrepo's St. Paddy's Day socks, done in Bearfoot and finished in the nick of time.  (Don't worry, Sharon, I won't tell anyone that the goal was last year's St. Patrick's Day.)  (Oops!)

Phyllis Daniels finished her diagonal vest, in Noro's Niji, and it looks great.  The fit and the finishing are right on, and she did a wonderful job of blocking.  And I love the way the back looks.

And Carol Slifka whipped up this baby sweater in Encore Boucle in about one day, just in time for her granddaughter's Easter basket.  It's really cute!

That's it for this week.  See you soon...

Trish

March 11, 2008

Today I'm going to show you a few more things that we've done for spring, but first I want to remind everyone about our classes, especially our Curvy Top-down Cabled Raglan Sweater which is starting this Sunday.  I know I didn't give you much time to think about it, but what with holidays and vacations and the fact that you'll want this sweater for the spring before it gets hot (and I think that Janet wants to wear her sweater soon instead of having it on display in the shop!), we really wanted to get it started in March.  I know you don't feel like spring knitting yet, but you'll be so happy to have this pretty sweater to wear!  There's also a space or two left in both of our Great American Afghan series and in the Coriolis Sock class.

And I finally put up the free pattern for our lace-rib tank top, as promised.   I knit this in soft Ecoknit Cotton, which comes from a Canadian company.  You can use any number of yarns for the top, but if you want to try this undyed organically-grown cotton, get some of this batch because you all know what the dollar's doing, and anything from Canada is just going to get more expensive.  These natural colors are really beautiful, oui?      

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Okay, class, we're done with the economics lesson for the day, so let's have some fun.  Here's the summer version of our Napa Pullover in soft kettle-dyed Pima Fresca.  It's exactly the same as our regular Napa, without the cozy collar.  When you come in, you can get updated instructions for the neckline.  The free-flowing style is just what you want for running around this spring, or as a coverup at the beach, or for a casual dinner out.

And speaking of the regular Napa, here is Karen Shearer in her version.  Isn't the blue flattering with her blue eyes? A good job!

I just finished this little pink pinafore in Plymouth's Jeannee.  It's a Fiber Trends pattern, and the yarn is a cotton and acrylic blend, machine washable, reasonably priced.  Just for fun I edged it in white and sewed on little pearls in the middle of the lace flowers at the hem.  There's a pattern for a hat to go with it, and I'm tempted!

I'm nuts about this next little top, which just kind of happened.  I was playing with Noro's new Taiyo and loved it so much that I cast on for a top in the round without any plan in my head.  Around and around I went in ribbing, thought "That's enough of that," and started going around and around in stockinette.  I was at a place where armholes should start and finally had to apply a little brain power if I didn't just want a great big tube with ribbing at one end.  I found instructions for a yoke sweater in Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns - a wonderful resource if you're interested in designing your own sweaters - and modified them to make a wider neck and smaller armholes. This shop pattern is free with purchase of Taiyo to make it.

The yoke style with the wide neckline reminds me of a very chic lady I knew when I was growing up.  In the sixties in my neck of the woods - and I do mean woods - chic was not something you saw very often, so she left an impression.  She would wear leopard-print capris with little gold sandals and form-fitting tops to Jaycee picnics where everyone else was in baggy pedal-pushers and Keds. I picture her with a Holly-Go-Lightly-style cigarette holder, but I'm pretty sure she didn't smoke.  This style reminds me of her - I think she would have worn it with flair.

And I wonder how many of you will recognize the Gathered Pullover from Interweave's Winter issue.  I loved the sweater, but hated the way they photographed it, which was on a model whose bust was WAY too big for the size of the sweater.  I wanted to knit it, but didn't get it done for winter.  So I was looking around for something to knit in Berroco's new yarn called Seduce and decided to try it.  It turned out so well and feels just right in this yarn.  Seduce has a lot of texture but feels smooth to the touch and against your skin.  It's cool and draping but not heavy at this gauge.  Very easy to knit, it just flows through your fingers and doesn't split or get caught.  We should have our supply next week.

Meanwhile, this picture makes me laugh because I just finished Nora Ephron's book called I Hate My Neck.  I know what she's talking about!

I've been knitting (and still am) with a lot of lightweight yarns, and you know that sometimes you just need to feel wool in your hands.  I used 4 colors of Lamb's Pride Worsted and a novelty yarn to do this fun tote, called the Kitchen Sink Bag.  It was a nice break from sweaters!

Okay, I think that's it's for this week.  Can't wait to get to the shop this morning and see what Jim the UPS guy will bring us today.  I do know that Claudia's handpainted silk & wool fingering is shipping today, so I hope that by Friday??  If so, you'll see the pictures next week!

See you soon...

Trish

March 4, 2008

Well, I have so much to tell you and show you that I know I won't remember it all.

First, we are starting a new sweater class.  Janet is teaching her top-down cable sweater, which she made in Plymouth Linen Isle (quite wonderful but you can use any of a number of yarns).  Classes begin on Sunday, March 16 at 12:30, the cost of the class is $50, the sweater is beautiful in a wide range of sizes, with very little finishing, and that's all I know because the details are at the shop and I'm not.  Please call for more information, and there will be an e-mail going out later this week with more specifics. Here, again, is my shamefully poor picture - you have to come in and see it!

Our Friday morning sock class got off to a rousing start last week, I'm happy to say.  Don't forget, it's from 11 am to noon, cost is $10 payable when you attend, no need to sign up first, but call to make sure Janet isn't away that week.  (She's here this week, no need to call.)  You just come as often as you want and as many times as you need.

Here's a cool link where you can download the Pantone color forecast for Fall 2008.  I know  - you're just starting to think about spring, for Pete's sake.  But what a great palette - I'm especially crazy about the green, which is more of an evergreen than the olives and limes which we've seen a lot in the past few years.  And, of course, I'm happy to see purple taking more of major role, because I love it.  Why is it that I love colors that are hard for me to wear?  And have I reached the age when I can just wear what I love and not worry that it makes me look sallow?  I think the answer to that is yes.   The colors in this forecast won't get to retail stores and yarns for probably another year, but check out designer lines and you'll start to see them. I'll be looking for them when I go to the June yarn show; the most fashion-forward companies will add them to their lines.

I spent a great morning buying more yarn today.  Oh, I was so good, saying no to almost everything.  I bought a little of Reynold's Soft Sea Wool, a nice washable wool for socks and other things, just to try.  They have a nice sock booklet, too, with interesting patterns.  I bought a smidge of K1C2's Babyboo (bamboo & nylon) - mostly because the name is so cute, and Andy showed me a charming baby sweater done in it.  I bought some K1C2 Ty-Dy just because it's a great cotton yarn with the craziest color repeat ever.  I was good, really I was, and then he pulled out the doggone Claudia Handpaint and I fell over the edge.  I bought her wool/silk fingering weight in a bunch of colorways and can't wait till it gets here - which will be April at the earliest and probably May or even June if she's busy.  It would make luscious socks, but we have an idea for a a great drapey sweater on big needles...we'll see!

And now to the fun part - I get to show you all kinds of faboo things that people have made:

First, here are 2 views of the Coriolis sock from Cat Bordhi's book New Pathways for Sock Knitters. Karen Walter knit these in, I think, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.

Yes, you see right, there's a fun little twisty thing that scrolls around the sock and takes the place of the gusset!

Crazy!   I have the book and think her designs are fascinating and want to try them, but as usual for Cat's books, it's full of information organized in her own unique way, so that it takes a lot of thinkin' to get to the knitting of the darn sock.  So Karen is going to do a class!  You'll still need the book but many of you have it and probably thought "How Cool!" and then put it aside for when you had a lot of time to figure it out.  This class will make the book much more understandable and usable, and Karen will have sets of the special markers available for purchase at the class.  When is this class, you ask?  We're working on the schedule, so stay tuned!

Barbara Haag was in for a class and brought several finished projects.  The solid red scarf is from Ocean Breezes, a book of scarves with water-y themes. The scarf in Manos multi red is a pattern she downloaded from the internet (sorry, I don't have the link) in herringbone stitch, which is a tribute to Barbara's perseverance because it takes a long, long time to work this stitch.  It's beautiful and unique and so soft, and I think it's worth the time.  And her felted bag from our My First Felted bag class, which turned out quite perfectly cute.

Next is Lori Landa, who is just taking up knitting again and made this pretty shrug from Plymouth's Baby Alpaca and Noro Blossom.  It was perfect, and look how she's smiling even though I ambushed her with the camera.  I am shameless and relentless in pursuit of good project pictures!

Deb Hawk did a fabulous job (as usual) on her Placed Cable pullover and (as usual) looks totally perfect.  I aspire to look this pulled-together just, perhaps, once a month - she pulls it off every time I see her.

MaryAnn Posey wore her latest creation, in hand-dyed Nancy from Schaefer Yarns.  As usual, my photography doesn't do justice to the colors in the hand-dye.  She designed her own neckline to accommodate her favorite cowl-necks.

Rochelle Mann designed this sweater for herself, in a pretty color of Rowan 4-Ply Cotton.   (We just received some new colors of this great mercerized cotton - fingering weight, great for summer, and built to last.)

Now, just look how completely adorable Mary Hofmann's granddaughter Sienna looks in the cropped hoodie Mary just finished, in Unikat, a soft wool in a great colorway.

Can you tell how tall and slender she is?  What a great model, and Mary deserves a round of applause. She devoted a lot of her time to making this in about two weeks, because Sienna was so anxious to have it.  Both are very happy with the results!

You guys absolutely wow me.  I'll see you soon..

Trish