Tails to Hat

We have these bowls of Madeline Tosh Unicorn Tails on the table...but what to do with them?  

Ann used these tiny skeins of Tosh Merino Light to make a One Bad Ombre hat!

What a fun way to use these little pops of color.  The pattern is available as a Ravelry download.  The designer makes lots of notes and comments about her gauge, but Ann suggests using the US3 recommended in the pattern.  The nice little turned hem adds a clean finish to the brim of the hat, and the length is perfectly slouchy without being sloppy.  Seems like a great project to add to the gift knitting list, doesn't it?

Ch-Ch-Changes

This has been a month of adjusting for me.  How about you?  School starting, the early (and spectacular) sunsets, and the sloooooly changing weather.  I can see the leaves turning and I can feel the chill in the air, but then it often seems so warm and muggy by the afternoon.  I do know that I have been enjoying my knitting in the evenings again.  I have several projects on the needles that I look forward to showing you soon, but first, a few new things in the shop.

I don't think we have carried Noro Silk Garden Solo before.  It has all the sheen and silkiness of Silk Garden, but in some gorgeous pearly solids.  We only have the light grey and oak brown right now, but what else would you want?

I am happy to see the Silk Garden Sock in this amazing colorway.  It doesn't look like much on the outside of the ball, but the inside looks like fall exploded all over the place.

This lovely yarn would be perfect for a triangular shawl, a long ribbed scarf, or maybe my Bias Scarf?  I would suggest using a US4 or 5 and adding some increases to get the right width, maybe up to 85 stitches...whatever seems right to you as you go.  The striping would be diagonal, adding some cool effortless patterning.  Maybe the smooth Noro color transitions will help get me through this crazy month of changes!

Plymouth, Part Deux

Most of those boxes from Plymouth were full of big yarn, a few of which we have not seen before.  Say hello to Baby Alpaca Magna, the biggest of the bunch.

This is another pure alpaca yarn with a chained construction, similar to the Baby Alpaca Aire that came in.  But the Magna is much thicker and sleeker.  It does not have the halo of the Aire, and it knits up at two stitches per inch on a US17.  It's similar in thickness to Cascade Mangum, but with the light and airy texture of Debbie Bliss Paloma.  I have never seen anything quite like it in our shop.  We are currently only carrying the natural shades (quartz, black, natural, and yak), because that's what you all seem to like best.

A little thinner and much more colorful, this is Gina Chunky.  Gina is a fun, self-striping yarn with 131 yards in each ball.  The colors combinations in each colorway are really lovely.  I am looking forward to seeing this knit up.

We also replenished our stock of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Worsted.  This is such a great yarn at a great price.  Just $7.75 for 102 yards of pure alpaca in some lovely, rich colors.  Always a winner.

I think that's everything that came in last week.  Can't wait for the next big shipment!  I'll let you know as soon as it's here.

So Much Plymouth Yarn!

On Monday, our diligent UPS driver dropped off four huge boxes from Plymouth, each one the size of a coffee table.  Poor guy.  But lucky us!  There is so much good stuff.

First up, the Baby Alpaca Grande shelf is chock full.  I unpacked 23 colors on Monday, and I can't believe Ann managed to get all of these in there.  We have tweeds, hues, hand-dyes, sparkles, and solids.  We have all the goods to make this popular cowl from Loop, too.  I know so many of you have loved this one.

We carried Coffee Beanz a few years back, and we have it in stock again now.  It's bright counterpart, Jelli Beanz, has joined the party, too.  These are great yarns for kid sweaters, hats, and scarves.  I think they would make really nice blankets, too.  The colors are fun, it's machine washable, and the yardage is ample.

Baby Alpaca Aire is new to the shop, and this is going to be popular.  It's a heavy worsted or aran weight, knitting up at 4 stitches per inch on a US9, and each ball contains almost 220 yards of chained alpaca fluffiness, and it is softsoftsoft.

It is really lovely, and the color range is sophisticated and beautiful.  The denimy blue (second from the left) and the reddish orange on the far right are competing to be my favorites.

Stay tuned for more updates from The Shipment that Broke the UPS Man's Back!

Return to Regular Hours

Close Knit returns to regular hours beginning September 8!  We will be open 10-6 Monday through Friday, 10-5 on Saturday, and 11-4 on Sunday.  Open Knit Night continues to meet from 6 to 9PM on Wednesday evenings, and we are open for retail then as well.  See you all soon for more knitting!

Fall Vogue Knitting

I was pleasantly surprised at the Fall Vogue.  Let me show you a few nice things.  The Bateau-Neck Pullover is lovely, don't you think?  The cropped style, the tidy neckline, the classic cables...very nice.

The Eileen Fisher Dolman is so classy.  I love that they show it in two different shades of Classic Elite Sprout.

 

I really like the Slouchy Beanie, knit up in good ol' worsted weight.  I would try Flicker or Lima for that nice soft halo.

 How about the V-Neck Cardigan in Rowan Tumble?  That looks cozy.

There are also a few strange spreads with birds-matched-to-sweaters, but I was pleased to find these gems nestled among the distracting styling.