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close knit: the neighborhood yarn shop
Three and a half years since we first talked about it on the blog, the Noromania Blanket is still a hot topic at Close Knit. This pattern is so easy and fun to knit. It's all garter stitch, two rows of one color and then two rows of another. It's also very adaptable to your personal taste. Some folks have made theirs with all neutral Kureyon, some use one unifying color and add in splashes of other shades, some use just two colorways throughout, and some crazy people just knit whatever pops out of the knitting basket next!
It seems like we talk with knitters daily who are anxiously awaiting our next shipment of Noro Kureyon. It's your lucky day! Our shelves are full of a lovely range of colors.
Come on in and get it while the selection is good. And if you're working on a blanket, consider adding some photos to the Ravelry pattern page to inspire other knitters!
Our May sock class is all about two-at-a-time! If you've ever wanted to learn this fun technique, now is the time. You'll impress everyone around you with your knitting skills, and you will avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, which invariable leaves you with one cold foot. It always seems like the socks go faster with this technique, too, but maybe my knitting is playing tricks on me.
It's preferred that you have some experience with sock knitting before you learn two-at-once, but if you simply must learn about socks in May, Emily will teach you one-at-a-time. As usual, all sock knitting styles and patterns are welcome. You can use Emily's pattern or bring your own, as most patterns are easily adapted to this method.
Give us a call or pop in the shop to sign up!
Classic Elite Firefly has been a favorite of mine since we first started to carry it years ago. It's such a lovely, rustic linen yarn, and it's really a joy to knit with. Linen can be a little hard on the hands, but Firefly is definitely not. In fact, Emily solved the only unpleasant aspect of this yarn by winding it into these little skeins! The yarn arrives in balls which fall apart and get all tangled. These are so much better!
The subtle sheen of this yarn is really something to behold, and the little bits of coarse linen add character to the finished knitted fabric. I used three balls for my Firefly Bias Scarf years ago, and now we have the beautiful Lampyridae Scarf, a freebie in the shop with the purchase of the yarn.
Here's a little special throwback to two of my favorite Firefly projects: Laura's Axil and Sienna's Smilla's Dress.
Pop in and have a look at our sweet skeins of Firefly. I hope you love this yarn as much as we do!
We don't do a lot of kits in the shop, but this one was too lovely to pass up. This is the Simply Stripes Cowl using a cool yarn called SimpliCria from Skacel. This yarn is a gorgeous and soft chained alpaca. It is really luxurious and has such a nice halo.
The kit contains six balls of yarn and the pattern for the multi-colored striped cowl. We only have a few kits in the shop, so pop in soon and take a look!
We have a brand new cotton yarn in the shop. This is Pendenza, a lovely mercerized cotton from Plymouth Yarn. This pretty stuff knits up into such a soft and silky fabric.
There are subtle, earthy shades and bright, tropical shades.
The colors are really rich, with a watercolor sort of look when they are all knit up. Adrienne used our Bias Scarf pattern to create this beautiful sample. The bias-knit scarf is just the perfect way to show off the cool color changes of Pendenza.
This pattern has been around since the earliest days of the blog, and it's still a great design! If you're looking for a fun little project for a quick summer scarf, pop in and check out the Pendenza!
This hat is made from Unicorn Farts. Knitted Wit Victory Sock Unicorn Farts, to be exact. I'm using a cool pattern from a past issue of Knitting Traditions. The hat is basically a tube with closed up ends. I'll fold the hat in on itself to create a cozy double-layered cap. Pretty cool. And it's a nice way to use up a whole skein of cool sock yarn without knitting actual socks.
The Soft Donegal is back! I know it looks like it's going to be rustic and scratchy (which apparently not everyone loves), but it is so buttery. The colors are rich and each of these lovely skeins is over 200 yards of Aran weight yarn. This yarn is ideal for cables and color work, but it's also perfect in plain and simple stockinette.
We used it to knit up our Heathcliff Hat. I love the ribbing and the structure of this hat. The brim can be folded over for more of a skullcap look, too. This pattern is available for sale on Ravelry as part of our first Close Knit Collection from the fall, A Warm Welcome. More on these collections soon!
Shibui Knits Twig is ready for spring! This beautiful sport weigh is made with linen, recycled silk, and a touch of wool. If you caught the Shibui trunk show at the yarn crawl, you saw and felt how beautifully this yarn knits up. Perfect for spring and summer.
You can scroll down on the link above to see the Shibui patterns that use Twig, including the lovely Aalto and Slope, two of my favorites.
