Knits About Winter

Well, we are certainly not getting a polar vortex here, but we can still make cozy warm things for ourselves. My kids have been trying to summon a snow day, so it's probably best to be prepared.

All of the designs in Knits About Winter look so sweet and snow-day appropriate. From socks to sweaters to double-layer mittens, this beautiful book will have you covered.

This striped shawl took my breath away! It's worked with lace and mohair yarns held together for a soft fabric with a beautiful halo. That hefty garter stitch border looks so nice and satisfying, too.

And the marled hat knit with two strands of DK? Yes, please.

 

I am sort of hoping for a snow day now, too!

Eye Candy

This yarn is cool, but so hard to photograph. I think I finally captured all of the shades so you can see how fabulous it really is! Hello, beautiful Nightshades.

I am thinking I'll cast on for Julie Hoover's Cline sweater with mine, and Amanda is almost done with her Doocot by Kate Davies. One of the gals in the shop was thinking about the highly-cabled Emily (was it Emily?). These designs are written at different gauges, worsted and DK, but this yarn works up beautifully at both. It's so soft and squishy, it makes great hats and scarves, too.

Have any of you had great success with this yarn yet? What are you making?

Side Hustle Sock Party!

We are, once again, happy to have the Side Hustle Socksters in the shop for a sock cranking party! Please join us Friday, February 8 from 5-8PM.

Pic borrowed from SHS Instagram.

You can purchase a fabulous skein of sock yarn for 10% off and have it wound into a sock tube during the party for only $20. The Socksters will provide you with a pattern to add afterthought toes and heels to your tube, turning it from a long yarn snake into fabulous socks.

Priority will be given to yarn purchased during the party, but feel free to bring sock yarns from home to add to the queue. We will be hosting another party on March 15, but I will remind you of that when we get closer. See you February 8!

Palate Cleanser

I'm sure I've talked about these before, but they are just so pretty!

When I've just finished a big project or when life is just too crazy busy to pay attention to something complicated, I find myself drawn to a palate cleanser with some fabulous yarn. This Mini Fade shawl by Emily uses six shades of Jilly and would definitely fit the bill.

As I stare at the photo of the yarn, I'm putting together a color gradient in my head right now. Life is certainly busy, so why not! It will be such a special treat to choose some favorite colors and cast on.

Eye Candy

How about a little Retrosaria eye candy this morning? More to come on this yarn soon!

Plump DK

We have a sweet fresh batch of Plump DK from Mrs. Moon on the shelves. The colors are so calm and soothing, and the single-ply texture is soft as can be. This pretty yarn is 20% baby alpaca and 80% superfine sustainable merino wool.

Look at the plumpness of that deep purpley-red.

We are using this lovely yarn for some of our crochet class samples, including this perfect Granny Shawl.

If this looks like your jam, stay tuned for the new crochet class schedule and sign up for class. I'll let you know when the next round is open. You too could be enjoying a Plump Granny Shawl in no time!

Artifact Totes and Bags

Wowza! These totes from Artifact are so sturdy and well-made. They are the perfect size for a day bag with room for books, water bottle, lunch, tablet or computer, and of course knitting...all the things you might need for a day of getting stuff done. The insides are so well finished, too. Not a raw seam in sight.

Artifact is based in Omaha, Nebraska, and all of their products are made in the USA from domestically-sourced materials whenever possible, and they even use some vintage hardware. They offer a lifetime guarantee against defects in workmanship and materials. We have the totes in several colors and these cool pouches made from painted awning cloth. They are super sturdy and water resistant.

This company is doing so really cool stuff and all of their products look well-made with classic design and timeless style. We are so happy to have their products in our shop!

Eye Candy

We have a fresh and fabulous batch of Wool Wash from Farmer's Daughter Fibers. This stuff gets your woolies clean without having to rinse and wring them out, avoiding the fear of ruining your precious handmades. And the scents are heavenly.

At last check we had them all in stock, but they go fast. Bergamont Chamomile is my favorite, but the Pepper Pine is pretty tempting, too.

Go Sports!

Some of us are sports people, and some of us are not. But if you have sports people with cold heads in your life, we have these cute kits for you!

We've packaged them up in a variety of color combinations of Cascade 220 Superwash, so they will be just the thing for pretty much anyone who might like a cozy hat. The design is fun and not-too-flashy for folks who might want a good basic, but still interesting to knit with the textured stitches and stripes. Stop in and see if we have your team kit ready to go!

FelxiFlips

Every time I see these little buckets of FlexiFlips out of the corner of my eye, I think they are plants. But they are cool needles from Addi! 

These cool tools allow you to knit in the round without having to muss around with double-pointed needles. Instead of using four or five DPNs to knit a small circumference, you can use just three of the FlexiFlips. 

Check out tutorials and videos on the website if you don't believe me. It's a lot like knitting on DPNs but with only two needle changes. And you don't have all the extra needle cable hanging out like you do with two circulars or magic loop. 

It's a great way to try socks if you've been resisting because of the DPNs. We have them in metal and bamboo, so you can choose your favorite and get knitting!

Eye Candy

I just wanted you to all see this gorgeous colorway of The Fibre Co Arranmore Light. I feel like I never knit with black yarn, but I love wearing black sweaters. Hmmmm.

Arvingen

Look at this super cool cowl from Portland designer Renate Yerkes!

She uses a double-knitting technique to create a fabric with two sides for her Arvingen cowl. So on this side, the background is blue and the deer is mottled, but the colors are reversed on the inside. Double-knitting is a fun technique and it works really well for fun colorwork designs like this one.

Renate used the Plymouth Yarns Worsted Superwash Merino in solids and hand-dyes to create this look. Can you see how the speckled hand-dyed yarn works with the colorwork? I never would have thought to try that, but I love how it turned out. This pattern is available through Ravelry and we have the yarns in stock!