Eye Candy

We hope you all enjoyed the 2018 Rose City Yarn Crawl! Thank you so much for joining us and making it a success. Now here is some nice calm Joseph Galler Peruvian Tweed to enjoy as you recover from the crazy weekend.

This is some lovely worsted weight alpaca tweed, with 600 yards per skein. A few of us around the shop lobbied for its return. We hope you love it as much as we do!

Embrace the Grey

The sun was shining out there yesterday, but those skies are cloudy this morning.  And that makes me want something cozy.  And grey, for some reason.

Good thing we have a shelf full of these plump lovelies.  The Galler Peruvian Tweed speaks to me every time we have it on the shelves.  The natural tweedy marl of this yarn is visually interesting and lusciously soft.  One of these big ol' skeins is 595 yards, too, so one is plenty for a nice big wrap.

Maybe something as easy as a Boneyard Shawl, or you could use the Textured Shawl Recipe. A nice long ribbed scarf would be so nice...something like the Churchmouse Pressed Rib Muffler.  No. 4 from Shibui would be amazing and gorgeous, but I would certainly commit to two skeins and make it huge.  Keep it simple on the texture, though.  The halo of the yarn will obscure anything too intricate, so ribbing or garter or stockinette for sure.

How about a Groovy?  I love my white linen/wool version.  I am constanly sizing up any new and tempting yarn to see if it might be suitable for my next Groovy, and a squishy grey Peruvian Tweed version seems just right. 

I just finished up a few projects...I might need to treat myself with some of this stuff.  The darkest charcoal grey is calling my name.  And I know I'll need something to match those grey skies that are looming.

Galler Alpaca

I love it when Joseph Galler sends us boxes of yarn.  The lovely alpaca inside tells me it's time to start thinking about fall knitting.

The Peruvian Tweed, in particular, makes me want to cast on for a big, snuggly wrap.  Maybe Mara (freebie from Madelinetosh), or the November Ruffle Wrap from Kate Jackson's Ravelry shop, or the well-loved A Little Ruffle from Jennifer Lang.

I would recommend a pretty simple stitch pattern for this yarn, as the halo from the alpaca will probably obscure any lace or cables.  The marled colorways will really look their best in a simple stitch pattern, too.  Each skein contains almost 600 yards of light worsted/DK weight buttery soft alpaca, so you get some serious bang for your buck.

If you like your alpaca a little more refined, the boxes from Galler contained something for you, too.

The rich colors of the Heather Prime Alpaca always take my breath away.  I see this as a sport weight alpaca, although the label, website, and Ravelry all seem to think different things.  Either way, you are getting 660 yards in each of these hefty skeins, enough to make a sizable scarf or shawl...how about a Groovy?  What a fabulous gift that would make...you know I love mine.

One skein should be plenty for a kid or baby sweater, and two will make a medium adult-sized sweater.  The colors are so rich and varied, it is difficult to do them justice with a photograph.

Come on by the shop to truly appreciate these beautiful yarns and get ready for some fall knitting!

Prime Stuff

The Heather Prime Alpaca from Joseph Galler Yarns is back in the shop, I think.  The yarn is clearly here, but I am so confused about the weight and yardage.  The Joseph Galler wesbsite calls this a worsted weight, but the yarn label provides much different information.

The label promises 6 stitches per inch on a US5, so I feel pretty strongly that this is a sport weight yarn.  Oddly enough, they suggest doubling it to get about 4.5 stitches per inch using a US8.  These beautiful skeins contain a generous 665 yards of pure sport weight alpaca yarn, not 600 yards of worsted weight as the website suggests.

Whatever the story is with this pretty stuff, I would suggest swatching to get a fabric that you like.  I also highly recommend washing and drying your swatch, as alpaca has a tendency to bloom and drape when it's washed.  I'm working on a little swatching tutorial for you guys, so I'll go into more detail on this soon.

Pure alpaca can get pretty loosey-goosey if it's knit up on larger needles.  This can be great for a shawl or scarf, but not so much for hats or gloves.  For sweaters, it really depends on the sweater style.  If you have a swingy, flowy design, you might be just fine with a looser gauge.  If you want something with a little more structure, you might try going down a needle size or two.

Rich heathery alpaca in gorgeous earth tones, pastels, and brights.  That's spring in a basket right there!

Also, make time to come up to our little corner on Alberta and 22nd this weekend.  Bolt Neighborhood Fabric is having a great big sale, and we are offering a little something to those of you with a love for both fabric and yarn.  If you spend $5 or more at the Bolt sale this weekend (Friday through Sunday), show us your receipt to get 10% off your Close Knit purchase.  This is only going on this weekend, so come on up and get your fiber fix!

Joseph Galler and Fresh Books

We received a whole box full of lovely from Joseph Galler.  We haven't carried many yarns from this company lately, but I'm glad these are back.  They don't seem to have a website, so I'll give you the details.

Young girl snuggling your Heather Prime Alpaca

These skeins of Heather Prime Alpaca are huge!  Seriously, 665 yards huge.  It knits up at 6 stitches per inch on a US5 (sport weight).  One skein would make a generous shawl, and two skeins are enough for an adult-sized sweater.  Imagine a simple, lightweight cardigan knit up with this pure alpaca...what a great layer for our unpredictable weather.  I'm thinking about one of the many options from Ravelry designer Heidi Kirrmaier (aka Pipibird), especially Vitamin D or Atelier.

And the Peruvian Tweed

Also on the table, we have Galler Peruvian Tweed (600 yards of marled alpaca, 5 to 5.5 stitches per inch on a US 7 or 8).  Generous yardage and a slightly larger gauge for those of you who prefer the bigger needles.  One skein would be the perfect thing for Stephen West's Boneyard Shawl, a free pattern just right for an adventurous beginning knitter.

The Peruvian Tweed is also a popular option for manly sweaters, scarves, and hats.  It's not too heavy, and the tweedy/marled look keeps it masculine.  Perhaps a little hat and scarf set for someone in your life?  Maybe this one from Churchmouse Classics?  It's a winner.

We also received a shipment of some of our favorite books, including some tried and true classics and a few new publications.  

Elizabeth Zimmermann's legacy continues with Knit One, Knit All.  I can't promise that there will be any copies left when you get to the shop, but I can promise there are more on the way.  Also new, My Grandmother's Knitting, full of classic designs inspired by some pretty amazing grandmothers.  You have likely heard of everyone who contributed to this book: Jared Flood, Cirilia Rose, Pam Allen, Leigh Radford, Ysolda Teauge, Larissa Brown, Chrissy Gardiner, Cookie A, Wendy Bernard...

And our return champions include: One Skein, Stitch n' Bitch, Happy Hooker, Last Minute Knitted Gifts, Vintage Baby Knits, Vintage Knits for Modern Babies, Boutique Knits, Simply Baby, How to Knit, How to Crochet, Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders, Knit & Purl, and Getting Started Knitting Socks.  Whew!

The chill in the air has me wishing that I'd invested a little more time knitting for myself over the last few months.  This gorgeous alpaca and these inspiring books are putting me in a selfish mood.  Time to get knitting!