Tokyo Shawl Kits

We have samples and kits for the gorgeous Isager Tokyo Shawl, and oh my goodness are they fabulous. The graphic diagonal stripes of this design really show off the beautiful Isager yarns.

The samples and kits use Spinni Tweed and Alpaca 1. I love that our samples are different shades to really show off the cool options. That dark grey one is wowza. The kits are $150, which seems so reasonable for so much of this stunning yarn. The longer I look at these samples, the more I struggle to resist these!

Bétula

Sally finished up her gorgeous Bétula shawl, and now we all want to make one (or are already making one). I love how the knitted fabric looks like birch bark, especially in this colorway.

Three skeins of Retrosaria Beiroa makes an ample wrap, so Sally is all set for winter! She reported that the yarn blooms like none other, and softens up a great deal. Wool is so cool.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

Now, which color do I need? I'm wondering if a dirty pink is the right choice. This one is kind of blowing my mind.

Retrosaria Beiroa

 

The Retrosaria Yarn keeps arriving in huge, shrink-wrapped bundles from Portugal, and we are so excited every time! The latest batch brought us this gorgeous Beiroa.

This is a light worsted weight, single-ply wool in the most stunning subtle-grey rainbow. The dark grey streaks add so much depth to this yarn, and I LOVE what they do to the base colors, especially the neon green and the red.

This yarn reminds me a bit of a yarn we used to carry form Manos del Uruguay, and I love the Destroyed Cowl I made using that yarn. 

I poked around a bit and found the Bétula shawl, written for this yarn and absolutely perfect for showing off those dark grey streaks. Bétula means birch in Portuguese, and the finished knit really does look like birch bark.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

The pattern calls for four skeins which makes a very ample shawl, but I'm noticing that many Ravelers have used three and still made a perfect thing. There is some cool short-row shaping that adds a little length to make it stay put when you wear it.

Every package we receive from Portugal has been such an inspiring treat. I can't wait to see what's in the next one!

Earth and Sea

Holst Noble and Coast have been gaining a fair bit of attention in the shop, but we have been lacking a sample! Emily to the rescue. Using a mix of the two yarns in some very appropriate colors, she is creating the Terre et Mer shawl. The lovely triangular shawl design is the perfect use for these light and lofty yarns.

This is going to be an ideal piece to wrap up under a jacket in the spring when our weather goes from chilly to balmy in the course of just a few hours. She will add the navy blue as the final color, and I can't wait to see this all blocked out and draped over one of our shop ladies. Look at all that crunchy texture.

Many folks comment on our inspiring and unusual samples when they come through our space. I agree with them! We do a great job of choosing stylish, wearable items that you might not be seeing in every other shop. Thank you to our sample knitters for having such wonderful taste!

Knit With Us!

We are ready for our Meadow Knit-a-long! Are you?

So many knitters have trouble finding the perfect summer project. Never fear! We have found it for you. We will be knitting the Augustine Shawlette over the course of the summer. The project uses just one skein of the beautiful Fibre Company Meadow, a perfectly airy blend of merino, baby llama, silk, and linen.

Ann has been working away on a sample for us. The shawl is knit side to side with dropped stitches, creating an light and lofty finished product.The knitting is pretty simple, so it's a great project for beginners or for those of us looking for a nice mindless project. The piece seems like it will be small until you start dropping stitches...very satisfying. 

Adrienne is kicking things off on Wednesday night at Open Knit Night. The pattern is available on Ravelry, and you can purchase it on your own or through our shop. Come on in and choose your favorite shade of this beautiful yarn. If we all start now, we can have the perfect thing to wrap around our shoulders when this heat finally breaks!

Raspberry Ripple

Way back in March during the Rose City Yarn Crawl, we received these sweet little kits for the Raspberry Ripple Shawlette. The kit uses two skeins of Indochine, a pure silk yarn form Lantern Moon. We had a lovely sample in the shop during the crawl, but once it went back to Lantern Moon, it was hard to show off this yarn. So I made a sample!

The Indochine was really nice to work with...it almost felt cool in my hands, perfect for summer knitting. The pattern was pretty straight-forward, and I really like the textured stitch pattern in the middle. I had some yarn left over, and I might have kept going, but a few folks on Ravelry mentioned that they did not quite make it through a full additional repeat. Since it was a shop sample, I knit it to the pattern specifications. If I were making it for myself, I would have used up every last yard!

We had several folks trying to buy the super cool recycled paper bowls from the kits. Now that you can see what's the bowls, it's time to go grab yours!

Snowdrop Shawl

I know you are all loving the crochet samples we have in the shop.  The Snowdrop Shawl might be my favorite so far.

Lisa, who claims to be unable to follow a crochet pattern to save her life (I don't believe her), created this lovely shawl using one skein of Bumblebirch Heartwood sock yarn.  We have a few skeins of beautiful soft pink left, but many lovely sock yarns would work beautifully.  

I just saw that Noro Taiyo Sock has been replumped...that would be interesting for this.  It would really accentuate the scallops like in these pretties.  Come see what we have on the shelves and crochet a new shawl!

Little Things Completed. Repeated?

I finished a few little projects lately, and I would love to show them off.  My Groovy in Leinen Los is one of my favorite knitted items to date.  You can purchase and download the pattern through Ravelry, and it is worth every penny in my opinion.

It was fun to knit, with just enough counting and paying attention.  Otherwise, a lot of stockinette.  I know some knitters get a little bored with stockinette, but I love it.  It grows in sort of an unexpected way for a shawl, too.

I managed fourteen and a half repeats of the pattern with two balls of Leinen Los.  I decided to tempt fate and use white, but the other natural colors are really beautiful, too.  I was inspired by several versions on Ravelry to use a contrast color for the bind off.  I had some Euroflax Linen in orange that looked so great with the white.  My shawl is a really nice size, perfect for tucking into a jacket for a little extra warmth.

My next finished little thing is my Bristol Hat.  I love this hat.  

It's also available on Ravelry from Amy Christoffers, one of my favorite designers.  The stitch pattern is pretty simple, but I did have to pay attention.  I used stitch markers to mark each pattern repeat, and that certainly saved me some heartache.  I love the chevron pattern that emerges from the textured stitches.  I was concerned that it would be too small when I got started, but everything ended up just fine.

I used some discontinued Rowan yarn, but any fingering/sock weight in a nice solid color would be perfect.  Cascade Heritage or Heritage Silk would be amazing, and the stitch pattern would really pop.  My hat used just under 200 yards, so one skein of sock yarn would get you two Bristols.

I don't often repeat projects, but these two were so satisfying, I think there are several more of each in my future.  I'm thinking a tweedy Bristol in Rowan Fine Tweed, and maybe a tone-on-tone striped Groovy in some Silky Wool or Felted Tweed DK.  The possibilities are endless, but what am I going to do with all of these?

Fresh Ombre

We have a fresh batch of Freia Ombre Lace in the shop.  Adreinne used one ball to make the Bateaux Mouches Scarf we spoke about last month.  We also received a bag of the beautiful blue grey Isager Alpaca 2 that Jenni used for her sample, too.  I know quite a few of you have been waiting for this shade.

Come claim your favorite!

Current Obsession: Merlin

Photo from Kieran Foley of knit/lab

I am currently obsessed with this beautiful thing, Merlin by Kieran Foley.  It looks like feathers!  The pattern is designed as a laceweight shawl, but that's not really my cuppa' tea.  I'm going to use Tosh Merino Light, which is more like a fingering weight than lace.  I think the hand-dyed tones will really play up the naturally blended feathery look that I'm going for.  I've been trying different combinations of the amazing colorways we have in stock.

Mica and Betty Draper's Blues

Saffron and Tart

Glazed Pecan and Well Water

Tart and Charcoal

I like some of these more subtle and natural combinations, too.

Badlands and Antique Lace

Antique Lace and Charcoal

Mr. Foley has a number of really cool lace patterns, all available for sale on Ravelry.  I really like his marriage of colorwork and lace.  The lace charts are clear and easy to read.

Kerchief (photo from knit/lab)

Shetland Ruffles (photo from knit/lab)

Dappled Diamonds (photo from knit/lab)

The pure lace shawls are lovely, too.  Take a look at his shop if you are a lace lover.

I think I'm going to try Antique Lace and Graphite for my Merlin.  There will be a nice contrast, but I think the colors will play well together.  I can't wait to give it a try.  Mostly I can't wait to just have it, but do I need to knit it first.

Swirl Shawl

JoJoland's Swirl Shawl has a bit of a cult following. We often have trouble keeping the pattern in stock. Knit with JoJoland Melody Superwash, the design takes advantage of the yarn's gradual color changes. Although the final shawl looks as if it is comprised of dozens of medallions sewn together, the whole thing actually knits up in one piece. The shawl version uses five balls of Melody, and the scarf version included in the same pattern uses just three. The lace pattern is deceptively simple, and the final result is certainly eye-catching. We have a nice stock of Melody at the shop right now, including some really beautiful, rich colors. I like the red to dark brown the best (#18), but the deep purpley-blue (#12) is a close second for me.
In addition to the Swirl Shawl, we have several other patterns written for Melody, including Hidden Squares, which also plays up the color changes in the yarn.
Any of these would be a lovely gift, either as a finished knitted scarf or as a kit for a knitter you love. Stop by to check out the samples and admire the yarn and new patterns before they disappear again.