Silky Wool has Arrived

Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool has arrived at the shop. This yarn was one of my first loves when I started knitting, and I am very pleased that we are carrying it again.
Silky Wool is a blend of silk and wool (obviously), with a little nylon for strength, but you'll never notice it. It has the slight crunch of silk, which is perfectly balanced with the all of the best qualities of the wool. It is a little bit tweedy, the colors are beautiful, and it knits up nicely in cables, lace, and anything in between.

Several years ago, I used Silky Wool to make Ene's Scarf from Scarf Style. This was actually my initial foray into lace, and it was nice to work with a DK yarn rather than jumping in with laceweight yarn on my first try. The stitch definition of the Silky Wool is very nice, and the lace blocked out perfectly. Plus, how can you not love that color?
This yarn is ideal for very wearable cardigans and pullovers, too. It would be perfect for almost any of the Pipibird designs that I wrote about in April. The very popular Goodale by Cecily Glowik MacDonald would be fabulous in this yarn, and most sizes would take only four skeins. If you are planning a sweater with Silky Wool, I do recommend blocking your swatch, as the silk content of this yarn will cause it to stretch and grow a bit.
If you haven't tried Silky Wool, stop by the shop to check out the samples. I think you'll fall in love, too.

Inspiring Patterns for Meaningful Yarns

Manos del Uruguay has been admitted to the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) for their work supporting farmers and artisans through individual cooperatives throughout Uruguay. The co-ops provide benefits for their members, including health insurance and pensions, and each tag is signed by an artisan who made the yarn. You can read more about their mission and history here and here.

Since we recently received a great big Manos shipment, I wanted to share a few new books to go along with all of that fabulous yarn.

Adirondack Accessories is full of projects from some very popular knitwear designers, including Laura Grutzeck and Melissa LaBarre. There are mittens, fingerless gloves, hats, cowls, and legwarmers to entice those of you looking for a little bit of (relatively) quick gratification. Even though the projects are on the smaller side, there is plenty going on to keep your attention.

There is colorwork, cabling, and some interesting details and construction techniques. The accessories are knit in Manos Silk Blend, Wool Clasica, and Rittenhouse. If you have been ogling any of these yarns, this little book gives you the perfect reason to welcome a few skeins into your fold. This book and few lovely skeins would also make a thoughtful gift for a fellow knitter.

We also have a book of sweater patterns, Rittenhouse Merino 5-Ply Collection 2: Just off the Square. (We still have a few copies of Collection 1: Community Garden, as well.) The designers have really played up the textured stitches in the book with pullovers, vests, and cardigans. To top it all off, Fairmount Fibers has a whole page of free patterns. I'm thinking about the Handful of Berries Mittens knit up in soft and vibrant Maxima or the Botany Kerchief knit with either Maxima or Rittenhouse.

Manos del Uruguay provides fiber artists with the opportunity to create handmade crafts from beautiful handmade yarn. If this connection to other artists appeals to you, stop by the shop and get inspired while we have a wonderful selection!

Holidays on Alberta

Our fiber-minded friends on Alberta are gearing up for the winter holidays. No matter which of the upcoming days are most special to you, odds are good that you have the itch to create beautiful things for the people you love. I have spoken with several Close Knitters who are already well on their way to completing several holiday gifts, and I am in awe of their foresight and project monogamy. If you are like me, you often need a little motivation to get those gifts done before the big deadline. Perhaps a class would help!

Join us at Modern Domestic on Friday, November 5 for a Handmade Holiday Open House. There will be treats to eat and drink, a drawing for some holiday crafting and decorating goodies, and special discounts on classes in the Handmade Holiday Series.

The Modern Domestic crew have chosen several classes to cater to the gift giver in you. Nothing beats a pair of handmade socks, a quick-knit cabled scarf, or some surprisingly warm fingerless gloves. Your loved ones will be warm and toasty...maybe even warm and toasty enough to give you a gift certificate to Modern Domestic or Close Knit if you drop enough hints.

Photos courtesy of Modern Domestic.

Brown Sheep Yarns and a Free Cowl Pattern

We are cramming yarn in every nook and cranny we can find. We have restocked the much-loved Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky and Worsted in a wide range of colors. These yarns are great for pretty much everything from hats and sweaters to felted slippers and bags. May the holiday stocking knitting commence.

New to Close Knit, Brown Sheep Burly Spun, a pure wool single ply in some fabulous colors. Looking for a quick knit? How about 2.5 stitches per inch on a US13 needle? It practically knits itself.
Sally created this beautiful seed stitch cowl using one skein of the Burly Spun. It is very warm and cozy. Tuck one of these into your rain coat, and you'll stay nice and warm when those bone-chilling winds pick up. Enjoy the pattern and stay warm!

Close Knit Seed Stitch Cowl
By Sally Palin

Yarn: 1 skein Brown Sheep Burly Spun or Cascade Magnum
Needles: US17 24" circular
Finished Size: 10" high by about 32" around
Gauge: about 8 stitches over 4" in seed stitch

Seed stitch in the round:
Round 1: *K1, P1* until 1 stitch remains. K1.
Round 2: *P1, K1* until 1 stitch remains. P1.
Basically, after round 1, you will simply knit your purls and purl your knits, so it's not crucial to know what row you are on.

Instructions:
Cast on 65 stitches.
Twist once, place marker, and join for knitting in the round. (This twist is what you usually try to avoid when joining to knit in the round. You could also join normally to create a non-twisted cowl if you prefer, but the drape is not as nice.)
Seed stitch your heart out for about 10".
Bind off and enjoy!

Snacks at Open Knit Night

Okay, so this is not yarn. It's a taco. Cruzroom, Alberta's newest eating and drinking establishment, will be providing a little sample plate at Open Knit Night on Wednesday, October 27. Open Knit Night is from 6-10 PM every Wednesday, so stop by and enjoy a little snack this week.

In other news, I've created a list of the knitting classes available at Modern Domestic. Check out the links at the top of the right sidebar here on the Close Knit blog. If there is anything in particular that you'd like to see offered, please leave us a comment or mention it to us at the shop, and we'll do our best.

I have added a few of our free patterns to Ravelry. If you're a member, check out our Close Knit design page. We will continue to add patterns as we release them here on the blog. We also have a Close Knit Flickr page, and we would love to see your work there as well. If you have knit one of our designs, please add your project so we can see all of your beautiful knitting!

Unpacking

We are happily welcoming more and more yarn into the shop. Here's what's rolling in.

We restocked our selection of yarns from Manos del Uruguay. One whole corner of the shop is now devoted to Manos yarns. We have much more Wool Clasica, a favorite for so many projects from blankets to hats to felted bags.

I used the Wool Clasica Naturals shown above to make this cool Destroyed Cowl, which I have donned every time the weather has warranted a scarf so far this fall.
We also have more of the Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply. This yarn keeps trying to come home with me, especially the red one. We have this in variegated and somewhat solid colorways. I told you about it back in March, and I still think it's a winner.

A nice new selection of the Silk Blend arrived, as well. It is ideal for sweaters, scarves, hats, and these welted fingerless gloves that Ann will teach you to make at Modern Domestic. The pattern was written for Silk Blend, and they turn out just right.
We just received Maxima, the newest yarn from Manos. It's softer than the Wool Clasica, and the colors are just as fabulous. With 218 yards per skein, it is great for all kinds of projects, including those satisfying one-skeiners.


Misti Alpaca also arrived this week. This yarn is soft and squishy and knits up so fast. We have the Misti Alpaca Chunky and Hand Paint Chunky, which a lot of knitters love for hats (one skein) and scarves (only two skeins).
Misti Super Chunky (the 3-ply shown above) is now only available in variegated colorways, which are new to the shop and quite pretty. If you love the solids, come on down while we have some left.


Last but not least, we have all of our Rowan. The fall big book, Rowan 48 is here.
We are stocked up on Kidsilk Haze, Kidsilk Aura, and Felted Tweed, as well as Amy Bulter's Belle Organic Aran and DK, which I wrote about last week.

We have a few pretty samples from Rowan: Lochalsh from Rowan 46, Lombard from Rowan 44, and Bourne from Rowan 46.

If you like to sew, too, you might be interested in the big sale happening next door at Bolt Neighborhood Fabrics. Come spend part of your rainy weekend on our corner.

A Waffle Hat for You

I took home a skein of Misti Tonos Chunky a few weeks ago to make a sample for the shop, but I wasn't exactly sure what it would become. I knew I wanted to make a hat, and I wanted to use just one skein of this chunky alpaca/merino yarn. Since we often have requests for a good men's hat pattern, I was hoping to come up with a pattern that would work for a man or a woman.

I trolled around Ravelry until I found something that seemed almost right. I started with Aaron's Hat by UptownPurl, and I was inspired by several Ravelers who had made a some modifications to the original design. After a few false starts, I ended up with what I wanted. UptownPurl kindly gave me permission to rework the pattern and make it available.

The waffle stitch has a great texture and it's even reversible. The hat would work in any of our bulky yarns at Close Knit, and I've included a list of suggestions at the end of the pattern.

This is a quick knit on big needles, so whip up a few and stash them away for holiday gifts. Enjoy!

Waffle Hat (an adaptation of Aaron's Hat by UptownPurl)
by Leah Bandstra

Yarn: 1 skein Misti Tonos Chunky, Avocado #TTC05
Needles: US10 16" and double-pointed needles
Finished Size: 18" with plenty of stretch for my 22" noggin, 8" high
Gauge: 3.5 stitches/inch in stockinette on US10 (standard bulky weight)

Waffle Pattern:
Round 1 and 2: *K2, P2* Repeat between *s around until the marker.
Round 3: Knit all stitches
Round 4: Purl all stitches

Instructions:
Cast on 64 stitches with your 16" circular needle.

Join in the round (don't twist), placing marker at the beginning of the round.

*K2, P2* Repeat between *s around until the marker. Do this until you have 6 rounds of ribbing.

Begin the waffle pattern. (Note that the first 2 rows of the waffle pattern look just like the K2, P2 ribbing you have been doing.) Complete the waffle pattern 6 times total. You should see 6 purl ridges on your hat. You should have enough yarn to add an extra repeat of the waffle pattern to add about 3/4" if you'd like.

Begin the decrease rounds, repeating between *s around each round, switching to DPNs when it gets too tight for the circular needle:
Round 1: *K2, P2tog, K2, P2*
Round 2: *K2, P1, K2, P2*
Round 3: *K5, K2tog*
Round 4: Purl all stitches
Round 5: *K2tog, P1, K2, P1*
Round 6: *K1, P1, K2, P1*
Round 7: *K2, K2tog, K1*
Round 8: Purl all stitches
Round 9: *K2tog, K1, P1*
Round 10: *K2, P1*
Round 11: *K1, K2tog*
Round 12: Purl all stitches
Round 13: *K2tog* (8 stitches left)
Break yarn and pull the tail through the 8 remaining stitches.
Weave in your ends and block if desired.

Alternative yarn suggestions:
Berroco Cuzco, Cascade 128 Superwash, Classic Elite Ariosa, Classic Elite Duchess, Debbie Bliss Glen, Karabella Margrite Bulky, Karabella Superyak, Malabrigo Chunky, Rowan Cocoon, Rowan Purelife Renew, Rowan Purelife Sheep Breeds Chunky