Honey Badger

I don't knit many toys.  As soon as I get started I remember why...so many little bits and so much seaming.  Well, my friends, I think I have found the first knitted toy that I might actually make again.  Meet the Honey Badger.

Yup, it's a honey badger.  I love him.  I sent him off to live with a friend last week, and I had a difficult time parting with him.  Look at his stumpy little legs.

And his sweet little badgery face.  Oh man, I love him.

The clever pattern was designed by Miriam Felton, who generally designs very classy and respectable scarves, wraps, socks, and sweaters.  I'm not sure how the badger got into the mix, but she did not skimp on the thoughtful design with him.  The grey upper body is knit first and the lower body is knitted on, so the whole thing sort of comes together on your needles.  You even get to stuff as you go.

The only place I stalled out was with the legs.  I picked up and knit one, and then I had a little trouble convincing myself that he needed three more.  I persevered, though, and I'm glad I did.  Each leg only took me about 15 minutes, so I'm not sure why I put it off so long.

I used Cascade 220 Sport, which I highly recommend for badgers and other projects.  I think I have enough left over to make another one.

Spud & Chloe Sweater

The Spud & Chloe shelf is exploding with color!

We received a big box of Sweater, a nice plump worsted weight yarn in a rainbow of colors.  It's a wool/organic cotton blend, and it's machine washable.  One of our new knitters is using this for the Super Easy Baby Blanket from The Purl Bee...the perfect beginner blanket.  Miles of garter stitch in bright blocks of color, one at a time.  Couldn't be better.

Way back when, the shop had a nice trunk show of S&C designs.  One of my favorites was the Best Friend Sweater, a sweet little button-up for kids from age 1 through 12.  Look at the awesome pockets (any my goofy kid when she was still so small).

Photo borrowed from Spud & Chloe website

The BeTween Cardigan is pretty awesome, too.  We often get knitters looking for sweaters for their older kids...I must remember to show them these designs.  They are timeless and easy, and I think they look great on all ages.

Photo borrowed from Spud & Chloe website

I don't know if we have this one in the shop, but I love the uber-nerdy Charlie Sweater by Ann Weaver.  She is one of my favorite designers, and her nod to Charlie Brown here makes me happy.

Photo borrowed from Spud & Chloe blog

If you're looking for accessory patterns for Sweater, I love the lushly cabled Rambling Scarf (perfect for guys) and the super-simple Twister Cowl.

Photo borrowed from Spud & Chloe blog

How about one more shot of the pretty yarn rainbow?  Okay.

Come take a look at this great stuff while the color selection is at its best!

Regularly Scheduled Programming

Okay, now that we have all of the silly Portlandia eye-rubbing and doily-selling out of the way, let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming, shall we?

I wanted to share a few things that flew under the radar in the last month or so.

This is a really pretty and incredibly soft scarf that Sally has been cranking out using the new Debbie Bliss Riva.  There will be a free pattern eventually, and it's a super simple knit, I promise.  The yarn is another one of the slow-color-change beauties that have been getting so much attention lately.  The shades are subdued and flow nicely from one ball to the next.  The pattern book is cute...the little capelet piece on the cover is my favorite.

We received a fresh batch of Royal Alpaca from Aslan Trends as well as the new King Baby Lllama & Mulberry Silk (all one yarn).  You should really check out their explanation of the silk harvesting process...you will have a new appreciation for mulberry silk.  The yarn is so soft with a nice sheen and halo all at the same time.  Perfect for a luxurious scarf or shawl.

Finally, the beautiful Malabrigo Rastita, the little sister of the beloved Rasta.  This is a single ply DK (about 5.5 stitches/inch) with more than 300 yards per skein.  Rastitia is great for hats, scarves, mitts, and even sweaters.

I normally shy away from single ply yarn for sweaters because of the pilling, but this one is slightly felted, so pilling does not seem to be an issue.  The bright colors would be so nice for a kid or baby sweater, and the variegated colorways knit up so nicely without pooling or flashing.  The people at Malabrigo know what they're doing.

We return to our regular schedules this week, with Open Knit kicking back up on Wednesday night and Knitting and Cocktails at the Cruzroom on Monday night.  Shop hours are all back to normal now, too.  Have a great week, friends!

Psst...

Don't forget!  Tonight is the night to see our little shop on Portlandia on IFC at 7PM (and 10PM).  Mention the secret word DOILY to receive 10% off your purchase on Saturday and Sunday, January 5 and 6.  See you soon!

Portlandia

Remember August?  When it was hot and sunny and we were all wearing sandals and sundresses?  Me neither.  What I do recall is that Portlandia shot an episode in our little shop.

Well, the season premiere is on Friday, January 4, just two short days away.  We are told that our skit will be in the first episode, so go record it or set an alarm or something.  It airs at 10PM (eastern time, so really 7PM our time) on IFC.  Here's a little sneak peek blatantly lifted from the IFC/Portlandia website photo gallery.

Look!  It's our shelves, and our paper flowers, and our needle cabinets, and Jeff Goldblum in a pink shirt!  There appear to be a few doilies involved.  Hmm...I wonder what the skit will entail.  So cool!

Hello, Beautiful

Welcome back from the holidaze, friends!  We love the knitting season at the yarn shop, especially the last few weeks before Christmas.  There is so much excitement coming into the shop and so much big yarn leaving the shop as people rush to finish up the handmade gifts.  While those crazy weeks are high-energy fun, I love the return to normal that comes with the new year.  Also, I love getting back to projects knit on needles smaller than US17s.

On that note, we are thrilled to welcome Shibui Knits to the shop.  Shibui is a Portland yarn company, and they really know what they're doing.  The yarns are addictive, the pattern styling is amazing, and the colorways are irresistible. We are starting out with three yarns and a smattering of patterns.  Here's what's in the shop.

Silk Cloud is little bit like Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but with more silk and more yardage.  The colors that Sally has chosen are something else.  The purple is called UV, and the orange is Jumpsuit.  That bright green, Apple, is impossible to photograph to its fullest potential...you really just need to come see it.

The Merino Alpaca is ropy and thick and hefty.  It reminds us a bit of a slightly thinner version of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Merino.  On the day we opened the box, one lucky knitter snagged four skeins to make a simple and ample stockinette scarf.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Finally, the Staccato.  Gorgeous merino and silk in a fingering weight...I can see this working up beautifully.  You probably can't go wrong.

The designers at Shibui are really masters of mixing.  Many patterns use two yarns held together for some really cool effects.  Sally went with complimentary colors in all of these yarns so you (and we) can play around.  Let me show you the patterns we have right now using these pretty yarns.

From the Mix line, this is No. 9 , a sumptuous cowl made with Silk Cloud and Staccato, and No. 12 a crazy cool hood made with Silk Cloud and Merino Alpaca.

This is No. 4, No. 6, and No. 3, all knit with Silk Cloud paired with other lovely yarns.  All three are just perfect in their simplicity.

The Geometry Collection is pretty striking.  The styling and the photography really get me.  (Anyone recognize the local skate park?)  Right now we have Hypotenuse (cowl), Radii (cap and mitts), Segment (scarf), and Trapezoid (drapey cardigan).

We're pretty excited to try out these new yarns and patterns.  There are a few more colors on the way, so I'll let you know when they arrive.  Come by and let us know what you think!

Bags, Yarns, and Holiday Hours

More cute bags arrived on Friday from Dig This Chick.  The bags are really high-quality, and the little appliques are so sweet.  We have five different color combos.  These are handmade by a Montana artist, and she does great work!

We also welcomed a few yarns from Berroco this week.  (Ooo, take a look at their new site!)  This is Boboli Quick.  We have a nice little mitten pattern available at the shop for this yarn.

And this is Quasar.

Berroco has a really nice free cowl pattern using this yarn, Seyfert.  Just one ball makes a really generous cowl.  Perfect mindless holiday knitting.

Photo from Berroco.com

We have lots of new stuff, too, including fresh batches of Magnum, Gradient, Spud & Chloe, Blue Sky Alpacas, and a brand new yarn from Malabrigo called Rastita.  I'll have more ideas and inspiration for you all later this week.

As for the next week, we will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.  We will close up at 3PM on Christmas Eve and at 5PM on New Year's Eve.  Open Knit Nights on Wednesday night are on hold until January 9.  Otherwise, we'll be open regular hours.  Maybe you need to send someone in for a last minute gift?  Maybe you'll have a gift certificate to redeem this week?  Come and see us!