close knit: the neighborhood yarn shop


Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Holiday Hours

We have special holiday hours coming up.

Saturday, December 24: 10-3
Sunday, December 25: Closed
Saturday, December 31: 10-5
Sunday, January 1: Closed

All the rest of the hours stay the same as usual, and we will be having our Wednesday night Open Knit Night from 6-9 as usual. Happy holidays, friends!

Needles and Bags!

Send your people into the shop this week, and we would love to help them choose a gift for you! Let's talk about a few ideas.

We chatted a bit last week about the Della Q bags in the shop. They are fun and so useful and not terribly expensive. You need another project bag, I promise.
This cool zipper pouch has a pattern printed right on it. One side has a chart, and the other side has a suggested stitch count and the abbreviations. We can help you (or your people) select some yarn and needles to tuck in there for the perfect little present.
We also have so many lovely needles sets. These interchangables from Knitter's Pride are always popular. The Dreamz are color-coded wooden needles, some of my absolute favorites.
The crazy cool Marblz plastic ones are always extremely popular, too. The colors are really pretty, and they are very smooth for plastic needles.
There are so many great gifts we can suggest for your favorite fiber enthusiast, even if that is you. Send your people in, and we will make sure you get what you need! If all else fails, a gift certificate is always perfect, right?

Monday, December 19, 2016

Eye Candy

Gry's Jacket is one of my favorite little baby knits. One ample skein of sock yarn does the trick. This is Bumblebirch Heartwood in Dandelion, the most lovely grellow and the unofficial Close Knit color. This sweet thing is in the shop!

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Malabrigo Mecha

I bet you'd like a nice warm hat and mittens right about now! It is cold and snowy again here in Portland. We have a fresh batch of the silky soft and bulky Malabrigo Mecha in the shop.
The winter white and the coppery brown caught my eye this week, but there are so many gorgeous Malabrigo colors to choose from.

If I were you, I would cast on for a Cocoon hat immediately. And maybe some Pescovegetarian Mittens. You will only need one skein for each project. If you need a warm sweater, maybe an Agnes? I can promise you that Agnes is a fun, quick knit and a great sweater to own. Knit up in Mecha, it would be so cozy. If you can make it to the shop this week, we have lots of warm and wooly yarn for you!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Eye Candy

How about a free pattern in the ginormous Cascade Mondo? Happy Monday!

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

1966 Blanket

It's a frosty morning here in Portland! And it looks like we might see even more snow in the next ten days. Let's knit a giant, warm blanket, shall we?
The 1966 Blanket is about as easy as it gets. You need some super bulky yarn (think two stitches per inch), a US19 24" circular needle, and 66 stitches.
I used five complimentary shades of yarn for an ombre effect. I knit every row, spit splicing the ends together to avoid the bulky weaving bits. My blanket ended up being about 40" wide and 54" long using the Borgo de' Pazzi Naturalia. You could easily made it wider or longer. Or both.
This is the warmest and coziest blanket I've ever experienced. It has such a nice weight to it, perfect for wrapping up on the couch or throwing over the bed covers for an extra woolly weight on these chilly nights.
You could use almost any super bulky for this. Cascade Magnum would be amazing. A friend is using Berroco Macro, and it's turning out just right.
This is some quick gratification. You could easily have this done by the weekend if you cast on tonight. The best part is that it will even keep you warm while you're knitting. Pop in the shop today, and you will be so toasty warm when (if) the snows hit!

1966 Blanket

by Leah Bandstra
Yarn: 5 skeins Naturalia (colors 0, 2, 3, 4, and 8)
Needles: US19 24" circular

Instructions:

CO 66 stitches.  
Knit every row, spit splicing the ends together.
Cast off with about 3 yards of yarn left.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Eye Candy

Look at all the lovely bags we have in the shop. There's a Della Q bag for every project, large or small. Come find your favorite or send a loved one in for some knitter gift ideas.