kyarns

When One Pattern is Really 2... or 20!

2012-02-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite patterns are those that offer directions for making the same garment in any number of yarn weights. This means that you purchase just one pattern, and you can make it over and over again in different yarns for different sized people. Heck, you can even add stitch patterning to make each one look different!

Over the years I've used a number of patterns that fall into this category. Some of my favorites are:

Yankee Knitter Classic Socks for the Family #29 is sized for Babies, Small Children, Large Children, Women and Men, and has directions for Fingering Weight, Sport Weight and Worsted Weight Yarns. That's 18 different patterns right there. Then you can customize these by adding texture stitches, ribs, etc. It's the number one sock pattern we sell, and we think one of the only ones you'll ever need to purchase.

Ann Norling's Kid's Top Down Raglan or Bottom Up Raglan: Both of these versatile sweater patterns encourage you to experiment with different colors, textures, yarn weights and stitches. Each pattern has instructions for 7 sizes in 4 different weights (that's 28 patterns!) And then add the choices of cardigan or pullover... and v-neck or crew neck. You do the math!

Yankee Knitter Hats & Mittens Pattern #26 is a great basic pattern for anyone wanting to knit mittens for the first time. These mittens are worked flat, so the pattern won't give you practice working in the round, but the mittens fit great and the seam is barely noticeable. Both the hat pattern and the mitten pattern are written for 6 sizes in 2 gauges, and the hat includes 2 style options.

Over the past couple of years, I've been adding some of the Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamentals patterns to this staple collection. From socks to sweaters and hats to vests, Figheadh has some excellent patterns.

This fall I made the Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamental Top-Down Baby Cardigan this fall out of Classic Elite Liberty Wool Print. What a great pattern! The self striping yarn did all the work, but next time it would be fun to use a solid yarn and add a cable pattern.

And I just completed a Figheadh Yarnworks Fundamental Junior Vest the other day. I used the SMC Bravo Rainbow Color yarn, which is a fun washable acrylic that's a tweedy striping yarn. There is enough yardage in one ball to make up to a child's size 12 or 14. And this pattern makes 12 different sizes in 4 different gauges, so it's a definite keeper.

Thanks Stinky!

2012-02-14T07:56:00.000-05:00

Last night I finished a project (more on that one later) and so this morning, I sat down and tried to get some inspiration for the next one. Recently I've been a little uninspired. And so first thing in the morning, before my coffee, may not have been the best time to attempt this.

While my coffee brewed I assessed my mood for the morning and chose my coffee mug. This "choosing of the mug" has become a daily ritual for me. My collection of Moomin mugs has started to grow (more on Moomins and Arabia here if you are interested) and each morning it's fun to figure out which Moomin character I relate to the most.

Top left to right bottom: Mymble, Snufkin, Thingumy & Bob, Moomintroll, Moominmamma, Stinky, Little My & Soapbubles, and Moomin Winter Games 2011

Last night I didn't sleep well, and I awoke several times to a persistent "meowing" coming from the living room. I'm not sure what it was all about, but the headache this morning was the main reason I chose to use the Stinky Mug today.

As the girls ate breakfast, I grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil, and my 5 skeins of Tilli Tomas Artisan yarn. (Do you know that about 90% of the paper here - other than white copy paper - is graph paper? This was frustrating when I was looking for lined paper for the girls, but what a bonus for me when I am trying to design a modular blanket!)

Nothing like yummy yarn cakes and coffee for breakfast!

I asked Helen to borrow her colored pencils and got to work. I'll admit, at first it was kind of like a kindergarten art class and it didn't look too promising. But by the second cup things started looking up. This baby blanket is going to be sweet.

I can't wait to take the girls to their tennis lesson today. Because I can cast on and start testing out this design. Thanks Stinky!

What to make next?

2012-02-10T08:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was talking with Barb and Shawn on Skype and I told them how I'd just finished my Dickens Vest out of Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky. It was such an easy knit and I really like the way it turned out. I can't remember the last time I knit something for myself that I actually love as much as this!

This vest is warm and flattering with a little bit of shaping in the body. The collar is nice and cozy. It's been downright frigid here in Europe, so it's the perfect addition to my wardrobe.

The only thing I'd change is the armholes. They are pretty much unfinished and roll inward, and I'm not loving that. I haven't blocked the whole vest yet, just the armholes, and it didn't really do much to help. I may try it again this weekend, and who knows, I may work a couple rounds of single crochet around each armhole to see if I can make it more to my liking.

I was telling Barb and Shawn how even though I have a bunch of yarn here and patterns all ready to knit up (and some to finish) I was having a hard time finding motivation to jump into any ONE of them. What to make next...

Then they told me that a number of customers in the shop keep asking how my Pagewood Farm Plumes scarf was going... I ordered this yarn for the shop when I was in Vermont after Christmas, and it was shipped so quickly that I was able to bring a skein back to Finland with me.

It's SO different than anything we've ever carried. Plumes is a thick and thin wool that has gorgeous feathers hand felted onto it. Obviously this yarn screamed "feather boa" to me, and so last night I balled it up and got knitting.

From a distance, it looked like a gigantic tarantula. And my cats were MORE than a little interested - just one glance at any feather starts them hyperventilating.

I had planned to grab some HUGE double pointed needles and work some sort of an I-cord but in this tiny 1000 sq foot apartment, my dpns are MIA. So I pulled out the Denise size 15's, cast on 7 stitches, and started knitting.

I know... SUPER HARD pattern, right? Well, with this kind of yarn, you don't need anything difficult. I worked on it for about an hour last night and then finished it up with my coffee this morning.

It's perfect! It measures 2.5" wide by 60" long. And because it's loosely knit and garter stitch, it will stretch lengthwise which is good. I like to to fold it in half and then wrap the ends through the fold.

Helen modeling the boa

So for all of you who were waiting to see what magic I worked on the Plumes yarn, I hope you're not disappointed!

Now...what to make next?

Going, Going, Gone!

2012-02-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

contributed by Shawn

Last Saturday we introduced several new students to theart and joy of knitting in our Learn to Knit Class. It filled up quickly and in the days leading up to it we still had folks calling to seeif they could sign up for the class. I wish we could have accommodated everyone -it would have been a hoot!

So this is your reminder that if you want tojoin us for any of the upcoming exciting new classes we are offering, don't wait! Do it today.

There are just a few spots left in our First Time Sweater class that starts on Monday, February 13th. Jilljust sent us a really fun striped version of the Roll Raglan Sweater Pattern that we will beusing in class.

Don't worry, you don't have toknit stripes unless you would like to. This sweater is a fun project and you will learn a lot in the class: increases, decreases, working two sides of the neck at the same time, picking up stitches and proper finishing techniques!

In our upcoming Understanding Gauge class on Thursday, February 16th, Barb will be sharing a huge wealth of information - don't miss this class! Gauge is often considered a dirty word in knitting, because people just don't seem to want to talk about it. But it's the most important aspect of knitting. Come and join us so you can understand what gauge is, how you can change it and what effects this will have on your yarn and knitting.

For those of you scarf knitters, it's time to learn a new technique! In our Knitting Basic Mittens class we will show you how to make a pair of simple mittens.

Mitten we will be making in class

After the class, you'll be feeling so confident that you can make yourself a pair of our Warmest Mittens. These are lined with the coziest, furriest yarn... not visible in this picture.

Our Warmest Mitten sample - come try it on!

If you haven't tried our sample on, please do. We find that most people don't want to take it off, and end up making themselves a pair!

OurRectangly Hat has been one of the most popular winter projects in the shop.

It's not that difficult (it only looks it!) but people requested that we turn this into a class, so we did. Sometimes it's more fun to knit a project like with a group, and we know you will love learning this double knitting technique!

If you want to join in on any of these classes, give us a call at the shop.

Not Just For Socks!

2012-02-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

Knit One Crochet Too Crock-O-Dye Yarn is a blend of super-wash wool, nylon and silk. It is amazingly soft and has the most beautiful sheen. Our customers have been loving this silky sock yarn since we brought it in this fall.

But just because a yarn is a "sock" yarn, and is perhaps hanging with other "sock" yarns, doesn't mean you have to use it for socks! Remember that these yarns are perfect for lightweight adult sweaters, shawls, scarves, baby sweaters, baby blankets, and more.

We've got two great patterns in the shop for the Crock-O-Dye that have been tempting our customers to use it for more than just socks. The Diagonal Lace Scarf pattern is really pretty. We have this knit up as a shop sample and it takes just one skein.

The Blue Wings Shawlette is for intermediate knitters with a charted design. It also takes just one skein of the Crock-O-Dye and is something you can wear around your neck for warmth in the winter, or over your shoulders on a cool summer night.

Today I was on the Knit One Crochet Too website and found another great scarf pattern - and this one is free! Designed by Hélène Rush for Knit One Crochet Too, the Picot Tricot Scarf uses just one skein of K1C2 Crock-O-Dye.

Knit Noro Accessories

2012-02-06T05:40:00.001-05:00

contributed by Shawn

Noro has done it again. The new Knit Noro Accessories bookis another great hit! This time thereare another 30 must-knit patterns packed into the gorgeous pages. Some of these are so irresistible we'vealready been working to get some of them knit into samples for the shop.

Check out the Entrelac iPad Cover that Jill worked up ina flash. This fun knitting techniqueisn't too difficult once you have the hang of it and just 1 skein of Noro Taiyo Yarnbecomes a striking knit cover for the latest technology.

One of our sample knitters just brought in a finishedSlip-Stitch Cowl last week. This pattern called for Noro Kureyon but we chose Taiyo so people who aren't able to wear wool. Can you tell we love Taiyo? The knittedfabric created by the Taiyo yarn is amazingly warm and soft, and it slides smoothly onto your shoulders just likea giant hug. I love how the slip stitchpattern shows off the wonderful Noro colors.

Cowl pictured in book in Kureyon

Our sample, knit with Noro Taiyo. We show more ways to wear it!

I myself definitely have to decide on a colorway of theNoro Kureyon yarnto combine with the delicious textures used in the Tea Cozy. I know of a friend's little teapot that willlook so cool dressed up in this!

Of course I'm also going to use the excuse that my oldSilk Gardenfingerless mitts are wearing out to knit a new pair of the nifty Scale-PatternMitts.

They will look great in my favorite Silk Garden colorway: Plum MustardTomato Tan.

Michele has been talking about trying to get her cat towear a sweater this winter. (I think she's trying to avoid working on the never-ending sweater vest she has going.) I'mgoing to challenge her to knit this Dog Sweater just a wee bit smaller to fitthe cat and try and get us a photo.

So many techniques: felting, cables, lace, intarsia,brioche, modular knitting, and more! Somany different types of projects: scarves, hats, pillows, bags, wraps, mittens,and more! The combinations of colors andpossibilities are endless! I see myselfadding the Welted Hat:

the Earflap Hat:

and the Riverbed Rib Hat:

to my knittingqueue. The difficulty will be making a decision about which colors of NoroNadeshikoand Taiyo Sockwill suit my friends. I know they'll make great additions to their hat collections.

These pillows:

this short capelet:

and this felted bag are also great projects.

This Change is Good

2012-02-03T06:38:00.001-05:00

Some people have been asking for an update on things over here in Finland, so here goes! (Knitting content to return tomorrow.)

A year ago, I was putting my house on the market and packing things. Packing things for storage, packing things for Finland and packing things for Goodwill and the Salvation Army. After living in my house for 17 years, we'd accumulated things. I'm not even close to being a "pack-rat" but we had stuff.

Going through it all was my first lesson in learning to live "small". When packing my winter clothes to send to Finland I realized I had 4 sets of flannel pajamas. We were moving into an apartment that was less than half the size of our house, so obviously I had to consider carefully everything I sent across the pond. I packed 2 sets and donated the others. Same thing with sheets and towels and jeans. (And knitting needles!) The process of going through each and every one of my things - from articles of clothing down to cookbooks and spatulas - was time consuming but freeing. I started out with a lot. I ended up with a lot less. A weight lifted from my shoulders and hasn't returned. This change is good.

We arrived in Finland on the longest day of the year. The sun rose at 3:42 am and set at 23:12 pm (11:12pm). That's a total of 19 hours, 30 minutes, and 10 seconds of daylight. Even though the sun technically "set", it was never dark. I'd wake up at 1 am and look outside to see people fishing, walking, boating and running. Why not take advantage of the light and the beautiful weather at every opportunity?

Stop, relax, breath

We learned quickly that Finns are rule-followers. Have you ever crossed a street when the sign said "Don't Walk"? I have. That sense of stress and rush-rush-rush is not really seen or felt here. You can stand at a corner with NO cars visible for miles. If the light shows a red man, you can bet that every Finn next to you will be standing, and waiting patiently.

Proceed

The first few times I thought, "These people are crazy! Don't they have places to be? Things to do?" But then I, too, started waiting for the little green man. And guess what? It gave me time to think. Time to relax. Time to realize that it's much better to be LESS stressed about things. Isn't it better to stop and smell the roses in life? This change is good.

My kids are 12. They were scared to death to walk through a city of 300,000 people by themselves. They were panicked to have to navigate city streets and find their way on their own. They were terrified of having to take a city bus a few kilometers out of town to get to their tennis lesson all by themselves, without mom driving them. But things are different here and we've adjusted and grown. Kids take city buses to school by themselves at the age of 7. It's a common sight to see 8 and 9 year-old children meeting downtown after school for a snack, without parents in tow. My kids now feel comfortable doing things on their own and are learning the map. The 16 girls in their gym class walk with their teacher to the nearby forest and are then literally "let loose" to go orienteering or X-C skiing for an hour and a half, by themselves. Of course it's not safe to do this everywhere, but it is HERE, and that's made my kids so much more responsible and self-confident. They've grown in so many ways, yet they are still just 12 (and not 12 going on 18). This change is good.

We've survived the darkest days of the year, including the shortest on December 22nd, when the sun rose at 9:43 am and set at 15:04 pm (3:04 pm). That was just 5 hours, 20 minutes, and 41 seconds of daylight. Now we are gaining 5-6 minutes a day of daylight. Notice I say "day" light and not "sun" light. The sun isn't always out, but when it is, it is breathtaking. Imagine seeing a sunrise like this:

Sunrise over Lake Pyhajarvi, 9:30am January 16th, 2012. Air temperature: + 15 F

And a sunset like this:

Sunset over Lake Pyhajarvi, 4:58pm January 31st, 2012. Air temperature: - 5 F.

Because I went for so many months without seeing the sun or blue skies, now I appreciate them so much more than I ever have. This change is good.

Even though our temperatures have been milder than normal this winter, we are now in the midst of a deep freeze... a massive Siberian cold wave that's made headlines around the world. Yesterday's high was well below 0 degrees F. Even dressing appropriately for this does not make it easy to be outside for more than a few minutes. (And my 20+ years of living in Vermont are also no help!) Fortunately there are over 2 million saunas in Finland, and one of them is in our apartment. Taking a sauna is relaxing and makes you forget about the cold for just a bit. We all agree that if we continue to live in cold climates, we will need to have a sauna. I'm not sure this change is good on the wallet!

During the dark and cold season, we've realized that you can't just hole up inside and hide. You have to get out and enjoy your surroundings. Whether it's going with my friend to walk 2-3 times a week for exercise, XC skiing with the kids and Marc in the beautiful forests:

XC skiing. Sunny, but below 0. Brrr!

or standing there freezing on the sidelines while the girls improve their ice skating:

Ice skating - about 3 degrees F

you just have to force yourself to DO IT. In Vermont, where it was warmer and lighter, I didn't get out half as much as I do now. I always made an excuse. Now I don't. This change is good!

Many people have seen the news reports on the Northern lights and have asked if we've seen them. Sadly, we haven't. But here's a cool video to show you what they looked like last month in Ylläs, Finland, which is about 11-12 hours north of us. Hopefully we will see them someday.

The language here is really tough. Fortunately almost everybody speaks English. Even though I've been taking Finish lessons I will never be fluent, but I am able to recognize some key words. Because Finnish is a crazy language that breaks more rules than it follows, it's forcing me to be more calm about and accepting of things that I don't understand. This change is good.

All cultures and people have different traditions in things they do, holidays they celebrate and foods they eat. I admit, I've never been eager to try new things but here everything is so different that it's forced me out of my comfort zone. What a great feeling to try something new and then actually form your own opinion on it, one way or the other. My kids are trying (and mostly liking) traditional Finnish food each day at school, where lunch is provided free of charge. I've tried many foods too, including Glogg (ick) at Christmas:

and Runebergintorttu (Runeberg Tart) yesterday (YUM!)

I have yet to try Mustamakkara (blood sausage, a delicacy here... hmmm)

or fried vendaces. Something about eating the fish... the WHOLE fish... doesn't sit well with me. But who knows, maybe I will try it?

We've stayed in touch with family, friends and the shop through Skype and FaceTime. Without the technology that's available today, living here would be really different, and so much harder. I talk to (and SEE) my family weekly. I Skype weekly (or more) with Barb and Shawn at the office. They take me on virtual tours of the shop with our shop iPad and we can communicate about samples, displays, etc. I'm not actually there, but I'm almost there! I've even met with sales reps and bought yarns via Skype. Just because you're not used to doing something a certain way, doesn't mean it can't work. This change is good.

Previewing and ordering Berroco spring yarns in October

So while I am still "ME", it is true that I have changed a lot in the past 7 months. I've stepped outside my comfort zone daily and guess what? I've survived it! We've somehow managed to live life here in Finland in our own way, thanks to perseverance and a good sense of humor. Isn't that what we all need?

The Table Runner

2012-01-31T10:41:00.001-05:00

contributed by Shawn

Our customer Heidi A. has been working hard on some veryspecial projects over the past several months. She has been in the shop a couple of times to select and choosecoordinating colors of Tilli Tomas Voile de la Mer yarn for beaded table runners. Herpattern comes from a book called 'Handknits for the Home' and she has done anexceptional job with her knitting!

Wefinally had the pleasure of seeing one of the finished table runners last week(the colorway is Partly Cloudy) when she came in with a friend to choose colorsfor another table runner.

She is giftingthese amazing pieces to friends and family. Wow, I don't know if I could give one up when I was finished!

Regia Garden Effects Sock Yarn has arrived!

2012-01-27T07:40:00.003-05:00

Regia Sock yarns have always been popular with our customers. We just took delivery of a new one that we just LOVE:

Regia Garden Effects is now in stock in 5 beautiful shades. These 4 ply prints were designed by North American master colorist Kristin Nicholas. Inspired by her colorful flower gardens and the bucolic scenery of her New England farm, these shades will not only create spectacular socks, but wonderful shawls and scarves.

Left to right: Herb Green, Blue Thyme, Flower Garden Spring (Geranium not pictured, sorry!)

Manos Limited Edition Colorway for January 2012

2012-01-26T13:04:00.000-05:00

Scrump-dilly-icous:

Manos LE-5 has arrived!

Yakkity Yak!

2012-01-24T06:35:00.003-05:00

contributed by Shawn

One of our customers Joan stopped in to the shop recently. I hadn't seen her since before theholidays. Joan has a farm and has a yak (named Zak!) who lives there with her llama and cashmere goats.

Because it's been frightfully cold lately in Vermont, I asked how Zak was doing. He's doing fine, and Joan told me that her her holiday photo of Zak made it on the Vermont Yak blog.

I immediately had to pull up the site and takea look - I love it!

The Wedding Swirl Afghan

2012-01-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

contributed by Shawn

A long time ago a couple of my friends announced their wedding date. I decided to make them an afghan as a wedding gift, but didn't want to spoil it for them. I asked them what colors they liked and I decided to make the Swirl Afghan with Berroco Comfort yarn.

After my color consultation,I quickly knit up the first hexagon for the Swirl Afghan of 2011 using BerrocoComfort yarn.This was one of the patterns I've wanted to try since the book Berroco Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans came out.

Meanwhile back at the knitting design ranch I enlistedlogic minded associates to help me with another facet of the project. The original pattern is written for ahexagonal blanket the size of a baby blanket. I had two issues.

I wanted to make mine larger.
I didn't want any hexagons to share a side with another hexagon of the same color. With 6 sided hexagons and 5 colors in the afghan, it was far beyond me to figure it out. Once I started going larger than the original pattern, Icouldn't find a way to arrange the colors so that it would work out. Because these hexagons are attached as you knit, I needed to figure this one out pretty quickly!

So on a campout this summer, I had some sodoku brained people help me figure this out. It kept them busy for a while!

Original afghan pattern (left) with expanded chart (right)

I admit I got distracted on this afghan and neglected it for a while. But I pulled it out again as fallapproached and realized that the wedding was nigh. (No, I didn't make the deadline. I had plenty of hexagons left to finish atthe end of September.)

But once I got close to the end, I couldn't wait to fit the lastpieces together! When I finishedthe last piece I decided it needed a border. I pulled out my crochet hook and added a row of single crochet and thena row of double crochet to finish it all off.

It might be January 2012, but the finished piece isamazing and lovely. And the recipientsLOVE it!

Now my other friends have started asking when they will gettheir afghans. I've told them all that as soon as I get the invitation to theirweddings I'll get started.

It's not too late, it's just really early!

2012-01-16T06:30:00.001-05:00

contributed by Shawn

The holidays have come and gone. So why is it that in January each year we sell more Christmas stocking patterns than in the months leading up to the holiday? Seriously, we're filling orders this month for so many stocking patterns... I guess there's nothing like the post holiday feeling to get you thinking about next year?

Since people are obviously still thinking "Christmas stockings" it means I can share my own story from this year...

Just like in years past I decided it would be nice to doa little something for my friends for Saint Nicholas Day. This holiday is in early December(December 6th) and because I have to get my things finished by then, it means I can relax more before the real holidays start.

This year I knit several stockings usingBerroco Vintage and Nancy Lindberg's Christmas Sock pattern. And way back in early November, I started workingon little knitted items like hats and fingerless mitts to put inside the socks. I tried to pickout some snacks that everyone would like so you'll see plenty of clementines,fruit leathers, tiny apples, sesame sticks, and wasabi peas ready to be putinside as well.

I didn'tphotograph the stockings after they were filled - they always look so awkwardand lumpy...but I promise that they were very well received!

K-Kash Days - IMPORTANT NOTICE!

2012-01-12T16:32:00.001-05:00

Reminder! The first K-Kash Days are coming up! We hope that those of you who shop in the store have been saving your K-Kash & receipts.

In figuring out the details of the program, we picked the end of January (15th-31st) and the beginning of June (1st-15th) each year for K-Kash Days. As it happens, January 15th falls on a Sunday this year, and since we are never open on Sundays, the first day you can come in to use your K-Kash toward a purchase is going to be on Monday the 16th. And, then you have OVER TWO WEEKS to use them!

I apologize if anyone thought we were going to be open on Sunday the 15th. This was an oversight on our part in the proofing process. (Did you also notice the misspelling of "Kaleidoscope" right on the front of the K-Kash? That slipped by FOUR of us. We're only human.)

A reminder about how the K-Kash works... Bring it in to the shop during our normal business hours on NORMAL days we are open between 1/15-1/31 and we will apply it to up to 50% of your purchase. You can use it on merchandise in the shop, but not on gift cards, winding, classes or shipping fees. It does not work on our website, and you can not place an order and ask us to hold it and apply the K-Kash when you pick it up.

During K-Kash Days we will be accepting K-Kash, but not giving it out. Not in town? Don't worry, you can still use your K-Kash in June during our next K-Kash Days.

Another Sweetie Pie

2012-01-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

Since we've brought the Be Sweet Bambino Taffy into the shop, the Sweetie Pie Hat has become a favorite of our customers. It's a great choice for a little shower gift - of course - but we've even got customers making it with no specific recipient in mind... just because it's so darn cute!

The pattern is free on the label and it takes just one ball.

The pattern is pictured in the colorway Candy Sprinkles:

I knit one up for the shop in Salt Water Taffy:

And Shawn showed me this one last week knit up in Spearmint Gum:

It's hard to pick a favorite!

Hip Hip Hurray for REAL sized models (and for Norah Gaughan Volume 10)

2012-01-11T07:44:00.002-05:00

The newest Norah Gaughan booklet (Volume 10) has been in stock for several weeks in both paper and e-Book format. If you haven't taken a look at it yet, now's a good time to check it out in detail!

Before I go through the great sweaters in this booklet, I'd like to point out that Berroco has used a REAL sized model in this booklet. Kudos to them for finally using a size 14 model in the photo shoot! I think she's every bit as beautiful as the smaller model she's shot with, and I'm sure you'll agree.

We all come in different shapes and sizes, and isn't it frustrating to see a sweater pictured on tiny model, and have no idea what it will look like on your own body? This booklet is great because it shows two models: one wearing a size 44" and the other wearing a size 34". They're shown wearing different sweaters in the book, but you get the idea. Thanks Berroco! I hope to see more of this in the future.

Okay, now for the patterns. These sweaters are all shown in gorgeous neutral shades of both warm and cool weather yarns. I don't recall one Berroco book ever showcasing so many different yarns!

The Etesian Shrug (knit in Berroco Lago) is a flowy, long-sleeved shrug with elegant columns of lace that drape gracefully around its neck.

The Santa Ana Sweater (knit in Berroco Seduce) is a stockinette cardigan with alternating bands of lacy mesh and garter stitch, which form slinky scarf-like ties at either side of the neck.

Similar to these two sweaters is the Austru Sweater, a warmer version (knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca) with gracefully ruched panels of lace that extend beyond the neckline to create a cozy scarf.

One of my favorites! The sophisticated Foehn Sweater (knit in Berroco Linsey) has a gently curved stockinette body and is fastened with a single button.

The Kaver Sweater is an enchanting cropped pullover. It uses a crisp and cool summer yarn (Berroco Captiva) and is worked into textural wedges edged in wide bands of ribbing.

Sculptural leaf motifs encircle the body of Knik, a mesmerizing cropped shrug with close-fitting long sleeves (knit in Berroco Voyage).

My other favorite! The Levanto Tunic is a breezy stockinette tunic with fluttering panels of lace along the sides. It has comfortable three-quarter length sleeves and is knit in Berroco Seduce.

The Taku Sweater (knit in Berroco Blackstone Tweed) looks fun to knit! Richly textured triangles join together to create an intriguing pullover with a deep v-neck and three-quarter length sleeves.

The Vardar Sweater is a short-sleeved cardigan featuring long sweeping curves. It's knit in lace-weight yarn (Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine) and edged with ribbing in a thicker weight (Berroco Ultra Alpaca).

Whew! It's a great book. And I didn't even show you the other three sweaters!

Craft Night Follow Up

2012-01-10T02:34:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday night we stayed after work and made some Joulupukkis (Yule Goats). It was a lot of fun and definitely not something anyone had ever done before.

I brought back these huge hanks of paper yarn from Finland, and instructions on how to take the hank, open it up, bend, tie and cut in a specific sequence, and end up with a pretty cool Yule Goat.

Shawn wrangling the paper hank

I had made one in Finland the week before so I would know what I was doing. But even after making it, I still had to refer to the directions a few times!

Polly trying to get the back leg curve just right!

Barb and Michele hard at work on the heads

Forming the face

We had a lot of laughs. Michele's goat looked like an anteater at one point, and she was concerned she was doing it wrong!

Michele with her anteater

Of course she was just being a perfectionist, and once she reshaped the head and trimmed the paper around the face, it looked great and she felt much better.

Trimming the feet

The Cleanup... this paper is good in place of Styrofoam peanuts! Maybe you'll find some in your next package...

In the end, each goat has its own personality and size, based on where the ties where placed, how tightly they were tied, and how long/short the paper was cut.

The finished products from the front...

... and the back!

Michele named hers "Clyde" and sent me a picture of Skitz and Clyde, nuzzling in front of the fire:

A romance in the making?

Next up, figuring out how to make these out of a different weight of paper yarn, and reducing them to the size of a tree ornament. Stay tuned!

It's Joulupukki night!

2012-01-04T15:49:00.001-05:00

Tonight is our craft night here at Kyarns. Every member of our staff is hanging out together so I can show them how to make a Joulupukki... or "Yule Goat". Yule Goats are typical Yule decorations in Scandinavia (though Finns don't consider themselves to be a part of Scandinavia - that's a different topic for another day). Read this if you are interested...

Never heard of a Yule Goat? Don't worry. Nobody on my staff had either! I grew up with a mom who loved (and still does!) all things Scandinavian, so we've had Yule Goats in all sizes in our house each winter holiday season. And when I saw them in Finland a shop window, made with a single (but large!) skein of paper yarn, I knew I had to make one for myself.

I struggled a bit through the Finnish instructions (actually, I struggled MORE than a bit, since Finnish is one language that even Google Translate can't handle!) But I went back into the shop and had the woman show me each step. It took her about 3 minutes - and was very helpful, since I am totally a visual person. I went home and in just a couple of hours I had my very own Joulupukki.

So tonight, it's Yule Goat night here at Kyarns. It's doesn't involve any knitting or crocheting, BUT it does involve one very large skein of paper yarn. We've all picked different colors and there's going to be a lot of squeezing paper skeins, tying, and cutting. Oh, and little sushi eating too.

We'll have some pictures to share tomorrow. Want to learn how to do this? We're hoping to schedule a class on it this summer!

2 New Projects to Share

2012-01-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

Polly's got a great vest that she's been sporting this fall and winter, and we wanted to share it with you. It's knit with the Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, which is a machine washable blend of wool and cotton. This yarn is incredibly soft, and shows beautiful stitch detail.

She made the "Man's Vest" from the Classic Elite Summer Book 1. (Man's Vest? Not sure why they named it that!)

And yesterday, our customer Nobuko came in to the shop to grab just one more skein of Berroco Vintage to finish the beautiful crochet edging around this adorable baby blanket. She's got a baby shower (for her grandchild) coming up and I'm sure this blanket will be a huge hit. It's so cute!

It's from one of the Vogue Knitting Baby Blankets On the Go books (there were 2) that is unfortunately discontinued. We used to sell a lot of these when they were still available, so hopefully if any of you have these books, you'll hang on to them! They've got some really great baby blanket patterns.

Resolutions Anyone?

2012-01-03T13:03:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. We've been talking about our resolutions today, and thought we'd share our craft related ones with you.

Barb: To finish a project before starting another one.

Chrissy: To spend more time with her "other" fiber related hobbies (spinning, learning to weave, etc.)

Michele: Finish at least one of the two sweaters (for herself) that she has yarn for. (She knits a lot for her husband and sons, and not enough for herself!)

Shawn: To finish her Noro Mitered Square Blanket (that she hasn't touched for 6 months)

Jill: To experiment with Finnish paper yarns and find some really neat projects that we can do with them here at the shop.

We also have some non craft related resolutions (in random order!):

Continuing to keep each day in perspective
Finishing home renovations
Running a half marathon
Be more adventurous in cooking
Paying off a car loan

What are your resolutions?

Hours this weekend

2011-12-30T11:22:00.003-05:00

It's the end of 2011, and I just wanted to remind everybody about our shop hours for the next few days.

   Friday 12/30/11: Normal hours 10am-5pm.

   Saturday 12/31/11: Open 9am-2pm (closing early for New Year's Eve).

   Sunday 1/1/12: Closed. Happy New Year! (We're always closed on Sundays.)

   Monday 1/2/12: Closed.

   Tuesday 1/3/12: Back to normal hours, 10am-5pm.

Thanks everyone for a great year!

Big Kids, Little Kids is a Winner!

2011-12-29T12:16:00.001-05:00

Berroco Book #320 Big Kids/Little Kids is packed with TWENTY SEVEN (27) patterns for kids ages 2 to 12. When I first saw the designs in this booklet a couple of months ago I figured it would be at least twice the price of a normal Berroco booklet, but it's not. It's $8 for 27 patterns... so 30 cents a pattern! And there are so many great designs in this booklet, that you're bound to make a number of them.

These designs are in 5 great easy care yarns: Comfort, Vintage, Weekend, Remix and the new Berroco Circus.

There are always great patterns available for girls, but customers sometimes feel that boys get left out... good designs for young gentlemen can be really hard to find. Book #320 is a good choice for those of you who have boys in this age group (2-12) who need some good hand-knits!

Felix sweater: Rambunctious colors and contrasting sleeves add pep to a color-work pullover with a v-neck

Denison Sweater - With sporty details reminiscent of a varsity jacket, this zip-up hoodie works up quickly in chunky-weight yarn.

Westcott Sweater - A timeless crew-neck pullover with a handsome twisted cable pattern and classic ribbed edgings.

Nestor Sweater - Crisp-looking stripes run across the body and sleeves of a simple drop shoulder pullover with a relaxed rolled neck.

Lyman Sweater - Convenient flap pockets make this half-zip hooded pullover the perfect garment for any outdoor adventure.

Kent Sweater - The cozy knitted version of a classic athletic sweatshirt, this pullover hoodie is worked in a perfectly speckled shade.

The girls' patterns don't disappoint either:

Tolmie Skirt - Cheerful stripes of stranded color-work and texture are topped with a stretchy ribbed waistband, while crocheted scallops trim the bottom.

Rosaria Sweater - Knitted flowers are sprinkled across the front of a sweet long-sleeved cardigan with garter stitch detailing around the yoke.

Marymere Poncho - Four pompoms add a playful touch to the front of a short poncho, while an extra big pompom tops off the hood.

Kendall Vest - Knitted flowers and a matching textured edging are the perfect finishing touches for a stylish open vest.

Josette Sweater - A charmingly over-sized bow adorns the front of a crew-neck pullover with contrasting sleeves and edgings.

Brook Poncho - a whimsical poncho made from alternating stripes of easy Fair Isle stitching and stockinette

Bristol Sweater - A long hooded cardigan with short sleeves looks effortlessly cool knit in an easy textural stitch pattern.


Blake Sweater - Ladylike pleats along the neck and clean-looking fold-over hems are elegant finishing touches for a long-sleeved cardigan.

This is just 14 of the 27 patterns... the other 13 are just as good. Check them out!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-28T15:57:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy week here in the shop. We've had so much fun seeing customers from out of town! And it's been great to see our local customers who are coming in to the shop with friends and family who are in Vermont for the holiday.

This week Barb and I have been meeting with sales reps every day, checking out new spring yarns. They are also showing us a few new wintery yarns that are available for immediate shipment. We did order some, so in the coming weeks you will see new sock yarns, new kids' machine washable yarns and new novelties, including a couple more ruffle yarns and even a yarn with feathers! (Trust me, the feather yarn is cool... it's not for everybody, but we felt it was unique and definitely worth bringing in for select customers!)

We've had fun sharing projects, too! I brought some projects back from Finland, including my Shadow Shawl:

and a cute little baby sweater I made using the new Berroco Versa yarn. The pattern for this sweater will be available soon.

Emily brought in the coolest mittens today - striped with 2 colors of Berroco Flicker.

And even though these would have been nice and cozy with just the Flicker, she took it a step further and added a super cozy lining of Chic Fleece. This novelty yarn is mostly used for furry scarves, but Emily chose it as a liner because it's 65% superwash merino wool. So not only is it super soft and fuzzy (perfect inside a mitten) but it's also really warm.

What a delight to slip your hand into this mitten, and be surprised by the lining that you didn't know was there!

A sales rep the other day showed us a great felted accessory bag that was knit with Noro Kureyon. It's a really great beginner knitting project and after felting, you attach it to a clear (or colored) vinyl accessory bag, like the ones we sell in the shop.

Shawn is our resident felter here, so I am going to save this for her to felt. Beginners, look for a class on this in the next couple of months!

The other day in the shop we were looking at the Trendsetter Dune yarn. I wanted to make a hat in it but I knew I'd need to combine it with another yarn that had some body to it. Barb and I grabbed several colors of Dune and went over to the Berroco Vintage shelf. There are so many excellent color combinations that you can make with these two yarns. Because the Dune is so gorgeous, we knew that a hat in stockinette would be the best.

The easy rolled brim hat I made reminds me of the old Chinchilla rolled brim hat we had years ago, only this one is kicked up a few notches!

Emily also made up a new scarf up for the shop. It's with the new Knitting Fever Broadway yarn, which has a neat metallic edge on it. It's been very popular so far, especially during this holiday week!

I hope you are all working on some fun projects this holiday week too!

Barb is working on the Hitchhiker shawl in the Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn. She says it's so fun and addicting!

And she just finished the Popcorn Baby Blanket out of Berroco Circus and Peter Pan Tinkerbell. This was such a quick knit, and remember there are excellent color combinations for this project. We just had some folks in today who found out their friend just got pregnant. They were picking out projects for newborns. This blanket is just the ticket.

Remember we are closing at 2pm on Saturday, closed all day Sunday, and we WILL BE CLOSED on Monday, January 2nd, so my staff can start of the New Year with a well deserved day of rest. Happy New Year!

New Goodies from Berroco... First Up - Versa

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since we're not able to get out and do much skiing or sledding right now, maybe we should take a mental vacation and start thinking about spring. Perhaps a preview of some new spring garments will create some excitement? I really would rather be dealing with snow - I love snow! - but since there's none of that to be had, I'd rather focus on something that will get my creative juices flowing.

We've gotten in 3 new Spring yarns from Berroco (Versa, Circus & Captiva), and earlier this week we received all 6 new pattern booklets for Spring 2012. We've still got one more new yarn (Lago) slated to arrive after the holidays, but now's a great time to show you these yarns and some of my favorite patterns!

I'll break it down into smaller, more manageable posts because these new yarns are great, and as usual, there are many good patterns.

First up, Berroco Versa, a cotton blend.

When I first saw this yarn I though it was a variegated ribbon-like sportweight or light worsted yarn. I was meeting with our sales rep and she told me to pick it up and actually LOOK at the yarn closely. I was surprised when I did!

What I thought was a single strand of a variegated ribbon is actually 2 ribbons that are dyed separately and then joined.

I love it! This also means that it's a bulky weight, and knits up quickly.

I've got some of the yarn here in Finland and I've made up a pattern for a cute little kids' sweater that will be available in a few sizes. I really am enjoying working with this yarn. Just 1.25 sleeves left and a few more seams and it will be finished.

It's very soft and lightweight, despite its being a bulky. The colors are really beautiful, and even though Berroco has lots of adult patterns for this yarn, I didn't want people to think it wasn't a great choice for kids. Because it is! It's quick knitting, super colorful and machine wash. That's a perfect combination for kids' items.

Berroco Book #316 - Versa has 9 beautiful items. A few of my favorites are:

Pinara Tank - same as the Pinaretta but in a longer silhouette, with stripes!

Pinaretta Tank - in one color

Dalyan Sweater - this easy sweater uses a drop stitch which looks elegant!

Ferah Scarf - this looks easy and I'd wear it everywhere!

Alanya Sweater - the body of this is worked in one piece in moss stitch and then the sleeves are worked and pieced in afterwards

Iztuzu Sweater - worked side to side, I like how this is figure flattering with the ribbing!

This booklet is available as a hard copy or as an e-Book (PDF download.)

Tomorrow's post is either Captiva... or Circus. Stay tuned!

Holiday spirit anyone?

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that the holidays are almost upon us! The lack of snow this year has really made it hard to believe that Christmas is coming. We've had snow off and on, but it's always followed by a day of rain. Check out the treacherous sidewalks here:

That's about 2" of solid ice!

We'll all be glad when the snow falls and sticks around for a bit!

Because we're traveling back to Vermont for the holidays, we didn't get a tree here. Even if we'd wanted to get one, things in Europe are different. In the states, parking lots in most towns turn into Christmas tree markets right after Thanksgiving. Here, the tradition is to put the tree up on Christmas Eve. The whole day is spent decorating the tree, then opening presents and eating a meal with family. You can't even find a tree to buy until at least December 18th. And, the people I've talked to usually take their trees down by January 6th. So that's a pretty short window! Without our own tree, and without tree lights visible through apartment windows, we've been having a hard time believing that Christmas is this weekend.

No snow, but our Christmas Market in town is still fun to visit!

I've been doing some other holiday activities here with the girls to try to get us all in the mood. We've baked a lot of cookies and have been packaging those for friends here. I remember baking with my mom when I was young and I'm so glad my girls are enjoying doing it with me.

Sophie helping with the thumbprint (or pointer print?) cookies

It's a much longer process here in Finland because of the petite ovens that are so common here. We had many nights of late cookie baking but we were really pleased with the results.

Fortunately we DID give most of these away, because we certainly don't need to eat them ourselves.

We've also gotten creative with gift wrapping. The paper yarn here is beautiful. It's made from the leftover pulp from the paper mills. There are several different weights of it and some are used for knitting and crocheting. Most of the patterns are in Finnish, and unfortunately the people who teach the classes do not speak English very well. I am still trying to see if I can learn how to do a few fun things with these yarns, so I can bring them back and hold some classes this summer. They also use these yarns for non-knitting related crafts. I used two of the thinner weights to tie around some gifts.

It looked great with the Finnish newspapers I used for wrapping. Why not recycle? I was taking so many of these down to the recycle room, so I thought I'd put them to better use.

And I'm bringing some back for my staff so I can teach them how to make something pretty cool... but it's a secret so I can't share it until after we have our staff craft night, on Wednesday, January 4th. I had everyone pick a color and now I just have to fit these huge skeins into my bags.

LARGE suitcase and water bottle for reference. These skeins are HUGE!

At least it's just paper and they are not too heavy!

A Holiday Sock For Jack

2011-12-19T14:05:00.001-05:00

contributed by Shawn

Polly brought in her latest finished project to show usand get us into the holiday spirit this week. She has just finished her grandson Jack's holiday stocking using Nancy Lindberg's Christmas Socks pattern. Isn't it just too cute?

Polly told me this morning that she was veryimpressed that the pattern allows you to choose your own motifs to place onyour project so that you can customize the stocking for different people. I think the tiny Santas and reindeer for Jackare a good choice!

You can see another combination of the motifs that arepossible in our shop sample here.

Polly worked with the Plymouth Galway yarnand added a few tiny details that really make this special. Take a look at the tiny silver bells sheadded and how each of the beards has just a bit of extra soft fuzziness! Polly held a strand of the Plymouth Angora yarnwith her cream colored Galway when she knit the Santa motifs to add thiseffect.

Nancy's pattern also has a number of other advantages and tips thatmake for a great finished project. Thissock is knit in the round on a circular needle. Polly and I agree that for the two of us this makes the color-workmotifs much cleaner looking in the finished project than if we were to use theflat knitting intarsia method. We canalso both knit much faster in the round!

Polly also took the pattern's advice to work thename band on her project on both sides of the sock so that it can be hungfacing either direction.

This is moredifficult if you need to put a long name on the band, but for Jack it worksgreat!)