Site Issues

We're having some site issues this morning... and we're working on it! Hopefully things will be completely back to normal shortly. In the meantime, thanks for your patience, and maybe now's a good time for that second (or third) cup of coffee!

New Knit Noro book!

contributed by Shawn

I really enjoy working with Noro yarns. For me it really is all about the enjoyment I get from the brilliant colors that unravel themselves as you knit. So it is always great to get new and exciting things from Noro.

This time it is a book called Knit Noro and it's full of wonderfully colorful knits! The photographs are AMAZING. The book has 30 designs and I like every single one. There are patterns for everyone in this book including sweater projects, afghans, hats, gloves, socks, and scarves. The designs span a wide range of skill levels so you will be sure to find 3 or more projects inside that you want to add to your knitting queue.

Since I'm currently knitting a Silk Garden afghan I am of course already planning another Noro afghan and the Modular Afghan is definitely going to be it!

Customer Renee J. and I already agreed that we will both be knitting this and we covet the colorway of Taiyo shown in the photo.

I'll be reserving a skein of Silk Garden from my current afghan stash to try the Spiral Beanie. (I might have to do this before the mitered square afghan is finished.)

In the spirit of utilizing as many colors as possible I think I will also have to pick out two Kureyon colors for the Fair Isle Cap.

Speaking of Fair Isle, the Fair Isle Cardigan in the book is not to be missed!

Looking for something a little more portable for summer knitting? I can't wait to try out the Diamonds and Stripes Gloves knit from Silk Garden Sock.

I'm also looking forward to adding the Ridged Ripples Scarf (reversible!), Felted Cloche, and Hooded Vest to my queue.

That covers only 8 projects out of 30! There are so many more to choose from...oh afghan we must have some quality time together soon so that I can move on to other projects!

And Chrissy found yarn bombings as well!

Chrissy was recently on vacation with her family in Washington state, and while we were catching up on Skype the other day she mentioned that she'd seen some really cool yarn bombings while she was there. She promised to send me the pictures and so here they are! They're quite impressive and clearly much larger than the one I found here in Finland! Here's what she said:

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As promised here are the "yarn bombing" pics from Washington (I guess neither are true "bombings" as one was a fundraiser, and one was funded, but I thought they were fun anyway).

The first three were taken in Anacortes, WA. in front of a nice little yarn/needlepoint/quilting shop -- "Ana-Cross Stitch" The town ran a "paint the town purple" fundraiser for cancer research, and this was their contribution. All hand knit by the shop employees. Pic #3 was some excellent knitted sushi found inside the shop.

The second three I happened upon in Occidental Park near Pioneer Square in Seattle. These were machine knit, but added much warmth and color to a pretty dark part of town.

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What beautiful pictures! I would want to walk through this park every day just to lift my spirits! To see more about this project, check out this link and look at all the cool pictures... and to read about the artist, see this one.

Thanks Chrissy!

Finnish Yarn Bombing

Yesterday was Marc's birthday, so the girls and I set out to find him a birthday dessert. In Vermont we would have just gone to the grocery store to pick up a cake, but here it's a little different.

We left our apartment and walked to the Tampereen Kauppahalli which is an indoor market hall that's over 100 years old. It's full of all different types of little shops that line three aisles. Here one can find delicious meats and fish, fresh vegetables, wonderful breads, cheeses and pastries. There are even flower shops, shoe shops and a barber. We found some delicious deserts to sample from the Brander Bakery.
While we were out walking, I noticed a man in front of us peering curiously at an iron gate. It looked like an ordinary gate to me, so I wondered what it was that had caught his attention. After a moment, he walked away and we approached the gate.It was my first yarn bombing encounter! This unobstrusive little Italian flag-like piece with pom poms had clearly been there for a while - it looked a bit weathered! I'd walked by this gate at least 5 times in the past week and I'd never noticed it.

It's no wonder... here it is with Helen for scale (it's just above her head to the right): I love how it's there, but it's not IN YOUR FACE there. There is a tag attached to this one that says knitsea.blogspot.com, so of course I came right home and checked out her blog (which is conveniently in Finnish AND English!) Apparently she lives here and leaves a lot of these little "signs" around town. I think I've found the Tampere's official yarn bomber! This is a map of places in town that she's hit: I live just down at the bottom of the river where it meets the lake, and I've walked by almost all of these places. I went through her blog and it looks like this little piece was installed in April of 2010, so it's been hanging around for 15 months now.

From now on I will be keeping my eyes open just a bit wider!

Manic-In Monday

This week's sweater is a feminine mock turtleneck pullover with puffed short sleeves and a flirty ruching at the sleeve opening. We love this simple style with its elegant details, and this yarn comes in great colors!Sweater: Alice sweater knit in Berroco Boboli yarn from Berroco Book # 312 Boboli

New Koigu colors in stock!

Anyone catch any colorful fireworks celebrations this past weekend? This was my first 4th of July celebration outside of the US, so I missed the fireworks... but this morning I found out that we got a new shipment of Koigu!

15 new colors of Koigu

So at least I'm getting to see fantastic colors of yarns, if not lights way up in the sky!

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Remember that the shop will be closed on Monday, July 4th.

Thank You Knitters!

contributed by Shawn

Just last week I called the Denise Interchangeable Knitting & Crochet Company since our stock of Denise needle and crochet kits was getting low.

When I explained that I wanted to place an order I received a great big THANK YOU!

On June 1, 2011 the amount of money donated to the S.D. Ireland Breast Cancer Research Fund by the Denise company had reached $150,000!

Why the thank you? Because five dollars from each purchase of a pink Denise kit goes directly and entirely to breast cancer research through the S.D. Ireland fund. The purchase of a pink Companion Set contributes $2, and pink long cords $1 to the Fund. Knitters help make this happen and we wanted to share the "THANK YOU" with all of our customers.

We love Denise kits - it is so handy to have every size needle available! And since our shop is in Vermont (and so is S.D. Ireland!) we know a lot about the Fund and the story behind this effort.

Check out the Denise connection here and the Vermont S.D. Ireland connection here for more information.

THANK YOU KNITTERS!

I've arrived, but the yarn hasn't

We made it! A week ago today we landed in Helsinki, Finland with many, many bags and made the trek to our new home in Tampere, about 160 km north. (That's about 100 miles... I don't think I'll ever be able to think in kilometers without doing a conversion!)

The week leading up to our trip was a tough one. Saying goodbye to almost 17 years of memories in our house and to good friends and family is not easy. This is the obligatory "last day of school" picture.We really only do "first day of school" pictures, but since there wouldn't be another first day picture at this house, we thought we'd capture this one. We spent 2 nights at my parents' house in Waterbury before we left. We packed, unpacked, packed and unpacked. It was hard fitting everything in! It was a beautiful weekend, and we enjoyed all that we love about Vermont.The trip was long (20 hours total) but the cats made it safely. Maisy doesn't look thrilled here, but she was sedated so...Our two seriously "scaredy" cats rode in or on cars, trains, monorails, elevators, escalators, and luggage carts, and were subjected to all sorts of loud noises like PA systems, jet engines and NY traffic & lots of beeping horns (we had to go out of the terminal and cross the street to get to the other terminal). The hour of bad turbulence around Iceland was not good for Lucy. She foamed at the mouth the entire time, poor thing. So if they made it through all that, it should be a good sign? They've already picked out some new favorite sleeping spots in the apartment. Lucy's favorite is the sunny window in the sauna. (Clearly NOT when the sauna is on!)

The girls got right down to business and decorated their room. Our days have been filled with unpacking and organizing, and trips to the grocery store to attempt to find things we are used to and like to eat. We've walked around and explored the town, and even dipped in the beautiful lake. We've gone on several bike rides by the lake, through the town, and through wooded areas. This place is just beautiful and it's fun to have everything be new and exciting. Last night after dinner, we went for a stroll downtown and then came back to sit outside in front of our apartment. This picture was taken at 9:00pm. The sunsets are just incredible - the colors seem more vivid here. This was the sky last Friday at 11:12pm... the longest day of the year. Now that we are mostly unpacked, I have work to do! I have to set up my office and figure out how to get my 19 pound "stash" to be delivered! On June 15th I sent over a bunch of my knitting things from the shop... needles, some stash yarn, paperwork, patterns, office stuff, etc. I just received a notice in the mail yesterday... it was addressed to ME, said "posti" (mail) on the outside, and showed the shop's address on the inside. From what magic I could work with Google translate, it seems my box arrived in Helsinki on June 21st and it has cleared customs. I have no idea how or when it is going to get here. Marc took the notice in to work today to have someone translate it for him.

Do you know how hard it is to go this long with NO yarn and NO needles? It's torture. I usually take a project on the plane... but limited carry-on space and 2 cats in bags got in the way of that.

So I patiently wait...

Got Questions? We Got Answers!

Here are some questions that we get asked daily!

What is your favorite way to block your FOs that need blocking? Hats? Sweaters? Shawls? Do you use blocking boards and pins or something more homemade? Do you wet block or lightly spritz?

Chrissy:
I sometimes wet block, but when the fiber is heavy, or when I need to block individual pieces before finishing, I opt to measure and pin the pieces, and then lay a damp towel (clean towel put through a rinse and spin in the washer) over the work and wait for it to dry. Since we tore up most of the carpet in my house, I was happy to obtain some blocking squares for a portable blocking surface that you can also adjust to the needed size, and I really appreciate blocking wires as they help me keep my edges straight and not unintentionally scalloped.

Michele:
I always wet block. Most of my projects are sweaters or hats so I usually can shape the garment to size without pins. In the past I have always used the top of my dryer or towel on a bed for the blocking. We now have the Knitter’s Block back in stock which I think would be very helpful, so I may be making a purchase soon!

Emily:
It depends on what fiber my project is knit in. If it’s wool, I wet block and just lay it flat on some towels to dry. If it’s something like linen or silk, I will pin it on blocking boards and spritz it. I have learned through hard experience that those fibers will stretch like crazy when I have tried to wet block them.

Shawn:
I love the smell my knitting when it has just been washed with Kookabura wool wash. So I am most often to be found wet blocking my knits (really this is just a hand wash when I’m done knitting) and then spreading them out flat to dry on a towel.

Most of my projects are made with sport/dk weight yarn or heavier and these things tend not to need much pinning to keep them in the shape I want them to be after blocking. (If you do use pins please, please, please, use only nice stainless steel blocking pins when blocking your hand knits because the first time you end up with rust spots on a finished project will be the only time you ever make that mistake!)

I have found in helping to block samples for the shop that blocking wires are a must for me if I have to block something with lace work to keep the edges straight and all of the patterns even (read symmetrical).

There are exceptions to wet blocking of course. There are some fibers that streeeeeetch when they get wet because of the weight of the fabric. From experience with different yarns I know that I prefer NOT to wet block anything made from Noro Silk Garden and other items that include silk. For these projects I prefer lightly misting the finished fabric and then laying flat to dry. This helps prevent the fabric from being pulled out of shape by the weight of heavily soaked fibers.

Polly:
I prefer the wet blocking method. I always find that my finished piece no matter what it is, is dirty after being picked up many times and carried around all sorts of place while in the process of knitting so a gentle clean with a good wool wash is just what the doctor ordered. My current favorite is the Eucalan in the lavender scent. After washing, I very gently squeeze the water out and lay the garment (be it a sweater, hat, mittens or scarf) on a thick old towel on my wooden floor. I then block it to shape with my hands and let it dry in that position. I find changing the towel at least once helps speed up the drying process.

I should add that if it’s a lace shawl or scarf that I’ve made, I do like to use the blocking wires in order to keep the exact lines and shape that are required. Also, I find with an all cotton garment that it really helps to pop the item in a medium dryer for just a few minutes when it’s nearly dry. This gives some much needed shape back to the finished product.

Our goof, corrected!

contributed by Emily

As some of you may have noticed, we have been hard at work getting some instructional knitting videos up on our website! As with all new ventures, there are sometimes some glitches, and we are always so appreciative when our customers bring them to our attention. In this case, the glitch was simply that I was trying to present a technique that I had never used in my own knitting before, and I goofed! A lovely customer emailed to alert us to the fact that our videos for the SSP (slip slip purl) decrease were incorrect, and I’m so glad she did!

Mistakes are nothing to be afraid of, because they are the best way to learn. I grabbed a couple of books off the shelf and looked up this decrease -- and wouldn’t you know, the two books showed two different methods! What’s a knitter to do?!

What I ended up doing was grabbing a bit of scrap yarn, and working both techniques in a tiny swatch, just to see what the difference really was. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone who is struggling to learn a new technique. There’s no pressure, no project to worry about, just some sticks and string, and a new understanding of what you’re doing and why.

The results of my little test were interesting.

According to both books, the SSP ought to look just like an SSK when viewed on the knit side.
And so that we could compare them, I first worked an SSK decrease the way that I normally do (slip one as if to knit, slip one as if to purl, slip both back onto the left needle and knit them together through the back loop), at the bottom of the swatch.

I then worked a k2tog tbl (knit 2 stitches together through the back loop), just to have another left-leaning decrease for comparison.

The third decrease is an SSP, worked as described in the Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques:

“On the Purl side, slip two stitches, one at a time, as if to knit. Transfer the stitches back to the left needle. Insert the right needle from left to right through the back of the stitches and purl the two together from that position. Drop the two stitches just purled together off the left needle.”

The fourth decrease in my swatch is the same SSP, but worked as described by The Knitting Answer Book:

“Slip the first stitch knitwise, slip the second stitch knitwise, insert the left needle into these two stitches knitwise and slip them back to the left needle together. Reinsert the right needle and purl the two stitches together.”

The last decrease is a traditional SSK (slip one as if to knit, slip one as if to knit, slip both back onto the left needle and knit them together through the back loop). This matches the SSPs a little better than my twisted SSK technique, but it still doesn’t match perfectly.

As far as I can tell, both book methods lead to the same outcome, but Barb (whose eyes are better trained than mine for this sort of thing), says that she likes the look of the Knitting Answer Book method the best. We’ll update the video as soon as we can to reflect our new-found information!

I’m so happy to have learned this new method, because as it turns out, I really think the SSP is a much better match for the k2tog, and from now on, I’m going to incorporate it into my knitting where ever possible!

Straight from Norah Gaughan... a preview of each Berroco design for Fall 2011

The new Berroco pattern booklets for fall 2011 are in stock and now shipping. We've really had a great response to them so far in the shop.

And here's a super treat for the day!!!

Listen and watch, as Norah Gaughan walks you through each pieces and shares the important design aspects while the slides show informative closeups and/or back views that aren't visible in the pattern booklets.

Enjoy the slide shows!
Norah Gaughan #9
Berroco Book #310 Souffle
Berroco Book #311 Flicker
Berroco Book #312 Boboli
Berroco Book #313 Comfort & Vintage
Berroco Book #314 Voyage & Nanuk
Berroco Book #315 Bohemian Mix

Thanks to Norah for explaining the "real" pronunciation of Boboli... when I was in college I lived in Florence for a year, a block away from the beautiful Boboli gardens... Pronouncing this yarn Bob-Oh-Lee just kills me! Remember BOW-BOW-LEE... grazie!

And the race is on!

contributed by Shawn

Yep, it is official. Emily and I are racing to see who can finish their mitered squares blanket first! Even though Emily is working on her blanket using much smaller needles and fingering weight yarn I am worried that I am very much behind her.

She sent me a couple of photos and told me the following: "I didn't quite realize how far along I was until I laid the blanket out on my king size bed -- I'm about halfway!"

Whew, I better get cracking. Emily has 408 squares done and I have about 150. (If I'm generous I'm about 1/4 of the way finished with my blanket in worsted weight garter stitch squares.)

Just to let you know Emily's blanket looks a bit different from mine because she is working her squares in stockinette stitch. The outer squares are still done in garter stitch to ensure the blanket lies flat when she finishes.

I think I better go knit...