Yarn Gallery Blog

my mitered sweater, originally uploaded by yarngal628.

JUST FINISHED MY MITERED SWEATER, THIS WAS A FUN ONE TO MAKE, AND THE
YARN IS SO SOFT, CANT WAIT TO WEAR IT!!
DAVE RITZ

It’s rainy and chilly, and I have developed a rotten cold - perfect circumstances for staying home, sitting beneath an afghan, listening to an audiobook and knitting - and as soon as I’m done here, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing!  I’m going to start listening to Outlander, a novel in which a woman alive during World War II is transported to the olden days in Scotland.  It’s massive, so it should take me quite a long time to hear it all - when I’m in the midst of a long book, I find I must listen at least 30 minutes several times a week or I start not to care, so I have to be ready for the commitment.

Last week at the shop was fun - lots of new folks came in, several from down in Lancaster County.  It’s always neat when new people come in, they have so much fun exploring.  I think when you visit a shop frequently, you don’t look around as much and, frankly, you could be missing something really great.  Next time you’re in, look at the yarns and models with fresh eyes and get some new ideas.

Since I feel kind of crummy, I’m going to show a lot pictures this week, so let’s get going:

First, Karen Walter finished the Fair-Isle hat model for the class that starts in a week or so.  Here are two shots of it, one almost finished and one completed with all the cute (and optional) trims.  We have one more space to fill, so if you’re interested give me a call as soon as you can.

Karen also finished this adorable shawl for her daughter Alex from one skein of Kureyon Sock - she says Alex just loves it, and who wouldn’t? (Sorry for the bleached-out picture, just don’t have the energy to Photoshop much today.)

Melissa Korth bought one of our new Namaste binders in a really great lime color:

and let me take a picture of it filled with all her accessories - isn’t it cool?

such a great way to get organized.

Suzy Crump made this “bump sweater” for her daughter-in-law in LA who is expecting.  She wore it on an unexpectedly cool morning in Northern California.  The ties at the sides let out to allow for expansion:

She looks so adorable!

Jeannie Edfort strolled in looking very chic in her Edie’s Wrap, made from beautifully soft and warm Highlander:

Lynne Nagle crocheted this fun chunky neckwrap from Brand X, but is planning to make it in lovely soft Blizzard alpaca blend next.

I don’t know if the buttons are vintage, but they look like it and really add to the piece.

Lynda Slovitsky made these funky mitts from K1C2’s Ty-Dy Sock. a really soft superwash wool and nylon blend that stripes the same way their Ty-Dy cotton does - very cute, and I really love this colorway.

Nancy Baker made this beautiful wrap (and took this lovely picture - remember the sun?) for a friend of hers who now lives in California.  The wrap is based on our Scribble Lace Scarf pattern (free with purchase at the shop) but she made it wider and longer - such a wonderful gift:

I finished a pair of socks in Handmaiden’s Casbah last week - it was a breeze because the yarn is just too yummy for words and knits on a size larger needle than I normally use.  I really couldn’t put the socks down, it was such a pleasure to work on them.  If you want to try this luscious yarn (merino, cashmere, nylon), for socks or for a scarf (or make an afghan, what do I care??!!), come by soon because we finally put it out this weekend and sold half of it in two days - still very beautiful colors left.

And today I’ll be starting an Adult Surprise Jacket in Noro’s new Yuzen, cannot wait to see how these gorgeous colors play out in this design:

And the highlight of my week was when my cousins from Western Pa and NY stopped by the shop on Friday on their way to visit other relatives.  Rita (seated) is my only relative who’s as crazy about knitting as I am, and we had a blast rummaging through the shop - she left with some wonderful goodies for socks, and some lovely Silk Garden for heaven only knows what.  Mary (red hair) and Anita are her sisters - we seldom get to see each other now that I have the shop so it was really fun to see them.  And I have to thank Janet K for holding down the (very busy) shop while the four of us hugged and yakked and I totally ignored our customers…I hope no one felt abandoned.

So, thanks again for making another great week at the shop - now I’m going to go curl up with my Addis and my Yuzen and maybe some hot soup and enjoy my cold and the excuse to do nothing else today. (I hope I don’t read over this tomorrow and find that my mind was too fuzzy to make sense…)

See you soon!

Trish

It’s cold - I don’t want to write, I just want to knit.  I’m at a point where I could start a new project but don’t want to commit to anything in particular.  (I’m glad to say you all don’t seem to feel that way, the store has been busy and, again, thank you, I appreciate it so much!)  I could do a couple small things - I’m sort of in the mood for mittens and Classic Elite sent out a cute pattern in their newsletter last week.  But here’s my real problem - I want to make an afghan, a really complex and time-consuming afghan, and I’m afraid I’ll get in the middle of it and won’t have the oomph to finish it.  I’ll get distracted by some wonderful pattern and then another, then another, and the afghan will take ten years.  And I’ll need one more ball, and the yarn will have been discontinued six years ago, and the pattern will have been eaten by a dog, and….well, now I can sympathize with the folks who really have very little time to knit and hesitate to start a sweater because they’re afraid they’ll never get it done.

Meanwhile, I’ve finished a couple small projects while I try to decide what to do.  I’ve been working on a couple things that will make good guy presents.  The first, a simple mistake-rib scarf with a few stripes in a nice cashmere blend yarn called “Hombre” - comes in subdued colors very suitable for men.  If stripes are just too wild for your guy, do it in a solid.  You probably won’t die of boredom, but I can’t guarantee it.

And these socks in, again, a subdued charcoal gray accented by gray and the darkest red and navy you’ve ever seen, could be acceptable to your conservative fella.  They’re knit in Jawoll Aktion, new colors every month, and every one of them have been dark this season - I like them quite a bit, and they’re practical, too.

My next sock is going to be in Casbah in a crazy colorway - enough with conservative colors.  But then I’m going to make a pair in Heritage Paint from Cascade - this yarn is incredibly smooth to the touch and look at the pretty - er, I mean masculine - colors:

Now, one more thing before I go knit something.  I’ve just begun to carry Namaste Bags.  They are really, really nice bags at a very nice price.  Most of my first shipment went to the staff, but I have some more coming this week.   Here’s the thing - the price is going up as of November 1, but everything in stock and everything I order through October is at the old price.  I can order Lagunas, Malibus, and Newports at $59.  After November 1, they’ll be $69.  If you can come in and take a look in the next few days (or check out the website and give us a call) you’ll get a great bargain.  I’m happy to order for you, but you’ll need to pay up front - sorry.

Okay, I’m out for the week.  Don’t forget to scroll down and look at the projects that are posted below!

See you soon…

Trish

Carol’s Sock Collection, originally uploaded by yarngal628.

Carol Sullivan learned how to make socks this past summer and has made
several pair so far. The two completed pairs are to be gifts, and the
pretty pink single, whose mate is in progress, is for her. I don’t
blame her, I’d keep the pink too.

Janet’s Pretty Autumn Scarf, originally uploaded by yarngal628.

Janet K made this pretty scarf from an alien yarn (who could resist
these colors, and she was on vacation for Pete’s sake!). Just the thing
to wear now. She went to the sheep and wool show at Rheinbeck NY this
past weekend - we’ll see how tempted she was!