Yarn Gallery Blog

It’s been a great two days off, despite the fact that Geordie had an operation Monday a.m. He has a shaven hind end and a little soreness, but as long as he’s with his pack (Jackson, me, and you all), he’s good! I was pretty confined to the house once he was home, so I’ve spent a lot of time on the computer - it’s too hot to clean, right? Please validate my laziness! - and have been roaming around fashion sites, looking at what’s coming for fall.

You would never know it to look at the way I dress, but I love fashion and love reading about trends. In a small way, knitters are designers. Even when we’re beginners and feel we must follow a pattern religiously, we choose different colors, substitute yarns, add or subtract an inch or so from sleeves. And when we’re more accomplished, we casually change rolled edges to ribbing and back again, add a little waist shaping, raise or lower a neckline, so yes, this is design! And you can design exactly what you want to wear once you:

1) Get the concept of gauge

2) Learn the basics of shaping

3) Realize that you are creating fabric in the shape of a finished garment (instead of cutting a garment out of a rectangular piece of cloth), and

4) Come to terms with your true body measurements.

So, as designers, we want to know what’s going on in the world of fashion. Looking around today, I saw lots of huge pieces covered in cables, often worn with (sob) leggings or very skinny pants - sometimes in plaid - wow! There are also some very tailored small-scale jackets worn with wide-legged pants, a silhouette that comes very naturally to my own pear shape. I saw many, many, many belted sweaters. The belts are wide and contrasting and should be forbidden to anyone who is 5 feet tall, but you tall folks will love the look. Except this one, from this fall’s Knitscene.

This skinny little model looks like a hoss in it, doesn’t she?

But I love this look from the Knitscene cover - a wide and fluffy scarf piled around neck and shoulders.

I’m making it in a new yarn from the Fibre Company called Canopy: Baby alpaca, merino wool and bamboo. It’s just lovely and luxe. I’m cutting the width of the scarf by a full third and it will still be quite a scarf:

This look was on the runway and you’ll also see it in the fall Vogue Knitting. I think big gorgeous scarves are going to be a real statement item this fall and winter.

I’m making progress on the brother-in-law socks, mostly because I know there is some wonderful sock yarn coming in shortly and I want to have my needles free to start something at once! Gosh, I went through the list of new yarns coming in during the next three months, (have to make price signs and updat the lists, etc.) and I got all excited all over again. I’m making no progress on the Till Tomas shawl because I got enthralled with the Canopy scarf. And I’m burnt out on sweaters and need to just do faster things for a week or two. So, no project pictures. But I still have something wonderful to show you:

This is beautiful Alise Katharine Nierle at just a few days old. Look at that direct gaze - I didn’t think babies could even focus at that age, but I would swear she’s saying, “Look at how cute I am in this outfit, people!” The hat and sweater were of course made by mom Trish, and thanks so much to Trish and John for sending me pictures in the middle of getting Alise settled at home. I’ll meet her in a day or two, I hope, and maybe she’ll make a visit to the yarn shop in the near future.

So, speaking of the shop, we’re re-organizing the patterns, which has totally dominoed into reorganizing the whole front room, so excuse us while we get our act together. And we’ll be meeting soon to get the fall class schedule started. I want to do a series on Fair Isle, now that we’ve got some wonderful Shetland yarn coming in. And I want to do a series on mitered knitting, with at least two fun projects already in mind - oh and that reminds me, don’t forget our Mitered Market Bag class - there are still spaces available. It starts August 2, and it’s just a terrific and beautiful bag.

Aren’t you starting to want a really cool market bag to carry into stores when you’re just getting a couple things? I’m to the point of feeling stupid for not having one, but not yet to the point of remembering to carry one with me! I’ll get there, though.

So, those are some of my ideas, but I really want to hear yours. Send your comments, please - what do you want to learn, what would you love to make???

See you soon…

Trish

Two announcements before I get going on the topic (it’s funny having to think up a title for each post - the first thing I think of is always Yada, yada, yada):

First, for those of you who have been in classes and knitalongs with Trish Nierle, I’m sure you’d like to know that she and John are now proud parents of Alise Katharine, born on July 11, 8 lb, 11 oz. Grandma Patsy Gibney brought in pictures. Alise is beautiful, and I hope that they’ll post a photo to our gallery when they get a minute. I know she has some beautiful handknits to wear!

AND there is a mistake on the class schedule from long ago (I know there will always be a mistake, but sometimes it takes a while to surface.) The Seams Sew Easy class on Thursday, July 31 is at 6 - 7:30 pm, NOT 10 - 11:30 am. Were you wondering why we scheduled it for such a dopey time? If the schedule was keeping you from signing up, I hope you’ll be able to make the evening class. Sheesh. There is also a space or two left in our Omega Wrap class that starts this Thursday.

Now on to the topic:

A little story on NPR caught my attention a day or so ago. The subject was something called the Maker Movement, and it concentrated on people who were using old MP3 devices together with new software to make something useful out of something obsolete. At the very end, though, the story tied this rather techie angle together with the resurgence in crafts of all kinds, including knitting, sewing, cooking, and other things we are all doing to take matters into our own hands. It seems that there is a growing realization that we’ve given over control of many aspects of our lives to great big far-away corporate entities that really do not care whether we’re healthy, happy, or financially secure as long as we’re spending our (or anyone’s) money on their products. It’s been an easy, lazy way to live, but we’re getting the message in so many ways that we really must watch out for our own interests and the interests of our communities, and that the choices we make in how and where to live and shop can have a profound effect on our own health and the health of our neighborhoods. So, how can knitting be relevant in our daily lives, besides being a pleasant, wardrobe-enhancing, stress-relieving pasttime? Here’s one idea:

There’s a lot of worry out there about the price of heating our homes this winter and all the winters to come. Many of us will be lowering our thermostats, and handknits can make a big difference in how comfortable we’ll be in our colder homes. Think: afghans for cozying up with a good book, watching TV or doing homework, lovely warm handknit socks to insulate our feet from our hardwood floors, a light but warm ruana to throw on while we’re working around the house, and those wonderful warm sweaters we love to get into on cold mornings. Leg warmers, neck gaiters, and fingerless mitts are also good inside pieces when the house is chilly. All these things are non-binding and lightweight if made in natural fibers and therefore don’t need to be bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable to keep someone warm. And the best thing about handknits (at least the best thing for non-knitters - we all know that the best thing is the actual knitting) is that, properly cared-for, they will last a lifetime. A gallon of heating oil is gone in a few minutes - a good wool sweater will warm you for many, many winters.

I know you really don’t want to hear about this when it’s 85 degrees, sunny and beautiful outside, but let’s face it - handknits take time. Think about your own wardrobe, think about your kids, grandkids, even your parents and what they could use this winter and start planning. I just made Jackson and Geordie’s next grooming appointment - it’s in September, just 7 weeks away!!

I’m trying to think ahead. I’ve started a pair of socks for my brother-in-law although very little progress is being made, I’m afraid. I’m making pretty pink cashmere mitten liners for my niece, the Manhattanite. I made her a pair of sturdy black (of course) wool Subway mittens (with a pocket for her subway card so she can just wave it at the gate) and now I’m doing liners for those extra-cold New York days, and since they won’t show, they can be in a fun and girly color. One is done:

The shawl I mentioned last week blocked out beautifully - here is Karen modeling it. It’s the “Highland Triangle Shawl” from Folk Shawls in a Cascade yarn called Venezia Worsted, a lovely smooth silk and wool blend.

And I told you about the Tilli Tomas yarn I ordered to start the Heartstrings shawl. It arrived and I chose the red colorway to make the model in (there is an off-white and a platinum set of yarns, too - both very pretty). This is how far I’ve gotten on the border, which in this design is made first, then the body of the shawl is joined to it as you knit from the point up. The yarn is a lovely silk, with a strand of tiny beads plied with it. Not fast knitting, for sure, but fun and interesting.

Okay, enough about me! Here are a couple of great projects completed beautifully.

First, Rochelle Mann designed and knit this pretty summer cardigan. The yarn was tiny, slippery, and splitty, but the color was so pretty and just what she wanted, so she struggled through, ripping when necessary (and it’s always necessary when you’re designing on the fly.) The lace and cable design, the open neckline, close fit and bracelet-length sleeve were all part of her plan. She’s delighted with the result and agreed to model it for us even though she wasn’t dressed for it:

Sheila Yarus knit this beautiful sweater for her lucky husband. The design is a classic from an old Rowan collection; the yarn is Claudia Handpaint’s Sportweight Merino.

(Yoke detail)

Lovely! Now, don’t forget you can post your own pictures to our customer gallery just like Joy Janotti did. You’re allowed to show off a little - we all enjoy seeing what others are knitting.

Okay, I think that’s it for this week. See you soon!

Trish