Yarn Gallery Blog

We got socked, didn’t we?  It was really just lovely to wake up to a world in white and know that I didn’t have to go anywhere.  I hope all of you who have to get to work, no matter what, made it safely, and thanks for being there for all of us.  The only thing I did all day was shovel, nap, and knit.  It was very nice.  My sister lives in Baltimore and sent me updates from time to time on Saturday.  At 1 pm we were clear but it was still coming down at her place:

That little gate you see is taller than my head.  I bet her dogs are still peeing on the deck!

The second wave that we’re supposed to get this week may not seem just so very special!  I have yet to dig out my driveway, because I can walk to work, but I think I’d better make the effort today and run all those errands that I’m tempted to put off. But first! Here are some fabu projects to inspire your snow-day knitting:

Loretta Hollenbach made it to class on Sunday all the way from the wilds of Womelsdorf and modeled her beautiful gansey:

and Sarabel Conn also sent a photo of herself in her completed gansey:

I should have a page just for these wonderful sweaters – they have all turned out so well, thanks to some very good knitting, persistence, and Donna’s Guthrie’s inspirational and supportive class.

Nancy Rambo had a back operation and came in beforehand to make sure she had some knitting to do while she was recuperating.  These two pretty baby blankets are the results, and I hope everything else went as well as her knitting.

Nancy used JelliBeenz for the top blanket and Encore for the lower. Both are from Plymouth’s 8-Hour Baby Blankets booklet, our most popular booklet, and you can see why it’s so popular.

Karen Shearer used a self-striping Encore for the child’s sweater above.  It’s from a pattern by Cabin Fever and we were all enchanted by the way the stripes worked out.  The pattern is fun to make – garter stitch, all one piece, no sewing to do!  There’s an adult version that I would love to make – it’s on my list for fall.

Debbie Andrews made our Scribble Lace Scarf and had enough yarn left over to make this adorable tam to match.  She looks great in the set and finished them just in time for all this wintery weather.

Some additions to our class schedule:  Donna Guthrie is starting a new group for the Great North American Afghan soon – if you’re interested, email me or call me at the shop 610-373-1622.  Janet will be doing a second session of the February Lady Sweater and the Beginner Cabled Scarf.  Again get in touch if you’re interested.  You can check out the projects on our Classes Page on the website.

Well, I probably won’t see you Wednesday but I hope to see you soon!!

Trish

I love the change of seasons for many reasons and one of them is that it brings new fashions and colors to our notice.  I don’t rush out and buy stuff, of course, but I do love to see what the designers have thought up and see what the trends are.  As far as I can tell, the trends this season are for muted ombre colors and bright tone-on-tone prints, lots of ruffles and gathers and ties and other embellishments, loose plain jackets, and the safari look, which raises its pocket-y, lapel-y, belt-y head every few years. ( I ignore it because I look like Elmer Fudd on his wabbit-hunting trek. Don’t need all those extra things hanging on my clothes.)

I have to say, Berroco is right on top of these trends.  They’ve added an ombre line to their wonderful yarn Seduce and Norah Gaughan’s new collection is full of pleats, gathers, ruffles, and embellishments.  I can’t decide which to do for the shop, but I loved this the minute I saw it:

Lots of knitting but I think it may be worth it.

Karen Wenrich is knitting this gorgeous tank for the shop in black Bonsai:

This is the subtle pleat at the center of the eyelet detail.  Love it!

Bonsai and Seduce colors as well as the new Norah collection are at the shop already.  This was one thing I couldn’t wait for!

More about new yarns as time goes on.  Meanwhile, many of you are finishing up wonderful winter projects as you can see below.

Jettie Hunt and Kim Walker both finished their ganseys from the class that ended just before Christmas.  Jettie’s husband Michael is modeling his:

The sweater is not hot pink, it’s a gorgeous rich burgundy but I couldn’t get the photo to look like that.  So, I’m sorry, Michael, you’re not only headless but also extremely colorful!

Kim Walker knit her gansey in a beautiful dark green tweed, which  looks gray but gorgeous nonetheless in this photo.  It’s absolutely lovely.

The gansey was quite a project, with a huge commitment of time involved.  Congratulations to all who have finished theirs, and for those who are still working on it, keep going.  It’s definitely worth it!

Last week I showed you the Abstract Leaves Vest that Karen Walter is making and teaching.  It had three steeks (extra stitches added that allow you to continue to work Fair Isle in the round even after the garment has reached the armhole and neck openings).  This picture shows the neck finished and one armhole being worked on, while the third steek is still intact.

And here is the finished vest!

It really is a beautiful piece, and the yarn (Nature Spun Sport) makes a crisp design with a very soft hand.  Wonderful!

Lynne Nagle brought in this fabulous wrap that she crocheted.  It’s done in a self-striping yarn, with a beautiful swirling motif.

The pattern is called the Infinity Wrap and is available for download from Interweave Press’s store.  I hate to promote expensive downloaded patterns on this blog, but if the magazine is unavailable, at least it’s a good thing if the pattern can be still be purchased.

Jennifer Gensemer brought in this pretty cabled “snood” (which is not a snood but a neck wrap that can also be worn over the head as a hood.  A snood is an old fashioned hair net popular with Victorians.)  (Okay, I’ll try to quit the quibbling.) Jennifer did a beautiful job on it, working it in black Baby Alpaca Grande.  Margie Jozwiak was in the store and volunteered to model it for us.  Aren’t they both gorgeous?

Jennifer bought the pattern on the internet (Ravelry, I believe).  You can find it by googling “Snooty Snood.”

And here is this week’s Belle of the Blog.  Annie Harlin is a well-known artist and has worked in many media.  She’s retired, she says, but how do you retire from art?  By pleasing yourself and not potential customers, I guess, and look at the wonderful hooded cape she made from – oh, my gosh, I can’t even estimate the number of different yarns she used!  The braided fringing alone must have taken hours.  How wonderful to have this kind of vision, yes?

That’s it!  See you soon…

Trish

I’m in the midst of 4 projects right now, 3 of which I started to avoid working on the 4th.  I wish I wouldn’t get myself into these situations because nothing turns out right until I just go back to the project I hate, loathe, and despise and either get it done or rip it out (or throw it out depending on how much money/time/yarn has been invested.)  And I should have known better about this project.  It’s Chris Bylsma’s 24/7 Jacket,

which I heart and have coveted since I first saw it at TNNA two years ago. The problemo, as I see it, is that the whole jacket is seed stitch which I hate, loathe, and despise when I have to do it in large amounts, but which I also love the look of when it’s done.  So, I finally started the jacket, using an expensive combination of yarns (Cambio from Zitron and Lace Merino from Ella Rae, held together to make a really neat fabric).  I have everything done (after a lot of moaning and groaning and rather juvenile temper tantrums) except one sleeve.  To avoid finishing that sleeve, I have an adorable cover-up thingy going in Debbie Bliss’s Como, a lace shawl in Mountain Color’s Winter Lace, and a wrap in Classic Elite’s Wool Bamboo.  The chair I knit in at home is almost invisible behind all the yarn, needles, and pattern books piled up around it.  I gotta finish something – another wave of new yarns is due in early August and I’ll be wanting to start something with those.  I may need an intervention, folks!

I hope you got your email from me about the sock yarn sale starting tomorrow through August 7.  I need to make way for new stuff so I hope you’ll take advantage of the good deals.  We’ll help you use it up, because I hope to have a sock of the month class beginning this fall.  And yes, I’m taking one more weekend off, so we’ll be closed August 8 -11.

Here is a pretty lace scarf knit by Chris Urban, a fairly new knitter who is totally in love with lace.  Isn’t this lovely?  She knit it in a soft DK cotton.

Donna Guthrie whipped up this beautiful little Ridged Lace Cowl to entice her afghan class.   We have the yarn (Elsebeth Lavold’s Angora, discontinued) in the sale closet for 25% off.  Donna used only 2 skeins, which made a very cozy neckwarmer.  The yarn blooms as you knit it and becomes very soft and fuzzy.

Here’s a link to the free pattern. Donna very kindly did a step by step worksheet which she left with me to give you if you come in for the yarn.

And here is the masterpiece of the week and probably the month.  Barb Werner is expecting her first granddaughter soon and made this gorgeous baby blanket from Debbie Bliss’s Rialto 4-ply extra-fine merino.  The knitting is expert, the yarn is luxurious (yet practical), and she lined it with satin, and tied it to the knitting with little pieces of yarn to prevent bunching.  There is just pure satin-y smooth yumminess everywhere you touch on this beautiful heirloom.

Wow!  And don’t miss David’s simple tank top in Bonsai colors, posted below.  Isn’t it pretty – the yarn has a beautiful surface to it so the shape can be clean and simple.  ‘Kay, gotta go get ready for the sale.  See you soon…

Trish

Even though it’s totally frigid today, I’ve got the spring-cleaning bug.  You all have got the spring-knitting bug, because we’ve been getting a lot of questions about spring yarns.  These two inspirations have combined into my wanting a permanent place for our lighter weight fibers in the shop.  Currently we put all the cottons and blends away for the winter, and then have to root through the piles of bags, interrupting classes and so on, when someone wants to look at “summer” yarns.  So, I’m going to replace the novelties, which are in the upstairs front room, with the cottons.  That part is fairly easy.  Finding a place for novelties won’t be so easy and they won’t be available until we do.  Most of you won’t miss them!  Anyway, that will all be happening this week because most of my spring yarns will be shipping in the next two weeks and, as usual, I have no room for them.  And as usual, I just can’t wait for the new stuff to get here.

Here’s one new model that’s finished.  It’s from the current Debbie Bliss Magazine, and was quite fun to do. You start by making the back and both fronts to the armholes, then cast on for the sleeves, combine everything on one needle and finish in one piece.  I knitted it from Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton, because I wanted a really bright color. I didn’t change anything except to add a border of single-crochet to the front edges to reduce curl. (With forethought you could just add 2 or 3 extra stitches and work them in garter.)  You can use any DK weight yarn.  I didn’t buy Prima, which is what all these designs in DB#2 are purportedly knitted from.  I didn’t like it, it’s slinky yet hairy and I can’t imagine it being comfortable to wear in any season.  And very few of these designs were originally knitted in it – most were in Cathay which has been discontinued.  In other words, don’t be afraid to substitute yarns!  If you’re not sure, do a swatch or get some advice.

The shop has been full of people working on projects and I have lots of wonderful pictures to show you this week, so let’s get going:

Mary Ann Posey brought in this delight:

It’s a beautiful lace scarf knit from qiviut, a rare and precious fiber from the muskox.  It’s lighter than a feather, softer than cashmere, and warmer than down.  Mary Ann’s daughter bought the yarn in Alaska and knit the scarf as a present for her father.

Margie Leisawitz knit this sweater using intarsia to add color to the cable panel that runs up the front and down the back.  A perfect skating sweater!

Donna Howard is taking the Great American Aran Afghan classes and brought in her partially-done afghan.  It was the first time I’d seen any of the blocks put together and just had to have a photo even though it isn’t finished yet.  She has, I think, 8 more blocks to go; every single one is a work of art.

And she also brought in a version of the Lady Eleanor Entrelac scarf, done in a bright colorway of Ty-Dy Sock: Can’t wait to get in the new colors of it, and the new colors of regular cotton worsted-weight Ty-Dy.  Speaking of which, check out David Ritz’s latest posting below this one – he’s knitting like a fanatic, as usual, and I really like the design, don’t you?  Looks like it would be fun.

It was tough getting a photo of this cute baby sweater that Sandy Albert just finished (her 6th version of this design!)  You can see how crowded the table was that day  – so many people trying to finish up their projects, we had overflow into the back room.  I love it when the shop is buzzing like that!

I finished a baby sweater too. This is from a Cabin Fever design, very clever one-piece construction that just flowed from the needles.  I did it in Hopscotch, a thick and thin superwash wool, soft and practical too. And Susie Crump finished her Sitka sweater and I had to show you how very special it is.  Now, if I had to bet, I would bet that this little grandson of hers is going to have this sweater for the rest of his life.  Where else is he ever going to find something with his name on it, and that displays the tree he was named for? 

And Lynne Nagle and I sat down to talk about crochet classes and she’s got some good ideas about projects for beginning classes.  We don’t have a schedule yet but we’re getting there.  She brought in this beautiful lace collar that she made from Frog Tree alpaca:

Isn’t it gorgeous?  That lace!  But don’t be intimidated – I made this pretty scarf from Ruca (hand-dyed sugar cane fiber!) and it’s soft and silky and I’m extremely proud of it, even though it was a simple 2-row pattern done on a pretty big hook.

Great yarn, a little (very little, in my case) skill and some patience, you got yourself a real purty scarf!

Okay, that’s it for this week.  I’m yearning to re-do my 80-year-old bathroom and went looking at fixtures and so on today.  I’m still in sticker shock and need to go lie down.

See you soon.

Trish

The campaigns are all over and I’ve voted and now I’m looking forward to election results coverage tonight.  After so many years of being half-hearted about most candidates and down-right sick about some, this year there were two good people to choose from and either will be less painful to listen to than GWB, so I’m happy.  I hope everyone got a chance to vote – I went at a non-popular time and still had a half-hour wait, so that’s pretty great.

Still kind of foggy-minded from this darn cold.  It’s on its way out, but it’s been a tough week.  I feel kind of stupid complaining, though – one of my best friends just had her first chemo treatment and is starting to feel the effects.  Her prognosis is excellent, but she’s got to get through this course of chemo and she’s going to lose her hair.  She asked would I make her a soft hat.  Shoot, I’ll make her a jillion hats! So that’s what I’m going to do this afternoon, pick out something soft and pretty and start a little hat for her.  I’m going to let you check out the great projects below and I’m going to the shop for some cashmere.

See you soon!