New Reading plus Quilt Inspiration

An update for Madeleinetosh fans: UPS says the next shipment is on its way! It's the Vintage -- a slightly heavier gauge in the same stunning colorways. Can't wait!!
We've also had a lot of folks asking about the new Interweave Holiday Knits magazine, and they've arrived! Truly a huge issue packed with great gift ideas. We have just 15 issues at the moment, so come & get 'em while they last.

Interweave Holiday Knits: $14.99

We're always getting new books, and this week we've acquired some real interesting reading. There's "Knitted Wild Animals" with simple but adorable projects, "Colorwork Creations," which has the best bird motifs I've ever seen, plus a cute new Christmas Stocking Book:

Unusual Stockings

And here's Debbie Stoller's new edition:

New techniques for StitchNBitch fans

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to San Jose for the International Quilt Show, and although I don't quilt, I'm always looking for color and design inspiration. There was plenty of that!! A couple of examples:

Interesting design idea

Awesome color combo!

Tomorrow, if I can remember to recharge my camera!, a couple of shots of some of the incredible assortment of new buttons and shawl pins from Creative Designs! These are the carved buttons and shell shawl pins everyone loves, including a new double-flower shawl pin, and some new mermaid buttons!

Updates

Well it's been a few days now since our last post. With the rainy weather, things got busy!! Which is a good thing.
Koryn & I both finally finished our last big shop models before starting our own personal Christmas knitting. A couple of really stunning sweaters, now on display either here at the shop or upon Koryn!

Yarn: Louisa Harding Willow Tweed

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Andes

As for new stuff, besides the new automatic ball winder that's making us unbelievably happy every day, we have a couple of new colors of Noro King (what an interesting yarn, too bad nobody's buying it, haha)

A super interesting yarn! Really!

and some fun new gadgets (new to us that is) from Nancy's Knitknacks, including some work-in-progress holders, and some useful cards of information for things like the kitchener stitch or decreasing or whatever.

New gadgets! Always welcome

Oh, and here's a really cute gauntlet I made, using Colinette Jitterbug, some Heather Bloom stretchy handspun at the bottom, and the pattern is from Sally Melville's Purl Stitch. I'd forgotten how useful that book is! Some great basics in there.

Elbow-length gauntlet, very elegant dontchaknow

Well okay so I can't entirely give up knitting for the shop, especially when I think there's a yarn everyone else should love as much as I do. Here's a zip-cardi from Alfa, a fantastic machine-wash bulky wool/mohair blend, and it doesn't look like much now but wait until you see what I do with the yoke! (Haha, that's a "yoke" because I don't know yet myself! But it'll be great!)

Yarn: Sandesgarn Alfa

Finally, forget the Nov. 1 appearance by the Kollage Yarns gal. My fault, not hers, I had to cancel. Next time she's in town we'll have an event!
More later!

New Yarns & Fleece Fun with Al!

The second-to-the-last new fall yarns arrived a few days ago, and they're the artsy-fartsy ones! Which we immediately fell upon and knit up into a couple of trendy, practical and easy cowls!

Cute cowl but who's ugly neck is that?

They're both from an Italian yarn maker, Lana Gatto, imported by Plymouth Yarns. They're construction is super-interesting. In fact, I really wonder what kind of machinery is used to manufacture these two!
Here's Opale, which looks like it was made on a teensy hairpin lace tool. One continuous strand snaking between to edges.

Opale, an interesting ladder construction

I made the cowl on size US 15 needles using a simple drop stitch and one ball. At eight bucks a ball, this is an awesome last-minute gift idea!
And then Koryn made this cute cowl from 2 balls of Ambra, which is like a skinny little net with yarn inside, and then a lump like a small cocoon every once in a while. Sounds icky but it works as an art yarn!

Ambra, and this cowl has a twist, so cool

Both of these yarns are neutral color only (so European dontcha think) but they'd also make great collars, cuffs, or edges on legwarmers or fingerless gloves!
Come check 'em out!
And today, Al Wolterbeek showed up! With his wife Teddy! We love seeing them each year, but we love seeing their shetland/icelandic sheep fleeces even more!

Just a few of Al's fleeces

And this year, Al brought a bunch of fleeces from lambs! Oh so soft! And you cannot get a better deal! Each whole fleece was under $25!

OK so we bought a bunch of them. Couldn't help ourselves.

I'll keep you informed about how these are washing up (and combing and carding) as I do them. Updates coming soon! I'm so excited!

P.S. Our Feed your Creativity gal, Erica from Kollage, will be coming on Nov. 1 for a really fun evening event! Anyone have an idea for a fun theme? We're still in the planning stages, but there isn't much time left!

Spinning Group Fun

I just wanted to fill you in on my very favorite fiber group, called Anne's Web. Technically it's not a guild, because although there is a small annual fee, there's no structure or tax status or anything, so they call it a "web" and I try to call it a "group."
In any case, some of the reasons I love this group so much that I actually schedule rare weekend days off to attend, are:
1) it's in a beautiful rural setting off River Road as you head toward Salinas:

The Grange

Looking across the road from the Grange

2) The building, called the Grange, is really quaint and pretty with stained glass windows high up,

Stained glass Grange logo

Isn't this one pretty?

3) The spinners are oh-so-friendly and willing to share info and teach each other stuff and just chat without politics or religion or gossip,

This is fun

Genuine smiles all around

and 4) not pictured because I get, uh, food-obsessed and forget, a GREAT pot luck lunch Every Time!
So if you're itching for any of these relaxing and inviting elements in your life, and you spin even a little or are interested, we meet on the second Saturday from 10AM to about 2PM (lunch at noon) at the Buena Vista Grange in Salinas, 518 River Road, about 5 miles from Hwy. 68.
Somehow the website isn't coming up for me but if you need more details our main gal right now is Gerry at gwade0259@aol.com.

All-new Manos yarns

Wowie, the latest Manos del Uruguay yarns are just stunning! Plus, they've gone through the rigorous certification process and now officially have World Fair Trade status! That is a big deal!!
The new 100% merino yarn is much softer than the classic. Plus it's a little thinner at 217 yards. And the colors! Plus it's priced competitively at $11.50 a skein. I know some of you out there are die-hard Malabrigo fans, but you really should open your minds and hearts to this very similar yarn! It's incredible.

Manos del Uruguay "Maxima"

The other new entry is a ridiculously gorgeous lace weight! It's also merino, with some silk and cashmere thrown in, and again, exceptional colorways.

Manos laceweight

Come see both these yarns,plus a really unique pair of yarns from Italy, of which we will show you pictures, tomorrow!

More on Big Sur Betty's

First off, we promised the saga of Jasper and Louie.
Several knitters brought their dogs along, and Betty has 3:
Dale, Vic,and a her new teensy 6-pound rescue, Jasper.
Campers brought Tomo, some kinda little white dog, and Louie, a big black lab. A typical lab in every way: Super friendly. Major people-pleaser. A good swimmer, too, it turns out.
Well, little Jasper the chihuahua fell in love with Louie at first sight! He kept all the other dogs away from his true love, with barking and growling, and then stayed right under Louie's back legs, doing his best to lick Louie's wellyouknow and he just stayed right under Louie the whole time! Even on day 2 when Betty had put Jasper into this Liberace coat with a big fluffy collar! Louie was of course annoyed, but in a lab way, which is to say annoyed but accepting. It was the knitting gals who got most annoyed! By day two they were yelling at Jasper! "Stop it!" "Quit lickingandhumping!!" Nothing helped. Now that it's over, apparently Jasper is still a little depressed, but we all think Louie is as relieved as any guy who's finally gotten away from this needy, clingy one-night stand.

Louie & Jasper, a rare side-by-side moment

Liberace Jasper pursues poor Louie

No humping before breakfast! Oh and there's Tomo.

And the weekend's Prize for Most Heartwarming: Two of the event-goers were Mother and Daughter! Isn't that nice? Esther and Tyler (pictured with knitters in jammies, plus Vic):

and Katie & Kim (Katie was our intern last summer -- she's awesome)

Now, on to some of the fantastic info that got traded around during the weekend. Some super-interesting websites:

From Mary Pat & Nancy: check the website and/or ravelry group called http://woollythoughts.com/ for really cool, mathematically-based designs. I mean, even the home page has mind-boggling knitting on it!

The "easy-peasy nupps" that Kathy so kindly shared with us can be found on this very good youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSIzYLbasHY This is a fantastic video from the Crazy Lace author!

And 2 of our campers, Kathleen and Tania, work at a super-great bead store (actually there are 2 stores) in the bay area and here's that website: http://baublesandbeads.com/store/  Their stores are in Berkeley and San Rafael (I think our gals are in Berkeley) so go visit them sometime!!

And finally, a great site from Japan that Ann had used to print out her knitter's graph paper (any size & dimension) and which has a poetry section with her favorite knitting Haiku: "I hate all these fifteen rows over my mistake" (great one, huh?) here's that site: http://www.tata-tatao.to/e-index.html and it also has a pretty god description of how to read Japanese knitting patterns (although we can help you at Monarch with that, too -- we're into Japanese knitting patterns!)

Tomorrow: Awesome new yarns from Fair Trade Certified, Manos del Uruguay; plus, the new Feed Your Creativity kits arrive!!!!

Awesome Fun at Big Sur Betty's

Oh my gosh! What a fantastic weekend we had, camping at Big Sur Betty's! About 2 dozen happy, relaxed knitters came to her campground near the Los Padres National Forest.

The brown dot is Betty's place

We all arrived on Saturday and set up our tents,

Kathy, Tina & Jana had a MacMansion Tent

and then were pleasantly surprised at all the amenities right there: an super-clean outhouse with a flush toilet and a sink right next to it with running water; a little cookhouse with a stove; a fantastic swimming lake which was clean and cool; a nice fire pit;

Firepit, covered table, and screenhouse behind

two super-large screenhouses with carpets in which to knit relatively bug-free; and the best part of all, Betty herself, who is so darn nice and provided a superb dinner (with killer apple crisp dessert) and breakfast.

Betty & her breakfast spread

We are planning more of these retreats, and from now on they'll be 2 nights instead of 1, since it is a bit of an effort to drive there, and the final leg into Betty's is really REALLY rough, and setting up camp is time consuming -- so 2 days is best. We will plan for next May and October for sure -- specific dates coming soon.
Personally, I really appreciated all these gals taking a chance on the very first retreat, and I also really loved getting some Bay Area women down here to mix it up with the locals a bit.

Night knitting & socializing

I loved every minute of this event, and hope many more of you can join us on the next one. My heartfelt thanks to Betty, such a kind and generous hostess. Each of these will just get better and better!
In the coming days, we'll explore some of the awesome websites and other interesting ideas that came up last weekend. Plus: the Louie & Jasper saga.

On the Needles

Well, our blogging has fallen off a teensy bit, while we prepare for the Big Sur Betty Retreat this weekend! Boy is that gonna be fun! And here are 2 reasons to be there: a great goodie bag (great-y bag?) and a telescope to watch Neptune and Jupiter rise together on Saturday night! Cosmically awesome!! Awesomely cosmic!
We just hope there's AM radio reception up there, because a few of us are serious Giants fans!
Now here's today's topic: On the Needles.

Koryn's current project

Koryn is working on her Andes sweater -- this is Debbie Bliss' new yarn for this season -- get this for sublime content: baby alpaca and mulberry silk -- the ultimate in luxury fibers! Koryn's about finished with front, back, and short sleeves, and now comes the fun part: a cabled yoke worked sideways and sewn on. It's gonna be fabooooo!!!!!

Joan's current project

Joan is just finishing a lace 'n' bobble piece of frou-frou out of Louisa Harding's new yarn, called Willow Tweed. The picture doesn't really capture its total glory. This is an alpaca, merino & silk blend in great colors (well it's Louisa, so it's "colours") with a white tweedy fleck (the silk I'm sure). We thought it seemed awfully thin for a DK, but nope, it's a perfect 5.5/inch on a 6. This has been loads of fun to knit. It will fit, and look superb upon, Koryn.

The only thing weird about this pattern is that the sleeves go straight up -- no tapering. Koryn doesn't think it looks too bad, but I just wonder why Louisa chose to do this. It bugged me. But not enough to re-design the thing, uh-uh. After these 2 shop models, we get to take a break to do our own personal Christmas knitting, so you will not catch us unknitting any of them, nowaynohow.
All for now, next update: Pix from Betty's! Oh boy oh boy oh boy.