A little Triana lesson and some other stuff

Yaaay! 7 colors to choose from!

Hello knitting pals! Just wanted to let everyone know we finally got in more Katia Triana! We are so happy...we didn't think we would see this fun yarn again for a long time! When it was first released, the company who makes it didn't expect it to be so popular. It sold out nation wide!! If you are not familiar with the Triana its a net kind of yarn that you knit into the mesh and it comes out to be a cool boa scarf  like I'm wearing here.....

cool "net-like" yarn

It is so easy to do. When you spread open the net, you can see that one edge of the net has a thick border, and the other edge has loops like this...

pointing at a "edge loop"

When you go to "cast on" you take your needle tip and poke into the first loop from from front to back

then the next loop from front to back

and the next, and so on until you have 8 stitches on your needle.

Then to knit you poke into the first stitch on the needle as if to knit...

then you grab the net, find the next edge loop...

lay it over your needle tip like this...

then bring it through. Repeat this across the row using the next edge loop to knit each stitch. You can tell which one is next 'cause its not attached to your knitting yet. It helps to spread the net as you knit to see the edge loops.

1 row completed 

This is one row done. Thats basically it...you just keep knitting every row in this manner till you are almost out. Bind off just like you would anything else. I hope that makes some sense. If not come on in I can show you in 5 minutes! Oh, and I didn't mention it only takes 1 ball! At $13.99 what a killer deal for a last minute gift for someone special. It comes with the directions too. Come get some before we run out again!

Here I just wanted to share a cool hat I'm knitting for my sweet husband. Its a new Stephen West pattern we have called Botanic Hat. Its knitted in the round with 2 different yarns that are alternated each row. It also has a very simple slip stitch pattern so ya don't get bored just knitting every row. I used Manos Maxima and Debbie Bliss Fez. Its so soft and squishy! The hat is also reversible! I like the side that has the little slip stitch columns. I'm almost done. Just a few more rows (good thing too 'cause he's been bugging me for it!). If you have a picky man in your life this is a great hat to knit. Believe me, I speak from experience hahaha!

By the way....that Manos Maxima is just fabulous to work with! Look at all these colors too! Im hoarding several skeins at home :) 

Maxima!

Wall 'o Silk Blend

I have also been admiring this long wall of Manos Silk Blend. I just can't ignore it I walk by it like 50 times a day! I've been trying to resist the urge to knit a sweater out of it (partly because I have 5 backs from 5 different sweaters done! yikes! I'm a bad girl) I found a pretty Ysolda Teague scarf pattern that only takes 2 skeins. Its called Scroll Lace Scarf. Isn't it cute! I picked this pretty sapphire blue. I'm gonna cast on as soon as the hubby's hat is done. I'll share when I'm done.

So many projects....so little time! Better get to knitting :)

Rizos,Manos & Me. Oh My. Ha

Well didn't Koryn do just the finest job ever while I was away!! And she reports that no one beat her up. Thenk kew everyone for that.
Now on to bigger & better things: Thanks to Monarch's being a super-special retailer for Knitting Fever (which means we pay our bills) and thanks to KFI's extremely lovable rep Sergey, we NOW HAVE RIZOS!!! Oh yeah. Yeah yeah yeah.
Remember Rizos? It's the easy scarf ribbon where you knit 8 stitches through the top little windows, and you get this in no time!

Well we have more colors than ever before.

You can hardly see the green/blue or the copper/pewter ones

We got some new colors of Manos Silk Blend, too. Come on in and look at our dazzling array.

Update: Koryn finished her darling sweater made of the new Sprout organic cotton from Classic Elite.

The pattern comes from the booklet for that yarn, where there are other great items including a bag I must make.
I've been away at a weaving conference in the Marin headlands.

What a wonderful experience this year. There were about a dozen students, for 5 days. Here's a picture of 2 of my new friends (and weaving newbies) Audrey and Terry:

Plus, we could shop! Dangerous!!

It was a color workshop, so I came back with a color-study cloth to keep and look at forever.

Anyway I'm back now and happy to be with my hubby & dogs. In that order. Really. More later!

Woohoo! the new Noro is here!

The Noro "Department"

We are so happy to see all the new Noro that finally arrived yesterday! Now our Noro "department" is full of new fun yarns and colors to choose from! The first new beauty.....Tanabata a bulky weight texture-y, boucle-y, cotton, nylon, rayon, wool, and silk (whew! theres alot of fun stuff in there). It's $11.99 a skien and has about 88 yards per ball. This one looks so fun! I really like the blueish shade. It makes me think of seaglass scattered across the sand at the beach :) I think this would make a really fun scarf, but it can also be fun in a little vest like the one below in the picture..... something to just throw on over a camisole for the summer. This one is from the new Noro booklet #29.

Next up....this one is really cool, Nobori. Nobori is another bulky weight with cotton, nylon, wool, and silk. It has a kindof bumpy texture with a tape yarn applied on it. Very unique looking, very bright fun colors. I took a picture up close too so you can see the texture because I don't think my description does it justice. Its also very soft and squishy. This would make a really warm scarf or cowl. I'm pretty sure you could get it out of one ball, it has good yardage approx. 181 yards! I also took a picture from the Noro #29 booklet of a sleeveless top and a little bag out of Nobori. Pretty cute. This yarn is $19.99 a ball.

For all you sock yarn lovers we now have Taiyo Sock! We've really been looking forward to this one! Its just like the regular Taiyo, it has cotton, wool, nylon, and silk, but in a fingering weight. Taiyo Sock is $18.99 a ball and has about 462 yards so there is plenty for a pair of socks. This would also be great for those fun little shawlettes! We have many Stephen West shawlette patterns like Clockwork, or Daybreak that would be perfect. Speaking of Stephen West, one of our long time customers, Patricia, just finished one of his patterns called Herbivore. She used 1 ball of Colinette Jitterbug...so gorgeous! Gotta love that Jitterbug! I just love to see show n tell. There are so many talented knitters out there. So inspiring :D.    ooops! sorry....short attention span hahahaha that happens alot with me around all this yarn. I almost forgot to tell about the 4 new colors of worsted weight Taiyo. Here's a picture because they are too pretty to describe!

Taiyo Sock

New colors of Taiyo worsted

Pretty Herbivore Shawl!!

Last (but not least) in the New Noro we have Aya. This one is really pretty, kind of similar to Silk Garden as far as thickness and texture. It has a blend of cotton, wool, and silk. We have 5 beautiful vibrant colors to choose from! I like them all....sometimes with Noro the colors can be alittle crazy (I'm not a fan of that scary yellow they put in some of their yarns) but these are very pleasing to look at. I think it might be hard to choose a color! I included a picture below of a very stunning jacket out of Aya from Noro Flowers 2 book....Wow! That one is eye catching! Also, another cute vest with a pretty eyelet lace (from Noro booklet #29).

Well thats all our new stuff so be sure to come on down a check this out!! Wayyy better in person! All this new fun stuff has kept me busy which is a beautiful thing :) If I run out of things to do I start thinking of new projects....which can be dangerous! The other day I was staring at the Madelinetosh (yeah I know I'm taking about it again! haha) and this really pretty color of Tosh Sock called out to me (Copper Penny) I just cant stand it, its coming home with me. I NEED to make this Sugar n Cream Cowl by Never Not Knitting! I know, I know another cowl....but I love them! I just finished one out of Berroco Glitz too. I made it from 3 balls. Its like a piece of jewelry, so pretty and sparkley! It slightly tapers at the top so it hangs nice around your neck. I wrote a pattern for it too, it comes free with the yarn, and its super easy. Thats about all I can do today. I hope Joan is having a blast at her weaving class! I know she'll come back refreshed and full of more weaving knowledge ;)

before the knitting...

......after haha! wanna cast on now! 

*Glint Cowl*

A hand-dye observation & that darling Phoebe Coat

Hi everyone from your short-timer, Joan, who's heading out for a week of weaving tomorrow! Yee-haw!!

Speaking of weaving, our weaving demos are over now for this class session, but check us out next time. Rigid Heddle weaving is fast, easy, and a great stash buster, using small amounts of leftover knitting yarn for awesome scarves & such. Or, with some cotton, you could do something like this striped bag I just made:

Now back to knitting. Here's an observation: some hand-dyed yarns are really, um, odd on the skein. But they knit beautifully! (Plus I'm sure the opposite is true, but we don't think about that.) So how can you tell when an, ahem, color-challenged skein has great potential? You can't! Unless you knit it up! So sorry, too bad! I don't know of any other way.
That said, I believe there are those with the gift of seeing through a weird color job, and luckily for you, both Diane and Koryn have that gift!! Here's a new color of Madelinetosh:

And here's Diane's partly-done baby tee out if it!

 Lovely, yes???
Finally, I finished the coat that goes on the little kid (matching the doll coat) from the Phoebe's Sweater book. Then just in time, a darling little girl came in and I forced her to model it! Isn't she cute???

All for now! Go easy on Koryn while I'm gone willya?????

New Feed Kit! Plus more dyestuffs

Hi everybody!
The new Feed Your Creativity Kits have arrived, and they'll go on sale first thing tomorrow morning.

"French Quarter Scarf" Kit 

This kit, #6 in the series, is a really cute scarf made with a new-age luxury fiber: half milk and half wool. Koryn loved making hers!

Easier-than-it-looks lace pattern

The technique is a simple lace, so you can challenge yourself a little bit. We'll be demonstrating the pattern tomorrow at 3PM, free for any kit-buyers. It's a really fun project and we hope you find a color you love tomorrow.

Ooooh the colors

By the way, aren't Koryn's blog posts fun? I'm really enjoying them.

Also, we've replenished our stock of Jaquard Dyes (we have those for wool & protein fibers, and also have the Procion dye for cottons & plant fibers).

Colors-to-be

We're sure happy that dyeing fans have found our store for their supplies! We are running through dyes fairly quickly now, but try to always have a good stock on hand. Also, we have an easy Indigo dye kit, and I'm about to try that next. I have all the stuff -- just need the time! After my weaving workshop next week, I'll MAKE the time, and then show those of you who are interested how (or how not!) to do it.

Here's hoping everyone is having fun with their knitting! If not, get right in here so we can get you back on the fun track!! Bye fer now!