Technique Tuesdays

New for June!

Learning Opportunities!
Tuesdays: 10:30 am until Noon

Tuesdays will be devoted to various knitting techniques. You bring 5mm needles and a nice smooth yarn that you can practice with and we will teach you something new.

Casting on, Knitting, Purling, Cables, lace, knitting in the round (double points, circular and magic loop)  double knitting and beads!  Your Choice!

Sessions are on June 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th

Fee is $10(includes tax)  for the 90 minute session  (only 4 students per session)

Sign up by emailing the shop!

Baby Bunting!

I am a bit, more than a bit of a yarn snob!  I love natural fibres for all the right reasons, but I also understand the appeal of man made fibres.  Wash ability is one of the great things about these easy care fabrics.

Every once in a while I break my rule and go for the soft acrylic, nylon or polyester.
When the Sales Rep from Estelle showed me the sample I knew that this was going to be in the shop. The balls are 200 grams and 3 will make a very large blankie!

The Label contains 2 blanket patterns and this was the second option.  The pattern requires a very long 9mm circular, which I do not have in stock right now.  I used 2 shorter ones  to do the border, it worked but it was awkward to say the least.  I did like the result.

 Back to working with the Malabrigo and the Noro yarns!

See you Soon!

Time to Breathe!

Most retailers will tell you that 80% of their business happens between September and December.  Fortunately for Yarn shops our Busy time is from the first cold snap in August until the gardens start to demand our attention and the wool socks get tucked away, this week!

The shop has been busy for the past 8 months, too busy to think about anything but finding everything that customers would like to see in a well stocked shop.  Too busy to create lessons, design patterns make some renovations or take a holiday.

First on the list is to come up with some lessons, well sort of lessons. I like the term 'Learning Opportunities'.  Scheduling lessons is always a problem, so we are meeting you half way.  We schedule the time, you decide what you want to learn.  To start we have set aside Tuesdays from 10:30 am - Noon and Thursdays 1 pm - 2:30 pm.

Tuesdays are called Technique Tuesdays  you will be able to Learn: Casting on,  Knitting, purling, magic loop, 4 needles, making cables..and more will be added as we develop the sessions.

Thursdays are 'Sock it to me' Thursdays, you can work on all things sock: Toe up socks, turn a heel, 2  at a time...see the trend?

These 90 minute sessions will have a fee of $10 (taxes included) You can bring needles and yarn to practice or you can purchase what you need when you come.  Reservations are recommended as each session is limited to 4 students.  (Payment ensures your place.)

We have been designing patterns, they will come into the shop soon and yes there are plans for Holidays in July.

The first holiday weekend of the summer season is this weekend, the shop closes early on Saturday. ( 4 pm)

Gardens and Knitting do go together:  Churchmouse 'Stay on Baby Bootie' done in Malabrigo Arroyo!

See you Soon.

Problem?

  This project lived at the shop and we worked away at it whenever there were a few minutes or when a customer wanted to try out the bamboo needles, so maybe up to a dozen people worked on this little shawl.  It probably could use another ball to make it just a little bigger but I was so tired of it wandering the shop for the past 8 months that I was happy to see it complete.  

 However it was not supposed to end right there!  Now what? Rip back to the beginning of the row before, 500 stitches or scavenge some yarn from the joins within the project.

The yarn is Woodlander by James C Brett.  It's a DK weight acrylic and wool blend with a very lovely squishy texture.  Each ball contains 233 yards, not bad for $6.95 a ball.  The Shawl took 2.

Maybe this project is telling me:  Wait I want to be a bigger shawl, get another ball add it to the project!

Today is Monday, there is a big pile of laundry....I will decide later and you will have to come and see my solution.

Knitt'n Night is this Week!  Wednesday 6 pm - 8pm.

A (sort of) Rant

'The Farmer' is planting corn, after supper we take the pick up over to the field to bring home the tractor and corn planter.  I drive the truck over to the field and drop 'The Farmer' off at the equipment.  I have to travel down the road to get turned around.  This means I am now behind the equipment as we head home.  It's not far so I turn on the 4 way flashers and prepare for the slow trip.  It's not long before a blue pick up appears in the rear view mirror.  The road is narrow and there is a 'blind hill' up ahead, to my surprise the truck decides to pass me.  He gets just ahead parallel to the planter the realises that he is now in jeopardy of creating a head on collision with whoever might be coming over the hill.  I hit the brakes to let him in.  He has now joined our little convoy until 'The Farmer' turns down our road.

Amazingly enough the driver waves to me as he speeds by 'The Farmer'.  (The Farmer thinks it may have been a 5 finger wave, he gets those a lot.)

According to statistics Canada 48% of Canadian Farmers are over 55 years old, and 48% of Canadian Farmers have another job.  Farmers are ageing and they are tired!  The roads they travel on are for everyone, farmers included. Patience everyone.

It's Mother's Day weekend..we have Gift Certificates.

Have a lovely day.

So Close

I tried my best but I just couldn't get the socks done in a week, 9 days is pretty good though!

I am not usually so obsessed with getting the stripes to match, but these worked out beautifully. The one on the left is in a sock blocker, hence the wrinkly look on the other,  but they are pretty close to being identical twins.

The yarn is Maxime Print by Filatura di Crosa.  There are about 6 colours in stock.  Lovely.

Socks in a Week?

maybe? (For those that read Yarn Harlot, she can make a pair of socks in a day!  A week is lightening speed for me!)

Saturday, I was leaving the shop and noticed that the display of the Maxime Print sock yarn had not really changed since is was created a few weeks ago.  (Dear yarn maker: It would really help if you put a picture of the yarn knit up on the ball band so we can see how it is going to look!)  I didn't have any socks on my sock needles so I took a ball home to make a sock to show the design.

I started Sunday afternoon and knit one sock 'magic loop' (my new favourite thing) and by the end of Masterpiece Theatre I had knit past the heel turn!  

 Knowing that I suffer from 2nd sock syndrome I decided that I would sneak into the shop on Monday and get another ball to start the 2nd sock right away, magic loop that one to the same point as the first one and then put both socks together  and do 'magic loop 2 at a time socks' until they were finished.

I started the second sock, matching the stripes from the centre of the ball, like the first one, only to discover that the design is now running in the opposite direction.  (Lesson learned!  Yarn companies wind balls in both directions!)  I frogged the knitting and began again.

Wednesday I joined the 2 socks together and....I haven't knit on them since.

Tomorrow is Maplefest so there is not much chance of working on them very much this weekend.

I will keep you posted.

Today (Friday) and tommorow (Maplefest Saturday) all sale yarn is now buy 3 get the 4th free!

April?

April, what happened!

Looking back at the past month, it's amazing how much we did!

The Farmer at work

• The was an MRI (the Farmer) 
•  a hip replacement (MIL, she's great and home!)
•  a Birthday (The Boy's),
•  a new antenna for the television (more channels to watch, but still nothing!), 
• The Girl started her job again
• The Boy finished his 2nd year of Universtiy and today heads off to work for the summer (3 hours away).
• Planting season started early and then stalled because of the weather.
• taxes and HST reports that went with them

Then the finished knitting:

• Peasy sweater
• Linen Stitch Scarf
• Barb's Koigu ruffle scarf
• Stay on Bootie
• a felted bag, (test drive a pattern)
• shawl/wrap/cozy thing for a shop pattern

and a few projects still on the go...you don't really want to know how many I have!