Going around in circles!

Holy cowl!

These are just fun to make!

Cast on a bunch of stitches, join in the round (being careful not to twist!) and knit until it's long enough or you run out of yarn!

1st:  'Inspira Cowl' (I made the Mesa Version, but cast on 160 stitches).  Using 5.5 mm needles and Liberty Wool, takes 2 colours and 2 balls of each!

This pattern is 'West Desert Hood'  (cast on 144 stitches and worked until the end of the contrast colour ball)  I am making another with a few changes to the pattern.

Finally this really quick knit is 'Cherry Garcia', one ball of 'Inca' a new yarn that is 100% Superwash wool, very soft and great solid colours.  ($9.95)  I made the cowl in one day, maybe 4 hours!

The best thing I have learned about joining in the round is to  (you will have to think for a minute, but it works.) :

Cast on all the stitches, then turn your work and work the first row of the pattern without joining!  Then join your work and continue in pattern, being careful not to twist!  That extra row, that is just a little more stable makes it very easy to see if there are any twists.  All you need to do is hide that first 'blip' when you weave in your beginning yarn.

See you Soon.

Challenges!

How many of you noticed that the last two posts are pretty much the same, I didn't really notice until a couple of days after I wrote the second one!

Trying to keep you informed and entertained at the same time has proven to be a bit tricky.  I will try again.  

Like you I have stash. It is my goal to reduce the personal stash this year,  I have sorted it a little and have given away some of the yarn I know I will never use. I purchased a lovely yarn a few years ago and I when I purchased it I did not quite know what I would make with it, but I loved the colour and softness.  (100% organic cotton)    It came down to either giving away the yarn or giving away the project. 

During that really hot week in July we went camping, camping  without air conditioning!  The trailer was a very quiet and lovely spot, but it was hot!  I started this 'Chalice' blanket but the heat would not let me get much past the first ball, knowing that if I did not create a deadline for this project that is would hide in a WIP bag for a long time.  I decided that the only way to ensure that I would get this finished was to enter in the Orono Fair.  I finished it 2 days before the Fair.

The blanket did not win a ribbon, but now I have a lovely gift for the next baby worthy of an organic cotton blanket.  (The extra ball is for the matching sweater, next year's Orono Fair?)

I entered a few other projects, some came home with ribbons attached.

We always have an interesting discussion on the Judges opinions, but I would never like to be the judge in a competition,  

Included in the entries was a new cowl knit with my favourite super wash yarn.  Classic Elite's Liberty wool is the perfect yarn for this 'Inspira' cowl.  Pick 2 different colour ways and watch how they blend.

It's beautiful and squishy and super soft.

In the stash at the store there is a complete 'Yarn Tasting' kit from Classic Elite. Time to use that one up too!  Included in the kit are mini skeinettes of several yarns that are in the shop's inventory and a lovely door prize.  

On October 2nd from 7 pm - 9 pm 10 of you can join us!  The fee for the night is $15.00, it gives you at least a dozen samples to take home and the chance to win a door prize.

Sign up soon, 

Lessons?

Scheduling lessons is always a challenge, we have our schedule, you have yours!

Now that the shop has expanded and we have a lovely 'lesson' area we are going to try to get our schedules to line up.

Every other Wednesday is 'Knitt'n Night', a group of a dozen or so meet at the shop to catch up and work on projects together.  ( 6pm - 8 pm)  Since we are here and the shop is open Helen will offer a Knitting Basics class.  From 6:30 - 8 pm.  Helen will help you through some of Knitting's basic skills, there is a limit of 3 for each class and for September there are only a couple of spaces left, you must reserve your place in advance. 
September 11, 25; October 9, 23.

Gwen has scheduled a basic sock class that will run Saturday Mornings from 10:00 am - 11:30am.  (September 21, 28 and October 5th)  The fee for the session is $45 (plus HST)  Pattern and Yarn to be purchased in advance from Soper Creek Yarn.  Payment ensures your spot in the class.  (maximum 6 students)

Regan is planning to join us on Tuesdays, hoping to offer a Knitting clinic from 12:30 - 1:30.  Sign up and bring your knitting or spinning projects and Regan can get you going again!  The fee for the session is $15, reservations are required.

On September 24th, Regan will teach a basics in lace knitting, from 10:30 - Noon.  The $25 fee includes yarn!  Class Limit is 6 and we need 3 to get started!  Reserve soon!

That's the beginning, we are planning a daytime knitting group we just have to come up with the right day!

That's it so far!

See You Soon.

Routines!

Next week is September!  I am looking forward to a more regular schedule.  When the kids were little we had our daily plan:  Get up, go to school, do the after school thing, have supper go to bed.  Wednesdays was Piano Lessons;Thursdays were for Junior Choir; and Guides and Cubs and 4-H filled the rest of the week.  The summers were more chaotic, baseball, soccer, 4-H and jobs kept everyone hopping..

This past summer routine went out the window, store renovations, mini vacations, special events!  Even the drive in requires a new plan, the bridge is being repaired on our road, so I have to go North and over to get to town.  Forgetting means you have to go home the long way.

Sometimes taking a new turn, trying new things is a good way to get your creative juices going.  September is a great time to think about learning something new.  You asked about lessons and so we have made a plan, it certainly needs some adjustments, your input is greatly appreciated

 Lessons, workshops and Clinics!  Opportunities for you to learn a new skill and meet some like-minded artists!

We are starting slowly:

 Knitt'n Nights will now have a Knitting basics class with Helen.  Its a small group, just 3 participants and $15 for 90 minutes of instruction.  You choose which Knitting technique you would like to learn and Helen will get you going!
(September 11, 25th, October 9, 23rd.  6:30 - 8 pm)  Payment ensures your spot in the class.

Socks with Gwen:  Saturday Mornings: September 21, 28 and October 5.  10 am - 11:30.  Basic top down construction of a sock, must be able to knit and purl.  Choose either, 4-5 needles or magic loop; make a Christmas Stocking, work sock or traditional fingering weight sock.   $45 (plus HST) and materials.( Pattern and yarn must be purchased in advance, from Soper Creek Yarn, and yarn ready to use prior to class)

Regan has offered to teach Lace on September 24th (10:30 - Noon) or Cables on  October 15th (10:30 - Noon).  For those who would like to learn to spin your own yarn she will also teach you everything you need to know about using a drop spindle on October 26th  (12pm - 3 pm)  ($75 includes materials, drop spindle and fiber!) 

Tuesday's we will try a knitting clinic with Regan.  12:30 - 1:30 pm, bring your current project or start something new and Regan can get you on track.  $15 per session and there is a limit of 3 per class.

Reserve soon and pre-payment insures your place in the class.

That's the plan so far!

Baskets from Africa!

They are back!

When the shop opened 4 years ago I was looking for an interesting product that would add  to the displays around the shop and be something that no one else locally would have in their stores.

The Baba Tree Basket company was based out of Canada then but Gregory, the chief basket guy, found it difficult to be both in Ghana overseeing the production and in Vancouver overseeing the distribution.   He closed the Vancouver warehouse and moved back to Ghana.  It's taken a couple of years to sort things out and now they are back!

In January he started sending emails to everyone that bought baskets, telling us that we could order from him in Ghana and he would send them through Ghana Post.  It was really easy he said, I was skeptical.

In July, after we opened the new space, I took the plunge and another big leap of faith.  I 'wired' a big chunk of money to Gregory in Ghana and waited.  

This is how they looked when the Parcel Guy from Canada Post delivered the bag.  (he said something about it looking like a mail order bride???)

 

There were 28 baskets in this sack.

 All neatly stuffed into each other,

 or flattened by pushing the bottom of the basket into the handle.

 I just had to pry them apart and reshape them.

A soak in warm water for 30 seconds and they go back to the way they were made.

What was the final decision to get the baskets? It was this picture of a 13 year old girl in Ghana who makes baskets for Baba Tree.  She makes small baskets and with the money she earned she was able to purchase a bike!

 As I look at each basket it's nice to know that very few people have handled the basket and that a good chunk of the money goes back to the maker!

Come and see the selection. They are everywhere!

If you can't decide why you need to purchase one maybe this will help!

See You Soon!

Moonlight Madness!

Friday is Moonlight Madness!

Come visit us on Friday (anytime)  and see what's new for Fall!  Sign up for a Lesson or 2 and some special events are planned.  (We are still figuring that out.)

We have new yarn added to the clearance area, a lovely alpaca chunky blend has found its way into the shop at a pretty price.  Some of the previous sale yarn has been further reduced to make sure it finds a new home.

 This is a street event the parking is limited to the side streets, but the buskers do a great job keeping everyone entertained!

More later.....See you Soon!

Finishing!

Sorry for the blog silence, there hasn't been much to say.  Renovations continue and we are slowly running out of clearance yarn, which is a good thing as more Fall/Winter yarn is arriving today!

I am trying to finish up some of my projects.  One weekend I dedicated all my knitting time into finishing this Koigu linen stitch scarf.  It's made with the Silk and Cotton Handpaint from Misti Alpaca. 

 The colour is one that just returned into stock last week.  It's a heavier version. I used a bigger needle, less stitches and applied the fringes after completing the knitting.   The most amazing thing about this pattern is that I have now created 4 scarves.  I am one that doesn't like repeating projects, but this will be done again.  It is monotonous; but there is something about the colours that just make you want to continue as they are forever changing.  (I am a 'fabric' person, I love texture and colour and the way fabrics drape and handle. This project has all of that!)

The front of the new space is getting a bit of a makeover.  The owner of the building is James Printing  and Signs and they are creating some lovely graphics for the windows.

We had a lovely visit with The Girl, The Boy and their friends over the weekend.  They live 6 hours apart so this was the first time they saw each other since Christmas.

This week yarn arrives from many suppliers  so there will be boxes everywhere in the shop!

We are planning new things for the expanded shop, keep up to date with us on Facebook, you don't have to join to look at the page!  The website now contains an extra tab that shows you what is on Sale and the Events tab will keep you up to date with everything new!

See you soon!