Potlucks

Box one arrived this morning. It was so heavy that Ms. Canada Post couldn't carry it into the store. The three new Potlucks in Skinny Singles are amazing.

The second box is still in Customs. I hope they release it soon. Please.

Sarah has been knitting away on her Comfort Fade Cardi. I think I might need one in grey too.

Our TNNA order from Spincycle Yarns should be leaving Washington State this week.

Introducing our newest yarn, Dream State! We've been dreaming of a worsted weight, and now it's here. 

Our mill is located on Queen Street in Bellingham, Washington, and runs full time. We dye in-house as well, in the same fashion we used to dye when we were handspinning. Our pots are bigger, though! Because we dye the fiber before it's spun, colors meet and part ways in stunning, unique combinations; the overall effect is of a balanced, seamless whole. 

The color transitions are slow and dramatic, and each skein is unique. When planning larger projects requiring more than one skein, allow for nuance. 

worsted weight // 100% superwashed American Wool // 150 yards per skein // hand wash or machine wash cold, lay flat to dry // suggested gauge: 4.5 sts per inch on US #7 // MADE IN THE USA FROM SHEEP TO SKEIN

I can't wait to receive Dream State. 8 colours will be coming.

Rachel from Spincycle Yarns knit Tensho (pattern purchased on Ravelry). She used one skein of Dream State for all the colourwork.

Lynn is thinking of making Humulus (pattern purchased on Ravelry) using Dream State for the yoke. Hmm. Has me thinking about a store sample.

We had dinner with my dad's Uncle Bert tonight. Swiss Chalet (can't go wrong with that) and then back to his condo. He is an artist and does a lot of painting. He wanted Beth and I to pick out one of his pictures for our house. We picked three. He was so excited that we are going to hang them.

I finished the first sleeve on my Comfort Fade Cardi last night. I'm tired tonight so I don't think I should start the other sleeve. It might be better to work on something that is already on needles.

Adjusting the sleeves

I'm not sure that I can wait until tomorrow to see the new Hedgehog colours. We will be getting one box in the morning. The second box is still caught in customs. I will update the website after the box is unpacked and I'll keep watching the Canada Post website - maybe the second box will be released tomorrow.

I borrowed some pictures from Hedgehog Fibres. Here are Anime and Hawk on Skinny Singles.

There wasn't as much knitting accomplished as I had planned today. Okay, make that no knitting so far today. I needed to spend time updating the website. I totally forgot to add the new Cocoknit's bamboo cable needles to the website.

• This array of Bamboo Cable Needles are used for holding stitches while working cables in your designs. When not in use, place them on your Maker's Keep magnetic bracelet - the smooth nickel-plated steel band is designed to cling to any magnet.

  Needles can also be used to pick up stitches when using the Cocoknits Method of sweater construction.

  The small needles are also handy for picking up stitches when using the Cocoknits Method of sweater construction.

  Set includes one each of five sizes:

  • US 2/2.75mm
  • US 4/3.5 mm
  • US 6/4 mm
  • US 9/5.5 mm
  • US 10.75/6.75 mm

  I was up early and out of the door to do some work at the store. I washed the floors. No, I won't win any competitions for the job I did but it is much better than it was.
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• Now it's time to knit - I'm at the cuff on the first sleeve. Small problem. I knit the sleeve too long. I kept going and going not realizing that the cuff is 32 rows long. I'm going to adjust the cuff to make up for it. 
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Chevron Shenanigans

©Stephen West

I am obsessed with Chevron Shenanigans (pattern purchased on Ravelry) by Stephen West. Thank you Stephen for letting me share your pictures.

©Stephen West

Select a palette of fading colors to knit this top-down garter stitch shawl. Short rows with chevrons create the unique asymmetrical shape. The small size features four colors and the large size uses five colors fading from light to dark. I-cord edges decorate the clean lines of this classic Westknits shawl.

There are two sizes available.

Yarn: Fingering Weight

Yardage: Small Size with 4 colors 
Color A - 200 yds / 183m 
Color B - 390 yds / 357m 
Color C - 370 yds / 338m 
Color D - 250 yds / 229m

Large Size with 5 colors 
Color A - 130 yds / 119m 
Color B - 320 yds / 293m 
Color C - 395 yds / 361m 
Color D - 380 yds / 347m 

Color E - 220 yds / 201m 

Take a look at the finished projects on Ravelry. It is going to be hard to choose colour combinations. Bright? Purples? Subtle? Greys?

I emailed Stephen for permission to use his pictures - I always ask before using someone else's photos. He gave permission (as long as credit is given) which makes me happy.

We are going to have a busy week next week. There will be a box coming from Meadowcroft Dyeworks (possibly Tuesday but probably Wednesday). Lots of Rockshelter Sock. New colours of Rockshelter Sock.

The first sleeve is almost finished. I'm heading to the store in the morning to water the flowers and wash the floors. Then I have the afternoon to knit.

Neighbourhood Watch

Mr. Canada Post brought in a box from Lynda yesterday. Another great shawl.

Meet Chimera (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

This three-quarter square shawl is worked from the centre out, beginning with a garter tab. Two garter tab options are included in the pattern: Turkish cast-on (my favourite) and the standard. One skein of main colour is worked in one stitch pattern, followed by five gradient mini-skeins worked in a second stitch pattern. Hard blocking is recommended as it opens up the lace and makes this pattern shine. 

Instructions are included for optimizing the amount of yarn in your skeins. 

Both charts and written charted instructions are included for your convenience.

The shawl is knit with a full skein of Cheshire Cat from Frabjous Fibers and a Cheshire Cat Mini Skein kit. The colours that we used will be back in stock at the end of August. There are lots of amazing colour combinations for you to start right away.

I had fun playing with the yarn.

86 Buttercake and 104 Land of Wonders

24 Too Much Pepper and 32 Fuchsia to Turquoise Shadow

94 More Slumber and 18 Jub Jub Bird

Karen came in to show off an amazing scarf. It's the ZickZack Scarf (pattern free on Ravelry)

Karen used one ball of Debbie Bliss Rialto Sock (colour 15) and one skein of Mountain Colors Twizzlefoot in Icicle.

The original pattern calls for two different colours of self-striping yarn. I really like Karen's version using one self-striping and one hand dyed fingering weight.

An impressive yet easy to knit scarf in the style of a great Italian designer.  

The chevrons are worked with single increases and decreases – no knots in your fingers trying to knit complicated double decreases and no double increases where the stitches get tight and hard to work with…

Customers comment that I need to stop posting finished projects and ideas here because they don't have enough time to knit them all. I have the same problem when customers bring in show and tell. I really, really want this scarf. I tried to keep it but Karen put it in her purse.

Lynn accomplished quite a bit of knitting while she was away. She's onto the third colour for her Comfort Fade Cardi. We might end up with matching cardigans. I love the colours.

I'm part way through the first sleeve on mine. The sweater is knit in reverse stocking stitch. For the sleeves I am knitting them inside out on a circular needle. This makes the knit side on the inside and the purl side showing. That's much easier than working every round in purl. The only thing you need to watch when doing this is picking up for the underarms. I'll take some pictures when I do my second sleeve.

This is one of Lucy's favourite spots at our house. From here she can look out the front windows and keep an eye on the neighbourhood.

Dragonfly's Path

Cathy and Sarah are having fun at the cottage. Cathy has been busy knitting and finished the Dragonfly's Path Shawl (pattern purchased on Ravelry). They had a great photo shoot today with Sarah's husband John taking the pictures.

The shawl is beautiful.

The pattern was a pleasure to knit, especially the border with the I-cord edging. 

Cathy used 2 skeins of Life in the Long Grass Sock.

I really like the LITLG yarn and will definitely knit with it again.  

Dragonfly’s Path is a crescent-shaped shawl with long ends to warm your shoulders or wrap around your neck as a scarf. 

The body of the shawl is squishy garter stitch, finishing with a simple purl ridge. The edging reminds me of a dragonfly flitting along the shore of a lake. The dragonfly (a pretty cable) meanders back and forth across a garter-stitch background, creating a softly scalloped edge along the way. 

Enjoy yourself as you follow your little dragonfly’s adventure! 

Fully written instructions are provided, along with three optional charts. 

Alex started moving things around yesterday. We need to get ready for all the amazing shipments that will be arriving over the next month. These are just the hand dyed yarns coming.

Hedgehog Fibres - I thought we might see it today but it looks like Tuesday
Rockshelter from Meadowcroft Dyeworks - next week
Adelaide from Primrose - sometime in August
Long Dog Yarn - beginning of August
Madelinetosh - end of August
Autumn and Indigo - sometime in August
Frabjous Fibers - sometime in August
Freia Fibers - sometime in August
Prism Yarns - end of August

And some exciting news. I'm casting off the body of my Comfort Fade Cardi. Now onto the sleeves.

Yarn Bomb

Diana came in this week with a new sample for the store. LOVE IT!

Espe (purchase the pattern on Ravelry)

Inspired by the spectacular colors of the Colorado aspen groves in autumn, this wrap uses lace leaf motifs that let the beautiful colors of the gradient yarn take center stage. 

The shawl is worked in one piece, side-to-side, from a tiny six-stitch cast on, and it increases along one edge forming a practical, elongated triangle. A simple yarn over edging is worked along the two longer sides; this can be used for finishing since the blocking wires can be easily threaded through the yarn overs.

We used one Freia Fibers Yarn Bomb for the shawl.
786m (860 yards) on a ball
100% US Cruelty Free Merino

Yarn Bomb is exactly the same as Freia's Shawl Ball but has double the yardage. I have taken the following sentence out twenty times trying to figure out how to write it so I think I might show a picture to try and explain.

2 Shawl Balls = 1 Yarn Bomb in yardage. But in a Yarn Bomb the colour only grades once. If you are using a Shawl Ball, you will go through the colours twice.

We used 2 balls of Shawl Ball to make the Sonoma Scarf. We wanted the colours to grade once. By working both balls at the same time (two rows of one and then two rows of the other) we made the grade longer. If you were making the scarf with a Yarn Bomb you would only need one ball and your colours would grade like this.

If you are confused, ask us the next time you are in the store. It might be easier to explain in person.

The Yarn Bomb won't be in the store until the end of August. I have the three balls pictured. These are mine but I am willing to part with one or all if someone needs to start a new project. I totally understand :)

We love Merino Mia from Prism Yarns. There will be three new Gradient Packs coming in August.

There will be two fabulous new patterns coming as well. One gradient kit (8 skeins) will make either shawl.

We used a Gradient Pack to make So Faded (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

Finally some flowers. I hope that the deer stay away. They've already eaten the buds off too plants. Or it was Alex when she came in yesterday - I asked her to have lunch before she came today :)