New Colours

When Fred is tired at night he leaves us and goes upstairs to sleep. This is how we found him last night - in Beth’s shower.

Earlier in the evening he was on the landing going upstairs. When we purchased the house we had the company who installed the stairs come in a give us a quote to put backs on the steps. We had read that dogs don’t like open stairs like this. Our dogs have no problem with them. If Fred lies here he can see into the kitchen - just in case someone is getting cookies or ice cream.

We have three brand new colours of Noro Akari. These are available online and in the store.

#48

Noro's Medium Weight Akari yarn is a luxurious symphony of fibers that embodies elegance and warmth. Named after the Japanese word for "light," Akari yarn illuminates your crafting journey with its exquisite blend of 26% silk, 21% cotton, 15% viscose, 14% mohair, 12% wool, and 12% polyamide. Each generous 200-gram skein of Akari yarn contains 528 yards of creative potential, ready to be transformed into cozy sweaters, stylish shawls, and sophisticated accessories. Whether you're knitting cables or colorwork, Akari Solo yarn's vibrant hues and rich texture ensure each project is a masterpiece. Indulge in the beauty of Noro's Akari yarn and let your creativity shine. Embrace the warmth and light of this exquisite blend as you create pieces that are as radiant and captivating as the Japanese concept of akari itself.

#50

#51

This is Lynn’s Traveler Cowl knit with one ball of Akari.

This is the Fae Wing Shawl (the pattern is free on Ravelry). We used one ball of Noro Akari - colour 20 on 4.5mm needles.

You can find many patterns for Akari on Ravelry.

I put together combinations of the new colours for a Nightshift Shawl (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

Now it’s bed time. Golf comes on TV at 4am. 

Nonno

Isabell Kraemer has a new pattern that is knit with DK weight yarn. 

Nonno (dedicated to my “Nonno” Eugen - his cardigans were legendary :) is worked seamlessly from the top down. 

A beautiful, easy and fun slip stitch stripe pattern adds interest and makes knitting this cardigan a fun experience (and maybe helps stash busting?). 

Knitting starts with the cast-on of the shoulders for the back. Once the short row shaped shoulder slopes are done, the back is worked flat to underarm. Shoulder stitches are picked up to work both fronts to the same length. At underarm both fronts and back are joined to work the body top down back and forth to the bottom hem. A provisional cast-on for the pocket openings allows for seamless built-in pockets. The button band is worked next. Sleeve stitches are picked up around the arm openings to work the sleeves top down in rounds to the cuffs. Pocket linings are worked last.

You can purchase the pattern for Nonno on Ravelry. 

A few yarn suggestions

• Rowan Felted Tweed
• The Fibre Co Arranmore Light
• Estelle Superwash Merino DK
• Juniper Moon Patagonia
• Hold a fingering weight yarn with a mohair/silk blend.

I received an email today from Malabrigo that there is an order on the way to me with brand new colours of Rios. 

These are online to preorder

There hasn’t been much knitting time at my house. I have nine more rows until the I-Cord bind off. Hopefully I finish over the weekend.

Ooey Gooey

Our 2025 Rhinebeck sweater! The inspiration for this sweater began with a beautiful modern rug with undulating curves. I immediately began drawing up some colorwork charts, and love the organic, bold shape of this yoke. After knitting thru the first chart, I was inspired to add some perfectly round polka dots, and the jammy colors and drippy motif just had me thinking “ooey gooey” as I was knitting! This sweater is worked from the top down, seamlessly. The sleeve stitches are put on hold while the body is finished and then returned to the needle.

You can purchase the pattern for Ooey Gooey on Ravelry.

The sweater is knit in sport weight yarn. I have kits (so many that I had to make two different kit pages on the website) with more kits coming tomorrow.

There are a few knitters who made the sweater with 2 solid colours. These sweaters look great! You can use Juniper Moon Patagonia, Emma’s So Sporty or Rowan Felted Tweed for the sweater.

Photos © Andrea Mowry

Dad left early this morning. Beth drove out late this morning to see how things were going. They love playing in concrete.

New pattern coming tomorrow

I had to wait for Mr. UPS this afternoon (he was picking up a lot of boxes) and I finally got my shawl stretched out.

Pretty new yarn from Hedgehog. I didn’t have time to count these but will try to do it tomorrow.

Six colours of Dyed in the Wool have been marked down. These are available on the website and in the store.

Andrea Mowry showed a picture of her finished Rhinebeck sweater on Instagram today. You can see it here. I have combinations ready to make up kits tomorrow. I don’t know the yardages yet but I’ll be up early so as soon as the pattern is up on Ravelry I will start adding to the website.

Dad and I are waiting for Beth to get home with dinner. We did baking for tomorrow. 4 dozen cookies with another 2 dozen in the oven. A dozen muffins and a batch of brownies. Dad vacuumed while goodies were in the oven.

Almost finished fading

Eight rows of fading followed by eight rows of the last colour. Then the I cord and I’m finished. I looked for a needle to stretch the shawl out but there wasn’t one the right size at my knitting chair and I didn’t want to go downstairs. We’re all a bit sore - we washed Jackson outside and he wiggles a lot. It was a fight to get him wet, get the shampoo on him and then wash the shampoo out.

Now we’re starting our baking. Dad has a big pour on Tuesday in Port Dover.

Take a look at Spincycle’s Instagram account. There is another sneak peek at the new pattern coming out on Tuesday.

I’ll be in the store tomorrow packing boxes and waiting for Mr. UPS to deliver boxes. We might have another box coming from Hedgehog. It will depend on how fast it moves through the system. There could be a box full of Addi needles.

Happy Sunday and have a good evening!

Attune Shawl

We have a new store sample. 

Pattern: Attune Shawl (purchased on Ravelry)

Yarn: 2 skeins of Patagonia in 146 Wisteria and 1 ball of Starke 6 in 2473.

This shawl is all about texture, squish and the movement of color. Watching the colors move and change was mesmerizing, and I finished the shawl long before I was ready to, because I just could not set it down! I hope this shawl inspires you to grab some of your favorite yarns and mash them together in a shawl that begs to be wrapped around you! This shawl is knit from the top down using Brioche and Half-fishermen’s rib. It is very customizable for different yarn weights and to achieve different sizes.

Here is another version of the shawl that has been hanging in the store. Patagonia 115 with Starke 6 2248.

Here are a few colour suggestions. Patagonia 136 with Starke 6 - 2546.

Patagonia 150 with Starke 6 - 2514.

It was a late night last night (with no knitting) and a very early morning but life is back on track. The family is home from the cottage. It is going to get hot there today with the potential for tornadoes. YIKES!!! 

This was last night. Fred was down on the dock determined to get on the boat. Beth had the door closed and he was trying to go over it and then trying to get on the front of the boat to jump over. Beth had to rush down and open the door for him. We call him baby Lucy because sometimes he is as stubborn as she was.

I need to send a big shout out to Lynn. I needed to stay home until dad and Beth returned because a repair man was coming. Lynn wasn’t going to work today but when I called her in a panic last night she said she’d open for me today. She even stopped at my house on her way to get the iPad which I take home every night. It was a good thing she was with me. We had a crazy day - in the best way. So many customers in including some I haven’t seen in years. THANK YOU LYNN!!!!!