Back at work

Lynn is swatching tonight. She took home a brand new colour of Cascade 220 Heathers - 1113 Borealis Heathers. The picture doesn’t show the colour well. It is a dark navy with a bit of burgundy and teal running through it. It is beautiful.

What is she making?

PetiteKnit’s Hannah Jacket (pattern purchased on Ravelry)

The Hannah Jacket is worked from the top down. First, the back yoke is worked back and forth on the needle with increases. The shoulders and the front yoke are worked from stitches that are picked up and knitted along the back yoke, and the body is then joined and worked back and forth on the circular needle. The sleeves are worked from stitches that are picked up and knitted along the armhole openings. Stitches are picked up and knitted along the neck opening, and a 2x2 rib edge is worked. At the end, stitches are picked up and knitted for the front plackets along the front edges. The front plackets are worked in double knitting with buttonholes along the right front placket.

I was feeling much better today so I came in and worked with Lynn. She straightened while I started on website updates. We received a HUGE restock of Cascade 220, Cascade 220 Heathers and Cascade 220 Superwash Merino - the website has been updated.

The website has also been updated with KnitPro (Knitter’s Pride) needles and Clover accessories.

Next week we will have more Fox & Pine accessories. These have been a hit.

Yesterday morning a tree service came and did some work in our parking lot. Branches are out of the way and the low hanging wires are gone. There were a lot of dead branches on the big trees and they’ve been cleaned up. Small things make me happy.

Now it’s time for the Amazing Race and knitting.

Cashmere

New colours (and a restock) of Cardiff Cashmere have arrived. This is 100% Cashmere with 110m on a 25gram ball.

See all the colours

PetiteKnit used one ball of Cardiff Cashmere to make the Sophie Scarf (Pattern purchased on Ravelry)

I want to send a huge thank you to Lynn for working today. I’m starting to feel better but there was no way I could have been in the store today. And thank you to everyone who visited. Lynn was busy and she said everyone was so pleasant and patient - she said it was a great day! 

Mr. Canpar brought two huge boxes of Cascade that she tried to unpack but there wasn’t time which is a great thing. The boxes included the brand new colours of Cascade 220 Heathers. These are now available online. I will update the rest of the order tomorrow once we have checked dye lots.

It’s Survivor night. I’m working away on my Nightshift and it’s looking good. I could have it finished by the weekend.

DRK Everyday Cuff Down Socks.

Andrea Mowry’s newest pattern was released today and you can purchase it on Ravelry.

These socks are the sum total of all the requests I have received over the past 6 years from when I first released their toe-up counterpoint, the DRK Everyday Socks. Team Cuff Down - these are for you! This pattern includes 11 sizes and 3 different sole versions for fit and style preferences. They utilize a traditional heel flap and gusset and I love to wear them slouchy, straight or cuffed and they are the perfect base for jazzing up with some stripes or color blocking!

Question of the Day

What is the best way to eat potatoes?

• Mashed
• Baked
• Roasted
• Fries
• Tots
• Chips

We were at the dentist early this morning and all went well. I spent most of the day in bed - Dr. Mike gave me great pain killers. I’m going to have a bit of soup for dinner with my antibiotics and then back to bed for the night. Lynn will be in the store tomorrow and I’m going to try and help as much as I can.

Easy Folded Poncho

This is Churchmouse Yarns Easy Folded Poncho (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

Our favorite poncho transcends the trends. As a friend from Peru wryly observed, “Where I come from, we’ve worn ponchos for three thousand years!” It’s easy to knit (just one long stockinette rectangle), easy to finish, and easy to throw on. We think it’s like a really elegant sweatshirt.

Lynn came in with me on Saturday and put away the 7 boxes of Rowan. There were so many DK weight yarns and it got me thinking about the poncho. We are restocked on the following and all would make a beautiful poncho.

See all the yarns online - these are also available in the store.

Tomorrow morning I need to be at the dentist office at 8am to have a tooth pulled. It has been bothering me and I can’t wait. Luckily it’s at the back of my mouth so it won’t be noticeable. And if it bothers me we’ll deal with it later. The dentist put me on Antibiotics on Thursday to deal with infection. It started my sinuses draining so I’ve been coughing. Most of yesterday was spent in bed as well as today. Orders placed over the weekend were taken to the UPS store this afternoon. It’s almost bed time. I’m still tired.

I took a quick picture of my Nightshift so far. It’s been good knitting while I haven’t felt great.

New Shawl Patterns

I need to get out my crochet hooks. I love this shawl from Blue Sky Fibers.

This reversible shawl mimics the night sky as evening falls and the stars start to come out. It’s perfect for wrapping around your shoulders as you gaze at the sky to keep the chill away.

The shawl was made with Woolstok Light which we don’t carry but Woolstok Tweed Light will work exactly the same and give a bit of different look.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Here are the colours I chose.

5306

5317

5305

5303

5304

5318

5301

5302

5319

5300

Kate Atherley has a new shawl pattern that is knit in fingering weight yarn.

This is my favorite type of shawl for late fall and early winter: large and brightly colored! As the daylight gets shorter, and we all seem to retreat into our dark winter gear – so much black, navy, charcoal and chocolate brown – we need something that ensures we’re easy to see at night, and brings a bit of cheer. 

It’s also my favorite in another way: a not-at-all fussy stitch pattern. Ribbing might seem like an unusual choice for a shawl, but the fabric drapes beautifully when you wrap it around yourself, and you do get into the rhythm of the knitting, I promise – it’s quite meditative. I like these types of shawls for everyday, as sometimes lace can feel a bit too pretty, a bit too precious, a bit too delicate for wearing over my well-worn black puffer jacket when walking the dog. And as the name suggests, a little extra detail at the end of a very simple knit makes for just enough interest to make it feel special. 

I’ve used a speckly variegated yarn in just about the brightest color that exists: go with what brings you joy. This design is very amenable to substitutions of yarn colors and thicknesses: just work until it’s the size you want. Two skeins of fingering-weight yarn make a generous wrap. 

There’s a few interesting technical details: I use a 4-stitch stockinette stitch edging that rolls to look like i-cord, but there’s none of the issue with i-cord pulling vertically or causing the edge to be too tight. And I’ve started it with a stockinette stitch tab, which is a fun variant of the more common garter tab. If you’ve not done one before, don’t worry, there’s full instructions. 

I have also introduced a variant on the useful-but-fiddly pfb increase.

This is a free pattern on Knitty.com - here is the link. There are some great patterns in this issue.

Thank you to everyone who visited today. We had a great day in the store. Lynn came to help me and unpacked the 7 boxes from Rowan. They are on the shelf and the website has been updated. Thank you Lynn!!!! Now it’s almost home time and I’m ready for a nap.