Knit-along

We are going to have a KAL - Isabell Kraemer’s Elah. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Elah is worked seamlessly from the top down. Fronts are worked in lace pattern, while the back is worked in Stockinette stitch. Knitting starts with the provisional cast on of the shoulders for the fronts (you will first work the right front, then the left front). Once the short row shaped shoulder slope is done, the front is worked flat to underarm. Shoulder stitches are picked up from the provisional CO of both front shoulders to work the back 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. As the front ribbing is built in, there is no finishing required. Sleeve stitches are picked up around the arm openings to work the sleeves in Stockinette stitch top down in rounds to the cuffs.

📷 © Isabell Kraemer

Deidre knit a sample for the store in Le Lambswool from Biches & Buches. Lynn is away so I put the cardigan on a mannequin. I’ll take better pictures next week.

The cardigan in Le Lambswool is surprising lightweight. 

Our sample is the third size and was knit with 7 balls of Soft Blue Green.

Deidre knit the cardigan in just over 3 weeks. 

I am using Kathmandu Aran for my cardigan. It came to Chicago with me but it didn’t come out of my suitcase. There wasn’t time to knit.

Lynn is knitting her cardigan in Le Lambswool. She raves about the pattern and how well it is written.

Both fronts are finished. The provisional cast on has been taken out and the stitches are picked up to knit down the back. When you get to the desired length the fronts and backs are joined and you knit back and forth on all the stitches. There are no side seams to sew,

Lynn is at the cottage for a week so she should come back with much more knit.

Here are the guidelines. We will send each person who qualifies a 20% off coupon code for a future purchase when their cardigan is finished.

1. Yarn to be purchased at the Needle Emporium. Some people have already purchased their yarn. Any purchase after May 1, 2022 qualifies. If you ordered online then we have you in the system. If you purchase in the store, please make sure that we take your email address.
2. Wear your finished cardigan into the store for pictures. We will post these on the blog.
3. If you live out of town, please have someone take pictures of you in your cardigan for us to post. 
4. We are going to start a hashtag on Instagram for you to post your progress #needleemporiumelahkal
5. The KAL will end on October 31, 2022.

Yarn Suggestions

Le Lambswool

Cascade 220

Cascade 220 Heathers

Kathmandu Aran

Universal Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash - we will have more stock and new colours in a few weeks.

Finished Projects

Lynn came to work today wearing her new Ranunculus. It looks great!!!

Lynn used one ball of Noro Kakigori and knit with 5.5mm needles (for the ribbing and the body). You can purchase the pattern for Ranunculus on Ravelry.

The yarn is mostly cotton and silk and feels great.

We have another Fae Wing Shawl. The pattern is free on Ravelry. Alex has been in a knitting funk so I asked her to knit this shawl for us. One ball of Noro Akari on big needles - I think we might have her back on track. We used colour 20 for this shawl.

This is a great pattern if you are new to lace knitting. You can follow the written out rows or you can try working from a chart.

Alex sewed the ends in on my Inclinations Cowl. My cowl is knit with Spincycle Dyed in the Wool - Absolute Zero and Pick Your Poison.

When Alex was leaving she said that I should call when I have something else to block. I better get knitting. I’m not close on finishing anything.

I want to say I’m going to knit but I’m going to bed. It’s still light out. I am fine but had to have a CT Scan on my sinuses this morning. Very early this morning. 4am. When they can get you in right away you take whatever appointment they give you. 

SoleMates

This is the new sock kit coming from Freia. These probably won’t be available until August/September. Tina (who owns Freia) has machine washed and dried her socks and said that they came out great. The two balls are identical so you will have a perfectly matched pair of socks. I would suggest toe up socks to make sure you use up every last bit of yarn.

I couldn’t show this earlier because it was in my suitcase which finally arrived on my front porch at midnight last night. I was lucky. I have been following the Air Canada saga on Twitter and people have been waiting a lot longer than me to get their luggage. Thankfully I had an Apple AirTag in my bag so I knew that it was in Toronto. I wasn’t wondering if it was still in Chicago.

I have an AirTag on my car keys and when I travel there is one in my backpack, carry on and in my suitcase. I could track my suitcase from my phone. 

I was going through pictures and here is a Nightshift that I finished one year ago this week. We have it on display in the store and kits are available.

Now a bit of work and hopefully some knitting. The Jays are on which is perfect for working.

Golfing

Tonight’s post is going to be short. Beth and I golfed today. It was my first time in 4 years. I am tired and I am sore but we had a great day!!! 

Brian Smith has a new pattern. The shawl - Bowmarr (pattern purchased on Ravelry) is knit in fingering weight yarn. You need 150 grams of the main colour and 4 mini skeins for the contrast.

I enjoy knitting a shawl with feather and fan.

The flowers are coming out at the store.

Now it’s time to put my feet up for a few minutes and knit.

Before and After

I’m back in the store. Yesterday was a very long day and I’ll talk about that later. Lynn mentioned that I didn’t write for two days. I had a Thursday post but for some reason it didn’t show up. It’s there now.

These pictures are from a newsletter that Churchmouse Yarns sent out this morning.

Our Bias ‘Before & After’ Scarf is one of those patterns that is a perfect balance of mindless and meditative. We’re soothed by the simplicity of the stockinette, and engaged by the little bit of business at the ends of the knit rows that creates the bias detail! And the fabric’s brilliant, post-blocked transformation is always so satisfying! 

With its playful, eye-catching range of self-striping colors, Lang Linello brings even more adventure to your Bias ‘Before & After’ Scarf. This worsted-weight yarn is an inviting blend of linen, cotton, and viscose—breezy, downy, and drapey. Linello’s a great choice for cool accessories and for those who are sensitive to wool. And it’s such a joy to watch the self-striping shades unfurl as you knit!

You need the pattern for the original scarf (you can purchase it on the Churchmouse website) and then you need to download the addendum which is free.

When you are knitting the scarf you will think that it is the ugliest thing you have ever made. It is knit to a very loose tension and your stitches will look uneven. Don’t worry. When the scarf is blocked it is beautiful.

The scarf takes 2 balls of Linello.

Beth sent this picture yesterday. Dad was working at an arena in Toronto. The guys who work there love Lucy so they took the Zamboni on the ice and got Lucy snow to lie in. She was so happy. They dumped it in a spot where Lucy could see dad. 

Here are a few more pictures from the show.

This is the Lantern Moon booth. 

This is a new bag coming for fall. It opens and there is a pouch for your knitting as well as a spot to put interchangeable tips and a zippered compartment for cords and markers and….

Here are better pictures from the Della Q booth.

This is the wallet. There is a wrist strap and a shoulder strap.

There is a place on the back of the wallet for your phone.

It was bath day for Lucy.

Our flight out of Chicago was delayed by an hour and the plane ride was good. When we landed we sat on the tarmac for an hour before we could deplane. Customs was quick so I called Beth to have dad head on his way. I didn’t want him at the airport too early. After standing at the luggage carousel for an hour and a half it was obvious that my suitcase wasn’t coming. I spoke with many Air Canada representatives (who were all very helpful) and filled out a form before leaving. They are supposed to deliver my suitcase today. It is in Toronto - I have an Apple AirTag in it. If dad wasn’t picking me up I would have waited longer but traffic was a nightmare. Once he exited the 427 onto Dixon and then onto the road into the airport traffic was stopped. It took him an hour to get to the terminal. Normally he would drive around or go to the cell lot but that wasn’t an option. I walked out of the terminal just as he arrived. 

Today started with a migraine but I’m okay now. 

The trip was great and totally worth going. The dates are set for next June and I will be going again.