Low Hanging Wire

Stephen West has another free pattern - this time a hat. You can download it on Ravelry. Photo © Stephen West

Choose one color of DK weight wool and hold it together with a coordinating strand of lace weight mohair silk. The mohair adds a frothy halo to the hat while you work the beautiful lace and cable pattern. This quick-to-knit hat makes a perfect gift!

You can knit this hat without the extra strand of mohair for a simple DK weight wool version. 

My shawl has grown and I should have it finished by the weekend. I would like to say that I’m going to knit tonight but my bed is calling. Thank you to everyone who visited today and shopped online. Lynn and I had a great day. We’re both tired. Mr. UPS picked up a lot of boxes (a lot of boxes) and the rest should go out on Friday.

Yesterday afternoon Janelle sent me pictures of a low hanging wire in the parking lot. She had pulled in and luckily they saw it before driving through it.

I blocked the driveway this morning and we emailed our electrician to come and see if it was a live wire or if it was a cable line. They were off this week. Then I tried Alectra (Beth suggested playing the helpless card) but they were busy and couldn’t come for 6-8 hours. Beth called in another favour to get an electrician here. Alectra came almost right away and they informed me that it was our Fibre line. It was safe to touch but they said not to cut it. The electrician came half an hour later and tacked the line for us. We can use the parking lot but it’s a mess. Normally the lot is plowed but my landscape company couldn’t get in the driveway last night because of the hanging wire.

Don’t forget that we are open from 11am-2pm tomorrow (Wednesday December 31st). 

Knitting Sunday

Jaunty is finished and I’ll send it home with Alex next week.

I used 5 skeins of Dyed in the Wool Poppy for this shawl on 3.75mm needles. I don’t normally wear red but it was time to knit with a different colour. I really like how the colours came out and I have a puffer vest that the shawl will look great with.

Here are my skeins before I started knitting. I laid the balls out and tried to figure out the order to knit them in to make sure that the colours flow. I didn’t want a ball to end with purple and the next ball start with red. You will have to look very closely at my shawl to figure out where one ball ended and the next ball started. As it turned out I ended up knitting each ball from the outside. It could happen that you knit some from the inside and some from the outside for better flow.

Don’t forget about the Jaunty KAL starting on Thursday. Here is a link to my blog post about the KAL. Come and join the fun. I really enjoyed knitting the shawl and will be making another one for the KAL.

Then I pulled out my Nightshift. I’m using the new Noro Ito colours - 76 and 91. There isn’t much yarn left. I hope to finish it by next weekend. It was a lazy day at my house and I was able to knit a bit.

I am supposed to be open tomorrow but it will depend on the roads in the morning. What crazy weather. If I can’t get to the store I will post on Instagram and put something on the front of the website.

Free Sock Pattern

Stephen West sent out a newsletter this morning. Hurry - the pattern for the Dustland socks is free until tomorrow (December 28th).

Photo © Stephen West

Here is a link to the sock pattern on Ravelry.

Big news! 🎉 For the next 24 hours only, you can snag my Dustland sock pattern completely free!

Just pop over to my website or Ravelry and the discount will be applied automatically - no code needed 🙌

But don’t wait! This little treat disappears tomorrow at 18:00 (CEST). Grab it while you can and cast on something fun! 🧦✨

We survived Christmas dinner. Everyone had a great time. People have asked how we were going to have 40 people for dinner. There were 3 tables on the main floor and then another dining table downstairs.

Our turkeys turned out and we ended up with way too much food.

Things got a little wild when the game started. 40 very loud people all yelling and laughing. I’m sure the neighbours could hear. I was downstairs while they were playing because I forgot to set up the website for Boxing Week. It wasn’t easy to concentrate.

My plan was to go into the store yesterday afternoon but Mother Nature had other ideas. I stayed home and knit (my Jaunty is almost finished) and napped. This morning I was out the door at 8am to pack orders. My truck ran for 30 minutes before I went out and then I needed another 15 minutes to try and melt the ice. I took the long way to work so I was on main roads - thankfully they were all plowed and the store driveway was clean when I got here. 

Thank you to everyone who ordered online and visited today. I’m posting early in the hopes that everyone sees it in time to download Stephen’s pattern for free.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas. I hope you and your families have a great day. Santa was generous at our house - I hope he spoiled you as well.

Lynn called me last month and she was very excited. She applied for a test knit and was accepted.

These are the Fidda Mittens from Zaneteknits (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

If you’re looking for a quick project, these cosy mittens are just the thing. Designed for bulky weight yarn, they’re perfect for chilly weather and knit up super fast, especially handy if you need a last-minute gift for someone special. 

The design is simple, worked from the cuff up with a thumb gusset, and features an easy 4-stitch geometric colourwork pattern. 

The pattern includes three sizes and is also perfect for stashbusting as you can combine different yarn weights to achieve the bulky gauge. But the colour-changing yarn makes them especially addictive to knit.

This is Lynn’s first pair. She used two strands of Rowan Alpaca Classic and one strand of Le Petit Silk & Mohair for the background and Spincycle Plump for the contrast.

For her second pair she used two strands of Alpaca Classic with two strands of Le Petit Silk & Mohair for the main colour and Malabrigo Chunky (Piedras) for the contrast.

Both pairs look amazing. 

We are expecting three new colours of Noro Ito in the new year.

I have a few minutes of downtime while dad and Beth are having a short nap. Two turkeys are cooking. It’s our first time making turkey. The house is smelling good. The dishwasher is going and the toilets have been cleaned. I’m trying to be quiet and will start getting ready again when they wake up.

Have a great day. 

Deep Winter Coat

This isn’t a new pattern but the cold weather got me thinking about it.

This is the Deep Winter Coat from Wool & Pine. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Introducing Deep Winter Coat, the perfect blend of style and comfort to carry you through the colder months. This cabled cardigan features a wrap-around silhouette, thick hand-knit belt, and deep shawl collar to keep you cozy and stylish all season long. The luxurious worsted weight yarn held double adds a rustic edge to the classic design, creating a timeless piece that captivates your needles.

The pattern is knit seamlessly from the top down in a relaxed style and longer fit, giving a refreshed and modern twist to the classic cardigan. The back shoulder is cast on separately, and then joined with the front shoulders along the back neckline before working flat to the armholes. The three pieces are then joined and worked flat to the hem for an easy-to-follow construction.

The set-in sleeves are created by picking up stitches around the sleeve holes, working short rows for a smooth-fitting sleeve cap, which is then joined in the round and knit to the cuff.

The deep shawl collar is picked up and worked in 1x1 ribbing, with short rows used to create a wide, cozy collar around the neckline. Add an optional belt in 1x1 ribbing for a classic wrap-around style with rustic vibes.

The Deep Winter Coat pattern includes written and charted instructions as well as video tutorials to guide you through the process, making it the perfect project for knitters of all skill levels.

Stay cozy and stylish with Deep Winter Coat, the ultimate winter wardrobe staple.

The coat is knit with two strands of worsted weight yarn. 

This is how I found Fred last night when I went to bed. It was a fight to get blankets.

I didn’t finish the fourth skein yet. I’m almost there.

We hung more pictures tonight.

These are from Beth’s bedroom in Myrtle Beach. 

Now it’s bedtime. We open at 10am tomorrow.

Making Treats

We’re making a new Christmas Crack recipe tonight. Tomorrow is the annual cookie exchange at the office. The Thumb Print cookies turned out amazing. So good that we ate too many and now there aren’t enough for work.

I don’t have any knitting content tonight. There aren’t many new patterns coming out right now - we’ll start seeing them in the new year. 

It’s going to be an early evening. The next few days are going to be crazy busy. We’re hosting Christmas dinner and are expecting 35-40 people. Beth and I are cooking our first turkey. Wish us luck!!

Happy Sunday

Jaunty is growing and it grew more today after my picture. I hope to join in the last ball tomorrow.

I found some hidden bags of Spincycle Trine. We are going to put Trine on sale for Boxing Week and I started a Jaunty with it. Trine is on the website but please don’t order until Boxing Weeks starts (9pm on Christmas night). I’ll share more about the sale in a few days.

From Spincycle

We are so pleased to introduce you to our newest worsted weight wool yarn! So what is TRINE? It's a 3-ply marl, and it is the perfect counterpart to Dream State.

   

Each colorway of TRINE is made up of three different solid or tonal colors, and as you'd expect, we did come here to play. You're going to find some calm color wheel neighbors, some neutrals, and yes indeed, some power clashes.

We worked on Christmas baking today. Dad loves working in the kitchen. 

We started with Christmas Crack. Beth couldn’t find the chocolate chips so dad had to cut up chocolate squares. After dinner we made fudge and thumb print cookies. 

He loves using the mixer.

The cookies are out of the oven and look yummy. We’ll see in a few minutes.

Fred had his hair cut and he looks so cute. We were hanging pictures in the golf room and he was contemplating joining us. He finally came in and picked up a golf ball and started chewing.

The last few pictures are being hung tomorrow night.

Don’t forget that we have new hours for the next 2 weeks.

MONDAY DECEMBER 22ND 11-4

TUESDAY DECEMBER 23RD 11-4

THURSDAY DECEMBER 24TH 10-2

SATURDAY DECEMBER 27TH 11-4

MONDAY DECEMBER 29TH 11-4

TUESDAY DECEMBER 30TH 11-4

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31ST 11-2

Jaunty KAL

I really wanted to blog last night but couldn’t make myself do it. I raced home after work so dad and Beth could go to their Christmas dinner. I sat in my chair and pulled out my knitting. The dogs were sleeping and I kept knitting. I made it into the fourth skein.

WEATHER AND STORE CLOSINGS

While I was away the weather wasn’t great one day and it called for it to get worse during the day. Beth made the call for Lynn to stay home. She drives almost an hour to get to the store. If it’s bad weather out or calling for a storm the store will be closed for the day. I live about 20 minutes away but have to drive back roads to get to Ancaster. Please call before heading to the store on a bad weather day. If we don’t answer the phone then the store is closed. I will try and post on Instagram and on the website if we are closed for the day.

I decided yesterday afternoon that we should do a Knit A Long for Jaunty.

Photo © Andrea Mowry

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

My hope for this project is to spark your creativity and sense of adventure! Don’t be afraid to play with different yarn weights, adjust the size, and use up your stash. Try different yarn textures, holding multiple strands together, or using handspun for a truly personal touch. The rhythmic stitch pattern offers a soothing flow, while the simple construction and adaptable sizing means you can use what you’ve got. This is definitely a pattern to knit again and again! This shawl is a shallow triangle, knit sideways using Half-Fishermen’s Rib

Here are the guidelines. We will send each person who qualifies a 15% off coupon code for a future purchase when the KAL ends.

1. We will cast on January 1, 2026.
2. Yarn to be purchased at the Needle Emporium. Yarn purchased starting December 25, 2025 qualifies. If you order online then we have you in the system. If you purchase in the store, please make sure that we take your email address.
3. The yarn can be anything from fingering weight to worsted weight.
4. Wear your finished Jaunty into the store for pictures. We will post these on the blog.
5. If you live out of town, please have someone take pictures of you (or someone if you don’t do pictures) wearing your shawl for us to post. 
6. The KAL will end on March 31, 2026. This will give everyone a chance to finish.

Your yarn choices are endless. Here are a few suggestions.

Fingering weight

• Crazy Zauberball
• Hedgehog Sock or Skinny Singles
• Emma’s Practically Perfect Sock
• Lang Footprints
• Malabrigo Sock
• Malabrigo Ultimate Sock
• Kathmandu Fingering
• Tough Love Sock

Sport/DK weight

• Starke 6
• Edition 3
• Malabrigo Arroyo
• Rowan Felted Tweed
• Emma’s So Sporty
• Arranmore Light
• Spincycle Dyed in the Wool
• Fine Tweed Haze
• Tweedy
• Patagonia
• Cardiff Cashmere

Worsted/Heavy Worsted

• Malabrigo Rios
• Malabrigo Washted
• Cascade 220
• Spincycle Dream State
• Noro Ito

This is my Jaunty knit in Dyed in the Wool. I used 5 skeins (1000 yards) and it is very large. How much yarn you need will depend on the size you want. Andrea show four shawls in different weights and different sizes. This will give you an idea on how much yarn you need. 

Diana is coming tomorrow to pick up yarn to make a Jaunty for the store. I need to decide on which yarn it will be. I’m torn between Rios (who doesn’t love a shawl in Rios), Starke 6 because of the striping or maybe Rowan’s Fine Tweed Haze. A bit of fluff and a bit of tweed.

A Finished Project

While I was away Alex blocked my third Sophie Scarf (pattern purchased on Ravelry). I used 3 skeins of Spincycle Plump (Neveruary) on 8mm needles. I left it in the store because I’m afraid Beth is going to claim it. 

I made it past the halfway point last night. This skein of Dyed in the Wool has colours that weren’t in the first two skeins. The fun part of knitting with Spincycle.

Now it’s time for a movie and knitting. Working all day is very tiring. I miss my afternoon nap.

Golf Room

I haven’t blogged about the golf room in a long time. Back in April we had a flood in the room. It’s been a long time with insurance etc but now the room is almost finished. Friends had this sign made for us and it is on the wall leading into the room.

Dad and Beth are hanging pictures and signed jerseys on the wall. On the floor is Jerry Rice, Jesse Barfield and my bowling shirt from when I was young. My mom saved the shirt and we didn’t know about it until we started unpacking trunks from mom and dad’s house.

On the wall is a Paul Henderson jersey. The baseball jersey (unfortunately it isn’t signed) was a Christmas present to Beth when she was about 10. It is Kent Tekulve and he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates - Beth was a huge fan. I remember going downtown with mom to have the name and number put on the shirt for Beth.

Beth is happy to be swinging her clubs again.

My Uncle Bert painted this picture of mom and dad’s house in Myrtle Beach.

The TV is working and the dart board has been a big hit. Dad can’t swing a golf club anymore but he loves throwing darts.

Beth set up the putting game.

Boscoe loves golf balls.

We’re excited to be using the room again. I think it will be a hit on Christmas Day but I’m not sure how I’m going to drag everyone out to help get dinner on the table.

There was a bit of knitting tonight. I made it to the halfway point on Jaunty. 

In case you missed it, we have added extra hours for the rest of December.

Now it’s bed time. My body is sore from swinging a club and throwing darts.