New Samples

We have a new store sweater. Lynn put it on and squealed. She said it was so soft and so light.

Pattern: Hale from Mode at Rowan. We have a few copies left in the store or you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. More patterns and yarn will be coming in a few weeks.

Yarn: Mode Softest Alpaca

This comfortable high-neck sweater is knitted in Softest Alpaca. Clever construction – the sides are picked up and knitted out from the central body - adds interest and texture to this stylish knit. With a high neck and garter stitch drop sleeves, it is a classic shape with a modern look.

Finished measurements 
Chest circumference: 39.25( 43.25, 47.25, 51.25, 55, 59, 63, 67, 70.75)“ 100( 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180) cm 
Finished length: 25.5( 26.5, 27.25, 28, 28.25, 29.5, 30, 30.75, 31)” 65( 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 79) cm 
Sleeve seam: 15.25( 15.75, 15.75, 16.25, 16.25, 16.25, 16.25, 16.25, 16.25)“ 39( 40, 40, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41) cm

Yarn used: 
Mode at Rowan Softest Alpaca 
8 (9, 10, 11, 11, 12, 13, 14, 14) balls

Pattern: Beginners Brioche Cowl (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

Yarn: 1 ball of Rowan Big Wool and 1 skein of Spincycle Plump

I made this cowl before knitting my Plumped Up Cowl to get back into the swing of Brioche knitting.

My Plumped Up Cowl is finished and I love it.

Pattern: Plumped Up Cowl (pattern purchased on Ravelry)

Yarn: Spincycle Plump - 2 skeins of Afternoon Delight and 2 skeins of Echo Echo.

Two finished projects before the end of 2024.

Lynn and I had a crazy busy day in the store. Thank you!! Now it’s time to watch some football and hockey while knitting.

Sophie Hood

The Sophie Hood is a new pattern from PetiteKnit. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

The Sophie Hood is worked in one piece from tip to tip. It is worked flat, back and forth, in garter stitch with built-in i-cord edges. The hood is shaped using increases and decreases, and it’s back is sewn together at the end, using mattress stitch along the back of the neck.

The Sophie Hood is knit with Aran weight yarn. I think Mode at Rowan Softest Alpaca would be a great yarn choice. You can also use Malabrigo Rios with a strand of lace weight mohair. Warm and soft.

I cast off the last stitch just before we closed for the day. Alex is coming in on Friday and I will nicely ask her to take it with her to block and sew in the ends. I love how the colours came out. 

Beth is making dinner while I’m writing. After dinner I am going to work in my Advent shawl. It’s December 14th and I am about to start colour 6. That is being behind.

Coming Soon

I am enjoying knitting my Plumped Up Cowl but I understand that not everyone wants to knit with Spincycle. I ordered some Malabrigo yarns this morning that will work for the cowl and hat. My guess is that they won’t be here until the new year but surprises happen.

Mecha

A rare single-ply superwash yarn! Our superwash merino takes color in the most vivid, rich way, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the multi-layered hues of Mecha! Soft as always, Mecha has a slight thick-and-thin texture, a fantastic loft, and is the perfect size for quick but not-too-heavy projects.

I looked again at my purchase order and there are 2 more colours of Mecha coming that I missed.

Chunky

One of our classics! We took our Merino Worsted, fattened it up, and plied it to create this squishy treat of a yarn! Chunky’s nice smooth texture and semi-solid colors make it perfect for bulky cables and bold textures - or choose a variegated colorway and let the colors do the work!

You can mix the yarns - they are the same tension.

When we order from Malabrigo we select from their current stock. As more colours become available we will be adding.

We also topped up on Rios and Washted. It’s going to be a big shipment.

I thought I was being smart and put my cowl on a different mannequin just before coming home. I wasn’t paying attention and pulled my needle out of a 1/4 of the stitches. 🤬 Luckily I was able to get them all picked up properly. I wasn’t happy with myself.

I have 12 more rows to knit and then I’ll be casting off. 

Step Into Christmas

Lynn’s sock is growing. This is through the third clue. She is going to be wearing short pants on Christmas Day to show these off. Lynn doesn’t normally do socks with this much colourwork but I think she might be hooked. They are stunning.

We have Lang Linello in striping colours and in the spring we will have the same lovely yarn in solids.

Linello is a beautiful yarn made of linen, cotton and just a small percentage of viscose. The composition is not only breath-taking but it’s also breathable material. Perfect for hot summer days and balmy evenings.

My cowls are growing. I’m on the decreases of both of them. Decreasing in Brioche is a bit different - Andrea Mowry has a great video showing how to do it. I would suggest watching the video before reading the instructions.

I took the pictures quickly as I was running out the door to UPS. I will try and do better tomorrow.

I can’t tear myself away from these but I need to get back to my Advent shawl. HELP!! I need more hours in the day or I need to find a way to sleep less. Or maybe I need to work less 😢

Dinner is done and when I’m finished writing I need to finish the Christmas tree. Dad is going to help me reach the top branches. If I can tear him away from The Price is Right.

Brioche

I got on a roll and couldn’t stop. The first skeins are almost finished on my Plumped Up Cowl.

Freia Fibers introduced a new hat pattern today that uses 2 Minikins - one ball each of two different colours. You can purchase the pattern for the Sidestep Hat on Ravelry.

This cozy hat is made with two-color brioche in alternating gradient yarns and a stepped columnar pattern. Brioche adds an element of squishiness making this an exceptionally soft and cozy hat when worked in our US Merino minikins. Note: Though this is not a difficult project, some familiarity with brioche is required for this pattern.

You want to pick two colours that are different. As you can see we have lots of colours to choose from.

Mr. UPS brought a box from Emma’s with the December Crazy Beautiful Color. It reminds me of Christmas lights.

We also received new colours of So Sporty. I didn’t get these on the website so I’ll add them tomorrow. It’s knitting time but before I can knit dad is going to help me wind more Plump.

Fa-La-La Fade

This is the Fa-La-La Fade from Hedgehog Fibres. The pattern is a free download. 

Generous and cozy shawl featuring all 24 colours from Hedgehog Fibres 2024 Advent Calendar. Painterly design that lets you get creative with your yarns. Dream up a stunning marled gradient and knit your own version this season! 

You can achieve similar effect with 5 full skeins of Hedgehog Fibres Sock Yarn in a fade arrangement

You are holding two strands of fingering weight yarn together for the shawl. You will start with 2 strands of the same colour - AA. Then you will cut one strand of A and add a strand of B. Then 2 strands of B. You can change colours as often as you want.

We didn’t bring in the Hedgehog Advent kit but you can put your own fade together with mini skeins. Or use a few Theme Packs from Emma’s. I think that many of you have lots of fingering weight leftovers in your stash as well that would work great for this shawl. If you don’t want as many colour changes you can use 5 - 100 gram skeins of fingering weight yarn.

The shawl pattern is beautiful. 

I worked on my Traveler Cowl yesterday. It is almost finished. I love the colours and can’t wait to wear it.

I didn’t make much progress on my Plumped Up Cowl. I’ll work on it tonight. 

Now it’s time for a nap. UPS is no longer pickup up our parcels so I need to drive them to the UPS store. I made a few trips from the truck and got wet this afternoon. I think a rest under the covers will warm me up.

Don’t forget that we are extending our hours for December.

Tuesday December 10th - Saturday December 14th 11am-4pm
Tuesday December 17th - Saturday December 21st 11am-4pm

Monday December 23rd 10am-4pm
Tuesday December 24th 10am-2pm

Friday December 27th 11am-4pm
Saturday December 28th 11am-4pm

Monday December 30th 11am-4pm
Tuesday December 31st 11am-2pm

Thursday January 2nd 11am-4pm
Friday January 3rd 11am-4pm
Saturday January 4th 11am-4pm

The week of January 5th we will return to our regular hours
Wednesday - Friday noon-4pm
Saturday 11am-3pm

Plumped Up Cowl

I cast on last night. I wasn’t going to but something made me.

I’m using Afternoon Delight for my main colour and Echo Echo for the contrast. Plump is a joy to work with.

Here is the wrong side.

Tonight I decorated the Christmas tree. Or I should say I started decorating it. Now that all the decorations are up I need to rearrange. That will be tomorrow’s job.

Have a good evening. It’s Plump time.