Home Sweet Home

We walked in the door about an hour ago.  The drive was uneventful and extremely boring.  There is nothing to see from Columbus to the border.  Trees and open fields.  I drove the whole way while the others vegged and slept.  I didn't mind until we were almost to the border when I started to fade a bit.  People talking always helps keep me awake.

Here are some more pictures from the show.

Lantern Moon's booth

New colours from Lorna's Laces

I should look up the colour names for you.  That will be tomorrow's job.  It will be easy because Lorna's Laces has a new website.

Ravinia from Indigirl along with her new shawl pattern.

Using hat boxes as heads is a great way to display yarn.

And a few more pictures of the Spud & Chloe/Blue Sky Alpacas booth

The dogs decided that we weren't going to nap.  It's time to catch up on the TV shows we have taped.  And knit.  My knitting never made it out of my suitcase while we were away.  Terrible!!

Last Night

Time got away from me yesterday. Meetings, appointments and then dinner out.

Rowan is bringing out two new yarns for fall. The first is Kidsilk Haze hand dyed in 6 colour combinations from Kaffe Fasset. Only one combination was in the booth but I know that all combinations will be amazing. The other is a scarf yarn. I am a bit too tired to describe it properly so I will think about how to describe it and add it into a post later this week. I had a chance to talk with Martin Storey for a bit and he showed me his book coming out this fall. He does amazing cable work!!


The Blue Sky Alpaca/Spud & Chloe booth was great as usual. Spud & Chloe at the Farm-the whole set.


When the goodbyes were done we headed to the mall. Macy's, Cheesecake Factory, Crate & Barrel and Nordstroms.


There were many pairs of designer rubber boots in the shoe departments. We had Bev try on a pair from Coach.

Bev won the shoe competition. She has four new pairs and I have three. They were on sale so we couldn't pass the up. :)

My plan is for us to be in the truck by 9 tomorrow morning for the drive home. I hope everyone else cooperates.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

TNNA Day one

There is still one hour left in the show but I am tired so I decided to come back to the room and show you some pictures.



The first stop was Noni's booth. I ordered everything to make the Bettie Boop bag last week. Nora brought the box to the show so that I didn't have to wait for it to be shipped.



Then off to Namaste. This is the new Skinny Mini. From Namaste, "The Skinny Mini is an ideal way to store DPN's, crochet hooks, brushes, pens and other tools in style. Expandable function allows this case to open wide and close snugly to fit in small spaces."
The Skinny Mini will be arriving in August with the Mini Messenger.



There were models walking around the show wearing new designs for fall. Here is one of the amazing garments from Norah Gaughan #9. The model was a bit shocked when I asked to take her picture. This sweater could be my favourite of everything I have seen for fall.



And speaking of Norah. She is working at the Yarn Bar in Berroco's booth. We could sit down and try working with the new yarns for fall. Very cool idea.

It is time for me to sign off and do some work. I have a few orders to do so that I can take them with me to the show tomorrow.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Stormy Columbus

If you go to bed early then you are probably going to wake up early. At 6 I was wide awake so we grabbed the newspaper and went downstairs to get a tea. It was beautiful sitting outside on the patio. Then it got dark and the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees. Look out. A huge storm hit. Thunder. Lightening. Sheets of rain.

Beth and I were supposed to have a meeting this morning but it has been delayed until later this afternoon. We decided to go for a drive. Ohio State University (the third largest university in the US) is located in Columbus. We drove by it today. Absolutely huge! This is the new Ohio Union building-a student activity center.


The meeting is finished and it is a quick change of clothes before dinner.

I can't wait to get on the show floor tomorrow to see what's new.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hello Columbus

Bev and Oliver arrived a bit late this morning (we weren't surprised) and by the time the truck was loaded we pulled out of the driveway at 8:45. The drive was totally uneventful. No problems at the border (Oliver is a Kiwi but he had all his paperwork in order), no traffic and good weather.

We had a business meeting on the patio and then dinner. Everyone is very tired so we all went to our rooms and will meet again in the morning.

Cathy worked in the store today and unpacked a few goodies.



Whisper from Kim Hargreaves arrived this afternoon.

Then she unpacked the new colours of Noro Kureyon.

I can barely keep my eyes open (I did all the driving while everyone relaxed) so I'm heading to bed.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blame it on Beth

That was one big storm last night.  I was asleep (didn't hear a thing) when Melo came and jumped on me. I thought that he wanted out until I heard the noise.  You can blame it all on Beth.  She is in charge of putting out the recycling and garbage.  Normally she does it on the morning it is being picked up but she decided to do it last night.  Her comment was "it is nice out so nothing will get blown around".  HA! After the storm we went outside and there was water bottles, pop cans, newspapers.... everywhere.

My parents are in charge of the flags that fly out front of the store.  I don't know how long ago this started but they have fun in Myrtle Beach picking out the next set of flags.  They know all the stores to go to and where to get the best deals.  They bought this one because they said it was made for me.  The wind was blowing when I took the picture and the flag kept moving.  It says 'shop til you drop' and 'born to shop'.

We are leaving early tomorrow morning for Columbus.  I will try my best to post from the show.  Maybe I can get a few pictures as well.  We aren't supposed to take pictures on the show floor but many of the companies are more than happy to let people take pictures for blogs and newsletters.

A newsletter went out today.  This weekend is Heritage Days in Ancaster.  Wilson Street will be closed for a bit and the newsletter contains information on it.  If you are planning a trip to the store on Saturday please take a minute to read it.

My Rock Island shawl is sitting beside me begging for me to sew in the ends.  If I am going to wear it on the weekend then I had better get to it.

Mini Messenger

I just called Namaste to get the dimensions of the new bag.  There was no way I could wait until the weekend.

The bag is 13" x 10".  I asked if a laptop will fit and a MacBook will but anything bigger won't.  Lucky for me I have a MacBook.  I think it will be great for traveling and carrying my iPad as well.  Wow-I just talked myself into one.  :)

Mr. Canada Post came in with a box of bags from Offhand Designs.  My last shipment from Larisa.  Very sad but I will get to see her one more time in person this weekend.

Mr. Canada Post also had a box from Mountain Colors. There were a few skeins of Bearfoot sock yarn and then four kits for the cover jacket of knit, Swirl!

Now I have seen all my delivery people today.  Mr. Canpar brought in a box of Snuggly Baby Bamboo and some Sirdar patterns that we were missing and Mr. UPS just came with two huge boxes from Berroco.  The new colours for fall have arrived.  I just sent an email to Berroco to find out when the books will be available.  While I was working on something else an email came through saying that the books are due in Rhode Island around June 15 and then they will be shipped to us.

I have no knitting to report.  I took my work home on Saturday night and it was still in the bag when I left for work this morning.  There won't be any knitting again tonight and then tomorrow night I have to pack. Packing doesn't take long but the laundry that needs to be done before I can pack takes some time.  :)

Did you watch the Bachelorette last night?  She gets warned that he is there to promote himself but she couldn't help herself and fell in love with him.  That was quick. Now she has to fall out of love with him and into love with someone else so she can propose on the last episode. What a train wreck!

No pictures=unhappy Julie

On Thursday morning Oliver, Bev, Beth and I will be heading to Columbus, Ohio for TNNA.  My inbox is working hard to keep up with the emails from companies previewing new products that they will be showing.

This morning Namaste sent an email with their new bag.  I will be ordering one for myself and Beth is hopping up and down begging for one as well.  I am trying to add a picture but I keep getting the message that the server is rejected so I am going to keep writing and hope that blogger gets their act together soon.  What is this new bag?  We won't have it until July or August but you might want to get your order in right away.  These are going to be hot!!  It is called the Mini Messenger.  I'm not sure where the name Mini comes from because in the picture it looks full size-I will know better next week.
From the email

the exterior material is Namaste's vegan non-leather and the interior material is gray faux microsuede (PET) which is made of recycled plastic bottles

Cross-body design for hands free function, the Mini Messenger bag has a padded adjustable should strap, quick access exterior pocket, and lots of pockets for ultra organization.  This bag is perfect for an active busy lifestyle.  Available in black, peacock, red, lime and eggplant in July 2011

I've gone onto other work and came back.  Still can't upload a picture. The next few hours are going to be busy so I am going to hit publish and show you the images tomorrow. Hockey.  The Bachelorette.  Big Break. MasterChef.

Super Storm

It is 10:45 on Saturday morning and you would think it is 10:45pm by how dark it is outside.  Unbelievable.  The power is starting flick on and off which means I could be losing the internet for a while.

Here are a few more pictures from Norah Gaughan Volume 9. I can't wait to see the garments in person next weekend.

Callen is knit in Blackstone Tweed. This is one of my all time favourite yarns.

Richly textured panels of intricate reversible cables stream across an open long sleeved cardigan.

Nyx is shown in Blackstone Tweed Metallic.  This is a new yarn for fall-Blackstone Tweed with a bit of glitz that knits to the same tension as Blackstone Tweed. I will be looking at this next weekend to see how it looks when it is knit up.

Plaited cables frame a center lace panel of a dreamy rectangular scarf joined at the ends to form a loop.

Auberon is knit in Ultra Alpaca.

A voluminous seed stitch pullover is embellished with interlacing cables and i-cord bobbles.

It's now Sunday morning.  I wrote my post yesterday morning and then the store got busy and I kind of forgot about it.  Last night our friend Oliver flew in from New Zealand and we went to the airport to pick him up.  Oliver runs Naturally Yarns in New Zealand and is here for a few meetings before we head to Columbus on Thursday morning.

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather outside. I have work to do for Beth and then hope to spend a bit of time in the backyard knitting.

Eye Candy

This morning I made a trip to the hair salon. I can't go to a trade show with grey in my hair. Trish doesn't normally work on Friday morning but agreed to come in for me. After waiting 45 minutes for her Melissa coloured my hair. Who knew if Trish was going to show? Trish finally showed and finished the job. She was so upset that I couldn't yell at her. Now I have happy hair.  I absolutely love having my hair done.  If I won the lottery (no I don't buy tickets but one can dream) I would have Trish come to my house every morning to do my hair.

While sitting in the salon I downloaded my emails and there was something exciting from Berroco.

I sent them back an email asking if I could show you the pictures from the new Berroco magazines.  Kris called and said that I could show as many as I want.

Norah Gaughan Volume 9 is amazing!!  I am hoping they will be here by the end of the month.

A profusion of spectacular cables in an inspiring range of sweaters and accessories worked in both dreamy soft shades and bold bright colors.

The cover jacket is knit in Ultra Alpaca.

Blackstone Tweed is used for Travis.  There are new colours for fall including this amazing rust.

A broad expanse of reversible cables makes for a warm and comforting wrap.

Gullveig is stunning!!  I WANT!!

Cables reminiscent of gothic archways form a highly flared swing shape in this deep V pullover.

I sat down this afternoon and knit a tension swatch for Breezy.  I was working with a 4mm needle and hated how it looked.  My first swatch was done on a 3.75mm.  It still looked loose.  The next swatch was done with 3.5mm.  Much better.  I am going with the 3.5mm and restarting the cardigan.  There isn't enough for a picture but sometime over the weekend I will try to get one.

Today is my dad's birthday so I'm off to my parent's house for a visit.

Marginally, Insignificantly, Kind Of...

It is a nice sunny day in Southern Ontario and I should be on the golf course.  :)

In yesterday's post I mentioned starting a new project.  The winner is a new pattern from Hannah Fettig called Breezy. The cardigan is knit from the top down in lace weight yarn on 4mm needles.

I bought the pattern on Ravelry but hopefully we will have copies of the pattern available for sale in the store soon.  This will depend on Canada Post and what happens tonight and over the next few weeks.

The yarn I chose was Silky Alpaca Lace from Claasic Elite.  There isn't a picture today because I'm not sure if I like the tension I am getting.  It is a touch (smidge, not too much, slightly) on the big side.  I am trying to talk myself into liking what has been accomplished so far.  No I didn't do a tension swatch.  I know that I should practice what I preach but I was watching the hockey game and just dove in.

Now that I have started I am going to knit a few more inches and see what happens.  I could be frogging tomorrow.

New Goodies

Are you a lace knitter?  We just received a new yarn from Prism called Delicato.

100% Tencel
100 gram skein
575m (630 yards)

From Prism's website

Delicato is a lovely lace-weight Tencel®. Silky, smooth and lustrous, Tencel® has ten times the absorbancy of cotton, less stretch than rayon, and incredible dye saturation. 

This lovely lace yarn is a terrific substitute for more costly silk. Lustrous, smooth and silky, the hand is superior with beautiful stitch definition and blocking retention.  

Two new books arrived this afternoon as well.

Knit Noro
From Vogue Knitting's website (where you can see all the designs from the book)

Japanese designer Eisaku Noro creates some of the world's most magnificent yarns-made from exquisite natural materials and color-blended into stunning hues, they're prized by knitters everywhere. This lush, beautifully styled book offers needleworkers of all skill levels a collection of patterns that make the most of Noro's breathtaking creations. The projects, which range from an Entrelac Scarf and Cowl Neck Vest to a Felted Cloche and Chevron Throw, include on-trend fashion and accessories.

Hardcover with Jacket • 144 pages

knit, Swirl! arrived as well.  The book is beautiful.  Even if you don't knit anything from it the pictures are great.

When I got home from work last night I blocked Rock Island.  After a 15 minute soak in Phil with Soak Unleashed I took the shawl outside and hung it on the fence to get some of the water out of it.  The plan was to then pin in out to 'aggressively block' as Jared suggests. Small problem. The shawl dried quickly. I will decide if I want it blocked further and rewet.

There was one more parcel from Mr. Canada Post today. This was from Wannietta.

Pattern: Irish Coffee from Baby Cocktails (can be purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: Naturally Aran Tweed colour 85

I chose a dark colour to show that you don't need to knit in cream for the cables to show up.

Last night we watched the Bachelorette.  The masked man was so close to revealing himself.  And then there is Bentley.  It is going to be very messy on Monday night.  It's that train wreck that you can't walk away from.

Now I need to decide what I am going to knit next. Yes, I have lots of unfinished pieces on needles at home but when a major project is finished then another project is cast on. I have it narrowed down to a few garments and will let you know tomorrow.

Everybody Loves Raymond

It is 8:02 on Monday night (less than an hour since I did my post) and I am starting my post for tomorrow.  My tangled mess has been rolled into a ball.  All of a sudden things started going smoothly and it took no time at all.  Don't know what I was worried about.

Beth can't get enough of the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. She can watch an episode that she has seen many times before and laugh like crazy at it. Why am I bringing this up you ask. I set a box in the laundry room with cans and papers for the recycling bin last week. Beth goes into the garage twice a day to get dog food and I thought she would take it out with her. No. The box then moved to the floor when I did laundry. It became a standoff to see who would cave and take that darn box into the garage first.  It reminded me of the episode with Ray's suitcase.  He went golfing in Myrtle Beach which didn't make Deborah happy.  In their house there are three steps going up to a small landing and then they turn 90 degrees to go up the rest of the stairs.  Ray's suitcase sat on the landing for weeks while they had a standoff to see who would take it up the rest of the stairs.  I can't remember who caved first on the show but it was me who caved last night and took that darn box into the garage.  Beth was very proud of herself!!

I'm at work on Tuesday morning with no internet connection.  We lived many years without the internet but now that we have it we can't live without it.  Thankfully I brought my cell phone cord today (normally it stays at home).  I can set up a personal hotspot with my phone so that my computer is connected.

Here is Rock Island.  All knitting is done and tonight I will be blocking.  I am happy with the shawl right now and I think when it is blocked it will be outstanding.

Mr. Canpar just came with a HUGE box of Frillseeker Precious Metal.  I need to find somewhere to put it all.

Untangling a mess

I got a little carried away knitting yesterday.  I kept thinking that I needed to post but I just couldn't put the needles down.

I am going to send these pictures to Jacqueline at Soak.  Here is another use for Phil.  Phil was sitting outside because I had washed a sweater and he was wet.  I didn't want to put him back under my sink so I left him outside.  With all the rain he has been wet for weeks.  Beth was throwing a ball to Melo the other night and it landed in Phil.  Melo thought it was great fun and wanted Beth to do it again.  Yesterday Beth set Phil in the middle of the yard and the dogs played.

Melo with his soccer ball.

Roko with two tennis balls.  He wants both in his mouth at once.  Getting his picture was tricky because he hates the sound of a camera.

 

Here is a picture of the shawl so far.  I tried taking a picture outside but the pattern didn't show up.  There is still glare in the house but the pattern shows.

I have a small big problem right now.  While winding the first skein of yarn I was walking around the store and helping customers.  All was going well for half the skein and then I dropped it on the floor.  Can you say mess?  I set the yarn aside and wound the second skein.  Now I need the first skein so when I am done writing my job will be to untangle the skein.  Wish me well.  I have no patience.

Into the home stretch

Beth just brought me a Red Velvet cupcake from the cupcake truck. Delicious!!  I hope that come back next Saturday.

I finished the Rock Island chart last night and am onto the home stretch.  The rest of the shawl is garter stitch.

The rows are getting shorter so it should move quickly now.

I didn't want to remove my centre marker for the picture. Not only is it marker the centre stitch but it shows the right side row. Decreases are done on that row and the wrong side row is just knit.

My dad just stopped by the store to drop off some stuff for me and commented that the black board outside was blank.  I cleaned it off this morning because the writing had run with all the rain.  I'm still deciding what to write. I told him that it looked messy and he told me that he had a solution to the writing running. He says with his sick laugh "you could use paint".  Thanks dad.  His ideas are amazing. People wonder where Beth and I get our sick sense of humour from. Spend a day with my dad and you will know.

Buttonholes

I was having a good evening watching the hockey and baseball and working on Rock Island.  There is a row and half left on the chart and then I am onto the garter stitch.  I will take a picture tomorrow.  I remembered that I hadn't finished my post so I grabbed my lap top.  I hit something and erased part of what I wrote earlier today.  Beth is asking me questions while I am trying to remember what I erased.  I want to scream.  Okay, hissy fit is over and now I am going to finish.

There is nothing worse that working on the button band of a cardigan and the pattern says to put in x number of buttonholes evenly spaced across the row.  If it is a free pattern I can give the designer a pass but if I paid for it then I expect them to do this for me.  However, sometimes they do give you the numbers and it just doesn't work out.  A customer had this problem last week and the more we worked on it the further we got from the designers numbers.  I can sit down with a paper and pencil to figure it out but there has to be an easier way.  Today I bought it for my iPhone.

ButtonWizard can be found in the app store.  You plug in your numbers and hit Calc.  You will then see

No more paper, pen, calculator and pulling your hair out.

I have no affiliation with the company and I don't get anything for showing this.  It's here because I think it is a great app that will make your life easier.

If you are in Ancaster tomorrow morning remember that Cupcake Diner will be on Wilson Street.  I want her to sell lots of cupcakes so she will keep Wilson Street in her rotation.

Cupcakes

Somedays boxes arrive and I just don't feel like unpacking them.  That happened yesterday with the three big boxes from Namaste.  I decided that instead of knitting today I would work on unpacking boxes, doing orders and straightening the store.  Wait, that is what I am supposed to be doing every day!!

Surprise-the Laguna bag is back.  We have stock of the four returning colours plus a few discontinued colours are still in stock.

While we are on the topic of knitting bags there are a few surprises coming from Offhand Designs.  I will post pictures when they arrive.

We finally watched the finale of Celebrity Apprentice last night.  I was happy to see John Rich win.  From week one you knew he was going to be in the finale.  He performed well in every task whether he was the project manager or not.  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is an amazing hospital dealing with children and their illnesses.  They will be able to do a lot with the money he raised.

We did not watch the final episode of American Idol.  The TV was switched to that channel around 10 just in time to see Scotty win. Again, I was happy with the results. I don't want to gloat but I did pick him during auditions.  :)

I'm home now and Beth was very excited when I arrived.  Mom told her about something new that is coming to Ancaster on Saturday.  Cupcake Diner-a cupcake truck.  The truck will be on Wilson St E (the store is on Wilson St E) Saturday morning.  I have to watch Twitter and let Beth know when the truck arrives and where it is. Hopefully she will be nice and bring me one.  

I know better

After getting home from dinner last night Beth and I went upstairs to watch the hockey and catch up on the DVR.  First we watched Big Break.  I was working away on my shawl when disaster struck.  I made a mistake and when taking back a few stitches I dropped one.  Beth was talking away to me and I not so politely asked her to be quiet so I could figure it out.  After a few minutes I got the stitch picked up correctly and all was good.  Yes, I apologized but it was a crisis situation.  When I finished the row I put my knitting aside for the evening. We then watched The Bachelorette.  Why?  I totally know better.  I didn't like Ashley on the Bachelor and don't like her any better now.  She just talks and talks.  There were a few good moments but really it was a waste of time.  Thank goodness we could fast forward through most of it.  What was with the guy in the mask?  Seriously dude.

Mr. Canada Post brought in two huge boxes from Namaste along with a box from Ann. Here is the Cascade Vest that I talked about in our last newsletter.

Pattern: Cascade Vest (free Ravelry download)
Yarn: Kauni-2 balls of EOC and 2 balls of EFL
Needles:  3.5mm circular

I really like how the colours came out. When you are picking two different colours with very long colour repeats you never know how they are going to work together.

It doesn't get much easier than this vest. You are working side to side in garter stitch.  2 rows from one ball and then 2 rows from the other.

I forgot to take a shawl pin outside with me but found the perfect one when I came back inside.

I have been working away on Rock Island today and am finished row 12-half way through this chart.  When the chart is done the shawl is finished with garter stitch.

The only way to get a better picture of the whole shawl is to slip half the stitches on another needle. That could be a disaster waiting  to happen. What happens if I miss a stitch? Now there are four ends that the stitches can fall off the needle. I will try and knit faster so that I can get a good picture.

The fun has started

I finished the border on Rock Island and have started on the body.  There are 11 rows of garter stitch before I start the next chart.

It is bunched on the needles right now but once I get more rows done it will be easier to show the whole shawl.

Every right side row four stitches are decreased so the rows are going to start going faster.

At the end of my day I have completed the garter stitch rows and then four rows of the chart.

A few people have emailed me with questions about the chart and I couldn't supply good answers until now.  They wanted to know about working the chart with markers.  It isn't going to work because there are so many yarn overs and decreases that the markers are going to continually move.

If you were in the store while I was knitting you would hear me saying "ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo" across the row.  I say it out loud and it helps me to remember the row and I don't have to keep looking at the chart.

Diamonds are being made when working the chart. I think after you work 4 rows of the chart you will see the pattern that is emerging.

To make the chart fit on one page it is fairly small.  I would suggest enlarging the chart to make the symbols easier to see.  I have also gone through the chart and circled all the ssk symbols.  This will help as well.

It is a busy sports night.  Jays at Yankees along with basketball and hockey.  Beth and I are going out for dinner to celebrate a friends birthday.  Hopefully we won't be late because I need to get back to my knitting.

Happy Victoria Day

I hope everyone enjoyed Victoria Day.  A holiday Monday-what do you think I did today?  Of course we went golfing.  Dad, Beth and I had a great afternoon on the course.

There was some major knitting done yesterday and a bit this morning on Rock Island.  The edging is done. I'm thinking of picking up for the body of the shawl when I am done writing but I am tired (the course was cart path only because of the wet ground) so it might not be a good idea.

Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2011 will be on sale the second week of June.

You can preview the issue here...

Watch a video of the garments...

This issue won't disappoint.

Melo really hates fireworks.  Really hates them.  He shakes and it is awful to watch. Sorry but I am hoping for rain tonight so that we don't have any fireworks in our neighbourhood. The last two nights they have been going until midnight. Please give us some rest.