Posting a Comment

A few people have asked how to make a comment on a blog post. I took a few screen shots to help explain.

Click on Post a Comment (at the bottom of the post)
A new screen will pop up that looks like this.

Write your comment in the box and then Choose an Identity. If you have a google account then fill in the information. If you don't then choose Anonymous. The click on Publish Your Comment.

We need help so we're having a contest

There was another Color Play Mohair Wrap in the box that arrived yesterday from Ann.

A bit of a funny story. The wrap on the right is the one that I just finished. The one on the left is the one in the box from Ann. The same colours but in a different order. When I knit mine I didn't remember that these were the colours I sent to Ann. Obviously I really like them.

We are having a contest. What should I name this colour combination? I would like a garden/flowery name.

Please leave a comment on this post with your first name, last initial, province and your suggestion for the name for this colour combination.

Comments are moderated so they won't show up until I post them. They will be posted when the contest closes.

Enter as often as you would like.

The winner will be picked by The Needle Emporium and their decision is final.

The contest is open to residents of Canada.

The contest will close on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 9pm EST.

The person who submits the name that we choose will win a Color Play Mohair Wrap kit of their choice. It can be one of the four colours on our website or the colour you just named.

We will ship the winner their kit.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 31.

We look forward to seeing the names that you come up with. :)

Box from Ann

Mr. Canada Post came in this morning with a box from Ann.

Pattern: Sonoma Scarf - we have patterns in the store or you can purchase on Ravelry

Yarn: 1 ball of Freia Handpaint Ombre Lace

This is a blend of 75% wool from Colorado spun with 25% nylon for added strength. Our lightweight, soft lace yarn is a superwash but we recommend hand washing for longevity.

Colour: Blue Velvet

From Tina at Freia

We source our fibers as much as we can from within the USA. We look for the best quality and price combination. We look for a soft hand, a lofty yarn that retains nice stitch definition. By sourcing directly from a mill we are able to keep our costs down and our environmental footprint small.

To achieve the long color runs in our Flux and Ombré yarns we have developed our own dyeing process. Though labor intensive, the hands-on nature of the process allows us to ensure an even consistency in the yarn and colors over multiple dye lots.

And a Color Play Mohair Wrap. This is another colour combination that I made up.

It's kind of like Birds of Paradise. I changed one colour for a totally different look.

Take note of the shawl pin-I will be blogging about it in the next few days.

It's a busy TV night. Big Brother. Master Chef. And if we get really bored there is America's Got Talent and the Blue Jay game. I think I might wind some yarn tonight and start on my Colinette throw.

I'm Back

Mr. Canada Post just brought in a huge box from Namaste. The Double Wides are here.

Tame even more of those wild circular knitting needles with the super-exciting Double Wide! This case features 28 individual slots with tabs included for customization of sizes. The expandable accordion-style is a fun and functional way to organize and store your circular knitting needle collection. Double duty, double awesome, double wide. 

COLORS:

Caribbean Blue, Eggplant, Lime, Pumpkin Spice, Red

MATERIALS:
Exterior: PVC-free vegan faux leather
Interior: recycled plastic

SIZE:
11" L x 3.5" W x 7.25" H

If you think the Double Wide is too big we also have the original Circular Case.

The Namaste Circular Case is the solution to storing and organizing all of your circular needles. Features a unique accordion-style opening and labeling system to take the guesswork out of finding the right size. Compact, clever, and oh-so cute! Available in 7 great colors. 

My flight home was totally uneventful which is a very good thing. No questions about my needles. The flight crew watched me knit during take off and landing and didn't say anything. Aileen is growing.

I was up early yesterday to get the house cleaned before I left. Sheets and towels laundered. Kitchen cleaned. Bathroom cleaned. After I landed I drove from Niagara Falls to Walden Galleria. I didn't end up buying anything but had Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Yummy. The border was a bit crazy - 4pm is not the optimum time to cross. I got home and took mom's Edge back to her. I wasn't leaving my car at the airport for the weekend. :) I fell into bed at 6:30 for a short nap. I woke up at midnight, let Melo out and then went back to bed until 7 this morning. I guess I was tired. Now I'm back into the swing of things.

Cathy had an interesting day on Saturday. No power in the store and she did a great job. Everything was nicely written out for me and all credit cards have been processed. Having the power out wasn't something that I have in the copious notes that I leave for the ladies when I go away.

Today has been updating the website and getting it ready for the arrival of fall yarns. The Rowan has been packed and should be going out by UPS tomorrow. Maybe Friday but more likely it will be here next Tuesday. Dream in Color has a parcel ready to be shipped to us as well. It's a fun time of year in a yarn shop. :)

Beach Rose Shawl

The Beach Rose Shawl kit has lived in my closet in Myrtle Beach since last summer. On my last few trips there was other knitting that needed to get done so the kit sat quietly on the shelf. I decided to get started this trip.

The first flower was slower than I thought it would be. I was doing magic loop which isn't hard but takes some time when working fairisle.

There is increasing at the beginning and end of every row which makes an odd shape when knitting in the round. When done I will cut it. I can hear the gasps. It isn't a big deal. I've done it before on two cardigans and a shawl.

This is how far I was when The Open finished early this afternoon. I have enough stitches on the needles that I moved to a 40cm (16") circular. Working on the short circular is going faster than magic loop.

The kit comes with a chart but doesn't specify which order to use the colours. When the feeling strikes you cut the yarn and start on the next colour. This can be hard because you do a section and aren't sure if you like how the colours work. I have that in the pink flower section. I learned on my first Christel Seyfarth shawl that there is no ripping back. When you get further into the shawl you might change the order of the colours to something you like better. When the shawl is done all the colours blend in and look great.

These are the steek stitches. They aren't part of the pattern. These are extra stitches that I put on and I will cut up the middle of them. The shawl is made in 100% shetland wool which is great for steeking. The stitches will not unravel from side to side.

Read more about steeking on the Knitting Daily blog (the video is great)...

I hope my shawl is this beautiful when finished.

Here are a couple of pictures for mom. These trees are in front of their house.

I think I'm ready to go home. Almost all my chores are done. Laundry and dishes are clean. I cleaned the hardwood floor in the dining room, kitchen and living room. Now I need a rest. Big Brother is taping and I'm going to sit and watch. Maybe I can get the next flower finished.

Arizona Dream

Yesterday morning I received an email from Colinette with pictures of the throws. All five patterns are in the kit. It will be tough decision on which to make.

The trip to Myrtle Beach was uneventful. I'm up early because I was so tired last night that I went to bed early. No problems at the border. No questions asked about my addi turbos at airport security. I knit from the minute I got on the plane until we landed. Oh, except for the 15 minutes I had to spend untangling yarn. Tosh comes in skeins that I wind into cakes. When you get enough knit the cake starts to collapse onto itself. That's where I was on the plane. All four flight attendants came up and commented on my knitting. The lady beside me used to knit and I think I talked her into starting again.

The sunroom looks awesome. I really love the tile. One day it might go throughout the house. I love it that much. The colour of the walls is great as well. I picked it by looking at a picture of the flooring. Thankfully it worked out.

Curt did a great job on the bench. We showed him a picture and it's exactly how I planned it. I brought the fabric for the pillows with me. I took a bunch of pictures to email to mom and Beth so that they could see how the fabric looks. It was just lying flat on the benches. Then it hit me. Take the pillows from the living room and lay the fabric over them.

The fabric is from Tula Pink. Beth picked the colours in the quilt shop. Yes, they are my colours but I didn't give any input until she picked. I didn't want to sway the colours my way. :)

Golf is on the TV and I'm planning on knitting until the early afternoon. I've been out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and ready to get my fingers working.

Saturday Morning

I'm doing a quick blog post after lots of calls between Cathy in the store, Beth at home and myself in Myrtle Beach. We don't have any power in the store this morning. There was a pretty bad storm in Southern Ontario last night. The store is open and Cathy is sitting in the dark. No phones. No cash register and no debit/credit card machine. Cathy can write a receipt and take your credit card but we can't accept debit cards until the power comes back on.

Hopefully it will be back on soon. :)

Happy Friday

There is a box on its way from Zen Yarn Garden with their brand new Serenity Chunky yarn. It might arrive today and Kim will get it unpacked or I will be opening the box on Tuesday.

Serenity Chunky
70% superwash merino
20% cashmere
10% nylon

114m/125 yards in a 100 gram skein

These colours are One of a Kind.

It's just after 5am. I woke up early to watch the Open and get myself ready to go. My flight isn't until 1:30 but you never know what the border is going to be like. I will cross early and go to the outlet mall if I'm really early. I have knitting so I can sit in the airport as well.

My knitting for the trip has changed. It is going to be hard working on the Colinette throw in the airport and on the plane because you only do a few rows before changing colours. Aileen is coming now.

I'm just about packed. I need to wind some yarn and I'm ready to go.

There is some Big Brother talk coming up so if you didn't watch last night you might not want to read any further.

I saw this picture on Rowan's website and love how the yarn is displayed. The new Thick 'n' Thin.

We got caught up on Big Brother last night. Interesting. Judd as HOH could shake things up. I'm not sure he really has an alliance with anybody so he could be a wild card. It's too bad Jeremy wasn't as nice in the house as he was in his interview with Julie. I think the guests would have kept him.

Color Play Mohair Wrap #3

We lived through golf yesterday. It was touch and go for a while. I got a really bad migraine but thanks to my pills it went away just before we sat down to dinner. Boy was it hot. If we weren't in a tournament we would have quit after about 12 holes. Or maybe earlier.

The Color Play Mohair Wrap is done. I just need to block it and will do that when I get home. Now the decision is what to take to Myrtle Beach to knit.

This is my own colourway. When you stop in the store take a look at the wraps-we have 5 on display now.

Lynda knit the Color Play Mohair Scarf. It has less stitches and isn't as long as the wrap but still a great size. It is knit in solid colours of Rowan Kidsilk Haze. I used a mauve, purple, fuchsia and hot pink.

Beth forgot (it's her job) to tape Big Brother last night. Luckily we get west coast channels as well so we taped it and will watch tonight before the new episode.

This afternoon Michael brought me my new laptop. (This is Windows based so that I can do my accounting. To change to an accounting program that will work on my MacBook would be time consuming and would probably cause me to pull my hair out.) It turns on. The battery works. What more can someone ask for? Small problem. The mouse pad is backwards to my MacBook. I click and click but nothing happens. The Windows 8 is taking a bit to get used to as well. I hit something and the screen changes on me. Then there is the panic to get back to where I was. I will get it. A part of me says to take it to Myrtle Beach with me so that I can play with it and the other part says to take my MacBook because I know how to use it. I started my blog earlier today and decided to finish it up on the laptop. I keep yelling that I've messed up and Beth is laughing at me. She has a new Windows 8 computer as well but has had it for a few weeks so she's way ahead on the learning curve.

It's time for winding yarn to take. The Colinette Throw, Arizona Dream, won. Then Big Brother and bed.

More Fall Rowan

Today I am golfing with dad and Beth in a tournament for Redeemer University College. It is a fun day and we should have lots of laughs. Thank goodness it's a scramble-we don't have to hit as many shots. I have no clue what time we will be home and I'm sure we will be really, really hot when we are finished so I'm writing ahead of time so that I don't miss a post today.

A collection of contemporary styles and shapes showcasing the delectable yarn Alpaca Colour perfectly. Easy to wear knits with modern shapes and a variety of textured stitches including bobbles and slashed pieces is showcased in a beautiful jewel like palette.

Made with 100% baby alpaca, Rowan Alpaca Colour is a soft and durable DK knitting yarn. The soft, subtle blend of colours in each shade allows the beauty of the yarn to show through and is ideal for textured knitting stitches.

I'm waiting for the email to tell me that Rowan has been shipped. As soon as I have delivery date I will let you know.

Tomorrow I will be up very early. The Open (British Open golf tournament) starts and it is great to watch. The weather can be very windy and sometimes rainy. The pros look like the rest of us when playing The Open. It also means lots of knitting before coming to work.

Lorna's Laces

Here are the new colours from Lorna's Laces for fall. We have a few in Helen's Lace and Haymarket. Shepherd Sock, Solemate and the remaining Haymarket will be coming very soon.

There is a story behind the names

We moved a little away from our usual Chicago based naming scheme this season. We thought it would be fun for us each of us to tell you a piece of our story through the colors.

Arlington
Beth's parents met in Arlington, VA

Flushing
Beth's husband started school in Flushing, NY

Louisville
Amanda was born in Louisville, KY

Monrovia
Mento hails from Monrovia, Liberia

Reno
Casey went to high school in Reno, NV

Rippey
Betty met her beau in Rippey, IA

Rockaway
Tito had his first kiss in Rockaway, NY

Worcester
Tony had his first date in Worcester, MA

Amanda designed this cowl in Haymarket. Two skeins and a 5mm, 80cm circular needle.

The pattern is free on Ravelry...

It is going to be hard picking a team to cheer for on The Amazing Race Canada. How can you go against Hal and Joanne? I've been watching them for 25 years. My grandmother had Parkinson's Disease so Tim and Tim are a good choice. And then there is Jody and Cory. Jody is a vet who lost both legs below the knees. The gay cowboys are pretty funny as well. So far it looks like it is going to be a good season. It will be great to see parts of Canada that I haven't visited.