A bit of this and a bit of that

A customer came in earlier today with a neat looking cowl pattern. You might wonder why there are pictures some days and other days I link you to another website to look at a pattern. I have permission to use some pictures and then I can post them. There are many patterns that I haven't asked for permission so I direct you to Ravelry or another website to see them.

Take a look at the Pine Bough Cowl

Trapped bar stripes break up the zig-zagging pine boughs that run the length of this oversized cowl. It’s large enough to wrap around your head twice to keep your neck nice and cozy, but it drapes nicely and really shows off the stitch pattern when simply worn down.

It is a free download knit in double knitting weight yarn. Think of the choices-we have a whole room of dk weight yarn. The customer who brought in the pattern chose Rowan Felted Tweed. It is knit in a tube on a 40cm (16") needle (you are knitting every row-much easier in the fair isle pattern) and then you join the ends of the tube to make a long cowl. It will be really warm.

An email came in from Rowan this afternoon showing 6 new colours of Rowan Fine Art that will be arriving in October.

Rowan Fine Art is a blend of fibre and colour.  Designed for socks, shawls and other accessories, it is made with merino wool, kid mohair, mulberry silk and polyamide to make it suitable and durable for all projects. 

Roko's leg is getting better and his vet is happy with how things are going. He is starting to walk on the leg which is a good sign. The dogs really want to play and we're continually trying to stop them. Roko goes outside now and picks up a toy. He isn't happy that we won't throw the ball or frisbee.

Four times a day Beth messages Roko, does exercises with him and then ices his leg. Everyone is looking comfortable here. Roko loves the ice. Most times he falls asleep when it is on.

Beth is knitting and the dogs are enjoying their really big dog bed. I'm not sure how happy they will be when the mattress finally goes away.

I've been trying to get the store in order today-there were the bags of tosh that I brought yesterday that need to find a home. While doing that I started making up kits for the Knitters' Fair. I'm not programmed to do one task until it's done. I need to have 3 or 4 things on the go at once.

Somehow I came across this pattern.

Concetta Cardigan from The Brown Stitch (design by Elizabeth Smith)
I have a few copies in the store or you can purchase on Ravelry.

A woman's seamless, top down raglan cardigan using worsted weight yarn and featuring slightly bell-shaped sleeves. Sized from 35"-55".

tosh merino
Classic Elite Liberty
tosh vintage
tosh pashmina worsted
Berroco Ultra Alpaca

The options are endless. I really like this cardigan-simple to show off a fabulous yarn. And easy to knit. And no sewing. It doesn't get any better.

Beth and I just got home from dinner.

Holy Food Trucks. Every Tuesday night in Ancaster through September.

Now it's time to watch Top Chef Masters from last week. Need to be ready for the new episode tomorrow night.

Kate's Coming

There are still a few spots in Kate Atherley's class this Saturday afternoon.

Fixing Mistakes
2-4pm
$30

description: This class will teach you how to spot and fix mistakes in your knitting, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned expert. We'll share tips for safely ripping out stitches and rows, for fixing mistakes without ripping out, and for deciding when you don’t need to bother fixing at all. We'll also discuss strategies for fixing mistakes in completed projects, and addressing common mistakes that come up when working a pattern like missing an increase or decrease

class details: I show how to pick up a dropped stitch (and of course, dropping and fixing an incorrect stitch before picking it up). I discuss when mistakes should be fixed - is it visible, is it structural? I show how to handle inadvertent yarnover holes. And pattern level mistakes - what if you're off by a stitch after increasing or decreasing? How to darn up a hole or dropped stitch after cast-off. I demo "tinking", and feeding a needle through your knitting before you start ripping it out, and how to use a lifeline.

skill level: beginner to intermediate

students should bring: any projects with mistakes

You can drop by the store to register or call with a credit card number
(905) 648-1994

Please note:

• Class size is limited
• We ask you to pay for the class in advance, either in person or over the phone
• Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Chevrons

I was texting with Wannietta yesterday and asked her to send me some pictures of the Amalfi Poncho so far.

She said that the pattern is very easy. It's garter stitch with increases and decreases to create the chevron pattern.

In case you missed my post last week, the pattern is from the Fall 2013 Knitscene magazine.

There are two sizes for the poncho. The smaller size takes 5 balls of each colour and the larger size takes 7 balls of each colour.

I hope she hurries because I can't wait to see it finished.

It's less than a month until the Knitters' Fair. My mind is working overtime on the booth. What to take?? How am I going to display it??

We unpack from the Knitters' Fair and start packing for Knitting Camp. There is a two day turnaround. It's going to be a bit crazy in the store for a few days. I worked a bit on the Camp fashion show today. We are up to 60 garments. Yikes. The largest fashion show we've had. I might need to take a few garments out.

Arizona Dream is growing. I'm at the halfway point. I needed to come up with a title for my post when it hit me that Wannietta and I are both knitting chevron patterns.

I spent some time in the storage locker today and brought more tosh to the store.

I'm going to be very busy tomorrow putting yarn away. Lots of merino light, dk and merino dk.

Let's have another contest

We're giving away one Cinnamon Kane soakbox

These limited edition Soakboxes include Soak wash, Heel- foot cream for feet worthy of hand-knit socks, stylishly matched to premium nail polish and custom Lorna’s Laces hand-dyed yarn.

The yarn is Shepherd Sock and the sock pattern is designed by Fiona Ellis.

One entry per person. To enter please leave a comment on this post with

-your first name and last initial
-province where you live
-Ravelry name if you have one - just in case we have more than one person with the same first name

We will put everyone's name into a hat and draw for the kit on Thursday, August 22 at 9pm EST.

The contest is open to residents of Canada and we will ship the kit out to the winner.

Please note that the comments won't show up until I post them.

If you aren't sure how to leave a comment then please take a look here...

Chalet

Chainette yarns are well-deserving of their popularity...the construction simultaneously provides strength and lightness. Add a luxury fiber blend of baby alpaca and bamboo to that inherent lightness and you have Chalet, a decadently soft yarn with a lovely drape in a chunky weight from our MountainTop Collection of yarns spun from natural, undyed fibers. Chalet looks great knit at a wide variety of gauges and textures.

We brought this yarn in last fall and everyone loved it. There is a new Chalet book this fall.

The Coors Cowl is knit up in the store. It is knit on 8mm needles (quick to make) and feels light as air. This pattern uses 5 skeins of Chalet and is super easy. You can download the pattern here...

The Chalet Cowl takes two skeins of yarn. You can download the pattern here...

Here are a few more patterns I found on Ravelry
Frost Flower Cowl...
Chalet Cowl...
Snowden Shawl...

Beth is going to MC our cousin's wedding next spring so she was invited to a family dinner tonight to meet everyone. I stayed home with the dogs. I napped. Not sure what they did. :) I did get some knitting done last night on Arizona Dream. I have reached the 1/3 point. Now it's time to get back to it.

We're going to have another contest-watch for details tomorrow.

Horizon

One of Classic Elite's new yarns for fall.

Horizon is a soft, single-ply, wool blend yarn in a bulky weight for quick, warm knits. Its gently variegated colors create a smooth transition from one to another - with a strand of slubby silk adding interest in the form of a subtle tweedy look.

Description	:	48% Wool, 30% Acrylic, 15% Alpaca, 7% Silk
Handling	:	hand wash cold/lay flat to dry
Colorways	:	10
Gauge	:	3 1/2 sts/inch on US 10(6 mm)
Skeins/Garment	:	10/LS
Put up	:	ball
Skein Weight	:	50 grams
Skein Yardage	:	87

Designs from Classic Elite's book 9228 Horizon

I really, really like this yarn. When my yarn rep showed it to me it was a no brainer to order it. When I saw the garments at TNNA I was really happy that it would be in the store.

I thought that the order from Colinette would be here today but Mr. DHL didn't show up. I guess it will be coming on Tuesday.

The box has kits for the Ab Fab Throw. We had this kit many years ago (I still have samples) and we are going to be carrying it again. There are 5 different hand dyed yarns from Colinette in the kit and there are 6 different pattern options.

Five colourways are coming along with five colours of the Arizona Dream kit. Here are the colours we will have next week...

Speaking of which-here is my Arizona Dream so far

I'm not sure how much knitting there will be tonight. I'm dog sitting while Beth goes to my parents to play cards with them and some of their friends. We don't like leaving Roko too long unsupervised. Just in case he decides to get into trouble. Kind of like having a teenager :)

New Models

There were a few more garments in the box that arrived yesterday from Lynda.

Pattern: Nebbiolo by Thea Colman (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 4 balls of Filatura di Crosa Charly

From Thea

Nebbiolo is a cozy, bulky cowl that can be worn either long or short, wrapped around the neck. The word “nebbia” is from the Italian for fog, and this would be just perfect on a cold and foggy day to add a little warmth and brightness to your mood!

I think bulky yarn needs a distinct and bold motif like this one. It’s a combination of cables and lace diamonds - the cables showcase the squooshiness of the merino and the lace gives the cowl a bit of lightness and texture.

Pattern: Drop City by Kitman Figueroa (purchased on Ravelry)
This is the wider version. There is a narrower version to the pattern. If you make the narrower version there is lots of yarn to make it longer.
Yarn: 2 balls of Noro Taiyo Sock

From Kitman

This is definitely a mindless addictive knit that goes nicely with any variegated yarn; either the short or long repeats. I have made four of these reversible shawlettes using fingering and worsted weight. The results are equally lovely!

Not only that this is a simple knit, its size can easily be modified too. Looking for a yarn busting project? This will be a good one. 
There is no specific gauge to follow for this knit but I will recommend to use small needle to get a tighter tension.

A quick note about yesterday's post. A couple of people asked about the colour of Beth's scarf. She used 7841 Wild Paisley. 

Kiko is a 'crafted and playful' super chunky yarn and comes in a fabulous range of quirky, smudgy colours. This wool rich blend is ideal for beginner and experienced knitters. There are a number of easy knit leaflets for men, women, girls and boys. Kiko is machine washable and knits to all of Sirdar's Super Chunky Leaflets.

See the shades-we have them all...

Blend:

51% Wool

49% Acrylic

Ball weight:

50g

Yardage:

40m approx, 44y approx

Needle size:

10mm

Tension:

9 sts to 12 rows on 10mm needles

Big Brother just started so I need to sign off and pick up my needles. There wasn't much knitting last night and none today at work. I'm falling behind my self imposed deadline.

Classic Elite Liberty

There are 6 new colours of Liberty Wool from Classic Elite.

Liberty Wool is a super-soft, washable wool available in solid and printed colors. This yarn's balanced twist will make all stitch combinations pop. With all the great qualities of wool and the ease of machine washability, Liberty Wool knits at a gauge that suits many designs and is ideal for children's pieces as well as those for adults.

7840 Middle Earth

7841 Wild Paisley

7842 Pink Interruption

7843 Neon Parade

7844 Bright Smolder

7845 Spark

This is definitely one of my favourite yarns to knit with. You want to keep going to see what colour is coming next. I haven't had time to knit with it so I sent a scarf to Lynda.

The Two Directional Scarf from Classic Elite's book 9246 Accents 3. 4 balls are needed for the scarf.

Beth was looking for something to knit just after Roko's surgery. It had to be easy. It had to be a yarn with lots of colour. I suggested the Two Directional Scarf. Here it is.

I added a Bonnie Bishoff shawl pin for a different look.

Did I say that I love Liberty? Wannietta is knitting the Amalfi Poncho. 

Throw this basic poncho over a casual outfit for instant impact. Knit side-to-side in a long-color repeat yarn for high visibility.

The pattern is from the fall Knitscene 2013. We don't sell the magazine-I bought the digital version. You can see more pictures of the poncho on Ravelry... 

I could write a few more posts today to talk about more new yarns but I'm going to save them for the rest of the week. We've been busy finding shelf space. The store is definitely full right now!

It's a big TV night so I hope to get back to my knitting. Which project??