We're ready to go

I wound skeins of Hedgehog last night and have cast on anther Outline. It was very hard to set it down at 11 last night and go to bed.

The van is packed so tonight is about laundry and finding clothes that I am going to wear this weekend.

Door prizes and clothes are covering the table waiting to be packed in the morning.

There wasn't enough knitting tonight to warrant pictures. Hopefully tomorrow there will be time to sit by the lake and knit.

Knitting Love

Outline is totally finished including blocking. The Skinny Singles from Hedgehog Fibres block beautifully.

Blocking doesn't have to be a lot of work. I'm a lazy blocker. I soaked the shawl in Soak for about 15 minutes. I drained the sink and gently pushed on the shawl to remove the excess water. I rolled it in a towel for an hour to get out most of the water out. Then I laid it out on a fresh towel. I didn't pin it. At the beginning you need to change the towel fairly often because it can get pretty wet but as the shawl starts to dry you can change the towel less frequently. It took about 30 hours to dry.

I love the shawl so much that there are four skeins at home waiting to be wound. I'm making another one.

While this was drying I finished Hitchhiker. I love this one too.

While I was winding skeins of Skinny Singles, I was soaking Hitchhiker in the new Pineapple Grove Soak. I am in love. The laundry room smells amazing. My sewing room smells amazing!!

I totally forgot to change the blog and Facebook to say that we are open on Mondays again.

Our hours until the end of March are

Monday - Thursday 10-5:30
Friday noon-7
Saturday 10-4
Sunday Closed

Camp

I finished casting off my Hitchhiker this morning. Just over a week. Not too bad.

I really wish I had a mannequin at home. I tried hanging the scarf on the fence but that didn't work. The colours are a bit off - the end of the scarf is more orange than yellow. I'll get pictures tomorrow after someone sews the ends in for me. :)

 

Someone can get up on the bed now. She is very proud of herself. She doesn't sleep in the bed but mom and dad wake up in the morning and Lucy is snuggled in between them.

She's my dad's baby. He weighed her last Saturday and she was 61 lbs.

The store is a bit of a mess - we're packing for Camp. For the past few years we unpacked from the Knitters' Fair and had Camp the next weekend. This year we put a week in between. I'm not sure if that was good or bad. Getting ready has been more relaxed but I'm ready to get going. And there are boxes everywhere. If you haven't been to Camp then you might be wondering what I'm talking about. We do a fashion show on Friday evening. That means 40-50 garments. We also set up a mini yarn shop. Kits for the fashion show garments. Needles. Books. Then there are the amazing goodie bags that everyone gets. Oh yeah, the door prizes. Our suppliers are very generous.

If you're coming to Camp, make sure you watch the Camp blog for information...

I brought home a Mountain Colors Perspective kit and am making another Hitchhiker. Perfect Camp knitting.

There would have been more knitting today but I was in charge of the converter. Beth has it now so I'm good to go.

Hitchhiker times 4

I made it to the fourth colour this morning. I highly recommend Hitchhiker if you are looking for a mindless project that looks great. I'm having fun using the gradient kit and have my eyes on another one when this one is finished.

Sarah just sent me a text.

Ball 3 started. 2 to go! Amazing how the colours blend. At first you don't even notice a difference.

It looks like she's having fun knitting the scarf too.

This was the post that I started Friday afternoon and was going to post last night. It didn't happen so I'm going to add to it.

Wannietta sent a picture this morning.

Not blocked yet, but it's done. I really love it.

I can't wait to see it in person. I really thought that I had a chance at beating her but she is too fast.

I made it to the fifth ball. I had to be quick getting the picture - the rain had stopped but the trees were dripping on me and the knitting. I think it should be finished tonight. One week. I'll get at least one more finished before the Fleece Festival.

Cathy just started her third ball. She is using a Frabjous kit like Wannietta and Lynn. Her colours are going green to turquoise.

Now I need to go play with the Hedgehog. I can't decide which colours I want but I know that I need some.

Hedgehog is in the house

We just unpacked a shipment from Hedgehog Fibres

Wannietta was happy at the Knitters' Fair. I have a feeling she will be very happy to see what's in the box.

The Skinny Singles in the box are

• Birthday Cake
• Boombox
• Bramble
• Budgie
• Coral
• Crybaby
• Crystal
• Envy
• Fly
• Genie
• Ghost
• Graphite
• Harajuku
• Heyday
• Monarch
• Monet
• Naive
• Pinky Swear
• Purple Reign
• Salty Tales
• Shiver
• Sorry Not Sorry
• Teacup
• Typewriter
• Velvet
• Zephyr

In Twist Sock

• Boombox
• Bramble
• Genie
• Shiver

The website has been updated..

Knitter's Pride newest box set should be in the store in October.

The boxed set consists of:
• Nine pairs of vibrant color-coded aluminum Zing needles - US 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 10.5 & 11 (3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 & 8.0mm) that carry laser-marked sizes.
• Four color coded cables in lengths of 24’’ (60cm – green), 32’’ – 2 nos. (80cm – orange) & 40’’ (100cm – red).
• An assortment of knitting accessories (set of cord connectors, wool needles and stitch holders) packed in a coordinated monogrammed fabric pouch.
• Two pairs of fascinating earrings that have been crafted at our factory and made from our famous colored wood!

I can't wait to try these. The colours are very pretty :)

Milo

My knitters have been busy. Alex brought in this awesome shawl yesterday. Our Camp Fashion Show is going to be amazing!

Pattern: Close to You (free on Ravelry)

This simple but stylish shawl is knitted from one end with gradual increases to form a triangular shawl which is fun to knit and easy to wear. The zigzag border with eyelets gives it a nice touch and makes the knitting interesting.

Yarn: 2 skeins of Manos Milo

Milo is our newest yarn. A gorgeous simple ply merino and linen blend.

The linen unique nature gives Milo a rustic yet elegant look, with its raw fibers and metallic shine.

We love the drape of the finished fabric and find it perfect for season spanning projects such as kerchiefs, shawls and lightweight tops.

The pattern calls for 400 yards of fingering weight yarn which will give you a smaller shawl - closer to a scarf. We used 760 yards for our shawl.

Lynn started her Hitchhiker last night.

She is using a Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat kit on 3.5mm needles.

Wannietta texted me a few pictures of hers. I thought I was going to win but now it's pretty apparent that I won't.

It's going to be striking in the grey to black.

I'm off to work on mine. If I don't sleep tonight I might be able to catch up.

Yay! More tosh

We just unpacked a shipment from madelinetosh including tosh merino light.

There are 4 brand new, limited edition colours. When these are gone we will not be able to get anymore. I've been good and haven't taken any yet but that could change.

Stormborn

Favorite Pair

First Light

Rey

The four new colours haven't been added to the website yet (packing is getting in the way) but the other 28 colours in the shipment are online.

I love emails that say 'Look what I finished'. One arrived this morning from Rita with a picture of her beautiful shawl.

Here is a shawl that I knit earlier this summer and forgot to bring around to show you.  It's a very fast knit and uses one of the Sweet Georgia Party of 5 kits and just over half a skein of the Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock.

Pattern: Black to the Fuchsia (purchased on Ravelry)

Sarah, Wannietta and I are making progress on our Hitchhikers. Lynn got her kit but lost it but now she's found it and will start tonight. Cathy came in today to get her kit.

Sarah is part way through the second ball.

 

Wannietta is using a Cheshire Cat mini skein pack from Frabjous Fibers. 

I started the third ball last night.

I love how it's knitting up. And mindless garter stitch is always fun.

Another eviction on Big Brother tonight. Go Paul!

Ashling and Annisa

Wannietta finished this amazing shawl and brought it to us at the Knitters' Fair.

Pattern: Ashling Shawl (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: 2 skeins of Mrs. Crosby Reticule in Magnolia

Ashling is a lovely and lightweight shawl to keep you both pretty and warm. It has a little lace, a lot of garter stitch and two sizes - just pick up the one you have enough yarn for!

I did a size larger than the ones indicated.
I repeated rows 1-4 (63) times more, 394 sts.
In the lace patterning, I repeated
Rows 5-8 (20) times more, resulting in 9 lace pattern repeats overall.
Then I finished with a picot bind off.

I finally blocked my shawl and I love it.

Pattern: Annisa Wrap (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: Mrs Crosby Train Case - 3 skeins

Fun to knit and wonderful to wear, Annisa is an asymetrical wrap that will let your creative side out to play. Team a solid with a gradient, speckles or bright yarn for playful stripes, add a bold or subtle pop for the eyelets and let Annisa be a perfect reflection of your colour passions.

Now back to the packing. We've unpacked from the Knitters' Fair and now things are going into boxes for Camp. I don't want to jinx it but I think we're ready. A few more things to pack and a bit of printing and I'm done.

Pineapples

I was asked about the shawl that Lynn was wearing in the Knitters' Fair pictures. It's called Chevrione (purchased on Ravelry) knit in one Freia Shawl Ball. 

Chevrione is knit starting from the small end of the triangle to the end, where it is bound off using a picot bind off! It can be worked with lots of beads, a few beads, or no beads at all. Chevrione was specifically designed to use gradients, as the wave pattern shows beautifully with the gradient. This pattern includes both full written and charted instructions, and can easily be modified for size by working extra repeats of Chart B, or omitting repeats of Chart B.

It would look amazing in a mini skein kit

• Party of Five
• Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat
• Lorna's Laces String Quintet
• Fiberstory

I'm happy to introduce the newest scent from Soak. This should be in the store later this week. I can't wait to try it!

Be a pineapple. Stand Tall, wearing a lily filled crown, and always be sweet on the inside.

This exotic new scent has sparkling top notes of sweet orange are fused with the soothing floral scent of Lilies. Tropical pineapple, orchid and melon dance through the heart; and evolve into a sophisticated dry down of sheer musk.

We will have large bottles (375 mL and will do 75 washes) and small bottles (90 mL and will do 18 washes).

Soak is ideal for raw fibers, spinning, dyeing – and for the entire fiber lifecycle. Use it to care for cashmere, wool, cotton and other delicate knits. 

Visit Soak's website to see fool-proof tips for taking care of your knitted items. 

It's time for football, baseball and knitting. I finished the first ball of Hitchhiker last night. Maybe I can through most of the second ball tonight.

Hitchhiker

Late yesterday afternoon we were straightening out mini skein kits in the booth and decided to challenge each other. Lynn, Sarah, Wannietta and I are all making a scarf for the Woodstock Fleece Festival.

I'm using a SweetGeorgia Party of Five kit in Jelly Bean.

 Sarah's colour is Swell.

We are making Hitchhiker (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

Garter stitch. It‘s simple, its warm and squishy, stretchy and reversible and it makes any variegated, hand-dyed sockyarn really shine. So here‘s Hitchhiker: It is a narrow, slightly asymmetrically shaped triangular shawlette that can be wrapped around the neck several times. The ends are long enough to tie it with a knot. One of the short sides of the triangle features a saw-tooth border that evolves naturally during the knitting and gives the shawl its unusual shape. Because the knitting starts at one end, you can stop anytime, bind off and end up with a useful neckerchief, shawlette or shawl. A perfect project to relax in between more complicated ones, also very suitable for beginners and young knitters.

 

We decided to knit on larger needles to make the scarf bigger. Sarah is knitting on a 3.5mm. (I'm on a 3.75mm)

Wannietta is going to use a Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat kit in Too Much Pepper.

Poor Lynn. She had a kit picked out and in her bag. Then a customer picked up a kit in that colour but they wanted two. Lynn was kind and gave back her kit. Tomorrow she'll pick out a kit while we're unpacking.

Cathy was working in the store so she wasn't part of the conversation. I'm adding her to our challenge. She knits fast enough that she can catch up to us.

Knitters' Fair

Another great Knitters' Fair is in the books. We had a fun day. Thanks to the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters Guild and all their amazing volunteers. Thanks to everyone who came out and shopped. A big thanks to my dad and Beth for helping with set up and take down and Cathy who worked in the store which made it possible for us to go play in Kitchener.

The three musketeers helped out in the booth. Thanks to Lynn, Wannietta and Sarah.

And Sarah's husband John who helped us take down the booth. We did it in record time this year. 18 minutes from the time the show closed until the vehicles were packed. We hustled.

Sarah had an idea for fun pictures. They each picked something in the booth that they wanted to have.

If you didn't make it to the show, here are some pictures from the booth.

Now it's time to put my feet up. We were up at 5:30 this morning so I have a feeling I won't be up much longer. Then tomorrow we start getting ready for Camp.