New Store Samples

Last night was a challenge. My laptop (not the trusty MacBook) and I went to war. I needed to write some cheques but my accounting program kept giving me an error. After restarting the computer three times (and it is an old computer which takes forever to start up) I finally got it to work and the cheques written. That part made me really mad but what is worse is that I didn't get any knitting done. By the time I was done I was mentally exhausted. I kept thinking that I had lost everything and really didn't want to start recreating my accounting. There is a back up but not in the last week. It is backed up now. :)

I am finally getting around to opening a few boxes that Mr. Canada Post brought last week. The first was from Mountain Colors.

This is a new kit called the Loganberry Shawl designed by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (Heartstrings FiberArts)

This crescent-shaped shawl begins with a strip of lace edging worked on only 19 to 23 sts with an 8-row repeat. The cabled lace stitch pattern suggests the slightly oblong shape and seeds of the loganberry. The short-rowed body of the shawl is an easy, very lacy one-row stitch pattern that works up in a jiffy.

We have six different colourways

• Evening Star
• Loganberry
• Blackbird
• Springtime
• Blooming Gale
• Hollyhock

The yarn is called Louisa-65% Cashmere and 35% Silk. A 100 gram skein has 430 yards (just under 400m). The yarn is super soft and very luxurious. 

A parcel from Ann came this morning. 

Pattern: Circle Socks (free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Solemate from Lorna's Laces

Colour: Kedzie

These are so soft!!

The other project in the box

Pattern: Leslie Wrap

Yarn: Metalico from Blue Sky Alpacas

Knit in a straightforward rib pattern, with a twist. This wrap is memorable worked in Metalico, with tassels of fluctuating sizes and experimental, inconsistent whipped edge treatment.

My wrap doesn't have the tassels on the ends yet. Ann was having a hard time making them look nice and asked if I could do them. I'm leaning towards leaving them off. I like how the ends look now. No I'm not being lazy. :)

This is a close up of the yarn. There is a definite shine to it.

On Friday this arrived from Lynda but I was in the middle of trying to get yarn on the shelves.

Pattern: Goodale (you purchase the pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn: Shepherd Sport from Lorna's Laces
Colour: Farwell

The pattern calls for tosh Pashmina and we have that in the store as well.

My computer is asking to be plugged in for a bit so I'm going to work on Bailey. The deadline is approaching. It's like being in school and waiting until the night before a project is due to start it. I can see myself being up Saturday night sewing together. We are golfing on Sunday so I need it done before getting in the truck or I will be sewing between shots.

Bias 'Before and After' Scarf

Golf yesterday afternoon was great. It was nice to be thinking about something other than work. Hitting that little white ball helps to get your aggression out as well. :) The bad thing about golfing is coming home tired and then not picking up your knitting. I need to get the second sleeve done tonight.

Bias 'Before and After' Scarf

“Perfect for warmer days, or layer two for coziness.”

We (Churchmouse Yarns and Teas) dubbed this scarf 'before & after' because it's so ugly (truly!) before it's blocked and so beautiful after.  Knitted on the bias, this light, airy scarf has the smooth simplicity of stockinette stitch without all the rolling at the edges. The pattern includes simple instructions for adding beads at the ends.

YARN
1 skein Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace (460 yds/420m). Or approx. 460 yds/420m of an equivalent lace-weight yarn.

This great pattern comes from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island - just outside of Seattle. I have shown this before and am showing it again because we have lots of new colours of Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace. The scarf is knit up in the store (thanks to Lynda who did say that it was ugly until blocked) and everyone who touches it comments on how light it feels.

Silky Alpaca Lace is a beautiful blend of fibers, spun into a gossamer yarn that knits into amazing lightweight pieces.The alpaca in this yarn provides warmth and a soft halo, the silk adds a subtle sheen to the knitted stitches. Worked in lace with larger needles, Silky Alpaca Lace makes lovely, light-as-air shawls, garments and accessories.

Mr. Canada Post brought in two huge boxes this morning. The first was from Namaste. The Harlow Bag and Better Buddy Cases have arrived.

The all-new Harlow bag is vintage inspired, constructed of luscious vegan material and offers ultra organization and serious style. Features include microsuede recycled lining, loads of exterior compartments & pockets (2 drink compartments, 2 flap top pockets, 1 fiber-friendly pocket, 1 zipper pocket), strap buddy for shoulder strap placement, and dual detachable handles for added versatility. Interior has a zippered top and features 2 open top pockets, 1 zipper pocket and plenty of space for activities! 

Red, yellow, pumpkin spice
hollywood pink, espresso,
caribbean blue, black
(eggplant is missing from the picture)

BUDDY cases are new and improved with a sleeker shape, updated materials and color options, and stronger magnets for your notions! The essential accessory for your little stuff- bring your Better BUDDY along to tote your personal, crafting, or travel notions so you'll never be without. The Better Buddy case features hidden magnetized interior walls to keep your metal items in place, a removable interior divider, and is made of vegan animal-friendly faux leather that you've come to expect. Contrast stitching, solid construction, and snap button closure- everybody needs a BUDDY- a Better Buddy! 

I asked the Namaste girls to send me every colour. When I received the invoice it said that there was yellow. I looked at their website and the yellow is a limited edition colour. They have set more aside for me to come later this month. What a great colour and it can go in any colour bag.

I finally made it to the bottom of the box and found some Circular Cases

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!

The other box was from Lorna's Laces.

-new colours of Shepherd Sport

-colours of Shepherd Sock that we were out of

There should be another box from Lorna's tomorrow with the new colours in Shepherd Sock and Lace.

I'm going to talk about Big Brother. If you haven't watched Sunday's show then please stop reading here.


The coaches are back in the game. Shocker. Didn't see that coming. You are head of household and you want Frank out of the game. You also know that Boogie is a threat. Why not put up Frank and Boogie?? Why put up Wil when you promised him that he was safe? This doesn't make any sense to me. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow night.

Back on Track

Bailey from Rowan magazine #52

I'm back on track with my Olympic knitting.

The front neck shaping is done and I got one sleeve finished last night. Knitting on 10mm needles is great.

There was a lot of knitting yesterday. By the time we watched Big Brother I had to put the needles down. My hands and neck were tired and sore.

This morning I was at the storage unit getting more tosh. I forgot to take pictures to show you the unit. We let my dad loose in there which means it has racking and shelves to store the yarn. It looks like a little warehouse.

There are six boxes of yarn in Beth's truck. Thank goodness for the truck because it would take more than one trip in my vehicle. Tomorrow I will be putting on the shelf

tosh dk

• plaid blanket
• baltic
• heuchera
• calligraphy
• logwood 
• lowland
• fragrant
• composition book grey
• kale
• tart
• charcoal
• betty draper blues
• cousteau
• grenadine
• onyx

tosh merino dk

• jade
• cove
• stovepipe
• mica
• flashdance
• tart
• fragrant
• alizarin
• cousteau
• steam age
• mourning dove
• kelp
• terrarium
• black velvet
• onyx
• cathedral

tosh pashmina

• dried rose
• steam age
• mourning dove
• composition book grey
• amber trinket
• cousteau

tosh sock

• charcoal
• mineral
• cousteau
• bloomsbury
• tart

tosh lace

• baltic
• amber trinket
• tart
• cathedral

tosh prairie

• tart
• amber trinket
• logwood
• charcoal

It's a beautiful day out. Not too hot and not humid. That can only mean one thing. Beth and I are heading to the golf course.

Bailey

It was a late night watching movies and knitting. The first movie was Eight Men Out. It is hard to believe that I haven't watched it before since I am a big fan of baseball. The second was a movie Beth chose. I was a Male War Bride. The movie is from 1949 with Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. You can't go wrong with a Cary Grant movie.

There are 4 rows to go until the neck shaping but I was way too tired to count. You shouldn't work on decreases and counting at 1 in the morning. Instead I cast on for the sleeves. One ribbing is done and the other is almost done.

Beth and I were heading out the door to get some dinner last night and Roko put on his sad face to try and get us to stay home.

We can always count on Sirdar for great baby/children's patterns. These just arrived in the store-in leaflets and all together in a pattern book. The patterns are for newborn to 7 year old.

Four great colours arrived as well.

Specially developed to be incredibly soft, gentle and smooth for Baby, this yarn is a new blend with natural bamboo and wool fibres. It will keep its quality through gentle machine washing.

I'm declaring today 'Knitting Day'. Olympics, Nascar and golf should keep me happy while the needles are clicking.

Kidsilk Haze Stripe

The Olympics have been great today (okay-they have been great every day but some really exciting stuff happened today). There were a couple of times that customers were ready to go and I asked them to wait until an event finished so I could see how it ended.

My goal for last night was acheived-I finished the second repeat and got started on repeat #3. Tonight's goal is to finish the front.

I was in the store early this morning and got lots more yarn on the shelves. The new tosh DK wall is looking fabulous. I keep walking into the room and staring. Why didn't I think of this earlier?? It is going to look even better next week when I bring back boxes from storage.

Baby yarn didn't get finished so that will be Tuesday's job.

Modern Quilt Wrap by Mags Kandis (the name might be familiar-Mags was the owner, creative director and designer for Mission Falls)

This pattern is available in a book (Folk Style: Innovative Designs to Knit, Including Sweaters, Hats, Scarves, Gloves and More) and now you can download it online.

What could be more comforting than being wrapped up in the warmth of a colorful quilt? Very loosely based on the traditional Log Cabin quilt block, Mags Kandis worked this wrap/oversized scarf square by square in the easy and satisfying mitered-square method of color knitting. This is as effortless as working in stripes, but the results are far more impressive. As this project is worked one color as a time, it’s perfect for thinking about and playing with color.

Download the pattern for free from Knitting Daily.

You will have to sign up to receive their newsletters but I highly recommend that you receive them. The information they send out is great. Tips, tricks, techniques and patterns.

The wrap is knit in Rowan Kidsilk Haze. On Ravelry a few knitters have used Kidsilk Haze Stripe. Your wrap will have lots of colour but with a lot less ends to sew in. The effect was great.

Here is a sneak peek at three of the six new colours coming sometime this month.

I will definitely need something in this colour.

You can't go wrong with the pinks and oranges either.

Hurry Rowan and ship me the colours. Please. :)

Rearranging and Alpaca Sox

Bailey has hit a stand still. No knitting was done on Wednesday and I got half a repeat done last night. No knitting is being accomplished in the store either. With the many, many boxes that came in I decided to blow it up (maybe a bad choice of words) and move everything. I had to keep apologizing to customers today because of the mess but it's starting to come together.

Baby Cashmerino has a new home. It now lives where tosh dk was before. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. The yarn fits perfectly here.

One section of baby yarns from Sirdar is done. Tomorrow I am going to try and get the Baby Bamboo, Smiley Stripes and Snuggly Crofter done.

Now I'm on the tosh dk and merino dk. I need this done by tomorrow so that Monday can be spent in the storage unit going through the boxes and finding the colours we need for the shelves.

This came in an email from Vogue Knitting today.

These are very interesting shades.

If you go to Vogue Knitting's website they have an excellent article on fashion trends and the colours for fall.

A new book from Classic Elite (9186 Cascading Waters) arrived for Alpaca Sox

Alpaca Sox, CEY’s signature sock yarn, is spun from a blend of fibers designed to make a comfortable, warm sock. Alpaca provides warmth and softness, wool adds elasticity and cushion, and a little nylon lends strength and durability.
The construction of Alpaca Sox is unique too. Most sock yarns are plied and tightly twisted to make them dense, smooth, and long-lasting. Alpaca Sox is a 2-ply yarn twisted just enough to be durable, but relaxed enough that the soft alpaca fibers can expand a little and show their halo.
The hand-dyes make effortless colorful socks when you want the yarn to do the work. 

Lone Wolf
An oversized and loosely knit, unstructured pullover with drop shoulder sleeves and foldover cowl neck- very easy project perfect for beginner knitters.

Sky Chief
A lacy drop front cardigan worked sideways. I saw this when we were in Columbus and I love it. This is on my to do list.

We have replenished our stock of Alpaca Sox with some great colours.

I just got home from work. I was on a mission to get the store somewhat in shape before opening tomorrow but it didn't happen. The alarm is going to be set earlier than normal so that I can get a few hours of organizing in before opening. Now I'm moving to the couch to watch some Olympics. They are showing the ladies heptathlon. The women are incredible-to be able to be good in so many events is amazing. I'm not going to bed until the second repeat is finished. I better knit fast because I'm tired. :)

Jubilee Square #2

Jane sent an email with another square done. She is motoring on the Jubilee Throw

Square # two done. This was a relatively easy one. The next one will take a lot longer..bigger and more colours. Unfortunately, I did get some of the centre colours wrong. But in the whole scheme of things..I don't think it will matter .. was watching the Olympics and got so involved with that..that I did the wrong centre..oh well!!!  Ready to block now. 

I am jealous of Jane and her getting to play with all the fun colours of Rowan Felted Tweed. Then I think about it and realize that I would start and then set it aside for a while so it is better that Jane works on it and gets it done.

We are busy trying to fit the new yarns into the store. That means major rearranging. And I mean major. All sorts of yarns are being moved. We are also going through the shelves and finding odd balls and discontinued colours for the Tent Sale.

Montana is a new yarn from Sirdar.

All ten colours are in stock.

70% acrylic

30% wool

50gram ball

150m

22 stitches = 4" on 4mm needles (it is a true dk weight yarn)

There are times during the year when it is hard to come up with things to write about. For the next few weeks I have the opposite problem. There is so much to write about. Every day more yarn and patterns are arriving. I have been writing in the morning and by the afternoon there is enough for another post. The good thing about my problem is that I always have lots and lots of pictures to share.

Debbie Bliss Angel

There isn't much to show on Bailey. I am half way through the second repeat on the front. I decided to spare you a picture today-the front looks just like the back.

Debbie Bliss Angel was in the boxes that arrived yesterday.

Angel Prints
76% Super Kid Mohair
24% Silk

200m on a 25gram ball

This sweater is from Debbie's book called Angel. It will look fabulous in a colour of Print.

There are four new colours of Angel (solid colours) and Party Angel (solid colours with a metallic polyester thread running through it).

I went to Debbie's website to see what was new and the cover of her new magazine is up. This should be arriving at the end of August/beginning of September.

From Debbie

With Britain not being very reliable for weather in February I decided to fly off to snowy Poland to make sure we got some magical images for our Snow Whites feature in this issue.It wasn't the easiest of shoots so I would like to thank the dedication of the team ,from model Olivia who wore delicate mohair in bitter temperatures,to Mia,our rather height challenged Style Director who nearly disappeared up to the pom pom on her bobble hat in snow drifts and Malgorzata Dudek and her father who brought their fantastic husky team (www.fundog.pl).Congratulations too to the child models ,Agnes,Frankie and Sonny who starred in the Little Critters feature and never once complained about the cold, possibly because they were so cosy in their animal hats and mitts designed by Emma Varnem!
It was also the perfect location for our Folklore fashion which had been inspired by my love of the beautiful textiles that are part of Eastern European national costume so it was wonderful to be able to shoot the embroidered and ribbon trimmed knits against the backdrop of Polish interiors.
For the home feature the theme was different but just as on trend.I love the history,culture and textiles of the American South West so seeing the way that fashion has embraced the look it seemed a natural step to take those influences into the home .
Finally I am excited about announcing a competition for readers to design a baby blanket,with the winning prize being a year's supply of my most popular yarn,Baby Cashmerino.
Do send in pics of your own knits too,I would love to be able to include them in the magazine and let me know if there are any features that you would like to see included in future issues.

Two more boxes of tosh came to work with me today. It's unpacked (not put away because I'm considering moving everything around)

merino light

• creme de menthe
• tart
• wicked
• opaline
• steam age
• la vie en rose
• earl grey
• graphite
• mica
• kelp
• carnation
• cloak
• smokey orchid
• grasshopper

dk

• worn denim

Are you following The Needle Emporium on Facebook? Links and pictures are shared on Facebook that don't always make it to the blog. I might find something on another Facebook page (Rowan, Trendsetter, Namaste....) and share it.

While I am unpacking boxes there are boxes being packed for storage. Five boxes and a huge bag of yarn are in the truck. You are going to have a great time shopping at the Tent Sale. There are amazing yarns at great prices!