ASAP

The shipment from madelinetosh arrived this morning. ASAP is awesome.

A.S.A.P. is a 100% superwash merino wool, available in all of our luscious glazed solid colorways. Working up at a super bulky weight, A.S.A.P is perfect for last minute accessories, and heavy sweaters you'll complete with quick satisfaction. Each squishy soft skein is hand-dyed in small dye lots and machine washable.

Content: 100% superwash merino wool

Length: 90 yards/82 meters

Gauge: 8-10 stitches = 4 inches

Suggested needle size: 9mm-12mm / US size 13 - 17

Care: machine wash in cold water air dry flat

Here are a few pattern suggestions from Ravelry
InstaCowl
Wynter Hat
Bandana Cowl
Leftover Mitts
Ovate

I'm thinking that I will be casting on for Ovate later today.

Noro Magazine

Next Friday is my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. That should be a really good gift. Really good. This is what Beth and I are trying to talk each of them into buying for the other one. Neither one is going for it.

I think Beth and I would look great driving in a Corvette.

Mr. Roko is getting better. He spends most of the day lying around and he seems to enjoy it. Saturday morning Beth takes him back to see the vet and have the stitches out.

A new Noro magazine is on the way to us. I'm guessing we will have it Monday or Tuesday.

There are 35 designs in the magazine. Some knit and some crocheted.

Steeked Capelet in Silk Garden

Kimono Sleeve Capelet in Kureyon

Asymmetrical Pullover in Cyochin

Cabled Coat with Cowl knit in Noro Obi and Debbie Bliss Paloma

Motif Tunic in Taiyo Sock

Lace Wrap in Taiyo Sock

Mosaic Blanket in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and Noro Silk Garden

Bias Stripe Afghan in Noro Kureyon and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.

It's a busy TV night. There's an NFL game on right now. Grey's Anatomy in half an hour as well as a college football game that should be really good. That means lots of knitting for me :)

Dropping Stitches

Beth has been busy knitting while being at home with Roko. She found a pattern on Ravelry for the Drop Stitch Cowl. Thick yarn. Big needles. Knit in an evening. Perfect for Beth.

Pattern: Drop Stitch Cowl  - free on Ravelry
Needles: 10mm 60cm circular
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky Hand Dyed - 1 skein for a cowl

So perfect that she made two.

If the hand dyed colours are too much for you, we have the yarn in solid colours as well.

Classic Elite has a new book coming out soon called Portraits. I really, really like this jacket and have ordered the yarn for myself.

Gabrielle knit in Majestic Tweed

This oversized cardigan, with elongated front shaping, is worked side to side with a provisional cast on at center back.

How did Majestic Tweed get its name? Deep colors accented with tweedy flecks, a gorgeous fiber blend of wool, angora, silk and nylon, and a relaxed ply come together to create soft, rich fabrics with a subtle angora halo.

The yarn is 40% wool, 20% silk, 20% angora and 20% nylon.

If you would like to join me in knitting the jacket, here is a link to the shades on Classic Elite's website. I'm going to knit in 7238 Espresso. It takes a week to two weeks to get the yarn in.

Watch your inbox because a newsletter just went out. If you don't receive the newsletter you can sign up in the top right corner of the blog or the bottom left corner of the website.

Now it's time to catch up on TV that I missed while I was away last week. There wasn't time to watch in Vegas :)

Chateau

I was taking a spin around the Classic Elite website and found a new yarn that is coming out soon. I've called my supplier and ordered it. Hopefully it will be here in a couple of weeks.

MountainTop Chalet's colorful cousin, Chateau is the same super-soft baby alpaca/bamboo blend with a chainette construction. It knits up quickly, which is perfect for last-minute holiday gifts. Any pattern written for Chalet will knit-up just as beautifully in Chateau. 

Chateau debuts this November with eight vibrant, heathery colors. 

The Coors Cowl will look great in colours.

This is a free pattern from Classic Elite's website. 

We have the cowl knit up in Chalet (undyed colours) and it is so soft. Probably one of the softest yarns you will ever feel.

While we're talking about coming soon, I just talked with Jordana Paige. She will have Quinn tomorrow and then start shipping. I'm hoping late next week the bags will be in the store.

Look what Kim found me while she was out antiquing yesterday.

I'm very excited. It's a great start to the booth.

 Edge is growing.

Melo came home last night. Roko was very excited to see him. We don't want to leave Roko alone yet so we've been cooking dinner at home. It surprises us too. We didn't know that the stove and oven worked in our house :) It also means lots of knitting. Since I took this picture I'm into the next colour. No more knitting tonight though. I'm sitting down to work on a newsletter now.

Knitter's Frolic 2014

I know it's only November but I'm starting to plan my booth for the Knitter's Frolic.

Saturday, April 26, 2014
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto

I will be displaying yarn from a brand new company. I'm very excited because we will be one of the first stores in North America to have the yarn. While flying home from Vegas I came up with the booth idea and need your help. If you have a vintage suitcase in your basement please let me know. I'm thinking something like...

I would also like vintage hat boxes.

And vintage makeup cases

Let me know if you have something like these. We can make a deal. :)

The cold is coming

The cold weather is coming and it's time to start thinking about scarves. Not lightweight, look pretty scarves (which I like) but heavier, keep you warm (but still look pretty) scarves.

This is Cora knit in Rowan Colourscape Chunky. 2 skeins of yarn and 7mm needles. The cables are easy-I've knit the scarf and it is hanging in the store. The pattern is no longer on Rowan's website but I have permission to give it to you if you purchase the yarn.

The yarn is discontinued but we have stock in lots of colours-bright and earth tones.

This is the Trellis Scarf from Blue Sky Alpacas in their Bulky. We have 22 shades in stock.

50% alpaca
50% wool

41m on a 100gram skein. That's bulky!

While we're talking scarves why not hats too? Blue Sky Alpacas has a new booklet for hats knit in Bulky.

Beth and Roko are lying on the bed (mattress in the living room) and Beth is icing his leg. This is giving me a bit of a break. For some reason Beth has been messing up her knitting a lot tonight. I've been ripping out more than I want to. I'm not sure how she knit for 5 days while I was away with no problem and then when I get home she messes up.

Back at Work

The flight home last night was very uneventful. (Before the flight was really good though. I won $55 playing a slot machine in the airport.) I flew on Air Canada Rouge. This is a new branch of Air Canada. The flight crew were all very young and very pleasant. The planes do not have TV screens in the back of the seats like Air Canada has. Before you fly you need to download the Air Canada app on your iPad. Once you are allowed to use electronic devices the app works and you can choose from many different movies and TV shows.

I came to work this morning to find a surprise from Cathy and Kim. They tidied (okay, did a major overhaul) behind the cash desk. Do you have that drawer in your kitchen or a closet where you open it and just throw things in? That's what it was looking like back here. Now there is room to walk.

And look what they found. 

Lots of Pearl from Lorna's Laces.

200m (220 yards) on a 100gram skein.

51% silk

49% bamboo

20 stitches = 4" on 4.5mm needles

I was so excited about finding it that it's already been added to the website. The silk and bamboo add an amazing shine to the yarn.

I did a search on Ravelry and found some pattern suggestions

Puddle Jumping Shawl

198 yds of Heaven

Cream of Spinach Scarf

Summer Shimmer Scarf

Reclamation

Edge is growing. It was the perfect plane knitting. Not much thinking and an easy to memorize pattern.

Mr. Roko was very happy to see me last night. He's doing pretty good. Ask him if he wants a cookie and he can move pretty quickly.