21 Color Slouch

We've been waiting and they're finally on the way. The shipment is at the FedEx depot in Burlington and I'm hoping we'll see it on Monday.

The 21 Color Slouch from Blue Sky Fibers. The kit contains 21 mini skeins of Woolstok and the pattern to make the hat.

 

100% Fine Highland Wool

Rich in character with excellent stitch definition and easy to work with, this yarn is available in lots of colors. You’ll quickly cozy up to it, no doubt.

I'm a big fan of Woolstok. It is great to knit with and the finished project blocks out beautifully.

Wendy Evolution kits should be arriving on Monday or Tuesday as well.

Scarf/shawl kit in a box. Super soft, hand knotted colour changing yarn (the colour change is produced by dyeing each colour separately and then hand tying set lengths of yarn together), packaged to work straight from the box.

It's hard to believe but the Frolic will be here before we know it. Mark your calendars and watch for updates on the Knitters Frolic Facebook Page.

Free Pattern Friday

Moss stitch edging, eyelet rounds, and garter stitch bands create a fantastic (and fantastically simple to execute) mix of textures made all the more dynamic by shifting through the colorways in a gradient Mini Skein Pack as you go!

Pattern: Storm Clouds Cowl (it's free right now on Ravelry. I don't know if/when it will become a paid pattern)
Yarn: A mini skein kit from Frabjous Fibers

The sample is knit with Frabjous Fibers Queen of Hearts. We don't have these kits yet but you can use a Cheshire Cat Mini Skein kit.

The Queen of Hearts kits should be here in February and will retail somewhere between $60 and $65 - it will depend on the US exchange rate when the shipment arrives.

The Combo Packs of Mad Hatter look great. 

If you missed my post from earlier this week - this is Infinite Stripes (pattern free on Ravelry). One Combo pack will make the cowl.

 

This is the special Combo Pack that Frabjous Fibers put together for us.

There are more Combo Packs in the store and I hope to have them on the website next week.

Ambah O'Brien has a new pattern. I want/need this!! Purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Introductory Offer: Enjoy 20% off Assana through midnight January 10, no code needed - just add to cart.

Fun to knit and a timeless addition to your wardrobe, Assana
provides a beautiful base for your favourite colour trio. Play
two colours against each other in the stripes section: a gradient, speckled yarn, semi-solid hand dyes - anything goes here; then complement with a bold or subtle choice of colour for the zig-zag lace section.

Worked side ways, on the bias, Assana includes both written and charted instructions for the lace section.

We are out of stock of the colours that Ambah used (a few boxes went out this afternoon) so I've made some alternate colourways. We should have the sample colours in February.

From left to right

Cinder
Concrete
Petrol

Sorry not Sorry
Shiver
Electric

This one is very close to the sample colour

tosh merino light antler
Budgie
Wish

Oracle
Crystal
Sorry not Sorry

Sorry not Sorry
Potluck
Silence

Sorry not Sorry
Potluck
Electric

Silence
Potluck
Electric

Silence
Shiver
Electric

Crystal
Concrete
Petrol

There are endless possibilities. I just grabbed some yarn before leaving the store.

You can also use
-tosh merino light
-tosh sock
-tosh twist light
-Hedgehog Twist Sock
-Mrs. Crosby Train Case
-Lorna's Laces Solemate

I can't share with you yet but I know that there will be new Splattershot colours coming from Lorna's Laces that will work great in the shawl.

I'm excited. This could be my plane knitting later this month.

Trippy

I was in the store very early this morning. The furnace was making a funny noise yesterday afternoon so the repair man was here at 8am. (Thank goodness it wasn't anything major). I accomplished quite a bit before the store opened.

I ordered new Opal Sock Yarn. We should see it next week.

 

Website updates were done. Mail orders were packed. I finished my chores early so there is going to be a bit of knitting time this afternoon.

Wannietta sent me a picture of Born Trippy. I can't wait to see how the colours turn out.

A few more rows and I'm into the lace pattern. The Big Bang Theory is taping and the World Junior Hockey is on. It's a great game so far. Go Canada Go!

Rainbows

Our next shipment from Frabjous Fibers should be arriving this week.

It's the rainbowload of Mini Skeins, oh yes. Four of our popular Mini Skein Packs are combined into one enormous, beautiful rainbow for a full-spectrum knitting experience! Twenty 1-oz Mini Skeins: combine them all for a large project, or spread them out over several smaller projects. The possibilities are truly endless!
Cheshire Cat fingering: 128 yards per 1 oz. skein, 2560 yards total

Infinite Stripes is a free pattern from Frabjous Fibers.

There are infinite versions of this scarf. Ours is designed to use one 4 oz skein as the main color, and one of our Mini-Skein Packs for the contrasting colors.

The result is a simple knit, with no-brainer color choices, and a fabulous drape that can be wrapped once or twice around the neck and is sure to go with everything.

Combo packs are in the shipment to make Infinite Stripes or Which Way (below - pattern purchased on Ravelry). The yarn is Mad Hatter - Frabjous Fibers sportweight 100% wool. As soon as the order arrives I'll post pictures of the special combo pack that they put together for us.

You’ll get somewhere quick with this engaging chevron stripe shawl made with one main color and five mini skeins. Attractive, slim stripes allow you to carry your colors along, so you’ll only weave in ends where you’ve moved on to the next mini skein. You’ll be able to get someWEAR in no time at all!

The Combo Pack is a full-size 4-oz skein with a coordinating Mini Skein Pack of five 1-oz skeins.

It's not long until I head south for TNNA. This is the trade show that shop owners go to to purchase yarn, patterns, needles and accessories for the next season.

I was looking through the show brochure today and Offhand Designs will be at the show with new bags. Meet Lucy.

I'll be ordering these :) The colours are awesome.

I can't wait to get to the show. Meeting up with friends that I only get to see twice a year. Seeing new yarn and colours and needles and patterns and bags and.... I'm getting excited.

Sally Melville

I made it to the fifth colour this afternoon.

I can't wait to finish. Because I think it's going to look good and I have more colour combinations picked out.

When I was writing yesterday's post I saw that Joji's Lemongrass was knit with the same yarn that Sally Melville knit her Easy Wrap Jacket in. We can't get the yarn in Canada right now but Eco + from Cascade will make a great jacket. 2 skeins is all you need.

When I was looking at Sally's patterns on Ravelry, the picture beside the jacket is her Memories Sweater. Sally wore the sweater at Camp and it is great.

When leaving for a trip, I needed something to knit that would take a long time but not a lot of space. So I made a swatch, gathered leftover sock yarns, made a pile of 8yd butterflies, and proceeded. It did take a long time, but since every square was different, it was constantly and totally engaging. And little did I know it would become my favourite sweater--so much so that I immediately started another!

I call it my Memories Sweater, because I can recall where I purchased each of the sock yarns used. So, besides being fashionable and comfortable and oft-admired (by knitters from three continents!), this garment has the preciousness of a quilt. It is truly irreplaceable and much treasured. I expect yours will be too!

 

PS All of these squares are joined as you work, plus I tell you when to work in tails. There is very little sewing (or tails) in this garment. I also offer lots of photos to help you through this. It is not difficult, and it is great fun!

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.

Worked flat and seamed, no purling is necessary to knit these mittens and the garter stitch makes them extra squishy and warm. Work in stripes of solid colors, or use one of the printed colorways and let the yarn do the striping for you.

Classic Elite has a new free mitten pattern. Super simple and quick to make.

Potluck

I was working on the website this morning and added Ginga from Noro. The yarn has been marked down to $16.50 a skein.

A quick and satisfying knit, this open poncho provides a simple canvas for the rich marled tones of bulky cotton-blend Ginga. Bands of single and double eyelets complement the contrasts. Garter stitch borders are worked into the side edges. After the shoulders are seamed, a stockinette neckband is picked up and knit at the shaped crew neckline.

The pattern for the Openwork Poncho is available on Ravelry.

Sylvan shades of evergreen, berry and chestnut shimmer in the wool/ silk blend of Shinryoku colorway #5. The shawl collar of this openwork cardigan folds back naturally to show a different dimension of the banded slip-stitch eyelet pattern. Knit crosswise in one piece, the main body features armholes worked into the fabric with bound-off and cast-on stitches. The sleeves are knit separately. Garter stitch borders the cuffs and lower fronts.

The cardigan is knit with Shinryoku - also marked down to $16.50 a ball.

The pattern is purchased on Ravelry.

The buttons are on and it looks amazing.

Pattern: Lemongrass (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 2 skeins of Cascade Eco +

I thought my post was finished and then Mr. Canada Post walked in. A huge box from Hedgehog Fibres. The website has been updated.

There are two Potluck colours in Hedgehog Sock. We have 7 skeins of each and when they are gone we won't be able to get them again.

'Potluck' colourways are one of a kind dyelots that will not be repeated. Their style is the dyers choice, and can be fun and experimental!

Our next shipment (arriving the middle to end of February) has 4 more colours, 8 skeins of each. I will be upping the number on orders after that. The colours are awesome.

And two Potluck colours in Skinny Singles.

Why are there only 7 skeins of each colour? One skein of each is already in my bag. :)

2017

I started going through my projects and here are a few that I need to finish.

Building Blocks is so close. I need to block it and sew in the ends.

The Endless Wrap. I'm almost finished the 5th ball - there are 9 in total.

Meadowside

Find Your Fade

Outline. I have 100 rows to knit to make it the same length as my first Outline. It sounds like a lot but the rows aren't very long and the pattern is easy.

Remember, for every project that you finish you get to start another one. I'm going to have a fun January and February casting on new things.