Symphony

Brian Smith has a new pattern that shows off the beauty of Noro Ito. Brian used colour 40 to knit Symphony (pattern purchased on Ravelry). One ball is all you need.

The shawl will look amazing in any colour of Ito - you can see them all on our website.

Ito is a slubby, worsted weight, 100% wool that comes in BIG 200 gram/ 437 yard balls. One of NORO's most colorful creations, Ito provides an ever-changing color spectrum as you knit. One ball is enough for a scarf, but it is also a fabulous choice for head-turning sweaters. We dare you to count the number of colors you can find in each ball of Ito!

Pretty Dyed in the Wool. When I opened the box there were a few combinations that popped out at me for The Shift. Above is Castaway, Stay Out Of The Forest and Robin’s Egg.

Melancholia, Stay Out Of The Forest and Space Oddity.

I made up a few kits and they are online and in the store. I will play with more combinations over the next few days.

Here are The Shifts that I have knit.

Kit #7

Kit #2 & #6

Good Omen, Bruised Ego and Space Oddity. I didn’t put this kit together - I’m not sure why. I will find skeins tomorrow that I like together.

Dad and Lucy made it safely. They had a good drive and Lucy was excited to get back. 

Happy Friday evening. It’s knitting time.

Cable Trellis Socks

Stephen West has a new sock pattern which you can purchase on Ravelry. This is part of his Westknits Year of Socks 2023.

From Stephen

Schoppel Wolle Zauberball Crazy is a great self-striping marled yarn. One ball of this yarn would work great for the contrast color. I recommend using a solid or semi-solid yarn for the main color to make the texture and traveling cables pop. Experiment with different yarn combinations and have fun!

Photos © Stephen West

My Bear Paw Socks haven’t grown because I am mad at them and myself. They are in a time out. I started knitting during football and didn’t pay attention to what I was doing. I didn’t increase enough stitches after the toe shaping. Then I didn’t count my stitches until I was at the heel. I had to do some adjusting for the heel and then I increased some stitches in the ribbing up the leg. I will finish them (doing the same numbers on the second sock) and give them to Beth if they fit her. I did make notes of my mistake so that I can make them again on the second sock. 👿. Then I will make a pair for myself. A total rookie mistake that I shouldn’t make but now I’ve learned my lesson to pay attention!

The new Opal sock yarns are online. Winterweide is above and Holidays below.

Tomorrow could be a happy delivery day. Spincycle and Noro Akari.

Dream State

-Mississippi Marsala

-Overpasses

Dyed in the Wool

-Robin’s Egg

-Shades of Earth

-Space Oddity

-The Family Jewels

-Castaway

-Leith

-Melancholia

-Rusted Rainbow

-Stay Out of the Forest

Noro Akari

#1

#13

#18

#23

Lynda knit this Fae Wing Shawl in May.

We have a new store sample. Lynda knit the Fae Wing Shawl (the pattern is free on Ravelry). We used one ball of Noro Akari - colour 19 on 4.5mm needles.

Alex finished our second shawl in June.

We have another Fae Wing Shawl. The pattern is free on Ravelry. Alex has been in a knitting funk so I asked her to knit this shawl for us. One ball of Noro Akari on big needles - I think we might have her back on track. We used colour 20 for this shawl.

This is a great pattern if you are new to lace knitting. You can follow the written out rows or you can try working from a chart.

Dad and Lucy’s drive is going well. There was a delay at the border this morning so it is taking a bit longer than normal. Usually dad gets to the border and there might be one or two cars ahead of him. This morning it took over half an hour. They should be at the house before 8pm.

Tonight it is going to be a quiet night of knitting. I need to get into the store early tomorrow to put away knitting needles from recent orders. I have them all over the place and it is time to get them in order.

New Sock Yarn

We received a big box of Opal Sock yarn this afternoon.

I will try and add these to the website tomorrow.

We got good Noro news today. Some out of stock colours of Akari are coming next week. (I checked online after I hit Publish and the yarn might be arriving on Friday). This is one of my favourite Nightshifts but it’s been in hiding because we are missing one colour.

"Akari" is a soft, worsted weight multi fiber blend that features organic silk and cotton. Translated to "light" or "glimmer" in English, the silk adds a beautiful sheen to this yarn. It is a delightful choice for knitting and crocheting multi-season garments.

Dad and Lucy are packed and will be on the road early in the morning. We packed him enough food that he could live for a few days if he got caught in a snowstorm - the weather looks good so that isn’t going to happen but just in case.

Temperature Blankets

On Sunday evening I received two emails with finished Temperature Blankets. This is Stephanie’s.

I just wanted to share a picture of my 2022 temperature blanket I finished today! All knitted with Rowan Felted Tweed from The Needle Emporium.  I used my own colours and am very happy with how it turned out.

Thanks for the great idea for a fun knit.

Stephanie’s colours are fabulous.

Linda’s picture came a bit later. Another beautiful blanket. Thanks for sharing ladies.

This got me thinking about my blanket. I think I stopped in April. I could go back and figure out the temperatures for each day but I’ve decided to pick it up again this April and finish it. No one will know the difference. 😀 If you are thinking about a Temperature Blanket, here are combinations of Felted Tweed that I put together.

Mr. FedEx brought in a huge box from Biches & Buches. Le Lambswool is well stocked.

We had an Amaryllis competition at my house. I kept forgetting to take pictures. Or maybe I did it on purpose because my flower wasn’t cooperating. Dad’s is already finished. Beth’s flower is on the right. This is her second stock to bloom. Mine is on the left. I missed Christmas by a bit. 

Banana Bread night.

Tweedy

Surprise - we have new colours of Hedgehog Tweedy coming soon. 

We are always looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly and to minimise waste. On top of our thread waste we are using recycled wool, making 50% of the total content recycled. I love the result! It's soft, yet wooly. Not superwash and it blooms beautifully after washing. 230m/100g.

I had a productive day. After doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and washing the floors I placed many orders. Addi needles, Knitter’s Pride needles, Lantern Moon needles, Crazy Zauberball, Edition 3, Zauberball Starke 6, Hedgehog Tweedy and Cascade. Then I worked on accounting 🤬. 

On Friday Beth spent some time and filled up our Tosh Merino Light wall. 

On Saturday she did Dyed in the Wool. When she was finished she proclaimed that we need to move the yarn so that more skeins can be put out. She wants at least 2 hooks for every colour. Talk about opening a can of worms. We need to do a lot of moving around to make that happen. 

We have lots of orders coming this week. New Opal, Biches & Buches Le Lambswool and an order from Spincycle. 

Dad and Lucy are leaving early Thursday morning for Myrtle Beach. I’m going to sign off and start making carrot cake muffins for the drive. Tomorrow night we will be making banana bread for his time in Myrtle. There won’t be time to make anything on Wednesday night. It’ll be an early dinner so they can get to bed - they will be on the road at 4am.

Happy New Year

 Welcome 2023.

We had breakfast this morning at dad’s and Jackson wanted to see what was on the table. He isn’t allowed to do this at home but at grandpa’s anything and everything is allowed.

My Nightshift is growing. It is going to be bright! 

Beth knit on her hat this afternoon with some help from Boscoe.

I have a long list of orders to place tomorrow. The first one on the list has been knocked off - I just placed an order for Purl & Hank shawl cuffs. These were very popular during Boxing Week.

The most popular was the Overall Buckle. 

The nostalgic overall buckle is a favourite. With various sizes its a great options for shawls of all weights.

Our leather is tanned with oil leaving it soft and pliable yet durable and resistant to the harsh elements. The pronounced grain gives character to each piece. Over time your leather may look dry and dull. We suggest rubbing a bit of some Mink oil or some animal fat on to rehydrate the leather.

I have a large shawl cuff collection but I don’t have this one. I will when the order arrives - hopefully in February.

I actually saw midnight last night. I went to bed at 8:30 and woke up at 11. Just in time to watch the end of the college football game, knit a bit, and see midnight. Then it was back to bed for the best night sleep I’ve had in a long time.

Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a good evening!