Girasole KAL!

Hey, have you heard? We're starting


on July 1st! Sandy Kay and I already have our yarn (Isager Højlandsgarn) and are gearing up (actually, Sandy Kay has cheated and started early). Sandy Bingham and Brook are talking about participating - both with be using ShibuiKnits Sock, I hear - so you'll have not one, not two, but four staff members available for help or support whenever you need it!

If you've ever wanted to try this pattern or a Shetland circular shawl, now's your chance. But the KAL ends on July 31st, so you'd better decide soon! We'll hope to see you at one of our KAL knit nights (TBA) or in with your wip or fo...

Losing track

Two weeks since the last post. Too much has been going on around here to keep track of. So, I'm just going to cover what I have photos of. Unfortunately, I can't find the notes I took to correspond with certain photos. In particular, I've given up on finding the information I had written down on this little cutie:

Too adorable for words, eh?

A couple weeks ago a very nice young lady came in to show off her recently finished sheep. I believe she had made it for a theatrical production. Dear knitter, if you read this blog, I'm really really sorry I lost your info! Please feel free to send it to me again and I'll post a correction ASAP.

Next on the list of worthwhile blogginess (I think I just made that word up), we received a gianormous shipment of Malabrigo this week:

NINE boxes in total, all crammed full of yarn in colors we haven't seen in months. Drop by the store or website to grab some for yourself before it's gone. But, before you do that, check your inbox tomorrow for a special offer!

Making up for the radio silence...

With two simply beautiful finished projects. First, Christine came in two weeks ago (yes, I'm a bad blogger and I'm really sorry) with the Whisper Cardigan she'd just finished for her granddaughter:

It was made with three skeins of Jade Sapphire's Cashmere Silk. Lucky girl, eh? Just lovely and soooo soft. We all stood around and petted it for quite some time. And because it was so heavenly, it wasn't as hard this time to get someone to model it. 'Lo and behold, Jenni actually appearing on the blog without a scowl!

It was that nice. And it probably didn't hurt matters that the pattern is so attractive (which might just be why it's the most popular pattern in the issue on ravelry).

Then, a couple of days later, Jolene brought it the Ladybug Set she's been working on for her eagerly awaited granddaughter:

Clearly very adventurous (you'd have to be to knit this sweater!), Jolene even chose girl colors - which look amazing, as we're sure you'll agree. Next to it is the store sample, for comparison's sake.

It must be said that we have some very adventurous knitters in our community. Now, that's all I have for customer projects. If you'd like to show off your mad knitting skillz on the blog, we'd love to have you! Please feel free to drop by the store and let us know what you're making.

Until the next post, I'll leave you with our newest yarns by Be Sweet.

Just because

If you're on our mailing list, by now you should have received an eCard about June's Featured Project - CoCo Knits Hanna. What you won't have seen in the card is how silly Liz and I can get during a photoshoot. So, for your (and our) amusement, I put together a photo pile.


You have to admit, silly is something we do well here. In any case, at least you can see how nicely the sweater drapes and moves.

Next on the list, I snagged a shot of Jenni's current wip du jour, her Fargyle socks:

Which she is trying to finish in time to enter in the State Fair. Wish her luck! Now, normally, I would refer you to her ravelry notebook (and there is a link), but it's woefully short on information. So, if you see Jenni, tell her to update it 'cause she just won't listen to me.

Moving on... we have NEW YARNS!

These have arrived with perfect timing - they're ideal for cool summer knits. On the top row is the second round of our popular limited edition sock yarn, the Knit Purl Natural Collection. Dyed in very small batches using only natural dyes and mordants, these little jewels make simply beautiful projects (remember my Seraphim shawl?) or just look lovely in a stash.

On the lower two shelves are two new yarns from Be Sweet. The bright and cheerful and glossy little cakes are Be Sweet Bamboo. 100% bamboo at a sport weight, it's great for light and drapey shells and sweaters. The fact that it's handdyed will also add dimension to a finished garment. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing it knit up.

We also have Bubble Ball yarn from Be Sweet (middle shelf on the left), which is some really interesting stuff. Handspun and handdyed, it's further embellished with 25 felted beads. Just imagine the cool trim it could make. I also want to see what our customers will do with this. (hint, hint) You guys can be so much more imaginative than us with new yarns.

Anyway. That's everything (for now). On Tuesday there should be several beautiful customer projects (we just have to find the camera) and info on upcoming events. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

A dose of silliness never hurt anyone.

'Specially not around here. But before we get to that, here's something serious-ish to balance the large quantity of silly coming your way. Last week we received several copies of the coveted books Kunst stricken:

Which translates literally into "knit art". Cool, huh? The books include patterns from the turn of the century for a variety of lace accessories. And because we're too curious for our own good, we couldn't help but open one - the charts are unbelievable.

And that's enough seriousness. Today we had a visit from Mortaine, the creator of the comic book series Handknit Heroes*:

Of course, we can't release her secret identity (hence the blurry photo). But she gave us a sneak preview of the mask kit that will soon be available as well as the details of their mask contest, in case any of our loyal readers might want to enter.

Of course, as soon as the mask came out, everyone had to try it on. First Jenni:

But, really, it was Sandy B. who had the most fun with the mask:

And here she's off to fight crime in very knitterly fashion:

... with a little help from a stepstool.

You know you wish you'd been here. Until next time, evildoers beware!

*Issue #2 is available in the store and will be online in a day or so.