So, Where’s The Yarn Diva?

If you’ve been in to The Knitting Nest in the last month, you might have noticed a distinct lack of The Yarn Diva (aka Catherine). What’s up with that? Don’t Patrick and I (Catherine) both run the shop?

Well, theoretically, yes. We opened The Knitting Nest with the plans that Patrick can keep the doors open by himself if I have a migraine, but with the hope that I will be there when I don’t have a migraine and that that will be relatively frequently. Unfortunately, in the last month, the migraine-free days have been few and far between. I suspect that falling and hitting my head on a coffee table about a month ago may be something of a contributing factor.

Whatever the reasons, my neurologist and I are working on a plan to get the migraines under control. You probably won’t see me much next week because I’m getting some treatments at the neurologist’s office in the early part of the week and then have physical therapy in the later part of the week. But, it’s all part of the plan.

If you’re the praying type, Patrick and I would definitely appreciate lots of prayers. I hate headaches, and it’s hard not to get discouraged. But, we have a plan. And, even when I’m not at the shop, Patrick is there and is perfectly capable of helping you find whatever you need! And on my good days (or hours), I’ll be up  there, too!! Keep knitting (and crocheting)!!

Why A Local Yarn Shop?

You can buy yarn at all kinds of places these days – big box stores, the internet, etc. So, why bother with getting yourself out of the house and off to your local yarn shop? Why did Patrick and I believe strongly enough in the concept of local retail to open a local yarn shop? Lots of reasons. Sure, you can buy yarn elsewhere, but your local yarn shop offers much more than yarn!

1. The yarn! You can actually see and touch the yarn at your local yarn shop. Luscious by Kollage looks like a really nice cotton/elastic sock yarn, but it feels even better!! There’s nothing like being able to get your hands on yarn. It’s also great to be able to see the colors in person instead of just on your computer screen. And, while we may not have every color of Cascade 220 in stock, we do have a color card with a bit of each yarn color and we can special order what you need.

2. Service! Patrick and I want to help you find and choose the pattern, yarn, needles, and notions you need for your project. We’re happy when you’re happy! If we don’t have the yarn you need, we’ll try to order it for you. If you’re looking for a certain kind of pattern, we’ll show you what we have. If you want to try out a size of needle, we’ll let you do that. And we try to answer your knitting and crochet questions.

3. Classes! The Knitting Nest, like most local yarn shops, holds classes. We teach beginning knitting and crochet, but are also happy to teach classes for more advanced techniques like our recent entrelac sock class. Not only do you get someone to show you the technique, but you then can ask questions and get personalized help so you can truly understand what you are learning. Nothing can replace a live person when it comes to learning a hands-on skill like knitting or crochet.

4. Local products! Local yarn shops often have products  that you won’t find anywhere else. At The Knitting Nest, we have knitting needles and shawl sticks that are hand-turned on a lathe by Patrick. We also have glass items by Blessings Glassworks from Weyauwega and yarn bowls from both Terry Achten from Waupaca and Richard Milheiser from Eau Claire. We even have some wool that is from local sheep.

5. Support local businesses! When you can shop locally while still purchasing superior products and getting excellent service, you’ve gotten the best of all worlds. And that is totally possible! When you shop locally, you help keep tax money in your local area, you help keep people in the area working, and you keep your small town thriving. And you don’t have to sacrifice to do this. So, stop by The Knitting Nest for your yarn and other fiber supplies and then get some coffee or ice cream at a local eatery and maybe some cheese from the cheese store. There’s plenty here in Weyauwega to keep you busy for an afternoon.

Time To Keep Kids Warm!

It’s started – our fall charity knitting project is underway! Keeping Kids Warm is The Knitting Nest’s project for this fall. We are making hats and mittens for school kids who need them.

Check out this post for all the details. Now’s the time to get your knitting/crochet groups together and come purchase yarn for your projects! We have patterns if you need them. We’ll be accepting items for the prize drawing up till December 15, but we’ll continue to accept items to give to the schools all through the winter.

So, get knitting and crocheting!! Let’s Keep Kids Warm this winter with The Knitting Nest!!

Meet Frank!!

The Knitting Nest would like to present the newest member of our team, Frank the Yarn Bombed Scarecrow! Frank joins Birdie, our mascot, in welcoming customers to our little corner of the yarn world.

How did Frank get here, you’re wondering? The Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a scarecrow contest and Frank is The Knitting Nest’s entry into that contest.

Last Thursday night, we started with a PVC frame, a few bits of knitting, and a bunch of yarn. With the help of some M&Ms and lots of creativity, we managed to yarn bomb the living daylights out of that frame!! And look what came into being – Frank!

 

 

 

I’m not so sure Frank is going to be scaring anyone anytime soon – although Birdie looks a little skeptical of his presence. Really, I think he’s more cute than scary.

What now? There are scarecrows in and around lots of Waupaca area businesses, so check them all out. On the bottom of the frame is a can where you can donate money that will go to the Waupaca Area Food Bank. You can also go inside the businesses and sign up for a drawing for a gift certificate – no purchase necessary. The business with the most support for their scarecrow will win an advertising package from the Waupaca Area Chamber, so send all your friends and neighbors over to meet Frank!

And now, can you guess how Frank got his name??

UFOs Run Amok!!

I am drowning in UFOs – “unfinished objects”!! I’ve been trying to simplify my life, limit choices, etc., etc., but can’t seem to apply that philosophy to my knitting! It looks like I need an intervention. NOW!

Here’s just about everything out on the table. (The closed The Knitting Nest bag represents gifts I’m making that I’m not going to show on the blog because my kids are going to catch on to what I do on the computer one of these days!)

Yeah. I know. The first step is to admit you have a problem. And I do – I knit for myself and for the shop. And I have knitting ADD. And I like pretty yarn and patterns. That’s three problems. Well, let’s go through these one by one and figure out what I need to do.

Fair Isle sweater from Knit Picks kit. I actually made one of these and accidentally felted it. I still have enough yarn that I’m doing another one. Right now it’s in a box with cedar balls because I have other projects that keep taking up my time. But, this project is teaching me lots about doing Fair Isle work, so it’s definitely something I want to finish. Hmmmm. Keep in box for now. Work on after Christmas.

Hidden Treasure Pocket Sock in Kollage Luscious yarn. I made the model for our sock class out of some Universal yarn, but I hadn’t used any of the Luscious, which is a cotton/elastic blend, so I figured I’d just throw together a pair of these socks. Well, they do go quickly, but I’ve been interrupted a zillion times. I’m up to the pocket which will take very little time and then I can do the second sock. Definitely keep in the rotation.

Drummossie entrelac sock in Cascade Heritage yarn. I love this sock. This is the second of the pair and I’m making it using backward knitting instead of turning to do the purl sides. I’m motivated to finish it to see how the gauge works out. I’ll definitely get this one done soon.

Green lace socks for my daughter. She chose a pair of socks a year or more ago for me to make for her that have 5 (yes, 5) different charts! I finally finished the first sock last spring. I still haven’t cast on the second. It needs  to be done by this spring, though. Stays in the rotation. This . . . this . . . is why I need to knit socks two at the same time!!

Another reason for me to do socks two at a time – this sock from the Knitty website. It’s knit from side to side using Judy’s Magic Cast-On to start and kitchener stitch to end. Totally cool. And I used some of my favorite Regia Yarn. But now I need to make the second sock. Unfortunately, since it’s not remotely shop model-ish, it’s a low priority right now.

Ah, silk! My mom wants the silk model up in the shop, so instead of making another, I decided to make Wingspan in silk. I love it and I’m almost finished. This is one of the few projects that is only unfinished because of space/time constraints.

This little puff of wool is supposed to be a change purse one day. I pull it out and work a few rows every few months. I’m not sure it’s ever quite going to grow out of being a bit of fluff, but I’ll try.

Bamboo sock yarn sock. This is a new sock yarn that we’re carrying in the shop, so I need to whip up a sock and block it to see what I think of the stuff. As you can see, it doesn’t really even qualify as “unfinished” – it’s “unstarted”. But it’s a moderately high priority.

I love Cascade’s Baby Alpaca Lace yarn, so I’m making a shawl from it. But, it’s clearly in the UFO category right now. It’s not remotely “mindless knitting”. I have used my lifelines more than I care to admit. Definitely a piece to keep in the rotation, but only when I’m feeling up to putting some brain power behind the needles.

My “Live, love, knit” sweater. It doesn’t look much like a sweater right now, does it? I’ve only been working on it for six months. Why did I think I should make a sweater out of Ultra Pima Fine? Perhaps because I’m crazy? Perhaps because I love the yarn. Either way, I’m about halfway up the back. It’s more of a spring sweater, so I may not worry too much about it for a few months and spend more energy on something like the Fair Isle – which is much more of a winter item.

Spiraling Organza Scarf. My daughter came up with an idea to use some of the novelty yarns with traditional yarns, so I’m in the process of making a tube scarf with Organza winding up around it. So far, I’m loving the effect. This is a great project for me to work on when my hands are tired of the small needles, and I anticipate I’ll finish it in the next week or so.

I think I have these a little better prioritized in my head. And I won’t be starting anything new (except a Christmas gift or two). I’ll post my progress and see if I can’t get down to something more manageable in a few weeks.

How are you doing with UFOs? Maybe we can encourage each other and have fun at the same time!!

Observations on Entrelac

We’re in the middle of Sock-A-Palooza at the Knitting Nest and our advanced sock class is made using entrelac. Entrelac (or interlace) is a wonderful technique that makes a basketweave type effect in knitting. It looks incredibly complicated but really only involves knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, and picking up stitches. It’s getting everything in the right order that makes the entrelac work!

I’m not going to try to do an entrelac tutorial for you – there are several good ones online. But, I did want to share a few things that I’ve learned over the years, and especially, more recently, as I’ve gotten things ready for our entrelac sock class!

1. I almost hate to admit it, but learning to knit backwards (knitting from the left needle to the right needle instead of turning the work) really does make entrelac go faster. Why do I hate to admit it? Because I used to just turn my work because I didn’t want to bother to learn to knit backward. I was lazy. And then Patrick went and learned backward knitting. “Curse you, Patrick the Knitter!!” Of course, I could not let it stand that my husband could do a knitting technique that I couldn’t do. So, I learned it and I have to admit that it’s faster. Blah.

2. Entrelac can be used successfully with solids, stripes, and patterned yarn. I did one of my early headbands making each row a different color, which was fun but required entirely too much work to deal with all the ends. I think my favorite is to use variegated yarn like what I’m using now (Cascade Heritage Paints). But, I might change my mind on my next project.

3. Entrelac is an art, not a science. Every entrelac pattern is different which can drive someone like me a little crazy. I’d like for them all to decide about whether or not to slip stitches and how to do the decreases, etc. But, designers have different ideas about what they like. Now that I understand what they’re doing, I’m feeling more comfortable deciding whether or not to slip the first stitch (which most patterns say) or not (which the book I like says). But, the pattern designer is not going to come and inspect my work and grade it!!

4. Don’t make socks with entrelac on the bottom of the sole. Yes, I have a book with a pattern for such socks. Yes, they were fun to make. No, they are not fun to wear. No matter how soft the yarn, you still end up with ridges all over the bottom of your foot and it’s just not comfortable. I wore them as sleeping socks for a while.

5. My gauge is different with knitting backwards than it was when I was turning my work. When these socks I’m making become useful socks and not shop models, I hope I can block them into the same size. The moral of the story for you is to not change technique dramatically between one sock and the other.

There are my observations for the day. What have you experienced with entrelac or other techniques? If you’re interested in learning entrelac, just let us know at The Knitting Nest. Our entrelac sock class is already in progress, but we’re happy to set up lessons or other classes if groups want to learn a technique!

Scaring Crows? Scaring Something? Maybe!

The Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce (of which The Knitting Nest is a member) is having it’s annual “Scarecrow Contest”. As a participant, we have a really cool PVC frame that we get to decorate to look like a scarecrow. And, being a yarn shop with craft supplies and creative people, I’m betting we’ll have some serious fun and make one heck of a scarecrow in the process!

Here’s how things work: Tomorrow night, October 11, at our regular Stitch night time of 7pm, whoever is feeling inspired can come by with any knitted, crocheted, “yarned”, or other creative item or material to donate to our scarecrow and we will commence with the decorating. We can clothe this guy or gal; we can yarn bomb him/her; we can make the dude/dudette scary/silly/crazy. Let’s just make the scarecrow memorable!! If you bring clothing items that you want back, make sure they are from yarn that can stand up to the weather because our scarecrow is going to be sitting outside in the weather and, um, scaring . . . something . . . I guess.

And, what’s the point of all this, you may wonder (besides a chance for Catherine to pull out a stash of holiday M&Ms)? The Waupaca Area Chamber has several great reasons:

1. You can go around the Waupaca area and look at all the scarecrows, which is good for local businesses. Like us – yay!!

2. As you look at the scarecrows, you can donate money to the can on the bottom of the frame. All proceeds go to the Waupaca Area Food Bank. Helping people going through a rough time – yay!!

3. You may go inside the businesses with scarecrows (like ours!) and fill out a drawing slip (no purchase necessary) for a gift certificate. Drawings will be done and winners announced on November 1, 2012. Free stuff – yay!!

4. The business that has the most support gets an advertising package from the Waupaca Area Chamber. Free advertising – yay!!

You may vote for your favorite scarecrow between 10/15-10/29. But, we need to make our scarecrow the best looking so that everyone will vote for him/her/it, so stop in tomorrow night for some serious yarn fun!! Questions? Give us a call or check us out on Facebook and we’ll be happy to let you know how  you can help! So, come support local business Thursday night and then over the next few weeks as you see these scarecrows around town (but, remember, make sure to give ours more support)!

Wool Socks

I grew up in Florida. We tended to go barefoot, wear sandals, or wear cotton socks with our shoes. We were sweet tea drinkin’, ya’ll sayin’, LSU Tiger lovin’ Southerners!!Now that I’m a knitter living in the Midwest, I have developed a serious love of wool socks – and not just for winter! (And Patrick and I both still love sweet tea, “ya’ll”, and LSU football!)

When people hear about knitting, their minds almost always go first to wool. We think of warm fisherman’s sweaters, wool caps, and wool socks. People today have become aware of the wide variety of fibers for knitting that are easier to care for in our fast-moving lives, like acrylic, rayon, and cotton, but wool still seems to jump to the top of the list.

For about as long as we have records, it appears that human beings have taken the wool from sheep, goats, and other similar animals and found ways to weave or knot (aka knit) it to make garments. Wool is wonderful to keep us warm because it holds in heat. This property actually makes it good for use in keeping is from getting too heated as well. Wool absorbs moisture which is good for keeping feet nice and dry.

Some people shy away from wool socks because they are concerned about the washability of wool. And, in fact, if you throw 100% knitted or crocheted wool into the washer, it is likely to shrink (aka “felt” or “full” if that was what you intended in the first place). The good news is that it’s easy these days to find wool and wool blends that can stand up to the washer and warm water if you don’t want to be always hand-washing your socks.

Most “sock yarns” are made from superwash wool – wool that has been treated so that the natural scales from the fibers will no longer catch on each other and make the yarn shrink. Most also have a percentage of acrylic or nylon – enough to add some strength but without taking away the warmth or water-wicking properties of the wool.

“But wool is scratchy!” The scratchiness of wool is largely dependent on the kind of sheep the wool is from and where the wool is from. Yarn for socks is not the same wool that is intended for rug making!  The softest socks are generally made from wool that comes from Merino sheep (first raised in Spain). Less expensive sock yarn with a higher percentage of man-made fiber and less desirable wool might not be as soft as the more expensive Merino wool, but it still makes delightful socks.

What can you expect at The Knitting Nest? We have Cascade Heritage and Heritage Paints yarns which are 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. The Drummossie sock on display (our entrelac sock class this fall) is made from this yarn. Absolutely delicious to work with and wear!

I’m also quite partial to anything Regia (especially the Kaffe Fassett color collections). This yarn is 75% wool and 25% polyamide. There’s a pair of blue striped socks hanging in the window made from this yarn and I used some of this as a carry-along for the Wisconsin Winter Sock model in our class display. (Just ask Patrick – he can show you where they are!)

Wisdom Yarns from Universal Yarns has their Poems yarn available in a sock yarn version. This is a 75% wool and 25% nylon lightly spun yarn with a beautiful color pallet. We don’t have any socks worked up in it right now, but check out the triangle shawl by the window – it gives you an idea of how the colors work up!

Debbie Macomber Yarns from Universal Yarns has created a beautiful and luxurious sock yarn from 50% superwash merino, 30% nylon, and 20% angora. We have knitted up a sample of a fingerless mitt and a shawl using this yarn so you can feel how amazingly soft it is! (And, with 30% nylon, it’s still pretty strong.)

We also carry the Universal Yarns Marathon series of yarns which are 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. These yarns are self-patterning, not just self-striping, so they’re pretty fun to work with! Check out the sample Pocket Sock for our upcoming Hidden Treasures Pocket Sock class to see how a sock using that yarn works up. (Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to carry this yarn, since it looks like it might be discontinued. If you are feeling strongly about it, you might want to git while the gittin's good!)

And what about the unfortunate souls who are truly allergic to wool? We do have some cotton sock yarn from Kollage called Luscious. Luscious is a 63% cotton and 37% nylon elastic yarn. The elastic adds stretch to this yarn, allowing cotton to be a good choice for a knitted sock. (In fact, we didn’t have any cotton sock yarn before this because most cotton is inelastic and doesn’t make for great socks.) Check out the yellow hat on display in the shop – that was actually our main reason for ordering the Luscious. I have some socks on needles and the yarn feels divine – I’ll let you know when I’ve got them finished and on my feet!

You might also be wondering about making socks with something besides sock yarn. I love making projects on small needles and wearing my socks with my regular shoes, but sometimes it’s fun to use larger needles and make socks to go under boots. We have several great patterns if that’s your goal. And, there’s lots of yarn from which to choose. For those making the Wisconsin Winter Socks, I recommend a strand of Cascade’s Pacific yarn knit with a strand of Regia’s sock yarn – mostly because that’s what I knit the model from. We also have superwash wool in worsted weight which would be great for socks. And if you want to make felted socks, don’t forget about good, old fashioned wool – of which we have plenty! (Note: The purple sock in the picture below is made to size to be worn with shoes or boots. The one next to it (Paton’s Shetland Chunky held in two strands together) was Patrick making a “Paul Bunyan” or giant sock for the window. Maybe he’s hoping Santa will fill it up on Christmas Eve?)

If you’re gittin' a hankerin’ for some wool socks (or even cotton socks) this winter, just mosey on down to The Knitting Nest and Patrick and I (Southern as our roots are) will be happy to get you started!!

In Which I Admit That I Might Not Always Be 100% Completely Correct About Everything Knitting–or Pattern Writers Know Their Stuff

 

Yes, I might be a somewhat “adventurous” knitter and I have been known to call patterns “suggestions”. Well, that last one might be evidence of severe hubris or psychosis, but you get the idea. I generally do what the pattern calls for the first time and then make changes after that. Generally.

For our Keeping Kids Warm charity knitting program this fall, I chose this free pattern. On the first mitten (the pink one), when I got to the section where it divides the stitches for the thumb, the pattern calls for the knitter to cast on five stitches using the backward loop method. I’m not fond of the backward loop method because it can leave some extra yarn at the end of the cast-on that has to be dealt with on the next row. And I think the knitted cast-on is stronger when you go back to pick up stitches. Besides, I’m used to using the knitted cast-on and I wanted to do that one. Yes, I’m a touch hard-headed.

When I made the second mitten (with larger yarn (and green) and needles, so it wasn’t a mate to the first one), I decided to use the cast-on recommended in the pattern. And, guess what? The mitten where I used the cast-on called for by the original pattern looked much better. Sigh.

What were the differences?

1. The mitten knit using the original pattern (backward loop cast-on) (green mitten) has a nice, graceful join between the thumb and the palm. The other mitten (pink mitten) has an obvious ridge.

2. Since there were only five stitches to cast on, there wasn’t really an issue of extra yarn to sort out. The backward loop cast-on issues are problems only when there are long sections to cast on. If I had thought through this issue for more than five seconds, I might have realized it and gone with the pattern writer’s recommendation. Or not. Sometimes I can be really stubborn.

The moral of the story: Trust the pattern writers. It’s OK to be adventurous, but sometimes it’s best to follow the pattern the first time and then go back and decide where it’s worth veering off the beaten track.

Patterns from books or that are purchased are usually quite trustworthy. Not only has the pattern been written by someone that probably knows knitting patterns, but they’ve been test knitted and tech edited. I’ve written only a couple of patterns, but they have given me great respect for those who do this for a living.

So, it might possibly be the case that I am not always completely correct in my adventurous knitting and that pattern writers know what they’re doing. I could take you around the shop and show you lots more examples on the shop models I’ve made, but, really, who has that kind of time?

Happy knitting and be nice to any pattern writers you meet!! They deserve it!

Keeping Kids Warm

One of the most rewarding things we can do with fiber arts (knitting and crochet) is to create for other people and enrich our community. This fall, The Knitting Nest will be partnering with local school systems to keep kids warm.

When kids don't have appropriate clothing to stay warm outside, not only are they cold to and from school, but they end up having to stay inside during recess. We can help! This fall, we'll be making hats and mittens that the teachers can give to kids who need them. Not only will the kids be warm at recess, but they can keep the items to wear outside at home and other times when they’ll be outside. 

How will this work? Stop by The Knitting Nest to pick up a pattern (if you need one) and purchase appropriate yarn. When you are finished with your project, bring it back to The Knitting Nest. We'll arrange to get all the knitted items to the Waupaca and Weyauwega school districts.

And there are incentives for our knitters!!

1. For each knitted or crocheted item that you bring to The Knitting Nest, you will have your name entered once for a drawing for a shawl stick handmade by Patrick Martin. So, one hat gets you one entry. One hat and one pair of mittens gets you two entries, and so on.

2. Here's an extra incentive for knitting groups. The group of 3-5 knitters or crocheters who turns in the most items will receive one $50 gift certificate for the entire group. So, start getting those groups together!!

We start on October 15 and will do our drawings on December 15. However, we will continue to accept items for the school districts throughout the winter.