A Few of My Favorite Things–c2knits

Despite the recent temperature drop and threat of snow for us here in and around the Northwoods, spring really IS on it’s way.  And that means knitting short-sleeved sweaters, bags, hats, and other spring and summer items.  I’m especially excited about this because I really have very few spring and summer knitted items in my wardrobe.  How has that happened if I’m such a dedicated knitter?  Simple.  I give away much of what I knit.  This year, though, I decided that I wanted to make some sweaters to put in my own wardrobe.

My first sweater is a top-down short-sleeved raglan T-shirt made with Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton yarn using c2knits pattern Zoe.

I love the sweater and the pattern!  The pattern is easy to read.  It tells the knitter exactly where to put the stitch markers and how and why to use two different colors of stitch markers.  There is some flexibility in making the sweater a bit more fitted by casting on fewer stitches under the arms (which I’ll probably do next time), but that really doesn’t add complexity if you just want to work the pattern as written.

One issue I had was that the sweater turned out longer than I’d like, but that is because I was lazy and did the measurement while holding the sweater in my lap.  Next time, I will get up and measure the sweater while laying it out on the table.

The other issue I had is that the pattern called for the edging on the bottom to be done in reverse stockinette.  I have never had success with this kind of cuff on the bottom of a sweater – it always flips up unless you steam iron it every time you wear it.  I was very loathe to try it again, so I tried doing a hem, but that was flipping up as well.  I ended up switching to smaller needles and just finishing it in stockinette which made a nice rolled edge, which I also like.

Since I loved this pattern so much, we’re carrying several of the c2knits patterns in the shop.  I’ve got another sweater on the needles using Sierra (a cotton/wool blend) that I think is going to be lovely as well.

Stop by the shop and check out our new patterns and we’ll help you find a wonderful yarn to complement the pattern and give you a great new summer sweater!!

Christmas Is Coming . . .

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat;

If you haven’t got a penny, then a ha-penny will do, if you haven’t got a ha-penny, then God bless you!

For those of you who missed the memo (and the dropping temperatures), Christmas is on the way (along with other winter holidays)!!  And for those of us who like to give handmade (AKA knitted or crocheted) gifts, it’s time (or perhaps past time) to start thinking about what to make.  Unless you have 20 hours a day to knit, I’m guessing that you aren’t planning to start working on sweaters for everyone on your list, so let me give you some great ideas of pattern books with ideas galore that won’t take forever and a day!

CowlGirls

I am soooooo loving this book!  Of course, I also love cowls, so there may be a connection.  This book is chock full of cowls, hoods, dickeys, collars, and more.  If it goes around the neck, it’s in the book!  One of our customers purchased this book and is making several of these items for family members.  She brought in one of them for us to see, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out!  CowlGirls would be a great place to start looking for gift ideas. (Several of the patterns call for Cascade Magnum yarn, which we carry.)

Hattitude

This book is by the same author as CowlGirls – and has just as much style and fun packed within!  These hats go from your basic watch cap all the way to a felted bonnet.  Whether you want to make a beanie, a tam, or a cloche, you’ll find it in here!

Amigurumi Knits and Amigurumi Toy Box

 

Amigurumi are little knitted or crocheted and stuffed figures.  Amigurumi Knits has patterns for vegetables, underwater creatures, backyard critters, and “cryptozoological” (not real) creatures.  Amigurumi Toy Box patterns are for little toys – animals (real and imagined), plants, food, and more.  My daughter crocheted up one of the little ducks from the crochet book and it is adorable!  These would make great gifts for the kids in your life!

One-Skein Wonders

 

 

We carry the original and Sock Yarn versions of this series of books.  The One-Skein Wonders books are wonderful sources of patterns that use only one skein of yarn, so are pretty quick to work up.  The original version is arranged by yarn weight, which is incredibly handy when you have decided on a yarn, but not a project.  There is a photo gallery in the center of the book.  The Sock Yarn version of the book is arranged by type of project.  Patrick made a scarf from the original book which has been a real hit in the shop.  These books could definitely help you out of a knitting idea jam.

60 Quick Knits and 60 Quick Baby Knits

 

 

These two books from Cascade have some great quick patterns to make in Cascade yarns.  The 60 Quick Knits books has 20 hat patterns, 20 scarf patterns, and 20 mittens patterns all made from Cascade 220.  The 20 Quick Baby Knits book has patterns for blankets, booties, sweaters, and more made from Cascade 220 Superwash.  I made one of the baby blankets using Cherub Aran with great results!  Either of these books would give you some wonderful patterns for Christmas gifts!

We have all of these books in stock right now and can help you choose yarn to create perfect, personalized presents!!  Hope to see you soon!

 

A Few of My Favorite Things–Knit, Swirl

Have you heard of Knit, Swirl yet?  No?  Well, be prepared to be amazed!

Knit, Swirl by Sandra McIver is a book about knitting “swirl jackets”.  Sandra has developed a wonderful technique of knitting these jackets in a large circle and then making sequential decreases.  In the center, half the stitches are bound off and the bodice and sleeves are worked back and forth.  After the garment is blocked, only one seam is needed to complete the swirl!  When you are done, the large circle drapes around the collar as well as forming the lapels and bottom of the swirl.

Confused?  That’s OK!  It sounds complicated, but the techniques that are used to make the swirl are well within the reach of anyone who can knit a sweater.  Sandra includes helpful charts and diagrams with stitch counts to keep you from getting lost.

You might wonder why she has a whole book of patterns based on just one technique.  The reason is that she has created some cool variations.  I made the very first swirl which has a circular shape with a circular opening set in the center.  The variations in the book include circular or oval shape, circular or oval opening, and center or off-center opening.

I loved making my swirl.  I followed directions carefully and was a little concerned because it looked like I was using more yarn than I was supposed to.  It did block a little larger than it should have, but ended up turning out well.  (Definitely block your swatch!!  That’s a step you really do NOT want to skip!)  My swirl is made from Cascade 220, so it’s plenty warm.

This is a great book for some new and innovative project ideas, if not for you, then for another knitter in your life!

A Few of my Favorite Things–Cascade Heritage

 

I love knitting socks.  Socks are a great little project that I can carry with me.  It’s also pretty cool to start knitting a tube in one direction and then make the heel so that the tube turns 90 degrees. 

Socks can be knit in a variety of yarn fibers and yarn weights, but most people (including me) prefer a wool/nylon blend in sock or fingering weight.  Wool is preferred because it is warm and keeps feet dry.  However, nylon is often added to give some extra strength.

Which brings us to Cascade’s Heritage yarn.  This is a 75% superwash merino/25% nylon blend sock weight yarn.  What I like about it right now is how good it feels to knit.  It also doesn’t split, which is very important when knitting socks on size 0 needles and trying to do “M1R” and “M1L”.

However, you aren’t limited to socks with this yarn.  It works up very nicely for garments and is washable – great for kid’s clothes!

Heritage is available in solid colors, tweeds, and paints, giving you lots of variety from which to choose.

Next time you’re looking for a sock-weight yarn, stop by The Knitting Nest and check out our selection of Cascade Heritage yarn!

Works In Progress–September 2, 2011

At the moment, I’m working on two knitting projects as well as sorting out class information.

This is a baby blanket made from Cascade Cherub Aran weight yarn with a pattern from 60 Quick Baby Knits.  The original pattern calls for Cascade 220 Superwash, but we don’t have the Superwash right now.  It is working up beautifully in the Cherub, which is a very soft acrylic/nylon blend that is machine washable – perfect for babies!

Knit, Swirl was apparently the hottest new thing at TNNA this year.  We got a copy of the book for the shop, but couldn’t order any more because they’re out of stock due to a second printing.  The “swirls” featured in this book are coats that are knitted in a very large circle starting at the outer edge.  In the center, about half the stitches are bound off and the bodice is knitted flat.  When the knitting and blocking are done, only one seam has to be sewn.

I made the swatch for my swirl last week and started knitting a few days ago in Cascade 220.  The outer rows of the swirl have more than 500 stitches each, so progress looks a bit slow at the moment.  The swirl is so popular that there is a Ravelry group devoted to it!  I’ll definitely post more pictures as I go!

 

What is your current project?  Anything exciting?!

A Few Of My Favorite Things–Cascade Ultra Pima

It’s almost Fall, the time when a knitter’s thoughts turn toward wool. But not quite yet! It may be almost September, but I want to tell you all about a wonderful 100% cotton yarn – Cascade Ultra Pima.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the Ultra Pima is how shiny it is! It’s perfect for making garments that you want to have some luster, but still have the characteristics of cotton. The Ultra Pima works up in a very nice fabric that isn’t stiff and has a very pretty drape to it.

I made a shrug using a HiyaHiya pattern and I’m thrilled with the results. It’s light enough that I can wear it in the shop when I get a little chilly, but not as warm as wool.

The left-sided picture is the shrug laid out on the floor and the right-sided picture is detail of the lace pattern.

When you want a shiny, worsted weight yarn for a garment, Ultra Pima is a great choice. The Knitting Nest carries 11 colors of this lovely yarn. Stop in and check it out!!

A Few of My Favorite Things–Cascade 220

I love Cascade 220 – one of the “workhorse” wool yarns that is very popular with knitters.  How do I love, thee, Cascade 220, let me count the ways!

1. I love that you are 100% wool, but still not scratchy.
2. I love that you come in a zillion colors (even though The Knitting Nest is only starting with about 20 colors).
3. I love that you felt beautifully.
4. I love that you feel so nice to work with.
5. I love how warm you are when you are made up into a scarf or hat.
6. I love how consistent you are.

The 220 in the name Cascade 220 refers to the fact that the original worsted yarn has 220 yards/100 grams.  Nowadays, though, you can get Cascade 220 in other weights, etc.  The only possible downside to this yarn is that it comes in hanks instead of skeins.  However, we will have our swift and yarn winder at the shop and will be happy to wind your hanks of any brand of yarn into center-pull balls.

Here’s a picture of a scarf I made using brioche stitch so that it’s red on one side and black on the other.  I love how deep and strong these Cascade 220 colors are!

 

How do you love Cascade 220?  Leave a comment and let us know!

WIP–Works In Progress–July 19, 2011

 

While we’re waiting for our yarn and other stuff to arrive and while it’s about a zillion degrees outside, I’ve been working on a few knitting projects.  I’m about over the “Fair Isle sweater debacle of 2011”, but I’m not quite ready for more colorwork.  Besides, I need to make things for display in the shop.

This is a Mobius scarf that I made from some yarn from local sheep.  (No, we haven’t gotten our yarn back from the mill.  I bought this skein from the woman who owns the sheep a couple of months ago.)  The technique isn’t hard once you learn to do the cast-on and it’s really quite fun.  This one is probably going to be a model in the shop for a while, but I may confiscate it or knit another one for myself since my current scarf, while also a really cool Mobius, is made from a cotton blend yarn.  Up here in the Great White North, a wool scarf is definitely a good idea come wintertime!

The Mobius scarf is a circle with a half-twist in it.  Some people have called them Infinity scarves since there’s no end to it.  The rows of stitches are also longitudinal in the Mobius scarf instead of horizontal as in most other kinds of scarves.

When we were at camp, I was working on some bookmarks out of cotton crochet thread, and one of them used a stitch pattern that is a variation of brioche stitch.  A few days ago, I looked up how to do two-color brioche rib stitch.  It was a little tricky to learn and I had to rip it out a couple of times, but I’ve finally got the hang of it.  And it’s totally addicting!!  I like how the two sides are different colors.  I’m making this with Cascade 220 worsted weight wool in black and red, the colors of the local high school, so it will fit in nicely with our first window display.

My current project for decorating The Knitting Nest is a knitted and felted “nest” (aka bowl).  I came across a free Ravelry pattern that uses the Mobius technique for the rim of the bowl that I’ve modified to use with worsted weight yarn.  I’m using a bunch of leftover earth tone colors from different brands of yarn.  I hope that it ends up looking kind of irregular, like you’d expect a bird’s nest to look.  When it’s done, we’ll put some stuffed birds into it for a shop decoration.

The picture is of the rim of the bowl.  It is knit with the basic Mobius technique but instead of having 1/2 a twist, the pattern had me put in two more full twists (or 4 half-twists) for a total of five half twists.  Now I need to pick up stitches around the rim to knit the body of the bowl.  The twists are supposed to be equally spaced so that it looks like flower petals.  So far, I’ve done the picking up stitches twice and ripped it out both times.  Deep sigh.  I think this will look great when I’m done, but it may be a challenge until them.

I’m also working on a pair of socks for my daughter made from some KnitPicks wool.  And, I’m making a pair of socks using the “two at a time socks on one circular needle” for the shop using Heritage Paint sock yarn from Cascade.  Pictures of those projects to be posted later.

What are you working on?  Anything fun and exciting?  The Weyauwega Fiber Arts Circle meets Thursday night at 6pm for crafting at The Coffee Klatsch in Weyauwega.  You are welcome to come and bring whatever you are currently working on!!

 

Our First Order!!

Today, we placed our first orders for yarn!! This is so exciting – and rather nerve-wracking!!

We are purchasing most of our yarn from Cascade and Universal. We will have a variety of fibers available – wool, wool blends, cotton, cotton blends, acrylic, silk, etc. And we've got an array of yarn weights coming, from cotton thread to bulky yarn.

And, don't forget the raw wool that we took to the mill last weekend. The local wool will be available in DK and worsted weights. We aren't having it dyed, so we'll have natural white, gray heather, and dark gray.

We've ordered a few books and patterns and will be sorting out needles and notions next week.

Consider this just a taste of things to come! As the yarn arrives and we start setting up displays, I'm sure I'll have much more to say on this topic!!

Choosing Yarn!

Patrick and I met with the Cascade rep today!!  This was our first yarn rep meeting, and it went really well.  Unfortunately, it was a little like trying to drink water from a fire hose!!  So many yarns!  So many colors!

Here are some of the things I learned today:

1. There are about a zillion colors of Cascade 220.
2. I have expensive taste and would order ten times more yarn than we can afford if I didn’t have such a strict budget.
3. Cascade has some really high-end amazing yarns, but they also have some good quality affordable yarns.
4. I still don’t like the color orange.  (Although I did choose some orange because, apparently, there are more people in the world than just me.)
5. It is absolutely necessary for both me and Patrick to meet with the reps. 
   1. We can help each other as we choose yarns and colors. 
   2. As much as we try to communicate all of our thoughts about yarn to each other, there is invariably something one of us has thought about and hasn’t mentioned to the other.
   3. He keeps me grounded in terms of money.  We really can’t have every color of Cascade 220 and all the fancy silk blends.
   4. I have a migraine tonight and it was starting while we were in the meeting.  It’s important to have Patrick there to keep me from getting too overwhelmed, which is most likely to happen when I’ve got (or am getting) a migraine.
6. A $3000 budget goes away very, very quickly!!

We didn’t actually put in the order today – we’ll do it in a couple of weeks.  In the meantime, we’ll be meeting with some other reps and figuring out what other yarns we want and finalizing what we want from Cascade.

Patrick and I also did some talking about the structure of the shop this afternoon.  We haven’t purchased any of our fixtures yet, and we’re trying to get as much as we can used.  For example, we are putting the sofa from my mother-in-law’s house next door (that she rented for the last year – she’s giving up that place and will just stay with us or friends when she visits and she’ll keep her primary residence in Florida) in the front room instead of the back room as we’d originally planned.  We want to have a place where people can feel free to sit and knit and chat.  It’s also a good place where someone can knit up a bit of yarn to decide if they want to buy it.

We’ve got lots of other great ideas for the building.  I’m looking forward to it looking like a “real” yarn shop!

Next time: Fair Isle sweater progress!