Oscar night

We had alot of people come in to the store today to get projects to do while watching the Oscars. It's a perfect night for knitting - the snow is falling outside. My husband made a fire, and we are watching the show. Isn't Brad Pitt there? I haven't seen him yet. I wonder if he would appreciate it if I knit him a pair of socks or something?

Also one of our customers just finished this gorgeous baby sweater for her granddaughter made with Plymouth Dreambaby DK. She is a great knitter!

Speed Knitting

I went to visit my good friend Debbie in Brooklyn today. We had a lovely lunch and our kids spent some quality time together.

Debbie's son Ethan goes to preschool with local knitter Kris Percival's son. She happened to be doing a book signing at Barnes and Noble for her book Speed Knitting. Debbie had a Phil&Teds Stroller which was totally new to me. We put Robby in this 'cocoon' that looked more like a body bag, and we laid him down in the back seat. He was bundled up a little more than the baby pictured below. We hit the snow-covered Brooklyn streets and walked over to the bookstore. Well I wasn't sure if Robby would like it, but he slept the whole time.

Kris spoke briefly about her obsession with knitting and how she came to love Speed Knitting. The projects in this book are done with bulky and super bulky yarns. Some are done with two bulky yarns held together. The projects can be done in a weekend. There are some great toddler patterns - a men's pullover done in Brown Sheep Burly Spun. An open work baby poncho done in Reynolds Blizzard, and a bag knit with Reynolds Lopi. It was a great day!

Good Knitting Weather

We had our first big winter storm of the season today. It is on its way out... Lots of people got to stay home from work or school today and catch up on knitting! We had the store open today, and a few brave souls wandered in. One had a scarf wrapped around her neck made with Noro Silk Garden, and it was still on the needle! She needed help casting off. You don't want to be impaled by a needle if you slip and fall on the ice. Hopefully by tomorrow, our parking lot will be plowed!

Happy Valentines Day!

Pink Feather and Fan Afghan

Leslie made this beautiful afghan for her granddaughters bed. It is done with a feather and fan pattern. All the yarns she used are different shades of pink. When she was almost finished, right before she was about to surprise her grandaughter with this gorgeous blanket, her granddaughter said her favorite color is now purple. It's impossible for a 4-year old to truly appreciate the work that goes into a project like this, but if she doesn't appreciate it, at least I hope she likes it -even though it's pink! The yarn in front is Artful Yarns Circus. She also used Trendsetter Dolcino, Trendsetter Delicious, Berroco Plush, Berroco Zen Colors, and Berroco Softy.

Bag with Bow

Here is another beautiful bag from one of our customers. She made it with Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Bulky. The handle is from M& J Trimmings. She also lined it beautifully with a black quilted fabric - even put in a pocket for your cellphone! As you can see from the price tag, it's for sale! Let us know if you are interested!

Fringed Bag

One of our customers made this fringed bag for her sister. She designed it based on a fringed bag her sister got in Italy many years ago. The body of the bag is knit in a checkerboard pattern with Berroco Suede yarn. The crocheted edge and fringe is a combination of Trendsetters Checkmate and Suede. The handle is from M&J trimmings. What a lucky sister!

Happy Superbowl!

I went to a Superbowl party tonight and forgot to bring my knitting! Doh! I am working on the flouncy scarf using the Online Linie 194 Solo yarn


It's a new technique for me. I'm not even sure if there is a name for it. The yarn is a wide knitted tape. The ball band indicates a gauge of 1.5 sts / inch on size 19 needles, but to make this scarf , you use a much smaller needle, and you actually poke the needle through the yarn and pick up a few strands of the knitted tape, and you knit with those few strands rather than the whole yarn. It's hard to describe. You can find the free pattern here. I am always amazed by the creativity of people in this world. And I was wondering was the yarn created for this specific technique, or did someone create this technique while playing with the yarn.