A Man Is Only As Good As His Tools

Yes, that is a favorite saying of mine. As a lawyer, my books and computer were my tools. Now it's swifts, ball winders, and needles! Just about for ever, I've wanted a Nancy Knit Nack swift and ball winder set. They are handmade in North Carolina (the furniture making capital) from hardwood and are incredibly durable. They wind much larger skeins than other swifts and the ball winder is faster with less hand movement. Once we figure out if we're using it correctly, we'll be zipping your skeins into balls in no time!!!

Making a Calendar

Every morning while the coffee is brewing, I look at recently posted patterns on Ravelry. With an eye towards teachable projects, I queue the ones I like. I also go through recently released knitting magazines and scout for pieces that would make a good Knit Along or class project. When it comes time to do the calendar, I review the projects I queued and notes I've made and list potential classes. For each class, I decide which of the yarns I carry will work best. And then I start a sample, like the one pictured above. I don't necessarily complete every project but I start most to make sure that the yarn I've selected will work. I also write notes so I can warn of pitfalls to avoid. (I blaze the trail and mark it for those who follow!).

I tagged Esperofits, pictured above and below, in the "Geek Love" column in Vogue Knitting's Winter 2011 issue (p. 22) which focused on patterns that evoke the beauty of nature. Esperofits features "little bobbles framed by an arch shape, which evoke flowering vines growing in an English garden." Well, how tantalizing is that description? As much as I study Ravelry, I had never come across this beautiful pair of gloves before. I started them last night using a Grinning Cat hand-dyed sock yarn by our own Joni Schulz. I am loving the pattern and the way the colors fall into it so easily. This will definitely be on February's calendar and the sample will be in the shop soon!

Do Knit Disturb!

From this morning's New York Times:

Chunky, cabled, cropped — wool is popping up in everyone’s wardrobes this season. (Chalk it up to all those knitting clubs and yarn-bombers.) But who would expect to check into a hotel room and find the sheets, the bedside lamp and even the morning breakfast knitted?

Such is the case in the Do Knit Disturb room at the Hotel Pelirocco, a funky B&B in the coastal English town of Brighton. Kate Jenkins, a local artist who got her start designing knitwear for Marc Jacobs, spent a month — and 11 pounds of yarn — creating the room. The bedspread, curtains and wallpaper are all knitted; the telephone, lampshade, flower vase, teapot and teacup are covered in crochet. There’s even a knitted fried English breakfast, with woolen eggs and bacon.

If all that wool sounds a bit too itchy, you could try one of the other offbeat rooms, most of which are music-inspired. The Soul Supreme is a tribute to Motown, the Pressure Sounds to dub and reggae, the Dollywould to — who else? — Dolly Parton.

Hotel Pelirocco, 10 Regency Square, Brighton; hotelpelirocco.co.uk.

Cool, right???

New year, new shawl!

I started the Age of Brass kerchief on January 1. Now that's starting 2012 out right! I'm smitten with Filigran, a non-repeating merino colorway in smoke. While the pattern doesn't call for beads, some brilliant knitter on Ravelry incorporated them into hers. Well I couldn't not include them after seeing hers. So on New Year's day, I made an emergency visit to my friend Marcia (bead queen extraordinaire). She understood my having to come over immediately with this project being a burning desire! She hooked me up with the perfect size 6's. Marcia, you are also a friend extraordinaire! Thank you!!! Off to a wonderful start and loving every stitch!
P.s. We're offering a class on the Age of Brass kerchief starting January 7. Check our our current newsletter for more information.