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!