Not to be harsh...

but, really?!!!

Eye-yigh-yigh. This pattern, "Romp Around the Clock" has been featured for the past two days on Ravelry under "What's Hot", "Designs Ravelers are looking at today". Geeze, I think I'll go get a donut and contemplate this.

What's to stop a guy ....

from diving head first into a box of soft, colorful, delicious,newly-arrived Cotton Fleece yarns?









What's to stop a girl from ripping open these bags of Blue Sky's irresistible organic Worsted Cotton and rolling in them? Beat's me!

Vine

This is Vine by Jenise Reid, an 8' long scarf knit in lace weight yarn. Intriguing, isn't it? The pattern is both written and charted and it's a toss up as to which is easier to follow. I usually flip back and forth between the two. I'll follow the chart until I mess up and then I'll refer to the written instructions to figure out where I went wrong and then I'll stay with the writing for awhile. Eventually, I will learn the pattern, but until then, I am definitely pattern-dependent!
After completing the 3rd leaf, I decided it was time to block and see how the leaves lay and whether they'd stay open and flat. Blocking lace is critical in determining drape and appearance. Until those eyelets are opened up and trained, there's no predicting the final outcome. Ah, yes, I can tell this is going to work nicely and that it is worth the time and effort (t&e). I'm always weighing the t&e factor for every project. Since I knit every sample in the store, I can't afford to spend too much time on a piece that isn't working out. I am knitting this in Non-Repeating Filigran, an ombre merino lace yarn by Zitron. According to the distributor's blurb, this is quickly becoming Europe's go-to lace weight yarn. I need no convincing! It's heaven to knit with!

Happy Easter!

Waiting for the pie lady...strawberry cream pie hot out of the oven! Krista has outdone herself with table art. Carrot candles, carrot shaped marzipan on every plate, and a William Sonoma bunny platter to name just a few of her touches. Oops ... Gotta run. Fresh blackberry simple syrup & champagne!

Spring Yarns Arriving!!!

At last our spring yarns are arriving! Yesterday, I was ripping open boxes, diving into COLOR...lots of it ... and I just had to stop and take a shot of this yummy bouquet of Filigran, a gorgeous lace weight yarn. Oh, just look at the depth of the color and the vibrance of it all. It seems like just about every pattern posted on Ravelry lately uses lace weight yarn and I've been looking for some exciting solids for those customers who don't like to wear variegated. Ta da!!! Found it!!!

Get Yourself Some Joy... And Make That Metallic!

I admit to resisting this whole fluffy, ruffly scarf thing that's going on. But my Plymouth Yarn rep convinced me to bring some on board since apparently, it's selling like crazy and we're the only store in the entire galaxy that doesn't carry it. I got the first bag in yesterday (it is hard to get...the best colors are on back order). If you just look at the skein you think...ick. Really. That's what I thought. But I took a deep breath, imagined I was knitting with cashmere, and began knitting a Joy Metallic scarf last night. And guess what? I discovered that it is FUN! And I like it!!!When you stretch the yarn out, it is a wide windowed mesh with metallic flecks. You knit along the very top of the mesh. The technique is so easy, but you do need to watch the You Tube video since you do not wrap the yarn. It's hard to put into words, but one glance at the video, and you'll have it down. So if you like earth tones, have yourself some knit fun this weekend and stop by the shop to pick up a skein ( you only need one for the scarf and it retails for $12.50). The Joy Metallic pictured is the only color we've received so far. We'll keep you posted re: new arrivals!

Brightening Up Easter Brunch

These reversible napkins made from judipatuti's fabulous fabrics are my hostess gift for Easter brunch. The pattern comes from Chocolate and Zucchini's blog (thank you, Amanda, for leading me to it!). What a peaceful day it's been, cutting and sewing these lovelies thinking all the while of what fun we're bound to have on Sunday! It's not too late to whip some of these up yourself. They are easy schmeazy.