We continue our wildly popular SUNDAYS IN THE SALON this spring with a combination of gift ideas for grads, moms, and dads, along with some whimsical ideas for your favorite gift recipient—YOU!
Missing the larger projects? We have moved those to SATURDAY KNITALONGS. Check out that schedule as well. We begin each project the first Saturday of the Month and work on the project from 2-4 each successive Saturday.
March 2:Blanket Squares: Curious about cables? Longing to do lace? Planning an afghan for a graduation gift? Join us as we demonstrate several afghan patterns that can be sewn or crocheted together to make a gorgeous finished product. And we’ll even order the yarn you’ll need!
March 9:Self Fringed Shawl: Smell spring in the air? Get a jump on it with the perfect wrap for the cool weather. And wait until you create the fringe by dropping a bunch of stitches (deep breaths, everyone……)
March 16:Lace Anklet: Get ready for tennis (or at least tennis shoes) with these adorable lace anklets. Again, there is prep work for these, so be sure to check with the shop. This is a great way to learn lace knitting.
March 30:Coronet Hat (rescheduled from February): A lovely hat that will teach you to cable, kitchener stitch, and pick up stitches. One skein of Cascade 220 does the entire hat!
April 6:Reversible Lace Shawl: What a great way to learn lace—a nine stitch/two row repeat that creates a gorgeous lightweight shawl perfect for warmer days and evenings
April 13/20:Lacy Bamboo Shrug: Easy, quick and lovely. Can you ask for anything more? Five skeins of bamboo yarn and size 11 needles will make this lacy, openwork shrug perfect for spring and summer evenings.
April 27:Linen Stitch Tie: Is is knit? Is it woven? Find out while making this fantastic tie perfect for Father’s Day or your favorite grad! We made ours from one skein of Koigu but you can use any fingering weight yarn!
May 4:Easy Baby Booties: Looking for an inexpensive and charming baby gift? Check out these booties made from one skein of Koigu yarn. And they actually stay on the baby’s feet!
May 11:Closed for Mother's Day
May 18:Silk Ruffle Scarf: The perfect spring accessory—a simple neckwarmer done in the round that creates an eyecatching ruffle.
May 25:No program due to Memorial Day Weekend (the store WILL be open, though)
June 1:Place Mats: Tired of afghans but don’t want to worry about fitted garments? Knit these cotton placemats. Perfect for your beach house or deck table!
June 8:Lace Anklets: Get ready for tennis (or at least tennis shoes) with these adorable lace anklets. Again, there is prep work for these, so be sure to check with the shop. This is a great way to learn lace knitting.
June 15:Store Closed for Noni Bag Program
Our Saturday KALS have taken on a life of their own! Join the group for wine, snacks, and knitting your project each Saturday of the month. You don’t need to attend every session,but we do recommend that you attend the first week to get some basic instruction and guidance.
MARCH:CABLED SHELL. Get ready for spring. This DK weight shell is a blast to knit, and is far easier than it looks. Created from two cable patterns, it has a flattering line and is the perfect weight for wearing alone or under a jacket.
APRIL:LACE SAMPLER. If you have been eager to try lace, April is the month for you! We will give you the patterns for 12 lace squares that can then be sewn into a gorgeous sampler. Recommended yarn is CASCADE SIERRA—please come to the shop ahead of time to check out our stock—we can show you color cards and special order the yarn for you! This 42 X56” afghan will run you less than $150!
MAY:DIAGONAL TRIANGLE TANK. We call this the Miracle Tank—it looks good on everyone! Unravel the mystery of modular knitting while you knit this lovely sleevelee or short sleeve top. We recommend either the ARTYARNS Regal Silk yarn, Patricia Roberts DK, or Karabella Vintage Cotton. And we’ll spend a lot of time on gauge at the first session—in modular knitting you must get row and stitch gauge!
JUNE:BEACH BAG. Knit yourself a Beach Bag that will carry you and all your gear through the summer! The perfect stressless knitting—no shaping or fit!
A lot came out of our meeting with Knitting Fever (the distributor of Debbie Bliss and Noro yarns) last week, but most of it will be introduced in the spring line. However, we did order restocks of all the colors of CASHMERINOARAN and BABY CASHMERINO that we needed, and our pal Jay came through QUICKLY! Our shelves will be glistening by tomorrow, when we have priced and stacked it all. But we feel safe in saying that we have a full array of colors in two of the most popular yarns in the store. And just in time for machine-washable holiday gifts!
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 04:28 PM | permalink |
Thursday, October 27, 2005
SILK PURSE? OR SOW'S EAR?
OK, we have a real dilemma at the shop and we hope our wonderful customers can help us out. Silk seems to be really big for next spring (yes, we have already met with vendors!) but we have had trouble with this luscious fiber in the past. While it looks great, several of us have found it difficult to knit, and as we wear it it grows considerably.
We have a lovely skein of a new silk yarn at the shop and we have left it mid-swatch on the needles. Want to come in and give it a few rows try? Please do. We need some other opinions. Help us find out if silk is as good as it appears, or if it is, instead, like that really cute guy you have worshipped from afar, yet when you finally get to know him it turns out he is dull as dishwater and has bad breath.
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 12:09 PM | permalink |
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
BEAUTIFUL BLUE HERON
Want to know the perfect combination? A beautiful yarn, nice producers and a local regional presence. This is BLUE HERON YARNS from our own EASTERN SHORE of MARYLAND. The nice folks there produce and dye exquisite colorways of unique fibers. We have always been struck by the creativity and clarity of the colorways, and today we were visited by the owner, DAMIEN.
He had "cash and carry" with him, so we cashed and carried....we are now stocked with the most luxurious "ELEPHANT CHENILLE" in six colorways. Think a hand-dyed, bulky knit, extra-cozy scarf. Think about the dead of winter when if you have to put on one more black item of clothing you will scream. This is the PERFECT accessory. We also have the chenille in a lighter weight. And we have a few skeins left of their lovely BEADED RAYON; come see the model we knit up holding it with KIDSILK HAZE. Gorgeous.
And we will be getting more yarns in-stay tuned.
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 01:41 PM | permalink |
MANGO MOON SWEATER KITS
Want to knit the perfect sweater for the (finally) cool weather? Our MANGO MOON SWEATER KITS flew out of here and now we have six more. And we have a model so you can see the finished result. These kits are unique because of two factors: one, they contain 13 patterns (12 sweaters and a throw) and two, each is unique because of the kid mohair within. The sweaters are created by holding two strands of yarn together, RECYCLED HIMALAYAN SILK and KID MOHAIR. While the color of the silk is pretty uniform, the mohair colors range from white to black, with blues and olives, even oranges in between. No two sweaters (or throws) will look the same! And they are reasonably priced at $169.99!
And to top it all off, the kits are a quick knit, done on needle sizes 10-11. We are staring at our cardigan as we write this, thinking we will wear it today in lieu of a jacket!
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 10:24 AM | permalink |
Sunday, October 23, 2005
YARN TASTING AND OTHER DELIGHTS
our Fall Yarn Tasting was a big hit! We prepared three "courses" and a "palate cleanser" for the eight participants who arrived to a table that looked like this:
And everyone got to play with a lot of yarn from the "Yarnyard." The biggest hit? The Lobster Pot and Joseph GallerCashmeres. The "desserts" of Great Adirondack, Colinette, and Prism also brought forth oohs and aahs. And none of it was fattening!
And a couple of our friends stopped by last week to show off their beautiful finished projects:
Gale was incredibly productive in our KNITTING SAFARIS, making a goregous tan cable sweater as well as an Aran Shawl. Can she cable or what?
:
While our very own Adrian models her Noro/Debbie Bliss sweater:
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 11:14 AM | permalink |
Saturday, October 22, 2005
THE MEN WE LOVE
Today's blog is dedicated to the men we love. First up, Stephanie's adorable husband who is truly worthy of the gorgeous things she knits for him in Noro and Debbie Bliss:
And yes, Lew DID finish his amazing Joseph Galler Pashmina Cashmere vest. If the store owner doesn't deserve cashmere, who does?
Lew made these great booties for another lawyer friend's new little boy:
And no, Bono doesn't knit, at least as far as we know. But many of you are aware of Lew's love of mosh pits and this is his most recent example. He was about four feet away from the man himself at this week's concert at MCI arena. And we ask you, how many knitting sites have Bono in their Blog?
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 02:09 PM | permalink |
Thursday, October 20, 2005
GET A JUMP ON THE HOLIDAYS WITH KNITTING BAGS!
We love the KNITTING BAGS and NEEDLE ACCESSORIES from ELLEN ORIGINALS. Her tapestry patterns are lovely, and the bags can withstand a lot; we spilled a bottle of shampoo in one once and the bag survived without staining! So we are fully stocked with WALK AWAY TOTES (a tote and stand in one); KNITTING TOTES, CIRCULAR NEEDLE CASES and STRAIGHT NEEDLE CASES. You can create a set with the same pattern, or mix and match them! A great gift for the knitter in your life. Even you.
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 12:17 PM | permalink |
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
AMERICANA THROW
Want a fabulous, affordable, quick-knit project? Wool in the Woods AMERICANA THROWS are back in stock! Holding several strands of hand-dyed yarn together on a SIZE 17 NEEDLE, these gorgeous afghans knit up in the blink of an eye. And for less than $100!
These never last long in the store. We have one in NATURAL and three in muted tones selected by MISSY BURNS, the genius behind Wool in the Woods, herself!
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 12:55 PM | permalink |
Friday, October 14, 2005
CALLING ALL SOCK KNITTERS!
How often do you see a trunk show devoted to SOCKS? Well, we have a spectacular one. The samples are from our favorite new sock book, SENSATIONAL KNITTED SOCKS, which has received a "Four Thumbs Up" from our two sock teachers! Why? Because in addition to being really cute, the patterns are written three ways: for five dps, four dps, and 2 circular needles.
The trunk show will be here through Halloween (BOO!) Thank you Charlene Schurch for being so creative!
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 03:04 PM | permalink |
DREARY DAY/GORGEOUS YARN
What better to brighten our eighth day of rain than the sight of John the UPS Guy bringing us a box of PRISM yarn! We were delighted. Inside? LIGHT STUFF in the PEARL colorway; perfect for a holiday shell, wrap or Tee, and two new colors of the wondrous KIDSLIQUE mohair/rayon yarn: SENEGAL and SPICE. We have already pondered the possibilities including a lengthwise shawl of COLINETTE GIOTTO in DUSK alternated with KIDSLIQUE SENEGAL.
Sunshine tomorrow, so the weather people say. Yay!
posted by WoolWinders: A Knitting Salon at 12:24 PM | permalink |