Spontaneous Yarn-tasting Today at Summit Yarn

Today was a “bread/milk/yarn” day for the studio.  With snow predicted to start sometime this evening, people wanted to have a project and feel snugly tucked in at home…I’m actually hoping it snows big…winter without a good blizzard is like summer without the sun, for me.  This morning was crazy busy, with customers and students.  Rikki has mastered all the basic crochet stitches in just two lessons and I am so proud of her!  She has crocheted a vest and wanted to make flowers to decorate the vest.  Today, we had definative floral success!

Notice:  Rikki is smiling…what you don’t see is all the sweat!  This flower has slip stitch, chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and treble crochet!  AND she did this flower in two colors of yarn.  KUDOS Rikki!!!

Rikki's first crochet flower! YAY!

Pam Valvano was in with her purple socks for quick repairs that weren’t so quick but needed.  She is almost done with the second sock.  Lots of other people came through…I was really ready to break for lunch at noon. 

At one o’clock, a new yarn rep named Eve Ellsworth arrived to show us the color of…HEAVEN!  I was mostly interested in seeing one of the companies she reps (Bijou Basin) and just getting to know Eve.  So, she opens up this bin with the selection of yarns from this company…I try SO HARD to be a good customer and wait until she gets to the ONE YARN I want to see most…BUT I CAN’T HELP MYSELF…MUST TOUCH THE YARN…KNOW I AM A TOTAL PAIN IN HER BUTT…can’t listen about the other yarns because all I can think is how much I want to play with the Yak-Cormo blend of yarn…IT IS BEAUTIFUL!  Do you get the picture?  Meanwhile, I am also stalling Eve so that she does not have to repeat herself, because Lisa Tizzoni is coming for a private and I KNOW she will react the same way I just did.  She did.  I called and texted everyone I have numbers for as fast as I could.  We had a turnout that surprised Eve and had a great time in the process.  God Bless Eve for being so indulgent!

The long and short of it is, there is GOOD STUFF ON THE WAY…like when is that not the case?  There is sock yarn made from Yak down, laceweight Yak, the Yak-cormo blend in cream and brown, and roving in both colors as well.  There is yet another new sock yarn coming in colors chosen by Lisa and JoAnn, as well as a merino-silk lace weight that just begs to be touched.  There is hand-dyed roving coming in for spinners.  There are also some very cute sheep on their way:

And so much more!  I have a stack of companies and their literature to review.  Eve has been kind enough to agree to visit us in the near future for a planned yarn-tasting with TONS OF CASH AND CARRY!  So, stay tuned and get to work knitting and crocheting your stash…there is so much cool stuff to tap into and we have only just begun!

Robin came in sporting a new hat…had to show her the cute sheep!  The hat is made from Mondial Kross — a bulky superwash merino wool that is SO SOFT!

Robin's newest hat!

After I finish this blog, I am hoping to finish this russian lace sampler collar made out of Andrea’s bison lace-weight yarn.  It is a thank you to Andrea for putting on such a great show for our first yarn-tasting event.  I am amazed how very far this little tiny ball of lace-weight yarn has gone and will probably have a bit left over.  Here is a photo of this nearly done w.i.p. :

It is knit out of lace-weight yarn, but on US 7 needles and is actually quick to do.  The pattern is by Marilyn Merbach and you can google her name to see all her designs online.  She is a wonderful lace designer.  Anyway, this is me signing off for today.  Take care, stay warm, and hug your fiber…it loves you!xox m.e.

Durga, the wondercat!

 

New Free Download!

It took all afternoon, but there are more than a few people already waiting for this pattern, so I took the plunge and typed it up for you!  It took only two days to knit them up and they are so cozy, thick and warm.  The pattern also includes the option to knit them as closed mittens if you prefer, maintaining the beautiful cable pattern all the way to the tippy top.  Here is a photo of the completed mitts:

Oh! So Warm Mitts made in Colinette Prism...one skein

One other FYI:  there are a few balls of this yarn left and they are marked down to cost at $13.50 a ball.  Come in soon for this great deal…this yarn was regularly priced at $26.99.  Take care and knit on with great abandon!xox m.e.

Oh!_So_Warm_Mitts  just click on the highlighted words and voila! the pdf file will open for your perusal!

 

Mystery Sheep

A few weeks ago I gave a customer (and dear friend) a thankyou gift…a sheep tape measure. To the unwary it is a cute white round sheep with a black tail. My friend had never seen this little thing before…what was it?, she wondered. She held it up to the fridge…not a magnet. All her children had a look. Just some thing that strange woman, Mary Ellen, thinks is cute.

Well, thank God for dogs! Robin came home the other day and there was her dog, Bear, looking so pleased with this magic gizmo! Look, pull on the TAIL! How cool is this!

Take care and knit on with curiosity…you never know what is waiting to be discovered! xox m.e.

 

February KAL: Nara Scarf and Sweet Fern Mitts

OMG! Lisa came in today with “The Knitter’s Book of Wool” and announced she was ready to begin this month’s knit-a-long…and the date hit me like the coming of the dawn! I don’t know where time gets to…honestly, I was so busy getting the “event” together, that the new KAL completely slipped what’s left of my so-called mind. So, after debate and discussion and some gnashing of teeth here is the new kal. I hope you enjoyed the Lillia Hyrna Shawl, because now we move on to a smaller size project.

Today, Lisa and I cast on the Nara Scarf (above in “The Knitter’s Book of Wool”). Lisa is using a Farmhouse Yarn made of cotton/silk/wool and hand-dyed in a pale robin’s egg blue. This yarn is a heavy worsted weight yarn and resembles the yarn in the photo above. My scarf is cast on above in Abstract Fiber’s Merino/Tencel sock yarn on the same size needle Lisa is using (US6/4mm). We took a photo so you can see the very different looks this scarf can have depending on your choice of fiber and needle size.

Lisa's scarf top/Abstract Fibers scarf bottom

Having worked through charts A and B together, Lisa and I found a few comments to be in order. We are both distressed by pattern writers who use one symbol to mean two things. This is just unfair and sooooo not nice. It makes me grateful that in music one symbol means one direction…the end. I will be so glad when charting symbols become more standardized. With that in mind, for chart A to make your life easier, on all the wrong side rows you might consider filling in the blank squares with a letter “p” to remind you to purl. I am so used to a . or a – meaning to purl, that using the box to mean one thing on one side (RS) and another on the (WS) is just like giving me a mind swirly…so not fair.

The edging stitch works great in terms of the edge NOT ROLLING. That said, Lisa and I read the directions differently enough…this edging is a slip-stitch type rib. You slip some sts with the yarn held in front. AFTER YOU DO THIS MOVE YOUR YARN BETWEEN THE NEEDLES TO THE BACK OF YOUR WORK — not over your needle…this is not a yarn over. This stitch IS LIKE doing linen stitch. What does all this finagling accomplish? The knit and purl stitches balance each other and this is what prevents the edge from rolling. NO STITCH: this is put in the chart because you will increase from the initial 35 sts to 47 sts while you complete chart A. Putting those dark squares in gives the room to later account for the added sts and keep the chart tidy, with all the rows lined up.

One final note for today: All the abbreviations and techniques (like centered Double decrease) are explained in the back of the book. Do not despair…it’s all there! Be sure to check the website I gave you the link for (in last month’s KAL) for any corrections that I may have missed. Above all, have fun with this pattern, modify it to suit your whims and pleasure, and knit it in a color that makes your heart smile! Take care and be courageous!xox m.e.

tomorrow I will turn this into an “official page” and give a photo talk about the mysteries of the yarn-over! stay tuned!

 

Standing Room Only…Yarn Tasting At Summit Yarn

Roving Samples from Abstract Fibers

Yesterday was SO MUCH FUN!!!   As you may have read in the previous blog,  we had a “Yarn-tasting” Open House this past Sunday from 1 – 4 pm.  There were refreshments, yarn and roving samples, wool wash samples, shawl pins for sale and party favors for all the guests.  About 40 people were in attendance and the joint was jumpin’ !  Andrea Marquis, yarn sales superhero, arrived around noon with her bags and bags of incredible fibers from all over the United States and we set up the studio for everyone’s viewing pleasure.  I am still astonished and humbled by how very many people joined us in this get-together for fiber lovers.  One woman, Peggy, drove from 45 minutes west of Tunkhannock just to be in on the fun and I am so glad she came!  In fact, the entire Thursday Night knitting group that meets at the Tunkhannock Public Library was there.  There were also some visitors from the So. Abington Public Library Knitting Group…thank you to whoever got the word out to them!  Thank you to JoAnn Squier…oh where do I begin?  For inviting the local Spinning guild, for loaning me a spare table, for helping me spank the studio into shape so there was enough room for everyone to fit,…for just being an incredible friend!  Thank you to every single person for helping me make this event a success. XOX

Andrea setting up the display

Andrea focused on three or four of the many companies she represents.  There were shawl pins from Plover Designs, which come in silver, copper and aluminum in a choice of three beautiful styles.  Everything she brought in this line sold out and some shawl pins are on order.  Next to the shawl pins was the company called Abstract Fibers.  Some of us have already had the pleasure of working with their sock yarn and roving.  Andrea had the whole line and all the color range on display for us to revel in, as you can see in the photos below:

Abstract Fibers and Shawl Pins

new lace-weight yarn with 1000 yards

There were several sock yarns available, some so new they are not readily available yet.  My personal favorite is Supersock, a superwash 100% merino yarn; there is also a merino tencel blend (the tencel makes the colors softer and more subtle), and a newer yarn called Matisse.  We were able to look at all the color cards and when the sock yarn comes in there will be a few balls available to those of you who could not make the event to play with.  The roving from this company was huge hit and the list of orders was enormous…I am so glad to have found something our spinners liked!

Abstract Fibers sock yarn

Marigold, AF sock yarn

AF's sock yarn

one last colorway of Abstract Fibers yarn

Abstract Fibers is a hand-dye company from Oregon and their colorways are spectacular in both their yarns and their roving.  When Andrea comes back in March, if you missed this the first time, just let me know and I will be sure to have Andrea show you the color catalogue of this company.

Mountain Meadows Yarns from Wyoming

Quite a few of us ordered from this company.  They are brand new and their yarn is softer than clouds in a summer sky.  They have an alpaca merino laceweight blend in a natural color.  There is single ply merino in sport weight, as well as two-ply merino in sport and worsted weight.  There is also a two-ply bulky weight version of their yarns.  I photographed their color choices because it looked like artwork to me.

warm tones in Mountain Meadows

 

blues and purples and reds, oh my!

Andrea had mini-skeins of this yarn in natural for people to swatch with and take home, as well as snowy white roving to play with…so soft…She left a little for me to play with and share, so if you would like to come and cop a feel (OF THE YARN), please do!

Two other companies debuted here as well yesterday, SHOKAY  and Himalaya Yarns.  Shokay is made from Yak down…and how an animal with such a name has such wonderful fiber is beyond me…but there it is.  There were at least four people who ordered in skeins of this yarn.  Suzy ordered hand-dyed silk from Himalaya (a smaller company named Duke…there was an awful lot of intel to absorb yesterday…please bear with) in a color somewhere between blue jeans and a cloud-c0vered ocean…not quite blue…not quite sea green…just beautiful.  There were also project bags for sale in great variety and all kinds of shapes and colors.

Our next event with Andrea is already scheduled, so PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS.  We will be getting together on Sunday, March 7th from 1-4 pm.  Andrea is hoping to share some different yarns and companies with us; among them:  Durango Buttons, Fiber-Isle fine Bison yarns (some of this is on order so you will have this available for purchase that day), Mountain Meadow Wool and of course, Abstract Fibers color cards and roving.

We had lots of visitors today and there is always more to share, but my brain is mush.  Take care, keep knitting/crocheting and spinning…above all remember, there are brownie points in heaven for true lovers of fiber!

xox m.e.

 

What A Great Event!

Today was the first in a series of “Yarn-Tasting” events coming up this year at Summit Yarn Studio. This brief post is a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came today and made the day SO VERY SPECIAL! I was excited and nervous, never having put an event like this together before. We had at least 40 guests and there was standing room only. We could not have had all this fun without Andrea Marquis, the yarn rep extraordinaire, who dazzled us with just a few of the line she carries today. Thank you so much, Andrea, for all your time and effort! More in tomorrow’s blog and pictures, too! For now, knit and dream of all the colors that make your heart smile!xox m.e.

 

It took my breath away…

Just finished “The Help”, by Kathryn Stockett, this morning.  It was the best read I have had since I read “The Name of The Wind” a couple of years ago.  Even now, this is a brave story to share…let alone the imagined story of sharing something like this in the early 1960’s.  The characters were real, living, breathing people.  Reading this novel was a lot like falling in love.  Not very often am I torn as to whether I want to knit or read; this was definately one of those times.  Having completed the book today, I feel a little lost; like when someone you know moves away and you can’t see them again for awhile.  Nor is it possible to even want to read anything else, because my heart is so full of the beauty and the anguish at the heart of this story…all its terrible beautiful truths.

The story speaks to me on more than a few levels.  I spent part of my childhood living in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi…the part where I learned to speak.  My vowels have several syllables and when I am angry, the “southern” (as my son calls it) emerges.  My husband and I are also raising our incredible son, whose birthmother is white and birthfather must have been black, to have an identity,to have  a purpose in life and to be a spiritual Man who knows the difference between right and wrong.  I have taught him his whole life the only color inside him that matters, the only color in anyone that matters, is the color of our golden hearts.  I fear the day when he sees how not everyone thinks that way and I hope he can maintain his own personal Truth in the face of ignorance and adversity.  This book certainly addresses these issues head on…better than anything I can try to say to him.

Since reading is currently a moot point, I am back to knitting and getting ready for the Ravelympics.  There are so far, three of us Summit Yarners competing:  Maggie Boga, Donna Arnold and myself.  If there are others of you locally, let me know so we can support each other through our efforts.  Next year I hope to sponsor a team right here at Summit Yarn Studio…with prizes, get-togethers and fun.

Today, I have been testing out the pattern for the Landscape Shawl and am enjoying it.  Am working with Cascade 220 Handpaints in green and the colors show beautifully in this texture knit shawl.  It goes fast and the pattern is easy to hold in my head…really, garter stitch, seed stitch, stockinette stitch and picots…no kidding.  Am also working on heavy weight socks for this bitter chilly winter on size US3 dpns and it is a quick knit with just 48 sts.  I like how fast these go…on my feet!  And of course, all the other projects are sitting in the bag staring at me…”why aren’t you working on me?”  So much to knit…so little time.

beginning of The Landscape Shawl

Take care and keep with your fiber arts!  Knit on and keep warm!xox m.e.

 

Death by Acrylic

If you watched NCIS this week then you already know the theme of today’s blog.  Two agents are protecting someone on an airplane, in first class, of course.  Back in the cheap seats, a young lady sits knitting with Susan Bates acrylic needles, US 8.  ( I know this because I often sell this particular needle to first time knitters because it is inexpensive and it’s a pretty color. )  Surprise!  The TSA agent is murdered in the bathroom with a knitting needle.  Said knitter is innocently now reading in her seat, completely unconcerned.  The nasty blonde flight attendant is the murderer, not the knitter…duh.

Honestly, do you know a knitter, who if she loses a needle will not move heaven and Earth to find the knitting needle?  Especially in the simple confines of an airlplane.  Really, how far could the needle have gone?  But, no, next time we travel we have to hope the TSA agents we meet have not seen this episode of NCIS.

Writers: please choose different murder weapons in the future!

Have been busy whipping the studio into shape for our Yarn Tasting Event this Sunday.  JoAnn was kind enough to loan me a spare table for our get-together.  Andrea Marquis, the yarn rep has all kinds of goodies and exotic yarns to tell us all about as well as some cash and carry items, which include shawl pins among other things.  I checked with Mary Beth and the cookies are promised for delivery this Sunday.  We are set to have a great time.  Remember, the event is from 1:00 to 4:00pm this Sunday.  Feel free to join the party at any time or for the whole time, and bring a pair of needles to test some of the yarns.  For those who attend, place an order and make a deposit, I will discount the order by 10%.  Really, I am looking forward to seeing everybody Sunday.  The weather is supposed to be good and the company of fellow fiber artists will be a distinct pleasure.  I get the feeling you might be surprised just how very many fiber artists we have in our local area…it will be great fun to get to know each other!

Let me encourage you to check out the Ravelympics on Ravelry.  Donna Arnold and I are gearing up for our respective events and are very excited.  Donna is going to knit a pair of socks and I am going to work on and hope to publish to new designs in that time, one a sock pattern and one sweater pattern.  We both have special yarn squirreled away.  This will take place during the events of this year’s Winter Olypics in Vancouver, Canada…from February 12 to the 28th.  Once these games are concluded, then the Fiber Olympics will begin at Summit Yarn!

Today, Suzy came in with yet another Whipped Scarf completed.  This one is made of silk and she creatively changed the body of the pattern from the brioche stitch to garter stitch.  The scarf is beautiful and large, actually a small shawl.  The weight of the yarn gives the shawl elegant drape.

Suzy's Garter Stitch Whipped

Suzy has now moved on to a new pattern, called the Landscape Shawl.  The pattern is written for multiple weights of yarn and has all the needed yardage for each weight of yarn.  This is a fun pattern with different stitch patterns that are easy to master and is also a great way to use up yarn orphans in your stash.

Donna Arnold is chasing away the winter blues by knitting a quick little ruffled scarf in bright pink ribbon by Colinette yarn.  It only takes about five rows and is knit lengthwise.  There are a lot of stitches to bind off at the end, but fomr the looks of the scarf Donna was wearing today (same pattern), it is well worth the effort.  Dona Bauman is knitting a Snowbound Aran cowl for her husband in Baby Bamboo and a pair of Wishbone Lace socks in the newest sock yarn to arrive at Summit Yarn, Abstract Fibers ( more of this to be seen Sunday).  Laura Alexander is working on a beautiful cabled cardigan.

Let me know what you are doing to fight off the winter blahs…send photos.  Take care, drive safely, and knit on with confidence! xox m.e., aka The Nayslayer (don’t ask!)

 

60% PINK

this week's laundry

Putting laundry away this week I noticed a distinct predominance of pink socks in my drawer…sheesh, I have got to start trying some new colors.  Seems like there are four main colors in my sock drawer:  red, pink, blue and green.  I have no idea why…that is just what has evolved in my sock knitting travels.  This year I am going to binge on purple.  I have several skeins lined up of all different brands, and then who knows?  Maybe turquoise.

Today was unseasonably warm…so much so I was able to give some of my plants some fresh air and rain.  It poured today; the snow is all melted, the creek behind the studio was rushing, and the sound of the rain on the roof was sublime.  It was 57 degrees out and like a fine Spring day.  Tomorrow promises a return to the cold weather…but today was a nice vacation from the winter blahs.  Here is the photo of the creek behind the studio:

my creek

I am almost done with the center portion of the wool blanky I have been working on.  The natural colors of the wool progress from one to the next beautifully and the wool is so soft from all the lanolin in it, that sometimes I stop knitting just to revel in the softness of this knit.  Here is today’s photo of the project:

Pam Valvano came by for class this morning.  She has completed her cable socks and they look fabulous.  I can’t wait for her to try another new stitch on her basic sock pattern.  Next she is going to do a pair of socks in worsted weight wool.  I love these socks in the winter; they are heavier and warmer and this is the only time of year I get to wear them. 

Pam's cable socks: 56 sts on 2.75mm needles

Here is one final image for today…I found it while cleaning up around the studio today:

Yarn is always the best way to fix life's itches!

So, take care and knit on!  Life is good…but life is better with good yarn.  xox m.e.

 

New Issue of Knitscene out…Conifer Shawl on my fave list

Have spent the week comparing the Kindle ereader to the Nook and along the way found the new issue of Knitscene by Interweave press is on the stands.  I saw an ad for a lace shawl in this issue…the shawl is done in worsted weight yarn on US8 needles and it is beautiful.  It is a perfect triangle and if you made two and joined them you would have a beautiful big square…why?…I don’t know, you just would…why not?  Here is a photo of a photo in the magazine to entice you…I will be ratting through my stash tonight trying to decide what to knit this in…

Conifer Shawl by Kate Osborn

There are lots of other projects, big and small, that look awesome to do, but this is my personal favorite for this issue.  There are at least two sweaters that I know Suzy will love…both in chunky weight yarn…and a chunky weight scarf that most of my knitters will want to do.  If you get a chance, check it out at your local bookstore.

In pursuit of the best ereader, I have been checking out both sites, the Barnes & Noble and the Kindle internet sites.  So far, the Kindle site is winning hands down as is the Kindle reader.  The web-site is easier to use for Kindle and the Ipod reader version is great as a back-up.  Will let you know more as the quest continues.  Ultimately, I love the feel of pages and the smell of books…it is a lot like yarn, the tactile quality of reading is as important as any other part of the reading experience, for me.  Suzy:  I did download “The Help” and already I am loving the voice of this writer.  You are right…great read.

a book in the sale section at B&N

Friday night group was fun last night and the Tunkhannock group this past week was downright hilarious…I laughed myself silly.  Another new knitter came to the Tunkhannock group…which just seems to be in a growth spurt lately.  We all want to go visit Meghan at her home and watch for those bobcats that keep visiting her and leaving her special “presents” on her porch…Bonnie and I are both ready to set up a blind just so we can photograph the wild cats.  Yes, we got knitting done…but who can knit when you are laughing so hard your eyes are tearing?  There is a fundraising event in March for the library…so stay posted and maybe you can come meet these delightful ladies. 

Twilla brought the first MINI version of WHIPPED last night for us to all see and I wished I had my Barbie doll there to model it for you.  Here is a pic:

MINI-WHIPPED

I have finally begun working with the yarn from Janet MacKay…must have found this stuff a year ago…at least six months…it is beautiful natural shades of wool…I think from Harrisville.  Janet found these balls for $1 apiece.  They turned out to be short skeins of two strands of worsted weight wool.  I needed help separating them…but the fact that they were two strands was a godsend.  I wanted to knit a square and shade the colors from palest to darkest.  This way, I know when I hit the middle and the yarn will work perfectly…this was a little hidden treasure that made my week.

garter stitch center for a shetland shawl-five shades of yarn

We had a first-time visitor at the studio today, Audrey from Seaside Heights, NJ.  She has been reading this blog and was excited to start doing magic-loop socks.  She purchased the new Cat Bordhi book and yarn to go with the sock patterns in this book.  It was fun to meet you Audrey!  Happy knitting and drive safely on your return trip home!  We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Audrey wearing a lovely red scarf!

Donna A., Dona B. and I are eagerly awaiting our shipment of Team Blue Moon yarn from Blue Moon Fiber arts.  There are two colors that have been produced for the “Ravelympics” — Vancouver Violet ( a shaded solid) and Ilanaaq (a five tone multicolor yarn based on the logo for the Vancouver Winter Olympics).  I am hoping to use the fair isle knitting book Dona gave me two Christmases ago to make something beautiful from these coordinating yarns.

Ilanaaq ("friend"), the 2010 logo

Finally, here is a photo Tina Newton posted on her blog, which I encourage you to check out…she is an artist with words as well as with color and yarn.  This should be enough to convince you that Spring is really not so very far away:

a golden mind...a golden life!

 Take care and knit on with all due hilarity! xox m.e.