Getting Ready to Close For Annual Inventory

The Studio will be closed from this Saturday, September 3rd until Sunday September 11th.  We will reopen with our normal Fall/Winter/Spring aka School Year Hours on Monday, September 12th (see you then Chris!!!).  The studio hours, as a reminder will be SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, with classes and private lessons (by appointment) on six of those days.  I reserve Sunday for a full day of being a mental moron…you’ll thank me.

Mondays 10:15 – Noon, 1 – 5 pm

Tuesdays 10:15 – Noon, 1 – 5 pm

Wednesdays 10:15 – Noon, 1 – 2:45 pm

Thursdays 10:15 – Noon, 1- 5 pm

Fridays 10:15 – Noon, 1 – 5 pm, class 7 -9 pm (I will be pouring Baileys or Wine Coolers)

Saturdays 10:15 – 2pm

Sundays 1- 4 pm

There are lots of markdown items through out the studio but especially in the front room.  Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton Classic is now $2.50 a skein to support face and dishcloth knitting for beautiful holiday gifts.  The remainder of the Mission Falls 1824 Cotton is $2.75 a ball.  All Debbie Bliss is still 50% half off and Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool and Silky Tweed is $4 a skein.

New to the studio today: a huge shipment from Brown Sheep including some new sock yarn and a new laceweight yarn that is the bee’s knees!  Also a full box of new Opal Yarn arrived with colors you will not be able to resist no matter the size of your stash.  Yarn also arrived for studio samples which I will be knitting while the studio is closed but feel free to stop in and preview their beautiful softness and the books of patterns.  My sale cashmere arrived and the other order from customers should arrive tomorrow or Friday at the latest.  Now I have to decide what I am going to knit it up into…it is just YUMMY!

Chris finished her MayFlowers socks and they are beautiful!

 

The September Summit Sock Club Kits are completed and ready.  There is only one kit not yet spoken for this time…they seem to be going faster and faster each month!  Here is a photo of the top-down sock which is a fun, quick and easy knit (given the intensity of this time of year…getting ready for school and all, I thought this would be welcome).  The heel is short row in technique but in GARTER STITCH, so no wraps to unwrap, you just leave them be!  I actually wrote this pattern two years ago for a different group of knitters, so this has been test knit and approved by ten other knitters!  Here is a photo:

Yes, those darling boxes are this month's kit!

 

Here is a photo of the Marianne Isager Shawl I will be making my version of while I am away.  The yarn is a sport weight 50% merino/50% alpaca in an array of soul-gripping colors, only a few of which are in this photo:

The shawl is knit in two large triangles and two half triangles and then joined. Will let you know how this goes as I knit it while I am away.

 

and your daily dose of cuteness:

Sputters: Really? It's morning...arrgh...I am SOOO not ready for today!

 

with loads of love, light and laughter always, Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn

 

New Patterns From Frog Tree Yarns

This morning I received the go-ahead to post the first four patterns to join the Frog Tree Family of my design.  There is also hope that in about two weeks there will be a new scarf/shawlette pattern ready to post on Ravelry…fingers crossed.  I also have a new shawl in the works…not lace…but knit side to side with a new edging.  It will be knit out of Frog Tree Yarns Chunky Alpaca.  I have test knitters on the pattern right now.  For the time being, it can be referred to as the Sea Green Thing.  Here are photos of the newest patterns you can find at your LYS or order from me and I will ship them to you (just drop a note in my email!):

The FiddleHead sock...so named because it resembles the ornate carvings on the head of a violin. Ribbing is combined with rope cables and a floral lace stitch in an easy to remember stitch pattern, both written out and charted. The test knitters at Summit Yarn were very enthusiastic about this pattern and I do hope you enjoy it too! When ordering ask for pattern number FT-245. And...Thank You!

 

The Lady Jane Wrap came into being in answer to the requests of knitters frustrated with trying to guess how much yarn to budget for the final edging of shawls. In answer, this shawl is knit side to side and both top and bottom lace edgings are knit at the same time. Though it resemble Whipped, it is a completely different construction and not an update. Please remember the body of the shawl can be knit with any stitch you choose: Stockinette Stitch, Garter Stitch, file:///Users/maryellenlangieri/Downloads/photo-17.JPGSeed Stitch...etc. This becomes a lovely knitting experience, and leaves you with an elegant piece to wear when the knitting is complete. When asking for this pattern at your LYS, as for pattern number FT-244.

 

FLOCK WOOLIGAN PART ONE

 

FLOCK WOOLIGAN PART TWO...A FLOCK OF 24 SHEEP FOR EWE TO COLLECT!

 

Meet Winnifred Wensleydale Wooligan...the minx who began all of this. She is the matriarch of the Wooligan Clan. The pattern is now available with the names of all 24 sheep just for Ewe to knit. When asking for this pattern at your LYS, please request FT-261...and Summit Yarn Thanks You!

 

The Heirloom Baby Blanket is a reversible and easy-to-remember stitch pattern using only knits and purls. The texture appears lightly embossed for a classic look. The Heirloom Baby Blanket is a quick and pleasurable knit you are going to want to do again and again for those much loved little people in your life. When requesting this pattern, please ask for pattern number FT-257...and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

and finally, today’s cuteness:  I was getting my son ready for football the other day and I kept hearing “Mouw…Mouw Mouw!”, louder and louder.  I finally looked up to see Nikkers flirting with me shamelessly on top of the stair bannister over the foyer.  Here is the same photo from this morning from a higher vantage point, in case I needed to resue the little rascal:

Nikkers, the netless trapeze artist, and his brother, Sputters in the foreground. I apparently am "MaaouwMaouw".

 

with love, light and laughter always, Mary Ellen and all things Summit Yarn  xoxox

 

 

 

Jet Lag Suckage

At Sock Summit I learned two new terms, suckage (referring to the tendency of a stitch pattern to pull stitches in tighter) and bloatage (the tendency of a stitch pattern to make a fabric wider/bigger than it would be in stockinette stitch as a baseline).  Who would think sitting all day would be tiring?  Lisa and I flew home Monday without event and went straight home and to bed.  Yesterday, I went to work, then straight home and to bed at 5:30pm.  I am still not far from beddy bye again today.  It was so much easier to go West than to come back East to home.  I feel like my brain is stuck in the twilight zone of STUPID.

Anyway, the studio was busy today.  The Omigami Heart Tribe met today.  Debbie and I got to work on the new Stephen West Mystery KAL.  He only released a small triangle which included a little intarsia and I have hopes for a bigger portion next week.  Here is a photo of mine:

Clue Number One of Stephen West's Mystery KAL

 

Lourdes is working on the July Summit Sock Club kit and it looks beautiful.  She had a Happy Accident with the pattern resulting in increased stretch and a prettier lacy look to the leg.

Lourdes' July Sock knit in Dream In Color Smooshy...every color is beautiful!

 

Corina sent in a photo of her beautiful completed Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan.  She made it with three colors and it is such a thrill to see it done:

Corina's completed Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan! YAY!

 

The sale in the studio continues.  Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool is marked down to $4 a skein and all Debbie Bliss Yarns are 50% off suggested retail price.  Jean came for a private lesson and walked out very inspired afterward to create artwork with her knit felting.  She took advantage of the sale and stocked up on Debbie Bliss bulky weight donegal tweed…looks like she has some great ideas in mind!

I photographed the swatches I made in some of my classes.  It turns out Lisa and I got to knit outside the convention center in the evening and it was lovely.  I showed her how to knit bobbles without turning the fabric back and forth.  We also reviewed a chain edge bind off.  Lisa’s swatch, we laughed, looked a little like a Barbie bustier.  Here are the final photos of Portland:

swatches from my class with Cat Bordhi and Franklin Habit

 

Lisa's bobbles and chain bind off

 

The Convention Center in Portland Oregon.

 

We saw beautiful mountain peaks on our flight home:

And Jamie tried to distract me wonderfully during the Summit by sending photos of Black Stallions and shirtless muscled young men, as well as photos of my beloved Mimi the goat:

Mimi the Guard Goat...don't mess with this goat's horses!

 

And of course, there is nothing so sweet as coming home and being surrounded by those we love most:

Sputters gets a belly rub!

 

I am surrounded in my room by all the cats and dogs oh my!

 

Summit Yarn is also going through some growing pains.  Due to home-schooling course changes for my son and a change in his activities schedule (football and tennis) the studio hours will have to change just a bit.  Wednesday will become the short day that Thursday has always been and Thursday will have more hours.  So the studio hours will be as follows for the rest of the summer:

Tuesday 10:15-Noon, 1-5pm

Wednesday 10:15-Noon, 1-3pm

Thursday and Friday 10:15-Noon, 1-5pm

Saturday 10:15-2pm

for the remainder of August closed on Sunday and Monday (we will return to being open 7 days a week after Labor Day Weekend).

Take care and thank you for your patience during these growing pains!  with love, light and laughter always,

Mary Ellen

 

Franklin Habit: Habit-forming in the most wonderful way

Franklin Habit taught two classes that I know of at Sock Summit 2011:  Knitted Tesselations (which I did not get to attend) and Garter Jacquard (which I did attend and loved).  Whenever he teaches, and this was the third class I took with him, he always delivers so much more than he promises.  There are knitting tips and treasures, insights he has gained through swatching and best of all, he is a consummate story-teller.  Lisa traveled with me and we both took this class at different time slots and didn’t he tell different stories both times!  His motto: “Nice is the New Black” is a standard he clearly lives by…he walks the talk, if you will.

He had all kinds of his knitting to share, some of which he kindly allowed me to photograph for the blog and some which he even more kindly allowed me to photograph just for my own greedy Franklin-loving Heart.  When you stop by the studio I am happy to show you my Sock Summit photographs on my phone.  He did, as promised, have and share with us the newest shawl knit and dedicated to his amazing Mom.  It was knit out of Cascade Heritage in purple,  Would you like to see some photos of it?

Really?

Well, okay…

close-up view of the beginning central section.

 

secondary lace pattern and garter stitch edge

 

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she beautiful? Anna

 

I don’t suppose you would like to see a photograph of Franklin modeling the shawl?

Really?  Are you sure?  Well, okay…

And after he modeled so kindly for the camera, he wore the shawl for the rest of our class together because it was THAT COLD in the room, almost arctic.

 

The new shawl, Anna, will be coming out and be available in Franklin’s Ravelry store in mid-August…so very soon indeed.  I will keep you posted.  Franklin is also doing a cruise to Iceland if you are interest, with more travel with Franklin to come in the future.  I can’t think of anything of anything more sublime.  As a teacher, storyteller and golden-hearted human being I give Franklin a five heart review and floods of air-kisses.  I also happen to think he is very hot in a kilt and never tire of THAT view.  That being said, if you ever have a chance to take a class with Franklin or just meet him and shake hands do not blink or hesitate. Sign up for the class immediately and introduce yourself.  Friend Franklin on Facebook and Ravelry and he will friend you back.  We are one community after all! (per Franklin and I wholeheartedly agree).

with love, light and laughter always,  Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn

 

Things Grown by Hand

As most of you know I have been given the privilege of doing a Pediboo display for Frog Tree Yarns for the upcoming TNNA in Columbus, Ohio.  The part of the display the company envisioned is complete and in their hands.  They called this morning and I am thrilled to have heard they loved the package and are looking for pattern support from the ideas I sent them!  What an incredible way to begin any day!  I have some more ideas that I am hoping to finish in time for TNNA and am hard at work at these as well in the few days that remain.  I have two more swatches completed.  One I did in Shadow Knitting (a technique referenced by Barbara Walker first and later by Vivian Hoxbro) and the other swatch I did in Garter stitch Entrelac.

Shadow Knit swatch....looks like just a bunch of stripes....right?

but get down at the right angle and look again...it is a FROG!!!

And here is the garter stitch entrelac swatch, which I think would make just about any garment or scarf or shawl look awesome:

I especially love how these subtle colors work together....they would be great colors for baby boy clothes!

Currently there are 13 out of 24 sheep complete for what I hope will be a completely eye-catching display to draw attention to the Frog Tree Yarns booth…here is FLOCK WOOLIGAN so far:

Flock Wooligan....and they all have names! The white one in front is, of course, Ewenice! The green one all the way in the back is Ewelonda!

Many thanks from the Flock and their MaaMaa to Auntie Lisa for their much needed body parts…doesn’t that just sound like black market organ trafficking?  I assure it is not…just ears, tails and legs, thank ewe very much!

Finally,  thanks to my liege, Sir Franklin Habit of Chicago, this last little number that took 24 hours to knit, has been rolling around in my head since the class on lace edgings I took with him back in March at Loop Yarn in Philadelphia.  This man is just a knitting God.  A veritable Adonis and it breaks my heart he does not bat for my team…but I will continue to admire longingly from afar, though probably not in silence.  Anyway, during this class he shared with us a baby bonnet prototype he created.  The pattern he used was from “Last Minute Knitted Gifts” and he altered it just at the bottom edge with two rows of lace, one above the other.  It was nothing short of elegant.  I have searched all over Ravelry and cannot find a photo to refer you to…my apologies.  I did look up said bonnet pattern and it is very nice indeed but requires sewing, which in this particular garment it quite easily avoided….a bonnet is just an enormous heel turn after all.  I then went back to my file cabinet and extracted the first bonnet I ever knit and did the math.  I had some definite ideas when I began this project, but as so many knit projects do, this took on a life of its own.  Here is a photo of what this bonnet decided to become…BOISTEROUSLY VICTORIAN!  (I do live in a home inundated with testosterone…it really is no surprise this kind of girly girl stuff comes off my needles…it has to be expressed somewhere!  I did manage to suppress the urge to overdecorate with knitted flowers…sigh…):

yes, the lace goes ALL THE WAY AROUND...yes, there is also a picot edge...no i-cord though...

leaf lace from a book by Nicky Epstein and sawtooth lace of my own imagining...

The ties for the front are monk's cord tipped with leaves also from one of Nicky Epstein's "Over The Edge" books, which I absolutely treasure!

Said bonnet is resting tonight, soaked in a Brita pitcher all day and pinned/stretched into the exact right shape until it is dry.  I need to go buy a grapefruit or something to display it on until it is time to send the last of the goodies off to Frog Tree Yarn.  Clearly, Pediboo is a yarn so awesome it is meant for MUCH MORE than socks…but oh, it is also so very wonderful for socks, too!

Here are the customer projects that have come through the door in the last few days…Lisa is nearly done with her Peas Please Vest in Robin’s egg blue…my apologies, I did not photograph it today.

Socks by Martha in Abstract Fibers yarn...

Martha does the toes of her socks in the pattern called: "Eye of the Partridge" because this is where socks wear out for her. This stitch pattern gives her socks reinforcement and added longevity.

Miriam, as you know helped us all by finding an error, now corrected, with Insertion #3/3 of the Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan.  Here is her completed Block #16 — Carlisle Stripe:

Arsenic and Old Lace Square #16 by Miriam in The Netherlands

Martha using her beautiful handspun for the Estonian Lilac Leaves shawl...she substituted eyelets for the nupps and used only a single garter ridge between stitch patterns...I love this color of yarn! WANT!

This is Chris doing an amazing swatch. We designed this together...look in the middle and you can see an elephant's trunk. The edge's are Chris's brainchild and I love the stitch she chose. Really, please...your knitting IS YOUR ARTWORK...BE FEARLESS!

Chris chose the edging she is using because it looked to her like the elephants footprints and its meandering path.  I can hardly wait to see the finished swatch and I love how she tied the ideas together!

That is all for this catch-up blog.  The next one is all about my Nikkers and his favorite Ratty.  Stay tuned!

Loads of love and hugs, Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn Studio

 

Sock KAL: the magic as promised finally…

If you look in Nancy Bush’s book “Knitting Vintage Socks” (I own 2 copies…one for home and one for the studio) and look at the sketch from Weldon’s of the sock done in Ringwood Stitch you will notice the sketch is done in two basic tones.  The darker tone of ink shows all the stockinette stitch and the lighter tone of ink shows the textured pattern stitch.  This got me to thinking about trying this sock in more than one color.  After some internal debate, I decided to alternate colors every round and these are the two sides of the sock…the sole and the instep:

 

the sole of this sock

the Magic: the instep of the sock

 

Next part of the sock:  you will alternate colors every round by picking up the new color from underneath the old color.

Knit one round in your bright color.  Next round with dark color:   instep — *K1, P1; repeat from * to last st of instep, K1; sole: knit.  Continuing to alternate colors every round follow these three rounds until the sock is 2.5 inches less than the length of your foot measured heel to toe standing –

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Knit

Round 3:  instep — *K1, P1; repeat form * to last st of instep, K1;  sole:  knit.

The heel will be the next part released.  Have fun and send photos to my email!

loads of love, mary ellen

 

if the brothers can't see you, you can not see them!

 

 

 

Discovery Sock KAL

The last two months have been challenging physically for me with a difficult GI illness.  I have not been able to go to the gym and work out, or do much of anything physical.  Major bummer.  Instead, I have spent hours looking through my knitting books and letting things “roll around in my head”…kind of like a slow burn, no bad puns intended.  The first design that resulted I used in this month’s Summit Sock Club Kit, which wound up containing two scarf patterns and a sock pattern.  The other design result was whimsical and accidental and not a result of any real intelligence on my part.

Today, we begin our KNIT-A-LONG.  The sock is called:  The Discovery Sock because that is exactly what happened.  Those are the only clues today.  More with the next post.  For now, we want to start with a toe up sock.  If you have a preferred way to do your toe…go for it.  You should have two colors picked out…one wild variegated color and one more solid subdued color (at least compared to your first color).  Really, for this to work well, the two colors should not have much to do with each other…like, two separate ideas that you don’t really expect to blend.  Pick your more subdued color to begin the toe of your sock.

I recommend Judy’s magic cast on either with circular needles or with dpns (I used dpns so I know this can be done).  The sock can be made in one of three sizes — an eventual stitch count of 56 sts for a ladies size 8-9 (64 sts for a larger ladies foot, or 72 sts for a man’s foot or a knitter with a tighter gauge).  I have a women’s size eight foot and a gauge of 7 sts = one inch on 2.75mm needles.  I will knit my sock using the 56 st sock.  A friend of mine who shall remain unnamed has a somewhat tighter gauge and different foot dimensions from me…she will use the 72 stitch sock.  If you have never knit a sock before go with 2.75mm needles and the 56 st sock.  If you have knit socks before, you will know which stitch count you like best.

Here goes:

50g WILD VARIEGATED COLOR sock yarn (200 yards)

50g SUBDUED UNRELATED COLOR sock yarn (200 yards)

2.75 mm needles or size which gives you 7 sts=1 inch in Stockinette Stitch

Using Judy’s Magic Cast On:  cast on 28 (32, 36) sts over two needles held together.  Knit one round.

Next Round: (K1, inc 1, knit 12 (14, 16) sts, inc 1, K1, place marker) X 2 then KNIT ONE ROUND.

THEN REPEAT THE FOLLOWING TWO ROUNDS UNTIL YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF 56 (64, 72) STS:

ROUND 1:  (K1, inc 1, knit to one stitch before first marker, inc 1, slip marker, K1) X 2.

ROUND 2: knit around.

Here is a photo of my toe (the real magic begins tomorrow!):

this photo shows a close up of the increases

 

completed toe

 

Nikkers this morning: what do you mean you are leaving for the day? How can you possibly leave me?

love, light and laughter always, Mary Ellen