an unnamed Kauni sweater, yet more YarNews, and introductions

I am sorry to say that the blog has been backsliding because of my recent illness. I'm fine now, but had to take a week off of work (blech!) and alas couldn't update the blog from home because I had no pictures. Clearly, we need to work on our communication methods at the store.

In the past week, we were visited by Duffy (aka FiberQat) and her unnamed Kauni pullover:

Specs? (on ravelry)

• Yarn: Kauni W-EQ, approximately 750g
• Pattern: original

Clearly Duffy decided to really challenge herself for the Ravelympics this go-round. Something to admire, definitely. Possible from a distance, because one has to wonder if that kind of crazy is contagious or not. I've already got immunity issues...

Next on the list of things I've missed - a new worsted wool yarn. And a good 'un at that. It's so luscious I have to keep myself from cuddling it at my desk (I have a skein here for, ah, 'inspiration'). Admittedly, the name of this new yarn could use some work, as Shepherd's Wool is a little vague and understated. Milled in Michigan, with locally-grown wool, this brand answers our need for quality yarns that are American-made. Maybe the best way to view this new line is as a stealth luxury yarn.

With a fiber content of 100% fine Merino wool, the skein I'm fondling petting easily qualifies for "luxury" status. At $9.75 a 4oz skein (250y) and in a variety of colors, this new line is going to be fantastic for a variety of projects this fall. Especially if you don't mind hand-washing baby garments, it would be perfect for all sorts of little knits.

Which leads perfectly into our latest and greatest news... the baby pictures have landed!

Long-time readers (and local patrons) will already know that Jenni has been visibly pregnant for some time and went in for a c-section on August 18th. As we announced to knitters the world-over, Kandyce is very healthy and weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. And, after some nagging and finagling, we have the super-cute baby photos we were promised to share.

Sandy Kay took the footsie photo to the left (who can resist baby feet?), but the other photos were taken by Jenni & Co (likely by her husband, Marcus).

(From left to right: Malik, Ayanna, DeAndre and little Kandyce).

(Ayanna with Mommy and baby).

Those of you who join us for Sip'N'Stitch every week (6-9pm on Thursdays) got to see Kandyce yesterday (lucky ducks!), but I'm told Jenni & Co. might be dropping by again next week. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get some cute in-store photos. I don't think we've passed the needles to Kandyce yet either. It's an old Irish tradition (I think), and will ensure that Kandyce is a great knitter when she grows up.

Definitely something to look forward to.

Not enough Martha to go around.

A Skif shipment arrived yesterday and already we're out of Martha's again. In fact, we still have several on back order! Clearly this is THE sweater to knit for fall. Shame we can't keep the pattern in stock. What we do have left is also quickly walking out the door, so if you've been longing for a pattern or two, now's the time.

The past couple of days have been huge in the deliveries and shipments arenas. First up? Eye Bobs, a collection of fantastically funky reading glasses for knitters who want to be able to see their pattern charts well:

(on display)

Liz thought they would appear to their best advantage while being modeled...

I concurred. My favorite is the "Strict Librarian" look (lower right).

Another big shipment that just landed on us was a huuuuge box from Fleece Artist. Containing... Camelspin. Lots and lots of Camelspin, which is officially back in stock (but probably [also] not for long):

Mmm, camel down. So wickedly sumptuous.

We also got in some Kauni, but that'll be available next week. And that's about it, for now. The next post should feature an introduction to both Kandyce and Leslie. Keep your eyes peeled.

a rockstar, updates, and an extremely late YarNews Flash

Have I got a Rockstar for all y'all. Today we were visited by Paula (no blog and not on ravelry, :sad:), who was eager to show off her finished "Joy" from Rowan Vintage Knits:

She used Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply, which is now discontinued, and about 3 million beads (I'd guess). The finished sweater was beyond beautiful. Maybe we should be happy she's not on ravelry, it's hard not to feel like an underachiever by comparison, isn't it? Still, she definitely deserves Rockstar status.

As for updates... In the past week, LOTS has happened. Let's see...

1. Jenni, our beloved inventory specialist, had a baby girl yesterday who weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. I believe the name chosen is Kandyce. No photo yet, but maybe soon...
   
2. The August 15 Newsletter went out, woe unto me as the web orders person. (well, not really) And let me just tell you, if you want one of those Japanese books (like me :sigh:), there's going to be a little wait - we sold out in almost record time.
   
3. We received our special Koigu for the Sock Club and it is gorgeous. Simply beautiful. The gals at "No Mean Feet!" admitted to being awed last night. And the pattern to go with it? Exquisite, really. I can't wait to knit it for myself!
4. At a rapid pace, open space is diminishing in the Club. We're filling up spots so quickly, I can barely keep up with enrollment.
5. And last, but not least, I spoke with SOAK today and they are sending along not only our Sock Club goodies but a bunch of surprise treats for us to give away to participants.
   

In the YarNews section of this post, it's a bit embarrassing, but... We've had Noro Silk Garden sock in the store and in stock for a while now and it's still not on the web (it will be soon, if I have anything to say about it). Should you want a ball or two (or the new colors of Kureyon sock), drop by the store:

We got ya covered.

Shown above is also a Clapotis made with 1 skein of the Silk Garden sock in #269.

The final tidbit on my list of updates? My Skif #2, a Habu-happy Zena:

If you want to know all the yarns, well, check out my ravelry notebook or click on the picture and see the notes on the original image. The thought of linking all the yarns I'm using just makes me a little faint, honestly.

skif sweaters, wicked plans, and spoilers

Let's see, let's see... so much has been happening in the past fortnight, it's hard to keep it all organized. Starting in order with the title:

1. Skif sweaters.
I finished mine (little happy dance) and was overjoyed to see WrenSu's super-spiffy Mateo in the Knit Purl flickr group's photo pool. And because so many people (including my coworkers) were enamored with the thought of a finished skif sweater, it was relatively easy to get a couple of modeled shots for the blog...

Project specs:

• Pattern: Neptune/ Button-back Pullover by Skif.
• Yarn: Joseph Galler Inca Cotton in "Ecru", 4 skeins.
• Needle: 4.5mm/ US 7 32" circulars.
• Idiosyncrasies: the sleeves are 3" longer than specified in the pattern.
• Review: loved the pattern and ADORED the yarn.

Of course, all y'all already know that I bought yarn for a second skif sweater before I finished the first. But I was good and persevered and only just CO last night (honest). I'm finding the second one just as hard to put down as the first was... This is looking like it's going to be a dangerous trend.

2. Wicked Plans.
Oh, there are so many, really. Leaving this many slightly crazy knitters alone together always makes for interesting results. We've got, upcoming:

• a Tips & Tricks column by Judy Wilcox
• the SKIF KAL will resume in September with a yarn sampling and emergency aid class to follow through December(ish).
• a Getting Raveled party & meetup (info forthcoming)
• and, finally, a Sock Club KAL group on ravelry
  

3. Spoilers. I promised you spoilers... and here are two we're willing to part with:

• LavenderSheep's Sock Club yarn, clicky here for a little spoiler.
• Koigu is going to lead as planned. You have no idea (unless you've heard us panicking in the shop) how worried we were just a week ago. It had seemed that Koigu wouldn't have their yarn ready in time for the Club, but it's been shipped and should arrive at the store soon. And, while these are neither the pattern nor the colorway we've commissioned for the Club, I'm even more excited by this news because of the Fortress Of Solitude socks I just finished:

I enjoyed working with the yarn so much, I'm really looking forward to getting my own Sock Club September kit.* And I suppose it's not too much to tell you that there just might be speckles (like those seen above) on our soon-to-arrive yarn, too. Ooh!, there's another spoiler.

And now I've got to go... we've got a rowdy Sip'n'Stitch group up there tonight and a newsletter to get out tomorrow.

*Did you honestly think that half the staff here weren't the first people to sign up?

good news, other news, and 13 sheep

Since this is a blog, I can't really ask our readers which they'd like to hear first. So I'm going to start with the "other" news. It's not really bad, inasmuch, just a big change.

The Blogger no longer works for Knit Purl and will not be posting to this blog anymore. (We just lost half our subscribers, didn't we?) She's gone on to greater and brighter things (I really hope so, anyway), but wishes us well. After some slight nagging, we might have a couple more bloggers to add to the list. Look for future posts by Liz and Sandy K.

The good news? Ooh, I got looots of good news. Like, hm, we just got in our giant mondo huge shipment of sock yarn blanks for the Sock Club. 19 micron superwash Merino wool is so super soft and squishy that it really feels ideal for an afternoon nap you might need after hauling in 60 kilos worth of yarn...

You can probably tell we had a little too much fun with all the yarn fresh outta their boxes. But, admit it, you've always wanted to build a nest out of yarn - I seriously can't be the only knitter to have wondered about it.

And, just for those of you who, like 3M, were wondering how many sheep it took to produce 60 kg (132 lbs) of wool, well...

Thirteen.

At an average of 10lbs of usable fleece per year per Merino sheep, we just took in an entire flock's worth of yarn in a single afternoon. Admittedly, our flock doesn't have to be fed or shorn, but it certainly "smells better" according to 3M.

As for more good news? Two teasers:

1. I have a Sock Club spoiler that I'll post next time. We just got the final skein in a series of test dye-runs that will, literally, blow your socks off. Once 3M photographs it, I'll post a link to the pic, so those who don't want to know early won't.
2. And... one of us here has completed their SKIF sweater. No, I won't tell you more until later. You'll just have to be patient.
   

But that'll all be for the next post. Right now? I gotta skein and divide up all those hanks so they can go to their respective dyers.