Projects!

Have we got a parade of handknits for you today (some are finished, some are still OTN, but they're all looking good!). First off, we have Sue's children's bolero:

Knit with ShibuiKnits Merino Worsted in Spectrum.

Do you remember Sue and her 110 Pullover? I certainly do have to wonder when does she find the time to knit all these sweaters? I mean, really. Last I talked to her, she was planning on making an adult bolero to match.

Then, after Sue dropped by to show off, Nancy came in for some advice on her Skif Heart:

Which I think is just lovely. She's been making it with Handmaiden Sea Silk, Habu Textiles Tsumugi Silk (one of my personal favorites!) and Isager Wool 1. The hand of the three together is just luscious. I can't wait to see this finished (keep going, Nancy! you're sooo close). And, ha!, I found it in Nancy's ravelry journal.

Next, we had a visit from baby Mils, whom you might recognize from our April Staff Pick eCard:

She is so darned cute I want to squeee! whenever I see her photo. I managed to convince Mommy and Grandma to let me get a photo of her in her handknit booties with her (clearly) favorite teddy bear. The booties are from heaven knows where (maybe these?), since I couldn't get any info on them. But the bear pattern is from Debbie Bliss' Simply Baby and is easily the cutest bear pattern any of us have seen.

And, last but not least, on the handknitting front, we have Sandy B's Easter chicken for her granddaughter:

Who I've named Henrietta, which has stuck (it fits, doesn't it?). Made with Rowan Handknit Cotton in "Slick" and "Nectar". Cute, huh? I decided she needed to be introduced to our Jamie, Gordon and Hugh chickens. Last I checked, they were getting on spendily.

And, truly finally, we have Mona's handspun "dewdrop" yarn:

It was made by beading the yarn as it was spun. Very fun. Mona has just over 9 oz here, which is decidedly enough for a variety of projects (which maybe she'll bring back for Show and Tell...). And, just so's we don't get annoyed questions later, Mona learned to spin the yarn during our Intermediate Handspinning Techniques class. Aren't you jealous? I know I am, it's so pretty!

And that just might be everything (for now) that I have photos of. Check back on Thursday for a knitnotwar update, new patterns, new books and more stashing updates!

Truly wicked yarn pr0n

I'm evil, I know it. But, see, if I sell the yarn to customers it won't end up in my stash. It's all about the self-preservation, see. And believe me when I say some of it has already found a new home in my Stash Containment Unit. The new Habu is particularly tempting.

The first on our list of Must-Have New Yarns are from two powerhouse favorite dyers: Schaefer Yarns and Chameleon Colorworks. Direct from Schaefer's dyepot, we have the coolest of the cool in their Memorable Women Series - the Memorable Knitters. Next to it is Twinkle Toes (by Chameleon), which is a luscious, shimmery half-superwash merino, half tencel blend:

At the moment we have 3 of the 4 Memorable Knitters Series: Mary Walker Phillips, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Emma Jacobsson. Dorothy Reade is still on order. If you're a hard-core sock knitter, you'll going to want to grab these soon as I predict they're going to go fast (and not just into my stash).

The Twinkle Toes is a little more whimsical in nature, dyed in many of Chameleon Colorwork's most popular colors plus two new themes: Ophelia and Lavender Fields. Again, I have a feeling that these will run out the door fast, but this line promises to be more long-term.

Next on our list of yarny goodness are on the recently refurbished New Wall: Abstract Fiber & Araucania. Two lines of handdyed loveliness.

Abstract Fiber is well-known by most Knit Purl customers, but Araucania is a line we're less familiar with. 100% cotton and handdyed, it'll be great this summer...

And, finally, the last of our new yarns... Isager's summer lines:

And wall. They have so many yarns we decided they needed their own wall. Anyway, back to the new yarns. For this summer they've put out six new lines:

1. Bomuld (100% mercerized cotton)
   
2. Viscolin (linen/ rayon blend)
   
3. Bomulin (cotton/ linen blend)
4. Hoer (100% linen)
   
5. Alpaca 1 (100% baby alpaca, lace weight)
   
6. Hoejlandsgarn (100% Shetland lambswool)
   

We still have several colors on order, so expect to see the wall fill out over the next two weeks. And, quite possibly on the blog, a Hoejlandsgarn WIP I'm contemplating. Also to go with the yarns are the next Amimono 2 and Marianne Isager Spring/ Summer books.

In less tempting news (but still worth ogling), we have a pair of finished Wishbone Socks:

The pattern is by Nancy Bush and was featured in the Mar/Apr 2008 issue of Piecework Magazine. I'm afraid that the information concerning these socks has been lost (I'm truly very sorry about that!), but I think I remember them being knit with ShibuiKnits Sock in "Wasabi".

And, very nearly finally, we have some...

Announcements:

1. Our annual Spring Sale starts Thursday! Drop by the store for huge savings on all your favorite yarns, door prizes, a free needle case with purchase and more. See our Events page for more details.
   
2. [Some colors of] Kauni back in stock. Kauni EQ is still on order. But we do have one NEW color and some old favorites, such as ES and EV.
   
3. A collection of new habu yarns have arrived: Silk/ Wool A-113, Silk Cashmere A-190, Wool Pom Pom (N-60), Natural Cover Cotton (A-184), Kusaki Zome (A-4), Stainless Steel Thread (N-48), Ramie (A-166), Jersey Tape (A-189). All of which are so new they aren't on our website (or, in some cases, Habu's either); but, if you'd like to drop by the store or give us a ring, we'll be glad to help you.

And, lastly, just because:

We've been having fun with all the different fuzzy mohair yarns we carry. Shown: Habu Kit 110 and Knitty's Ice Queen knit up with ArtYarns' Beaded Mohair & Sequins (sparkly bling, eh?).

That should be everything. Check back on Thursday (sale, sale, sale!) for more news about the, yes, sale, LeBrie's Nuno Felted Scarf Class and... well, whatever happens between now and then.

A flurry of activity

I'm sorry we haven't updated you and the InterWebs in so very long... I went to Stitches West and planned to blog from there but got sick. It didn't work out in quite a number of ways. Luckily, my intrepid coworkers took photos for your visual enjoyment.

First, we have a shot of the Cool Socks! workshop with Lucy Neatby (she's the one with hot pink hair):

...which I understand was a smash hit. It certainly looks interesting (Lucy always includes video/ projector demonstrations, which you can see on the wall in the background).

Next, we have Sue's absolutely glorious Habu 110 pullover:

So named because she used the pattern from Habu Textiles' Kit 110 and substituted Handmaiden's Sea Silk in "Periwinkle" for the body and Habu Textiles' Gear Linen in "Black" for the hems. The finished effect was just amazing, and the photo hardly does it justice.

And, finally, we have Sarah's IP (in progress) Garter Stitch Aran Pullover, from the Japanese book Men's Knit:

Which is looking mighty impressive, if I do say so. Sarah mentioned that she had worried about the sizing of the pattern (as it is Japanese), but the sweater seems to be coming out perfectly roomy and (honestly) delicious. She's knitting it with Debbie Bliss' Rialto Aran in "Dusty Blue", which is not on the website yet I'm afraid.

Lastly, today, I took a picture of all the lovely cranes we've been sent (or given in person) for the knitnotwar 1,0o0 kal. Amazingly, three arrived from Boston just yesterday! And four from California a week or two ago. These cranes are just flocking in from all over the place...

Of which many are noticeably red. Interesting phenomenon.

Now, it's admittedly still a small flock of cranes (we have 22 at count). But I am told by our many hardcore customers, volunteers, and several staffers that there are many more cranes OTN or unfelted at home. Sandy Kay and I are also talking about hosting another KAL night or two in the next couple of weeks. We'd really love to make our goal.

But we shall see what happens over the next month. Check the sidebar for updates over the next week or so!

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.

Of Muttonchops and Commentary...

...but first:

Those who've traveled to the SKIF knit-a-long blog might be aware of certain unfortunate "events" that took place while I was knitting Zena (Warrior Princess).
(check out the button somewhere over there)

These events centered around my inability to count, as well as my sieve-like memory. At some point in knitting the body, I decided to add a little waist shaping. (Because I can't just leave well enough alone.)

Anyway, I decreased a few stitches at each side. (Unevenly mind you. I have no control over when the sieve will just let a plan fall right outta my head.) When I went to create the neck shaping, I was missing a few stitches...

While I don't mind retelling a story, I think the flavor of my mood at the time I discovered (remembered) the "event" is best expressed here.

Go on, read. Laugh. Feel the full-throttle-ness of having a mind like a rusted-steel trap.

I survived the scare with a bit of retail therapy. Some new Habu just followed me home like a stray as well. Here it is (the amethyst color) just to the right of the light lavender color in the center:


I've passed the 50% finished mark and I've tried the sweater on whilst on the needles. Happily, I can report that all is well. The bust should fit just fine even though it is a few stitches narrower than it should be. I decided for such an oversize sweater it was okay to sport more of a "Jane Mansfield" fit, (or Jane Russell, or Marilyn Monroe).

-----------

Now for the tie-in to the title of this post. (In the interest of those with sensitive constitutions, no knitting or person was harmed in this event)

In former posts, I've mentioned a dear former co-worker "K-Dawg" and of her predilection to drinking while writing (well deserved mind you). While she was in town she, "Flower child" (her sister), and I met for a pint at a favorite watering hole where we also purchased tokens and promotional mugs for a blessed Stumptown event. As we were walking from the pub to grab a late night bite, K-Dawg stops to chat with a former co-worker ("The Man") as her sister and I continue.

As we were walking a stranger asks us for change and when we denied him, he attempted to rob us of our promotional mug bag.

Now there are a few things to note when attempting to rob someone:

A number 1) Make sure the person you are trying to knockdown is not built like a Cadillac Coup'deville (important that).
B number 2) Do not mess with a knitter. (Hey dude, didn't you see the set of 10½ double points in my hair???)
C number 3) Do not mess with a black woman. We don't play.

I'm pretty sure our attacker realized this because he stopped momentarily to assess the situation. This brief pause gave "The Man" just enough time to catch up and come to our aid. (If you've never seen a Bostonian go "Southy" on someone you are missing out).

As our attacker was being held at bay "K-dawg" and "Flower Child" were glued to their cell phones, talking to emergency services. These are sample sentences from the ordeal:

K-Dawg: "The perpetrator is about 5'6" wearing a beige baseball cap. He has blond hair but darker facial hair. He has muttonchops. He is wearing a gray raglan sleeved sweatshirt...."

Flower Child: "...and now he is running across the street. (pause as she hears K-dawg's raglan sleeve comment) My sister is on the phone with you right now as well. She's actually giving you a thorough description, while I'm only giving you commentary..."

All ended well. The mugs were shattered but the knitting and needles remained unmolested. The authorities came promptly and arrested our attacker. None of the ladies were hurt. "The Man" sported just enough of a black-eye for bragging-rights but is okay other than that. In the interest of quelling fears about walking through the streets of Portland at night or of street people in general. Our city is just as safe (or safer) than any other city in the US. Our attacker was not a local. While that is neither here nor there, it was chance that brought us in his path and I am happy the episode ended well here in Portland rather than badly anywhere else.

An Ice Cube Tray and Yarn

To start off our SKIF Knit-a-long out right, for those trapped underneath something heavy and can't make it in on Tuesday nights to hangout and get your SKIF knit on, I present to you today's topic:

Choosing yarn

I know it sounds absolutely thrilling. Right now one of you is thinking, "If I can pick out my own socks in the morning I can certainly manage choosing a yarn that I love."

Au contraire, mon frère (and mon soeur). Choosing yarn is sometimes as hard as finding that perfect bottle of soft drink to go with backyard barbecue. Would you pair Jolt cola with Brats? How about Chocolate Yoo Hoo with German style potato salad? I didn't think so.

So let us just consider for a moment the weighty (worsted-weighty) decision you are about to undertake and let's travel to the magical world of the Standard Yarn Weight System as brought to you by those wacky kids at the Craft Yarn Council of America (cue music).

The SKIF patterns are knit at gauges from 4 to 4½ stitches per inch on US needle sizes 8 or 9 (4.5 or 5 mm). If you were to create a garment from just one yarn for these patterns, you would choose a worsted (or Aran) weight yarn. In the land of yarn, this is medium weight.

However, you are no sissy. You are going to take on the full-throttle joy of knitting a SKIF International pattern for the full Monty effect so you choose multiple fine gauge yarns. (Deep in your psyche your alter ego sports a bicep tattoo that features yarn and needles with the old-time banner caption of "Balls of Silken Stainless Steel".)

Now here comes the perplexing part: how do you find fine gauge yarns to equal a worsted weight?

Think of the worsted weight in terms of its parts (I won't use the word fraction here because as I think about typing it I hear cogs grinding and springs sproinging in the collective minds of the math-phobic masses). Think of worsted weight yarn like an ice cube tray! As illustrated here:

Does your brain-machine feel better now?
Worsted weight yarn is composed of many skinny yarns called plies just like the tray is composed of several little ice cubbyholes (what else can you call the individual hole that makes ice other than a cubicle? I already lost half of our two readers with the math reference. I don't want to loose the other one with office-speak). Most worsted weight yarns are about 8-ply. About is a very important word. Sometime the crafty mill-mongrels will make really pretty worsted yarn that is single-ply, double-ply, and whatnot. But for illustration purposes we shall pretend all worsted weight yarn is the same and is made from 8 plies. As we have taken the trolley to the land of make believe, we shall also pretend lace weight yarns equal a single ply.

Worsted = 8 plies
Lace = 1 ply
Ergo 8 strands lace = 1 worsted yarn.

HURRAY! Whoopee! Yay we did it!

Not so fast my young Padawan. We used a word of infinite magical power. We used the word: about. The reality is yarn is made by madmen, purchased by the insane, beloved by the stark-raving mad, and coveted by the crazier-than-owning-three-vacuums (I fall into the last category... none of them work properly either but that's a story for another day). Due to this unhinged quality in the world of knitting, you might find that seven, six, or even five strands of lace can equal a worsted weight yarn. You may decide you aren't feeling the lace weight love and want to use sport or double knitting (DK) weight yarn. How do you manage that?

You let go of the control and dare to imagine:

Lace = 1-2 ply
Fingering = 2-3 plies
Sport = 3-4 plies
DK = 4-5 plies

Your head might be swimming at this point. Take the edge off with some fresh yarn stash enhancement. Don't worry we'll wait.

So now that you have some fresh stash, the next thing you do is prune some of your old stash-beast to go with it. Take those single skeins that you bought "just because" and those leftover skeins and sort them by color. Pick your favorite color(s) then sort that pile by animal/vegetable. Anything that is the hair from an animal goes into one pile and everything else (including silk) goes in the other. If you have a blend use the primary fiber as a guideline. Choose the yarns that seem to go best together, but make sure you choose a some of each: animal, vegetable, smooth, and textured yarns. The combination you choose will make your garment completely unique. If all this gives you a headache, don't fret. Tomorrow's post will show you examples of how to blend and mix your yarns together.

Until then lets see some examples from real live coworkers:

Fyberduck is using Joseph Galler's Inca Cotton in Ecru for "Neptune".

Inca Cotton=Worsted weight=8plies

Here is a great example of the use of the word about. Below is "Martha" in Tsumugi Silk Combo carried with doubled Sea Silk by SandyKay:

Tsumugi Silk Combo=Fingering Weight=3plies
Doubled Sea Silk= Doubled Lace Weight=2plies x 2

That's crazy! SandyKay is making her's with 7plies! Aaaaaaa!!!! Panic! Panic!

Feel better? Did you get it out of your system? There's no need to panic because she's getting gauge so there is no need to worry.

This one is a whole bucket of crazy... like owning-three-vacuums crazy:

I have taken my stash apart and grabbed all the silly little leftover balls of lace weight mohair and sock yarn and added some Tsumugi Silk and Bamboo from Habu, Flaxen, and Alpaca 1 for my Zena. Who knows, the urge to buy more yarn might come on me again and I might just add something else.

The patterns require anywhere from a pound to a pound and a half (.5 to .6 kilo) of blended yarn. In terms of yardage (or meter-age for the rest of the world) that is approximately 890-1350 yards (815-1230 meters).

The nice thing about the patterns are they emphasize and encourage knitters to just go with the flow and think of the experience like a Sous chef thinks of cooking: blend, mix, experiment. Some of the tips offered in the patterns are: "Be glad when the shop runs out of your dye lot" and "Keep switching yarns the whole way through".

Think of it as an opportunity for anarchy.

For those of you Anarchists out there who want to post pictures and progress on your own SKIF knit, write a blog post on this all inclusive blog: skifkal dot blogspot dot com!

Little Bundle of Joy

I have a child.

Well, actually its not a child in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, its an entity with its own unique personality, moods, and thoughts irrespective of my own. It occasionally throws a fit, has problems in the middle of the night, does something rude to a customer, etc,etc.

I didn't actually "give birth" either. I inherited it, or was saddled with it depending upon which day you ask me. So I guess in some regards, I'm the nanny to our little bundle of joy: website.

Website and I are in the middle of "redesigning", a process similar to preparing for entry into a Manhattan prep-school. The process includes rephotographing yarns, transforming them from mug shots to glamor shots:










It also means my new office mate, "3M", is coding fast and furious trying to keep ahead of the random tantrums Website throws. He's like the child psychologist in this whole adventure.

Fyberduck and I are also developing promotional elements for the web as well. This would be the "dump-little-two-year-old-Maddison-into-music-and-dance-classes-so-we-can show-our-development-range" type of activities anxious parents succum to. So far the promotion includes our Sock club and Gratis Knits. However, I'd like to introduce our loyal readers (both of you) to our latest idea: a SKIF knit-a-long (KAL).

I've been a fan of the design line from SKIF since I first saw "The Matrix". As I watched the movie, I imagined a fashionable world filled with ankle-length black coats, form-fitting pleather, and heeled boots. Of course that really doesn't make the best post-apocolyptic "lounge about the ship" wear, so simple yet stylish knits are a must as well. Something with visual interest yet simple construction. Not too simple mind you. Something that evokes an image of a world traveler: designs that seem familiar but not like anything you've seen before. Designs like those from SKIF. Check out some of the pretty from SKIF's website:














Now, I tend to be a Burgerville kind of knitter. Good quality, relatively inexpensive fast-food (but in this case knitting). Socks, baby wear, hats, and scarves are the bulk of my knitting projects. I've knit my share of sweaters too, but the stash-beast is mostly made up of sock-weight yarns and knitting a sweater on a size one needle is more like a six-course meal knitting job.

The lovely thing about the SKIF patterns are they use multiple fine-guage yarns held together in construction. The effect creates a customized tweed fabric. Very yummy.

I am giddy with the thought of using the remnants of skeins left to languish in the stash-beast. The yarns are probably less than 30 yards each, but the yardage was just enough to keep me believing I would use them in a color-work project. Now they have a definate home.










I love the idea of unisex designs too. My Secret Gay Husband is trying to decide which design to knit.


















The official date for the KAL to begin is Tuesday, July 1st. Progress postings will commence thoughout the month in Blogland and we'll end Thursday, July 31st... maybe with a cat-walk at Sip and Stitch? (Sick, but that's the kind of disease we spread here.)

True Plies: Partying German-style

True Plies: Skacel Artfelt© Roving

On a whim last Thursday, while working the sales floor, I grabbed a Greensleeves spindle and a 50g hank of Skacel's Artfelt© pencil-roving in the color "Party Time" (#901). Why? Because I wanted to see what would happen and also because it would keep me from tears of boredom during slow moments.

I immediately realized what a misjudgment I'd made. First of all, I wasn't entertaining myself anymore - the entire store stopped to stare at me. The staff even were mesmerized by the pretty whirling wooden thing that was making yarn. Second, I got about a dozen requests to teach an Intro to Spindling course (for knitters), which has been approved by our Fearless Leader, so look for it on the Class Schedule when everything is arranged.

Anyway, back to the pretty-pretty wool. I had also made the mistake of not considering the mesmerizing qualities of variegated roving. I didn't want to stop spindling because I wanted to see what color would come next. Even worse, my coworkers and our patrons were egging me on - so I spent half the day wandering around the floor trying to help people and spin yarn at the same time.

Since The Blogger was madly in love with the yarn I was making, I promised to give it to her if she'd write a True Plies column on knitting with it. This then sparked a discussion on how it should be plied, whether it needed to be plied?, or what it should be plied with. In the end, we decided that I would ply the thick 'n thin singles with Habu's Silk Wrapped Stainless Steel thread in dark blue. It would strengthen the yarn and also give it some sparkle:

(Bling Bling, baby)

By the end of the night (our Sip 'n Stitchers also piled on the peer pressure to finish the yarn), it had all been plied. The next day, The Blogger and I wound it into a skein and set the twist (the process of 'finishing' the yarn by soaking it in water and hanging it to dry):

After it had dried, we pulled out our very handy yarn weight tool to determine the WPI (wraps per inch) and approximate gauge. Shown below is the finished skein and the tool (Brass Yarn Gauge):


Un-scrunched, the yarn averaged 12 WPI, making it a worsted weight. I also checked the yardage of the skein the old-fashioned way - counting the number of strands in the skein, measuring the skein's length...


... and doing some multiplication. All told, the skein had about 146 yards from 50g of wool. Not too bad.

In the end I almost regretted giving away the yarn, but stood fast. It was lots of fun to spin and I really enjoyed playing with the roving. I'd definitely recommend it for any level of spinner. It'd be perfect for beginners who struggle with drafting or for really experienced spinners who want to experiment with designer yarns. Next time, I want to try the color "Fall in Vermont" (#921). It'd look really spectacular plied with Habu Textiles' Wool/ Stainless Steel in Terra Cotta, don't you think?

(Unfortunately, we do not have Skacel Artfelt © roving available for purchase online. But if you would like to send us an email, we'll do our best to help you!)