Fashionknitsta Thursday: 11/19/09

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope everyone has been having a wonderful week and is ready to enjoy the upcoming weekend. With how chilly it's been I'm really looking forward to some knitting in front of the fire. Originally I had a different post in mind today, but I was so excited when I got in this morning to see that we had received TWO brand new CoCo Knits Patterns, Gretel and Tessa, that I just can't help myself.

First, let's look at Gretel. Gretel is a beautiful light-weight tank with a cowl neck, perfect for spring and summer layering.

The sample is done in Habu Cotton Gima, it takes just 2 skeins for the small and medium (that's only $14.50), and only 4 (that's still only $29!) for the largest size making this a seriously affordable and fun project. The cowl neck detail really makes this pattern, I would definitely wear this with a camisole and jeans, or make it a bit more work appropriate with a nicer blouse.

Now let's move onto Tessa. Tessa is a really chic vest/top that is also wonderful for layering, but probably a little more appropriate for the temperatures we are experiencing currently. The neck detail makes this just a little more special, but it could definitely be worn by a range of ages and body types.

This beautiful piece can be worn open or closed (though I think I prefer closed) and I think, like Gretel, that it would be really easy to dress up or down. It could also be really versatile based on your yarn choice. The sample is done in Mirasole Tupa, a 50/50 Merino Silk Blend which makes me think of this as kind of more of a fall and winter pattern. They suggest Habu Shoshenshi Paper (100% linen) as an alternate yarn which brings a whole new tone to Tessa for me. While both of the suggest yarns are lovely, I think if and when I knit this pattern I would like to see it done in Rowan Wool Cotton. It has definite potential to be a big part of my winter and holiday wardrobe.

Sadly as both of these patterns are brand new they are not up on our site yet. I have been assured it will be soon, but until then they are available in the store.

My next pattern to share comes courtesy of past employee I'm sure many of you remember from in the store and her many blog appearances, Liz, who sadly left us for the tundra of Alaska. While innocently stalking her on Ravelry, I happened upon this pattern that she had recently favorited for the Carnaby Street Pullover by Melissa Wehrle from the Fall 09 issue of Knitscene (the Berkshire Doleman Sweater in that issue from the same designer is also really cute).

Lately I have seen a big comeback of military inspired cuts and details on clothing in stores, but I hadn't seen very many new patterns with that feel. The button detail on this pullover really hits that trend and gives it enough of that edge without taking it too far. The pattern calls for Brown Sheep Lanaloft Sport, and conveniently this is just about the same gauge as the Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca, which would be my choice for this lovely sweater.

During the same round of Ravelry-ing I found a pleathora of projects inspired by this scarf from Anthropologie:

None of those that I saw quite captured it exactly, but there is a free pattern available from Isager that I think is really close. The Cherry Scarf (available free with purchase of the yarn from Knit Purl) is done in Isager Alpaca 2 and Tvinni, and its a pattern I have been considering making for a while.

The Alpaca 2 is the majority of the scarf and the Tvinni is used for the accent colors. With 20+ colors of the Alpaca 2 available 30+ colors of Tvinni, the possibilities for this scarf are almost endless. A few customers have come in with theirs, and we recently got a shop sample of this and everyone I have seen has been different. I think its really fun to make a project truly your own like that and because this isn't just your average scarf it's a great project to make for yourself, or as a gift. I don't think too many people would complain about having their neck swathed in alpaca all day.

With that I will leave you for today. In light of the Thanksgiving holiday next week there will be no Fashionknitsta, but check back the week after for a new post.

Until then, stay chic, blogfans!
-Lindsay

Just because

If you're on our mailing list, by now you should have received an eCard about June's Featured Project - CoCo Knits Hanna. What you won't have seen in the card is how silly Liz and I can get during a photoshoot. So, for your (and our) amusement, I put together a photo pile.


You have to admit, silly is something we do well here. In any case, at least you can see how nicely the sweater drapes and moves.

Next on the list, I snagged a shot of Jenni's current wip du jour, her Fargyle socks:

Which she is trying to finish in time to enter in the State Fair. Wish her luck! Now, normally, I would refer you to her ravelry notebook (and there is a link), but it's woefully short on information. So, if you see Jenni, tell her to update it 'cause she just won't listen to me.

Moving on... we have NEW YARNS!

These have arrived with perfect timing - they're ideal for cool summer knits. On the top row is the second round of our popular limited edition sock yarn, the Knit Purl Natural Collection. Dyed in very small batches using only natural dyes and mordants, these little jewels make simply beautiful projects (remember my Seraphim shawl?) or just look lovely in a stash.

On the lower two shelves are two new yarns from Be Sweet. The bright and cheerful and glossy little cakes are Be Sweet Bamboo. 100% bamboo at a sport weight, it's great for light and drapey shells and sweaters. The fact that it's handdyed will also add dimension to a finished garment. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing it knit up.

We also have Bubble Ball yarn from Be Sweet (middle shelf on the left), which is some really interesting stuff. Handspun and handdyed, it's further embellished with 25 felted beads. Just imagine the cool trim it could make. I also want to see what our customers will do with this. (hint, hint) You guys can be so much more imaginative than us with new yarns.

Anyway. That's everything (for now). On Tuesday there should be several beautiful customer projects (we just have to find the camera) and info on upcoming events. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Can we pretend? (spoiler!)

I suppose I could have back-dated this post and no one would ever have known, but that would have been lying and, quite honestly, I doubt anyone would have believed it. So let's pretend instead that I actually updated the blog on Thursday and that we're right back on schedule.

First off: last Wednesday Patrick came in to finish up his unbelievable Seamless Yoke Sweater:

The pattern is in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears, Knitting Around and Knitting Workshop. Patrick adapted the pattern from his copy of Knitting Around. He and his "wife" made up a different Fair Isle pattern for the yoke and changed the ribbing to a 1x2 instead of a 2x2 but other than those teeny tiny details, it's the same pattern. Here's a shot of the yoke:

It kind of makes me think of a technicolor zebra*. Or, strangely, 1970s wallpaper. When Patrick came in he was already onto the neck ribbing and only had some minor finishing to do after that. I managed to drag it away from him to get a picture of it flat:

Do you see what I see? It's something indicative of extreme OCD or insanity or both. The sleeves match. Considering the fact that he is (probably "was" by now) knitting with Kauni, the odds of managing that are very difficult. The color of yarn, btw, is Kauni W-EH. I forgot to ask how many grams he'd needed. Sorry.

All madness put aside, I'm sure we all want to see it finished and modeled (hint, hint, Patrick). So maybe some cajoling will get him to wear it into the store.

Second: we have Wendy's recently completed Kauni mitts. I'm sure you remember Wendy and her EAT hat - if you don't, check this post out. The latest creative creation to come off her needles are a pair of Fair Isle and lace gauntlet-like mitts:

Admit it, they're awesome.

Made with Kauni W-EJ as the MC and W-EG as the CC. Wendy has told me that Kauni is her new favorite to work with, so we might be seeing many more improvised designs in coming months.

This is a Kauni-centric post, isn't it? It's interesting how projects can be tied together.

Third: Gratis Knits, please! The next Gratis Knits pattern is overdue. We're still looking for submissions. Seriously, if you have an original pattern for something springy click the link above and consider it.

Lastly, a bit of silliness. The photoshoot for the May Sock Club's pattern was last week, held at a super-secret location down the street. Hah. Here's Liz:

Who was this month's sock model. Thank you, Liz. And, just because you can already see it on ravelry by might not have yet, here's a SPOILER:

...

(feel free to skip this if you want to be surprised)

...

... our designer for May is none other than the reknowned and revered Cookie A. I've seen the pattern and it is lovely.

And I think that's everything that needed to be caught up. Cheers!

*It could happen.

Show & Tell

This was going to be a very short post (where my knitters at?), but luckily I managed to corner Tilly, Martha and Liz this afternoon for an impromptu series of photographs. But, if all y'all don't start popping in with your WIPs & FO's we might be in some trouble soon (hint, hint). So, without further adieu, I present a small parade of FO's.

First, we have Tilly's Cherry Blossom Bag (made with Cascade 220, Cork Chenille & ShibuiKnits mango wood handles). Now, aside from it being absolutely lovely and very well done, it's important to note that this was Tilly's FIRST (I repeat, first) "real" (direct quote) project. How humbling is that?

And she also lined it herself*...

It's almost unfair, isn't it? My first "real" project was a lumpy hat. Am I alone here? What was yours?

Anyway.

Martha brought out her Easy Raglan Sweater so that we might 'ooh' and 'ahh' over it (which we did, it's adorable!):

The pattern is from The Expectant Knitter by Mary Connolly. The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash in "Turtle" (which is such a great gender-neutral color, if I may say so). It's so cute!

And, finally, all I have to show for ten days of frustrating knitting is... another porom. Behold, the front of my tweedy porom:

...and the side:

Now I really must stress that the frustration was my own fault** as I misread the chart and didn't bother to swatch (I know, I know, bad knitter!), so my first attempt was simply enormous. Lesson learned, I got it. I'm about to embark on a dangerous journey because of how much we at the store looove this pattern... but that will come later.

Now, I was going to show all y'all Micah's knitnotwar 1,0o0 crane, but I forgot to take a photo of it. Maybe on Thursday, with the eleven new cranes we got in yesterday (did you see that we're up to 75?!). Until then, keep dry!

*Yes, that's a zipper in there, too.
**Not Jared's.

You'd never believe it, but...

We do knit. A lot. So do our customers (also a lot). Much of the time, this blog focuses on a variety of other yarny things (new shipments of yarn, visiting instructors, etc), but today we have a project-packed post* for your vicarious pleasure.

First, we have A (remember A? our very adventurous 8-year-old knitter...) and her very first finished pair of socks:

And side view:

Which, we were told by her mother, she had begged to be brought to the store and show off "all week". How awesome is that? She's clearly been bitten bad by the knitting bug, and we might just have the next EZ right here in Portland.

Of course, as soon as A took off her shoes to show off her socks, her little brother proudly pulled up his jean cuff to proudly display the Coriolis socks his mom had made for him:

To which his older brother announced that he had a ton of socks made by his Mom, too, but wasn't wearing any right now (but would be wearing them next time, if I wanted to take a photo then). I can tell that this is going to be a very knitterly family.

It was all very cute and quite endearing to see handknits so well appreciated.

After the Parade of Handknit Socks ended (always fun to watch, honestly), we had two deliveries of felted cranes for the knitnotwar 1,0o0 KAL. The first was by Mandy (who brought in eleven cranes, all made with Cascade 220):

And closely followed by Tammy, who was clearly not to be outdone, as she brought in sixteen cranes:

Personally, I think they're just trying to make the rest of us look bad. Or, it might be motivational, since I just bought yarn last night to knit even more cranes (my count is two, for those of you lamenting your lack of progress, please take comfort in the fact that you've probably outknit me by now).

In any case, these two knitters together were responsible for upping our crane count substantially. Thank you, Mandy & Tammy!

Next, at some point this week**, Farrah came in with her finished Porom (by brooklyntweed). For some reason it was modeled by Lindsay and not Farrah herself:

It's so cute and, well, French, isn't it?

Love it. Which might explain why Liz and I are each working on one ourselves. Anyway, back to Farrah's lovely hat, it's made with Rowan Felted Tweed and has some slight modifications from the original pattern - a reduced stitch count and it was knit on smaller needles.

And, finally, at the end of our list of ongoing & finished knits we have the Staff Projects:

For this week, anyway. I announced to all and sunder at some point this afternoon that I would be taking a group shot of any WIP's/ FO's provided to me by my coworkers. You cannot imagine the madness as my coworkers literally threw their WIP's & FO's at me. I suppose they were all so relieved that I didn't ask for a model, that this seemed like a reasonable request***.

I hate to start at 12 o'clock (top, center) since it's mine, but it makes the most sense. First (the socks) are a pair of socks (yes, obviously) made with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Tuscany". I made up the pattern as I went, and they're for my SIL. (closeup here)

Second, at about 2 o'clock, are Wendy's adventures in colorwork. A pair of gloves (not matched) from Selbuvotter and a lace'n'colorwork gauntlet she's making up with Kauni W-EJ. (closeup here)

Next, at 5 o'clock, is the i-cord cast on of Jenni's very recently started Mermaid cardigan. Pray for her, that's a lot of i-cord she's got to knit.

Then, stretching from 6 o'clock to 11 o'clock, is Marj's Cabled Rib Wrap. She chose to pair ShibuiKnits Baby Alpaca DK in "Rapids" with ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud in "Mist" and it is just gorgeous. There's no other word for it. I think we've all considered rolling in it, it's simply that luscious.

And, finally, at 9 o'clock we have Liz's Aeolian Shawl (from the most recent knitty), which she is knitting up with Habu Textiles Cashmere. If you want to stalk this project (who wouldn't, right?), here it is on ravelry.

Whew! I think that's everything (those are all the photos I have from the last week, anyway). Check back on Tuesday for photos of Beth Brown-Reinsel's classes this weekend and the updated crane count. Happy knitting!

*I dare you to say that three times fast.
** Dates, knitters, I need dates when you fill out a project information sheet. This also goes for staffers (yes, I know you read the blog, too)
*** Or I'm reading too much into this and they're all just really proud of their WIPs. Both are likely.

A definite sense of accomplishment.

You may have noticed an eCard somewhere in your inbox this morning. It must be said that this particular eCard was several months in the making. We ordered Boutique Knits, at Lindsay's request, some time ago and had to wait while it was backordered. One copy came in and two shop samples were started. Finally, oh finally!, we had both the samples and the books in the same place at the same time and... well, an eCard was made.

Shown right is the truly awesome Sideways Grande Hat, modeled by Liz. You have to admit it looks fantastic on her. (For those who are interested, or may not be on our mailing list: the yarn is ShibuiKnits Merino Alpaca in "Mulberry", one skein.)

Next, on our list of recent accomplishments - we have 64 cranes! Many of these cranes (42 to be exact) came in this past weekend, during our Annual Sale.

Thank you, everyone, who has knit a crane (or two or twelve) and brought them by! It really, truly, does make our day to see these little felted birds come through our door.

With 64 cranes, we are approximately at 21% of our goal (look! a new widget on the sidebar -->). To some this might not seem as a major achievement, but we know better. Knitters across the country (and across Portland) have been donating their time, energy and stashes to be part of a large-scale project and it's amazing. So many of our donors have denied payment for their efforts, which really says so much about how generous knitters can be. But, since we still need 236 cranes, we're have a knit night to outdo all knit nights - our Super Crane Knit Night on April 2nd.

Since it's on the same night as our weekly Sip'n'Stitch, we'll be providing all our regular treats with a bunch of extra enticements thrown in. Come in for door-prizes, rewards and many other fun goodies to reward all the participants.

And, finally, we have one more thing to be proud of: Beth Brown-Reinsel. World reknowned for her research on traditional knitting, we've managed to snag her for a whole weekend (this weekend, actually) to teach two of her most popular workshops on historic Scandinavian garments. Both classes will include tutorials on a variety of techniques and skills necessary to the completion of each garment.

The first, The Danish Nattrøjer, will focus on blouse construction. Discover how welts and gussets can turn a blocky garment into something fitted and how to incorporate your own design into the pattern.

The second, Norwegian Mittens,will cover everything from knitting Fair Isle (or stranded colorwork) with two colors of yarn, mitten construction using a traditional thumb gusset and "seam" stitches. This class in particular is highly recommended to knitters who couldn't register for Ruth's Fair Isle workshop last month. Norwegian Mittens is the perfect chance to learn Fair Isle while knitting up a pair of mittens for next winter (or a Christmas gift!).

For now, that's everything. Next time (tomorrow), we have several beautiful customer projects (or, hopefully will, if I can find the camera) as well as an update on a variety of very interesting staff projects.

Lucy Neatby Trunkshow

We're getting ready for a visit from one of the funkiest knitters in North America to visit this weekend. Her trunkshow has arrived, the brightly-colored yarn and patterns are stocked and all we have to do is wait until Lucy arrives. Until then, here are some pictures of her extremely fun socks and Venus Rising Cardigan - all of the patterns of which are available for sale and her classes are still open for registration. Call or register online, if you'd like to snatch one of the last spots open!

Moving on with the show (thank you, Liz, for modeling on such short notice...)















I think my favorite are the Fiesta Feet (fourth photo from the top) and I might just have to get the pattern or take Lucy's Even Cooler Socks! class because she has a really cool technique I've never seen before on no-swatch sock knitting. Sounds interesting, huh?

Oops?

Last Thursday was a bit hectic, so no post... sorry about that. We're going to catch up quickly, though, you might want to hold onto your hats!

Let's start off with the cranes. We've received lots of positive feedback for our knitnotwar KAL and have already collected cranes for the installation. Here's one knit by Melissa:


We've been hearing that they're quite quick to knit up (Sandy Kay made one in half an hour with scraps of Shetland Spindrift), so here's hoping we'll make our 300 cranes goal by March 31st! (Now, I haven't been given a total of all the cranes we've collected, so the sidebar hasn't been updated yet - check back on Thursday.)

Next, Lynne came to visit us and brought the blanket she's knitting for her son:

The Ombre Alpaca Blanket from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Knit up with 12 skeins of Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca and Peruvian Tweed, 6 colors in all that are held together to create a lovely gradation from cream to chocolate brown. Here's a close-up:

Aaaand... even closer:

(Liz had fun taking pictures of this one)

If you're interested in making your own, Lynne owned up to the fact that she's making her son's blanket larger than the pattern, so you'd probably only need one skein of each color. Possibly. There might be some math involved in confirming that...

Next, from Folk Shawls, Sheila brought in her finished Celtic Lattice Vest:

and back:

She made it for a friend who is a surveyor and travels the world (surveying, presumably). Sheila thought that the lovely Celtic knots resembled mapping terrain. I'd have to agree. The vest was lovely (sorry about the blurry photos), and made with Kauni W-EV and Hifa 2. Just gorgeous. Lucky friend, eh?

And, last but not least in the 'pretty photos' catagory, we have a giant heap o' Tanglewood handspun yarn:

(isn't that just yummy?)

Brought to us by the Ladies of Tanglewood Fibers themselves, as we will be representing them (and Abstract Fiber, Happiest Girl! Dyeworks, Ruth Sorensen, Handworks NW and Lantern Moon) at the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival this weekend. If you're in the area, please drop by and say 'hi'! I'm sure the ladies (and gentlemen) at the Knit Purl booths (#'s 38 & 39) will be glad to meet some of our blog readers.

Finally, I've been asked to mention the upcoming Loop 'N Hoop 2009 on Thursday, March 26th. We've been invited to bring 25 knitters to the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns game. Tickets will be available for $25 each at the store. Included with each ticket is a goodie bag (put together by Portland LYSes) that will be available at the door. Please note that space is limited (5 seats have already been stolen by employees) and there will only be 200 seats total for knitters to reserve.

Until Thursday, keep warm and dry!

The Post That Never Ends

Not exactly. But since the blog hasn't been updated in almost two weeks, this is going to be one of those super-mondo-huje posts to catch everyone up to date. A slightly crazy idea, yes, but it should work. Now, since there is so much to cover, we're going to do blurbs instead of biographies. But, if you want to see more pix from this post, see our flickr account.

First, we have Farrah's magnificent Seraphim Shawl:

Which she brought to the Sip'n'Stitch on the 15th. I'm afraid that the camera involved does not enjoy after-dark photography, so the image is rather blurry. Sorry, Farrah! But, for readers interested in her shawl, here it is in her ravelry notebook.

The very next day, Ellen of Seattle stopped by to show us two of her favorite FO's:

Her Litla Dimun lace shawl, and the back:

She decided to add a purple border to her project (love it!) in order to give the finished shawl a little more pop. The entire effect was quite stunning. Then, of course, she had to make us feel inadequate when she pulled out her Pheonix Mitts, based off of a pattern in Selbuvotter:

Made with Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift.

At some point last week (I don't have a info sheet, sorry!), Bobbie dropped by to show off her adorable collection of baby hats:

All made for newborns at the maternity ward of her local hospital (no, we didn't get the name).

Rachel came in last Thursday with her finished 'Rob's Socks':

Made with happiest girl! sock yarn in 1970's Rec Room. Personally, I love the pooling and flashing. I couldn't find her info on ravelry, but maybe they will show up soon? She made up the pattern, and it looks like it would be fun to try...

On Friday, Liz forced poor Jessica to show off her Gretel hat:

About which I can find no information. It's red. That's about all I know.

Moving on to a project I do have information about... Joan's New Kauni Cardigan:

Yes, that is the Joan Schrouder. After we admired her cardigan for awhile, Lindsay finally inquired about the pattern. It turns out that Joan did design the pattern herself, but told us that she wouldn't be writing it up as it was too difficult to convert into multiple sizes. Sad. It looked fantastic and also resulted in a stampede to the Kauni wall by all who were present.

Right after Joan left with her cadre of Seattle-Portland Yarn Crawlers, Tami came by with the cutest little FO's ever. She used the yarn we provided at a "Sample It" to make a collection of teeny tiny mittens, sweaters, hats and socks/ stockings:

I hope she'll forgive me for cropping the picture. The camera was misbehaving again. There's also the Worsted Bambino Hat in the group, but methinks the teeny tiny mittens will the 'awww' contest. If you want specs on each of the individual projects, see Tami's ravelry notebook.

Then, finally, the last of the FO's - two hats. Which Liz and Lindsay modeled, albeit grudgingly. Here we have some silly hat-ness:

Liz has an Ana Bandana made with Silk Maiden in "Peridot" and Lindsay chose the Road To China/ Flurries hat, which is a sneak-peak of an upcoming pattern. But, before the camera was put away, we made a pile of staff WIPs:

One cashmere/silk Qiviut Smoke Ring, an Esperanza scarf and Linday's earwarmer that is currently just an i-cord (that statement should make sense in a week or two). There are several other WIPs around, but many are Top Secret at the moment. So, to distract you from considering the implications of all that, here's the latest issue of Vogue Knitting:

Now available in the store, and featuring a pattern and profile of our favoritest photographer/ blogger Jared. Grab one while you can.

And, whoosh, I think that's everything. Until, well, tomorrow (in which we shall attempt to resume our regular blogging schedule) stay warm!