just a rainbow of projects

Or, more accurately, rainbow-colored projects.

To begin with, I apologize for the blurry quality of the following photos. I was trying out the smaller store camera, with less luck than expected.

On the right, I just wanted to let all y'all in Blogland know that we do have the NEW AlterKNITS Felt in stock and we also have the cool Wool Mix bags by Leigh Radford (the book's author & Portland local) available, too for your felting pleasure.

If you want an opinion about this book - we think it's fantastic. There are some amazing projects and techniques in here, so it's definitely worth browsing through and would even make a great coffee-table book.

Next... lessee, we have a very cool scarf being knit by Joanne that I wanted to show off:

Using a ball of the Kauni W-EQ Effektgarn and the traditional Feather & Fan Shetland lace pattern. It's just lovely, and very sqooshy to... well, sqoosh. We were all delighting in the color changes at the last Sip 'N Stitch I sat in on.

And, finally*, we just got in the 2008 Judy's Colors trunk show. OMG, these are amazing kits. Long-time customers might remember the fantastic Christmas stocking kits we had for sale last year. Well, this year's collection is just as imaginative and even more colorful:

We had a lot of fun hanging them up, too. Can you tell?

That's everything I've got for now. But, if you're in town, drop by to see the new yarns that will be showing up in the Newsletter and on the New Wall. I'm afraid I couldn't get decent pictures of them this time around, but they will show up on the blog... eventually.

*I apologize for the brevity of this post - we've got a lot happening this week! Look for the next Newsletter in your mailbox this Friday, for more information.

Yarn evolution. felting sisters, and a glimpse of Enid

Going in reverse, just because widdershins is so much fun, let's introduce you to our newest employee at the Good Ol' Salt Mines Yarn House of Knit Purl:

Enid. I barely had to corner her or anything. What a refreshing change. Enid says "hi". She spins and knits, so expect to see her getting into mischief with the rest of us around here.

Next on the list (gotta keep this short, 500 million things To Do), the Noni Trunk Show has arrived:

We've got the whole new Fall line and a bunch of accessories for the patterns (handles and clasps for purses, etc) for interested knitters to peruse. An interesting aspect of this season is the sheer number of garments they released, instead of accessories. Most of them still retain the trademark Noni Dr. Suess-ish look, but in a more accessible way.

And, finally, here's something to make most knitters squee:

Optim Evolution.

Chameleon Colorworks has started dyeing Optim yarn for handknitters who don't spin (we also have their Optim roving). This stuff is gorgeous. I immediately bough a skein, in "Indian Wedding". The colors and texture are fantastic. As is the yardage - 154y to 2oz. I'm thinking a hat would be nice with my little happy skein...

Evolution isn't not on the website yet, but is on the New Wall, if you're desperate to try some. And, at $13.25 a skein, it's not an expensive experiment, either.

That's everything for now. More news on Thursday. I'll also bring out my Seraphim Shawl. Miriam Felton is coming to town to teach two workshops for us, and I thought I'd knit a shawl to celebrate. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

There is Nothin' Like a Dane

Ninja, my officemate keeps running his mouth in a pseudo Schwarzenegger imitation, saying "Fana Hulk-enburg! Fana Hulk-enburg!".

Some may notice his error. (Hanne Falkenberg is Danish while Schwarzenegger is Austrian.) Still it's mildly amusing because he looks more Hanne than Arnold. We love him nevertheless.

The arrival of Hanne Falkenberg trunk show garments precipitated this behavior and I can't fault him because the store is in an uproar. Lookie here:













As you can see from the various blurred images with torsos seemingly devoid of appendages, the co-workers are excited. They have reason to be excited because Hanne's designs are hot. Not the uncomfortable kinda hot but rather the cool kinda hot. She has designs that use color combinations only savants could dream up. Coffee, black, and cyclamen? Who knew. I really find this photo amusing as well:

















It reminds me of a troop of lions around the kill on the Serengeti. One of the wiser lions is surveying the scene for scavengers like hyena. The others are making quick business of the kill with fangs and claws. Here's another shot of the lookout lion in a stunning number:
Don't you just love that jacket? It looks great on her. Number One's convinced she can't wear Promenade without it wearing her. She's decided she'll knit Dacapo instead which is still a great choice. Hanne has quite a few choices for all body types and they are in size Dane versus size Japanese. The construction is stellar with short-rows worked in only one color for visual interest. Hanne also has refill service on her designs so if you knit one color you can buy just the yarn in another color combination for a bit less. If you can't come in and try them on in person, I suggest you check them out on her site.


















With all of this news of Hanne, I should also mention Ruth Sorenson who is scheduled to teach classes here right after Madrona. (If you don't know what the word Madrona means, stay tuned for a post on the subject) There are only a few spots left in her class (one of which will be filled by the Blogger). I can only decipher a few words of Danish but she does include some English translations on her blog posts and some super-fly pictures.




One of the classes entails working on a bag for fulling. As you can see it's quite cute and Ruth, like Hanne, is also a master on construction. There is nothin' like a Dane for well constructed cute knitwear. I'm really pleased she's teaching here too because the server for online sign up for Madrona crashed (my personal nomination for fiasco of the year) and that denied some knitters a spot in her classes up north. The Harlot was right to point out how everyone (even knitters) underestimate the all-powerful knitter and their numbers. I as a knitter and geek (albeit a mediocre geek with only stick-to-itiveness and few skills unlike the Super Killer Coding Ninja Monkeys of Doom like K-Dawg and my roommate Speedy*) I frequently find myself believing something on the website is broken because everyone is buying periwinkle Sea Silk (Montego Bay scarf) and Kauni EQ (Kauini Cardigan).














Yeah the code is broken. People can't actually be buying yarn for a project. I'm simple sometimes.





*Our lawyers have asked us to distance ourselves from Speedy's blog by mentioning that we take no responsibility for her indifference, neigh complete disregard for political correctness, her alternative lifestyle, and/or her political affiliations. She's an enigma and we like her that way.