Sweater weather is here!

Admittedly it's more Featherweight Cardigan weather than cabled raglan weather, but we'll take what we can get around here. In fact, we're sooo excited about the leaves turning and the temperature dropping, the latest Newsletter features a variety of ideal cool-weather garments. Also in this issue are several new books, patterns, and yarns. Check your inbox for more information! (or click here)

Let's see. Not in the Newsletter this week (because it just arrived yesterday!) is Leigh Radford's new book:


One More Skein, a collection of one- and two-skein projects. My favorite is the most stinking cute (to quote a coworker) thing ever - Sadie's Capelet:


It even has a hood (which you can't see in this photo, unfortunately). I wish I'd had this pattern when my niece was still baby-sized... It's just so adorable. And practical. No sleeves to try and get on a squirming baby. Very clever.

The book's not on the website (like I said, just came in yesterday!), but it will be very soon. If you desperately want a copy, drop by the store or contact us.

Next on the "Not On The Newsletter" List, the Danger Crafts trunkshow:

Yes, that IS a knitted robot. As well as a collection of knitted toys that range from silly to tongue-in-cheek to just plain cute. The patterns will be on the website in the next couple of days, so look for them!

Moving on to my favorite part of the store blog - a customer project. Walrus (a.k.a. Hannah) dropped by on her was to the Button Emporium to show us her Chemo Chapeau...

Made with Malabrigo Sock in "Stonechat". She needed a bow and button to complete the look...


Which we think is lovely (and a nice use of sock yarn in a non-foot-shaped way). It's also a chemo cap, which makes it double awesome. The fact that the pattern is by Portlander Marnie MacLean might just make it triple awesome, right?

In less interesting news (for me, anyway), I finished Tegan's bolero over the weekend and only have to sew on the buttons for it to be ready-to-wear:

(And a close-up, for those of you who are really bored.)

The pattern is Knitting Pure & Simple's Children's Bolero, the yarn is (well, was) ShibuiKnits Merino Worsted in "Peony". The buttons are from The Button Emporium and have, ha!, peonies on 'em.

And that is everything I have to blog about. Next time, we'll reveal the true nature of our blue mystery. If you can guess what it is before then, we might just have a prize for the winner... Until next Tuesday, enjoy the cool weather!

Did that just happen?

The last week has been more than a little crazy. If you follow us on twitter, you'll know that we were bombarded at both our booth and in the store during the Sock Summit. Moreover, the website transition could have gone a lot smoother (a fact that we lament this ourselves, quite a bit). But it's done and mostly working, so we're grateful for our small victories.

If you were left wondering where the heck the promised Newsletter was, over the past weekend, well that's a good question. In fact, due to some of the wrinkles in the transition, we couldn't get it out until Wednesday. In the future, however, it looks like sending our Newsletters will be easier than ever (I may have just cursed us, oh... dear). Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Also, while on the topic of Newsletters (and eCards), it seems that the color PDX (in happiest girl! Sock) sold out within a half hour of the latest mailing (check your inbox). But we do have the KnitPods (some) and a few other treats.

Now, moving on to blog-worthiness, we have some really sweet goodies this time. First, Farrah brought in her finished Hidcote Shawl last night and I even managed to corner her into modeling it:

The pattern? Miriam Felton's Hidcote Garden Shawl. Knit with Suri Blue in "Smoke", by FarrahW (on ravelry). Isn't it just gorgeous? And the yarn is magnificent (we have it on order!). Yum, yum. Go on, go to ravelry and fav it. (You know you want to!)

And while I had Farrah cornered, I made her model the Cherry Blossom Shawl she knit for us as a store sample:

The one you can see on Anne Hanson's blog (knitspot). Made with 3 skeins of ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud, this thing is just plain dangerous. The sheer number of people I've seen petting it does not bode well for it's safety! Of course, if you want to participate in the Cherry Blossom KAL, we've been helping people out with their questions and getting started.

While Farrah was been subjected to the Nikon, everyone at JoAnn's birthday party last night was shouting advice to her (how to stand, how to hold her arms, etc); so I returned the favor and took a couple of shots of the group:

Which they didn't much like, but fair's fair. Some of the quicker knitters managed to dash out of the frame before the shutter clicked (which is why you can see abandoned projects in chairs). I'll get them next time, mwahaha.

And, finally, just because, I managed to get a shot of the Birthday Girl:

Who tried (and almost succeeded) to hide behind her sock in progress. The sock, it should be mentioned, is being knit with our fantastically popular limited edition colorway "City of Roses" (which has sold out, sorry!). So pretty.

Let's see... Other news? We-ell, Franklin Habit of the Panopticon has agreed to visit the store and teach/ lecture in late September. Mark it in your calendars! We'll post registration information on the website/ blog/ calendar sometime in the next fortnight or so.

Also, the Fall 2008 issues of Marianne Isager and Amimono are back in stock. Grab 'em while you can!

And, last but not least, the Habu Trunkshow is up and will continue to be on display through the end of August. Drop by (or give us a call) to find out what unusual yarns and fibers we have in stock!