…have you any Wool? Blog

This was a tough one because I couldn’t decide which set of needles to feature!  I’ve narrowed it down to two.  I’ve been thinking about knitting a throw for my family room and got inspired when we started re-arranging the shop a couple of weeks ago.  I wanted a project that would be relatively easy in terms of the actual knitting of it but one that would also challenge my thinking about color a bit.  I decided to knit a garter stitch throw of many textures.  I brought in a couple of pillows from my family room and got to work.  I began with a color theme of rusty reds, golds and greens.  I chose yarn from my stash as well as the shop.  This project is perfect for shopping the sale bins too!  The picture doesn’t do it justice so please stop in and see it for yourself.  Bring a pillow and/or some fabric swatches and we’d be happy to assist you with choosing colors for your own throw!     

Another project that’s in the works is my ruffly sock yarn scarf.  When I decided to bring in the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn I didn’t bring it in for just sock knitting.  I envisioned many possibilities for this gorgeous yarn.  Think lace knitting, sweaters, scarves and wraps.  A customer came in wearing a scarf knit from sock yarn which was the inspiration for my ruffly scarf shown above.  The scarf is cast on lengthwise so you begin and end with the ruffle and coast in between.  The Noro color pallette is second to none which is why we love it.  Come on in and we’ll get you started on yours!

I became a great aunt when my nephew Gabriel and his wife Krissy had their first child.  Jilly turned one in January and while I wasn’t able to be with them for the celebration I got busy knitting a hat for her.  I chose the “Flower Power Hat” which can be found on www.knitty.com and I knit it using Lamb’s Pride Bulky.  I intended to put pictures of Jilly wearing the hat on my blog but my computer skills are pretty basic.  Stay tuned for more photos!

If you’re looking for a fast and relatively simple project for a baby this is the one for you!  The Weekend Baby Blanket from  Kalamazoo Knits takes two balls of “Big Ball” and US size 19 needles.  Sweet baby Avery was born in September but she didn’t get her blanket until January.  Once I started it, it went fast.  I don’t think she realized how late her blanket was and she seems to be enjoying it.  We have a sample (baby not included!) in the shop so stop in if you’d like to see it up close.

Erica Owens came to Knit Michigan last year, had a great time and was so moved by her experience there that she knew she wanted to do more for KM 2008.  Erica has set a fundraising goal of $10,000 and is working dilligently to meet that goal.  If Erica raises $10,000 by Feb.1, she’s shaving her head for locks of love!  Can you believe it?  Erica has scheduled a series of “knit-ins” across the state in order to raise awareness and money.  We had a knit-in for her on December 29th and it was lots of fun.  If you weren’t able to make the knit-in and would like to help Erica reach her goal, you may drop off your contribution to “…have you any Wool?”.     

Once again Sonya inspired me to knit something!  She came into the shop talking about a slipper pattern called “Fuzzy Feet” and how she was going to knit them.  I helped her choose yarn and of course got caught up in the meantime myself.  Before I knew it I was reading the pattern and casting on!  My feet are often cold and I can tell you that I’ve solved that problem.  These slippers are toasty!  

My feet are warm but my slippers were rather plain so I asked Beth if she would consider needle felting something on them.  You can’t tell from the picture but the skull and crossbone motif on my slippers has a little sparkle.   

 I’d seen the Clapotis pattern on Knitty long ago and I added it to my endless mental list of future projects.  As the months passed I kind of forgot about the Clapotis.  Then came the fateful day when the Clapotis pattern resurfaced!  One customer in particular (who shall remain nameless but she knows who she is!) came in and showed me her Clapotis in progress.  It was all over!  For the next few months I pondered what yarn I might choose to knit my Clapotis.  The problem with this pattern is that the yarn options are endless.  I finally decided on Merino Ribbon from Mountain Colors (colorway Evergreen).  I’d been wanting to make something with that yarn because it’s lightweight, the colors are rich and the Merino Ribbon has an interesting structure.  I cast on for my Clapotis and began knitting like a woman posessed.  The pattern is adictive!  I knit more on this project than any other.  I had tunnel vision and that’s where the problem came in.  If I had looked up and had really taken a good look at what I was doing before I was three-quarters finished I would’ve realized that my Clapotis was ridiculously wide.  It measured 28 inches and it looked like I had taken the afghan off the couch and wrapped it around my neck!  Not the look I was going for.  You know what I did next.  Yes, I began again.  This time using a US#8 needle instead of a US#9.  You can change the size of the Clapotis by knitting more or less rows in the increase section so I knit less.  I’m in the straight section and I’m pleased.  It looks much better and will be something that I wear all the time when finished.  I’m much happier now!  So, the moral of the story is please take time to check your gauge, look at the pattern and see where you may make modifications and then take a moment to figure out what you’re going to do. 

I’ve been working on this wrap (among other things!) and wanted you to see how beautifully this yarn knits up.  You’re looking at Sublime Kid Mohair Blend and it is aptly named.  More colors have arrived which aren’t pictured here.  Loganberry is one of the new colors and could be my personal favorite!  Stop in and choose your favorite!