Business Announcements - Knitting Notions

SAFF, Lilyanna, and more..

I am FINALLY getting a breather to catch you up on happenings.

Last weekend we were at Fiber in the Boro and this weekend I am in Asheville, NC for my tenth year at SAFF. I am very excited about the changes here. SAFF now has the WHOLE fairgrounds and there is so much room! I am liking the new set up in the Davis Arena. It’s so much cleaner! Yay!

I drove and did part of the set up on Wednesday and then spent an additional 7 hours over there day getting the booth ready and it’s looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

There’s my two newest shawls on display, Jimi and Lilyanna. Oh yeah You haven’t seen Lilyanna yet have you? I finished her and just had time to get it blocked on Tuesday before I left for SAFF. I haven’t had a chance for proper photos but here’s a closer one in the booth for now.

I had hoped it would use just 2 skeins of Classic Merino Superwash DK but can you believe I needed 205 g? I cheated and used a remnant of something similar for the bind off. Yes, that is all I lacked! So annoying. I would you make sure to have at least 510 yards or maybe a bit more for yours. I love the shawl though and can see it getting much wear by me this winter as a scarf.

We have also got a second “yarn box” design with a sliding lid. I can’t decide which version is my favorite though.

What do you think? I have tested them both and they work equally well. Oh and I mentioned to Jerry about doing boxes with two holes for Fair Isle and other two color knitting. His reaction was why not just give a deal for the price of two instead. His reasoning is that the dimensions right now aren’t designed for two balls. Now we could do a larger one with two holes and keep the small one too, but it does seem simpler to just have one size and offer a discount for two. Do you agree? Comments are welcome. Smile

Posted on October 29, 2015October 29, 2015 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

A New Thing…

Sorry I fell behind on my posting lately. I am 75% done with the edging on Lilyanna and will be picking up the top section stitches before you know it and working those German short rows. Smile

I thought this might be a perfect time to show you all a new thing we are working on for the knitters. We have been making wood and leather Yarn Bowls for several years now and many customers have commented on the fact that a lid was a must for them to use one because of cats, dogs, etc… so this is our solution.

We have a couple ideas for lid styles and this is the first one, with more to follow. We will see what the customers prefer before we finalize the design. This one sits on the top and is not attached at all which makes it lightweight (no hardware) and economical. One of our design priorities is that you can at anytime extricate your project so that is the reason for the slit on the edge.

It is 5” square and will be made from various woods. Our introductory price this weekend at the Fiber in the Boro festival will be $30 but that may change in the future based on wood type. What do you think? What should we call them? We would love to hear your questions, comments, feedback. Smile

Posted on October 22, 2015October 22, 2015 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Two Things..

Thing number one is that I have published Sorrel 2.0 and it is on my website and available on Ravelry for those who prefer to keep all their patterns in one easy spot.

Thing number two is that we FINALLY have some new Sock Keepers made and they are also on the website. What is a Sock Keeper you may ask (if you are a new knitter or maybe not one at all) ? It is nifty tool to keep your work in progress (WIP) safely on the needles when you are not working on it, i.e. in your project bag. It works like this:

We previously made these by laminating thin strips of wood together like this:

We recently decided to change that to make them out of solid pieces of wood. From time to time we will different offerings dependent on what wood we have on hand, but at the moment we have five varieties available.

From top to bottom: Mahogany, Poplar, Cherry, Oak and Walnut. Nothing else has changed from the way we always have made them. They are the same dimensions and they are still only $20 each. They would make great gifts for the sock knitter on your Christmas list. Winking smile

Last update for today is that I have begun the lace edge on the bottom of the Chance of Showers. I didn’t take a new picture yet, but I will on my next post when I have a bit more done.

Posted on August 31, 2015August 31, 2015 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Hard at Work

I did get busy on writing up the ladies Sorrel pattern yesterday and it is basically done. It took a lot of my attention for most of those day which involved way more math than you want to know or hear about. :-)

I had to estimate the yardage requirements for the other sizes since I don’t want to hold up the publishing while I have all the sizes test knit. I know that the 42” that I knit took almost exactly 2 1/2 skeins and I went from that as a basis along with Ann Budd’s Handy Yardage Estimator as a guide for the rest. Her estimate for a vest of the size and gauge I made were pretty close to what I used so I am reasonably confident in my recommendations.

I desperately need to clean the house so I will probably publish the pattern next week sometime. I want to go over it again and check my figures first and won’t have time to do that today. I am also still not sure on the name. I also picked up about 15 pounds of Suri Alpaca to dye and need to get to work on that this afternoon if I can.

In other news, the wood shop has been in full swing in the last couple of weeks. Jerry and Ian have been hard at work finishing a batch of oak yarn swifts. Those are now in my work shop area with the finish drying while awaiting final packaging.

I am also excited to announce that we will finally have lots of new Sock Keepers back in stock very soon. Here is the proof!

This is my adorable husband sanding the ends of each and every Sock Keeper.

Here is my middle son, Ian, sanding the slots where the double point needles sit in the Keeper.

There will be a slight change to how we make these from here on out. We are no longer laminating them from thin strips of wood. We are now making them from solid wood of one type. We will mostly be using cherry, walnut and oak, but there will be some special and exotic woods when we happen to have them on hand. I know there are some mahogany ones and maybe some poplar in this batch. I will show them to you when they are all done. They are going to look great!

Posted on August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

A mixed bag of updates

Hello! I have quite a few things to share so I will get right to it.

Why don’t we start with a pretty new shawl?

Cassie finished the knitting of Glenallen on Sunday but I just got it blocked yesterday.

The color is closer to the picture in the middle with Cassie wearing it.

You can see it in person, along with all the other fabulous samples we have been busy knitting up for you this year, at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival in Berryville, VA this weekend. We are actually going to go one step further that that. Not only can you see the shawls and yarn in person, you have a unique opportunity to pick the brains of the designer! That’s right! We are hosting Dee O’Keefe of Designs by Dee in our booth this Saturday afternoon from 1-4 for a meet and greet. While you are there you can enter our little contest for your chance to win 5 DBD patterns of your choice (digital copy only). No purchase necessary to enter, we just need contact information. Sound fun?

In other news, I have kitchen remodel pictures to show you and man am I happy with how this is coming along? You better believe it!

This is what I found when I came home on Monday. :-) I am excited to see what progress is made over my 12 day absence while we are in Virginia for the back to back festivals. Talk to you soon.

Posted on September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

New shawl progress and a fun contest

I know it’s been a long break between posts, so sorry for that. I was just so worn out after 4 shows in 5 weeks that I needed to decompress and catch up on things around the house which left little time for blogging.

Anyway so I will show you a few pictures from Stitches South showing off the new shawls. I am very proud of them. :-)

You can see Catoctin in this one. It was a big hit at Stitches!

My lovely Holbrook is shown in this one.

This is the only one I have where the Tristano is visible. It is so pretty in person with it’s lovely texture.

Okay now on to some new shawl knitting projects. Mine first. :-) To refresh your memory this is Edwina and I am using my Classic Merino Lace in Saffron.

It was just a wee thing the last time I posted about it and it has grown much since then. I am two-thirds of the way through the third repeat of chart 3, which is a 24 row stitch pattern which is repeated 4 times total before beginning the border designs. I currently have 275 stitches on the needle and will have 339 when I reach the end of this section and start the border. It is an interesting shawl to knit and I love using this base.

It’s also been some time since you saw Nadira, also in Classic Merino Lace but in the color Amethyst. Kyla is up to the border set up section on this so the end is getting nearer. I have no idea how long her rows are but over 300 for sure.

Joanie’s Alexandra Shawl is really looking fabulous in this color. It is hard to photograph without getting out the light box which I was too lazy to do. It is much more true red that this looks. It is made using my Classic Merino Superwash Sock in the color Ruby.

Cassie’s Kimani which she started the weekend while we were in North Carolina for the Carolina Fiber Festival, is coming along nicely. We decided to use the Classic Merino Superwash Sport in Ironstone. I was hoping for a dramatic look by using the dark color, which shows up lighter here than it does in person, and I am now hoping that the stitch pattern shows up well enough. I imagine that the blocking will relax and open up the lace to the help out with that.

The other thing that I want to mention today before closing is about some fun news I received this week. I was contacted by the very talented Stephannie Tallent of Sunset Cat Designs about a new eBook she is releasing this month called The Wild West: Cables and that one of the designs in it was featuring my Classic Merino Superwash Sport. The pattern is the gorgeous Slide Rock socks and wow are they something? She is currently accepting pre-orders with a $3 off code (CABLES) this week. As if that weren’t enough we are also teaming up with a promotional contest to kick it off. Hop on over there and see what it’s all about. See you next time!

Posted on April 22, 2014April 23, 2014 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Shawl progress and some new website additions

When I last wrote we were still in Pittsburgh. We made it home with no further problems on Monday. I was concerned about the winter weather that was forecast for that Sunday night and into Monday, but fortunately for us the line stayed to the south of our route home. I was resigned to waiting another night in Pittsburgh if I woke up to snow but that didn’t happen. I checked the weather conditions online along my route through West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky and all looked good, and it was. Man, I hope that is it for this year. I am leaving for Irving, TX on Wednesday of this coming week for my first time vending at the DFW Fiber Festival and the forecast so far looks promising. :-)

So on to the shawl progress updates. I am past the halfway point on the edging for Holbrook and am hoping to get it done in time to block it for showing at the festival.

Cassie has also started the edging on Catoctin and I really love the border pattern with that pretty cable and lace.

Tristano is coming along nicely. Joanie is on the third chart I think and doing quite well with it.

My favorite detail on this shawl so far is the center slipped stitch between the decreases.

And last but certainly not least is Kyla’s progress on Nadira. After this picture was taken she hit a snag which I tried to fix last night. I had been working on the website all day adding new stuff and updating and I am afraid my nerves where a bit frazzled. I ended up throwing the poor thing (the shawl not Kyla) across the room. I am sure I can go back to it fresh today and find the error now that I have time to recharge my batteries for tedious tasks. :-)

Oh and here’s what I was adding to the website. These are the new Leather Bowls we are making and debuted at the Pittsburgh festival. These are just a few of my favorites. Meredith made 12 designs in all that we have listed on the website. I also finally got some more nostepinnes added and I am working on adding Dee O’Keefe’s patterns today.

Posted on March 22, 2014March 22, 2014 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

New Superwash DK yarn

I promised a post to fill you in on the details of our new base yarn in my last post and that will be the topic of today’s entry. I have lots of lace knitting to show you next time but for now let’s look at the new Classic Merino Superwash DK. It is up on the website now. :-)

I really like this base very much. If you have knit with our Classic Merino Superwash Sport, and liked it then you will be happy with this yarn as well. It is basically a slightly thicker version of that yarn.

It has a 4ply construction with a balanced twist that is soft and springy. Of course it is 100% super soft superwash Merino wool, which is my favorite for dyeing and for wearing too. It takes the color so beautifully and feels great next to the skin. I found that it works up best for sweater gauge at 5-5.5 stitches per inch on size 6 US (4 mm) needles. For shawls and drapey items this is flexible because they won’t get the same kind of wear. I hesitate to recommend knitting merino wool yarns for use in sweaters that are knit in a looser gauge than the yarn is designed to be knit due to the fact that some pilling will result in friction areas. For some yarns it works alright to do that, like mercerized cottons for example, but soft wools and cashmere will pill if not knit to gauge. There may be some anyway, but not as much.

So I started a couple small projects in the new yarn to try and have some quick samples for the March shows. First I ran across Polartorte and it looked like a great one to start with. I can not wear hats but I am hopeful that I can have this one finished for the trip to Pittsburgh next week since this one may actually work on me and I am likely going to need a hat. :-)

I used the recommended 4 US needles for the brim and 7 US for the rest. I am making the M (17”) to fit a 22” head. Mine measures 21” but I decided to go up rather than down since I was between sizes. I am using the color Azalea.

I also cast on for pattern I am writing up for that cowl I did back in January. Remember it?

It is a very simple and interesting pattern to knit and I love to the cushy fabric it makes. You could alter the size to customize it. I like the larger circumferences too but this is a nice size for being close to the neck to give warmth without being too clingy. I don’t like turtlenecks for that reason. Mine measures about 24” in circumference and is about 8” deep.

I decided to cast one in in the new yarn in Saffron. I will knit it the same size I made the original and write up the pattern. I will probably be offering this one as a free pattern with the purchase of a skein of the yarn in my booth.

Okay I will close for today but I will be posting again very soon with a lace knitting update you won’t want to miss. ;-)

Posted on March 6, 2014March 6, 2014 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Back to Lace Knitting

We have been super busy here getting all that dyeing done that I mentioned in my last post. Last week we had a window of warm weather right before a cold front came through on Thursday. So we had just 3 days to get almost 1200 skeins dyed and we just made it. Whew!

It got chilly after that but we managed to get it all dry, labeled and loaded in the trailer by Tuesday night, right before a second cold front came through. It is still pretty chilly today but warming back up slowly. I am so ready for spring this year, aren’t you?

A good deal of the yarn which we just finished is a new base which you have seen me talk about and knit with. Do you remember this shawl?

I spent some time yesterday taking and editing pictures of our new Classic Merino DK and will have it live on the website in a day or two. I will let you know when it’s ready and give you some more details then.

For now I want to share another new thing I am very excited about. I spent some time talking with a wonderful designer named Dee O’Keefe of Designs by Dee, last September at the Shenandoah Fiber Festival and we have been in touch over the winter working out an on going working relationship. She is a fabulous designer and I really admire her work. I am going to be selling her patterns both in my online shop and at shows beginning this spring.

I cast on a beautiful crescent shaped shawl, Holbrook and oh my is it good to be back to some lace knitting. I took a long hiatus from lace knitting because I needed a break but I am ready to get back to it now. This shawl is very fun so far. It starts with a technique that was new to me but not difficult to work, called a garter tab. I love the perfect finish it created for the edging. It is those center stiches you see at the top edge. Love it!

She recommends my Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn which I agree is wonderful for the stitch definition and dramatic color, but I chose to try it in my Classic Merino Bamboo in Peaches and Cream. After I started I did wonder if I would stick with my choice, but I think the softer drape of the Merino Bamboo will be nice for spring so I am going for it. I found a Raveler who has done this shawl in my Sock yarn here. I think that I am going to barrel through because I can’t wait to see the finished project and may need another in Sock yarn for contrast. :-)

It is a very fun project so far and my favorite part is that there is neither a long cast on nor a long bind off at the end since it has a knitted on border. Oh and the stockinette on the sides makes for nice relaxing parts while the lace panel is easy to follow but not boring or tedious. :-)

Before I close this post I will show you what I finished between my last post and this one. My new around the house socks for cold mornings. I have not made many socks in thicker wool but I like these. They are too thick for wearing in shoes but they are dense and warm like slippers for wearing on cold wood floors. Perfect!

Posted on February 27, 2014February 27, 2014 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

See it’s still a knitting blog after all

I think the knitting mojo has returned. I don’t want to jinx it but I have not only completed the Boneyard Shawl, but I bought yarn and started some new projects.

I will show you the shawl pictures first and then catch you up on the new project(s).

I took the above picture in Wisconsin on Sunday. That was the only day conducive to wearing and hand knits since it was in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s the other days. It was unseasonably warm until Sunday when it felt more like Wisconsin in September rather than like Nashville, LOL!

I took this one today after managing to get it suitably blocked. I am quite pleased with this casual scarf/shawl and am sure it will get much wear.

Okay, now on to the new stuff. I was web surfing and stumbled across this pattern. I was instantly smitten and knitters on my honor I had NO suitable wool in my stash! I know it’s hard to believe but true. I wanted to make one for each of the grand children and possibly one for Elijah as well. I rarely knit with wool that requires size 10 needles and that is part of the reason for the lack of supplies. Anyway they should knit up fairly quickly and that suits my fancy at the moment. I ordered the yarn and needles from Webs and they arrived while I was in Wisconsin.

I started the smallest one a couple days ago and it’s pretty far along already.

I just have to knit the sleeves and the button bands. The button band is what really sets this sweater off and attracted me to it.

Do you remember me mentioning a new product in my last post? Well we have debuted them at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool and they will be on the website very soon.

Meredith has been working on these cool leather bracelets for several weeks and we are very excited about them. I have been wearing mine constantly.

Here is just a sampling from the booth display last weekend. She is selling them for $15 and I will let you know when I get them on the website. She has a selection of ones that have knitty phrases as well as more general loveliness for the non-knitters. These are would make great Christmas gifts.

I will leave you with some pictures of the booth in Wisconsin.

Next show is Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, OH at Young’s Dairy. See you soon!

Posted on September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Category: Business Announcements

SAFF, Lilyanna, and more..

Like this:

A New Thing…

Like this:

Two Things..

Like this:

Hard at Work

Like this:

A mixed bag of updates

Like this:

New shawl progress and a fun contest

Like this:

Shawl progress and some new website additions

Like this:

New Superwash DK yarn

Like this:

Back to Lace Knitting

Like this:

See it’s still a knitting blog after all

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: