The Knitting Experience Café

A new year is bringing lots of exciting changes to the shop!

We've introduced a new yarn line - Berroco, with their Ultra Alpaca, Comfort Worsted, and Comfort DK. I am loving working with the Ultra Alpaca, a 50% Alpaca, 50% Wool blend, as I knit away on what has become one of my all time favorite knits - The Fireside Sweater.  This cabley wonder is our Knit Along for Winter 2010. Although it looks complicated, we've discovered that the pattern is quite easy to follow and makes for a comforting knit in these winter months. There is still time to join in on the fun and knit your very own Fireside Sweater. Stop by the shop for details!

I've also test run the Comfort yarn with one of the adorable patterns from Roo Designs. 

Comfort is a nylon/acrylic blend that feels so soft and smooth you'd swear it had to be a wool/cotton blend. This is the perfect yarn for anyone with  animal fiber allergies, as well as for any knit that you want to be able to machine wash and dry with ease. Of course, Berroco has made an outstanding line of patterns to support the Comfort. You'll find designs for kids and adults in the new booklets.

The winter class schedule is up and running. Learn to knit socks, work a fair isle pattern, knit continental style, or perhaps you'd like to finally pick up crochet! Now's the time. Check out our website for a full schedule and registration details.

Spunky Eclectic Biggie yarn is back! The colors are as gorgeous as ever.

Cascade's Lana Bambu - a wool/bamboo blend with a silky sheen, soft halo, and lovely multi-colorways, has been flying out the door. We love it for hats, mittens, and cowls.

Perhaps the most exciting change involves a bit of reorganizing. We've completely flipped the shop around to better display all these fabulous yarns, and to create a more comfortable and convenient place to relax and enjoy a cup of tea while you knit.  As a result, there's room for more yarns, and better displays of project ideas.

To celebrate our redesign, we are having a great SALE on sock yarn this Saturday and Sunday!

The following in-stock sock yarns will be 20% off both Saturday and Sunday - in the shop, as well as through the online store: theknittingexperience.com.

Spud and Chloe Fine

Cascade Heritage

Cascade Heritage Paints

Noro Kureyon Sock

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock

Dream in Color Knitiosophy

Classic Elite Alpaca Sox

Louet Gems

Crystal Palace Maizy

Crystal Palace Panda Cotton

Crystal Palace Panda Silk

Crystal Palace Mini Mochi

Jojoland Melody Superwash

Ranco Solid

Ranco Multi

Trekking

Step

Shibui Sock

Come see all the changes and treat yourself to fabulous sock yarn at the same time!

As I write, it is still snowing - 3rd day in a row. Honestly, I love the snow. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I love being holed up inside with the white stuff silencing the noise of the world. I love curling up with a cup of tea and my knitting. I even love trudging around outside in the stuff, especially when it is as light and fluffy as we're getting right now.

But, it is a little disconcerting when we get a 12" or more with hardly any warning from the weather people. Perhaps I just haven't been paying attention, but I don't recall hearing that we would have 3 days of almost constant snow that would accumulate to over 18". Now that would be something to talk about! Think of the knitting I could have planned! 

Luckily I had started my Fireside Sweater on Saturday. Thanks to the weather, I am well into the right front. I am deeply in love with this knit. The instructions, while confusing at first glance, are actually very straightforward and easy to follow. I've been able to knit away on all those cables while watching TV or supervising the boys tear our house apart. More than anything, I love looking at the cables grow and thinking about wearing the finished sweater. I keep draping the knitting across my arm, or around my side to try and picture the sweater. For me, it is truly the perfect January knit. 

And I'm not alone. We have a number of knitters working away on the Fireside Sweater, or knitting-alongside us with similar cabley knits. The best part of this KAL? The lively discussion and help-fest happening on our Ravelry forum.  Check out the thread here. 

The updated knitter roll call is as follows:

Knitter - and their yarn

Lesley - Dream in Color Classy in Midnight Derby

Luanne - Cascade 220 in pink

Amanda - Eco Wool in Red

Becka - Eco Wool in brown

Donna K. - Eco Wool in heathery purple

Donna M.- undecided yarn

Jen KC - undecided on yarn

Cathy - Eco Wool in purple

Penny - Eco Wool in cream

Chesley - Ultra Alpaca in cream

Amy - knitalongside with B.O.B in Lamb's Pride

Patti - also knittingalongside with the Vine Yoke Cardigan

Barbara - knittingalongside with the Helleborus Yoke sweater from the new Knitscene in Eco Wool in green

Susan - possibly knittingalongside with cabled socks

Penny, Lesley, and Luanne got started on Saturday. 

They inspired me to cast on, even though the official start date isn't until this Saturday. I'm glad I did, as it has given me the time to figure out how the whole thing is put together so I can hopefully help all those fellow KALers!

But, while I'm thoroughly enjoying the Fireside Sweater, I find that when working on such an involved pattern, it is a good idea to have a mental break project running at the same time. You know what I'm talking about. The kind of thing you can knit with your eyes closed.  No rows to count, stitch patterns to remember, just relaxing, meditative knitting.

For me it is a straightforward stst cowl. The knit stitch over and over, round and round. And it makes me immensely happy. Part of the reason is the yarn.

I'm using a strand of our new Lana Bambu ( a wool, bamboo blend from Cascade that is simply beautiful) along with Kid Seta (a mohair and silk blend). The effect is amazing. The Kid Seta enhances the colors of the Lana Bambu to give the whole piece a shimmer and halo.

I can't claim credit for the idea. We're actually calling it the Jocelyn method. A good friend - who is a fantastic knitter - grabbed a skein of Dream in Color Classy and paired it with Kid Seta to make one of the hottest knits of the moment - the Knotty but Nice hat from knitty.com. The result was stunning and left all of us breathless.

THEN... she started pairing up skeins of Lana Bambu with the Kid Seta. OH MY. Luscious. Simply luscious. Many of us instantly followed her lead. Some for Knotty hats, me for a cowl. And it is so pretty I can hardly stand it.

Barbara whipped up her own Knotty but Nice using the Lana Bambu/Kid Seta combo: (You only need one skein of each for this hat.)

While we're talking about Knotty but Nice, I must show you the manly version Becka made for David.

Now let's take a peek at some of the other knits appearing at the shop.  

I'm particularly proud of this next one, as it is a first sweater! Yes, Nicole finished her very first sweater! She even made a hat to match.

Doesn't it look fantastic? She used Eco Wool and the pattern is the Owls Sweater. 

Susan totally surprised me by having her Wicked  - just recently on the needles - done and looking great!

She used Cascade 220 in a tweed.

This next sweater is not a recent finish, but is so beautiful, I have to show it off. Check out Susan's Something Red in Dream in Color Classy:

Deb was stunning in her version of the Colonnade Shawl knit in Baby Alpaca Chunky. (This one was our Fall 2009 KAL.)

Linda looked great in her felted hat and lovely Rectangle Shawl out of Spunky Eclectic silk.

It's about time to get ready to head into the shop. I get to meet with a new yarn rep today - definitely something to look forward to - shopping for yarn!

Before I go, you should know that new magazines arrived on Monday. Interweave's Knitscene and Debbie Bliss's spring mag. 

Oh, and I finally managed to get our winter class schedule updated on the website!

UPS tried to drown us in boxes today. It was delightful. 

More Noro for the shelves:

Tons of Cascade. Well, maybe not a ton, but 75lbs isn't bad.

The Cascade shipment brought more Eco Wool +

Plus a brand new yarn - Lana Bambu!

Isn't it lovely? It is a wool and bamboo blend that has the sheen of silk and is wonderful to touch. I'm thinking of making a pair of fingerless mitts with the greenish one.

We also got incredibly gorgeous sock yarn from Unwind Yarn Company. Opening that box was like a happy explosion of color. We have both their merino/nylon blend, and their merino/seacell blend. You have GOT to touch the seacell stuff. It is awesome. Squishy, and shiny, and oh, so pretty.

Thank goodness my current projects are almost done so I can cast on with these new yarns soon!

The baby kimono sweater from Blue Sky Alpacas whipped up in 2 days.

I love the way the color played out. Now the arms need seaming, ends weaving, and ties knit. 

My puppy sweater from Roo Designs, knit in Berroco Comfort is coming along. 2 days so far for the back and front. If the boys and my energy cooperate I plan on starting the sleeves tonight.

Speaking of baby stuff. We had a wonderful little man come visit us. Notice how Samuel is studying his mom's fingers knit. I think he's trying to figure it out. 

He was amazingly good - despite all of us wanting to hold him. Thanks for bringing him in Emily!

Adrienne surprised me on Saturday by wearing her Concetta Cardigan. Hers looked so good, it inspired me to pull mine off the wall and wear it all day today.

Barbara made a beautiful Just Enough Ruffles Scarf out of the Eco Alpaca. She also found that since the Eco Alpaca is lighter than the yarn used in the original design, a size US 7 needle produces a nice fabric.

And I was psyched to see Ruth in her button cowl out of Spud and Chloe Outer.

I'm afraid I don't remember the name of the pattern she used, but it reminded me of this one.

That's the news for today. Much discussion about the Fireside KAL is happening over on our ravelry forum. Looks like Amanda, Penny, and possibly Becka are joining the fun!

Thursday was so much fun. For one, it was the first post-holiday KAN. That meant a chance to catch up, unwind from holiday stress, and share stories from the homefront. 

Here are pics from around the room:

Fabulous knitting projects were everywhere.

Barb's Mini Mochi hat:

Karen's 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf:

Lisa's crochet bag (from a pattern written in Japanese (very impressive!):

Emily's sock weight hat:

Of course it is never really a KAN without at least some frogging.  Michelle was kind enough to provide that sample:

Jen was making this incredibly cool 3D scarf with floating layers:

Sue had a yummy Malabrigo cowl going:

Barbara was making another lucky person a hat out of Baby Alpaca Chunky:

Bridget is thiiiisss close to finishing a gorgeous sweater for her husband. 

Susan has Wicked on the needles:

Donna is working on a Mara shawl out of Malabrigo. (This is a very popular knit - definitely check out the pattern.)

Luanne has these cute toe-up socks on the needles:

But what really caught my eye was the gorgeous shawl around her shoulders. She made Ishbel using one skein of Dream in Color Starry, and it is lovely.

She also just finished this incredible scarf out of Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk:

Peggy joined Luanne in the toe-up sock effort.

Terri, our sock guru, departed from her usual to work on a shawl:

It was so much fun to have everyone back together! Thanks all!

The day itself was very exciting because UPS dropped off our first shipment of Berroco! That's right, we now carry Berroco yarns! I was doing a little happy dance all day. Their yarns are just incredible, and you can't beat their prices.  What really cinched my decision to bring in the new line, however, was the fact that one of my all time favorite designers, Norah Gaughan is now heading up their design department. What she does with knitted fabric is simply brilliant and you can see her influence in the new pattern books - children through adults.

For yarns, to start us off, we got the extremely popular Ultra Alpaca in 14 colors: (everything is available through the online store as well, and we're working as fast as we can to get the pictures up.)

And tons of colors in their Comfort Worsted and DK line. 

This is an incredible yarn. Comfort is an ultra-soft blend of super fine acrylic and super fine nylon and spun into a luxury twist. It is soft and squishy and super smooth. Clearly, it would make a great kids yarn as it is machine washable, but really it is great for anyone - especially those with fiber allergies. I've already grabbed some (with the help of the KAN crowd on color choices) to make one of the Roo Designs. 

David snagged some of the Ultra Alpaca in a gorgeous light green to knit one of the mens sweaters from Norah Gaughan's mens collection.

I have my eye on Ultra Alpaca for our next knit along - which will be announced VERY soon. I just need to do some swatching first.

Ok, I think that catches us up. Time to get ready and head into the shop!

So, there's this scarf pattern that I saw on Ravelry a while ago, called Just Enough Ruffles. To be honest, at first glance I thought, eh, it's cute, but not for me. 

Well... then Susan (I think it was Susan, if not, apologies to whoever it was) brought in a knitted Just Enough Ruffles. Instant love. Honestly. In person, the ruffles are just gorgeous. They really are "just enough" without killing you with frill. The whole effect of the scarf is stunning.  I made a mental note to myself - must knit this. 

But, with the holiday rush and all, never really found the time to knit my own. Instead I was taunted by the appearance of more Just Enough Ruffles Scarves. Knitters were churning them out everywhere I turned. 

Finally, when our new Eco Alpaca yarn from Cascade arrived, I knew I just couldn't wait any longer.

(Isn't it yummy?)

I grabbed 2 skeins of the cream and a long US 7 needle. A few holiday TV specials later and:

It is like buttah. Since I used the Eco Alpaca, which is a very light worsted, instead of the Malabrigo called for in the pattern, my version is lighter with a bit more drape. It makes me happy.

The holidays also got me finishing a few things. Most important of them is my Talia vest from out Vest Knit Along.

Yes, it is done -I am just in search of the perfect buttons. Better pics once the buttons have been added, but here's an idea of how it looks.

I used Cascade's 128 Superwash. It is a chunky, squishy, washable merino. As you can see from the pictures above, it has great stitch definition. 

I also finished one of the most adorable little sweaters I think I have ever knit:

The pattern is from Figheadh Yarnworks and is called Ciaran. I made the 3mos size and used only one skein of Dream in Color Classy. All the cables were so much fun to knit. 

Speaking of adorable, I am thrilled to announce that we now carry patterns by Roo Designs! 

These fun kids sweaters are happy knits for both the knitter and lucky recipient. We have a selection in both worsted and dk yarns. Right now, I'm trying to decide which one to knit first! Amanda is voting for the moose in honor of Maine. I'm debating between the moose and the bunny. Although that dinosaur is pretty damn cute.