The Knitting Experience Café

I finished my Tappan Zee!

All that remains is to find the perfect buttons. 

While working on our KAL, I got a little excited about the idea of having pretty summer knits to wear, so I started a couple other projects.

First was the Ribby Shell from Chic Knits:

I can't even tell you how pleased I am with the way it knit up. I used (only 3 skeins) Cascade's Venezia so it is silky soft. The side ribbing is the best part - it provides shaping that fits YOUR body's shape. I think I may want to make the Ribby Cardigan now. 

Then, a new yarn arrived at the shop, and I had to grab needles for a third project!

Introducing Canela - a cotton/rayon/nylon yarn that is incredibly beautiful when knit. 

The fabric is light and soft, while the subtle thick and thin nature of the yarn makes for an interesting texture.

What am I making? The Shawl Collar Cardigan from Knitting Pure and Simple. Since each skein has 348yds, I only need 4 for the whole project. You might have noticed that Canela is a dk yarn, and this pattern calls for a worsted weight. Well, that is exactly what I wanted for this project. I envisioned a light, airy weave of the fabric to make this summery coverup. So, I am using a smaller yarn than called for, but still getting gauge.

Other knitters have also been making pretty things.

Look at Luanne's shawl out of Dream in Color Starry:

Aren't the sparkles beautiful against the black yarn?

Sarah has me thinking that it's time I knit another sweater out of Silky Wool. Look at the stunning piece she just finished:

I LOVE the ruffles, but the entire sweater is perfect. She did an amazing job!

Are you enjoying these lovely April days? I've been eagerly anticipating the explosion of color that will surely happen once we get an extended stretch of sun and warmer temperatures.

That got me thinking... how can we satisfy the craving for color that hits this time of year?  With Noro of course! No one does color like Noro, and we'd like to help you treat yourself to a fibery infusion of color with a Noro SALE.

All in-stock Noro yarns - Iro, Kochoran, Cash Iroha, Kureyon, Silk Garden, Kureyon Sock -  and Noro pattern books, will be 20% off starting this Saturday, April 24, through Saturday May 1st.

As an extra special bonus, we'll also be putting all in-stock bags on sale for 20% off. This includes those by Namaste, Blue Sky Alpacas, and Mainely Totes.  Our very popular project bags will also be on sale, so this is the perfect time to stock up!

See you on Saturday!

I have to admit, I'm not the most balanced knitting blogger. My projects - and inspiration items - have a strong female slant with the occasional diversion into kid knits. What of the poor guys out there? Don't they need/deserve some lovely knits? That is certainly a refrain I hear often enough in my house. Peter will take one look at the latest project on my needles and wonder where that vest I was knitting for him might be (answer - languishing in UFO land). The socks featured last week have helped, but I thought it might be nice to consider a more substantial project for the men. Luckily, we happen to have a fantastic knitter (who happens to be a guy) who just finished the most gorgeous cabley men's sweater.

Check out David's new Wilson Sweater:

The pattern: Wilson from Norah Gaughan's Men.

While the original design called for a light bulky yarn, David used Ultra Alpaca - a worsted weight - so that the sweater wouldn't be overly heavy. He was able to get the required gauge, and, as you can see, it came out beautifully.

David's sweater used 8 skeins of Ultra Alpaca and the color is Lichen Mix. Stop by the shop to see the handiwork in person - the sweater will be on display for the next few months.

Thanks David!