Monthly Archives: July 2011

Socksplosion!

If you couldn’t make it here to Portland to attend Sock Summit, or
are wondering what to do with all of the fabulous yarn you scored if you
did attend, we’ve just realeased a new eBook: Socksplosion!

This eBook features the patterns from four of our bestselling sock kits. The 25 patterns from Show Off Socks, Speedy Sport Socks, Spring in your Step and Flashdance have a little something for everyone.

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My MA yarn crawl

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I spent last week in one of my very favorite places in the world – Massachusetts!

 MA trip

I lived in MA for a couple of years and Boston (go Sox!) feels like my 2nd home. So when an idea of a trip to visit yarn stores came up, I jumped right on it.  See my old friends and drink massive amounts of Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee while going to a bunch of yarn shops?  Sign me up!

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Picking Up Stitches Video Lesson (now in High Definition!)

Have you ever gotton to a part in your pattern where you see the phrase, “pick up and knit?” Sometimes patterns simply write just pick up x amount of stitches. If this is a new technique to you, it can be somewhat confusing deciphering just what exactly to pick up and what to knit.
In our latest video lesson, we focus on just that – how to pick up stitches! Kerin covers everything you need to know about picking up stitches to make your project a success. Learn how to pick up stitches along the sides of your knitting (row-wise) as well as along the cast on or bind off edges. Kerin starts with a stockinette stitch swatch for both the sides and top/bottom edges. Next up, Kerin shows you to do the same thing but with a garter stitch swatch. Combining these two techniques in both stockinette and garter stitch fabric allows you to create a nice, finished look to any project. You can also use these techniques to create added strength and even to create fun shapes.

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Podcast Episode 164: Gearing Up for Sock Summit

Kelley gets ready for the upcoming Sock Summit with weaving! By planning
out projects for her rigid heddle loom, Kelley is able to go through
her sock stash and use up yarn from the first Sock Summit. Who knew
weaving could work as a stash management tool? Kelley also shares two
books that would be perfect for those interested in weaving – Hands On
Rigid Heddle Weaving by Betty Linn Davenport and Weaving Made Easy by
Liz Gipson. Next up, Kelley chats about projects on her needles and her
weekend of weaving! Kelley also reviews the book, Mittens & Hats for
Yarn Lovers by Carri Hammett.

 
3 easy ways to listen…
Subscribe in iTunes Episode 164: Gearing Up for Sock Summit RSS feed
 

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Prepping for Sock Summit with Rigid Heddle weaving

A few months ago we began to carry Kromsk spinning wheels and rigid heddle looms.
As our rainy, chilly winter weather continued up through last weekend, I
succumbed to the temptation of the 36″ loom sitting in Alison’s
office. 

I wove a lot right after graduating from college. No, I’m not going
to give you specific dates. Let’s just say it has been a very long time
since I sat at a loom full of colorful yarns. But, I have very fond
memories of my woven textiles. 

The first step was to look through my yarn stash at home. Weaving is a wonderful way to use up lots and lots of yarns. Sock Summit
opens next week.I’ve been struggling with the dilemma of having a
rather large stash of fingering weight sock yarns. A good friend
reminded me that weaving uses a lot of yarn. Lots of mixed and matched
yarns. The more varied, the better. So, another justification for me to
take home a rigid heddle loom was to be able to weave up a good chunck
of my fingering weight yarns so that I can go a bit crazy at Sock
Summit.

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Finishing Spree!

Inspired by Stacey’s finishing spree, I had her snap a picture of my
recently finished project – the Radian Yoke by Wendy Bernard! As soon as
I came across this pattern in the summer issue of Knit Scene, I knew I
had to make it right away. The pattern called for a linen blend and
immediately, I thought of CotLin.

Usually, I am slow and methodical when it comes to picking a project.
I will think about a pattern for a week or two, and then if it feels
right – I move onto finding the perfect yarn. Finally, I pick out a
color, which is always the hardest part. As you can probably tell, this
makes my normal timeline for finding a project to starting an actual
project quite drawn out. So, when everything fell right into place as I
saw the Radian Yoke, I knew I just had to go with it!

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Winner of the “Stitch Heaven salutes Barbara Walker” DVD

Thank you to everyone who entered the Barbara Walker DVD contest!  Barbara Walker is such an icon in the knitting community and the fact that she was so kind to autograph this copy of “Stitch Heaven” is really wonderful.  Using a random number generator, we have selected our winner:
#143 – Marilyn“I would love this DVD. I am learning to knit as an adult
which can be tough. Taking knitting classes doesn’t work
when I work 12 hour shifts and not everything is easy to
Learn from a book. I’m a visual learner and thankfully I’ve
found the Internet and specifically YouTube videos to be a
wonderful learning tools. Enjoy your posts.”
Based on Marilyn’s comment, we know this DVD will be a great help in her efforts to learn to knit.  Thank you again to everyone who participated, we really appreciate it!
-Alisha & Jenny

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Stitch Heaven Salutes Barbara Walker DVD Giveaway

This contest is now closed. Thank you very much to everyone who participated! To find out who won, click here: WINNER

New techniques, especially different stitches, can be so fun to learn! However, if you are new to stitch dictionaries – sifting through all of those instructions can seem a bit daunting, especially when the stitch uses an unfamiliar abbriviation or references an obscure technique. Additionally, everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways. This is why having technique and reference videos is so important, it really makes learning accessible to a wider range of crafters. This is why I am so happy to say we are giving away one copy of the DVD, “Stitch Heaven Salutes Barbara Walker!” The best part? It is signed by Barbara Walker!

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Podcast Episode 162: Interview with Michelle Edwards

Kelley interviews Michelle Edwards, author of the book A Knitter’s Home Companion.
With a background in printmaking, illustration and children’s books,
Michelle has always had knitting be a constant part of her life. In A Knitter’s Home Companion, Michelle shares stories and essays that explore the
lives of other knitters, the lessons that are learned, and the way
people are brought together through the craft. Hear all about Michelle’s
journey from starting the book and meeting late night deadlines to finding time to knit 100 pairs of mittens for charity!
 
3 easy ways to listen…
Subscribe in iTunes Episode 162: Interview with Michelle Edwards RSS feed
 

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