Sweater Knitting circa 2013

     I am knitting a sweater! I try to make one or two sweaters for myself every year, and last year, I only made one. (And it may or may not be quite  finished.) So I'm getting an early start this year. The sweater is a design by Melissa Leapman for Cascade Yarns and is called the Adrienne Jacket. I'm using Cascade's Eco Cloud. 

     I made a few one skein projects with Cloud and decided I'd really like a deluxe sweater made out of it.  It has a lovely buoyancy and bounce on the needles and responds beautifully to different needles sizes and gauges.

      It's no coincidence that I'll be teaching this pattern in our Winter Sweater Class this month. I've fallen in love with the yarn and when I started looking for a pattern to teach, this one really stood out.

     It will be a good fit for knitters who already know how to knit but who want to develop their sweater knitting skills.  There is enough detail with the cables to keep your interest--but it's not hard.  We'll do a Finishing Workshop at our last session to put the pieces together and hone our finishing skills. At a gauge of 16 sts & 24 rows = 4", this is a pretty fast knit, too.

     The class starts at the end of the month, and there is still room for you! Did you resolve to build your knitting skills this year? Are you ready to learn or improve your finishing skills? Call the shop for more information or to sign up.

     I'm looking forward to knitting with you this year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, it is if you love wearing, working with or making things out of wool. Oh, WOOL! Oh, yarn! I could rhapsodize and carry on and wax poetic about the goodness of wool.  Instead, I find myself casting on project after project--it's a kind of intoxication, this love of yarn and fiber.

So maybe it is that I love the process equally.  Not just the wool, the fiber, the yarn. I see a color or texture--or a combination of the two--and my mind starts to wander down the path of possibility.  I think, 'Hmmm, that would be gorgeous striped (of course) with a rich dark grey.' Or, 'This shade of blue would make my daughter's eyes stand out, and wouldn't she be cute in the Bandana Cowl?' Or, 'I could hide this pair of socks in the bottom of my knitting bag, and start another project! No one will know!'

My heart gets involved, too and because I am the luckiest yarn shop owner in the world, I get to teach new knitters -- and even experienced knitters -- all sorts of interesting little things about wool and knitting.  I also get to meet and talk with knitters from all over the world. There must something close to a universal answer to the questions: Why do we knit and crochet? What impulse keeps yarn flowing between our needles and hooks?  If you've been in the shop, you've heard me say this:  We don't knit to save time. We don't knit to save money. We knit for a deeper reason. We knit because it really does create community. We knit for fun. We knit for the joy and surprise of it.

Go cast-on something beautiful!

Amish Country Fingerless Mitts



We have a new pattern out today! Shortly after we opened our shop in Intercourse, we came across a pair of gorgeous vintage Amish Wedding Socks. We copied the delicate scalloped shaping and made a sweet little beanie pattern.  This year, we're adding a companion pattern for a pair of Amish Country Fingerless Mitts.

We have kits for the beanie and the fingerless mitts for sale in the shop!

You can buy our new pattern as a pdf from Ravelry now!

Casablanca--NEW YARN and a CONTEST!



Cascade Yarns Casablanca

Casablanca is a lovely single ply, worsted blend of wool, silk and mohair. It is softly spun and gently transitions from color to color creating a lovely striped fabric.  It has a slight halo from the mohair and the silk gives it a tweedy appearance. Casablanca comes in a range of stunning self-striping color combinations, from rainbow to denims to neutrals.

The debut of Casablanca includes fifteen colorways, and they're all beautiful.  Long repeats make this an interesting yarn choice for all sorts of projects. I love the one skein Urban Lace Infinity Scarf, and it would be wonderful for entrelac.  Cascade has free knit and crochet patterns for this yarn including the Barred Scallop Cowl shown above in 'Reds.'


Wool | Silk | Mohair
Yardage: 100 gr / 220 yds
Gauge: 18 sts= 4" / US 8
Wash: Hand Wash Cool
Lay Flat to Dry


Intrigued? So are we! What would you make with two skeins of Casablanca?  POST YOUR ANSWER HERE with a comment and the name of a  pattern you'd choose for a CHANCE TO WIN two skeins of Casablanca yarn!  We'll randomly choose a winner from all the entries on October 12th, which coincidentally is   I LOVE YARN DAY!  


LET'S KNIT!