The End of A Knitting Year...

...means the beginning of another one!

In that spirit, I cast on a sweater last night. I've swatched carefully, thought about it, and reviewed my pattern.  That first hour of working through a project is a good one, isn't it? I paid close attention, I did just what the pattern said, and it worked! The markers are where they belong, I have the right number of stitches, and the pattern is right. 

It is vastly satisfying to cast on a big project just as we get ready to ring in a new year, it's a sort of bridge from this year to next. A reassurance that we can carry on.

I hope your knitting and handwork helps you feel festive and reassured. 

Thank you, knitting and crocheting friends for your support and friendship!  Come see us over the holiday season!  We have gift certificates, Classes, and YARN for sale online & all sorts of gadgets and goodies here in the shop for your last minute shopper--or your last minute project!

Kettle Dyed Rainbows!

How many colors are in a rainbow? All of them!

Knitting with a highly variegated yarn is great fun.  Each skein can be a complete surprise, defying your vision of what precisely the knitted or crocheted fabric will be--or vindicating you completely! 

There are so many interesting strategies to get the most out of any skein of hand dyed yarn.  We've seen Kettle Dyed Rainbow used for textured socks, plain socks, and stripey socks.  We've seen shawls, wraps, and a baby sweater, too!  Carol Sulcoski wrote 'Sock Yarn Studio' a few years ago, a great collection of patterns and information that helps knitters evaluate the potential of each skein. And Janelle Martin came to LYS to teach a workshop on Planned Pooling last year and the results were STUNNING! 

These rainbow skeins have such beautiful color breaks and the colors are so rich. What will you make?

We LOVE The Baa-Ble Hat!

The Baa-Ble Hat is still in the top 20 on Ravelry! Have you made one yet? This hat was designed by Donna Smith for Shetland Wool Week 2015, and is a great introduction to fair isle technique. We have great colors in stock for beautiful or playful Baa-Ble hats!

We've made ours with Jagger Sport and also with Kenzie.  Slight mods made the fit better for us! We also made an astonishing pom-pom!

We have yarn and needles at LYS and here's a link to this great free pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baa-ble-hat

Fall is Truly Here!

It's raining and chilly in Lancaster County today, and leaves are flying down from the trees.  A perfect day to plan winter knitting and crochet projects.

I've got socks on my needles, and sweaters on my mind!  I've posted two sweater knitting classes to take place in January and February at our teaching studio here in the shop.  If you've never made a sweater and are ready to learn the basics, have a look at the 'Flax' class. This pattern from Tin Can Knits is a great fit for a first time sweater!  If you have a little more experience and want to refine your skills, we're also teaching Isabell Kraemer's 'Dexter' cardigan.

Let's cast on!

JOIN THE SCOREBOARD KAL AT LYS!

LYS is ready for some football! 

Join The Scoreboard Cowl KAL and make an AMAZING, wearable knitted record of your team's 2015-2016 season with your Scoreboard Cowl!

The Scoreboard Cowl is made with Simplicity DK from HIKOO and worked in the two colors of your favorite football team! Simplicity is a super soft, washable merino blend and it comes in SO MANY COLORS!

Choose a main color to represent your favorite team and their points, and a secondary color to represent your favorite team's opponents and their points.  (There is also an option to add a third color, which provides a visual break line between games.) 

The design of the cowl is simple; it is worked in the round in stockinette. When your team scores, knit a round in the main color for each point attained.  Did they kick a field goal?  Add 3 rounds.  Did they score a touchdown?  Knit 6 rounds.  Was the point after good?  Add another round!  

Should the opposing team score on the subsequent drive; their points will be knit in the contrast color following the same rules noted above.  Follow this structure for the whole game, switching back and forth between the main and contrast colors depending on which team scores.  All rounds will be worked in knit stitch, except the optional, game-dividing, purl rounds.

LYS is having a KICK-OFF party on September 17th as we start the Scoreboard Cowl KAL with Skacel & Michelle Hunter!  Join us for snacks--and to get your materials ready for the KAL!  Free project bags for the first 10 people to purchase their yarn! 
Free pattern available for download on September 3, 2015! GO TEAM!

Just Keep Knitting!

photo copyright The Alpaca Yarn Company

Summer is here and we are knitting like mad! We're very excited to have a beautiful new yarn in the shop this week! Say HELLO to Mariquita--a hand dyed fingering weight yarn made with alpaca and tencel--so it's shiny, soft and absolutely dreamy to knit!

YARN CAMP starts soon!  Five days of Free Workshops start Monday, August 10th with our favorite 'Absolute Beginner's Knitting Workshop; ' in other Workshops we'll explore short rows, Fair Isle technique & Mosaic Knitting.

Please consider joining us for an Open House at our Thursday evening Knit Night during Yarn Camp -- we'll provide coffee and cookies and make you welcome! Bring your current WIP, or stop in for help with choosing a new project to keep your needles and hooks flashing!

We meet weekly to knit and natter, and YOU are invited. 
Happy Knitting!