BABY BLANKETS

Colorful Wedges Baby Blanket by PurlSoho

What was your first knitting or crochet project? Odds are pretty good that it was a baby blanket!  Learning to knit or crochet with a forgiving pattern (a rectangle!), becoming part of a well loved tradition, and making something with your own hands for a new baby is a pretty great reason to learn how to knit or crochet. 

A quick search on Ravelry reveals 7,911 patterns for knitted baby blankets, and 7,965 crochet patterns.  That's a lot of baby blankets!  Nearly every day in the shop we hear stories about treasured blankets made and given to the babies of dear friends, to our own children, made for our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews.  Many knitters and crocheters participate in charity programs like Project Linus to provide cozy handmade goods to families in need.

We have a Free EVENING Workshop coming up on Tuesday, July 19th to make an eye catching baby (or bigger!) blanket.  We'll choose between Second Time Cotton, a worsted weight, washable cotton yarn or Simplicity DK, a light worsted/DK weight superwash merino/acrylic/nylon blend that is engineered for knitting for children. (Yes! Engineered! It's a twenty-first century yarn!)  The 'Colorful Wedges Baby Blanket' uses short rows to build horizontal triangles of color in garter stitch. It's a satisfying, modern, and appealing pattern.

What colors are trending for babies? We're still hearing GREY, GREY and GREY.  Paired with more traditional colors like pale yellows, baby blues and pinks, or in startling combinations like grey with acid green, white, and purple.  Even 'business casual' palettes show up with shades of grey paired with black and red. Interest in vintage patterns, new patterns, fresh ideas and colors for baby blankets continues to grow. Come make a baby blanket with us!

COLOR INSPIRATION: LUMEN -- Icterus

Image: A Singer Sewing Trading Card from 1898.

New World Orioles are a group of birds in the genus Icterus of the blackbird family. A favored, migratory songbird, Orioles weave basket-like nests and fill the woods of the mid-Atlantic with song in the summer. Their brilliant contrasting plumage makes them a stand out beauty in the forests.

LUMEN is 50% silk and 50% merino in a fingering weight, and our Icterus skeins are tribute to the flashing golden orange of the busy orioles nesting in Lancaster County. Each 100 gram skein is 437 yards of silky goodness.  Ready to knit or crochet something amazing?  

Stop by the shop in Intercourse, Pennyslvania, or shop HERE in our online store.

We Love Color--& Coloring!

Franklin Habit's latest publication from SOHO Publishing is a coloring book for us!  The dreamy, imaginative illustrations on heavy paper are an invitation for you to find your colored pencils, crayons, or markers and sit down to color!

"A triumph!" 
"Hilarious!"
"Finally, a coloring book about knitting & yarn!"

WWKiP -- Virtual Runway Contest!

We're having a contest!  Join the World Wide Knit in Public day fun with our WWKiP Virtual Runway Show, featuring YOUR projects made with LUMEN from Kettle Dyed Yarns.  One knitter or crocheter will win a wonderful bag of knitting goodies including YARN!  You do not have to be present to win.

You can enter as many projects made with LUMEN as you'd like--send us your best photos for a chance to win!  The winner will be chosen at random, and we can't wait to see what's been on your needles!

Enter by sending an email with one photo as an attachment to lancasteryarnshop@gmail.com for each entry.  Use the subject line WWKiP Virtual Runway. We'll need to know the knitter or crocheter's name, the project/pattern name and which color(s) you used.  Entries accepted starting June 1!

Coming to our WWKiP party on June 18th?  You can also enter by bringing your FOs (finished objects) to LYS before 2:00 pm and we will add it to the Virtual Runway for you! 

Check our pinterest page to browse all the entries!

All entries (virtual and IRL) must be received by 2:00 pm EST on June 18, 2016

*by submitting your picture of a FO (Finished Object) made with Kettle Dyed Sock you are giving us permission to use your photo and first name in any and all online mediums in perpetuity (pinterest, facebook. instagram, our website, etc) copyright remains yours

LKR2016 -- it's a wrap!

If the success of a retreat can be measured by the ability of a group to keep the 'real world' at bay while immersing itself in a healthy pastime (knitting!), we've definitely just had a successful retreat. 

Stepping out of the everyday world we live in allows us to deepen and strengthen relationships, build new skills, learn new techniques, and, if we're really lucky, to truly relax and build community. 

The tone for the Lancaster Knitter's Retreat was set by the perfect weather, and complimented by the sophisticated, comfortable and beautiful setting.  We 'cast on' Friday evening with wine & yarn, added excellent teachers--and set a pattern for the next two days that allowed us to enjoy a really good time.

The Lancaster Knitter's Retreat 2016 was wonderful. 

We gathered together in the beautiful Great Room at the Amish View Inn in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania on Friday evening for a glass of wine and an evening of knitting and introductions. 

We welcomed Lorilee Beltman from Washington and Candace Eisner Strick from Connecticut to teach at #LKR2016, and they proved to be inspiring instructors and great company.

Saturday afternoon brought a return of a local old time music group, 'The Knitpickers.'  They cheerfully made a reprise of some tunes from last year including the crowd favorite "I Dye A Little Each Day."

Our Sunday morning Knitting Salon was filled with poetry, a flax spinning demo,  an esoteric cast on, a WIP Red Carpet,  and an exploration of a  new stitch pattern.  Our visiting teachers wrapped up the weekend with a casual interview.  We shared our knitting triumphs and the projects that tripped us up.  It was great fun to share Door Prizes from Brown Sheep Company, Bryson Distributing, SOHO Publishing, Knit One, Crochet Too, our teachers, and Harrisville Designs.

The Lancaster Knitter's Retreat was a chance to step out of the ordinary every day part of our lives, to connect and make new friends, and to sit together in the great company of knitters.  After all, as Annie Dillard wrote, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives... Each day is the same, so you remember the series afterward as a blurred and powerful pattern."

Thank you to everyone who came to the Lancaster Knitter's Retreat!  We can't wait until we meet again.  Until then, let's spend our days and our lives knitting!

LET US BE KNIT TOGETHER

A definition of "knit" is "to tie together."  Knitting is a way to make fabric from yarn and a way to make community from individuals.   The Lancaster Yarn Shop community is tied together by our common love of yarn and color and handwork.  Knitters and crocheters (and quilters!) are friendly and interesting folks, sharing their favorite skills and techniques and offering an encouraging word when needed.  The LYS community is built from Thursday Knit Night (5-8 pm, all welcome!), Classes and Free Workshops, and online knit-a-longs, for example.  

Lancaster Yarn Shop is part of a global community of knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers--people who love yarn.  One of the best things about our location at Kitchen Kettle Village is the opportunity to make connections with people from all over the world.  A knitter from Australia may find a skein of locally hand dyed yarn, and a few weeks later a picture on our Facebook page lets us see her finished project!  We also keep in touch through crafty websites like Ravelry and Pinterest.  The global fiber community that is possible in the twenty-first century takes age old traditions and keeps them fresh. There's never been a better time to love yarn!

If you're already a knitter, won't you find a friend and bring them into the fold?  We love teaching, and we have an excellent, free 'Absolute Beginner's Workshop.'  Bring a friend! Let us be knit together!