Monday, June 30, 2014

Not Much Knitting

Good morning -- Last week just flew and knitting progress was minimal. The shawl is almost done with 1 1/2 repeats to complete, then bind-off and blocking. I am determined to have it done by mid-week. Seriously.

It is being knit from Kenzie (see post from two weeks ago) and I love it. I am now contemplating socks from Kenzie. The popularity of this yarn is growing steadily. I will be reordering colors already in stock and adding a few to boost the array of 10 colors already in stock.

The hat has not had even one more row added to the needles. The pattern is one where I need quiet and there wasn't much of that in my life last week. I'm also working on a knitting bowl/pot from 100% cotton yarn from Cleo. My plan is to use that as a "Thrifty Thursday" post on Facebook...I'd better get moving on it!

In shop news: a 26-pound box of yarn for fall is due to be delivered today. It is a new yarn for Main Street Yarn and I'm quite excited about adding it. Fingering weight yarn from the Folk Art Collection of AncientArtsFibre is to be delivered late this week or very early next week. This color collection is amazing. Watch for photos here.

I was looking online at blogs from people who are well-known in knitting circles. One of those is Sally Mellville. Here is a well-written posting from last year. As a yarn shop owner I think it hits the mark...I also really like the comments. If you have time, take a few minutes to read it.

Please let met know what you think...

http://sallymelvilleknits.blogspot.com/2013/05/saving-world-one-yarn-shop-at-time.html


See you next Monday...

Monday, June 23, 2014

A Hat Box "Hat"

I love the new Mrs. Crosby Hat Box yarns. A lovely sport weight in a fabulous fiber combination. I wanted to knit a shawl. I love shawls! But right now I cannot decide if I want a 1-color or multi-color shawl. All I knew for certain is that I wanted to knit something from the yarn and I wanted to knit it now.

The yarn has a fabulous stitch definition, as you can see in this photo. I also really like the very subtle changes in color tone. It just adds to the fun of knitting.



I am not yet revealing the hat pattern -- hopefully I will have enough knit by next Monday for you to see the texture and how it "works" with the pattern I chose. The hat ribbing is a 1x1 and only needs to be 1 inch wide. It would have been done, except Whitney decided she wanted to "knit" which means I had to pull out all the stitches and begin again. I've been very busy this week so haven't made too much progress. Hopefully that will change.


See you next Monday....

Monday, June 16, 2014

Monday Updates

Good Morning! This is the first of weekly blog posts about what is new in Main Street Yarn, what fiber festivals we will be attending as a shop and what I'm knitting. So tune in on Mondays for the latest chapter.

I would bet there will be some mentions of the Golden Retrievers and the kitten, along with baking, cooking and traveling. Primarily this blog will focus on what is on my needles and/or suggestions for projects that hopefully will interest you.

Kenzie is a lovely DK weight yarn that is a combination of merino/nylon/nylon/angora, alpaca and silk. It is very reasonably priced at $9 a skein for 160 yards. There are 20 gorgeous colors available. It is perfect for sweaters, scarves, cowls, shawls, hats, mitts/fingerless mitts and earwarmers. There are colors to please men and women.


Luckily, I came across a pattern called "Wild Cherry" by Melissa Goodale. I knew I had to knit it and that I wanted to use Kenzie. It is an easy 16 row repeat with various lace patterns added into the mix. I think it is a delightful knit. I'm just about finished with the first skein of yarn -- this is a 2 skein project. The pattern calls for 12 repeats and in a few more rows I will have marked off the 9th repeat. I think I am adding a few more sections to the shawl. I will have extra yarn available. No reason not to make it a bit larger.

This shawl would also be a gorgeous knit in Hempathy. I think that version might be next on my needles. I'm hooked on this pattern.

There is a cute pair of "Welted Fingerless Mitts" by Churchmouse in the shop. They are such a fun knit and only require one skein of Kenzie.

We are getting ready for Autumn, so new yarns are beginning to arrive. There are some very exciting new companies who will find a home at Main Street Yarn this year. Keep watching this blog and Facebook for updates.

Have a great week. See you next Monday....Kim