Run -- don't walk to Woolbearers. The new Interweave Knits Magazine just arrived. You wont' believe all great projects they have --- and we have lots of the yarn the patterns call for -- Classic Elite Cotton/Bamboo, Manos Wool, Euroflax, Rowan Summer Tweed et al.

Even though I just started two new projects -- this one is made with Rowan Calmer in a pattern from Rowan's Studio Nine --- what a great yarn. It's cotton and microfiber but it knits up just like wool -- so soft and stretchy.

This one is going to be a sweater for my husband -- after 20 years of marriage he never asked me to knit anything before now --- how could I refuse, especially when it's on size 15's. It's a basket weave pattern cardigan from the book Men in Knits.

The Euroflax pattern I want to start is this one -- so lacy and summery and a quick knit -- I think!

Another Yarn Tasting sample idea...

This is Gwen's great way of saving the samples she got from the Yarn Tasting. She has the labels coming off the back of the piece.

Be sure to send me a picture of your knitted yarn tasting samples!

More Yarn Tasting news....

Crocheted of samples from the Yarn tasting, Rina did this granny square during the party!!! If you click on the picture, it will enlarge and you will see the labels.

Once in a while I will find a book that inspires me so much that I want to knit everything in it. Folk Vests is one them, and while I have only knit two of the projects, I intend on doing more. Knitting Workshop is another, and we are working through that book in Woolbearers as a series of classes and knit -a- longs.

Yesterday, Beth, Gwen and Joanna were inspired to do that very thing with this great book, One Skein, but as a knit-a-long. They made up some rules, which includes having to do the projects in the order in which they appear in the book. I'll find out more about it and write later.

The first project are the leg warmers. They look like nifty little things in print, but I am wondering if one skein will cut it for my warrior calves. (A tad bigger than most women's due to my ancestors squatting in the fields.) I'm going to try to knit with the gals.
This great little gem arrived in the store last week.....there are so many ideas for great projects! We are mulling over one othem for a community project...more later.

Here are the pictures I promised of the yarn tasting Friday night. Unfortunately, my batteries wore out early, but several knitters promised they would send me the shots they took. That's Rina and Stephanie, above. Stephanie teaches crochet at Woolbearers.

Maureen.

Millie, Ruthie and Marna.

Kathy and Mary.

Barbara, Judy, Lisa and Alison.

Stephanie, Eva and Joanna.

Terry and Julie, both wearing something handknit by Terry. Wish you could see the detail of the black Euroflax tunic that Julie is wearing.

Yarn Tasting 2008 Go Green!!!!

It was just a coincidence that Woolbearers Yarn Tasting of Organic and Sustainable Fibers took place on the last day of Earth Week. We had a really nice evening spending time with our customers outside of the busyness of the store.

Even though the event was sold out, it felt like there was more space in the dining room at The Robin's Nest. Must have been the use of the second room this year.

We were so grateful to Plymouth Yarns, Southwest Trading Company, Vermont Wool Company, and Alison Weiss from Mary Kay Cosmetics for their generous door prizes.

I'll post pictures tonight, but wanted to get this out now. It was important to us to thank all of you for your continued support!!!

Einstein, thank god you're finished. It's a little hot in my house to knit with a couple of pounds of bulky wool yarn on my lap. The buttons still need to be sewed on; they are just laying there, and it needs mucho blocking. Nothing like a good blocking to hide any mistakes.
This is Beth's Lady Eleanor that she morphed into an afghan for her mother in law, who spent a month of hell in the ICU, but is home now and doing better. The colorway is called Women's Intuition....There was a cool story behind it but I forgot what it was!!!
Don't put towels in with your knitting to be felted, no matter who tells you to do it!!! These adorable mules, a Fiber Trend pattern, just need a simple shaving and they will be good as new.

Gwen's Adult Surprise of mostly Julia. Isn't it great! Love those beachy colors!

Gwen's shawl; Joanna did the same shawl out of green and gold yarns. (I blogged about it a few days ago.) Great way to use small amounts of 'dear' yarns.

Change of plans...

Here is a picture of some of the handspun yarn I spun and saved over a period of five years that didn't make it into the store to be sold. Most of it has some special meaning to me. The yarn was spun from rovings I dyed. There was even a small piece of yarn, the orangey, red and blue, that Myra's daughter dyed when she was helping me one day. I've wanted to use the yarn in some way, but wanted it to be special; the Adult Surprise Jacket seems the perfect use for small amounts of special yarn. It would be my first personal knitting in a long time.

I had some time a few nights ago, so I dug the yarns, some of them still on the spinning wheel bobbins, out of a china cabinet I used to store things like yarn and roving. To keep them safe.....

After taking the pictures, I sat down to start swatching and the first ball I picked up fell apart in my hands. It didn't take me long to figure out what had happened, and the sick feeling in my stomach got stronger as ball after ball of yarn was examined and ultimately thrown in the trash. I had been visited by a moth. Because of the amount of wool I have in the house, I spray and use moth bombs at least every three months, but the chemicals couldn't reach the handspun because I had placed it in the cabinet for safe keeping. By the way, there was also sachets made especially for moth repellent, in the cabinet. I'm certain now there is nothing better than good old fashioned poisonous sprays to kill the little mothers.

Gwen gave me the Knitter's Mag with the pattern for the Adult Surprise, and the sample in the issue shows a sweater knit of Aurora 8, which we have. I am debating whether or not to do it out of that yarn, but will think for a while. I really had my heart set on that darn handspun.

My husband is coming home tonight after being in Atlanta for a couple of days and I really can't wait to see him. As much as we get on each other's nerves, we really do love each other and these absences are wearing me down. Even the sheep miss him! When he drives up, they will great him with great baaaing, and the four dogs, (five, including me), will be waiting in the door.

Women have many things to do on their day off work. You never truly get a day off. If your kids are still home, you do things for them. When they leave, you do things for your dogs. One of the reasons I am still wearing glasses from 15 years ago is that I hate to take the time to go have my eyes checked. It's easier to be blind. I have put off having a mammogram and am constantly reminded by my loving customers that we must do that once a year.
So today, I went, stood on my head, and had the squeeze. I asked the technicians and receptionist if anyone knit there; my camera was fired up, but alas, no one knit! I found that so strange that in a room full of women, not a knitting needle was available. I must figure out a way to change that....

While I was in the area, I stopped in at Marcy's, of helmet liner and sock fame, and she made me a delicious asparagus omelet. I know I am a pest with the camera, and here she is, dishing out the goods. I also nosed around and found these great Opal socks in progress.
Marcy's comfortable home is filled with family treasures and mementos from her journeys. I could have curled up on her porch in her grandmother's rocker, and knit away for the rest of the day.

Kristen finished yet another lovely project; a moebius of Rowan.

Joanna's lovely shawl inspired everyone. She used a selection of yarns including Colinette, Skacel Unikat, and a grab bag of hand dyed from Woolbearers.

Detail of the shawl.

Suzanne's Beech Leaf Vest of Classic Elite Sundance. It is really beautiful.

Tola's cute footie of Lorna's Laces.

Two guys in a knitting store, being good. Lisa's son and Tola's husband Michael's son.

Elda's Kimono Jacket before blocking. This sweater has a great story behind it that we will let her ok before we go any further....

Jill's moebius of Plymouth Nikki, a silky soft, bulky, self stripping yarn.Jill in the process of these wonderful baby shoes and matching sweater.

Yet another yarmulke by Kristen.

Debbie's first attempt at fair isle; she is doing a great job, using my favorite, Jameison shetland.

Close up of Sydney's clapotis of hand dyed Kraemer Sterling.

She did a great job!

Linda's socks of Woolbearers superwash, colorway Aerial View.

Linda's bag from a Knitter's Dozen Bags. Sabra knit the small version and this is the large.

Here are the pictures of the Adult Surprise Jackets that are being knitted in our class. Jill's Adult Surprise, above, is subtle and beautiful.

Robins's is wonderful! The colors just play off each other!

I think this is Brenda's before she ripped! It's going to be lovely.

Brenda's yarn choices and the beginning of her sweater.

Suzanne is almost done!!!

Bab's vibrant color choices match her personality!

Judy's yarns are the softest!

Kristen chose Wool in the Woods for her's.

Bummer...

Myra's Adult Surprise class met today and everyone had something to be photographed, but I left the camera at work. Look for lots of new pictures in an upcoming post.

I did get some interesting things on ebay during a moment of weakness; a 1941 Red Heart Pattern book of military knitwear. Don't ask me why I needed this; I think my friend Marcy's helmet liners, done in different shades of green in Cascade, had something to do with it. I also wanted the Fall 2000 issue of Knitter's Magazine, but bid on the 2001 issues! Brain drain. Gwen gave me her copy though, thank you so very much. I decided the safest thing is to stay off ebay unless I know exactly what I want. I started to search vintage patterns and where do you stop???

Bounced Check Jacket from Simply Knit
Debra knit this work of art using hand dyed Kona and Gems. She joined our Bounced Check KAL more than a year ago, and as far as I know, is the first gal to finish! I knit one of Dzined worsted weight before the KAL, and started to knit another out of Jameison DK, the yarn called for in the pattern. The worsted makes it go a lot faster....Maybe it's time to pull that out and work on it for a while!

Moebius, easy to knit on purpose, tough to avoid. I am the queen of the twisted join. Socks, sweater in the round, hats, I've twisted the joins and retwisted the joins and then after several tries, success. I have seen, however, some knitting that got slightly farther than the initial first row.

A few years back, a gal was having trouble with her entrelac bag. Lo and behold, she was knitting a moebius bag! She was into the fourth row of rectangles when her mistake was discovered, and as you know, the only cure is to rip right back to the cast on. It almost finished her for entrelac.

We've seen the moebius blanket, moebius mitten, but my favorite was the moebius yarmulke. There is no cure for the accidental moebius. I am thinking of this because I am ripping my purposeful moebius for the third time, this time because my yarn over's don't line up like they are supposed to. So, no picture of my moebius, yet.

I was able to get a few pictures today....

Below, Suzanne's wonderful Fair Isle bag of Cascade.

This beauty is going to be a class next fall. It is chock full of techniques, including cables and intarsia.
Joanne's latest woven project! I thought the lace shawl I blogged about yesterday was the latest, but she weaves so darn fast, you never know. This is of sock yarn! The royal blue is a merino blend that she forgot the name of and the background is Sockotta. Wow! It's gorgeous.

Detail of fabric.

Little dolly, knit by Rachel. The body is JCA/Reynolds Playtime. Her bikini, below, is of PJ's and she knit it in an hour while sitting in the store! She's an amazing kid.

Nina knit her socks of Woolbearers superwash sock yarn, colorway Mixed Fruit. Nice to see you, Nina!