New Stuff!!!

Amazingly, many of the yarns we ordered this month are already being shipped! It's like Christmas everyday in the store.

This is the Dream in Color Smooshey, which we are unable to keep in stock. We also sell it in our online store, and it goes fast!

Arriving today; Jitterbug!!! And it is great looking. I may have to give into the urge and just start a pair of socks.





Myra finished her lovely shawl of Art Yarns Silk Mohair. One skein knits this ample shoulder cover, perfect for cool summer evenings. The crocheted edging is perfect.



Also here today, Jade Sapphire Lacy Lamb in eight new colors. I wish there were more hours in the day.

I couldn't help but take a picture of this amazing display of sock yarn. In addition to this selection, we also have our Austermann Step and Trekking yarns up in front of the store.

It's Finally Here!!!!!

The long awaited Knit So Fine arrived this week and it is a beautiful book. As usual, I want to knit every project! For a knitter who gets depressed when having to use big yarn, this book is a godsend for me!

Come in soon to flip through this great book.

Lisa Myers, one of the authors of Knit So Fine will be interviewing Woolbearers about some of the yarns being used in the book. We will post the interview on this blog June 15th. Watch for it!

World Wide Knit in Public Day

14 * June * 2008

Join us as we knit with hundreds of other knitters around the world on the same day!

Where: Woolbearers (we will be sitting on the Meeting House grounds, across High Street from the shop.)

When: Saturday, June 14^th, 11-3pm

Bring: Lawn chair, your lunch, knitting.

To Market to market to buy more yarn of course -- here is my version of the "Let's Go to the Yuba River" Market Bag by Allison Rapp of Fibers Yarn & Gallery in Grass Valley CA. Allison is another yarn shop owner that I know from one of the yahoo groups I belong to and she graciously shared this pattern with all of the other shops. What a great bag -- it can be made out of any of the cottons or cotton blend yarns that we have -- on big needles (size 13-17), so it is a very quick knit. This one is knitted out of Rowan Handknit cotton; I used 3 different colors and just changed colors when I felt like it. Some of the other yarn shop owners say they have been knitting it with novelty yarn. Can't wait to see how those look. Come into the shop and you will get a free pattern if you buy yarn to make the bag. This version takes about 250 yards.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hopefully, you had a good day doing whatever it is that your family does on summer holidays. I loved watching the news this evening; barbecues, playing on the beach, going into the city, visiting with friends and loved ones. Me, I walked behind the brush mower for four hours. Besides the fact that I can't lift a glass to my lips, I don't feel too badly. I wonder what the translation is in hours in the gym for farm chores?

I noticed our big dog had a longish stick in his mouth as he was cavorting around the field. It turned out to be a deer leg, which caused the dog fight from hell in our living room. While my husband tried to separate the fighters with a broom, (we've learned the hard way not to interfere during their skirmishes with bare flesh), I got the lovely job of picking up the treasured leg bone and throwing it outside, where my husband then disposed of it. I dread thinking of what would have happened if Jim had been in Atlanta when the fight broke out. I'd have two dead dogs.

Above is the ribwarmer in Summer Rush. Finally.

Cate's moebius in Manos Silk and Wool.

We had a pretty big group of knitters on Sunday; this is one corner of the room.

Kathleen and her husband, on a trip from Spring Lake. To see her absolutely fabulous historical costumes, all sewn and embroidered by Kathleen, go to their website, The Wool Merchant's Daughter.

Kristen knit this great summer top for mom, Jill, of soysilk Oasis.

Sylvia and her adorable grandson, Zack, here from Michigan to see her son and Zach's dad off as he goes back to Iraq. We wish him well. Sylvia had to buy something to work on while she was in town! Home safe to you and your family, Sylvia.

These three projects in process are from the Adult Surprise Class. Top; Carol's great work in Cascade, then below, more glorious Cascade for Barbara, and then on the bottom, Jill's incredible sweater in cotton and bamboo.

Ok, I guess I'll crawl down the stairs and see if I can reach the refrigerator. Maybe my husband will feed me something.

An Oat Couture pattern, the Prairie Blanket, knit by Leila. Wish you could see it up close. Jane is knitting one of 1824 Cotton, seen in an earlier post. Beautiful!

Linda knit this lovely shawl of two strands of Cascade 220. I'm also using two strands of 220 for the Noni Metro Bag and it is so soft and spongy; it reminds me of marshmallows!

Leila knit her lovely top of Jamieson DK shetland.

Another scarf of Venezia, this one knit by Rosemary.

Smooshey is finally here!!!

It's Happy Choice! Happy Feet wool and nylon sock yarn, knit into panels of fabric, and then hand dyed.

Cece, our darling Plymouth rep. We love her!

This is a photo of the colorways we are getting of the Happy Choice, along with some undyed to do in Woolbearers colorways!

You can vote!! We have two polls going on Twisted Woolbearers at Yahoo Groups. You must be a member of the group to join; if you would like to receive an invitation, email us at the store, or simply go to yahoo and sign up!

Then, go to polls on the groups front page. One poll is about which needles you prefer to use, the other is which method of sock knitting you prefer. It's interesting to see how everyone's preference are spread across the board.

More Yarn Tasting PicturesKathy, Maureen, Rina, Stephanie, Gwen and Kathy, knitting away.

Mom and daughter, Jill and Kristen. Now you can place a face with all of those wonderful finished projects we post on this blog.

Judy, Deb, Myra and Alison.

Judy, Patty and friends.

Donna, Brenda and Sabra at the Yarn Tasting!

My dream; to sit on a boat in the middle of the ocean with needles and yarn. You go, Jill!

Needles - The Good and the Bad

I'm no expert on needles. I also don't have much experience with good needles; Addi Turbos, Colonial Rosewood, etc, until recently.

Four years ago when we opened the store, I was happy using the vintage metal needles loving customers dropped off at the store. Then, I made the mistake of trying out a pair of Addi Naturas while using Colinette Giotto, a silky ribbon yarn. Wow! The needles made all the difference in the world.

The metal needles I had been using kept splitting the yarn. The stitches slid off the needles if I so much as sneezed. The Addi's held on to the yarn until I moved the stitches off. The bamboo cradled the delicate yarn, slipping off the ribbon instead of piercing it. The long, soft cable held the bulky project in my lap, instead of having all of the weight on my forearms. I was hooked!

Then, last week when I was starting the sleeves of the Feather and Fan Baby Sweater from the One Skein Wonders book, I just couldn't face using double points, as directed by the pattern. So I took a pair of 12" Turbos off the wall and had a most enjoyable experience knitting those little baby sleeves. It took a few minutes of knitting for my hands to relax. They didn't know what the heck I was trying to do.

Some time ago, a couple of gals from Delaware came into the store and asked about 8" needles. Could there be such a thing? At the time, it seemed unnecessary, but now I can see their usefulness. I may never use double points again. As a matter of fact, I may take up sock knitting just to use the 12 inchers again.

The right needles can make a project. They can save your arms and hands from hours of pain, keep the stitches from dropping, protect your expensive yarn from damage. Does everyone know this? It's my duty to pass this information on!

Customer GoodiesJane's lovely blanket of 1824 Mission Falls Cotton. It is so soft and drapey and isn't heavy at all like many cottons are. I think the spinning does the trick.
Suzanne's newest felted bag with the fabric she found at the Village Quilter in Mt. Holly. Perfect. The colors are deeper than they appear. I was having a bad camera day.

The back of the Beech Leaf Vest Suzanne is knitting. It is really beautiful.

Below, Beth standing with Paula, who comes to see us in low country Mt. Holly whenever she is visiting from the High Desert, California.

From the One Skein knit a long, arm warmers. Joanna on the left and Gwen on the right~

The Crochet Today felted shawl in the magazine and Joanna's version below.

The leg warmers, vest and bag Jill knit for her grand daughter. She is a lucky kid! We'll have to see if we can get a picture of her in them.

Gwen's top knit of Calmer with detail below. It looks really comfortable!

Socks by Gwen!

A new shawl, by Gwen, knit of a strand of Anne, something hand dyed, and then she found the acid yellow Cherry Tree Hill. I can't wait to see where that will end up! The colors are much more brilliant than they appear in the photo.

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Kelly's colorful baby blanket of Baby Ull is a study in techniques. She enjoyed adding the different mitered squares and the lacy corner. Kelly came in to the store today and is working on a wonderful top from The Best Of Interweave. Kristen is also knitting the top for her mom, Jill, out of bamboo and it, too is gorgeous.

It was family day in the store; Lisa and her son, Deb and her mom, Anne and husband, Doc Ansel. Ok, here's the fun part; I worked with Dr. Ansel at Hahnemann back in the early 1980's, and Deb worked with him right here in Mt. Holly until his recent retirement. Anne is a prolific knitter and quilter.

The camera was left behind at the store again today, so I'll post more pictures tomorrow, including one of Jane's blanket. I'm almost finished with my second rib warmer. It's put together; I'm doing the i-cord edging now. Also, the little sample of an Elizabeth Zimmerman Stonington Shawl that we are going to knit as part of the Knitting Workshop study group is coming along. It's really simple; you begin with two stitches and increase at the beginning of each row until it is as big as you desire, and then start decreasing at the beginning of each row until there are just two stitches left again.

Without breaking the yarn, you then pick up three stitches in every two rows along one side of the square you have just knit. I chose to go around my square counterclockwise. You increase at the beginning of every row, forming a trapezoid. This is knit about one third or more as wide as the square. After all four sides are done, you knit the lace border that you want. Choosing the pattern for the lace border will be fun!

We decided we need another Noni bag sample for the store, so I am going to knit the Metro Bag! I can't wait. The bag is done in bright pink and green. I'll start it Monday! More tomorrow.

Summer is here and it shows in the yarns and projects that you are choosing. I'm still knitting with wool because I have to finish some things before I succumb to starting anything else. The Knit Kimono book has really got my attention, but that isn't an overnight project for me. Yesterday, a customer chose fingering weight Lyndon Hill Silk and Cotton from Plymouth to knit the Modular Quilt Scarf!!! I think that is a fabulous idea, and I may have to copy her.

Below are two things I finished on my days off this week. The Garter Stitch Vest, from Folk Vests, was the easiest vest I knit until I tried to do something different with the collar and lapels. For me, by the book is the way to go everytime. I bet I tore it out three times....

Folk Vests Garter Stitch Vest. What shall my next project out of this great book be????
From 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, Feather and Fan Baby Sweater of one skein of Sheep
Shop number three Silk and Wool; easy, fast, satisfying, and what a great baby gift!!!

Below is a detail of Anne's second clapotis ofWoolbearers hand dyed worsted weight cotton. It will be perfect for a cool, summer night!