Yarn Emergency

A yarn emergency... Is there really such a thing? I've heard the term used before but was skeptical, until it happened to me.

For the last few days I've enjoyed a visit to beautiful San Antonio, Texas for a family celebration, but I didn't set off on the right foot when I left my newly started shawl project, 6 sets of interchangeable needles, a row counter and a needle gauge in a tote bag on a Southwest Airlines aircraft at my stopover city. By the time I realized it, it was almost time to board the next flight to SAT and the boarding agents could not help me.

With nothing to work on, no reading material and no in-flight connectivity, it was a very boring 2 hours and I was more than ready to race to the nearest yarn shop when I arrived which, thankfully, turned out to be only minutes from the airport. After waiting to de-plane, collecting luggage and renting our car, we had only 20 minutes to get to the shop, choose yarn and needles before they closed!

Fortunately, the nearest shop turned out to be a darling little place, newly opened within the last couple of months. In fact, Unraveled yarn shop is so new they don't even have a permanent sign yet...

but the brightly painted Easter scene on the front windows was a welcoming sight.

The shop is well-stocked with lovely yarn like the Manos del Uruguay lace yarn shown in the photo at the top of the post.

and the notions and other items were neatly organized.

The shop owner was extremely helpful and did not rush us in any way, even though it had probably been a long day for her and she must have been wishing to get home soon.

In the end, I found some pretty yarn as well as the right needles to re-start my shawl project. I also found a cute new yarn shop to share here, so I decided that the 'emergency' was really a blessing in disguise.

Thanks for stopping by today, happy knitting!

Goodbye Autumn & Knitting Pattern Sneak Peek

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the seasons change, with today being the first day of meteorological winter already. I suppose I must say goodbye to beloved autumn, but not before I get a chance to share a couple of things from that season.

We enjoyed the fall leaf season with a visit to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee after our October weekend trip to Rhinebeck for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (see this post). 

While there, we found a cute little shop in Gatlinburg, The Smoky Mountain Spinnery. 

 

Although small in size, owner Nancy has packed it full of fiber and yarn for spinning, knitting and weaving.

We enjoyed browsing drop spindles, 

a selection from yarn companies like Louet,

and Brown Sheep

as well as all sorts of fiber including some terrific Icelandic wool.

The tiny shop is also loaded with fiber-related antiques from the mountain area, like those above and shown in the photo at the top of this post, and offers spinning, weaving and knitting supplies and classes.

While we did visit this one shop, most of our time was spent hiking and running through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We enjoyed the lovely rivers

and did a lot of running on mountain trails.

I don't recommend falling on this trail or you might end up with seriously bruised ribs and torn up knees like I did.

We loved the natural beauty of the area, and even saw a little black bear, but she was frightened by the tourists and ran into the woods before we could get a photo.

Another activity I engaged in during the trip was to knit a few experimental samples for my upcoming pattern releases, like this scarf in a sculptural cable and lace combination (sorry for the terrible photo, this was taken quickly on the floor of our cabin).

This version is a very rough prototype, but it gives you an idea of the final design. The scarf shown was knit in Berroco's Ultra Alpaca yarn. 

The final, refined pattern version is currently being test knit and will be released soon; I'll have better photos and more information in an upcoming post.

I hope to have much more to share about all my current projects soon. Until then, peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!

Getting Loopy - or Knot

Very often, instructions for a cast on begin by telling you to "make a slip knot and place it on the needle," providing the first stitch from which to cast additional stitches, as shown in the photo above.

But did you know you don't necessarily always have to start with a slip knot?  The next time you begin a new knitting project, try simply looping the end of the yarn over the needle.  I almost always use this technique when casting on in long-tail, by starting with the tail end of the yarn in front and the ball end yarn in the back.

Loop the yarn around your fingers as you normally do for long-tail method, hold it down snug over and around the needle, 

add a twist, then make the first cast on stitch and proceed as usual.  

This photo below shows how the loop stitch (on the right) and the first cast on stitch (on the left) look.

Looping the first stitch instead of using a knot is just one tiny way to finesse your knitting; however,  looping the first stitch does not work equally well for all methods so you will want to experiment to see where you like it.  

Speaking of getting loopy, awesome St. Louis, Missouri yarn shop The Loopy Ewe is holding Camp Loopy, a fun KAL version of knitting 'summer camp' with various challenges and rewards.  Some of the Loopy Groopies on Ravelry have chosen to make Sothia for one of their Camp Loopy projects.  Camp runs until July 15th, so there's still time to sign up and join this fun adventure. 

Many thanks to everyone for the abundant well-wishes and congratulations on my first 'blogiversary' post last week, and thanks for all my new Ravelry 'friends' too!

That post outlines the free knitting pattern and yarn give-away contest I am holding all month to celebrate my first year of blogging including some of my patterns, like my newest shawlette pattern Sothia. It's easy to enter, just leave a comment to any post between now and then, and the contest will remain open through July 21st, 2011.  I look forward to hearing from you!

My sister and her family recently visited from far, far away, and since it's been a few months since we've seen each other, we had a lot of catching up to do.   

 

One day during that all-too-short week, we packed into cars and drove over to Beavercreek, Ohio to meet up with my cousin and tour some local tourist sites, mainly centering around the inventors of flight, Dayton brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright.   

The national sites and museums offer a fascinating look at the amazing accomplishment of these men, who were acquaintances of my grandmother!

The Wrights' first endeavors included printing and bicycle building.  

Inspiration for knitting and crochet is all around, if you look for it, even at a historic site...

Take a little time, wherever you are, to really 'see' your surroundings and you will likely find all sorts of shapes, textures, colors and lines to inspire you. 

Knitting Store - Cynthia's Too

 

Cynthia's Too Yarn and Gifts was one of the yarn shops I visited on a recent trip to northern Michigan. Located in Petoskey, MI, Cynthia's Too owner Cynthia Marovich squeezes an amazing amount of beautiful yarn, accessories and gifts into a corner space on a main street in this charming town, popular with tourists.

Cynthia and her daughter were both on the premises the day of my visit as their second location, in Mackinaw City, is only open during the warmer season.

These ladies were cheerful and helpful, and their eye-popping displays and interesting promotions ('Button Day', with 20% off buttons and customer button swaps, was going on during my visit) give evidence of their creativity and love for vivid color.

 

 

 

There was certainly a lot to see from the moment we entered the store. I loved the selection of yarn from Misti Alpaca,

and Shibui, like this teal-colored skein of Shibui's Merino Kid wool/ mohair blend.

I'm still playing around with stripes, but must get some work done on more current projects.  I'd love to see photos of striped projects my readers want to share, and even post some of them here, so be sure to PM me on Ravelry if you do. 

More photos and shops coming soon, until then, peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!

Just a Wisp of a Thing

My friend Cheryl left town today to visit her family in another state, so last weekend we spent a fun afternoon together having tea, exchanging Christmas gifts and checking out a new yarn shop, Wisp.  

We drove to Granville, a quaint town nestled in gentle hills about a 45 minute drive east of Columbus.  Granville is the the home of Denison University, The Buxton Inn and the Granville Inn, all establishments of some age and esteem.

Wisp is located on the north side of East Broadway, next door to a tea shop and two doors down from Goumas Confections chocolate shop.  This yarn shop is so new (just 8 weeks old) that owner Anne-Sara Odor has not had time to put up a website. 

New or not, there was a lot of traffic in and out during the short time we were there and I can certainly see why.   This little shop was a delightful, bright space filled with a colorful stock of yarn from Rowan (first photo above shows a clever display of luscious Kidsilk Haze), Blue Sky Alpacas, Spud and Chloe, Fibre Company (Road to China shown below), Malabrigo and naturally-dyed yarns by Shilasdair, imported from the Isle of Skye.
 

I love this Shilasdair aran weight, cochineal and logwood-dyed British merino lambswool in colorway Briar rose.

Yarn is displayed hanging from wires, or in cubbyholes, baskets, and glass jars.

 

Although the selection of books, needles and other notions is small, there are many nice options available.  

Originally from England, proprietor Anne-Sara (too shy to be photographed) worked for a popular clothing manufacturer in Columbus for several years before taking the entrepreneurial leap.  She insists she is a newer hand knitter, but these adorable baby hats and jacket show a nice touch with the needles.

The shop also offers a lovely selection of home items imported from Britain, and books by a favorite author of mine, Jane Austen.

I also loved that the shop had a swatch of every yarn available, an important way to let customers sample the knitted texture, drape and hand of the yarn.   

 
It might be tiny, but if you are in Central Ohio, this little gem is definitely worth the trip.

Knitting in Santa Fe

Knitting while in New Mexico was a very natural thing, given that there are oodles of fiber shopping opportunities, not to mention loads of inspiration.  

 

Santa Fe, the oldest capitol in the US, has long been reknowned as an artist's mecca.  The gorgeous scenery and natural beauty inspire at every turn in the road, and the well-maintained historic buildings ooze rustic beauty.  

 We got up VERY early one morning in order to get some photos without the crowds. 

Constructed in the early 1600's, the Palace of the Governors is the oldest continually inhabited public building in the United States.  Native American artists, many of them Navajo, set out their blankets on the ground to sell their beautiful silver jewelry.

We enjoyed our stay in this city!  The galleries, shops and museums are rich with inspiration and history.  But as quaint as the main square area in town is, it was extremely refreshing to check out some of the lesser-known parts of town to stop in at several fantastic yarn shops doing business off the beaten path.  

One shop we visited was Oodles Yarn & Bead Gallery on Water St. 

The tiny shop boasted beautifully hand-dyed yarns by local artists (see the photo at the top of this post) as well as some more common labels, and a nice selection of gemstone and glass beads.  

 

The log-beamed ceilings, woven rug hangings, wrought iron chandelier and kiva ladder displays gave off that characteristic southwest charm. 

Another wonderful discovery (right next door to our bed and breakfast accommodations, The Inn on the Paseo), was the Santa Fe School of Weaving and Miriam's Well yarn shop.  

From the unassuming upper level street view, you might not expect much, but enter the gateway to the left of the photo, walk down a flight of stone steps beneath a shaded arbor 

 and turn the corner through a lush, flowering courtyard and you are transported to a place of beauty and creativity.  

 Owner Miriam Leth-Espensen is a transplanted Dane, by way of Vermont, who has developed this location as a school for weaving, knitting and all manner of fiber arts.  She is a prolific designer, offering her patterns for use with purchase of yarn from her shop, along with interesting anecdotes about her designs and their history.  

I came away with this cranberry-hued skein of Obi from The Great Adirondack Yarn Co.  

The hundreds of garments on display (all made by Miriam) are a riotous jumble of gorgeous color and texture. 

Miriam was a delightful lady, and I enjoyed meeting her and discovering a kindred creative free spirit. 

While on this part of the trip I managed to crank out several hats, including this simple little slouch hat modeled by my sister.

The stitch is a super easy one - I don't like to think too hard while I'm on vacation, LOL!  The yarn I used is Knitpick's Cadena, a blend of wool and alpaca, in colorway Seraphim.  

 

I really loved using this yarn for it's springy twist, nice drape and cushiony feel, but it is very heavy.  It was nice for a slouchy hat and I can't wait to try it for another garment, but probably not a heavy coat or jacket.

That's it for Santa Fe, coming soon... Taos and The Wool Festival at Taos! 

And around here it's pure splendor.  The trees, they are a-turnin'...

 

Enjoy Autumn's glories!