Better than Sox Scarf

Last week one of my first customers came by to see me. She's from Norway and we'd spent a few evenings downloading patterns written in both in Norwegian and English so that I could find yarn for patterns that she could follow. Her husband was doing research at Oak Ridge but was retiring and she hadn't expected to come back from to Knoxville. I was so happy to see her again. She showed me a scarf she was knitting that she'd seen in a shop in Great Britain. It was so simple and clever and she showed me how she'd done it in less than a minute. As I walked out of the shop on Saturday, I picked up a skein of Noro Cashmere Island to try the scarf pattern. I rolled the skein into a ball on in the movies and cast on before I went to sleep. In the morning on the way to church I grabbed the yarn and ran. As I knit, I knew it was the perfect little on the go project, like a sock only its a scarf...the better than sox scarf. As I'm working on it I can think of a dozen variations...more later.

Conquering mesh stitch

I'm one of those keep your head down and keep moving knitters, so its rare that I admit defeat. Mesh stitch had me baffled, I made a hemp shopping bag, every round seemed to have a different number of stiches so I'd make up some kind of compensating decrease or yarn over and keep going. When it was done, it had a line up one side that looked like a bad surgical scar. I wound it back ito balls and shoved it in the bottom of my bag. Next I tried a beaded scarf in a mesh stitch. I strung the beads onto a slippery rayon yarn first which was no small feat, then began to knit. There were only thirty stitches but any slip up resulted in the all the knitting unraveling.

Bowed, bloodied but still not ready to admit defeat, I asked for help from Linda Michaluk and Patricia Landry of Swallowhill Creations. After about five minutes working with big yarn and pony beads, I got it. I've been working on a short rowed scarf with mesh stitch and I can really do it now.

Don't unravel get help! It really is true.

The Loopville sign will be placed over our new door on Monday and that will make our move complete. Things have disappeared and re-emerged in the new space and fall yarns are trickling in. My brain was fried but now I'm ready to tackle a real knitting project again. I picked up two new pattern designers, Kate Jackson and Figheadh, both are good for smaller projects with a little challenge. Hope to see you soon!

walking back and forth

The new space is shaping up and I've been working on executing the move next week. So far we have dragged alot of backstocked yarn to the new space and placed it neatly in its new home. at the same time I've been looking at new yarns and patterns for the fall. Lots of yummy things and choosing is not easy. I'm particularly excited about a new alpaca wool in all natural undyed colors from Aslan Yarns. Shelley has been knitting baby sweaters and blankets that are so cute. I 'm entranced by a little bear with his own handknit sweater.

June is bustin' out all over

In knitting shops the summer months are usually quiet. Shop owners will busy themselves making samples, drinking iced tea and posting to their blogs. This June we will be getting our new shop space ready and moving the last week of June to the other end of this building. We'll still be at 5204 Kingston Pike but in Suite #1. The new space is twice as big as this shop so we will be able to spread out a little and have a small classroom for messy crafts like wet felting, nuno felting and dyeing.
We also will have new employees: Shelley Hecht, a knitter with lots of experience and if you don't already know her, I think you''ll find her gentle ways and love of the craft inspiring. Jessica Hamilton will be here for July and August. She is a fiber arts major at Berea College and will be our gal Friday helping with the move and teaching Kids Kamp. She is also looking forward to working with adults as well so watch for opportunities to see what younger knitters have to share.

As Promised ...

Here's the quick knit topdown baby sweater out of Universal yarn, Tapestry, in a bright self patterning red. It looks a lot like a red sweater all my kid's wore as toddlers so I knitting it brings back sweet memories of Natalie, Steven and James.

We've decided it would be fun for others to join us in a summer knit-along. Our pattern of choice may be made for an adult or child. Take a look at our Summer Class Schedule and join in on the fun!

I finished a sweater! This is always exciting to me. The Lace V Necked Cardigan is out of Louisa Harding's Modern Classics and knit with Malabrigo's Silky Merino. The lace pattern was easy to learn and not very fussy so I had only a few mistakes and they were easy to spot and fix. The mother of pearl buttons pick up the yellow greens in the sweater. The yarn is soft and light while kettle dyed variations keep the color alive and subtly changing. It took a little time so I rewarded myself by working on a quick knit topdown baby sweater out of Universal yarn , Tapestry, in a bright self patterning red. It looks alot like a red sweater all my kid's wore as toddlers so I knitting it brings back sweet memories of Natalie, Steven and James. Pictures to follow soon.

Right after I've sent out a newsletter

Right after I've sent out a newsletter, more good things comes in. This time it's some gorgeous porcelain buttons from artist Alice Hunt, A new Katia Book with fifty fashionable patterns and hand dyed lace yarn from Misti Alpaca. I'm almost finished with my Silky Merino cardigan with a little lace detail.

A Mother's Day Gift ~ Make a Gift for Mother's Day

No matter your mother's age, she'll always appreciate a hand-made gift. Especially if the gift was made by her child. It's time to start thinking about that special gift.

Here are a few ideas ...

If your Mom enjoys that spa-like treatment ... what about knitting a spa mitt. We have a wide variety of yarns that would make a wonderful bath accessory. Plus, this is a quick knit-project.

Maybe your Mom is into the latest fashion accessory ... we have great handbag, purse, or tote-type patterns that can be knitted, crocheted or felted. Let us help you find the perfect yarn for the fashion conscious mom.

Or your Mom might want a real luxury item such as a lace cashmere scarf. Even the simplest pattern will look rich in an "oh so soft" cashmere yarn.

And then there's the Mom that knits for herself ... we can set you up with a gift of the latest knitting bags, needles, books or other notions for the craft-minded Mom.

Not enough time to knit? We'll send you home with a gift card and treat your Mom with special care when she comes to Loopville.

No matter what you decide to do, your Mom will know how special she is when she receives a gift from you and Loopville this Mother's Day.

I'm back from Chicago where I learned that blogs are good. The problem is so many blogs are ....boring. Do I risk adding "boring" to my list of accomplishments? I know that organized isn't high on the list. It seems that while I was gone several people cleaned up and organized my shop. Wow !! The tape dispenser is next to the stapler, hole punch and calculator. My eyes are full of tears of gratitude. Life doesn't get much sweeter.