Loopville

2010-05-04T13:55:00.002-04:00

Last Wednesday was party day and I hope you were able to come by. Aunt Karen, Lori Palmer, Judy Sumner, Alyce Hemphill and Co. brought treats and we celebrated my birthday. There were lots of people in the store also, and they helped us celebrate!

Many people are working on the Knitting Pure and Simple Summer Cardigan and quite a few (like Aunt Karen and Sarah Weeks) are speeding past me. Aunt Karen used Ty Dy cotton and Sarah is using Bamboucle. I'm using Aslan Trends Pima Classico.

Classic Elite KAL knitters remember the finish date is June 1. I put part of my vest to block yesterday and am trying to finish the other front. Let me know if you have already joined Laura Apgar in the finishing ring. We will have to arrange for a time for pictures, too.

The book from last summer's Think Outside the Sox competition came in today. They have some wild and crazy socks in there.... Pearl

2010-04-24T13:45:00.003-04:00

Greetings!

After about 6 months and hundreds of phone calls (okay, maybe not hundreds) Jinka has finally got the website up and running again and is updating like crazy. She finished her A-line tank out of Urban Silk and is starting on another sleeveless pattern using Wach'i cotton.

Wednesday was a little raucous this week as usual. Aunt Karen brought cookies from the Fresh Market, so no one had a reason to complain. Many stories were told and laughter was heard. Oh, yea...people were also knitting. Alyce is coming along with her Feather and Fan Cardi for the Classic Elite KAL.

Thursday evening Linda blew in from North Carolina and we had to have a look at the new Kureyon sock yarns. Laura Apgar is the first one finished with her KAL project and the rest of us are trying to get there. Every one is at a different place in their projects, but all are progressing.

This week we got in some fun summer patterns from a new designer, C2 Knits. There is a tank, a cap-sleeve tee, and a skirt that Jinka swears she's going to make.

Remember sock monkeys? This week we got some patterns for making animals out of sock OR worsted weight yarn that look sort of like ballon creatures. They are very cute and you get the patterns for all the animals in one set.

That's all for now...Pearl

Scattered Thoughts in Spring

2010-04-06T12:10:00.002-04:00

Today at Loopville...
The Handpainted Yarns lady came by today and Jinka picked out some sock yarn and scarf kits in really neat colors.

Interweave has sent out a Knitscene magazine for new knitters with some easier patterns in it.

I finished the back of the baby sweater and have started on the fronts.

On the Classic Elite Yarns knit-a-long Laura Apgar is going to be the first to finish. She was putting her vest together last Thursday. Sherry Kaspar and I are on the backs of ours. Some people haven't really started yet, but I think they'll get on it soon.

Skacel is coming out with a set of Clics in the Lace Needles, and I can't wait. We are restocking our turbos and they should be in soon.

See you on Wild Wednesday! -- Pearl

This is crazy

2010-03-26T23:49:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in 18 months...I promised not to get boring but this is ridiculous. I've been working on crochet and have finished my first ball of Paper yarn. My crochet skills have progressed from laughable to passable. The edges are straight and it has a recognizable shape. The web page is a disaster. Looks fine on Firefox but useless in Internet Explorer.

Better than Sox Scarf

2008-09-14T22:33:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-18T15:23:00.003-04:00

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.

2008-07-19T12:16:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-18T21:33:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-29T10:45:00.003-04:00

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 ...

2008-05-14T12:28:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-04-25T17:01:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-07T17:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-03T12:58:00.007-04:00

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.

2008-03-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

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.