Spring Knitting Fever

This year, I've been struck by a serious case of Spring Fever. It seems all I can think about is the warmer weather, the singing birds, the yellow pollen and sneezing, and finally spending time outside again. The shorts are unpacked, and the long sleeves are gone.

It might be counter-intuitive, but I've also been struck by a desire to spend as much time as possible knitting. It might be because I am really attached to the outdoors, and would much rather find a park bench to knit on than sit on my couch at home in front of the TV – not to mention I've canceled cable, so it's a little tough to watch TV these days.

But what in the world do you knit this time of year?

The store has been struck with another viral project: All the Shades of Truth by Laura Aylor. I must admit that I am easily affected by peer pressure, and the popularity of this pattern is soaring.

 


All the Shades of Truth by Laura Aylor



Playing with colors



The yarn suggested for the pattern is Madelinetosh Merino Light, which is a perfect yarn to work with this time of year (Anytime of year?). It's truly one of my favorites to work with. It is a thinner yarn, and very smooth and soft, which makes it easier to work with in warmer weather. It also is a lightly spun single ply, which complements the merino's strength, giving it a soft elasticity.

I've also recently been introduced to Dragonfly, which I am itching to knit. It is spun similarly enough to Tosh that it could be safely knit alongside it. It also comes in colors that I would venture to say are even more eye-catching. There are also some gorgeous new colors made just for TYC themed after Game of Thrones: Winterfill, High Garden, Weir Wood, Kingslayer, Summer, Mormont, Ghost, Grey Wind, Danaerys, Arya, Knight of the Flowers, Godswood, Sunspear, Nymeria, Jojen, and Lady.



Table full of Dragonfly Fibers' Pixie

 

A finished "Shades" by Lori



I am always so mesmerized by hand-dyed yarns. The only word I can use to describe the way the colors work together is “life.” Both Madelinetosh and Dragonfly have such a life of their own that they perform rather well in a simple, modern, and elegant pattern, such as Shades of Truth.

All of her patterns work very well for those addicted to hand-dyed yarns. My personal favorites when I looked through her Ravelry patterns were: City Block Shawl, Westport Wrap, Litchfield Shawl, and Babycakes.  Andrea likes her newest cardigan, Pebble.

Now is a perfect time to start one of her patterns because she will be coming to The Yarn Club April 26^th through 28^th. There will be a reception on Friday, April 26^th at 4 P.M, and there will be cheese and wine. Check out the Classes/Events page for more details. I hope to see you there!
http://www.yarnclubknits.com/Classes_Events_Yarn_Club.html

An Introduction...

“Now, let us all take a deep breath and forge on into the future; knitting at the ready.” -Elisabeth Zimmermann

This is the time of year when everyone seems to experience change. The weather is changing, people start doing new activities, and we finally seem to have the energy to devote to making new decisions.

One such change is a new “I” and “me” behind the first person contributing to this blog. My name is Thomas, and I am literally brand new to The Yarn Club.

 

I moved to the area less than 3 weeks ago from Georgia, and of course one of the first things any good knitter must do when moving is locate the best Local Yarn Shop. One step inside The Yarn Club, and I knew I would fit right in. I can already tell that Andrea and I have extremely similar tastes in knits and yarns, and her yarn inventory drew me in with many of my old favorites, plus some new yarns that I can't wait to knit (Dragonfly anyone?). I'm in serious need of new knitting inspiration, and now I feel like putting up a diving board and performing some sort of triple forward pike dive into the yarns.

I'll be hanging around the shop as well, and I look forward to getting to know everyone. I am a walking knitting encyclopedia, so I really enjoy answering technical questions about knitting.

I will also be leading a new addition to The Yarn Club: Men's Knitting night, on the first Monday night of each month – starting Monday, May 6^th.

Hi,

Andrea, here.  It's been a very long time since I have blogged.  Thomas is helping me out with this and other fun changes around the Club.  Watch our website for new Featured Patterns, Featured Yarn and a host of new ideas.  WELCOME, Thomas.  We are so glad to have you and all that knitting knowledge.