For those who missed the incredible "knit, Swirl!" trunk show from December 15th to the 26th, it was a rare treat. Since Sandra McIver published her book November 2010, knitters have been drooling and wanting to make one for themselves. This past June at TNNA Columbus, I was lucky not only to have met Sandra in person, but also see all of her Swirls. While there, I met up for breakfast with Jenny Raymond of zzJonquil Designs and Deborah Robson of "Fleece & Fiber Source Book" by Storey Publishing. Deb's Swirl is made with two different colorways of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. To see her twirl in her swirl, click on the below photo. I love the way it moves!

There are many Swirls made by prominent folks in the fiber world. A second one by JC Briar of the award-winning "Charts Made Simple" book is in WIP status. I have seen hers up close during TNNA also, and it is utterly elegant. During Thanksgiving, when I showed my Swirl-in-progress to a friend of Christopher and I, she was smitten by the alternating welts of reverse stockinette and stockinette stitches. Inspired, she offered to trade a substantial amount of String Theory for my hardcopy book (purchased here at The Yarn Club). Unable to refuse, I accepted her offer and handed it over. By the way, the yarn is a luxurious amount (weighing close to 7 ounces) of silk/merino sport-weight blend at $30 per 4 ounces. I think I hit a nice jackpot, don't you agree?


For those curious about what yarns to use besides the ones listed in the book, here are a few to help. *Note: You must have access to Ravelry to see the details on these projects.*

The Coat of Many Colors swirl above was made in Berroco Vintage by adixonmahatoo

ChezShea's Forest Fiesta swirl above was made in MadelineTosh DK with the Tart colorway
Jill's above Sheer Beauty was made in Malabrigo and Louet
ltlknits' Winter Waves swirl above was made in Malabrigo
knittingalways' Shades of Grey swirl above was made in Cascade Rustic
So before I digress further, here are some of the latest trunk show photos. Again I apologize if you missed seeing these beauties up close and personal because they are simply GORGEOUS.
Ann in a couple of poses:


Andrea grinning in her Sheer Beauty:
Myself unable to resist trying on a swirl in black and red:
Amanda cozying up in a swirl of Mountain Colors:
Our favorite swirl in a beautiful burgundy wine color:
Now if you still want to make your very own Swirl, do not fear because we can help you! Now that I have my first Swirl under my belt, I have figured out not only to make the very long sleeves shorter, but I also figured out how to make the pattern fit larger sizes. Feel free to drop by the shop to get twirling in a swirl!! See you soon! Kimberly =:8

It's Knitting Men!

Inspired by what works in progress (aka WIPs) I saw during the Free Men's Knitting and Crocheting Session (the next one is December 10th at 11 AM), I have been looking through various patterns to see what to make for holiday gift giving. For those who love brioche stitch, in-house instructor Chuck Dunn (chuckldunn on Ravelry) knitted up this fabulous scarf from "Knitting Brioche" by Nancy Marchant using Berroco Boboli and Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage. I really like his color choices.
Another talented knitter is Jake Di Toro of the "Random Babblings" blog and "Karrde" on Ravelry. His latest finished object (aka FO) is "Clockwork" by Stephen West. Jake used 2 different colors of Berroco Sox to make his scarf, and it turned out great.
This gentleman has a newfound love of lace knitting. Christopher (CraftyWineaux on Ravelry) is enamored with the balance and rhythm of the yarnovers and decreases. During the Men's Session on the 19th, he was diligently working on the HPKY Scarf in a Shrug for his mother's Christmas gift. His latest FO is the "Fleurdelise One Skein Triangle Shawl" by Michelle Miller, aka FickleKnitter, that he made for me.
No photograph as of yet, but Scott Waitzer has been using the stitch pattern from Madelinetosh's Honey Cowl to knit himself a blanket. He chose Manos Rittenhouse in the colorway Cerulan (which looks like "Carolina Blue") held doubled over KnitPicks needles. In case you are wondering where the Rittenhouse is at the shop, here is a quick peek...
Our recent addition to the Yarn Club membership is Joseph Elliott, aka ACallToYarns on Ravelry. If you browse through his blog and Ravelry projects pages, you can see his talented work shine like his current WIP, the "Spanish Dancer" by Laura Patternson of Fiber Dreams, that he is making for his SuperWife. The yarn he found in the shop is Traveller from Kate of DragonFly Fibers, and the colorway is Red Bud.
My final mention is none other that designer Russell Boyd, who occasionally drops in from Murfreesboro, NC. Rusty is in Love of Knitting Magazine's Winter 2011 issue, and we are tickled to see him whenever he is here. Hmmm... I wonder if he could autograph the issues that we have left? So if you would like to meet any of these wonderful yarn magicians, definitely pop in at the next Free Men's Knitting/Crocheting Session on December 10th. Of course if you would like to come on in before then, we would love to knit and crochet with you too. ;)

See you soon!

Kimberly =:8

Crazy for Cowls

Hi Everyone! We are extremely grateful for the many folks who came out to the Early Black Friday Sale we held over the weekend. Now that much of the summer stock is gone, we can stuff the shelves with more goodies from Madeline Tosh and other  yarns that are perfect for this winter and the Holiday Season. Lots of boxes are arriving daily, so Andrea has kept all of us busy in the shop with rearranging and adjusting where everything goes. For many years, cowls have made the fashion scene. From knitting 150 grams of super bulky alpaca/wool in the GAP-tastic cowl, to making Madeline Tosh's Honey Cowl in her to-die-for Pashmina Yarn, to my latest two finds: The Burberry Inspired Cowl which folks at the shop are making out of 2 skeins of either Cascade Eco Duo or Jade Sapphire 6-ply or 4-ply cashmere, and the Uber Elegant Cowl which I am making out of a skein of Dragonfly Fibers fingering weight -- cowls are a hit for both the knitter and the wearer during the winter months.

What I like best about cowls is that they stay in place as I actively move about my busy day while keeping my neck warm. I easily feel temperature changes, and having something on my neck seems to put them in check. In this photo, Donna models the Honey Cowl she made out of Madelinetosh DK in Calligraphy.

About two years ago, I knit a cowl for my sister as a Christmas gift. This year, I adapted the GAP-tastic Cowl from Ravelry to work with her busy schedule and to offer more stylish versatility. This unisex cowl also knits up FAST -- as in it only took me less than 8 hours of a day to finish!

If you want to learn how to make these awesome quick gifts, we have oodles of patterns to suggest like Berroco's made out of Souffle. It only takes 4 skeins and knits up very fast.  And if you have a pattern that you want to try, bring it in so we can get you started.

Cowls are definitely ALL the rage this winter.

See you soon!
Kimberly =:8