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