Where to go for Knitting Help?

It never fails.  When you need to ask a knitting question, the one that really stumps you, it is 1:00 am and there isn’t a knitting shop open anywhere!  Where do we turn?  What do we do?  HELP!!!

When I started to put this blog together I thought it would be short and I would reference a few sites that I have found helpful throughout my knitting tenure.  I asked a few of the amazing folks who help me out at the shop and I got an abundance of replies.  Too many for one post!  So let’s begin a short series of places you can turn when we want to learn more.

My personal favorite for basic technique videos is www.knittinghelp.com.  The site shows easy to understand videos that can be played over and over again, late into the night.  Whether you are a new knitter or need to learn a particular skill or stitch, this is a “must have” bookmark in your knitting favorite’s folder.   When a new knitter comes into the shop, this is where I frequently turn.  Being a continental knitter, I admit, I need the videos to help teach the English method of knitting.  Both methods of knitting are displayed with each technique given.  There are several methods of cast-ons and bind offs.  With the new cowl frenzy, I have turned to this many times for the Provisional Cast On.  It’s a lifesaver.  And, every time I close a cuff down sock, I turn to the best video on the Kitchener Stitch that I have found.  It gets you saying the mantra of “Knit, purl, purl, knit” over and over again.  Circular knitting is explained in detail with Magic Loop, two circular needles and using DPNs.  The site explores double knitting, intarsia, Fair Isle, button holes, short rows and so much more. 

One of the hardest things for me is how to get stiches to look smooth when doing short rows.  How do you avoid the “purl bump” when picking up the wraps?  So many of our shawl and cowl patterns incorporate short rows.  Short rows are a MUST if you are a full figured woman who wants to make a jacket look like the pattern was written just for you.  (Those necessary bust darts as explained by Jean Frost in Custom Fit Knit Jackets.)  So, where do I turn?  Where Peggie insisted, Cat Bordhi’s tutorial on short rows Part I and Part II.  Peggie recommends you review this tutorial before using short rows for a Top-Down Set-In Sleeve.  The sleeves are picked up from the shoulder and body of the sweater.  Instead of knitting straight down, short rows give your garment a smooth roll from your shoulder to your arm.  Hey, we are not made from geometric squares and rectangles like the pattern graphics may imply.  We have many curves and short rows get us over them.

Chuck and Pam have sent me a plethora of sites where they like to go for more knitting knowledge.  I will continue with these in my next post.  Feel free to share your favorites here or on our Facebook page.  One of the best qualities in knitters is our willingness to share what we love.  Keep the information flowing!

Andrea
The Yarn Club, Inc.
http://www.yarnclubknits.com/
email your favorite help site to andrea@yarnclubknits.com

A Chill in the Air and Chili on the Stove!

Malabrigo Rasta

Finally!  Winter has hit Hampton Roads.  We can now wear our Malabrigo Rasta Cowls, our Madelinetosh Honey Cowls and our Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Shrugs.  I bundled up in my first knit sweater made with Alpaca Boucle and a crazy yarn from Ironstone.  Oh, it feels good to wrap up in all those wonderful knits!


Rasta Cowl by Carla



Madelinetosh Honey Cowl by Mickey

Today was a fun day at the shop.  With the cold air blowing at 35 mph, I discovered that the windows in the front of the store were terribly drafty.  So out came the coffee and the caulk gun.  While the ladies enjoyed a fresh cup from the Keurig I hopped from window to window killing that frigid draft.  Luckily, it worked!  But, after all that, I decided to leave early.  After Kiki arrived I ran home to put on a pot of Chili.

My recipe is simple.  It is an alteration of a recipe from an old friend of my husbands.  I cook by adding a handful of this and a drop of that, so bear with my measurements.  They are not exact, but they work. 

Andrea’s Family Chili

1 Package stew beef

1 onion diced

1-2 lbs lean ground beef cooked and drained (or cooked on the grill if it’s not too cold out)

2 McCormick brand Original Chili Seasoning packages (do not substitute)

1 can diced or crushed tomatoes 29oz

1 large can tomato sauce 29oz

1 large can tomato paste 16oz

2 cans light kidney beans 16oz

2 cans pinto beans 16oz

2 garlic cloves crushed or minced

Optional hot seasoning mix or other hot chili powder to taste (I don’t add any to mine)

Top with Cheddar cheese and diced red onion

Directions:  Cook Ground beef separately and drain well.  In a large pot, brown stew beef with onion.  Once brown, drain the fat and add all of the canned goods (tomatoes, beans, paste, etc.)  Stir well.  Add cooked ground beef.   Add seasoning packages and garlic. Additional hot chili powder or other hot seasoning can be added if desired.  Cook on medium to low flame for 1 ½ - 2 hrs or more.  The longer, the better.  Stir often.  Stir again.  Stir some more.  There is nothing worse than burnt Chili.  Top with minced red onion and cheddar cheese to taste.



Dragonfly Fibers' Traveller

 Hopefully this recipe and some chunky wool from The Yarn Club will keep you warm this week.  I’m off to work on my CasuCowl in Dragonfly Traveller.

Happy Knitting,

Andrea

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

Going 'Round with Alisha

While hanging out in the evenings with my friends this past June during TNNA at the Hyatt lobby area, I met a wonderful woman who was determined to finish knitting a polar bear for her booth. She was using yarn doubled on large needles, and one could not help watch her in fascination as she furiously knitted while still chatting with everyone around her. At some point, I found myself helping her by holding whatever spot she directed me to in order to sew and seam whatever needed to be done. It turned out that the woman was Alisha, and her fabulous polar bear was a cool asset to her fabulous Alisha Goes Around yarns at her booth!

Because TNNA does not allow photography on the showroom floor, the bad news is that I could only Kinnear* a shot of the finished bear in the booth. However, the good news I have is that Alisha's yarns have arrived at The Yarn Club, and they are nothing short of delicious!
To begin the list of what is still available, I must brag about my favorite - Tracks of Bison Fingering yarn. If you click on the yarn's link, you will be able to Add it to your Stash, Favorites, or Queue it on Ravelry. Why tell you now? Because you will want to after seeing this gorgeous yarn in person. Here is one of many projects that are a perfect match: the Mezquita Shawl by Roxanne Yeun. The pattern is a free download on Ravelry, and beads can be added by way of a crochet hook. Pictured below is katecknits' Bison Mezquita. Isn't it gorgeous?
The next yarns to mention are sparkly and shiny. Both "Tiding of Magpies" and the "Tittering of Magpies" are fingering weight yarns at 400-420 yards that contain just a hint of shine to catch the light. The difference between the two yarns is that one contains silk while the other contains metallic thread. Both are amazingly soft and will make your projects stunning.

My favorite project out of these yarns would be hands down HelenJ's Deep in the Forest Mittens. I am in complete agreement with HelenJ when she wrote that the glitter in the yarn made the scene look "c-c-c-c-cold."
As for going by the way of worsted, Alisha created "Stable of Horses Worsted" and the merino combined with her dyepots are truly magic. The semi-tonal colors are deep and vibrant. Our selection at the shop? Well, you will have to see for yourself, but here's a peek...
With 200 yards of machine washable 100% merino in each 100 gram skein, the possibilities of projects are endless. I see blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves (with and without fingers), even boot socks being made. A great idea came from Sjanova on Ravelry, who made an octopus with hers. I really love it!

"Marmalade of Ponies Aran" may be the last yarn I write about, but it is definitely not a least favorite one. In fact if I could, I would get every colorway that Alisha offered in this "soft and sproingy" 2-ply yarn. We do have sweater quantities, but they are limited. Shown below are the skeins "Ashes" I am eyeing. I hope you can grab them before I do!

By the looks of the projects on Ravelry, I see quickly knit garments and accessories in my future, especially for gift-giving time. Clara Parkes' "Hill Country Hat" and Purl Soho's "Bandana Cowl" are two such items. Both of patterns are knit using size US 10-1/2 needles, both only take one skein, and best of all, both patterns are free. Here is killerdaisy's "Bandit" Cowl. Can you believe that she knit it in about 24 hours tops?


I had mentioned earlier that if I could I would snag those skeins of Ashes for myself. What would I make with it? Knitty's latest Winter Issue has the Sky Isle cardigan that I think would be a perfect match. Then again, I seem to have a penchant for grey colorways...

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

Diving from Spring into November

Hi there! I’m Kimberly, the newest addition to The Yarn Club family. Many of you may know me from the STITCHES Knitting Expos and my previous work with Knitter’s magazine (I’m the one constantly wearing the bunny ears at fiber events). That chapter of my life came to a close last month, but as one door closes, another one opens. I am very “hoppy” to be working with Andrea and the girls at The Yarn Club. My specialty is Social Media so I will be helping out with our Blog, Facebook, Ravelry, and other e-media. You can also find me in the shop on Thursdays and Saturdays. Since Andrea has had absolutely no time to write I will be keeping everyone up to date with all the happenings at The Club. Here are some of the highlights since May and some events to look forward to this Fall...

Spring and summer whooshed by so fast, we have had no time to talk about the fun that happened!  Back in June, Dianne Lutz of Creatively Dyed Fibers taught a workshop on how to dye a skein of yarn while bringing her awe-inspiring trunk show.  For $75 apiece, everyone attending had the chance to play with the delicious superwash worsted merino with all shade of acid dyes.  During this exclusive workshop (only one is held per state), Dianne described what to do and what to avoid in choosing colors to make personalized colorways.  The result of that day was lots of happy customers who were able to see her fabulous yarns up close and personal without having to attend a fiber festival.



With the heat of summer now gone, we are diving head first into autumn's welcoming yarns.  The hordes of merino, alpaca, cashmere, and their blends continue to arrive.  Sally Melville's book signing on October 23rd was just one of the fun events we held to round out her Tidewater Knitting Guild of VA visit. Just recently we had a sale on all cashmere and cashmere-blend yarns to celebrate Halloween.  Right now, Sandra McIver's "knit, Swirl!" trunk show will be here to coax all who touch the fabulous jackets into making one. If you have not heard of this book yet, stop by The Club and ask to see the "Sheer Beauty" I am knitting for the shop using Madeline Tosh DK in Whitewash and Cascade Yarns Kid Seta in Silver.  For specific details, check out Kimberly's Ravelry Sheer Beauty project page.



We also have 2 events happening very soon: the first is our 2-day "Early Black Friday Sale" in which you can find some really great bargains from 10% to 40% off!  This big sale kicks off on Friday the 18th at 10 AM sharp. The other event is our Men's Session that offers free knitting/crocheting lessons to those guys who have always wanted to learn. This 3-hour period starts at 11 AM on Saturday the 19th. With both of these events happening next weekend, the fully stocked shelves won't be full for long.

We look forward to seeing you during one of the social knit nights on Tuesday or Wednesday and this weekend!

Bye for now...
Kimberly =:8