What I want this season:

Needful Yarns Dolce & Gabbana Coat - actually designed by the D&G design studio.

Needful Sweater Dress

Needful Deerhurst Sweater

Austermann Cabled Sweater (minus the thing around the neck, i think we can forget about that) & Austermann Frayed Sweater

OMIGOD! FIL CROSA COAT! it's soooooo Prada! so are these: Fil Crosa Tiered Skirt, Fil Crosa Tiered Capelet, and finally an interesting poncho!

ok, this one i don't want, but it is clever, Fil Crosa Chanel Jancket

arucania update: it passed the eucalan test with flying colours, much softer now, and the colour variation is lovely!

New on the shelves (cubbies & hooks): Cherry Tree Hill!
- lamb's pride worsted (now you can see the cost of hand dyeing without exploiting labour)
- lamb's pride bulky
- Jumbo Loop Mohair .... mmmm, mohair.

arucania update!
the store elves were eager to dive into the nature wool and see how it knits up (they heard somewhere in cyberspace that it was worsted weight, not aran weight: aka. a bit skinner than thought).

conclusion:
it is probably best knit, at least in stockingette stich, on a 4.5mm needle. there was also abit of confusion around the workshop, 'cause the label calls for size 5 to 7 needles, but we think they are referring to US sizing, not metric.

thank you elves!

Knitting & a Beer!
I'm going to have a real live guy teach a testosterone only knitting class - a guaranteed estrogen free zone (i'll cover the vintage paint by numbers with centerfolds, the shopping mags with sports illustrated) but i need to collect the students first. please contact me if you are interested: knitomatic@gmail.com

wait! i made a mistake. at least 2 boxes were Arucania nature wool chunky. oops!

so, here is the difference
• Arucania Nature Wool, (which i am told will have a great book accompanying it)
ARAN weight, 18sts/24rows, 100% hand dyed wool, 100g/220m, 5mm needles
comes in a plethora of colours, $11/skein

• Arucania Nature Wool Chunky (same great book by big name designer)
CHUNKY weight, 14sts/20 rows, 100% hand dyed wool, 100g/120m, 7mm needles
also comes in a fabulous array of natural colours, $11/skein

ok, i am OPENING the boxes .....
box 1: araucania nature wool, hand dyed, yummy, sheepy, pretty.
box 2: more arucania
box 3: zara plus ..... merinooooooo
box 4: zara, yummm
box 5: more aucania .... sooooooo good for aran!
box 6: arucania
box 7: arucania!

i think i must have all the colours in the arucania. ;-) but it is FABULOUS! one caveat - buy extra yarn in your dye lot, 'cause running out of this stuff could be bad news (hand dyed & all).

here are the stats on this magic stuff: 100g/220m, 5mm needles, $11. DEAL!

shopaholics! the new shopping mags are in for perusal: lou lou, lucky, fashion shops, shop etc. there was another one but it sucked and i left it on the plane to NYC - sorry.

started making smallish kits for gifts - chanamas is only 4 months away (actually, i've no idea when chanukah starts this year).

fancy dropped stitch scarves are the first. merino keyhole scarf will be next, along with cute little armlets, leg warmers, hats, and of course, ponchos!

free poncho patterns form about.com

more class topics - mini classes
- Knitting ornamental flowers (like the kind you youd decorate a hat or slippers with)
- Crocheting Flowers (same as above)

I'm also tweaking the structure of the classes to help make them more successful & fulfilling for everyone:
- class fees will remain the same ($10/hour + tax, unless otherwise stated), except some classes
will be extended an hour
- class fees will aslo be accompanied by the cost of a reasonably priced (likely discounted) priced
kits. This is so everyone is working on the same skill set and is working with the most suitable
textile for learning those skills.

mmmmm ... some inspiring non-knitting from the NY Times Magazine. but who says it can't be translated?

i especially like this sweater from Anthropologie , but didn't lizabeth Marmugi publish a pattern for this off-the-shoulder in interweave a few yearns back?

more boxes!

my apologies to anyone who came in yesterday, saturday, and found me in a harried & irritated state. my mother, god bless her martyred soul, works in a different flow than i do and like all good moms likes to show up & help out with her grandchild - alot, unannounced & for a long time.

I am spending today getting my groove back.

I have started conceptualizing gift ideas for the holidays: this will include a binder of pattern ideas, quick & easy gift project kits, and classes to go along with them.

I have not set dates or times for classes & seminars, but here is a tentative list in order of difficulty:

BEGINNER/SCARF
For Absolute Beginners.
Kit: "entry level scarf". worsted weight yarn, 5mm needles.
Learn to cast on stitches, knit, purl, cast off.

BEGINNER REVIEW/SCARF
For people who need a review, but have knitted before.
Kit: "Dropped stitch scarf". worsted weight yarn, 5mm needles.
Review casting on, knitting, purling, casting off, and learn how to use dropped stitched for decorative effect.

KNITTING WITH CIRCCULAR NEEDLE/PONCHOS & CAPELETS.
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, casting off, knitting and purling.
Kit: any poncho or capelet kit, adult or child.
Learn how to use circular needles, how to use stitch markers, increase, read a basic pattern, very basic finishing skills (blocking & weaving in ends).

KNITTING WITH DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLES/HATS.
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, knitting and purling.
Kit: any basic hat kit that does not involve changing colours in the middle of a row, adult or child.
Learn how to work in the round with double pointed needles, decrease, read a basic pattern, very basic finishing skills (blocking, weaving in ends, other).

BASIC SOCKS
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, knitting, purling, working in the round, working with double pointed needles, basic finishing, reading a basic pattern, increasing & decreasing.
Kit: basic socks. worsted weight yarn, 5mm dpn.
Many people find socks intimidating, but they really aren't hard. Learn how to make a pair of basic socks from the top down on double pointed needles, pick up stitches, graft stitches, introduce new colours at the beginning/end of a round.

MY FIRST SWEATER/EASY BABY SWEATER
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, knitting and purling, basic finishing, reading a basic pattern, rudimentary increasing & decreasing.
Kit: Easy Baby/Toddler Raglan Pullover, worsted weightt yarn (5mm needles)
Baby garments are the ideal project to learn how to make a sweater because they are small enought to move through the different stages in a class setting. Learn the basic morphology of a sweater, blocking techniques, and simple methods to sew a sweater together.

other seminars .....

SEMINAR - BASIC HAND KNITTING DESIGN PRINCIPLES - experienced knitters
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, knitting and purling, finishing, reading a basic pattern, increasing & decreasing, and be a fairly self-reliant/independent knitter who is open to experimentation. Must have completed at least one sweater.
Preparation: Please prepare a large (20cm x 20cm) swatch of knitting that you would potentially like to design into a sweater. No project will be completed in this seminar, but you will be able to apply what you hae learned and turn your swatch into a basic sweater.
We will discuss, among other things, the importance of knitting a gauge swatch, different types of fibers and textiles, the merits & deficits of pattern software, how to design from scratch, web resources, and style.

SEMINAR - CREATIVE KNITTING: EXPERIMENTING WITH COLOUR
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on & off, how to change colours in the middle of a row (intarsia), knitting and purling, and be a fairly self-reliant/independent knitter. must know
Peparation: a) please bring an assortment of random bits of yarn from your stash and a series of different sizes of knitting needles (straight needles are fine) - these bits will be shared among the group to create a palette of sorts. b) please bring a colour image or picture that you find aesthetically inspiring or that you would like to adapt.
NOTE: this seminar is not project oriented and will not focus on a specific finished project. The seminar will be modeled on an art class and will focus on developing aand expanding creative and expressional skills.

SEMINAR - CREATIVE KNITTING: EXPERIMENTING WITH TEXTURE
Prerequisites: must be proficient at casting on, knitting and purling, and be a fairly self-reliant/independent knitter.
Peparation: a) please bring an assortment of random bits of yarn from your stash and a series of different sizes of knitting needles (straight needles are fine) - these bits will be shared among the group to create a palette of sorts. b) please flip through magazines and patterns and bring images of garments or other textiles that feature texture or incorporate different textures and textiles.
NOTE: this seminar is not project oriented and will not focus on a specific finished project. The seminar will be modeled on an art class and will focus on developing aand expanding creative and expressional skills.



crochet classes ...

BEGINNER CROCHET/WORKING A PROJECT IN 1 PIECE
For absolute beginners
Kit: crochet pillow, sachet or small handbag kit
Learn the foundation stitches of crochet, learn how to read a basic crochet pattern, change colours at the beginning and end of a row, and make a flat project, either a small pillow or purse.

NEXT LEVEL CROCHET/MULTI PIECE PROJECTS
Prerequisites: experience with the foundation stitches of crochet, learn how to read a basic crochet pattern, change colours.
Kit: Crochet granny square pillow, baby blanket or purse
Learn how to apply crochet stitches and use them in a non-linear pattern.


fun classes ....

Dyeing Yarn with Kool Aid

Needle Felting

Screen Printing

Parents & Kids workshop

Intro to Embroidery

Teen Knitting