Newsletter 931
Summer Classes Call: A Few Spots Left
Classes for the season are filling up! But there are a few spots left for summer sessions of a couple of much-clamored-for ones:
Leah is offering her incredibly popular Beginning Socks class, teaching the "two circs" method of working smaller circumferences. In addition to learning how to knit a sock, Leah will introduce you to working with two circular knitting needles, a technique that allows you to work smaller-circumference projects with ease...and you'll be able to apply that knowledge to future projects like sweater sleeves, two socks at a time, and hat crown decreases. This class costs $80. This is a three-Sunday-sessions course (you'll attend all three); please note different start times.
- June 7, 3-5
- June 14, 2-5
- June 28, 3-5
Plus Kendall is offering her essential Fearless FInishing once again. This is a class that almost every knitter can benefit from! Learn the various methods of seaming, Kitchener stitch, picking up stitches and weaving in ends. This class costs $45 and meets once - on Saturday, July 18 from 12:30-2:30.
If either of those tickle your learning fancy, give the store a call at 615.354.1007 to grab a spot.
New In-Haus: Terra from Symfonie
We're super-pleased to show you a super sock yarn we've brought into the shop: Terra from Symfonie. Designed as an indie-style, hand-dyed fingering-weight yarn, Terra delivers both softness and durability (merino/polymide, 75/25). It's perfect for modern makers who want smoothness, comfort and beauty, all wrapped up in a single yarn. Whether you’re knitting socks or crocheting everyday garments (it's fantastic for lacy shawls...keep reading!), Terra transforms everyday projects into expressive, one-of-a-kind creations. It's got a generous 438 yds per skein, and you can find it RIGHT HERE in over 25 colors (take note of beautiful "Tennessee," which does seem to get it just right!)
We've got three different in-shop samples (all coincidentally from Casapinka) for which Terra is an absolutely ideal yarn choice, whether you go with a juicy solid or a whimsical variegate:
1. Breathe + Hope is a classic boomerang that most intermediate (or ambitious beginner!) knitters can successfully tackle. The end result is a big ol' swath (15" x 78") of lacy goodness. You can find that pattern RIGHT HERE.
2. The Sharon Show wrap gives you the opportunity to try out various stitch patterns in bite-sized portions! We love how large it blocked out; our finished piece measures 17" W x 66"L -- perfectly sized to wrap around! HERE'S the pattern!
3. The Hug Shot Shawl is another asymmetric boomerang shawl that begins at the small end and ends with a wide border at the opposite end. There are slipped stitches - along with garter and stockinette - making it a fairly easy project. The result is similar to Breathe + Hope sizewise: approximately 15" x 78". Looking for the pattern? HERE YOU GO.
Inka!
Mirasol's Inka is one of the more unusual yarns in the shop. With a 64/36 rayon/alpaca blend, it's as soft as it can be while offering a gorgeous, allllmost metallic undertone as its core. It catches light and shimmers and gets just about everyone oohing and aahing! We've just restocked it in 30 (!) colors, all of which have a habit of making their way into peoples' shopping carts!
We absolutely love it for the lacy, airy Air Lux Poncho. It. Is. Gorgeous. You simply knit two rectangles and then seam them together. This pattern is rated "easy" for a reason, but the results look anything but.
You'll need three balls of Inka for this project but it's close; if you're traditionally a little loosey-goosey with yarn, grab a fourth. You can find allll the shades of Inka RIGHT HERE. The pattern is HERE.
Two Super Portable Travel Ideas
It's the time of year when every third person through the door is looking for a compact project to take along on a glamorous trip. Well here are a couple of ideas!
1. The Sophie Scarf from PetiteKnits is the pattern that keeps on giving! It really does have a different vibe depending on what you use to make one. We have a handful of variegated samples in the shop but it occurred to Meg that we were missing a solid version. She enlisted her poor, put-upon Yarn Sibling to knock one out in vivid red and two weeks and a buncha dumb questions later, he was done. This one was worked up in Laine X Novita's 4-Ply fingering (Sunset Poppy) held with Tynn Silk Mohair in Scarlet Red.
Laine X Novita 4-Ply is RIGHT HERE. Tynn Silk Mohair is RIGHT HERE. One skein of each is all you need, even for the larger Sophie. If you don't have the pattern yet (but surely you do!) you can find that RIGHT HERE.
2. Who doesn't love the idea of knocking out a quick washcloth while on a plane trip or riding shotgun in a car? We've got a couple of great pattern collections perfect for just that, each full of modern, easily-conquerable small, useful dishcloths. One for knitters, one for crocheters: Easy Knit Dishcloths and Easy Crochet Dishcloths. Pair with a ball of freshly-restocked Mandarin Petit and bing bang bong, you're all set!
Block-a-Month Knitalong Reminder: June!
Y'all we're almost halfway done with this yearlong knitalong! Can you believe it?
If you're Block-a-Monthing, just a quick reminder that June's in-store meetup is next Monday (June 1) at 11am right here up in the Haus! If you need the lowdown on what all of that means, check the lead story in Newsletter 910 (you can find that RIGHT HERE). Even if you missed that info the first time around, you haven't missed out on the KAL. This is a yearlong project. You can jump in at any time and catch up (or not, it doesn't matter!) at your own speed.
June's block is Block 6: Lace Ribbons. Back to lacy yarnovers!
The majority of knitalongers so far are using Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash, but remember: any worsted yarn you want to use is the right answer! Some folks are working it up in Ultra Alpaca, some in Knitting for Olive's Heavy Merino. Just remember: you need about 200 yards for each block. Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash has been restocked in tsunami-ish quantities...so if you were waiting on a particular color...
Again, you'll find alllll the details for this KAL in Newsletter 910. You can find the Block-a-Month Afghan book RIGHT HERE.
Another Reminder: Old Rusted Chair's Last Hurrah
A melancholy reminder that we've got the very last bit of Old Rusted Chair yarn on the planet, since Lou at ORC has closed up her dye studio. ORC has been a shop stalwart for years now, so if you've been in THIS DECADE, you've fallen in love with it like we have.
There's not a ton left (SRSLY, the word got out!) but there's enough fingering for smaller projects and some sock weight to knock out a pair of toasties or two ...definitely check out the remaining stock (either online or in-store) and get your hands on some of the last of it. We're going to sorely miss ORC's presence in the shop!
If we've got it, you'll find it HERE.