Black Dog

It’s been a harried week around these parts, between our store manager enjoying her vacation this week to a wide range of activities at the shop to me dyeing a BIG pile of yarn Tuesday evening to preparations for our weekend of fun and workshops with Janet Szabo and more. I couldn’t be happier to be this busy, and I think I thrive on a little bit of chaos (I know I do my best work under the gun/under deadline). But the schedule has cut into my knitting time this week.

While I didn’t knit for a full 48 hours in the middle of the week (that’s rare–I typically take time every morning to knit a little bit, even 30 minutes, and again right before bed while browsing the web a little bit, it just didn’t happen this Tuesday/Wednesday), I have made a little bit of progress on the Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket proejct

Not only have I included all four colors into the project, I’m now finished with color A with the addition of the two thin strips on the far edges (far left and upper edges). I blame Anyssa for my addiction to this project, but I can also trace some interest in making one to The Yarn Harlot, as she’s knitting one as well (tho I think she’s working on a full-sized version, versus my smaller baby version). No matter, I’m glad to be making it, as it’s simple, meditative knitting that’s been perfect for the fragmented time I’ve had of late.

Last week was all about sock knitting for me, as I finished three different single socks (models for the shop, so they’ll be loners permanently). One was started for awhile now (and shown here)

in the form of the Best Foot Forward yarn by Nashua, developed by Kristin Nicholas. Great yarn for certain, and it should be in the US after the middle of July. At just $15 a skein, it’s a great value for a beautiful finished sock. This one’s gonna be VERY popular! Next on the finished sock list would be made with Aslan Trends Santa Fe

a great sock yarn with a nice twist, made with 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon, kettle dyed, and 50g skeins (retailing for about $6 each). Check out the color options here. Again, it’s going to take some patience, as it won’t be in the US until after the Independence Day holiday next weekend (it’s due in port/customs around the 6th).

In more pleasant news, there’s a third completed model sock that’s made with yarn you can actually find at the shop TODAY (Friday, the 26th)

in the form of Alchemy Yarns new sock-weight yarn called Juniper. At 232 yards per 50g skein, this 100% superfine merino is superwash that’s then lovingly hand-dyed by the good folks at Alchemy (Gina’s color sense is amazing). I don’t remember what we ordered, but there’s around 20 shades landing this afternoon. YUM! Can’t wait for more….but I have to, for about four more hours (UPS typically lands around 2 p.m.).

And yes, you see the Juniper sock resting on part of the 36 new hanks of Rob’s Hand Dyed and Black Dog sock yarns that will be revealed in a couple days (a dozen have sold so far, most while still damp and unwound, in person over the past two days). All are out for sale at the shop right now, so if you’re local (or local-ish), come on by and browse!

On the topic of finished projects (especially those that have languished for over a year), I did FINALLY pick up and knit the neckline and sleeve edgings over the weekend. Matt blocked it for me

Made with Blue Sky Dyed Cotton and their pattern called “Fitted Tank”. It takes just three or four hanks of their great yarn, so it’s a reasonably-priced garment that’s a quick knit (US 9 needles and 450-600 yards of ultra-soft cotton). Thanks goes out to Betsy for serving as my model.

With all of this off my needles, it’s time to swatch for something else…….mwahahahaha. This is in sight

and I’m about 90% sure what pattern I’ll be using. Swatching commenses this evening………and casting on shortly after that!

Well, the best intentions……..I wanted to blog almost daily while we were at TNNA, but that didn’t happen. And getting back into the swing last week was a bit hectic, so I didn’t get much done online last week, either. Enter Sunday (yesterday, 6/21), a day when Matt and I can typically get a good bit of talking, planning, and organizing done at the shop over the course of the day. We did some, as evidenced by the destruction on the table

that always ensues. In the pile were several different skeins of yarn, lots of patterns, several books, some swatching, lots of diet soda, some snacks, and more. I did get two different swatches done (and failed to photograph either of them), but you’ll see newly-started projects here in the next couple days. In the mean time, I do have other new things to share.

Anyssa came by for a part of the afternoon and sat with us at the table, knitting and laughing and being a little evil. She had a hankering for a new baby blanket project, and she wanted to do the Moderne Baby Blanket from the first Mason-Dixon book (errata here–and there is a slight change in the blanket instructions). Well, she settled on four shades that look SPLENDID together–two different greens, a natural, and a cocoa-powder brown. Together they are really nice. Of course, I had to follow like a lemming and dispatched Senor Color Wizard to our Superwash 220 display to find “four shades that go together well, but NOT traditional baby colors” for one for me to make. Mission accomplished

as they look great together

and all that remains is to add in the last shade, which is a vibrant orange-red

I quickly cast on while riding in the car with Matt on the way to dinner (mediocre at best, at La Seniorita on Lake Lansing Road….sadly…typically the food is better, but it was crappy this time around, and the server was a little clingy and odd). After dinner we headed across the street into Eastwood Towne Center to the theater to see UP in 3D. I chose this to knit on, as I figured back and forth in soothing garter stitch (continuing on a theme….expressed in a previous entry)–and I wouldn’t even have to look at it much at all (with my silly sunglasses on for the 3D effects). Overall–a REALLY cute movie and a very pleasant evening with Matt.

Oh, and I finished Claudie a couple weeks ago, and then Marcia put her together, followed by Matt blocking her on Saturday, and it was dry today. Check out the glamour pose on this one

Details–Black Purl A61–Claudie (cap sleeve option, VanDyke lace option; others are 3/4 sleeve and staghorn cable). Knitted in Classic Elite Premiere in 5227 (Sky Bright)–seven hanks. Size: 36 (Small). Overall, an amazingly fun and quick knit that I really enjoyed (I’ll probably repeat the pattern for fall/winter in a wool or alpaca yarn and use the staghorn cable and longer sleeve options). On display now at the shop…..come pet her! (she likes it).

Oh, and I swatched for a second project last night

and got gauge on the first try–not just stitch gauge, but the all-important (for this project) row gauge, too. The astute reader will notice that I’m on Denise needles for this one. I can almost always get stitch/row gauge on Denise needles using the size called for in the pattern. When using addi Turbos, I need to drop one, sometimes two, sizes to get stitch gauge, and that always SCREWS with my row gauge. It’s the Half Circle Cardigan for this yarn……..and I may try to knit on it tonight (unless I get sucked into the meditative nature of garter stitch instead of 2×2 ribbing. Oooooooohm. Ooooohm…..)

It’s fun to be on a mini-vacation of sorts, even if it is a mostly a business trip. The first two days are typically more “down time”, as Matt and I tend not to take classes and just hang out with friends and attend the few things that happen on Friday night (fashion show, knitting in the lobby, etc.). That means quality knitting time, too, so I tend to WAY WAY WAY overpack as far as projects are concerned (I brought two knitting bags, a HUGE plastic bag, and two shoe-box sized boxes, all JAMMED with yarn).

But first, a quick catch-up on the “summer snows” we were still experiencing when we left town a couple days ago. Check out the accumulation of cottonwood, across the river from the house

I nearly took another photo at the shop, as there was a 2-3 inch deep “drift” of cottonwood in a corner of the parking lot at the shop. But I didn’t stop the car to do so–lazy me! Suffice to say we’ll ALL be happy when it stops flying through the air by the end of the month!

But back to the projects…….I swatched the night before leaving for Amherst

a great pattern from Dolce Handknits. It’s been a popular pattern in these parts, so we finally are getting a model made. I’m using a new yarn from Zitron (a German line that’s completely organic/eco-friendly yarns) that’s called Fundus (I wonder if the Germans know the translation into English). Despite that, it’s really pretty yarn, especially worked up into fabric

We’ll be carrying it in the fall, but I’m trying to get as many models made up as possible in advance of yarn arriving. There’s something pure and meditative about garter stitch–and I could use a little of that right now! Plus, it’s good to have non-thinking projects when we’re on the trade show floor or laughing with friends in the lobby after hours.

Another good project for the show floor is the Panel Jacket

a great design that’s made of several strips of……..garter stitch (imagine that!) Very good for walking the trade show floor as well, and small–this will be my project of choice, at least to start. Here’s what I got done in the car on the way down

There’s just a touch of shaping at the bottom, and then it’s just back and forth in a FANTASTIC yarn–Lana Grossa Royal Tweed. Royal Tweed is a delight….100% merino with great bumps of color (more than you see at the onset, as there’s great depth of color in the fabric), and it works up quickly (it’s technically a bulky at 14 sts/4″, but this pattern calls for it to be worked at 16 sts/4″). This could be one of those highly-addictive projects, so it may go rather quickly!

My in-the-car-on-the-way-down project was a Baby Surprise Jacket from Schoolhouse Press, using the new “ABCSJ” pattern that’s good for Adults, Babies, and Children, all in one well-laid-out, colorful, thoughtful pattern.

I’m using Shibui Worsted for my shop model

It’s a new-ish (and new to us) machine washable option from the good folks at Shibui that’s been sneaking in the door of late. The one thing about this project is that it looks like a big knitted jellyfish

until you do a little origami folding to make it look reasonable

I did bind off on Friday night, while watching “What Not To Wear” in the hotel lobby (the episode was about a hot mess from Texas with GREAT BIG 80s hair and a strange addiction to sparkle). Nothing like not interrupting your regular routine while on the road!

I brought along another project (several, but we won’t discuss them all just yet) to swatch and possibly start, too. It’s the Half Circle Cardigan from Shibui

that’s available in both a baby/child size and an adult size. This project will be an adult version, worked in the colourway “Pagoda”, a rich terra cotta.

that has subtle light and dark shades in every skein. YUM! Can’t wait to swatch for this darlin’.

Gotta run for now……….time to knock off for the night and get ready for another busy day on the trade show floor. Sunday is usually our first “buying day”, as we tend to kick alotta tires on Saturday and check out everything, hit the room for some plotting and planning that evening, and then do serious buying on Sunday and Monday. MORE SOON!

Friday was a blast, from start to finish. Speaking of start, it wouldn’t be TNNA if there wasn’t breakfast from one of my favorite places in the Convention Center here in Columbus

Yup–I love me some Chicken & Egg. The same people STILL own it and STILL make my breakfast every year. We’ll probably have our final breakfast of the weekend there as well on Monday (the hotel has a free breakfast, however, and that may win out).

Friday is an “off day” for us, for the most part. After breakfast, we wandered down and picked up registration materials, met up wtih our good buddy Meg (owner of Yarn Expressions in Huntsville, AL), and went on the hunt for the great Indian buffet place she and I found last year (and that Matt had to miss out on for a few weird reasons). We were able to find the shopping center, but the eatery was now closed (sadly–it was AMAZING food, complete with a HUGE television blaring Baliwood soap operas!).

Two doors down we found a Korean restaurant called GoGuRyeo and decided to give it a whirl. Very wise move! The food was amazing, as was the company. Check out this spread

Everything was soooooo tasty, from the Mandu (appetizer dumplings on the order of pot stickers, but different) that weren’t on the menu but that Meg asked for, to the entrees and more. For main dishes, we had Bulgogi Jeongsik, Jeauk Bokum (roasted pork with spicy red pepper), and Galbi Jeong Sik (Beef Ribs marinated and grilled). You get a feel for the tasty goodness with this photo

That’s one happy yarn lady! We’ll definitely be back for more next year—YUM! Dinner Friday was with Kim Werker and Julie (um…….I forget!…sorry) at the Max & Erma’s across from the hotel. While the food was good, it was all about the company with those two. A mad-paced conversation overrode the hockey game in the background. We love us some Kim……..she’s awesome, and it was great to meet Julie, too!

More soon………..as we’ve spent evenings knitting and talking in the lobby and daytimes walking the tradeshow floor, finding amazing stuff, and connecting with friends and great business partners.

well, sorta……I did work on the weekly newsletter early this morning, then ran some errands, came back to the house and shot several of the pictures you’ll see below, ran some errands with Matt, went by the shop, hit the grocery store, fixed dinner, relaxed, and now I’m blogging. Yup–the perfect day!

The weather has been perfect, and there’s a beautiful flowering plant out in front of the house. Unfortunately, I have no clue what it is. HELP!

It has just exploded with blooms in the past couple days, and they’re really pretty.

I described it as being like a daffodil for the flower part, with comet tails coming off the back

If you know what it is, please leave that info in the comments. THANKS!

Michigan’s “Warm Winter” has started

and there was some accumulation this morning

I’ve seen traces of the stuff flying through the air for the past couple days, but it got thicker today. Check out the mess, floating down the river

Here’s your culprit

the cottonwood tree! The river is lined with them and every year around this time, they bloom and float everywhere, accumulating like snow, floating down the river, and building up along the riverbank. That stuff is EVERYWHERE right now.

And a sure sign of summer’s impending arrival. From what my digging around online reveals, we probably have Eastern Cottonwood trees here, as the bark is gnarly and they grow very well along rivers, especially those with fluctuating water levels.

The “thing” is out in full force these days,

and all I have is this crappy picture of it darting back into the brush. Matt swears it is a woodchuck, and basic research on the web looks to confirm that. I threw some overripe bananas over the railing yesterday and I saw the thing sitting up and gnawing on one just before I snapped the picture. It was cute to watch him (or her) enjoying something they’ve probably never eaten before. Very fun!

I have been making some serious progress on “Yank”, the pea coat style cardi found in “Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside The Lines”, a design by Bonne Marie Burns of ChicKnits fame. We stock her patterns at the shop and I’m a big fan of her designs, and better yet I’m happy to call her a friend. Unfortunatly, I haven’t shot a photo of the finished project from the book……but here’s my swatch

Yup–just seconds after tearing it out, I remembered I hadn’t taken a photo of the swatch. So I’ll just have to show you progress as of this morning

and the extreme close-up of the back

I love, LOVE this project–the stitch pattern is awesome and goes quickly (I’m actually about half done with the second front at the time of this writing). Here’s just the back, spread out on the hood of Matt’s car like Tawny Kitaen in a Whitesnake video.

I’m in love with the yarn I’m using, which is Soft Spun from Cascade. There’s 198 yards in a 100g skein, and it knits up around 4 sts/inch on a US 9 (5.5mm) needle, but the best part is that it’s only $7.50 a hank! Oh, and it comes in an amazing range of shades

That’s about half of the color palette, with the other half arriving in a few weeks. It’s been wildly popular so far, with good reason. And oh, the possibilities! We’re very excited about this one for the upcoming cool-weather season.

OK–that’s enough for one evening. More shortly, maybe even Wednesday if time permits! Thanks for reading, and have a GREAT week! Oh, and I’ve been swatching again…………and you’ve not seen it yet!

Little smidges and bits and patterns are arriving at the shop on a regular basis, which means lots of model knitting for me (which I love!). So, there’s plenty of inspiration around me

that’s a new 100% baby alpaca yarn from Cascade that will be added to the shelves this fall. I’m not sure what these two shades will grow up to become, so they’re on the back burner for now. Other yarns in small amounts have come in as well, but what really has my attention is this little jewel

that’s Lordana Boucle from Gedifra, a merino wool boucle that works up quickly at three stitches per inch into amazing fabric

that I whipped up yesterday morning, while visiting with another sales rep (I wonder….what will this grow up to become some day?

that fantastic jacket has been on my mind for over a year, when I first encountered the pattern online. We didn’t carry Gedifra products at the time, but we do now (and are planning on carrying more in future seasons). For now, I get to make this great model with a fantastically-soft yarn. YUM!

Check back in the next day or two to see what I’ve actually cast on and started…….I can’t wait to share! (oh, and I dyed more yarn…check it out over at the New Arrivals blog on the main ThreadBear site). I also tried my hand at dyeing a little bit of spinning fiber (a bit of a special request for a regular reader here)

and it should be arriving today………..hopefully it will be well received as well. As I don’t spin, I can’t judge too well on how it turned out.

Off to go make Crock Pot Spaghetti–it’s what I’m bringing tonight for our weekly Memory Keeper (mitered square) blanket potluck, knit in, and swap. I don’t have a ton of time to cook today, so the crock pot is perfect! It’s been awhile since I made it, so we’ll see if I still have the touch!

I’ve been working hard on Claudie for the past week (I started it last Sunday), and I haven’t shown it to you at all here….yet. Here’s the pattern photo, for a point of reference

Claudie is a design from Black Purl, a midwestern pattern source that’s headed up by someone who owns a yarn shop in Wisconsin. I like her patterns a good bit, and the designs are pretty much great for “every woman” (or every child) and are typically shown in rather widely-distributed yarns (she does alot with Cascade and Classic Elite, two companies we stock DEEP and WIDE). My version is on the right side of the photo, as I’m doing the lace panel (versus cable) and the cap sleeve (versus long version). Check out progress, as of yesterday

Check out the lace–I think it’s pretty!

I’ve finished the first front and am well into the second, so that means my mind is wandering towards new projects, and the siren song of wool is really wailing in my head. I have two other summer-fiber projects in mind (one only needs sleeves on it to be finished; the other isn’t even conceptualized yet, as swatching with the yarn showed it was WRONG for what I had in mind). So, what wooly goodness has my eye?

This cabled cardigan from “Mother Daughter Knits” by Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy, shown in Classic Elite Classic One Fifty, a lightweight fine merino that’s delish to work with. But I’m not far along the path with that project……others have me dreaming and swatching

The Lettuce Coat from “Custom Knits” is shown in Malabrigo Worsted, and our first delivery showed up on Thursday……so swatching has commenced

but my version will be in Bergamota, a SHARP red that leans to the orange side. I got gauge for the upper part, but I have yet to try for the bottom part (two stitch patterns, two different needle sizes). There’s been other swatching, too!

Tang is also from “Custom Knits” and is also shown in Malabrigo Worsted, and I’ve decided to work up a shop model using something from their Seleccion Privada (Private Selection), in the colourway they call “L”

I will probably cast on for one or both of those tonight–I’m a bad person…no wll power.

And yes, there’s even more tempting me

But I haven’t started that swatching yet–so I’ll show you THAT project and THAT swatch next time, along with something else I swatched this afternoon, for a different project altogether. It’s really fun stuff, with a weird name, but I’m not sure it’s good for a garter stitch project (and what I had in mind is all garter).

So there……I really DO swatch, and I enjoy getting to know new yarns and new stitches. ALOT!

I’ve done a little bit of dyeing recently, in the form of a new batch of mini-skanks (25yds each, always unique)

These are perfect for you blankie knitters our there, as there’s enough in each mini-skank to make two “regular” squares and one side square. And for just $1, they’re a great way to add a pop of color to your project without having to purchase an entire 50g or 100g skein. The jar is once again PACKED, so come by, dump it out on one of the tall tables, and dig in! Or we’re glad to mail some to you if you’re up for having us select some for you (either random or with some color direction).

I also made a few new additions to the table of pretty……..

in the form of 490-yard, 4-ounce hanks of sock-weight yarn. I’ve been showcasing my colourways over at the New Arrivals blog, a link over at the main ThreadBear website. There’s probably 30 hanks available at the shop, and hopefully Matt will get a page made soon that showcases all that are in stock.

New hand-dyed goodies shown over at the ThreadBear “New Arrivals” blog.

I’ve been dyeing yarn in earnest again–Thursday I did a bunch of it (see the results over here) and several are sold (both Sprout and Gecko are still around, along with Tiger Lily and Leaf Peepers; Gecko is really the name for the one next to Tiger Lily), so I did more on Saturday (see below) and again today

but you can’t see those finished results until tomorrow–they have to dry first (but some are AMAZING…including one I’ll be calling “South Beach”). There’s four hanks about to debut tomorrow and a big stack of mini-skanks, but for now, here’s five that survived the day today (because three of the eight sold before we could get them posted)

If you can’t see it in the photo, the subtle difference between Ursula and Blueberry Smoothie is that there’s more teal and more green in Ursula (like any good sea wench….). And I nearly named the one skein “OUCH–MY EYES” instead of Saffron. It’s that intense of a yellow..in a GOOD way!

I can’t wait to see what’s going to come of tomorrow’s new stuff. I’m pleased with how they turned out….let’s hope you are too!

Need some? Contact the shop at 866-939-BEAR or via e-mail and we’ll do our best to help!

Tuesday was a great day off, and Wednesday made up for it–in spades. From start (around 8 a.m.) to finish (I turned in last night at 12:30) I had something going on. The middle of the day (from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) was filled with interesting stuff, some of which we’ll discuss here, later. Prior and after that, it was all about the weekly ThreadBear newsletter, as it goes out overnight Wednesday/early Thursday. This week’s will be a slight bit late because while it’s written, Matt, too, was busy in the middle of the day. Patience….we’ll tell you what’s up shortly….PROMISE!

In the mean time, nothing much to share. The sock (seen in embryonic form here last time around) is coming along nicely–I have maybe 4-5 inches of leg completed. It will make good “sales rep knitting” today while we visit with another of our big vendors–Diana Harker (and Rob Delmont), both of Skacel (the addi Turbo folks, and great yarns). Diana also carries a number of other lines, so a busy day is in store.

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day, so the shop wasn’t overly busy. Matt, Marcia, and I worked so our usual Sunday staffers could be home with families. I did manage to whip out a baby hat

made with a single skein of Be Sweet Bambino, a blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% bamboo. It’s a quickie project that is a free pattern with purchase of a skein of yarn. Right now we have this color only, which they call Spearmint. It would make a great baby blanket (machine washable!) or summer top, too!

OK–gotta run…that 9 a.m. meeting looms large and I just got hungry for some reason. Gonna grab some breakfast and run out the door. Back soon with more goodies, and sock progress, too!