Yarn Shoppe

The End . . . but with links!

2008-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Since the Yarn Shoppe is defunct, dead, deceased, closed and gone, this blog will be deleted eventually, and not posted to again.

However, you can still see what Briony and Chrisanne are working on. Both are on ravelry.com and Briony has a new blog. Just click the links below!! And bookmark 'em, if you please. :)

Briony's Blog
Briony on Ravelry.com

Chrisanne on Ravelry.com

Hope to see everyone there!

Oh, and the Knit Togethers are, at the moment and the foreseeable future, at Scoops (on 2005 Bird St, Oroville) on Saturdays from 2-5pm.

Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Spinning Everyone!

~Briony

Closing the Shop

2007-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a sad, difficult, very stressful few weeks. The Yarn Shoppe is closing and the last day will be the 29th of December. Naturally, no one wants us to close. We don't want to close. But I need a paycheck. Sad, but there ya go. And this recession is hitting us hard with sales being incredibly low these last 6 months. Even the Fall/Winter months did not pickup this year.

On the bright side, we'll still be doing knit togethers on Saturdays from 2-5pm at Mugshots which is right next door to the Yarn Shoppe.

I've been working on the Dickinson sweater lately from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. Well, mostly the sleeves most recently. I haven't been able to do much since the end of November because people are being very lovely and buying up our yarn at the 40% off closing-sale prices. But isn't it lovely? That's the model, obviously, but I can't wait. I actually am kinda making it up in a very similar color for a change. And I'm using Cascade's 220 Superwash. Mmmmm. I'm knitting this in the round, and the body is on hold at the point where I need to start the raglan and I've got about 16" of the total 18" of the sleeves done. Yummy. I'm trying to match the sleeves with the body on the pattern, but we'll see. :)

Someone asked if I'll continue blogging. Surprising, really, since I don't post as much as I should. I probably will.

I've also been asked what I'm going to do now. Well, as I said, I'm going to job hunt. And I'm not even seriously dealing with that until after the 29th. I can't leave the shop until then. Heck, I'm having trouble having lunch right now at the shop. So while I appreciate the care behind the suggestions, I can't DO anything about them until later.

So hugs to all . . . and I hope your holiday knitting is either done or at the last stages!

Mine's wrapped. (Ducking the rotten fruit)

~Happy Knitting all!!
Briony

Raptors, oven mitts and feathers

2007-11-15T18:42:00.001-08:00

This afternoon felted oven mitts were used to help catch this beauty -- apparently a Peregrine Gyr Falcon who has escaped his falconer. The dark bands on his legs are his jess. He has a band too.

The falcon was eventually rescued by other falconers who can get his infected toes cared for and get him back home.

Isn't he a beauty? That's Pam Alley in the last two pictures holding our visitor above a rather large box in the back room of the shop. He spent some little time inside the Yarn Shoppe waiting to be still working on the pigeon he caught outside and was loathe to give it up. And we were loath to do anything to make him any more stressed out than he already was. Pam has this expression because she was recently buffeted by wings. Actually we were both really stoked about the whole thing.

It was quite a nice addition to the day. Pam rescued a bird, and we were able to help. And hand knit felted oven mitts were able to substitute as falconer's gloves -- in a real pinch.

Sadly said mitts are not in any of the above pics.

More on actual KNIT stuff later.

Happy Knitting!
~Briony

We got a new camera battery!

2007-08-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Whee! We got a new camera battery! Yes, I know I am overexcited, but I get excited easily and I am very happy about finally being able to take pictures.

So, first, some of you know I fell in love with the cover sweater of Interweave knits summer issue:
So I am making it out of Cascade Yarns Sierra which is a cotton wool blend. Which for me means summer tops only because it won't keep me warm enough in the winter. By the by -- it is lovely and smooth to knit with. I am not noticing much splitting even with my cable needle-less cables. I love how it shows up pattern.
Of course I am making changes. Mostly, I am shortening the sleeves to begin just before the cables.

Ok, so last Saturday I was here. The color is Pewter by the way. I love it! Like a lovely grey sage green.

And today I am here

And here is a close up of the cable pattern. I was told that this is similar to what was probably called Wheat Cable. I don't know. But I love it!!

So I did finish the Debbie New square. I am NOT happy with my seaming job at the end. But I pulled it out 4 times and this is as good as I can do it. Somehow I was where I should not have been to match up with the tutorial picture and I simply could not reverse things in my head enough to fix my trouble.

I may make it again, though. FUN square!

Here is something I started probably around early fall/late summer of 2005. I got the ribbing done then. And the first bit of colorwork. This is my very first color work. And I reworked the chart off XRX's Hats: A Knitter's Dozen. I changed things off of it of course. I think my gauge shifted too,

fairly massively because this is NOT workable as a tam. I see myself wearing it in the winter when I walk my dog in the mornings though. Anyway, I picked this back up earlier this summer (2 years later, ahem). And I finished it Friday night! It is now washed and oh so soft!! Oh, I made this out of a collection of sock yarns -- mostly Lorna's Laces, but I must admit I raided (with permission) Chrisanne's Mighty Stash for Wildefoote for the white.

For a few days it will be on the front head in the shop, and then it is coming home with me again.

So that's me! I have exactly 3 projects (that I have found) at home. One pair of socks that lives in the car, one pair of socks that live in the house for house knitting and finally that tablecloth I am making in modules which is also in the car. The car projects live in a sack from Nancy's Knit Knacks --http://www.nancysknitknacks.com/knit_knack_sack.htm -- which in turn lives in a large zippered bag that lives in the trunk. I have a small zippered pouch in the glovebox for knitting tools, although what I immediatly need lives in the sack -- clover yarn cutter (no outward blades), tape measure, notes for project, crochet hook (I drop more stitches away from home . . . ) and stitch markers.

This way I can grab the sack, click it around my waist and knit while walking around or waiting for a seat at a restaurant. KIP (Knit In Public)on!!
~Briony

Spirals

2007-08-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

Edit: This is an afghan square by Debbie New in the Great North American Afghan book by XRX. This is my square for August. Yarns used include Cascade 22o superwash, Plymouth Encore AND Cleckheaton country 8ply. That's right. 100% wools with an acrylic wool blend. Heresy to some. Cool colors and different textures to me. Anyway. So top pic: the First completed coil. The next -- what the whole mess looks like. And yes, I do mean mess. Looks like a headache, right?
Really, it's not. It's controlled chaos. :) I started with that sage green border. That was irritating. Lots of casting on (hard to do with constant interruptions) and the first set up rows (those sage green triangle things) were tricky for the counting (again because of interuptions). The coils are pure fun after the picking up (yeah, a trend -- I can't count past 3 well with interuptions. I mess up). Really fun! And plus, how cool is it that it spirals!? Don't get me wrong -- I love the source of said interruptions -- someone walking in the shop, questions or pleas for aid, etc. It's just why I get less knitting done now than I did pre-shop. I love helping people, I love hearing comments, answering questions, finding that pattern or yarn that speaks to someone. It's fun -- sometimes a whole lot of work -- but usually fun. I started this square a bit back . . . and tend to do between 1- 1/2 coil a day now. Fun. I'm on the third. And I've have a blasted picture if my camera's battery would charge. It charges for 6 secs (literally) and then stops. Argh! But still, I had the older pics. I get points, right? Happy Knitting Everyone!! ~Briony

Cat Bordhi's New Book!

2007-08-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to tell you Cat Bordhi's new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters is so cool! I LOVE the different ways she creates room for the arch expansion. I made the two baby socks yesterday and they are adorable! Chrisanne is throwing herself into the adult size right off the bat and I'm eyeing at least one pattern in there for my DH's next pair of socks and perhaps mine too.

We got the book in the day before yesterday and copies are looking slim here -- partly because one was preordered and one other was immediately marked Shop Copy! This book took quite some time to get to bookshelves and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't last on the shelves.

By the way, it clearly states it is Book One of three. I can't wait to see the next two and I haven't completely finished reading Book One! My fave so far? The Coriolis. I simply adore the way the increases slowly rotate and spiral around the foot and that you can easily do opposite spiraling socks.

Happy Sock Knitting!

~Briony

Summer Knitting

2007-08-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finished a few things. I know I should put pics up of things in progress and beginning but I tend to launch into new things and then don't think of taking a picture until it is nearly done and then I wait until it IS done usually. I'll try to beat this bad habit.

Anyhoo -- I finished another summer top. I really like it. The top half is knit and the bottom is crochet granny squares.

Now I started this ages ago and I was a slightly larger size then so the granny squares are a tad loose and since they are so structured it may not be the absolute height of flattery but I still really like the overall look.

I was fighting a top down seamless saddle shoulder idea from Barbara Walker's book Knitting From the Top for a sweater for my DH and it wasn't really entirely sunk in my brain so I did it again for this top. I think I have it now. I rewrote the directions in my own private language and put it into my knitting notebook. Fun to do really, once I finally understood. Since I had saddle shoulders I put cables down those and continued them down the short sleeves -- and I was playing so I didn't border the cables with purl stitches. I like the more subtle effect for this top.

I finished the sleeves with small 1.5" granny squares to pick up the bottom half.

The neck is a V and instead of ribbing I did more small cables.

As usual with my incredibly poor photography skills this looks better in person. Well, I think it does. There is a stretch in the stitches which this pic oh so cleverly picks up in a lovely spot light kind of way. I'm not exactly sure how I managed to get that . . . I seemed to be picking up evenly and when I worked that cable nothing seemed tight. Ah well.

Oh! The yarn!! I made it out of GGH's Safari. It's a very unusual yarn really. It's kind of tubular and knits up a tad open. Very airy and soft. Linen is coated by acrylic. A bit different to knit with too. No life or spring of course and that throws me for a bit until I get into the groove. After that it all flowed nicely. It is one reason why I didn't purl much though. I hate to rib and my ribbing usually shows off that dislike. :) The sample swatch I made for the shop shows that the yarn really shows up texture pattern well. The color I choose hides rather a bit, but then I don't like paler shades in general so I force the dark shades to have pattern anyway. :)

Overall it is a lightweight top. The crochet bottom is heavier -- partly because it is crochet granny squares and partly because I wanted it dense so I used a C hook and made them, well, dense. The top was done to the 5spi gauge -- and the sleeves a bit looser since I am playing with doing sleeves on one needle larger for a lighter, cooler feel.

Off I go back to work and I promise to take more pics (IF the camera and I are still on speaking terms).

Happy Knitting and keep cool if possible!

~Briony

Summer Shorts!

2007-07-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! My husband was able to take a quick little pic of me in my summer shorts that I finished ages ago and that some really wanted to see . . . well, I am very odd in some ways and I don't like wearing shorts out and about so this is really the only way most can see these on me. I generally put these on when I get home from work, and before work in the mornings. They are based off a Knit 1 Vogue Magazine pattern. Only those had much, much wider leg openings which I didn't like and I think a wider hip and waist measurement. These are in a 50% cotton 50% acrylic blend -- Samoa by Muench. Very smooth to knit with. The bottom inch is garter, rest is stockinette. Elastic is hidden in the waist band. I also did these in the round as much as possible -- original pattern had it all flat. I don't like flat knitting if I can avoid it. But that's just me :)

Summer is now really, really here. I am feeling a little low about it because last night was the first night this summer when it didn't get any cooler than 80*F outside my house -- so my house is 80*F downstairs and 86*F upstairs. It needs to be much, much cooler outside for my upstairs to cool off at all. :( I feel too warm. Now, I know I am really very lucky actually because lots of people can't have any a/c at all or are much, much warmer than I am. And for many it is an actual health issue. So even though my a/c is very old, very inefficient and we get too warm in the summer, at least I can keep it at or below 90*F inside. So, we're lucky. :)

Take care, stay cool, and happy knitting and crocheting!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day for those of us in the USA! I read somewhere that a news reporter said it commemorated our victory in the war for Independence which makes me worry about the education that reporter had -- ah well. Happy Commemoration of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. I hope everyone gets a great view of the fireworks at the Dam tonight! I'll be in bed trying to get to sleep :)

Anyway. Updates. I've been extremely remiss in pics ( I won't bore you with the list of troubles the camera and I have with each other). So here we go:
Here is the Sun Hat I began on, oh, Thursday? I ripped out most of it on Friday and here it is near the end of Friday. I had a deadline -- I was to go to a birthday party in a park on Saturday. I had no 'nice' sun hat. My older 'nice' hats have begun to look like **old** gardening hats. Complete with discoloration. So, as I said. Deadline. So not many pics. I was crocheting at warp speed. It is black so you can't see much. It is the pattern our very own Mistell West wrote -- Euroflax sport linen with Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille for a brow band and two rows on the brim -- I only have a tiny brim at this point.
Ok, here is a pic that my friend most kindly took of my husband and I at the park birthday party. I'm wearing my hat, my summer top made of SR Kertzer's Sari and Rani -- and my black linen skirt that you can't see. I finished the hat Friday night at home. There is plastic corset boning in the brim which holds it up. I crocheted the cotton chenille around it. All black. Because I like black. :) And yes, I choose this one because you can see the hat . . . but not us very well. Told you I don't like cameras. :)

Next up: Summer top. I did this rather some weeks ago. It is out of Posh by S. Charles. A 4 spi gauge and done in diamond modules. Very cool. I didn't do much of a neck border because I like my necks very open in the summer -- makes me feel cooler and the way I am built means I can have a lower neckline without showing cleavage. The sleeves are a modification -- just straight (as in no increases or decreases) on a few sizes larger needle to be more airy and open. I don't do sleeveless. :)

A close up of the yarn and a module which you can't see. Come in sometime -- I wear my two summer tops as much as I can. I feel MUCH cooler in them than my commercial summer tops. Maybe it's the texture. Not sure. But I LOVE my hand made summer tops!

Ok. Here is something I picked up partially out of guilt. This is a sweater for my husband made from Cascade's Bulky Leisure which is an alpaca cotton blend. VERY yummy to work with. Shows pattern nicely too. The cables are pretty big --8 stitches and I think 10 or maybe 12 rows apart (notes are at work, I'm at home). There are cables down the front just in a bit from each shoulder and down each shoulder and sleeve. This is a Barbara Walker Seamless Saddle Shoulder from the neck down. I need to do another before I get it in my head. I don't like learning techniques from books -- which is ironic since it is mainly how I do learn them. I simply LOVE this thing. Of course the 3 stitches per inch gauge helps :) I haven't touched the neck yet. I want to do the sleeves and then I'll do the neck and then steam on down the body. I'll be doing a small cable for ribbing I think -- like a 4 stitch cable. We'll see. The sleeves are being worked at the same time on two 24" addi turbos and the body stitches are on a cord from the Denise Interchangeable Needle set. Which I am finally playing with myself. I have heard wonderful things about them, have sold them for over 2 years and only now am allowing myself to have a set to play with. Sigh.

I hope to see everyone at our Annual Summer Sale this week! Remember -- the whole shop is on sale -- ranging from 10-60% off!

Take care and Happy Knitting and Crocheting!!
~Briony

Skirt continuation and Summer Top

2007-05-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I've got a few more pics of the skirt and then I officially stop :)
It really does look better in person and I'm just not that great at taking pictures. Obviously.

So this first pic is my best attempt to show how I got that elastic in there. A dear friend suggest crocheting a chain, slip stitching down a little (to hold the elastic) then chaining again to slip stitch near the top.

Anyway, here is the summer top I finished this week. It's in SR Kertzer's Ranee and Sari. I believe this was 4 skeins of Ranee and 4 of Sari. The Sari is the ribbon and the Ranee is the softer railroad type yarn. They are the same colorway. They are not, however, the same gauge (Ranee is about 4.25 sts/in and Sari around 3.75 sts/in). So I split the difference and worked it at 4sts/inch. The pattern is Heartstring's 3-to-2 Any Gauge Sweater. It is worked from one bottom corner to the other upper corner. I used the Ranee as the sleeves because it is much airier and softer than the Sari -- at least when the Sari is knit up a little tightly for its liking. The top is very cool, very light weight and has incredibly drape. I love it. Dries every quickly in this heat too, so I was able to wash it the night before, lay it flat on top of my drier (the main function my drier has as I mostly line-dry) and by morning I had a dry top. :)

This second photo shows how sheer the Ranee is when knit so loosely. Yes, this is one where I wear a camisole underneath. :)

But did I mention how cool it is? And very versitile. I could put this on for an evening out or pair it with jeans for a more casual look. And I love that kind of flexibility.

~That's all for now! But -- I'm nearly done with a gift! Unfortunately, it's a Christmas gift so no pics for quite some time. I still claim full points for finishing it though!!

Next up? Why, another summer top of course!

~Briony

Better skirt pics

2007-05-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I got better pictures. I'm wearing a light colored top, and it is showing through the top part of the skirt -- incidentally showing up the pattern a bit. I've got a black slip on as well to just past my knees.

I still love it. Very lovely and cool in the heat, lovely swish. :)

Looks better in person I think.

Now off to work on my afghan square! And then . . . maybe a swatch for a summer top.

~Briony

I FINISHED MY SKIRT!

2007-05-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, sorry for the caps, but I'm so proud of myself. I finally finished the 40" long lace skirt I made in Euroflax Originals. In black. I was *so* glad I listened to one customer who reminded me to hang the skirt for at least 2 days to make sure I knew where I was with length. I knit the thing so loose, you see, and so lacey that it grew oodles -- but mostly on the second day!

Now, I'll back up.

Way back in February I knew I really wanted a summer skirt. Now, I didn't feel that I HAD to knit one. I just wanted a long summer skirt. Which is where I landed into trouble. I adore ankle length skirts. For me, that means about 40". And I couldn't find any. There may be tons out there, but I couldn't find one. And I'm hopeless at this time at sewing. So that left . . . knitting :)

My next plan of attack was to pick a summery yarn -- cotton or linen I thought. And I love black -- so Euroflax Originals won.

Now, I knew I wanted a fairly full skirt. And I didn't want it to bag out when I sat. I wanted to wear this one ALOT so that mean I needed lots of room for me inside the thing. Originally I didn't want to HAVE to wear a slip so I tried to make it all nice and dense . . . well I'm getting so blasted loose that I just couldn't get to gauge without using a 0 or smaller and that I didn't like. On a size 2 I was getting 7 sts/inch but it was still a bit see through. So I stuck with that, bought a slip, and figured on a 38" caston -- wider than my hips by a few inches. Linen won't stretch back and forth ya know. Elastic was added later. I moved up to a 3 after 3" from cast on (used knitted cast on). Then I started the lace (afterall, it was going to need a slip anyway!) from a chart in a book Chrisanne found for me which has feather and fan or old shale increasing along with the pattern (book was A Gathering Of Lace --a great book). I started way into the chart b/c I had so many stitches. I followed it until I had 27 repeats of 25 sts. It seemed enough. I ended with a skirt with about 18 or so feet in circumference.

At about 6.5" I went to a 4. Somewhere in here I started changing needles when I started a new skein (Euroflax Orig. has abou 270 yards) so I moved on to a 5, then a 6, then 7. The 5th and 6th skeins saw me working on an 8 only . At the end of the 5th, after it was soaked and left to hang, dripping itself dry was 23". Skeins 7&8 were on a 9. The end of the 7th skein gave me about 30" Un stretched as it were. After I finished the 8th skein I took it home and soaked it, spun it dry (yes on the needles, I wouldn't recommend this! not that I had troubles, but I had it rubberbanded all over those needle points) and hung it for 2 whole days. It dried on the 1st but I left it. Good thing. At the end of the first day it was about, oh 34"? At the end of the 2nd? 40". Wow. Nearly 41" but I tried not to see that number. Too far. Too far and I still needed to cast off.

Tinking. Yup, the glory. I tinked about 600 sts and then cast off WAY loosely with a crochet hook a la Crazy Toes and Heels.

And ran out of yarn.

So tink-tink went the cast on. And the next 2 rows.

And the cast off was successful this time :)

I finished it Sunday (all of Sunday was tinking and Casting off). I wore it to work Tuesday and so on. I love it.

And I got a lot of interest when I was working on it -- either because it was beautiful (I hope it was this option), or a huge project, or idle curiosity or just an insane project that would surely never work . . .

And here, drum roll please . . . is the skirt (yes I know, too dark, but you get an idea. Better piccys when I can get 'em): At least the second shows the pattern -- white sheet behind the work -- pre-hanging.

So that's what I've been doing. Next -- summer tops! ~Briony

Gifts and Beginnings

2007-02-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

Chrisanne finished her white 'sampler' sweater out of Cascade's Sierra! We're all so proud! Don't come in hoping to see her in it though. It's too big for her. Not a gauge shift, just she over-guestimated how big she wanted it. We were dreading ripping it all out. Then . . . it found a new, happier, home. Isn't it wonderful when an "ooops" becomes a "great!"? Thelma's happy with her new sweater at any rate!

Here's a hat made of about 160 yards of Encore Colorspun Worsted. I had to use a 4 to get 5 sts/in. Anyway, I was inspired by Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and knit it up in a tube, and then, without decreasing or casting off, cut the yarn and pulled it through the stitches on the needle. I think she's right -- this is a much better learner/beginner project than a scarf.

Oh, and I finished my first Afghan Square. I'm not entirely content with the tension shifts, but I did get cables without a needle down in addition to learning how to read the cable symbols. I hope my next with cables (but no cable needle) will be smoother. So here it is, blocking on the sofa in the back room :) And I bet you thought the sofa was for sitting on! HAH!

Happy Knitting Folks,

Briony

Odd Socks

2007-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

. . . And that's what Chrisanne has been wearing on purpose for the last few days. She gets SSS (second sock syndrome where you get bored with the yarn/color/pattern after the first sock) bad so she has lots of single socks. And she's decided it's OK to wear them. I agree. I think it's great. So does Mistell ;)
And do you see? They even have different heels!

Sock on left: Shaeffer's Anne, a wool mohair blend. Great hand dyed colors.

Sock on Right: Opal

See? Different heels. :)

I'm working on the filigree ensemble wristlets in white prime alpaca. Yummy. I'm done with the lace bit and now have 5" of k1tbl,p1 to do.

Oh and finally a pic of me in my Cascade 220 Superwash - Bernat Illusions cowl neck, yoke sweater. I live in this lately. SO warm and cozy. I went a tensy bit overboard with the neck which hasn't come to fruitition yet in the pic but has now. Ah well. I still love it.

Chrisanne has pulled out her white 'sampler' sweater in Cascade's Sierra -- a cotton wool blend. Shows pattern beautifully and is a joy to knit with.

And that's all from the Shoppe today, m'dears! Coming up soon . . . a (gasp) finished afghan square from Briony!)
~Briony

Afghans and Things

2007-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

I sometimes think only knitters really appreciate other knitted gifts. Happily, this is a rare thought as I click needles together for gifts. However, I got some nifty handmade goodies myself for my birthday recently. LOOKIE! :) Chrisanne made me these out of FurrYarns Mistral! Silk and wool at a DKish weight. Can we say soft? Can we say silky? Oooh yes! And toasty warm to boot. The gorgeous colorways in these yarns are simply more reasons to knit with them.

I also really love the cables she did all up the leg. These didn't even use up the 2 skeins -- Chrisanne thinks you might be able to squeeze a pair of baby socks or something from the leftover yarn.

I am also working on the Afghan squares for our shop's Afghan Knit Along. Here is my current one -- in Cleckheaton Country 8ply available through Plymouth Yarns. Yeah, it's not far along but I only started Saturday! I'm mid way through a cable (the purple needle thing you can't see). I'm fighting my dyslexia pretty hard trying to do cable sans needle but I'm loosing at the moment. :( I just get SO muddled!) Very frustrating. I will persevere, however.

Typing about perservering -- I finished my bulky sweater that should have taken me bare days to complete! Yea! I got it done on the 18th. No piccy because my camera just ran out of battery juice. I know.

Here is Chrisanne's project for the day: her coat out of sock yarns. All mitred squares (I just know I spelled that wrong and massive apologies all around).

Oh and I forgot to post about this last week. My darling cats made some rather large holes in my silk shawl in Dec 2005. I finally pulled it out earlier this month to survey the damage.

This is what the shawl is like now:

There was simply too much damage. Too many rows knawed through too much eaten off. I spent a long time Saturday doing this during the Knit Together. Rip, wind ball winder, yarn ends. Many of those balls are just under 2 rows long. Sigh.

I don't know the future of this yarn. Perhaps a tank top or sweater or something. I used to have roughly 1000 yards. But since I'm looking at only 3 good sized skeins -- who knows. The pain is still there. But the healing is ongoing.

~Happy Knitting,
Briony

All the Colors in the Rainbow

2007-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

What have I been doing, eh? It's been, what?, nearly a week. Surely I have oodles of new projects, pictures of completed ones. Tales of daring knitting adventures.

Nope.

I ripped out the sleeves on the top down sweater I was working on, re figured it myself and started up again. I just didn't like the fit of the old ones. Somehow, the sleeves are still in progress. And no, I haven't worked on anything else here. I dunno. I must have been working. :-)

Chrisanne has started several things but I caught her latest here:

AWESOME eh? She's got 21 colors in here! It's roughly based on a Kaffe Fawcet Tumbling Blocks sweater which is based on three groups of lights, brights and darks. She's got each group in a different Lantern Moon basket. She's moving all the ends onto bobbins now -- 3 yards loose tail of each was the original plan. Before The Tangle. Anyway, this gorgeous sweater is out of mercerized cotton -- Cotton Classic, King Tut and Butterfly 10. And, guess what? Ssshhh . . . she's making notes as she's knitting! She is also saying that she is insane working with so many colors. But as she says, her husband won't say it's depressing!

So there ya go. Briony's slogged down on sleeves of a sweater, and Chrisanne is boldly striding into a rainbow, grabbing strands and knitting 'em in a fantastic sweater.

Bets are NOT being taken on the completion of either project at this time. Not that I'm bitter about the sleeves. Oh, no. Not at all.

~Briony

Sweater and Things . . .

2007-01-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished another pair of socks, but since I cast-on another pair right afterwards, I'm not changing my list of projects :) These are Plymouth's Clecheaton, 100% wool, worsted weight. The bottoms burgandy, with Skacel's F/S darning thread for reinforement in the toes and heels. The tops are Cleckheaton too, but in black.

This is the typical table at the Yarn Shoppe -- at least in front of me. This is my sweater. I started it yesterday -- Got gauge and all that Tuesday. It will be my first yoke sweater. I wanted to use up the brown yarn in my stash -- Bernat Illusions in Earth Tones which I can't get anymore. I wanted it warm though, so I added a strand of Cascade's 220 Superwash Aran. I'm working at 2.5 spi on a 10-1/2 addi.

Here is a less messy view. This is to show that I'm working both sleeves at once, each thus having it's own skein of Illusions and 220 Superwash. Then the center one is for the body.
Ok, so the center is the front, and the sleeves are just beginning, one on each naturally, with a 60" Addi working them both at the same time. The blue point protectors are holding the needle points of the 24" that is holding the body stitches.

After I get some part of this done, I'll pick up the neck and add a cowl neck. I cast on with a provisional cast on to make this easier (the yellow waste yarn).
Well, that is all for now. :) I hope to finish the sweater soon so I can wear it. I'm freezing!

~Briony
And I've started a sweater.

Afghan Finished!

2006-12-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Here is the afghan I just finished. It has been washed, dried, and cuddled on and under.
I am including this one with my kids on it to show how much they enjoyed being involved in my crochet and knitting. :) They also love the afghan. We have to pull at least three cats off of it each time we want to use it.

Anyway, this is Sorcha, the dog, and I think Willow, the cat. Could be his sister Arwen, though.

I like this one because you can see our dog Sorcha. An overgrown Miniature Pinscher.

Here is the whole, 4-1/2 feet wide, 6'2" long afghan. You can almost see the the top edge, where I started, is tighter and doesn't ripple as well as the end. I'm still trying to improve my crochet.

Again, this was made entirely of Plymouth's Encore which is acrylic and wool. I doubled it to make a bulky weight, worked with a M hook and, finally, am DONE! :) That's all here!

Happy New Year's Eve Everyone! Be SAFE!
~Briony

The Ideal Knitting Bag?

2006-12-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this off and on for a few months now, in a lazy fashion. What should be in a knitting bag? Or a Crochet bag. I think they'd be pretty much interchangable.

And how do you use said bag? Do you have One Master Bag that holds your immediate project(s) at hand and it is the one that moves from room to room, to the car, to the knit together with you? Or do you have one per project (this could get scary very quickly), or one per location (ie the car bag, the living room bag, the bedroom bag, the movie knitting bag etc?) or some combination?

Well, here's what I have in my sock 'bag' (Yes, I have one bag just for my sock. This is because I had a small epiphany. I always have a sock on the go. At least one. So -- a sock bag!):

Darning Needle (I try to bury ends as I go)
Yarn cutter. I don't put scissors in because I don't want to stop and wonder -- do they allow scissors here? I can grab and go and not worry. Also, if I visit a friend with little ones I don't need to be paranoid about punctures.
Pattern Photocopy. The original is at home. Ideally, in a page protector in a binder but I've not been too terribly careful about that for the last, uh, decade. :)
Stitch markers. For socks I keep 7 normal ones and one double loop marker I made from a photo in Crazy Toes and Heels by Queen Kahuna (www.queenkahuna-creations.com/). I learned SO much from this book! The double loop tells me if I'm on a increase row or a plain knit row. Brilliant.
Rubberbands. This is for the heel turn from the book mentioned above.
Tiny gold safety pin with something bright and dangley attached so I remember to turn the socks one way and then the other (no tangles!)
Yarn. WITH the yarn bands. Yeah, we all know we'll remember what we're using. Then we don't.
Needles.
Crochet hook. For my fingering weight this is a B, and for my worsted weight this is a D-G (depending on what I grabbed at the time) The hook is larger than my usual needles so I can cast off with it very, very loosely.
Tape Measure
New Addition: Notebook.

Now let me elaborate on this Notebook. It's one of the small Mead Memo spiral bound jobs. I nearly got the unspiral bound one because I visualized massive tangles, but decided to go with it anyway so I can lay the book down with the one page I'm interested in staying up and open.

I have a fair bit in here. I may type more of it up so I can print out more when I fill this one up. I have my, my fathers and my husband's foot measurements in there (socks!). I have my condensed notes for the sock pattern. I have various other tips and tricks and techniques jotted down. And I have my notes for the project at hand. The yarn I choose.-- the color name and number and brand. (I try to add ideas about the yarn itself, but this usually doesn't happen. ) My spi and rpi gauge. Needle size. The number of stitches for the sock. The toe type I used. Notes on type of heel or anything funky I tried (or noticed failed miserably).

I picked the small notebook because I needed something I could tuck in my Medium Yarntainer -- which is my sock knitting bag. I like to put it on floors when I'm out and about. I've been in too many icky movie theaters to use something with a cloth bottom. I digress.

I decided against an all powerful master notebook because I know myself. I'd end up with a 2-1/2" binder, with section dividers, color coded pages, cool pictures downloaded and printed off to decorate said dividers and the cover and back and spine. I'd have spent hours picking just the right font to do all the different things in. Then I wouldn't have touched it because it was too heavy and awkward. Then I'd feel guilt for not using it.

In my Living Room I also have cuticle nippers and a nail file. If I find the smallest ragged bit of nail or skin I'll tear it off without thinking so I need tools there to prevent blood shed. Honest. I bleed easily. And I hate getting yarn snagged on a rough nail. Doesn't do the yarn any good either. I also keep a comb in there because I generally have a sudden urge to either get my hair out of my way or find that the bun it was in is in exactly the wrong place to rest my head against the futon. A spare dpn holds my bun up if it goes up here. Sometimes the dpn makes it back home. Usually not.

One dear friend and customer here has a cool tin with her scissors and stitch markers inside a great rolling tote which holds her projects currently in working progress and patterns. I just LOVE the tin. It's too bulky for my knitting 'bag' but I love it nonetheless. I am thinking of getting a rolling tote for my livingroom. It can roll safely into a closet to hide from my cats and out again for me to work.

Do you have ideas for bags' contents or notebook?

~Briony (the afghan is still around, and not yet done. I hope for the end of the week. I like to have lots of hope in hopeless situations)

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here is what Chrisanne made for Briony for Christmas this year! A lovely Cashmere sweater! I was actually warm! Can you believe it? Briony. Warm. In the same sentence. With no negative in it. Amazing. :)

It's a very dark brown/black tweed with lots of specks of reds, yellows etc. It has a lovely cowl neck, achieved, I am told, by changing needle sizes three times. It's in garter and very, very warm and cozy. The belt is around the top of my hips, for reference. It's a lovely loose sweater, perfect for cuddling up in.

I did a clog christmas really. Just not on purpose. I started with a pair for my husband -- with some adaptations just for him. Picy tomorrow or so. Then due to a complete lack of inspiration I did a pair for my father in law. While I was getting this last completed I found that my father was literally wearing the pair I made for him last year out. So . . . I made him a pair. I should probably work at least one pair in the next few months. Because, I can tell you, I was beginning to hate clogs very much by late October. :) Which is when they were all done.

At the shop I'm working on an afghan I've been working on for literally years. Why aren't I done? Haven't worked on it much. :) Here's a piccy of what I have done so far:

I hope to get at least one more repeat done and then the bottom. I'm not sure what I will do for a border, other than I want one. I may do shell just because I have such a hard time remembering it. I'm really NOT that good at crochet. Be kind. :)

I won't post another pic of this kiddo until it's done. :)

Happy Holidays for the last week of the year!

~Briony

Reworked, and finished, another snood

2006-12-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I won't be finishing anything at the shop today, but I did remember a snood I'd been working on at home and hadn't quite finished up yet. So here ya go, tail worked in but not clipped, elastic beginning to be worked in.
I crocheted this using, oh, a G?, with Cascade's Copa (the yarn formally known as Fiesta). It's 100% rayon, very shiny, very, very smooth. Can be fun to work in ends. (Sarcasm.) But, it's fantastic! I have solid singles on the bottom so my hair won't work out compleltely, with clusters and stuff in the center 4 inches. The top front is your standard sc, ch2, sc in next space kind of stuff. I'll try to post a picy of me wearing the thing too. :)

~Briony

Socks are Done!

2006-12-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

The days are passing, the days are darker, today is all lovely and rainy and I've finished a pair of worsted weight socks for myself. YEA! :)
Aren't they cool? Well, I love 'em . They're from Schaeffer's Lola yarn. So soft -- and I mean soft. Like creamy soft. Like cuddle up with forever soft. The heels and toes are Filatura de Crossa's Zarella. Another really soft yarn -- cushy as all get out too. Love it!

I knit them, both at once, on a size 2 Addi Turbo, 60" long circular. Can you believe it? And that was just to get 6 sts/inch. If I start knitting any looser I'll have to start making my own needles out of piano wire. I'm wearing as soon as I wash 'em!

And here! Here we have something very special -- although not as unusal as you might think in the knitting world. What I am talking about is a lovely customer -- friend -- who knit two excellent bags out of these two Cascade 220 Tweeds -- and then knit up swatches for us to felt and post. On top of each is a tassel to show off the color prefelting. Knitters are the best. Thanks, and hats off to Lois!!

I'm off for now, boys and girls so a Happy Holidays again! Unless I finish something tomorrow. Highly unlikely. I'm about to start another pair of worsted weight socks (my feet are cold) and then bring in a blanket I've been crocheting for ages. I'm NOT a fast crocheter. Ah well.

~Briony

2006-12-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

Okay. I promised and here it is -- Me in my very own hat made with these two very dry hands (when will I remember to use enough moisturizer?)
So here I am, in front of the shop.

I think it looks silly.

Everyone says it looks good to my face.

I still think it looks silly on me.

And yes, I wear it all day in the shop. I get cold. And I wore to do my grocery shopping last night.

Now here it was unwashed. On my dining room table.

Anyway, it is made of Cleckheaton Merino Supreme, 100% wool and delicious to knit with and it gets even softer after you wash it!

I hand washed it, got impatient and then tossed it in the dryer for 30 by itself (and then the pic of me was taken). So, I can safely state, that with this hat, the dryer did not do immediate harm.

That stated, it should have been left flat to dry.

I also made at least 2 mistakes. If you come in I'll be happy to show you where. I have an extremely bad habit of pointing out my errors. I may learn someday not to. I do however try not to take pictures of them :)

Happy Holidays all -- five days to go! Hehehe :) Sorry. Hohoho :)

~Briony

Holiday Season's Cheer

2006-12-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy and Merry anything you happen to celebrate! Happy Holidays!

The most cheerful thing about the holidays is the satisfaction of getting everything done on time. Be it gifts, decorating or whatever.

Or, failing that -- as most of us do -- giving the recipient a promise of the finished object in a not too terribly distant future. Some do this with a card -- with maybe a photo of the item in progress. Or the thing, on needles (or hook) in box which is then promptly snatched back. I also like getting cards out -- even if it is in mid February (although mine did get out on time this year). I did flail on getting lights out at home though. I have decided, after much thought, to blame my cats :) I think using them as a scapegoat is brilliant because they don't read this blog and can't defend themselves -- even if they could type. You see, they destroyed part of my fiber optic christmas tree last year. They are apparently trying to finish the job this year. So my husband and I decided against ornaments. And there is something mildly disheartening about a fiber optic tree, all the lower branches hanging limp and broken with no ornaments. So, we did not buy the hooks to attach on our front roof eaves until late and naturally, that meant lights didn't go up. They are sitting on a chair in my library. In the same tangle they were in when my father helped me take them down and dumped 'em in a pile in my shed outside.

The next most cheerful thing is food. Lots of good smelling food. Hopefully good tasting as well.

Then family. Family is great, but sometimes, for some families, they are much better long distance :-)

Having been married for just under a year, I get my first Christmas with both my parents and my new inlaws. It should be a blast. Especially since I'm not hosting and I can sit around, knit, talk and have fun while not looking at clocks and sweating in the kitchen. Afterall, I did that for Thanksgiving!

And just what have I been knitting? Socks, naturally. Off and on. I've found that worsted weight wool socks fit inside my Danskos just fine and nearly keep my frozen footsies warm. Fingering weight tries very hard, but doesn't seem to work quite so well in the colder months. I still love 'em in Fall, Spring and Summer. Well, the week and half that are Spring and Fall around here. Assuming they last that long.

The latest finished project is on my head. It's a hat. And yes, it looks better on this model than it looks on me :)

Edit from 12/21/06: Not sure if I made it clear -- this pic is from www.fibertrends.com and is their picture of the Swirls Hat. It's a great picture too, isn't?

This is going to be our class for the end of January. It's a Fiber Trends pattern -- Swirls Hat. It was so much fun to knit! Anyway, I plan on going over Fair Isle tips and techniques, and the really cool looking braids -- they're created by purling and handling the yarns differently on two rows. Very, very fun.

She still looks better than I do, though.

I'll post a pic of me wearing the thing (I should really get paid more for this kind of thing -- mass humiliation and all) when the camera comes back from wherever it is at the moment.

I did use the same colors, though. I loved 'em too much. I don't generally ever use the same colors. I think the holidays are getting to me.

What else have I been working on? Well, I finished up a cute felted bag for a class later this month. And an Entralac Purse which was for another class. And a pair or two of socks. Then gifts, naturally which I will not go into here.

I think the most annoying thing about Holidays is that even if you are all set, planned, decorated whatever, something always comes up that needs to be scrambled about. A sudden gift exchange. People suddenly appearing and needing food or gifts. The ambient stress in the air that can make even the calm people tired and irritable.

So here's to everyone having Good Holiday Times. With decreased stress. With finished projects. With good fiber, food, family and friends.
~Briony

Baby Bear

2006-09-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is September's Class. Baby Bears. VERY cute. Very quick. I knit up the back, and finished the top of the front in about 2 and a half hours -- including lots of getting up time. I figure six hours should take care of this guy with ease. A great present (hint, hint). Work on it during your favorite show each night and bam! You've got a bear in a week. Not bad.

Well, here was the little guy before felting next to a Lantern Moon Sheep Tape Measure for scale. He's made out of a single strand of Arucana Nature Wool -- he took rather less than a full skein. His front was mostly done by Chrisanne who moved onto newer projects, and Briony finished him up. He was knit on 10 1/2 needles -- Chrisanne used Plymouth bamboo straights and Briony promptly switched over to the same size circular Addi Turbos -- because that's the circular she had in that size. I (Briony) will not use straights if I can avoid them -- they simply make my wrists hurt. I admire those who can used them with proficiency.

Here he is felted next to the same tape measure.
He felted fairly quick -- 15 minutes in my 40 year old Maytag. It took me nearly an hour to sew on his eyes and nose out of DMC 5 Pearl Cotton but that is because I do not sew well. He is stuffed by left over acrylic yarn -- because I have lots of yarn around and no polyester fiberfill. Perhaps an error, but it works well so far.

And finally, here he is next to the register at the Shoppe. His paws will be untied when he's all done drying.

Come visit him during our SALE or during the class -- the week of Sept. 19th. See our Newsletter on our website for details.

Have a great day!

Happy Heel

2006-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am so happy. I either have a very kind and accomadating spouse, or my fudges worked just fine on the socks. Or perhaps both.

I have finished the gusset increases today, and am in the process of turning the heel.
Here is the heel in process. The rubberbands help to tell me when to turn to short row a la Crazy Toes and Heels (http://www.queenkahuna-creations.com/).

I do a slipstitch heel as well as adding reinforcement -- my DH and I both wear out toes and heels, so I reinforce them. These had Skacel's darning thread incorporated. I used black. The toes used a purple thread that I can't find more of.

This is by far my favorite way to do socks. I do both at once, toe up and use lots of rubberbands. ;) I also have two long strands of dental floss here -- just before I began the heel. This is because, eventually, after many, many times I have learned a lesson. If I knit socks for someone else (read DH), I will make the foot too short. Or the heel will turn out odd and wonky. Or I will suddenly remember I forgot the reinforcement. I've also learned to put a safety pin or a large locking stitch marker in the cable loop on the sock that isn't being worked on. A friend and customer taught me this one. It's fantastically brilliant. Otherwise, I tend to concentrate so much on one sock that I ignore the other when I turn the heel only to find that the "magic" loop for the other sock has magically disappeared. Vanished. No trace. Lots of cursing. Lots of counting. Precious heel turning minutes lost. :)

And here is the heel successfully turned, and it fits his foot! Yea! And the heel looks like a cuff down sock. Way cool. :)Now, for the second one! :)

And then . . . the cuff. And decision time on what lace pattern in which to work it. Hmmm. . .

Don't ever assume

2006-06-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Just when I think I've got something down -- really down -- to the point where I can pick up needles, and just start knitting something hits me between the eyes. I am humbled. I get that nice ice pick feeling in the stomach. Ah yes. The feeling of . . . I've just made a mistake.

And this happened this very day. Why? Because when I picked up my DH's sock on Sunday, I didn't check my stitches. I didn't count them. I didn't make sure that for whatever incredibly bizarre reason I hadn't moved stitches around so my front and backs were uneven. I assumed all was well. And as we all know, assumptions are very, very, VERY bad to make.

So those 3 odd inches I did over the weekend and the other inch or so I've done since? Hell -- the whole blasted sock -- does it need to be rrriiipppped? Don't know. DH gets to try socks on today, though. Then I'll know.

And I'll sure as blazes remember to check what I'm doing before I pick up a project I'd last laid down several months ago. I hope.

Yarn Shoppe June/July Newsletter

2006-06-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Yarn Shoppe Newsletter June/July 2006
1374 Myers St.
Oroville, Ca. 95965
Phone: (530) 532-4331
Fax: (530)532-4331
yarnshoppe@sbcglobal.net
http://www.yarnshoppe.net/
http://yarnshoppe.blogspot.com/
T-F: 10-5:30. Sat: 10-5

Welcome to Yarn Shoppe’s Newsletter! Within you shall find advance notice of items about to hit the Sales Baskets, and news about new patterns, classes and other assorted goodies.

Can you find the SALE Yarn of the Moment? It moves about rather randomly. Kimono Ribbon is it at the moment. Gorgeous, gorgeous. Wonderful for accents, light weight scarves, or sweaters -- all with beautiful drape. Good colors too.

STORE WIDE SALE
in honor of Independence Day! That’s right! On Saturday, July 1st, for one day only, we’re having a 20% everything in stock (excluding sale basket -- which remains priced as marked). Not good with any other offer -- i.e. pick one -- 20% whatever you buy, or use the coupon in the Great Values magazine.

Remember, we’re CLOSED to honor Independence Day on Tuesday July 4th

What’s new?
Ok, we said it before. But, while we risk boring repetition, this is very, very important!
This is the time to start thinking about beginning your Holiday Knitting -- before it’s too late -- like a dozen gifts with one month to go!! Plan it out now. Who do you want to knit for? What should they get? Next, we’ve got a few new patterns from Heartstrings Fiber Arts -- two fantastic shawls and a great pattern for scarves, plus an interesting hat/fingerless mitt combination and a pattern for a polo dickey. The Bobble Lace Flowers is just calling to me!

We’ve also gotten in some new colors of Butterfly 10 super cotton -- by S.R. Kertzer. This is a fantastic mercerized cotton. Between this and Tahki’s Cotton Classic, and King Tut you’ve got mercerized cottons covered! Come in and color gaze. There is a summer tank or shrug calling out to you!

July Class: Basic Tank
This class is separated in Three parts.

Thursday Class: July 20th, July 27th, Aug 3rd from 2-4 pm

Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) July 22nd, July 29th, Aug 5th from 10-12.

**Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: Familiarity with knitting, and purling.
You need: Pattern, yarn, needles.

Picture from www.fibertrends.com

Make a tank top for summer! Learn the basics of shaping and following a pattern. This is a good first sweater project and a great pattern to knit up for the summer! The first session will get you going with a few tricks of our own. The second class will get the shaping going. The third, will start with piecing the top together and get the edging underway.

August Class: Lace Leaves Scarves

This class is separated in Two parts.

Thursday Class: Aug 24th, Aug 31st from 2-4 pm

Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) Aug 26th , Sept 2nd from 10-12. **Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: Familiarity with knitting, and purling.
You need: Pattern, yarn, needles.

Images from http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com

Heartstrings Fiber Art’s Lace Leaves Scarves are a great introduction to lace knitting and chart reading (pattern does include written directions). We recommend using Schaeffer’s Anne, which is a gorgeous hand dyed super wash yarn. Every skein is unique which means you’ve got a unique scarf! Actually, since you can make both scarves on the pattern with one skein -- TWO unique scarves! Don’t want both? Well, keep one and give the second as a gift!

Do you have a suggestion or wish to have a certain class? Let us know!

Knit togethers! As always, Saturday afternoons from 2-5pm are our Knit togethers, where people of all ages and levels of experience are welcome to come together and knit or crochet while socializing. We hope to see you there!

Birthdays! Did you know that if you come in on your Birthday you get 10% off? It’s our way of celebrating the day with you.

If you would like to receive this newsletter by mail, the subscription is $5.00/12 issues, which is really just covering postage. We aim for about an issue a month. Let us know in the Yarn Shoppe, and we’ll add you to that list.

Copyright: Please respect copyrights. Respect the hard work of others. Check out http://www.geocities.com/jbtocker/copyright/index.html for easy to understand, clear information about copyrights.

Post Father's Day Ramblings -- Briony

2006-06-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

The interesting thing when you go from single to not-single is the sudden increase of the number of balls you have to keep in the air and juggle sucessfully. This goes includes the realization that the one you love might not want to eat mouse size portions of one meal all week. You might have to menu plan with a bit more variety. Then you go through household supplies at what seems an extremely rapid rate -- surely more than twice as fast? And then -- once you've begun to get those down . . . the holidays start hitting you.

Once upon a time, before My Love, I had exactly two people to knit for (excluding myself) -- my parents. And exactly one variation on the holiday theme -- my house or theirs? I had recently lost the last of my grandparents, begun what would end as a painful fission with one friend, and the old friends from high school were rarely seen, and infrequently knit for. Now I've got in-laws -- a whole new group! Happily I was informed early on that only my new father in law would appreciate anything hand made -- besides my DH, naturally. Well that saves months of agony and bitter disappointment, doesn't it?

So when Father's day approached, instead of smuggly knowing I had everything covered, I didn't. Mostly because of my aching hands -- which nixed any hand knit items. Panic. Severe. What in blazes did I used to do before I knit?? Cook? Well, that covered one -- and purchased chocolates covered the other. Phew! But -- how to arrange the celebrations?

Saturday night, after work, my DH and I took my parents out to dinner at the restaurant of my dad's choosing -- and he also got the chocolates. Sunday morning, at 6 am (we got to sleep in an additional 30 min longer than usual) had us blearily up and feeding our critters. By 7:15 we were on the road. Until 10:30. During which time we listened to the 2,500 someodd songs I've got on our iPod (shuffle mode meant alot of skipping -- classical and opera don't always help to keep the eyes open), and I knit. I also knit while we were at his dad's house and I got deluged by new faces and names. Most of which I actually recall. Rare for me.

Anyway, I got about 3.5 inches done on my DH's socks. They're in fingering weight -- Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock color way Amish, I believe. I'm doing them both on one long size 0 Addi Turbo -- which is 60" long. My favorite way to do socks. Eric -- my DH-- actually prefers worsted weight, but I want him to be sure, so am knitting him a finer weight pair to compare. I may be shooting myselft in the foot (not intentional pun)-- you should never argue when someone prefers worsted weight to fingering if you give socks as gifts. ;)

At the Shoppe I am periodically working with crochet to give my arms and hands some different movements. This, believe it or not, will be a sweater someday. I hope. Anyway, it's in Fiesta Yarn's Rayon Boucle. Colorway is Amazon. A bit brighter than what I normally wear. Ahem. But it was originally a shawl that had enough errors (early in knitter career project) that I couldn't bear it and had to rip it all out.

And for those of you who have been in the Shoppe recently -- or read the last blog post -- I finished the Trifold Knitting bowl and felted it yesterday. Ta Da!! Here it is before felting -- finished it Saturday.

Here it is felted on my deck drying in the sun.
Here is my dog Sorcha who is refusing to be photogenic. Does my shadow look irritated?

Here it is in place on the Yarn Shoppe's table. The pens are in the center -- designed really to hold yarn. The pockets have all the Shoppe Tools -- stitch gauges, crochet hooks, scissors, tape measures, calculators, sticky notes, darning needles, stitch markers etc -- and on either side sit notepads and coasters. Don't you want to come by and knit with us? We'd love to have you!

Here are the Irish Wolfhounds, Kiera and Konan who love to "help" around my parents' house and who visit upon occassion at the Shoppe. They're the sweetest creatures on earth, but shed nicely. Too bad we aren't into spinning dog hair.

And what is Chrisanne doing? Not petting Pippen at the moment -- hence his looking at her. She's doing . . . Socks! Yup. Didn't guess did you? ;) She's playing with a new lace pattern. Will she be farther alone tomorrow? Will she keep working on it? Or will it be rrriiiiippppeeedddd out or neglected for a newer, sexier project? Keep tuned to find out! Ah, what a pest I can be with a camera!

Trifold Knitter's Bowl

2006-06-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well~ Where have I been? I know, I've more excuses than a knitter has stash -- but, this one's another good one! Honest! I did myself an injury. Yup. I did exactly what I tell everyone not to do. I worked several large projects in a row -- on a single needle size and didn't incorporate any crochet to break it up. Let's just say I was not a happy camper for two weeks when I forced myself to go cold turkey and didn't pick up a knitting needle or crochet hook at all! Well, not for longer than a few minutes each day to see if I could manage without pain. If I couldn't -- and I couldn't -- I'd stop and pout in a most adult fashion. ;) So! Then I started working very small amounts. And trying to avoid my arch nemesis -- size 10 1/2. Which is what I used to make two sweaters, a very long wide scarf, a blanket, two felted mobei etc. I've failed. I'm using it to make this really, really cool Trifold Knitter's Bowl which is in A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting by Cat Bordhi. It's gonna (assuming it works out ok) be feltd and then live on a lazy susan and be in the center of the table here at the Yarn Shoppe for all the Shoppe's tools and pens. Cool eh?

Here I am -- well, ok, the basket -- with the moebius completed. Yellow strands oh so attractively scattered inside are waste yarn ends. You can see ( I hope) the three twists that makes this a trifold moebius. Yup. Just ONE edge. Way cool.

Ok, so this is where I was by the time I came in to work Saturday. The yellow lines aren't decoration. They're waste stitches to hold the places for the six pockets that come in later. I'm using Araucania Nature Wool which is a gorgeous kettle dyed wool. Isn't it scrumptious? I carefully choose skeins that had maximum variation.

Now here I was before I went home for the weekend Saturday. This is about 2.5 hours of knitting time.

I did the pockets over Tuesday and Wednesday and just a shade into today (Thursday), as well as finishing the bowl part on Tuesday.

You can still see the moebius.

Ok, now I've got a petal done! It's one flap out of three that will sorta cover the bowl. I hope to finish the other two flaps today, but I'm knitting hard and fast -- another no-no as I can feel some pressure in my left elbow. But I will crochet tonight, and that makes it all good, right? :)

So that's all for now, folks! I'll try to post more often on projects. Especially when I finish this one and come up for air. No promises on gifts though. Those do be on secret, need to know basis only, me dears. Or, just come in the Shoppe!!

I got pics!

2006-05-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, here are some pictures -- FINALLY. ;)
This first one is the moebius bag that I'm doing a class on this Month. This is the little guy NOT felted. It stays up *much* better once it's felted. Which is the second picture. Ah. The one on the left is Arucana Nature Wool doubled and the one to the right is knit up single strand. Both on size 10.5 Addi Turbo - 60". This is a great illustration, folks, about gauge. The one on left was done to gauge, the one on right not. :) We thought this would be a both a good demo for next month's gauge class and also to show how they feel different if knit single or double stranded and then felted. Either way, we love 'em both.

Now, here we have a sweater. The pics came out terrible. The one on the left is the full thing. It fits me, although it barely gets to my waist (I *swear* it did before I bound off!! argh). It has one fat cable down each sleeve and one down the center chest. The neck is a crochet shell all around. The wrists are a good 2.5 inches of k2p2 ribbing as is the bottom. It is out of Plymouth's Alpaca Boucle and I LOVE it. I wore nearly daily back when it was still cool. Ah, the fond memories of NOT sweating. ;) The second photo is a close up of a sleeve and the cable. I hope. The flash did as much good as not sadly. Let's face it. I'm not great at this picture stuff. :)

Now these lovely dears are the pair of socks I made for my man. They are mainly Lola, by Schaeffer yarns, which is hand dyed and each skein unique. The cuffs, heels and toes are Cascade 220 superwash black. The leg is a whopping 10" of k2p2. Do you remember I don't like ribbing? I don't, but my love does. Ah well. Anyway, I knit them both at the same time on my trusty size 2 Addi Turbo 60" using the Crazy Toes and Heels method -- my fav. :)

In addition, I finished, yes FINISHED the Cascade pearls sweater. And I got to wear for one day -- well, the car ride home from work -- and then it was too hot to wear again. Sigh. Finished it Friday. I'll get a pic up as soon as I, ahem, take one. ;)

More later, and until then HAPPY KNITTING and CROCHETING! Remember -- this is THE time to start Holiday gifts. You'll be sorry later if you don't start soon! We all remember previous years and they weren't pretty.

~Briony

Yarn Shoppe Newsletter May 2006

2006-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Yarn Shoppe’s Newsletter! Within you shall find advance notice of items about to hit the Sales Baskets, and news about new patterns, classes and other assorted goodies.

Can you find the SALE Yarn of the Moment? It moves about rather randomly. At the moment I am typing, it is a great fashion yarn called Stars. It’s very soft, with a hint of sparkle, and an overall fun eyelash to add pizzazz to a garment, or to make entire garments.

What’s new?
We have a new super wash cashmere blend, Ksar by Bouton d‘Or, out on the shelves. It is SO yummy to work with. We also have a few new fashion yarns -- eyelashes with lots of sparkle or soft fun -- Wink and Hairy respectively, by Dark Horse. Then we have Marble by SR Kertzer, a variegated acrylic yarn great for babies, afghans, or the wool-allergic you love. There is also a great new cotton-blend tape, Papagena, which Chrisanne is knitting up into an awesome summer/spring sweater. And perhaps one or two more . . . But those you have to come in to learn about (like a really soft, really bulky baby yarn)!

We also have a few new books -- Pursenalities and Pursenalities Plus -- both of which just beg you to knit up a new bag. Then 220 Projects for Cascade 220 is a great idea book and is just what is says it is -- 220 projects for worsted weight yarn. This is sure to be a basic book in your knitting library.

In the accessory world, we are getting in a new knit check gauge, by Nancy’s Knit Knacks, a great plastic gauge that measures from 000 up to size 35!! And this is supposed to be an extremely accurate gauge.

This is the time to start thinking about beginning your Holiday Knitting -- before it’s too hot to think!! (Pippin will be getting something in Ksar -- but, hush, he doesn’t know about it yet.)

May Class: This class is separated in TWO parts, second of which is optional.
Thursday Class: May 25th, June 1st from 2-4 pm
Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) May 27th, June 3rd from 10-12. **Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: Familiarity with knitting, purling and circular needles
You need: Cat Bordhi’s A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting is a required text. Addi Turbo needles, 40-60” and a 16“, are highly recommended. Come in BEFORE the class to choose yarn and get gauge!

Moebius! Yes, Briony loves these things and is having a go at the magic Felted Moebius Baskets. Join her in exploring the fun of these one-sided wonders. The main trick to these darlings is the cast-on, and so that is what we will be focusing on. The rest is simple knitting. Therefore, the second class will be optional and available for those who want more help. You need to be comfortable with knitting, purling and circular needles.

This class has 2 parts, one of which is optional. Cat Bordhi’s A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting is a required text. Addi Turbo needles, 40-60” and a 16“, are highly recommended (although if you can do the “Magic Loop“ only one needle is needed).

Nancy’s Knit Knacks New Needle & Hook Gauge
Image from http://www.nancysknitknacks.com/

June Class Gauge and Adjusting Pattern Gauge! This class is FREE !!!

Thursday Class: June 22nd from 2-4 pm
Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) June 24th from 10-12. **Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: You need to be comfortable with knitting, purling.
You need: Needles, yarn. A completed swatch is very good. Better: several sizes of needles and weights of yarn!

Learn to figure out the mysteries of gauge. Learn to see if you are “on gauge”. Learn to achieve gauge. And . . . Learn to adjust pattern gauge so you can change yarn weights from those suggested in the pattern, or make a different size that those listed on the pattern. This is the main secret to sweaters that actually FIT! And remember . . . This class is FREE of charge!!!!

Do you have a suggestion or wish to have a certain class? Let us know!
Knit togethers! As always, Saturday afternoons from 2-5pm are our Knit togethers, where people of all ages and levels of experience are welcome to come together and knit or crochet while socializing. We hope to see you there!

Birthdays! Did you know that if you come in on your Birthday you get 10% off? It’s our way of celebrating the day with you.

If you would like to receive this newsletter by mail, the subscription is $5.00/12 issues, which is really just covering postage. We aim for about an issue a month. Let us know in the Yarn Shoppe, and we’ll add you to that list.

April 2006 Newsletter

2006-04-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Yarn Shoppe’s Newsletter! Within you shall find advance notice of items about to hit the Sales Baskets, and news about new patterns, classes and other assorted goodies.

What’s new?
We have gotten a few skeins of the Lorna’s Laces Sport sock yarn--the color ways are Child’s Play and Confetti. If they are well received, we’ll get more of this slightly heavier weight of a wonderful sock yarn. (Chrisanne has been going slowly by the shelf with the Child’s Play on it…we all know what this portends….)

We’ve also put up a display of the Socka Reinforcement yarn. This is great for use in the heels and toes of those yarns which do not have reinforcement blended into the yarn already, such as Little Lola. It is also wonderful to add to the sock yarns that already contain nylon for those of us who literally wear through heels or toes like Briony does regularly.

April Class: This class is separated in THREE parts.
Thursday Class: April 20th, 27th, May 4th from 2-4 pm

Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) April 22nd, 29th, May 6th from 10-12. **Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: Familiarity with knitting and purling.

Come in early to choose yarn and get gauge.

SOCKS!!! Yes, Chrisanne has bowed to public pressure and is holding another class on socks on double pointed needles for beginners. So, if you can knit, and purl, come in and learn to knit the most comfortable pair of socks you have *ever* worn!! You’ll need to come in BEFORE the class to pick yarn and get your gauge determined (just so you don’t knit a whole sock, get to the toe and realize it will only fit either a 12” long foot or an infant). We have a variety of yarns that will work great for this project. Choose a self patterning, variegated, solid or striping fingering weight for those thinner dress socks that will give you hours of knitting joy, slightly fatter (and thus much faster) dk or sport weight yarn that can self pattern or not depending on your choice, or go for worsted weight yarn -- fast, warm, and options include solids, variegated or hand painted.

May Class: This class is separated in TWO parts, second of which is optional.

Thursday Class: May 25th, June 1st from 2-4 pm

Saturday Class (repeat of Thursdays) May 27th, June 3rd from 10-12. **Please note that our social Knit Togethers are from 2-5 and are not conducive to lesson time, and so class stops at noon.**

Prerequisites: Familiarity with knitting, purling and circular needles

You need: Cat Bordhi’s A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting is a required text. Addi Turbo needles, 40-60” and a 16“, are highly recommended. Come in BEFORE the class to choose yarn and get gauge!

Moebius! Yes, Briony loves these things and is having a go at the magic Felted Moebius Baskets. Join her in exploring the fun of these one-sided wonders. The main trick to these darlings is the cast-on, and so that is what we will be focusing on. The rest is simple knitting. Therefore, the second class will be optional and available for those who want more help. You need to be comfortable with knitting, purling and circular needles.
This class has 2 parts, one of which is optional. Cat Bordhi’s A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting is a required text. Addi Turbo needles, 40-60” and a 16“, are highly recommended. Come in BEFORE the class to choose yarn and get gauge!

Do you have a suggestion or wish to have a certain class? Let us know!
Knit togethers! As always, Saturday afternoons from 2-5pm are our Knit togethers, where people of all ages and levels of experience are welcome to come together and knit or crochet while socializing. We hope to see you there!
Birthdays! Did you know that if you come in on your Birthday you get 10% off? It’s our way of celebrating the day with you.
If you would like to receive this newsletter by mail, the subscription is $5.00/12 issues, which is really just covering postage. We aim for about an issue a month. Let us know in the Yarn Shoppe, and we’ll add you to that list.
Copyright: Please respect copyrights. Respect the hard work of others. Check out http://www.geocities.com/jbtocker/copyright/index.html for easy to understand, clear information about copyrights.

April Showers . . .

2006-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

. . . Make me want to knit really heavy, warm cardigans. Not that I am knitting said heavy, warm cardigans. I just want to. And I am refraining for two very good reasons. First, I want to work on others things more, and Second . . . because I know I won't work on it at all when it hits 120 degrees in the shade.

I bet you all think I've been doing nothing lately. Well, I have actually *finished* (yes, as in completed, and done) a few projects. Namely, a pair of socks, a sweater, and a cardigan. And no, I don't have pictures. Can you guess why?? If you said because I don't have the camera, you win a virtual knitting star.

What I currently have on the needles include 3 pairs of socks (yes, well, can't have just one, can we? And besides, one pair isn't even for me!), a sweater that is supposed to be for the week of Spring I know we'll have just before I finish the thing, a tablecloth that might be done someday -- if I find nothing I'd rather work on, another table cloth-- the same one I've worked on since 2001 or there-abouts (think hundreds of small hand-sized units knit on size 0's) which is my purse project (ie project that lives in my purse), a gift and therefore must remain unknown and unmentioned -- except it must be mentioned for WIP (work in progess) credit , a shawl about to be rrrriiiiippppeeeedddd out because it now seems to scream "I wanna be a sweater!". Some linen blend that wants to be *Something* crocheted, but hasn't made up its mind. And a few others that have been stashed in a closet at home.

I have no theater knitting right now and that worries me. It usually means that I will suddenly go out to see a movie and have to stop by the shop to pick out yarn, needles and get it started, and to a point where I can knit without thought. Which means I "should" start something soon to be ready for said theater project. The only problem: Nothing is calling out to be said theater knitting project. Sigh.

Oddly enough, I have finally out-smarted my cats. I think. I have had no new knitting related disasters with any of my four-legged children. Don't get me wrong -- they have done plenty of other things but nothing knitting related. And no, I still haven't fixed the shawl disaster. The pain is still too fresh. ;)

I promise on a stack of "Knitting Without Tears" (by E. Zimmerman) that I *will* post photos of my FOs (finished objects) when (and if, mind) I get the camera back.

Happy Knitting (and Crocheting!!)
Briony

Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

2005-12-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

To one and all, of all faiths, I give you my greetings and wishes of a wonderful day!

Now, down to the needles.

First. My mother loved the shawl she got. She wrapped it about herself as soon as it was out of the box. The first pic is of a close up of the pattern, UNdressed. That means, for those uninitiated with lace work, this is what it looked like when I put in on the floor to take a picture. The second is the full thing out on my floor. I choose a quick cat-free moment. I moved so quick that the bottom edge to the left is hiked up. Anyway.

Here we have the blocked/or dressed shawl close up. What this means is that I got it all wet, spun out the excess water so it was *just* damp, like a wrung out sponge damp, and then used long thin metal wires and pins to pull and stretch and shape the shawl. Lots of wires. Lots of pins. Lots of fun getting cats OFF shawl, away from wires and pins and closing door. Pattern name is Barbara from Stahman's book Scarves and Shawls. Oohh, aaahhh. :)

Next picture is the dressed shawl. What do you do when you don't have an extra mattress to block on to, and no carpeting and no foam board? Why, you take home lots and lots of cardboard boxes from work, make sure they are at least double thickness, and pile on all the extra towels you have in the house, reserving just one for the morning shower. And then realize you still don't have enough boxes or towels for some spots. I didn't realize I had so many different colored towels. Anyway, you can sorta see the shape here of the shawl -- a Faroeses shape, greater than a half circle with lovely shoulder shaping so the thing with stay ON.

Neeexxttt. . . My father's sock -- on his foot! I know some people who saw me working on this at work couldn't believe it was for a man. Hey, dad picked this out! He loves colors. Also for those who felt them -- yes, they got a lot softer after I washed them. For the sock knitters out there -- it's Opal, Brazil (I think. I don't think it's Lollipop) (can't remember #, sorry!), knit on a 0 and something like 8-9 sts/inch I've got it noted down somewhere! I used one long 60" Addi Turbo employing the magic loop method, worked both socks at once, from the toe up. The "pattern" is from Crazy Toes and Heels by Queen Kahuna ;) Great sock book in my opinion. I've got little tabs on it so I can flip about it. Dad has a wide duck foot with a tiny (comparative) ankle. By measuring his foot using the Crazy Toes and Heels method I've got a sock that fits him.

For those who saw the "family" socks in the works, here ya go in order of Mother, Father, Son (and then son socks ontop of father's socks --just for comparison sake). They were make at 4.5sts/1in, on a size 4, 60" Addi Turbo, each pair made at the same time, top down. Because I didn't have their feet to measure. Jeeze. :) I used Plymouth's Encore, worsted weight, 75% Acrylic, 25% wool, completely machine washable, dryable and abusable.

Now -- here is a close up of ONE curtain that I finally just put up on blocking wires in my dining room window. Yes, you guessed it -- Old Shale aka Feather and Fan. In garter stitch. Dead simple. In cotton, a kind of natural ecru color. I figure with bright yellow living room walls, burgandy and pale, pale burgandy dining room walls and green kitchen I needed something . . . quiet. :)

And here it is looking from the inside out. I have to keep the shutters closed so my lovely cats don't demolish it. I have the second half on the needles and am working on it today as I watch my presents -- the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, special edition. Here's to finishing the second curtain before Christmass 2006!

And to paraphase Tiny Tim (from Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol) "Bless us, Everyone!"
~Briony

The BIG day is almost here. . .

2005-12-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

And no, I'm not done with gifts. Ok. The ones that need mailing got mailed -- and arrived safe. And actually only ONE gift is not yet done. It is close. It is very close. It was much closer the week before last when I thought all I needed to do was cast off -- and then found I had forgotten the lace border for the shawl. Now, I am close. Honest. Just another 4 more repeats plus the side border stitches -- about 86 (no, I'm not counting . . . do you believe me? ) stitches to knit a border onto and cast off. I'm getting there.

So. Pics to follow shortly.

I did need to start other things. I'm only human. I started a pair of socks for me! In greens. I love them. I got the toe increases all done on Sat. so I could knit them during the Nutcracker performed by the Northern California Ballet in Paradise on Sunday. Which I did. I got about 2 inches done. I dropped a stitch once, but happily it was close to the end of the first Act and by the grace of the Knitting Muses somehow managed to ratchet up the dropped stitch the 5 rows it had slid. Without a crochet hook, frustratingly. I really MUST remember to restock my B hook for my knitting bag. I donated it to the shop. It ran away from home Sat. but I hope it will find its way back again. I think it stow-awayed in an unsuspecting knitting bag or eloped with a tape measure -- or worse! A knitting needle!

My Fenna shawl in the Lorna's Lace's Helen's Lace in Happy Valley colorway did not want to be a Fenna shawl. I think it wants to be an Elizabeth shawl. These names mean something if you have Stahman's Shawls and Scarves book. Honest. I also suspect it wants a different gauge. I forsee tinkering soon.

I also started a sock in crochet. However my late night furious stitching on the gift-to-be-completed must have caused some strain somehow in my left arm because it HURT when I crocheted a measly 5 rows. No, I am not left handed and no I do not knit or crochet with the left hand. It's a mystery.

I also have an Annoucement. Chrisanne has finished . . . a back to a sweater! Yeah!!! It's in seed stitch, the entire blessed thing. So will be the sleeves and the majority of the front. She is already threatening to dump the sleeves on me to finish (or just do). And -- hold onto your hats -- she followed the pattern!! I'm in shock still.

So, I should be asleep in bed now -- I'm transposing letters all over the place, so Good Night. And if I don't post beforehand (probable) Happy Holidays (don't get mad at me. I'm including New Years and whatever other holidays anyone reading may celebrate or imagine.)

~Briony

I know I'm not posting much

2005-12-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

But I've gotten a few comments about the paucity of posts. Well, folks, I'm hitting the needles for gifts. Any free moment, I'm knitting on gifts. I should be now. However, I think the end may, just may, be in sight. I'll try not to jinx it.

Plus, we're open until 7pm until the end of holiday season. No, no one is coming in that late. I can't imagine why someone thought it was a good idea for the shops to stay open later. I can't think why I thought I'd go along with the idea. The cats are NOT happy. They ate the last pencil I had in the house last week. I bought a pack of automatic pencils Monday since I thought they just liked eating wood ones. Well, they're not that picky. I have ONE, count it, ONE pencil left again. I think it may need to come off the grocery list nailed on the kitchen wall and have to hide INSIDE a CLOSED drawer. They broke the entire lower teer on my artifical, fiber optic Christmas Tree too. It looks like there's a wreath around the bottom of a very small, long stemmed tree. I wasn't stupid enough to put breakable ornaments on it. I'm not happy, but then neither are my critters. We match.

Anyhow, I got incredibly bored of knitting for others. My selfish nature kicked in and I knew that if I knit just one more round on a certain gift I would grow to HATE the recipient AND the gift. So . . I started a sweater for myself in Plymouth's Alpaca Boucle -- its a dark gray color. Top down, raglan. I've actually started it about four times. I had, ahem, problems. First, the neck was too tight, and incidently I had put markers in the wrong places. So, second time, I started I realized I had somehow picked up the wrong needle size. Third time, with correct needles, I realized I had needed a larger neck opening -- because I had supposedly learned from the first starting. So -- I'm on start number 4. I'm almost back to where I was with start number 1. The really good part? Gauge is 2.5 sts to the inch. Yahooooo!!! AND I'm on 10.5 US needles!! Wahooo!

Second, I started a sock. For me, me, me, ME. I've made several socks lately, all for others, with larger feet than mine. It's time for me -- and smaller feet. :) These are on size 0. When I go up to 1's the gauge gets a sloppy feeling 7 sts/inch.

So, no pics. Besides Chrisanne has the camera.

Back to holiday gift knitting.
~Briony -- owned by five cats, one dog, two goldfish.

It's been a while . . .

2005-11-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok, I know it's been a while since I last posted. But I've been working on holiday gifts. Can't really post pics of those, now can I?

Well, I thought you might like to see other projects that are in holding pattern. So . . . This is my table cloth that may be finished someday. It is knit with size 0 needles. Each star is knit separetly as is each seed square. They are then joined up.

See, the cats are "helping"!

Here is that shawl I mentioned? The one the cats dragged out from under the door? Well, the damage isn't as bad as I feared . . . but it isn't good.

Just the two major holes that I can see. Too bad I don't have any more of that yarn. Maybe I could find more and either rip out to the first hole (shudder) or try to fix the holes in situ. Who knows. I'm not worrying about it now. Did I mention I was working on holiday gifts??

Here is the hat I'm working on with Lorna's Laces. I'm using the magic loop method and trying to knit one color by throwing -- my prefered method -- and the other color by picking.

Don't make fun. It's my first at color knitting. No, the white blobs are not ducks. Sigh. They're just blobs.

Here is my current "Theater Knitting" -- the project I drag to the movies. It's Lorna's Lace's Helen's Lace -- the color is Rainbow Valley I think. It'll be a Faroese shawl when it grows up.

These were my parent's birthday gifts. The clogs were my fathers. The clogs are felted Galway.

The amulet bag (yes, that's what that other thing is) was for my mother to keep her medicine in so she would be more likely to remember to actually take them. Plus it is a better place to stuff them than in her pocket. It is made of Opal's fingering weight and is crocheted.

And here are two of FIVE my kitties.

Wait . . . Should I scratch this instead of knitting? Nah. I could eat this carpeting too . . . But I prefer Addi Turbo needle cables!!

I'm innocent. I never touched your shawl. I was sleeping. Besides, you know my kittens did it anyway. I'm too mature. And did I mention I was sleeping at the time?

My latest new project is...(from Chrisanne)

2005-10-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

My left hand has decided to be testy with me after the last week of only working on fingering weight yarn (the inevitable socks of course, and the Oriental jacket I'm working on--actually there are 2 of them in the works, 1 in greens and 1 in pinks, lavendars, and blues), so yesterday I started an intarsia sweater in Pima/Tencel by Cascade. I love this yarn! Anyway, it's from an old book called Great Big Knits, and I'm doing it in pink, black, white and a touch of maroon. The ribbing at the bottom is in black, and it was one of those Gee, I Guess I Am Getting Older--or Blinder experiences.... But--I must say, it looks nice.... And then at 1:30 am this morning, with rampant non-sleepiness, I came to the end of my skein....so, of course, I worked on the Not So Warm Coat from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch, which is in some Noro Silk Garden from The Stash. For someone who really prefers pullovers, I do seem to be knitting a lot of cardis, don't I.....

Also in the pipeline are several pairs of socks for gifts. I think that socks are the perfect addiction--legal, socially acceptable, and very portable--I have a sock-in-progress in my glovebox in the car, another at my bedside table, another on the wetbar in the kitchen, another in my purse of the moment, and another beside my usual seat in the living room. (I bet you thought I was being my usual exaggerated self about that 'addiction' remark!)

Somewhere along the line, I also need to knit Pippen a sweater. Now that he's got a shorter haircut for the shop, he needs a bit of extra warm for the fall/winter. Heaven knows, he hasn't got any extra weight to keep him warm!

We're thinking about having our December class be a "Quick Gifts for the Holidays" kind of thing, so I'm working on ideas for that...projects which are fun to do, quick, and things that your Significant Recipient will actually be excited to get (and which, unlike the Nieman-Marcus suggestions, will not cause instant poverty for you).

We've had a couple of people in the Shoppe lately who have a stash of afghans which they have made, so that they have something for a gift should they need something immediate. I'm quite in awe of this forethought! Of course, with all the projects I have going at any particular moment, you'd think I'd have something for those occasions, but it never seems to work that way....

Briony -- Finishes something! And loses something.

2005-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, as amazing as it may sound -- I have finished something! The crochet shopping bag! It's out of Muench's Samoa which is cotton and acrylic. And soft. So nice to work with. It's the one on the right. It'll stretch out with weight.

It's going into my trunk tomorrow morning so the next time I go shopping it can be used. Of course, I will have to talk the bagger (if I go somewhere where they still bag for you) into actually putting more than 3 ounces into it. My other one -- made of sugar n cream (bag on the left) -- carried home a gallon of milk, a gallon of juice, a jar of yeast and a box of mushrooms today. The bagger didn't believe it wouldn't burst on the spot. HAH! Chrisanne thought of the round bottom, which I really like.

And as you can see, my father worked his magic -- by doing exactly what I did earlier and voila! The (&#$&#$ camera works. Argh!

Do you realize there are only 12 weeks until Christmas? That means just 12 measly weeks in which to start (ahem), work on, and FINISH gifts?? I tell ya, I'm beginning to feel the pressure. Does that mean I'll work hard this weekend on gifts? Um. Nope. Oh well.

I was really, really mean to Chrisanne this week. I made her limit the number of projects she has in progress at the shop to . . . 12. Yup. All the way down to 12. She sniffed and stuffed two large duffel like bags and another shopping bag FULL of stuff and put it into her car. No, I have NO idea what all went. I think I saw a few socks. I may stop by her place this weekend and help her get it all OUT of the car.

For those of you with cats -- Does it ever cease to amaze you how looonnnggg their legs can get? I'm thinking in reference to getting into closed closets. Where early-in-my-knitting-life faroese shawls made of silk tweed, costing me several months of saved cash while I was in college, used to hang. Notice the past tense. Somehow, unknown to me, the shawl fell onto the floor. I don't know how the cats knew it was on the floor, inside the closed closet. But they did. Somehow they reached, deep, deep, inside that closed off closet, under the door. I found what was left of my previously lovely shawl earlier this week on the floor. I tell you I just sat on the floor and cried.

Ah well. The shawl may be savalgeable. I don't have the heart to look yet. And the shopping bag is soon to be safe in my trunk.
~Briony

What I have on needles and hooks -- but no pics :(

2005-09-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Why no pics? Well. . . .

. . . here I am, all ready to both publish our website I've been trying to work as well as start this blog when . . . my digital camera decides it doesn't like me anymore. It won't turn on. And yes, I've tried charging the battery. I'll have to turn it over to my father who will probably look at it worridly, turn it over a few times and flip the power button and . . . it will turn on and behave itself. Which is what usually happens when I try to mix with electronics. Anyway, so as much as I would like to post a pic or two of what I've got going -- I can't. Because I haven't TAKEN any pics of what I'm working on. Sniff. Hey, I'm glad I've touched my needles at all since I've gotten all excited about Sudoku (a logic game -- if you've been in the shop this week I've probably either hurridly stuffed it under a project or been flagrantly working on it. You can see what in blazes I'm writing about at www.sudokusan.com. I warn you, I'm addiciting others to it. I'm not saying that this is the best website -- it's the only one I've looked at -- or anything serious. It is just what I've been working on.

Onto yarn stuff though -- no pics but here's what I've got currently on needles -- or hook (no particular order):

Snood in Katia Sevilla (crochet)
Snood in Cascade Copa (crochet)
Fair Isle hat in Lorna's Laces (knitting)
Sock in Opal sock yarn (knitting -- no pics! A gift to someone!)
Afgan in Plymouth Encore (crochet)
Window curtain (knitting) -- some cotton yarn I found before-shop-opening
Sweater in Cascade Pearls (knitting)
Santa Suit in Sirdar Snuggly DK and Funky fur (knitting)
Table Cloth in Plymouth Encore (knitting)
Table Cloth in King Tut cotton (crochet)
Table Cloth in that cotton yarn mentioned in #6
Face cloth in hemp yarn I found somewhere -- practicing continental knitting
Shawl in Alpaca yarn (knitting -- don't expect pics! It's a gift to someone!)
Various socks in various stages in various yarns -- hidden in cupboard because they were all started pre-move. Haven't the energy to dig them out. All knitting
A cascade 220 jacket/sweater I made before I lost weight -- it's got a huge hole from getting snagged or something that I need to mend, and I was playing with the idea of felting. Just don't want to mend. Yuck. Knitted.
A shopping bag in Samoa cotton from Muench (crochet)
Placemat? Future shopping bag. Dunno, so far a 6" granny square in Sugar 'n Cream. Crochet, natch.
Shawl, in Fiesta Yarn's Rayon Boucle. Amazon colorway, I think. Knitted
Shawl, knitted, circa pre-move. No clue what's it in anymore. It's in the cupboard with aforementioned socks.
Felt clogs in Galway, knitting. Another gift.

I know there's more, but I can't bring 'em to mind. I KNOW I have more than 2 dozen UFOs(UnFinshed Objects) in the wings.

And I will probably start something like a sweater for a gift in the next month. How I will finish them all on time is unknown, but hey, that can be part of the fun. Yeah. Right. Back to needles!
~Briony

Yarn Shoppe

The End . . . but with links!

Closing the Shop

Raptors, oven mitts and feathers

We got a new camera battery!

Spirals

Cat Bordhi's New Book!

Summer Knitting

Summer Shorts!

Happy 4th of July!

Skirt continuation and Summer Top

Better skirt pics

I FINISHED MY SKIRT!

Gifts and Beginnings

Odd Socks

Afghans and Things

All the Colors in the Rainbow

Sweater and Things . . .

Afghan Finished!

The Ideal Knitting Bag?

Happy Holidays!

Reworked, and finished, another snood

Socks are Done!

Holiday Season's Cheer

Baby Bear

Happy Heel

Don't ever assume

Yarn Shoppe June/July Newsletter

Post Father's Day Ramblings -- Briony

Trifold Knitter's Bowl

I got pics!

Yarn Shoppe Newsletter May 2006

April 2006 Newsletter

April Showers . . .

Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

The BIG day is almost here. . .

I *know* I'm not posting much

It's been a while . . .

My latest new project is...(from Chrisanne)

Briony -- Finishes something! And loses something.

What I have on needles and hooks -- but no pics :(

I know I'm not posting much