Well, despite my best efforts involving avoidance and denial, the holidays are nearly upon us.  I love the holiday season, but this year everything is moving so fast I’m worried I’m just going to miss it all as it flies by in a blur.  I’ve been feeling somewhat overwhelmed with all that needs to be done and I’m not even talking about knitting projects.

This morning, our Store Manager Karen came in with a new project that lifted my spirits:

Isn’t he adorable?  Karen made him from one of the Woolpets kits that we stock.  These needle felting kits come with everything you need to make the Woolpet shown on the package.  Karen simply added a loop of Plymouth Goldrush to Sock Monkey’s head and voila – a tree ornament!

I think these would make a great gift either as a completed project or just the kit itself!   Here are a couple of other options to consider (we have 27 different Woolpets to choose from):

The holiday inspiration did not end with Sock Monkey.  When Steve & I returned from recording this week’s episode of Ready, Set, Knit, Karen came back into my office to show me this:

Isn’t it beautiful?  The pattern is Nancy Lindberg’s  “Christmas Socks” and the yarn is Valley Yarns Amherst.   It only took 5 balls which works out to just under $25 for a stocking that will last a life time.

Ready or not the holidays are coming.  I hope these projects awaken your holiday spirit!

Kathy

This week’s free pattern is a super new scarf!  Perfect for women or men, the Shale Pleated Scarf has an interesting stitch pattern that looks great when finished. 

Knit in our Valley Yarns Berkshire, it will keep you warm no matter how cold it gets this winter!  As designed, the pattern takes 4 skeins of Berkshire and your finished scarf will be 12″x72″ for less than $20!

Click here to download your FREE copy of the Shale Pleated Scarf  Pattern!

Enjoy!

Kathy

We have just received in the latest “special” issue from Interweave Knits. 

This year’s Holiday Gifts issue is HUGE!  It has nearly 60 patterns – twice as many as most issues.  There are lots of great gift ideas, as you would expect.  Many are quick knits others are more involved.   There are several that spoke to me that I’d like to highlight below:

First is the Ripple Cardigan designed by Coralie Meslin and knit in Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

 This is a gorgeous cardigan that has a simple style but very interesting construction.  It is knit in multi-directional pieces.  The pattern has 6 sizes and depending on your size, you’ll need 4-7 skeins of Kidsilk Haze.

Next is the Little Majolica by Kristin Nicholas.  Without even showing a picture of this pullover, you know it’s going to be a colorwork masterpiece.

Told you so!  This stranded piece utilizes two colors.  As if that weren’t enough, Kristin introduces a two additional colors by utilizing the duplicate stitch.  Duplicate stitch is one of those underrated embellishing techniques.  I think this garment gives the duplicate stitch instant credibility.  Little Majolica is knit using Kristin’s signature yarn Julia – named after her beautiful daughter. 

I’m also lovin’ Slip-Stitch Layers by Simona Merchant-Dest.  Knit in Mission Falls 136 Merino  Superwash, this simple but stylish pullover is absolutely a sweater I would wear.   

Unlike stranded work, slip stitch only uses one color per row and the knitter “carries” or “slips” stitches from row to row.  In addition to creating a beautiful result, the fabric is also warm.  Perfect for folks like me who freeze all winter!  Slip-Stitch Layers is generously offered in 7 sizes and requires 7-11 skeins of MC and 4-6 skeins of CC.  Just remember our yarn discounts apply!

The “story” in this issue that really spoke to me was “One, Two, Three” – beautiful projects that utilize 3 or fewer skeins.  Here are the ones that I particularly like.

The Quicksilver Bag by Norah Gaughan. 

Really, do I need to say more than that?  Probably not, but I will!  Adorable and functional with a simple construction.  The picture shows the bag as a casual accessory.  With the sheen and texture of Bonsai, I can imagine it sophisticated and dressy as well – change the handles and such and Poof!  A completely different bag.  It would also be beautiful knit in Bonsai Colors.  A great and easy gift too that is affordable!

As I’ve said previously, I freeze all winter.  When temps dip below 70 degrees I’m not happy.  Also well documented is my affection for cashmere.  Let me show you one of the ways I get through our long, cold New England Winters:

Cashmere.Fingerless.Mitts.  The delicate and feminine Wine and Roses Mitts were designed by Jolene Treace and were knit in Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 2-ply.   That would be One Skein of Cashmere.  I know, times are tight and even one skein of this lovely yarn is a bit pricey at $41.00.   Maybe this is your splurge, maybe it’s the project you find a nice substitution from your stash for.  I love the design and I think we all deserve a bit of luxury if possible.

Next up is a lovely project that features one of our Valley Yarns!  Building Block Scarves by Sarah Hoadley are knit in our Sugarloaf.  

Sugarloaf is 52% Merino and 48% Acrylic Microfiber.  It’s super soft, knits at 4 sts/inch and has a nice drape.  I’m tickled with the results!  The construction is pretty neat too.  If utilizes a long cast-on to form the perimeter and then knit in the round to the center and features mitred corners.  Also, if you scroll back up to the cover image, guess what you’ll see!  One of the scarves!  I knew the scarves would be in this issue but I was simply tickled to see one of them on the cover!  Woohoo!  Congratulations Sarah and thank you Interweave!

Last but not least are the Kumara Red Socks.  How could I not favorite a sock pattern?  I think it has unofficially been the year of the sock. 

The Kumara Red Socks are a quick knit and will wrap your feet in warmth and luxury.   Kumara is a merino/camel blend from Classic Elite which is super soft and lofty.   These socks only require 2 skeins and what a great gift they will make!  I’m just not sure I’d be giving them away.

I have just highlighted 7 of the 57 projects in this issue.  There are just over 60 days until Christmas (fewer if you are knitting for Hanukkah) and these are all possibilities in that time frame for most of you (some are beyond my reach at this point, but I’m slow and steady so don’t go by me).

I hope these ideas have inspired you!  What do you like in this issue?  Are one of my faves one of yours too?

Kathy

I am so excited to debut this new pattern today!  Louise’s Nature Hat is a design of my own (remember those granny squares from a couple of months ago?)

Here’s what they became:

I’ve had this design in my head for awhile but not the right yarn.  With the addition of our Valley Yarn Superwash in a DK weight, I finally had the yarn I needed!  The hat features 7 traditional granny squares joined together to form the base of the hat.  I then added a row of single crochet to even out the grannies and add some stability before picking up the necessary number of stitches and knitting the remainder of the hat!

What tickles are endless possibilities for this particular design.  You can easily select colors that you love and even change up the pattern for the squares to truly make this hat your own.

Click here to download Valley Yarns #297 Louise’s Nature Hat for FREE!

If you make the hat I’d love to see your results!

Kathy

Hi Everyone

I’ve had several requests to post pictures of Pixie’s completed Summer Petals Cardigan which was our last CAL on Ready, Set, Knit.  My apologies for being remiss in doing so.  Here are the pics I took:

The pattern can be found in the summer issue of Interweave Crochet (it’s the cover sweater).  The pattern calls for Rowan Bamboo Soft but Pixie substituted Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy.  You’ll notice the picture of Pixie’s finished Cardi looks longer than the one on the cover.  That’s because it is.  Pixie opted to add a little length so that it would fit the way she wanted it to fit.  I know doing a full garment as a CAL on our podcast was a bit challenging for some of you.  Thanks for hanging in there with us!

One of our new patterns that we have debuted and you’ll see in our Holiday 2009 catalog which will be arriving in mailboxes over the next couple of weeks is Thetis. 

Valley Yarns Pattern #288, Thetis is knit in our Colrain which is a 50% merino/50% tencel blend.   It knits at 4 sts = 1″ and each 50 gram ball has 109 yarns.  With Colrain priced at an affordable $3.99/ball – this lovely pullover is a great value costing between $35.91 and $51.87 depending on the size you make.

What I love about this particular pullover is it’s interesting construction.  Here’s a quick video clip describing exactly how Thetis is made:
 

 
I hope you enjoyed the video.  We have more coming with many of our latest designs.

It’s been a crazy week at the shop with New York Sheep and Wool last weekend and Stitches East this coming weekend.  It has meant a lot of visitors.  Yesterday along I had the pleasure to meet DarthKnitter from Twitter & Ravelry, Julie from Twist Collective, and my buddy Diane of Creatively Dyed Yarns among others.  I had to leave mid afternoon to pick up the boys from school which meant I missed Team Ravelry:

Posing as Bob is the lovely Ysolda Teague who just did a book signing at the store a couple of weeks ago!  Her Bob Head is priceless but best of all?  She knit it in Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky!  I love my boys but I am so bummed I missed seeing this (and of course them) in person! 

Kathy

Our Fall Catalog started mailing last week.  The launch of a new catalog is always an exciting time for us. 

If yours hasn’t arrived yet, don’t worry, it’s working it’s way through the mail stream to you. In the meantime, let’s look at a few of the highlights, shall we?

The stunning cover image is courtesy of our dear friends at Berroco.  The Nuss Cardigan from booklet #288 Blackstone Tweed is a garment we’ve talked about previously.  Knit in Berroco’s new Blackstone Tweed, Nuss has an interesting construction and nice fit.

One of my favorites that I insisted be in the catalog is Potter from Norah Gaughan Vol. 5: 

Knit in Berroco Pure Merino, I fell in love with this jacket the moment I saw pictures of it last spring.  I’m not a huge yellow fan, although I’ve been told I can pull off the color, but there is something about this jacket, yellow or otherwise that really speaks to me. 

Another design that I’ve reference previously here on the blog and on our podcast is the Riding Jacket from The Big Easy booklet knit in Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky from Debbie Bliss. 

The simplicity of the silhouette immediately grabbed my attention – you know I love classic styles that look like you put a ton of work into them but in the end weren’t so difficult. 

The Lace & Bobble Cardigan from Classic Elite Booklet #9102 – Weekend - didn’t really impress me until Betsy came to the shop to give the store staff an overview of new fall yarns & designs. 

It looked great on everyone that tried it on and it’s knit in Classic Elite’s new yarn Chesapeake.

When Diane & Stacy from Tahki/Stacy Charles came to visit, they both knew I’d be head over heels for this next garment.

Score a point for them.  I love Eileen from the S. Charles Collezione Modern Living booklet – simple, clean lines, feminine.   Knit in Tivoli, a new yarn from the sophisticated S. Charles Collezione, the design and the yarn are both homeruns in my knitting book.

One quick yarn shout-out to  Centolavaggi (prononounced Chento-la-va-ggi) which could also be known as Zara laceweight.  Diane & Stacy had a random skein of this with them many, many months ago and asked what we thought of it.  At 1531 yards of gorgeous Italian Extra Fine Merino that is superwash no less and priced at only $19.95 I asked them how soon we could have it.  Had to wait a little longer than we would have liked, but it’s here now!

There is a never ending parade of new sock yarns coming into WEBS that it’s almost hard to keep track of them all.  One fun addition for fall is Flusi 4-Ply Color from Regia.  Flusi has a fun little story that is actually supported by a story book. 

The balls are 50 grams so two are needed for a pair of socks.  The colors are bright and whimsical, just like Flusi himself.  I love a good story and good marketing always catches my attention.

On the Valley Yarns front, I posted several weeks ago about our fall shoot which was held at Pioneer Valley Vineyards.  The pictures in the catalog are just stunning.  Here are a few of our own highlights.

First up, is our NEW Northampton Bulky, knit up in Zephyr Style pattern Juliet.  This was the perfect choice for this yarn. 

Again, this is one of those great designs that just looks great on everyone and that’s saying something for a garment that has a gauge of 3 stitches/inch.

We’re also excited to debut our new Valley Superwash DK.  Twenty hardworking colors are presented in this 5.5 stitches/inch sister to our worsted weight Valley Superwash.  We have lots of design ideas for this yarn, as I’m sure do as well!  For a quick project (or early holiday gift) Mary in Marketing whipped up these adorable amigurumi critters from teh book Super-Cute Crochet by Nicki Trench.

The Hawthorne Textured Cardi has been a favorite of mine since I saw the finished design. 

Knit using our gorgeous tweed Valley Yarns Williamstown, this cardi has a bit more attitude and although tweeds can often be seen in more casual looks, Williamstown simply shines.

Our wildly popular Gallery Jacket was reknit in our rich brown and now has a completely new look! 

Valley Yarns Sheffield was used in both the original design and this remake, but the change of color is really stunning.  It’s shiney and new all over again!

My last favorite is the Point & Line Cardigan. 

Knit in our 100% merino Amherst, this cardigan is the perfect fall wardrobe addition.  It’s functional in that it will keep you toasty, but has a nice feminine look.

We have one other new product for the fall.  It is so big and we’re so excited that it deserves it’s own blog post.  So, until tomorrow!

Kathy

I always go into vacations with the best of intentions.  Not only will I relax and rejuvenate and spend quality family time together, but I always plan on “catching up”.  I had blog posts planned, porjects to work on and even (dare I say it) knitting!  The week prior to heading to the Cape was a blur of interviews, missing Jackson while he was at his first sleepaway camp and tournament baseball with Jonathan. 

(Notice what Jonathan is holding?  That’s an MVP award.  Yes, I am bragging – can’t help myself.)  Plus the usual “things to get done before I leave so I can go on vacation, relax, rejuvenate, spend time w/family and catch up”.  That week feels like months ago now.

We had a great vacation – they keep getting better as the boys get bigger.  We enjoyed the beach, we golfed, hung out, ate lots of fried clams and ice cream.  For me, there is nothing better than having my toes in the sand, sun on my face, salt air sticking to my skin and the sound of the ocean.

I didn’t gain any ground and in all honesty lost some ground.  I know – it’s vacation, that’s how it’s suppose to be.  I always like to get a few nagging things that aren’t necessarily at the top of the to do list done and crossed off.  I’m a big list maker and crossing things off a list once completed is a BIG deal for me.  It’s like a mini celebration for me – my own little victory party.  Despite the lack of productivity, it was a great time and now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging, etc.

A few loose ends to tie up today.  First, even though we were away, we pre-recorded two podcasts. On our July 28th episode of Ready, Set, Knit I had the chance to catch up with Berroco Designer Cirilia Rose.  Many of you know Cirilia previously worked with us at WEBS and has been on the podcast at least a couple of times.  Talking with her was catching up with an old friend – all we were missing was nice glass of wine.  Cirilia talked about Sock Summit which is coming at us in a screaming fast sort of way.  She’ll be in Portland representing Berroco so be sure to stop by her booth and say “hi”.  We also talked about Berroco’s latest contest and this one is a keeper!  Berroco’s Sock Star Competition not only has a cash prize, but if your design is chosen it will be published in a Spring 2010 pattern book!  How cool would that be?  Check out all of the information on the Berroco website for complete details and be sure to listen to my interview with Cirilia!

This past Saturday’s Ready, Set, Knit episode feature a great conversation I had with the lovely Susan B. Anderson.  Susan is an author, blogger, designer AND is working with the fine folks at Blue Sky Alpacas on their new Spud & Chloe line.  I had a blast talking with Susan and getting the behind the scenes scoop on this line which is taking the knitting world by storm.  Be sure to check it out!

Before I left on vacation, I Twittered about the newest addition to our Valley Yarns collection – Northampton Bulky!  Isn’t it loverly?

Same gorgeous yarn as our wildly popular Northampton but this time we’ve bumped it up to knit at 3 stitches = 1″ on a #10 1/2 needle.  It has 109 yards, which isn’t bad for a bulky weight yarn.  At $4.99 – it’s (as we say in Boston) a true bah-gan.  It comes in 25 yummy colors.  This one of the yarns that came with me on vacation.  I am going to recreate the Heirloom Baby Hat I did for the One-Skein-Wonders Luxury book.  In addition to reknitting it in a different yarn, I want to size it up and introduce a second color.  I picked light grey and burgundy.  Light grey will be the main color and the burgundy will serve as the accent once I figure out how I want to incorporate the second color.  I’m going to work out the pattern for baby to adult – what size would you like me to see my sample knit in?  Should I do it for one of the boys or for Steve?  You vote – I’ll start knitting!

You know, going on vacation is simply the best, but coming home is also the best.  Missed you all – glad to be home.

Kathy

NOTE:  This post was written prior to our trip to Disney.  For whatever reason, uploading the video to YouTube so I could link to it just wouldn’t happen.  I think my computer left for vacation a day early.  So, my apologies for the delay in this being posted.  I know I’ve mentioned on the last two podcasts that this video would be up and I’m sure some of you are frustrated that it’s taken so long.

I’m loving how much all of you are lovin’ us knitting chickens.  I’m loving that so many of you heard about it and thought to yourselves “Hmmm – the WEBS gang is going to knit chickens – I think they need a vacation”.  Well -you’re right about the vacation part, but now that you’ve seen the pattern, I LOVE that you all LOVE the pattern too!  We’re having so much fun.

As promised, but a bit delayed, I want to post the video for picking up stitches.  Now, the last thing I claim to be is a videographer.  I’m learning, we are all learning so I’m asking for comment kindness.  That’s not to say I don’t want to hear what we can do better – absolutely – just know, we know we need to improve   Got to start somewhere though – right?  Here’s what the base of my chicken looked like as I prepared to pick up the stitches to then be able to knit up the body:

 You can see that I’ve figured out how many stitches I need to pick up for my medium size chicken and I’ve place markers in spots that evenly divide the number of stitches I need into manageable chunks.

Here’s our tutorial and introduction to the project:

Here’s what my chicken looked like after picking up the stitches and knitting up most of the body:

 Next up, I’ll be posting pictures of my chicken getting stuffed and a tutorial on the kitchener stitch, which is used to graft the chicken together.

I’ll be sharing some shots from our trip to Disney in the next post as well, but prior to vacation, we headed to Stitches West.  I stayed home for an extra day in order to attend end of term events for both Jackson & Jonathan.  Jackson has spent the term studying the Colonial Period which is capped of with a traditional Colonial Ball.  Here he is in his colonial outfit:

And here he is dancing with one of his fourth grade friends:

All of the kids did such a great job and I was so glad to have been able to be there.

 Kathy

P.S.  Many of you asked about the pattern for the shawl I was wearing in the video in my 2/20 blog post.  It’s from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton book #2 and the pattern is Sursa.  The pattern book is out of print, though there are a few available at various internet sites and possibly your LYS.  I’ve spoken with KFI and they have agreed to let me offer all of you the individual Sursa pattern for free with purchase of the yarn.  I’m waiting to get the pdf and as soon as I do, I’ll let you all know.

Each week the team at Berroco publishes their free e-newsletter KnitBits.  It’s usually chock full of info about new yarns, designs, free patterns, tips, etc.

As I was scrolling through this week’s edition which focuses on Booklet #285, Linen Picnic (Norah & Cirilia do a great audio slideshow about the designs in the booklet btw), I came upon this:

This is Remember and it’s knit in Berroco Pure Merino Heathers.  Remember is a winterized version of the Moska tank from Booklet #285 Linen Picnic (see how it all ties together)  To winterize the garment, Pure Merino Heather was substituted for Linen Jeans, sleeves were added and the tank design was reinvented as a cardigan.  Smocking was incorporated into the stitch pattern on the front and back and is done as you knit.  Remember is offered in 6 sizes from XS-2X (finished chest measurement of 30″-48″)  which is awesome.

We stock 12 colors of Pure Merino Heathers including the Cinnabar Lacquer shown.  Keep in mind that with WEBS Yarn Discounts, you’ll save approximately $20.00 to $50.00 (depending on size & # balls of yarn) when you buy the yarn for this project from us.

Do you think this is a project you’ll be adding to your queue?

Kathy

Our new spring catalog has begun arriving to all of you.  This is always an exciting time for us back at the shop – wondering what you’re going to like, not like, etc.  We are always particularly anxious about the new Valley Yarns designs that we debut.  These are our babies and we love them and always hope that you do too. 

Our local customers have the advantage of seeing the garments in person.  No matter how great a job we do with our photography, seeing the design in person is simply the best.  So I thought we should try something new – try to give those of you who shop on-line with us a better feel for the garments.  I’ve taped a short video describing two of our new spring designs, the inspiration behind it, the construction, etc.  For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know I’ve been fooling around with video off and on for a few months now.  I’ve still got a lot to learn about shooting video, etc. so bear with me.  This first one isn’t bad, but there are already things I know I want to do differently next time.

First up, I discuss the Trumpet Flower Cardigan knit in Valley Yarns Goshen, then it’s onto the Closed Bud Lace Coat in Valley Yarns Sheffield.

What do you think?  Like the idea?  Want to see more of these?  What else would you like us to do via video?

Kathy