Play Now:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

For our store customers – we got a new shipment of Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns, so make sure you come on in and check out the beautiful display!

We’ll have Blue Moon Fiber Art joining us at Stitches East in Hartford, CT October 28-31, 2010!

Yarns

• Steinback Wolle Sissy 5
• Ornaghi Filati Pluto
• Ornaghi Filati Super Merino
• Ornaghi Filati Biberon
• Ornagi Filati Malaga
• Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace
• Louisa Harding Rosetti

FREE SHIPPING OFFER! Place a $25 order on websbeads.com AND any order at yarn.com and BOTH orders will ship free. Contiguous US only. Expires 9/27/10. Must order from websbeads.com to qualify.

Sunday, Oct. 3rd 1:00pm-4:00pm: Knit or Crochet for the Cure. We’ll be doing hats this year. The bead store will also be participating this year!

Saturday, Oct. 9th 11:00pm-2:00pm: Stitchy McYarnpants and Caro Sheridan, authors of Knitting It Old School will be in the store for a book signing

Thursday, Oct. 14th 6:00pm-8:00pm: Vampire Knits book signing with three designers!

Saturday, Oct. 16th: Our Trip to Rhinebeck! In the store, we’ll have a lace demo from the New England Lace Group too!

Saturday & Sunday Oct. 22 & 23: We’ll have Barry Klein of Trendsetter Yarns in the store with a full trunk show of yarns and garments, plus his book. Be sure to check out his class that he’ll be teaching too!

Wednesday Oct. 27th 4:00pm-7:00pm: Della Quimby of Della Q will have a trunk show in the store!

Our Knit-a-long returns!

We welcome Kirsten Hipsky, our Valley Yarns designer for our new KAL – Knit a basic lace shawl!

Kirsten chats about the process she goes through when designing lace, and offers a basic lace triangle shawl. You can add whatever you want in place of the stockinette stitch part, or just go ahead with plain stockinette and create a beautiful shawl. You want to be careful to make sure that your increases and decreases match so you’re creating a triangle.

Recommended Book:

Knitting Lace Triangles by Evelyn Clark – This book includes great basics on creating a triangle shawl and has wonderful stitch patterns that lend themselves to creating triangles.

KAL Tools and Yarn:

• Kangaroo Dyer Semi-Solid Sock Yarn (or any lace, sock, or fingering yarn about 375 yards)
• US 6 needles (gauge of about 5.5 sts per inch in stockinette)
• Valley Yarns Basic Series B-6 Basic Shawl ($1.99)

Kirsten recommends to keep a bit of symmetry in your lace design. Have both halves equal, or symmetry within the triangle. Kirsten limited herself to k2tog, ssk, yo, and double decreases. She also recommends keeping yo’s and decreases right next to each other to keep easier track.

Getting Started:

Download the pattern ($1.99) and choose your yarn. Start in on the shawl, or just experiment with one triangle. Consider playing with your stitches. Try mapping your design out on graph paper, even if you’re not sure about it! You could end up with something you love and you can always erase.

Our next KAL will be the Austin Hoodie by Connie Chang Chinchio that Kathy blogged about, so start thinking about your yarn!

Tags: Basic Lace Shawl