Technical difficulties to the extreme.

My work computer died yesterday - taking all the photos, files and other work related items with it. To top it off, Jenni's computer is also behaving weirdly. We think it's the heat. Cross your fingers for us! Maybe once it cools down again (we don't have A/C in our office), the computers will rise from the dead.

Luckily, I hadn't transferred all the photos from the store camera to my computer yet, so I do have some fun customer FO shots to share, in lieu of the many photos lost with my now expired desktop. Last Wednesday (and I have the time-stamp to prove it), Maile came in with a collection of Swirl Scarves she'd knit over the past year:

Nine in total. Amazing, huh? We had some fun photographing the collection, on Brook, as you can maybe tell...

(this was before the 100F+ weather we're having now, ick)

Maile told us that she loved the pattern because it was so easily memorized and quick to knit. She made Swirl Scarves as gifts for friends and family (many of these lot are destined to be Christmas gifts this year). Then she pulled out two really beautiful sets of wristlets she'd made using left-over ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud:

(and modelled:)

The pattern is in Arctic Knits, and to get gauge Maile held two strands of Silk Cloud double. I'm told (by Brook and Maile) that the finished effect is sinfully sumptuous. Being allergic to mohair, I could look but not touch. They looked magnificent, though. Good job, Maile! I wish I had a blog to link to, or a ravelry journal, so our readers could find more information on her FO's... Alas, it was not meant to be.

I have to admit that my favorite thing about the store blog is all the inventive and creative projects we get to document - all made by customers and staff members.

And, speaking of staff members, have you seen the adorable gingerbread men and women Marjorie made for Christmas in July? If not, have a peak:

Yes, those are indeed gingerbread people wearing icing bathing suits with fish and star sprinkles (it is summer!). This is the kind of thing I wouldn't dare make up. They were really yummy, but it was almost a shame to eat such hilarious cookies.

In closing, we'll leave you with a candid photo of Sandy Kay that Jenni absolutely insisted on:

When Sandy Kay discovered, whilst digging through her knitting bag, the remote to her home TV. Priceless.

Keep on the lookout for the new website (it's so close to launching, we can all taste it!), and a new blog layout. If you didn't read about the Big Project that's been stealing my time from the blog and other worthwhile duties, check out our most recent Newsletter.

Check back tomorrow, wherein we shall unveil a sample being made with our City of Roses Super Sock exclusive and share some pix from tonight's Girasole KAL. Until then, stay cool!

Bad blogger, no cookie.

We were doing so well for so long - a post every Tuesday and Thursday every week - and then I broke stride and it all went to h3ll in a handbasket. Well, no more!, we will have regular posting again even if Jenni has to follow me around and harass me all day. Hopefully that won't be a problem soon enough (we have a big surprise in store!), and we're also talking about broadening the blog to include posts by other staff members and customers. [fingers crossed]

Until then, however, we have some catching up to do. First things first, did you know that we have 33 members in our Girasole KAL on ravelry? Moreover, we had quite the group at our most recent Girasole Knit Night!

Very exciting. And because we enjoyed the last Knit Night so much we'll be meeting tomorrow night, July 22nd from 6 - 8pm. If you're participating in the knit-along and would like to come and knit with us (we have A/C and treats!), you'll be more than welcome.

Next, we have three projects to show off (actually, we have more than three, but I can't find the info on them...). First, Jane came by to grab some needles, but she was wearing her Everyday Wrap, so we made her pose because it looked so good:

We're sure you'll agree. For those of you wanting one of your own... Jane's wrap was made with two skeins of ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud and the pattern is free.

Second, we have Terri's in progress Longbourn Socks:

...which, I'm sorry to say, I have almost no information on. Terri, if you read this blog, please feel free to shoot me an email (info[at]knit-purl[dot]com) and I'll post additional details.

Finally, we have Jenni's in progress Advent Calendar:

Made with itty-bitty baby socks! Adorable, no? I think, as of yesterday, Jenni's onto sock number eleven. Only thirteen left (never fear, we'll get a shot of the finished collection).

And that's enough for today. Until Thursday, stay cool!

Losing track

Two weeks since the last post. Too much has been going on around here to keep track of. So, I'm just going to cover what I have photos of. Unfortunately, I can't find the notes I took to correspond with certain photos. In particular, I've given up on finding the information I had written down on this little cutie:

Too adorable for words, eh?

A couple weeks ago a very nice young lady came in to show off her recently finished sheep. I believe she had made it for a theatrical production. Dear knitter, if you read this blog, I'm really really sorry I lost your info! Please feel free to send it to me again and I'll post a correction ASAP.

Next on the list of worthwhile blogginess (I think I just made that word up), we received a gianormous shipment of Malabrigo this week:

NINE boxes in total, all crammed full of yarn in colors we haven't seen in months. Drop by the store or website to grab some for yourself before it's gone. But, before you do that, check your inbox tomorrow for a special offer!

Making up for the radio silence...

With two simply beautiful finished projects. First, Christine came in two weeks ago (yes, I'm a bad blogger and I'm really sorry) with the Whisper Cardigan she'd just finished for her granddaughter:

It was made with three skeins of Jade Sapphire's Cashmere Silk. Lucky girl, eh? Just lovely and soooo soft. We all stood around and petted it for quite some time. And because it was so heavenly, it wasn't as hard this time to get someone to model it. 'Lo and behold, Jenni actually appearing on the blog without a scowl!

It was that nice. And it probably didn't hurt matters that the pattern is so attractive (which might just be why it's the most popular pattern in the issue on ravelry).

Then, a couple of days later, Jolene brought it the Ladybug Set she's been working on for her eagerly awaited granddaughter:

Clearly very adventurous (you'd have to be to knit this sweater!), Jolene even chose girl colors - which look amazing, as we're sure you'll agree. Next to it is the store sample, for comparison's sake.

It must be said that we have some very adventurous knitters in our community. Now, that's all I have for customer projects. If you'd like to show off your mad knitting skillz on the blog, we'd love to have you! Please feel free to drop by the store and let us know what you're making.

Until the next post, I'll leave you with our newest yarns by Be Sweet.

Just because

If you're on our mailing list, by now you should have received an eCard about June's Featured Project - CoCo Knits Hanna. What you won't have seen in the card is how silly Liz and I can get during a photoshoot. So, for your (and our) amusement, I put together a photo pile.


You have to admit, silly is something we do well here. In any case, at least you can see how nicely the sweater drapes and moves.

Next on the list, I snagged a shot of Jenni's current wip du jour, her Fargyle socks:

Which she is trying to finish in time to enter in the State Fair. Wish her luck! Now, normally, I would refer you to her ravelry notebook (and there is a link), but it's woefully short on information. So, if you see Jenni, tell her to update it 'cause she just won't listen to me.

Moving on... we have NEW YARNS!

These have arrived with perfect timing - they're ideal for cool summer knits. On the top row is the second round of our popular limited edition sock yarn, the Knit Purl Natural Collection. Dyed in very small batches using only natural dyes and mordants, these little jewels make simply beautiful projects (remember my Seraphim shawl?) or just look lovely in a stash.

On the lower two shelves are two new yarns from Be Sweet. The bright and cheerful and glossy little cakes are Be Sweet Bamboo. 100% bamboo at a sport weight, it's great for light and drapey shells and sweaters. The fact that it's handdyed will also add dimension to a finished garment. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing it knit up.

We also have Bubble Ball yarn from Be Sweet (middle shelf on the left), which is some really interesting stuff. Handspun and handdyed, it's further embellished with 25 felted beads. Just imagine the cool trim it could make. I also want to see what our customers will do with this. (hint, hint) You guys can be so much more imaginative than us with new yarns.

Anyway. That's everything (for now). On Tuesday there should be several beautiful customer projects (we just have to find the camera) and info on upcoming events. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

A dose of silliness never hurt anyone.

'Specially not around here. But before we get to that, here's something serious-ish to balance the large quantity of silly coming your way. Last week we received several copies of the coveted books Kunst stricken:

Which translates literally into "knit art". Cool, huh? The books include patterns from the turn of the century for a variety of lace accessories. And because we're too curious for our own good, we couldn't help but open one - the charts are unbelievable.

And that's enough seriousness. Today we had a visit from Mortaine, the creator of the comic book series Handknit Heroes*:

Of course, we can't release her secret identity (hence the blurry photo). But she gave us a sneak preview of the mask kit that will soon be available as well as the details of their mask contest, in case any of our loyal readers might want to enter.

Of course, as soon as the mask came out, everyone had to try it on. First Jenni:

But, really, it was Sandy B. who had the most fun with the mask:

And here she's off to fight crime in very knitterly fashion:

... with a little help from a stepstool.

You know you wish you'd been here. Until next time, evildoers beware!

*Issue #2 is available in the store and will be online in a day or so.

Drowing in boxes

It's been a Big Shipments kind of week. The cardboard remnants of many a large shipping box still clutter unexpected areas of the store.

First, there was the gianormous box of Koigu KPPPM, KPM, and Kersti:

Which took two hours for Tessa and Jenni to count all the skeins.

But, luckily, expect to see some colors (like ___) that haven't been on the Sock Wall for awhile. I myself may just stock up. Especially since everyone* knows that sock yarn doesn't count.

Then, there were the Japanese books we've been waiting for since... too long to actually pinpoint.

3 titles are back in stock (from left to right): Scandinavian Mittens, Men's Knit and Clear & Simple Knitting Symbols.

After falling (rather hard) for several Japanese stitchionaries I've picked up along the way, the Clear & Simple Knitting Symbols is becoming mighty tempting as some of the charted symbols in my favorite patterns look like something out of a Klingon's copy of Shakespeare.

In non-stash-enhancement news, Fearless Leader and SB have left us to cavort at TNNA. Despite this, much continues as before. The Sheep Shop scarf is nearly done and... well, we're just busy, busy, busy. Maybe next week we'll have some customer projects, if customers might bring them in (hint, hint). Have a great weekend!

*Except my family and several of my coworkers.

BRRRR

It's so cold outside and inside, I almost want to cast on an afghan to keep warm! Snow or not, this cold snap isn't proving to be much fun, is it?

Oh, well. We have intrepid customers who have braved the cold and ice and downtown Christmas shoppers (eek!) to visit us this week. Memorably, Jennie brought in most of the Christmas presents she had knit for family and friends this year:

At last count there were: 6 scarves, 5 hats, 5 Korkisses, 3 wine bottle outfits, 2 pairs of mitts, 2 cowls, 1 dishcloth and 1 bookmark. She admitted to me that three of the FO's had been gifted already so they couldn't be photographed. Do you know what she sacrificed to achieve this (slight) madness?

Jennie started her Christmas knitting in June. Smart planning on her part, to say the least. She also told me, rather gleefully, that she had cast on the Ruth Sørensen Fair Isle hat as a treat for herself. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that someone who starts their Christmas knitting in June enjoys Fair Isle a lot, but I am.

Next on the news to relate, we were visited by the Live @ 7 crew from KGW Channel 8 and poor Lindsay was shoved in front of the camera:

And, finally, in the reportable news: did I mention the Knit Purl PDX ravelrers group?

I have a sneeking suspicion that I hadn't. Well, now you know. We'll be posting daily updates in the Forum - everything from when popular yarns like Kauni arrive to reminders for upcoming events.

Next post? The socks I'm knitting for Gina, our USPS letter-carrier who is long-suffering, and maybe another Ana Bandana. Until then, keep warm!

socks and the News

Wow. Progress has been made. The Holiday Special is out and I can actually see the 'wood' surface of my desk in a few places. Jenni isn't so lucky at the moment, but I think we'll be able to see her desk sometime this week. Maybe after Thanksgiving.

Today I have some cool staff (and patron) projects to share with all y'all. First, we have Mike's sock, made with ShibuiKnits Sock in "Dragonfly". He wrote up the pattern and gave it to us to share, which we have since managed to lose (it's on a scrap of yellow, lined paper if you happen to see it lying around...), but here is the finished sock for your viewing (if not knitting) pleasure:

You never know, though, the pattern may yet show up on the blog. We just have to find it first.

Right. Continuing on with the sock parade, here's (short) Sandy's cashmere sock:

Knit with ArtYarns Cashmere Sock in color #2244, using the Waving Lace Socks pattern by Evelyn Clark in Interweave Press' Favorite Socks. There was a slight hiccup in this project. The finished sock ended up way too big for the size 4 foot it was intended for. Ouch. It's now a shop sample, if you want to come by and pet it. Or sympathize with Sandy's pain.

And while we're on the subject of store workings, I have photos from LaBrie's Nuno Felted Scarf workshop last weekend:

Yes, you are actually seeing drop-cloths on the floor. It looks like they had a lot of fun, though! The workshop was focused on a particular Japanese felting technique (nuno), in which wool roving is felted over loosely woven silk fabric (a silk scarf in this case). It makes for a beautiful, gauzy, and warm finished fabric. The process involves water and a lot of agitation, hence the blue tarps everywhere.

I hope some of the participants will bring their scarves in for us to admire...

Anyway. We're doing another Nuno Felted Scarf workshop on December 13th, because we couldn't fit everyone into the one last week. So, if you're interested, I'd recommend you register now before the next workshop fills up, too.

Next on the list of things to cover, our In the News bulletin:

1. Update on the Jared Flood Lecture. Slight recap: Jared Flood (brooklyntweed) has agreed to lecture on January 8th (I think I mentioned this). At the moment, we have narrowed the choices of venues down to two suitable options and are now looking at the logistics aspect of all this. I swear to you, we're working tirelessly on this and will have registration information up soon.
2. We just got another Oleana shipment in. I succumbed, and bought one of the felted wool blankets. It's so soft and lovely that I couldn't resist. There are also several new styles of wristers and scarves in stock, for those of us who only buy cold-weather garments when it's cold enough to wear them (ask me how I'm familiar with this habit).
3. We are currently out of stock of both the Elfin Santa Hat and Beaded Silk Star Christmas tree ornament kits. Honestly, I don't think any of us were expecting to sell out in a day. We have lots more of the yarn on order, but... well, there's going to be some delay before the ornaments are on sale in the store again. Sorry about that!
4. We will be closing early tomorrow, at 5 pm. Also, we will not be open Thanksgiving Day.
   

And, last but not least, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

we're not endorsing anyone, but...

Meriwether came in today with her finished Obama sweater:

Maybe a month ago, I helped her pick colors of Cascade 220 Superwash and ShibuiKnits Worsted Merino that matched one of his political posters. How awesome is that? Senator Obama's face is done entirely with intarsia in FIVE colors!

Okay, so it's awesome in a slightly crazy way. But we can get behind the slightly crazy here. If you'd like more information on how she knit it, you can check her ravelry notebook (she's promised to update it) or see her YouTube video: Obama knitter girl.

(And, seriously, if any of our readers are working on a McCain sweater (or hat, whatever), we'd be glad to feature it - Knit Purl is nonpartisan.)

Moving on to less inflammatory topics, we were visited by baby Kandyce last Thursday for our weekly Sip 'n' Stitch:

At 2 months and almost 10 lbs, she got passed around by Mommy's coworkers a lot. She also was very patient with 3M, who had never held a baby before. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her eyebrows - they are so expressive! Just adorable.

I would plotz more over her cuteness, but I just looked at the clock and time is running short. We just receive an update from Farrah, who is knitting us a sample Icarus Shawl in Isager's laceweight wool:

And a close-up:

Aside from us lacking some serious lace samples, we're also putting together a Miriam Felton display, for those of you who might be interested in her upcoming workshops but are still wary of the lace. It's gonna be awesome. I'm hoping we (Farrah and I) get our respective shawls done in time for Miriam's visit.

And, finally, we just received our first shipment of Happiest Girl sock yarn:

Dyed by Happiest Girl Dyeworks, in Portland, these are fantastic colors that you won't forget in a hurry. And, very especially, we have 4 (oops, now 3!) skeins of Halloween sock yarn, named Icabod. Grab it while you can.

That's it for now. I have some loooovely silk lace yarn for you on Thursday. And a swatch, too. It'll be nummy. Until then, happy knitting or crocheting!

Introducing... Leslie!

A day late, sorry. But, hey, I got lots of pictures for you, 3 new yarns and a short introduction to our newest slave employee Leslie:

Who says "Hi", incidentally.

I had to corner her, she wasn't too enthusiastic about being photographed. I guess I've gotten spoiled with having Liz around, who can be badgered into modeling anything. If you see Leslie wandering around the store, it's not because she's a hardcore regular. So, with luck, expect to run into her often when visiting us!

We were lucky to be visited by Jenni & Co. yesterday. I barely managed to snap a very blurry shot of Ayanna "helping" us behind the registers.

The boys, who are older and more wary, managed to elude any photographs. Jenni, distracted by her two-week-old, was relatively easy to catch:

Kandyce also says "Hi" to everyone in Blogland.

"Relatively" directly referring to the way she kept turning away from the camera. Since the camera does not have an X-Ray setting, this made it a little difficult to get a mommy & baby photo that wasn't blurry.

Next, keeping up with store workings/ news, we've got THREE new yarns. Which are totally not up on the web, sorry, but should be soon. Two are on the New Wall, however:

• ShibuiKnits Superwash Merino Worsted. 100% 19 mircon Merino wool, superwash treated, 195y per 100g skein. $19.75, and available in 17 colors. We've been looking forward to the arrival of this yarn for months. So exciting. It's literally the worsted sibling of ShibuiKnits Sock.
  

• Noro Taiyo. 40% cotton, 30% silk, 15% wool, 15% nylon. 200m/ 220y per 100g skein. $18.25 a ball, and available in 6 colors.
  

And one is on the Sock Wall:

• Pagewood Farms' Bluefaced Leicester Sock yarn. 80% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% nylon. 450y per 4oz skein. $25.50 a skein and available in 8 colors.

LOVE this stuff, despite the nylon. I actually helped pick this one out. Pagewood Farms always produces beautifully hand-dyed yarns that have a really nice depth of color. Several skeins of this are so going into my stash. And, since it's a Pagewood yarn, it should be mentioned that this will likely be a limited-run yarn line. When we sell out of their yarns, we usually don't/ can't get them again.

That's pretty much everything that's new or new-ish. There are only 19 spaces left in the Sock Club, so we're very excited about that. And, with the SKIF KAL kick-off coming up, we're madly preparing for more SKIF-related fun.

an unnamed Kauni sweater, yet more YarNews, and introductions

I am sorry to say that the blog has been backsliding because of my recent illness. I'm fine now, but had to take a week off of work (blech!) and alas couldn't update the blog from home because I had no pictures. Clearly, we need to work on our communication methods at the store.

In the past week, we were visited by Duffy (aka FiberQat) and her unnamed Kauni pullover:

Specs? (on ravelry)

• Yarn: Kauni W-EQ, approximately 750g
• Pattern: original

Clearly Duffy decided to really challenge herself for the Ravelympics this go-round. Something to admire, definitely. Possible from a distance, because one has to wonder if that kind of crazy is contagious or not. I've already got immunity issues...

Next on the list of things I've missed - a new worsted wool yarn. And a good 'un at that. It's so luscious I have to keep myself from cuddling it at my desk (I have a skein here for, ah, 'inspiration'). Admittedly, the name of this new yarn could use some work, as Shepherd's Wool is a little vague and understated. Milled in Michigan, with locally-grown wool, this brand answers our need for quality yarns that are American-made. Maybe the best way to view this new line is as a stealth luxury yarn.

With a fiber content of 100% fine Merino wool, the skein I'm fondling petting easily qualifies for "luxury" status. At $9.75 a 4oz skein (250y) and in a variety of colors, this new line is going to be fantastic for a variety of projects this fall. Especially if you don't mind hand-washing baby garments, it would be perfect for all sorts of little knits.

Which leads perfectly into our latest and greatest news... the baby pictures have landed!

Long-time readers (and local patrons) will already know that Jenni has been visibly pregnant for some time and went in for a c-section on August 18th. As we announced to knitters the world-over, Kandyce is very healthy and weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. And, after some nagging and finagling, we have the super-cute baby photos we were promised to share.

Sandy Kay took the footsie photo to the left (who can resist baby feet?), but the other photos were taken by Jenni & Co (likely by her husband, Marcus).

(From left to right: Malik, Ayanna, DeAndre and little Kandyce).

(Ayanna with Mommy and baby).

Those of you who join us for Sip'N'Stitch every week (6-9pm on Thursdays) got to see Kandyce yesterday (lucky ducks!), but I'm told Jenni & Co. might be dropping by again next week. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get some cute in-store photos. I don't think we've passed the needles to Kandyce yet either. It's an old Irish tradition (I think), and will ensure that Kandyce is a great knitter when she grows up.

Definitely something to look forward to.

a rockstar, updates, and an extremely late YarNews Flash

Have I got a Rockstar for all y'all. Today we were visited by Paula (no blog and not on ravelry, :sad:), who was eager to show off her finished "Joy" from Rowan Vintage Knits:

She used Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply, which is now discontinued, and about 3 million beads (I'd guess). The finished sweater was beyond beautiful. Maybe we should be happy she's not on ravelry, it's hard not to feel like an underachiever by comparison, isn't it? Still, she definitely deserves Rockstar status.

As for updates... In the past week, LOTS has happened. Let's see...

1. Jenni, our beloved inventory specialist, had a baby girl yesterday who weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. I believe the name chosen is Kandyce. No photo yet, but maybe soon...
   
2. The August 15 Newsletter went out, woe unto me as the web orders person. (well, not really) And let me just tell you, if you want one of those Japanese books (like me :sigh:), there's going to be a little wait - we sold out in almost record time.
   
3. We received our special Koigu for the Sock Club and it is gorgeous. Simply beautiful. The gals at "No Mean Feet!" admitted to being awed last night. And the pattern to go with it? Exquisite, really. I can't wait to knit it for myself!
4. At a rapid pace, open space is diminishing in the Club. We're filling up spots so quickly, I can barely keep up with enrollment.
5. And last, but not least, I spoke with SOAK today and they are sending along not only our Sock Club goodies but a bunch of surprise treats for us to give away to participants.
   

In the YarNews section of this post, it's a bit embarrassing, but... We've had Noro Silk Garden sock in the store and in stock for a while now and it's still not on the web (it will be soon, if I have anything to say about it). Should you want a ball or two (or the new colors of Kureyon sock), drop by the store:

We got ya covered.

Shown above is also a Clapotis made with 1 skein of the Silk Garden sock in #269.

The final tidbit on my list of updates? My Skif #2, a Habu-happy Zena:

If you want to know all the yarns, well, check out my ravelry notebook or click on the picture and see the notes on the original image. The thought of linking all the yarns I'm using just makes me a little faint, honestly.