Show & Tell

This was going to be a very short post (where my knitters at?), but luckily I managed to corner Tilly, Martha and Liz this afternoon for an impromptu series of photographs. But, if all y'all don't start popping in with your WIPs & FO's we might be in some trouble soon (hint, hint). So, without further adieu, I present a small parade of FO's.

First, we have Tilly's Cherry Blossom Bag (made with Cascade 220, Cork Chenille & ShibuiKnits mango wood handles). Now, aside from it being absolutely lovely and very well done, it's important to note that this was Tilly's FIRST (I repeat, first) "real" (direct quote) project. How humbling is that?

And she also lined it herself*...

It's almost unfair, isn't it? My first "real" project was a lumpy hat. Am I alone here? What was yours?

Anyway.

Martha brought out her Easy Raglan Sweater so that we might 'ooh' and 'ahh' over it (which we did, it's adorable!):

The pattern is from The Expectant Knitter by Mary Connolly. The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash in "Turtle" (which is such a great gender-neutral color, if I may say so). It's so cute!

And, finally, all I have to show for ten days of frustrating knitting is... another porom. Behold, the front of my tweedy porom:

...and the side:

Now I really must stress that the frustration was my own fault** as I misread the chart and didn't bother to swatch (I know, I know, bad knitter!), so my first attempt was simply enormous. Lesson learned, I got it. I'm about to embark on a dangerous journey because of how much we at the store looove this pattern... but that will come later.

Now, I was going to show all y'all Micah's knitnotwar 1,0o0 crane, but I forgot to take a photo of it. Maybe on Thursday, with the eleven new cranes we got in yesterday (did you see that we're up to 75?!). Until then, keep dry!

*Yes, that's a zipper in there, too.
**Not Jared's.

no longer down, and definitely not out

You may have noticed some interesting glitches in the website over the past week, but hopefully they have been rectified permanently. The site has been moved over to a new, more reliable, server that promises to be less flaky. So, if you sent us an email over the weekend (that bounced back) or tried to check the site for info on an upcoming class and saw this:

From the knitting community at knit purl

We very sorry if it caused you any inconvenience. But, the good news is that the site should be faster and more accessible than ever.

In other (more knitterly) news, we have just been positively overwhelmed (in a good way) by knitters at recent Sip'n'Stitch and "No Mean Feet!" nights. Last Thursday I took an extremely blurry shot of the group:

I think we ran out chairs, actually (which is always a wonderful phenomenon).

This is a very positive (and encouraging) trend all around, considering the state of the world/ economy.

But, moving on to everyone's favorite part of each post* - our customers' projects. First, we have Evon, who came in on Saturday with her first finished knitting project:

The Rasperry Liqour bag (#125) by Noni, knit with Cascade 220 in "Lavender". Did I mention that Evon is 8? She's also in the Beginning Knitting Class! The bag just looks perfect, she did an amazing job on it. It's awe-inspiring how many young knitters visit us with their FOs these days. Just fabulous.

Then, this afternoon, Haven dropped by to show up her in-progress Swallowtail Shawl:

Being knit with Catherine Lowe Merino 1 in "Smoke". I am told (since I didn't get to see it in person) that the shawl was bloody amazing in the Merino 1. And, ha!, I managed to find Haven's ravelry notebook and the shawl information. Just in case you're interested...

And that is everything pertinent at the moment. We have a super-gianormous Newsletter going out on Friday (look for it, there're going to be some interesting articles!), so that project is looming large in everyone's minds. Until next time, in which we will discuss Cool Socks, enjoy the sun while it's out!

*I think it is, anyway. It's the section we get the most feedback on...

Yarn evolution. felting sisters, and a glimpse of Enid

Going in reverse, just because widdershins is so much fun, let's introduce you to our newest employee at the Good Ol' Salt Mines Yarn House of Knit Purl:

Enid. I barely had to corner her or anything. What a refreshing change. Enid says "hi". She spins and knits, so expect to see her getting into mischief with the rest of us around here.

Next on the list (gotta keep this short, 500 million things To Do), the Noni Trunk Show has arrived:

We've got the whole new Fall line and a bunch of accessories for the patterns (handles and clasps for purses, etc) for interested knitters to peruse. An interesting aspect of this season is the sheer number of garments they released, instead of accessories. Most of them still retain the trademark Noni Dr. Suess-ish look, but in a more accessible way.

And, finally, here's something to make most knitters squee:

Optim Evolution.

Chameleon Colorworks has started dyeing Optim yarn for handknitters who don't spin (we also have their Optim roving). This stuff is gorgeous. I immediately bough a skein, in "Indian Wedding". The colors and texture are fantastic. As is the yardage - 154y to 2oz. I'm thinking a hat would be nice with my little happy skein...

Evolution isn't not on the website yet, but is on the New Wall, if you're desperate to try some. And, at $13.25 a skein, it's not an expensive experiment, either.

That's everything for now. More news on Thursday. I'll also bring out my Seraphim Shawl. Miriam Felton is coming to town to teach two workshops for us, and I thought I'd knit a shawl to celebrate. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it.