More than 3 things.

Normally, on a Friday, I'd be frantically writing & coding a Newsletter. But, because of the impeding holiday (Thanksgiving) and some interesting staffing schedules, we decided to send it out a day early (i.e. last night). So now I have the time to catch up the blog (which is sorely behind due to a second influenza mishap). The way I see it, we have 3 things to cover today:

1. Customer Projects
2. New In The Store
3. What We've Been Doing

Except, there are more than three things to talk about, but it sounded good. Because there's so much to catch up, I'd better get started now.

1. Customer Projects

A little over a week ago, Catherine wore in the loveliest shell:

Which, it turned out, she had knit herself! And designed, too, incidentally. She knit it with ShibuiKnits Sock and Silk Cloud held together, both in the color "Dragonfly". The pattern was inspired by a stitch pattern in one of the books in Barbara Walker's fabulous Treasury of Knitting Patterns series. She insisted, though, that I not picture her face. But I'm sure knitters will be able to identify her from the awesome handknit garment(s) she's wearing.

The second customer project we have is Sarah's Koolhaas scarf. She took the stitch pattern from Jared Flood's Koolhaas Hat and used it to make a truly scrumptious scarf:

and a closeup:

Made with Catherine Lowe Couture Yarns Merino 5 in the color "Moss". And, OMG, this thing felt amazing. It was sooo soft and sqooshy and lofty and amazing. We passed it around so everyone could touch it. It really made me want to make something with the Merino 5. A lot. I wish I could remember how many balls she needed...

Oh, well. Moving on.

2. New In The Store.

we have the coolest tool from M.W. Woodworks - darning eggs.

Based off of traditional (read: antique) darning eggs, each is hand-turned and has a handle for easier maneuverability. They're currently available in Maple and Black Walnut/ Ash, and are just gorgeous. They feel really nice in your hand, too. M.W. always does the most beautiful work.

And, while he was visiting this week, he dropped off a new shipment of KnitPods (in Black Walnut, Maple, and Cherry), one of which I am desperately coveting. Which is ridiculous, since I own two. Well, three now. M.W. also brought in the prototype for the 7-8" KnitPod (for longer DPNs), that I am currently test driving. So far, I'm loving it and think it's going to be a great for a variety of projects.

3. What We've Been Up To.

Oh, so much. If you've visited the store lately, you might have seen droves of us running around like madwomen. Well, it's all for a purpose. One of our biggest success stories this week was our Holiday Happy Hour class #3 -

We had eight students (which is a high number for a weekday class). Students either started a Challah Infinity Scarf:

Or a pair of Malabrigo Loafers/ Prairie Boots:

It was really exciting for Sandy Kay and I to see so many students making progress in a single hour, too.

One of my students had finished the sole of one slipper, and two others were nearly ready to braid their first section of the Challah Scarf.

And, lastly, I've been working on a What'sIt (so we'll have a sample for the pattern!):

Please pardon the desk photo. The yarn is Handmaiden's glorious Cashmere & Silk in the color "Pansy". It's just blissful to work on. In fact, I'm already designing another one skein project, just for this yarn! Oo0h, decadent.

And that's everything of note. Sandy Kay and I are still working out the details of the Handknits For Hard Knock Kids clothing drive, so expect to see that next Tuesday. We already have a collection of amazing prizes for donors and are working our a rewards system for knitters who knit their donations. But that's for later. Until then, have a happy weekend!

Excitement abounds.

Quite literally, in our case.

Sandy Kay and I are just beside ourselves that knitters are interested in our (slightly crazy, we admit it) Holiday Happy Hour series. We were a little worried, as we scheduled the classes, that we'd end up staring at each other (alone, with no students) on Wednesday nights for the next month and a half.

How exciting is it, therefore, to have so many students already enrolled! Thank you for encouraging us in our madness, everyone :D

Not familiar with our Holiday Happy Hour series? Check out the article "TGI... Wednesday?" in our latest Newsletter for more information on what the classes will cover and how to enroll. Tonight marks the first class, and the focus will be Pam Powers' Ruffled and Ruched Scarf. We'll be teaching students the double needle cast on while sipping champagne. If you're registered for the class, we'll look forward to seeing you this evening!

Anyway, I just had to share. It's the little things.

Moving on, we have some fantabulous customer projects to share from the past week. First, we have a beautiful (and entirely sumptuous) Cherry Scarf from Kathy.

Made with the delectable Isager Alpaca 2 (yum! and currently on sale) and Tvinni 1 (not on the website... yet!). You may remember the Cherry Scarf pattern as a free pattern released by Isager in the Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting?

If not, here's a reminder...


It's such a clever knit. Helga Isager (the designer of Amimono) is a creative genius. It has to be said.

I do wish we had a modeled photograph of Kathy's FO, but it seems our customers tend to hide or duck when the store camera is pulled out.

Unless, it turns out, they're in handknit costumes!

Like Kristen and Cody were at our last Sip 'n' Stitch. Yes, you are really, truly seeing two handknit costumes (well, the masks and mittens were handknit) that an intrepid knitter (Kristen) made to wear this Halloween!

The first, modeled by/ knit for Cody, is a Dr. Zoidberg mask and pair of lobster mitts:

And, alas, there is no pattern for the set. (I know you were thinking about it)

The second costume was H.P. Lovecraft's infamous monster Cthulhu, modeled by Kristen:

...and attacking Martha...

(I bet you didn't know that Cthulhu wore glasses until now.)

Luckily, Kristen based her mask off of the Cthulhuclava (a purchasable pattern), so I can point other adventurous knitters in the right direction. I just know I'm going to be seeing more of these around. Imagine skiing while wearing one - wouldn't that be an amazing photo op?

If a blog reader does attempt such a thing, I demand to see photos. It's only fair.

And that's about it for this week's update. Check back next week for more fantabulous customer (and staff!) projects. I myself am planning greatness this weekend in the form of a new Christmas Ornament Kit!

Until then, happy knitting!

And we're back!

I apologize for my/ our absence these past two weeks, we've been taking turns getting sick out here at the LYS, which has thrown everything off-schedule and out-of-whack. But we're all back (and all well, never fear!) and rearing to get back to our old schedule. So, without further adieu, let's start with a customer project that just has to be shared. Prepare yourself for the "Wow" factor...

Susan came in wearing her recently finished Wisteria sweater (pattern by Kate Gilbert), and we had to get a photo:

Do you want to hazard a guess at what yarn she used?

Handmaiden's Sea Silk (in "Straw"), held double, making this the most delectable Wisteria on the planet (unless, maybe someone's made one out of cashmere...). Just... wow! I didn't get to see it in person (see the intro paragraph), but Lindsay and Kristin couldn't stopped sighing over it when they told me about it later.

Alas, I couldn't find Susan's project on ravelry, so we'll just have to love it from afar.

Next, we have a vampire that's cuter than Edward Cullen (sorry, couldn't resist), because Sandy Kay has finished Victor the Vampire!

(he even has a handknit cape!)

And he's on display in our side window. The next time you drop by the store, be sure to check out the creepy/ cute Halloween display we've set up. I'll take a picture of the finished display (we're missing a pumpkin and some handknit bats), and post it in next week's post for all of our lovely out-of-town blogfans.

Finally, on the project front, we have Lindsay's in-progress alpaca blanket:

That she's making with Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca. It's soooo soft, you (okay, we) just want to roll in it. Mmm, alpaca.

Anyway, lest I start to drool, we also have some announcements this week...

First and foremost, we still have a couple of spots left in our upcoming Mad Hatters workshop. If you've ever been interested in learning to knit colorwork or design your own colorwork projects, this is the class for you!

Second, did you know that Julie Weisenberger of CoCo Knits is coming to Knit Purl?? It's true, she is! And she's going to be teaching three awesome classes: What Not To Knit, Finishing/ Design Techniques, and CoCo Knits Cornucopia. If you're a CoCo Knits fan be sure to register early (this news is going out in the Newsletter tomorrow!), because we expect these classes to fill up fast.

Last, but not least, be sure to check back tomorrow for another installment of Gratis Knits! Yes, that's right, we're bringing back our popular quarterly free pattern series.

But, until then, keep knitting!

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!

Girasole KAL!

Hey, have you heard? We're starting


on July 1st! Sandy Kay and I already have our yarn (Isager Højlandsgarn) and are gearing up (actually, Sandy Kay has cheated and started early). Sandy Bingham and Brook are talking about participating - both with be using ShibuiKnits Sock, I hear - so you'll have not one, not two, but four staff members available for help or support whenever you need it!

If you've ever wanted to try this pattern or a Shetland circular shawl, now's your chance. But the KAL ends on July 31st, so you'd better decide soon! We'll hope to see you at one of our KAL knit nights (TBA) or in with your wip or fo...

Such a lot.

I'd apologize for the tardiness of this post, but it was rather unavoidable. The past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the store what with a series of enormous shipments, some slight technical difficulties and a long-awaited visit from Catherine Lowe. But, before we get to all of that, we have a Boy-O-Boy cardigan knit by Elizabeth:

The pattern is from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders and is here on ravelry. Elizabeth used ShibuiKnits Merino Worsted in "Wasabi" for her project, though I have no information on how much she used or who the finished cardigan might be for (blame Sandy Kay, not me).

Next, we have another knitnotwar1,0o0 Crane Count and a little blurb from the creator. First, the update: 12 more cranes! Which brings our total up to 129 cranes and puts us at 43% towards our goal (and, yes, you can see all this information on the sidebar, but I wanted to mention it anyway). A couple of weeks ago, I emailed Seann about the origins of the name "knitnotwar 1,0o0" because we've received many an email with that question in some form or another. Here's Seann's reply:

It's a silly reason why it is 1,0o0 and not just 1,000...when I first started the project a dear friend of mine and I were talking and she thought that the project sounded very serious while knitting is generally so fun and relaxing. I certainly didn't want folks to only regard it as a super serious project (it really is fun to knit the cranes and the spirit of it is supposed to be happy and hopeful!) I started adding a "o" in the title to just visually trip up the weight of it so it was a bit more lighthearted looking. I don't know if it did the trick, but my friend noticed and it made her happy!

So there you go. It makes sense, considering the bittersweet aspects of the story of Sadako Sasaki and the new connotations attached to origami cranes after the second World War.

Now, moving on to more lighthearted topics, we have some new products that are so very awesome I can't but mention them.

Firstly, we have three new patterns:

• Skif June/ September/ February
• Skif Buttonback/ Swing
• CoCoKnits Pleated Ballet Flats

The new Skif patterns in particular are super exciting for a Skif freak like me. Sandy Kay and I are already talking about resurrecting the Skif KAL for this summer. How's about it, our devoted readers - yay or nay? We could meet monthly and have a yarn sampling party and who-know's-what else. Just a thought.

Second, we have a (small) library's worth of new books. Most of which are from Japan; our favorites include: Favorite Aran Knits (the cables in here are fabulous), Easy Knit & Crochet (check out those legwarmes on the cover!) and several new Amigurumi/ toy books.

Then, of course (you'll have seen this in the most recent Newsletter), we have Cookie A's highly coveted Sock Innovation.


Can I just say how much I love this book? I already have my own copy and am planning to knit at least half the patterns within. And, since we have "No Mean Feet!" tonight, maybe discussion of a store KAL isn't out of order. Anyone interested?

And, maybe, that's everything for today's belated post. Check back tomorrow (we should have some post-worthy stuff then), for a really cool FO Wendy just finished for a friend. Hint, it involves some amazing Fair Isle creativity.

A flurry of activity

I'm sorry we haven't updated you and the InterWebs in so very long... I went to Stitches West and planned to blog from there but got sick. It didn't work out in quite a number of ways. Luckily, my intrepid coworkers took photos for your visual enjoyment.

First, we have a shot of the Cool Socks! workshop with Lucy Neatby (she's the one with hot pink hair):

...which I understand was a smash hit. It certainly looks interesting (Lucy always includes video/ projector demonstrations, which you can see on the wall in the background).

Next, we have Sue's absolutely glorious Habu 110 pullover:

So named because she used the pattern from Habu Textiles' Kit 110 and substituted Handmaiden's Sea Silk in "Periwinkle" for the body and Habu Textiles' Gear Linen in "Black" for the hems. The finished effect was just amazing, and the photo hardly does it justice.

And, finally, we have Sarah's IP (in progress) Garter Stitch Aran Pullover, from the Japanese book Men's Knit:

Which is looking mighty impressive, if I do say so. Sarah mentioned that she had worried about the sizing of the pattern (as it is Japanese), but the sweater seems to be coming out perfectly roomy and (honestly) delicious. She's knitting it with Debbie Bliss' Rialto Aran in "Dusty Blue", which is not on the website yet I'm afraid.

Lastly, today, I took a picture of all the lovely cranes we've been sent (or given in person) for the knitnotwar 1,0o0 kal. Amazingly, three arrived from Boston just yesterday! And four from California a week or two ago. These cranes are just flocking in from all over the place...

Of which many are noticeably red. Interesting phenomenon.

Now, it's admittedly still a small flock of cranes (we have 22 at count). But I am told by our many hardcore customers, volunteers, and several staffers that there are many more cranes OTN or unfelted at home. Sandy Kay and I are also talking about hosting another KAL night or two in the next couple of weeks. We'd really love to make our goal.

But we shall see what happens over the next month. Check the sidebar for updates over the next week or so!

Madrona wrap-up and a whole lotta yarn

The gang are finally back from Madrona (along with much of our inventory that we know several customers missed), and I have one last Madrona-y photo... the conference of Sandies

From left to right: Tacoma Sandy (who has requested that I not link to her blog or ravelry profile because she hasn't updated either in awhile, so you'll just have to trust us when we say she's a Knitter), Sandy Kay and Sandy B. That's a lot of Sandy-ness, isn't it?

Yesterday (as we unpacked the Madrona collection), Cindy came in with her very first hat:

Made with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted and Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed. The pattern is Anne Berk's Road to China Hat, though Cindy admitted that she shortened the brim so it wouldn't fold over. It was very cute and I wish that the photographer involved had gotten a modeled photograph. Oh, well.

Next we have Karen's Clara. Knit with Isager Alpaca 2 in color #19, this is quite possibly the cutest little baby dress I have ever seen:

I wish I'd known about it a couple years ago. Though, maybe Kandyce might wear one... hmm. Now, while on the subject of adorable little girls in fabulous handknits, we've had requests to share photos of Ayanna in the Children's Bolero (you may have received our e-card?). Well, here are some almost painfully cute outtakes:

Aaaawww. Plotz.

Doesn't Ayanna have the biggest eyes you've ever seen? Sooo cute. Now, because I know we'll get questions - the sample Ayanna is wearing was made with 2 skeins of ShibuiKnits Merino Worsted, in "Mulberry".

And while I know that nothing will seem impressive after the Ayanna photos, I feel it is my duty to inform our devoted readers on the InterWebs of the new sock yarns we just got it:

5 new colors of happiest girl! dyeworks sock and two entirely brand new sock yarn lines by Abstract Fiber that aren't even on the website yet: Super Sock and Mighty Sock. Super Sock is 100% Merino Superwash, whereas Mighty Sock is a 50/50 Superwash/ Tencel blend. They are both awesome and should prove wonderful to knit with and wear. All will be in the next Newsletter (it goes out this Friday, so look for it online then!).

Next time we have... 3 boxes of Malabrigo, new Oleana and the Lucy Neatby Trunkshow. It'll be a knitting extravaganza. Sort of. Check back on Thursday...

From the trenches

By means of an iPhone, an iTouch and the Knit Purl server, we bring you images of the booth at Madrona:

And even a "closeup":

How cool is that? The Festival just started this morning, and will go through Sunday. You can see Darcy and Sandy Kay above. There are also more Madrona photos here, in which you might spot slivers of Micah and Sandy B (who, it seems, were a little more elusive).

Next, Micah finally relinquished his photos from Ruth's workshops...

Oooh, pretty. Love the Fair Isle hats. And Ruth's beautiful colorwork shawl:

Simply gorgeous. We now can sell the pattern, if you (like me) couldn't take the workshop but just love the design. Anyway. Back to pictures from Ruth's classes:

Though, I'm afraid that since Micah took the photos, I can't really tell you much about them. Sorry. They're certainly pretty... He put together a photo collection, if you'd like to see more of Ruth's workshops. It should be mentioned, while we're discussing Ruth and Madrona, that (through this weekend) we'll be offering a kit for Ruth's Summer Shawl. The kit includes the recommended yarns, Kauni W-EG and Kauni RR7, as well as the pattern and free shipping. Drop by our booth or call us for details.

In less exciting, but still interesting, news - we have another crane (and a half). We've been trying to knit some of our own up for the collection and they're quite fun to make. This might be addicting. I don't have a photo... maybe next time.

And, on that note, it's time to go and set up for tonight's Sip 'n' Stitch - we hope we'll see you here!

Oops?

Last Thursday was a bit hectic, so no post... sorry about that. We're going to catch up quickly, though, you might want to hold onto your hats!

Let's start off with the cranes. We've received lots of positive feedback for our knitnotwar KAL and have already collected cranes for the installation. Here's one knit by Melissa:


We've been hearing that they're quite quick to knit up (Sandy Kay made one in half an hour with scraps of Shetland Spindrift), so here's hoping we'll make our 300 cranes goal by March 31st! (Now, I haven't been given a total of all the cranes we've collected, so the sidebar hasn't been updated yet - check back on Thursday.)

Next, Lynne came to visit us and brought the blanket she's knitting for her son:

The Ombre Alpaca Blanket from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Knit up with 12 skeins of Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca and Peruvian Tweed, 6 colors in all that are held together to create a lovely gradation from cream to chocolate brown. Here's a close-up:

Aaaand... even closer:

(Liz had fun taking pictures of this one)

If you're interested in making your own, Lynne owned up to the fact that she's making her son's blanket larger than the pattern, so you'd probably only need one skein of each color. Possibly. There might be some math involved in confirming that...

Next, from Folk Shawls, Sheila brought in her finished Celtic Lattice Vest:

and back:

She made it for a friend who is a surveyor and travels the world (surveying, presumably). Sheila thought that the lovely Celtic knots resembled mapping terrain. I'd have to agree. The vest was lovely (sorry about the blurry photos), and made with Kauni W-EV and Hifa 2. Just gorgeous. Lucky friend, eh?

And, last but not least in the 'pretty photos' catagory, we have a giant heap o' Tanglewood handspun yarn:

(isn't that just yummy?)

Brought to us by the Ladies of Tanglewood Fibers themselves, as we will be representing them (and Abstract Fiber, Happiest Girl! Dyeworks, Ruth Sorensen, Handworks NW and Lantern Moon) at the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival this weekend. If you're in the area, please drop by and say 'hi'! I'm sure the ladies (and gentlemen) at the Knit Purl booths (#'s 38 & 39) will be glad to meet some of our blog readers.

Finally, I've been asked to mention the upcoming Loop 'N Hoop 2009 on Thursday, March 26th. We've been invited to bring 25 knitters to the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns game. Tickets will be available for $25 each at the store. Included with each ticket is a goodie bag (put together by Portland LYSes) that will be available at the door. Please note that space is limited (5 seats have already been stolen by employees) and there will only be 200 seats total for knitters to reserve.

Until Thursday, keep warm and dry!