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By Helen Crafting for someone and they don't know? Join us on Monday nights in November and December for Secret Holiday Knit & Crochet Night! Bring your secret holiday projects to work on in our comfortable living room. Enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate while you finish projects and chat! |
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By Jenn I recently knit a pair of mittens for Natural Stitches from the book 60 More Quick Knits. After knitting the mitten using Fair Isle, a single stitch of gray was added to the center of each snowflake using duplicate stitch. Duplicate stitch is a super easy way to add extra color and detail to your finished knitted piece. After you choose which stitches to cover, it only takes three little steps: Step 1: Thread your yarn onto a tapestry needle. Bring the tip of the needle up through the base of the stitch that you want to cover.
That’s all there is to it! Pretty neat, yes?
There are two things that are important in duplicate stitching. First, tension is critical. If your yarn is too loose, the stitch below your duplicate stitch will show through or look too big. If your yarn is too tight, your knitted piece can pucker, or your duplicate stitch may pull underneath the stitch you’re trying to cover and disappear. Second, while duplicate stitch can add color to your knitting, it also adds bulk to the fabric, so this technique isn’t well suited for large areas of color. Still, duplicate stitch can be a good technique for anyone who is hesitant to try Fair Isle knitting. It would be perfect to add a name to a Christmas stocking, or anything else for that matter:
Duplicate stitch has one more trick. Let’s say that you knit a pair of mittens, wove in all the ends and blocked them, only to discover that, engrossed in the fun of knitting, you made a mistake. One quick duplicate stitch and your mistake is no more! Only you (and all of the newsletter readers) will know your secret.
The next time you have a piece of knitting that could use something to jazz it up, give duplicate stitch a try! |
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We are very excited to carry the star of Yvonne’s Dirty Sweater saga: Power Scour from Unicorn Fibre! If Power Scour can get motor oil out of a sweater, why not see what it can do for your stained handcrafted items? We have new colors of some old favorites, including Abstract Fiber Super Sock, Yarn Hollow Panda Top, Abstract Fiber Silk/Merino spinning fiber and Universal Yarn’s Marina. |
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By David Holiday knitting is upon us and there is still plenty of time to get started on Christmas gift items. The Falling Snow Christmas Stocking is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn new knitting techniques while creating an heirloom you or your loved ones will cherish. In this class, you will learn to knit two-handed Fair Isle, knitting in the round, basic sock construction (on a larger scale!), pattern chart reading, and how to create a Latvian braid.
This class is divided into two parts: Two Part 1 classes are scheduled for November and you may choose which day and time suits you best: Thursday, November 10 at 5:00pm to 8:00pm (3 hours) The Part 2 classes will convene in December on the following dates and times (choose one): Thursday, December 8 at 6:00pm to 8:00pm (2 hours) You can register for the Falling Snow Stocking class by calling Natural Stitches at 412-441-4410. I hope to see you in class! |
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By Nora As the author says, “You won’t find patterns in this book, but we hope you will learn a great deal about the wool and hair fibers.” I think The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is the most comprehensive, contemporary book on the subject and as a bonus, it beautifully and extensively photographed the subject matter in color. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is superior to my copy of In Sheep’s Clothing, A Handspinner’s Guide to Wool by Nola Fournier and Jane Fournier. While a classic volume, In Sheep’s Clothing pales in comparison as it is black and white photography, has a tenth of the information, and is slightly dated in terms of the global fiber situation. The sourcebook also surpasses Spinning Wool, Beyond the Basics by Anne Field which looked at twenty fibers. The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook examines over 200 fibers in precise detail! I am still in the process of reading the 438-page volume. It is like a novel that I want to savor and never have end (Harry Potter, anyone?). Caveat emptor, Natural Stitches customers! It makes me want to run to Natural Stitches to peruse the inventory for yarns and fibers I have studiously ignored in an attempt to stick to a fiber budget and work my stash. I am trying to make a new plan that allows me to experiment with the new fibers I am reading of in this sourcebook. Should I get a third job? Work 24/7? Help! Finally, The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is a book I keep handy, not just as a coffee table book, but as a favorite when my memory fails (which is more often than I care to admit) and I need a quickie refresher. I hope you will take a look at the book the next time you are in the shop. We only have one copy in stock at a time as it is not a cheapie. But I can see my volume becoming ear-marked, tagged, and knowing me, filled with hand-written notes for posterity. I hope you agree that it is worthwhile! |
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Can't get enough of Natural Stitches? You find us on the following sites:
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And, as always, if there's anything we can do to help, just let us know!