Transitional Knitting
By Anna It’s April, and when the weather warms up, I start to look at the perfectly good sweaters I’ve been slogging along on all winter with disdain. I have an Ingenue from Custom Knits in Malabrigo Worsted on the needles for me, a Cobblestone Pullover in Cascade 220 Heathers for my husband, and an Elizabeth Zimmerman Tomten in Cascade Handpaints Superwash for my son. It’s a commonly-known fact in the store that I have Knitting ADD, but the promise of warm Spring weather makes my urge to toss aside my sweater slogs almost too great to overcome. But I loved these sweaters! I was really excited to start these projects! Plus, there’s always the danger that I’ll put them away for the summer and just not pick them back up again in September. So I’m going to compromise with myself. I’m going to keep going on the sweaters until it really becomes too hot to bear, which in Pittsburgh won’t be until June. But I will allow myself to cast on for a “transitional project,” something that will carry me through the temperamental Spring weather. Here are some ideas that have been on my mind, and I’m sharing them with you in the hopes that it will inspire you to knit through the April showers. Plus, you’ll need something handknit to wear to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, won’t you? Ballet T-Shirt: (Ravelry Link) Teva Durham’s Loop-d-Loop has always been one of my crazy inspiration books, but this t-shirt is incredibly wearable. It’s quick, easy, and cheap, calling for only two skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, double-stranded. You can knit this in one weekend! And, if you have a little girl in your life, you can knit Mother-Daughter versions from the same pattern. Whisper Cardigan: (Ravelry Link) From the Spring 2009 issue of Interweave Knits, this gorgeous layering piece has been the most popular new pattern on Ravelry for weeks and weeks. Our yarn choice for this one is Malabrigo Lace – you won’t believe the soft hand, drape, and color saturation, and really, where else can you get such a gorgeous sweater for under $20? Diminishing Rib Cardigan: (Ravelry Link) Also from the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits, this looks perfect for chilly spring mornings or cool summer nights. Make it environmentally friendly for an Earth Day knit in Second Time Cotton, reviewed by Yvonne, below; Blue Sky Alpaca Organic or Dyed Cotton, particularly one of the new springtime colors; Tahki Palma; or Malabrigo Organic Cotton. Bad Penny: (FREE!) An oldie-but-goody from Knitty, I think this is a good way to have one last hurrah with the Cascade 220 wall for the season. With so many color combinations, you can knit yourself two or three of these and use them as is for spring and summer, and then layer with long-sleeved t-shirts for fall. Hey, Teach: (FREE!) Have you always admired the tan lacy cardigan we have in the shop window? See Yvonne’s review of Second Time Cotton and this pattern below. Loppem: (Ravelry Link) from Norah Gaughan Vol. 3, this short-sleeved cardigan works for all seasons. Melissa is knitting this stunner in Dream in Color Classy, but any worsted will work in this pattern that makes the intricacy of Norah Gaughan accessible to the advanced beginner with easy cables and nearly seamless construction. (Melissa also reminds you to make sure you have the errata page we’ve put in our store copies or check Berroco.com.) Bombshell: (Ravelry Link) from Big Girl Knits, this short-sleeved raglan looks good on all kinds of body shapes and sizes. Plus, it works with all kinds of fibers, from body-hugging wool to the drape of cotton. I think this would look fantastic in the Berroco Comfort, a truly amazing acrylic-nylon blend. Look for more ideas on our blog, and share what you’re making! |
What’s New?
 A Natural Stitches EXCLUSIVE colorway! |
What’s on the Blog?
Calla Lily KAL: We are making Cat Bordhi’s Calla Lily Bag from The Knitter’s Book of Yarn. The KAL “officially” starts on Monday, April 13, but please feel free to jump in any time. What do you guys do all day? (Hint: it’s not all sitting around and knitting!) Amigurumi class added to our Spring Schedule |
Spotlight on New Classes: Sheep Breeds and Their Uses
By Carol We continue our discussion on getting ready for Fiber Festival Season… We all love Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and many of us welcome it as the “opening bell” of the festival season. I love wandering through the booths and seeing what new fiber, blends and colors the vendors have created every year. But my favorite places at Maryland are the Fleece Shawl & Sale and the Parade of Breeds. It’s such an education to see the range of breeds laid out on the sale tables and realize the variations within a single breed. At the Parade of Breeds, the sheep show judge brings out animals representative of a type of sheep and talks about their differences and uses in the sheep/wool industry. As spinners it’s essential that we know what we’re buying and why—you wouldn’t want to spin a lovely fine yarn from your new purchase only to find that it’s too scratchy or fuzzy for that lacey wool shawl you’d planned! That’s why I’m introducing a new spinning class at Natural Stitches called Sheep Breeds and Their Uses. We’ve ordered wool from 6 different breeds of sheep in a variety of types—Fine wool, Long wool and Down. I invite you to come along on May 16 for a quick journey through these wools and what you can do with them to show their attributes to best advantage. Sign up now, as this class will only be taught twice a year! |
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By Yvonne Spencer, Frequent Customer Several months ago, Melissa asked me if I’d like to knit the “Hey, Teach” pattern from Knitty for a shop sample. I agreed, since I was lusting to knit the pattern…and who could turn down the chance to play with yarn at no cost? When Melissa gave me the yarn, though, I recoiled slightly. There was one hand-wound center-pull ball; there was one ball that looked as though the ball winder and swift had argued violently, and there were two hanks, still tightly twisted, that felt somewhat kitchen twine-like, and hard enough to use as a sap, should I be attacked (or want to attack!). Melissa warned me to not use the yarn winder. Nevertheless, I pressed on, undaunted, and cast on. As I knit the 1x1 rib and then stockinette, the yarn smoothed out, transformed, and became something other than the rough and sturdy yarn that it had originally pretended to be. It was soft, flowing beneath my fingers, moving gracefully from one needle to the next. I found myself making excuses to be able to work on the sweater, just so I could play with the yarn some more and see what other surprises were in store. When I moved on to the leaf lace portion of the sweater, the yarn pleased me yet again…the stitch definition was amazing, especially on the center slip-two, knit one, pass-slipped-stitch-over part. It stood out so beautifully, I was proud.  But how would it block? My only prior experience with cotton had been of the Elmore-Pisgah dishcloth variety, which can fade and become rough. I gave the sweater pieces a soak, and waited (and waited and waited) for the cotton to dry as it was blocked. It softened up more, to the point that I couldn’t wait to work with it again. I seamed the sweater and presented it to the staff at Natural Stitches, somewhat sad to see it go. Are there downfalls with this yarn? Yes. It’s an 8-ply yarn, and I found it to be somewhat “splitty.” I also found it somewhat difficult to seam with due to the plies separating. Would I use it again? Absolutely. I think it would make lovely baby garments (think Kate Gilbert’s Pea Pod Baby Set or the Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch & Bitch).  
Model: Mary Ellen Nese |
Show and Tell! Connie crocheted the Northern Dreams Pullover from the Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Crochet. We feel this is an amazing example of the drape possible in a crocheted garment, and the colorwork is just phenomenal. Thanks, Connie, for bringing it in to share!  Happy Spring! |
And, as always, if there’s anything we can do to help, just let us know!