If I don’t finish this post now, it’s going to be Monday before I get back to it as I’m going to The Knitting & Stitching Show at the RDS in Dublin tomorrow ♥
The yarn companies really seem to have got their act together in terms of colour this season and have selected some beautiful hues to add to the palettes in their existing ranges.
Our most popular yarn in the shop is probably Sirdar Snuggly Double Knit and I’ve decided to add 5 new shades to our range. Look at that blue.
I’m loving the new aqua colourway in Supersoft Aran, but looking at the 3 new shades together they all look great.
Something similar again in Baby Hayfield Chunky yarn too.
Two pretty additions in Sirdar Baby Crofter.
Two more in Bonus Buzz. Every time I see the turquoise and grey colourway it make me think of knitting a stuffed robot for some reason?
Last but not least are 2 more shades in Bonus Aran Tweed and 1 lovely new shade in Bonus Aran (my son will be getting a jumper in this).
I’ll try and get some photos of the show tomorrow to share. A friend has recommended a few of the stalls already, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the Latvian Knitting Kits. Hopefully, the rain will have stopped.
Dina my daughter said to me on Saturday “to be fair mum you never do things by half” and whilst I’m loathed to admit it, she could be right.
The best thing about taking on a big project like the Knit Happens Knit a Stocking for the East Cork Rapid Response Campaign and the blankets before, is the laugh we manage to have as the countdown begins. This Saturday was no exception, as my lovely knitting ladies turned up in force to help with the ‘quality control’ aspect of the campaign.
Every stocking that has been handed in so far had to be checked to ensure it was complete. I’d noticed as they were handed in, that some of the little socks were without hanging loops, or had ones to small to successfully hang on a tree. We also wanted to separate the novelty stockings, as we’re hoping to try and sell these for €5 each on a ‘Lucky Dip’ basis.
I need to say a big thank you to the following friends, for generously giving up their time on Saturday afternoon only to find themselves squashed into the kitchen with bags and crates of stockings.
Fiona, Lucy, Sadie, Deidre, Martina, Michelle, Shirley, Agnieszka and Lee Ann.
Hopefully, you can tell from the photos that we managed to have a laugh.
There’s more to sort and we’re hoping they’ll be a good few more stockings handed in too. In the meantime we managed to get through a good few of them and have checked, counted and re-counted the little stockings into bags of 50. These will be distributed to the businesses around the East Cork area, that have kindly agreed to try and sell some of them to help the collection for the East Cork Rapid Response.
81 bags ready to go so far, or to put it another way 4050 little Knit Happens Stockings which we hope will become €8100.
Swift Knit Stripes is the latest super chunky yarn to be released from Stylecraft Yarns.
As with all super chunky yarns think quick knits, great for last minute gifts there are 5 shades to tempt you with several lovely designs created especially by the Stylecraft design team to show off the stripey effect.
Swift Knit Stripes is a blend of 80% Premium Acrylic and 20% Wool, easy-care, machine washable and only €5.60 for a 100g ball so it represents value for money. Recommended needle size is 10mm’s with a tension of 9 stitches to 12 rows.
To further tempt you Stylecraft have produced a free pattern leaflet which you will receive with each Swift Knit Stripes purchase (while stocks last). The leaflet contains 4 patterns, each of which takes 1, 2 or 3 balls of the yarn and can be knitted in next to no time.
If you’d like to have a look at the rest of the designs pop over to the Stylecraft Pinterest Board here
I ran the hat up really quickly for the shop, but have realised it’s rather difficult to model hats now since I’ve had all my hair cut off :-0
My target customer in the shop is me, which probably means I tend to put a little too much thought into what we stock at times. However, I think and hope, that it’s what’s brings people from all over the country through our door?
For me as a knitter, there is always room for improvement and there been a couple of yarn qualities missing from our shelves that I would like to see including, a high percentage, wool blend aran weight. So I’ve spent a lot of time researching suitable yarns initially, by looking at the fibre content versus the recommended retail price and the range of colours available. When I’d narrowed it down to 4 yarns I bought samples to knit up, in order to access the finished fabric by comparing the stitch definition, drape and weight.
I know it probably seems like a lot of trouble to go to for one yarn, but this is going to be a staple in the shop, so it has to be right as there’s not enough room in the shop to have several yarns that do the same thing.
Of the four I knitted up, New Zealand from Adriafil came out top. The 75% wool, 25% acrylic blend is a pleasure to knit with, it creates great stitch definition and produces a smooth fabric that’s not too heavy. With some blends the acrylic can make the yarn look ‘shinny’, but there’s isn’t a hint of it with the New Zealand.
Each 100g ball contains a whopping 200 metres/219 yards which means very few are needed to to complete an average woman’s jumper. I find it knits to the usual aran weight tension of 18sts by 24 rows on 5mm needles without creating a very dense fabric. The colours are fantastic too, making it a great choice for babies and children’s knits too, not bad for €7.25 a ball hey?
I’ve currently chosen 12 of the 38 available colours and intend to add more over the coming months and if there’s any you think we could particularly do with, please say.
As I said I’ve had a play and have knitted up one of my favourite little patterns the In Threes sleeveless cardigan by Kelly Herdrich which is available on Ravelry for $6. If you don’t have Ravelry we now have in store access too, so you can purchase your pattern in the shop, we’ll print out a black and white copy and send the pdf directly to your email address too.
My bands look a little rough here 😦
Back to the In Threes cardi, it’s a great, speedy little knit. Knitted top down, with minimal finishing this little garment is hugely popular with the knitters of Ravelry with nearly 4500 projects to date. I’ve made six so far and count it amongst my ‘go to’ patterns. This little one is for the smallest size 0 to 6 months and it’s very generously sized. Having made this size before, I can confidently say that in most cases it’s a little more like 3 months to a year, so the baba will certainly get the wear out of it.
It took one ball of New Zealand yarn in the lovely soft turquoise and the multicoloured buttons from Rico add a little something extra and are a move away from my traditional choice of wooden ones.
The little cardigan is on display in the shop so you can have a squidge and see how lovely the New Zealand yarn is.
Apparently it can be either and Dina my word buff isn’t here to advise.
You might have seen a photo of the stripey crochet cushion I’d been working on in Stylecraft Lullaby yarn in my previous post? I’d already knitted some baby booties with the yarn when it first came into the shop but hadn’t gotten around to crocheting with it and as it’s being cleared now, there was some urgency.
When I first saw the yarn the colours reminded me of the palette used in a lot of the Cath Kidson products and instantly brought to mind stripes, so after much picking and choosing I opted to use 11 shades for my cushion(s).
Top row – Winter White, Primrose, Rosebud, Opal &nDeep Blue Bottom row – Candy, Cloud, Spearmint, Berry & Ivory On top – Sand
My crochet is not the best, give me any kind of knitting and even if I haven’t worked the stitch before I’ll figure it out, but I can’t say the same for crochet. Yes I can work out how to make the stitches, but counting the ones I’ve already worked is something I just can’t get the hang of.
See it’s wonkyWonkier still
Using a 4mm hook I made 54 chain stitches and then 2 more for turning to count as 1 dc. In the top photo I changed my colours after the first four rows and then every 2 rows until I reached the last 4 rows which I worked in one colour again. (The photo should actually be the other way round as I started with the red and finished with the lemon.)
Anyway, there are 60 rows because I wanted it to fit very snuggly around the 16″ cushion I bought, which is now a rather plump 15″.
For the second side I changed the colours every 4 rows.
After weaving in my ends it became obvious how little attention I’d paid to my stitches, particularly on the second side (embarrassed).
Undeterred and because time is in short supply round here, I joined 3 of the sides using double crochet with the right sides facing out. I then squished the cushion inside and holding the remaining edges together with pins I continued to crochet round, cutting and sewing in the ends when they met.
Oops! Nearly forgot to say that I crocheted an extra chain at the corners so the stitches didn’t pull too much.
Not sure it’s too obvious how wonky it was to begin with now.Would have preferred it if I had managed to find a cream cushion though.
Not too bad for a couple of evenings work and as you might expect, I have quite a lot of the yarn left so I can make another one to match. Wonky edges and all.
Sitting happily on The Green Bin 🙂
Happy Knitting! maybe that should be happier knitting?
Many of you have enquired as to when Stash Dash will be taking place so you can stock up on woolly bargains in time for Christmas gift knitting. Sadly, as a result of many things including the refurb, Food Festival, Yarndale and family issues it is not going to be possible to organise the event properly. So I’ve been wracking my brains for a way to clear the yarns we’ve been putting by, but to still give it a bit of a buzz and ensure you all get a good bargain. Cue The Big Green Bin.
Before you meet I feel it only right and proper to give you a brief history on The Big Green Bin.
The bin has been with me for a little less than 24 years. I bought it, along with it’s twin, to use to store my then baby’s toys. Since it was first purchased it has been rather well travelled and used and ended up at my dad’s for quite a long time, because it kept things safe from the mice that attacked everything in his Lock Keeper’s Cottage.
When my dad died it came back to me and since then it has again been keeping things safe from the mice, moths and damp, this time in one of our outdoor storerooms. I’ve been using the bin to store…… yarn, no surprises there I guess.
The bin, as you will see in the shop, is not your ordinary refuse type of bin you can buy now, oh no. It’s extra sturdy, smooth and really rather cool (as bins go). Being 24 years old it’s stood the test of time rather well and I’m unsure you’d be able to tell its age just by looking at it. Talking of 24 year olds, something, or should that be someone, else that’s 24 is Dina, who I rather bullied into this for me.
Isn’t she lovely? Bless her she had a stinking cold too. In case any of you are wondering yes, that is the scarf I made her a while back and even more exciting, she’s wearing a pencil skirt her brother made her. Yey!Me thinks she’s slightly sad about being put in the bin 😉
Anyway, I digress (something I do far too much).
The plan is to use The Big Green Bin to clear yarn,but and it’s a big but, the clearance yarn willonly be available at the much reduced price for 1 week. Some will even be less than our usual Stash Dash price of €3 per ball. That means you have to grab it while you can, come in, send someone in or get it sent by mail order. However, you do it, if the yarn is something you want act quickly.
Our first yarn to go into the bin and be available until we close on Saturday 11th October is…….
Stylecraft Lullaby for €2 per ball.
I wrote a post about the yarn including all the necessary information and photos of the shades last year and you can find it here. To be honest I’m only having to clear it because we just don’t have the space since the refurbishment and I had to choose which yarns to let go.
I’ve been having a bit of a play with it over the weekend and have been using it to crochet up a cushion cover for the shop. There’s still a bit to do, but I’m finding Lullaby lovely to work with and the colours seem to lend themselves well to being striped.
It’s definitely knitting season here in the shop, with everyone eagerly awaiting the new stock. One of the more unusual yarns to have come in so far is Glo Worm from Rico.
Glo Worm is a slightly off standard yarn, somewhere between a chunky and a super chunky weight with a twist. The twist being a separate reflective thread that is wrapped around the main coloured strand. The yarn has been developed just in time for the darker mornings and evenings and it’s super soft so even the fussiest of children can be persuaded to wear it.
The recommended needle size is a 7/8mm with a tension of 11 stitches to 14 rows. The fibre content is 54%acrylic/30% wool/16% glass fibre and each 100g ball contains 110 metres for €8 each.
We are still awaiting delivery of a couple of the colours but so far there have been 5 arrive in and I couldn’t resist knitting up a quick hat for the shop.
Not the best photograph but I was trying to show the reflectivity of the yarn (think it’s worked a bit).
The pattern is called the Teo Hat and it’s available free on Ravelry and includes sizes newborn, small and large. It’s a lovely quick knit and I have loads of yarn left to knit a quick neck warmer up too.
Wendy yarns have really pulled out all the stops this season, first there was the rather lovely Ramsdale double knit yarn that I spoke about in my last post and now there’s Serenity Chunky.
As the name would imply the yarn is a standard chunky weight and suitable for patterns using a tension of 14 stitches to 20 rows on 6.5mm needles. Made from 20% Fine Alpaca, 10% Wool and 70% Premium Acrylic the yarn is super, squidgy soft and due to a some kind of manufacturing process the Alpaca is thrown to the surface of the yarn which gives it a fantastic lustrous look.
There are 13 autumnal shades to ‘oo’ and ‘ahh’ over, if you’re anything like me that is? Each 100g ball contains a generous 140 metres and costs €5.90 making it a very reasonably priced yarn for al your chunky projects.
As you might have already guessed I’ve been frantically knitting garments to display the new yarns in the shop and at this time of year there tends to be a good few of them to get through. As a result I looked around for a small persons garment to knit using the Serenity Chunky and decided to go with Snug by Hinke. The pattern costs €4.50 to download however, there is also an aran weight version of the pattern available and you can purchase both versions as an eBook for €6.
(I should point out I haven’t blocked my little Snug cardi in these photos)
The cardigan has been cleverly constructed to have minimal seaming at the back of the neck and over the shoulders and contains references to all of the techniques included, which include using a provisional cast on and grafting. There are 4 sizes – newborn to 4 years and the stretchiness of garter stitch knit sideways will ensure the cardigan is nice and roomy, so it will last for some time. The design element of the fold back cuffs also means they can be rolled down as little arms grow.
I made the second size and used about 2 and a half balls of the Serenity Chunky. There is a little finishing up along the front borders in crochet which I took up and around the hood because I like the look of it..
Last but not least are the oversize toggles, which I couldn’t resist sewing on with lime green yarn for a little bit of extra interest (not that it’s very clear in the photos).
Overall it’s an interesting little pattern, great for learning new techniques if you’ve never used them before and as there are over 1500 projects on Ravelry it’s obviously quite a popular choice too.
As most of you already know we were closed for most of August whilst we refurbished the shop. I know from talking to a lot of people the general consensus was that the shop was fine and dandy the way it was. However, for me when we moved into the new premises 2 years ago I didn’t have time to get it just how I wanted it and it had been really bugging me, hence the August break.
Whilst many of you will have seen the transformation in the flesh, there are a good few of you that are unable to get into us regularly or purchase from us via mail-order.
So let me take you on a little tour…….
On entering the shop you’ll happen first upon our new knitwear display area. My super talented hubby has gone bonkers with copper pipe (he’s a plumber) and made me this beautiful display rack, which compliments the mannequins perfectly.
Behind the mannequins there’s my upcycled vintage suitcase and my now gold painted hat stand.
Looking down the shop there are shelves running down most of the left hand side to meet the counter, which we have moved in order to open up the shop floor completely. The shelves are packed with weights from 1ply to dk and we’ve managed to do away with the pattern stand by slotting the folders and books in between the yarn.
For those of you that were colour spotting on Facebook you’ll probably have noticed the ribbon stand has received a lick of aqua paint or two.
To the right or the ribbon stand there’s the basic acrylic corner (part 1)
Part 2
We’ve moved the buttons to the other side of the acrylic stand and the haberdashery supplies seem to fit in just nicely next to them.
Next comes the aran weight unit. Complete with gaps for some of the new yarns due in.
Where the counter was previously and some might even say the piece de resistance, are the vintage cinema seats and upcycled tyre coffee table.
Last but not least is the chunky/super chunky stand – I haven’t completely worked out where all of the new yarn that’s on order is going to squeeze in there yet though.
So far the response from everyone has been extremely positive ‘the shop seems bigger’, ‘there’s lots more light’, ‘it’s easier to see everything’ and everyone loves the upcycling with my hubbys copper pipe work receiving the most praise.
Have I tempted you to come and visit? It’s a bit of a work in progress as there’s still things I’d like to get done so I’ll keep you posted.
We had a fab day at the shop last Saturday for World Wide Knit In Public. Lots of lovely people came out to support us, as did the sun (yes!).
Camera, what camera? Clare, Edwina and Sue all looking very productive.
If you couldn’t make it I hope you were with us in spirit at least?
Sue and Michelle deep in concentration, with Lucy trying her best to hide behind her beautiful blanket.
I managed to capture the odd photo or two of some of our woolly friends despite their protestations and as you can see there was tea, cake and laughter. What more do you need?
Michelle and Deidre doing a great job of ignoring me.
Maybe that should be what don’t you need?
Breeda and Orela proving it’s never too hot to knit
Possibly a friend wielding a camera?
Orela and Fiona are having fun – no really they are.
Worse still someone you’ve only recently met.
It was Agnieszka’s first time so lets hope she’ll return.
But, if it’s going to happen you might as well accept it ….
Shirley looking the happiest to be photographed.
If not you can get them back later 😉
We should have started with Dina and Sadie, but I needed to lull my daughter into a sense of false security before attempting any form of photography. Caught her on the way back round instead.
We never need an excuse to break out the hooks and needles in public if the sun is shining, maybe we’ll see a few more of you next time?
Two more in Bonus Buzz. Every time I see the turquoise and grey colourway it make me think of knitting a stuffed robot for some reason?
Last but not least are 2 more shades in Bonus Aran Tweed and 1 lovely new shade in Bonus Aran (my son will be getting a jumper in this).
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 