news & events

It seems like we’re receiving a box of yarn, patterns, books & accessories just about every day now.  There are lots of new things to get excited about.  Plus we’ve added to our existing lines.   Makes me want to cast on a zillion new projects.

Here’s a look at some of the recent arrivals…

28 glorious colors of Koigu.  Perfect for our favorite Churchmouse patterns such as the Turkish Bed Socks, Linen Stitch Scarf, Beaded Beret, and Barb’s Ruffle Scarf – all available here at the shop and through this link.

Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia 2-ply – a wonderfully wooly wool from Oregon in a range of natural hues.

Imperial Stock Ranch Pencil Roving – a unique cake of yarn for knitting, crocheting and felting.

Zealana Rimu – a soft blend of merino wool & possum from New Zealand.  It’s machine washable, resistant to pilling, and incredibly warm.  These 3×3 ribbed scarves reveal just how much the yarn blooms after washing.

Twinkle Baby Chunky is a new line which we added to our ever popular Twinkle Soft Chunky collection.  The Cabled Hat pattern from Spud and Chloe works up well with this yarn on a size 15 needle.

Art Yarns Rhapsody Light, Beaded Silk & Seqins, and Beaded Mohair & Sequins – these are the most luxurious fibers imaginable.  Try making a fancy ornament or an elegant lacy scarf.

Blue Sky Alpacas Techno is a very unique new yarn this season –  fluffy and light as air.  The free hat pattern can be found here

Malabrigo Rasta… once again we have a large selection of beautiful colors available.

Fibre Company Acadia is a new yarn made of merino wool, baby alpaca and silk.  It has a special textural quality.

Road to China Light is one of my favorite yarns.  Composed of baby alpaca, cashmere, camel and silk, it’s my ideal choice for a fair isle hat.

This is the hat pattern I’m about to begin.  It’s called En Blekksprut Beret.  Though a fingering weight yarn is suggested, Road to China Light works really well.

We’ve also received some fun accessories such as these Stitch Markers stored in a Dumpling.

And these fabulous button closures by JUL.

Just screw the leather Pedestal Buttons into place and they fasten this Mia tunic perfectly.

An assortment of closures by JUL.

Catarina finished her Brioche Hat at the shop the other day, and it came out fantastic!  The yarn is Blue Sky Alpaca’s Suri Merino – so soft and luxurious.

Brioche is an interesting technique, and we’ll be teaching it again in a Brioche Cowl Class on July 17 and 31.  A few spaces are still available.

Check out John’s Tiny Tea Leaves Cardigan.  I love his short sleeved version, and the red buttons are a great accent.  The yarn is Madelinetosh DK (mourning dove).

A couple more darling animals by Sam, Lisa and Kristen.

And this beautiful shawl was knit by Suzanne, using Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace.

New Summer Hours

Memorial Day through Labor Day

Closed Monday & Tuesday

11-7 Wednesday & Thursday

12-5  Friday, Saturday & Sunday

To kick off summer we’re having a Memorial Day Weekend Sale!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday:  May 27-29

15% off all yarns

We recently had a fun class that taught the Magic Loop method of knitting 2 socks at a time on one long circular needle.

Everyone enjoyed this 2 at a time approach.  Many of us have had the experience of knitting one sock and then dreading that second one – so this class avoided that problem.

Here’s the group showing their socks in progress.

We plan to offer another Sock Class later this summer, so keep an eye on our class schedule.

Anne stopped by with her beautiful Daybreak Shawl.  She used Malabrigo Sock Yarn (one skein of archangel and one skein of violeta africana).

Mindy emailed a photo of this wonderful snake she created as an auction item for a school fundraiser.  She made up her own pattern and used 3 bright colors of Blue Sky Cotton.

Molly recently finished her Clockwork and came by with it.  Really nice!  She knit it with Tosh Merino Light (in the colors sequoia and charcoal).

Molly also brought in her cute bunny from Itty Bitty Toys (knit with Tosh DK).

And Carrie came by with her lovely Clapotis.  It drapes beautifully in the yarn she used (Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Baby Suri & Silk).

Thanks everyone!

Last weekend we taught a class on How To Knit A Toy Or Monster.  Sam was the instructor, and she brought these creatures for inspiration.  They make me smile.

The patterns are by Rebecca Danger.  They’re sold individually online, but if you want to knit a whole collection, you can buy The Big Book Of Knitted Monsters here at the shop.

Carolyn was thrilled to finish her Linen Stitch Scarf, and immediately came to the shop to show it off.  It’s so beautiful!!

These are the 3 colors of Koigu KPPPM she selected.

After seeing hers I got the itch, so I chose my 3 colors of Koigu and cast one on too.  It’s such an addictive project.

Want to make one?  Join our Linen Stitch Scarf Class (Thursday, May 26 and Thursday, June 2 from 12-1:30pm).  Call the shop to register 773.486.8996  ($20 per session).

We just received copies of SPUD & CHLOË at the FARM, the wonderful new book by Susan Anderson.

This is a unique knit-and-read book for children and adults.  It provides a genuine opportunity for the knitter and child to bond as they get to know the story’s characters, discuss their knitting progress and choose which toy to knit next.

The characters in SPUD & CHLOË at the FARM come alive through a fun knitting adventure, and as we knit and read along, we discover more about Spud — an introverted but lovable sheep, and Chloë — his perky owner.  The pair travel to the farm and meet the inhabitants of the barnyard: a mother hen and her chicks, three little piglets, and a little black lamb.  The book also offers patterns for making an assortment of farm props including a picket fence, bales of hay, dainty baskets, and even a three-sided foldable barn.

Susan Anderson, author of the popular Itty-Bitty series of knitting books, designed each of the 13 farm-centric projects.  She uses Spud & Chloë yarns, a product line of all-natural and machine-washable fibers from Blue Sky Alpacas.

We’re excited to announce that Susan Anderson will be visiting our shop for a Meet and Greet and Book Signing on Friday, June 17th from 5-7pm. More details to come…

Quite a few people have stopped in with their projects recently… so we’re excited to share them now.

First is Molly’s Jetty, made with Madelinetosh DK, in the color terrarium.  Love it!  We may start a shop knitalong for that one.

Molly also knit this great Lucky Number Pullover for her son, Julian (replacing the number with his initial).  The yarn is Spud & Chloe Sweater.

Next is Katie’s Highlander’s Stole from the book, Twinkle’s Town & Country Knits.   Katie used Twinkle Soft Chunky in the color urchin.  So elegant, yet cozy.

I’m jealous of Barbara’s beautiful Tea Leaves Cardigan.  It reminds me that I should hurry up and finish my own.  She used Madelinetosh DK in the color lichen.  Looks great!

And here is Liz’s wonderful blue giraffe from Itty Bitty Toys for her baby to be.  It’s knit in Spud & Chloe Sweater yarn.  The embroidered heart is such a sweet touch.

Chellena shared this precious picture of her baby, Miles, snuggled in his Bulky Baby Blanket.      The center is knit with Spud & Chloe Outer and the border is knit with Spud & Chloe Sweater.  She finished it just a few days before he was born.  Check out the darling diaper cover she made (with Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky).  Squeezable!

Yesterday Lydia stopped by with her sweet Jack Jack, and we wrapped him up in his Lattice Baby Blanket.  She knit it with Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton.  After snapping these great shots, his smiley faced turned teary, indicating that our modeling session was over.

I love helping pregnant Moms choose their special baby projects.  And it’s such a joy when I get to see the finished results and meet the wee ones.  Thank you Chellena and Lydia for introducing me to your beautiful babies.