nina

a new blogger friend…

nina — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:39:06 +0000

Last weekend we had a nice visit from Maaike, a talented Dutch blogger and crafter who lives in Toronto.

We are so impressed with her beautiful blog, Crejjtion, and are tickled to be featured on it.

Here’s her post about our shop:

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Nina Chicago

hello this sunny Saturday from Chicago!

straight from this beautiful city

I am excited to share with you

Nina Chicago

one of those yarn shops where you can stay for hours

full of pure inspiration

welcomed by these cute yarn snowmen, you enter a shop full of quality yarns

in the most amazing color ranges

together with lots of temtping examples

for yourself

and the little ones

how cute can they get?!

Nina and Sam make this place such a warm and inviting store

it feels like home when you sit on the couch and knit a few more rows

like Robin did, while her son Soren was still sleeping

well, this sweet boy did wake up in the end

if you are in the neighborhood, go and visit this inspiring store

a beautiful yarn collection, and friendly professional ladies ~ you will be hooked

more shop features coming up soon…

never too late for new year’s resolutions…

nina — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:07:46 +0000

Seven Resolutions for 2012

______________________

Even though the first month of the year has passed in a flash

we realize we still have the whole year ahead of us.

So we thought we’d share a few resolutions

that you may not have thought of.

It’s not too late to add a few more to your list!

Let’s start with the obvious…

#1

Get it Off the Needles

We’ve all got those projects that sit on the needles for months,

or even years, as newer and more enticing projects
keep popping up right in front of us.

This year, resolve to turn your UFOs into finished objects!

#2

Learn to Crochet

Open up your world to the possibilities of crochet,
which has become increasingly popular over the last few years.
More patterns and better designs are becoming available every day.

This year, resolve to set down the needles and pick up a hook!

#3

Get on Ravelry

There is no better resource for knitters and crocheters than Ravelry.

Browse a vast selection of patterns, connect with other crafters

through groups and forums, and follow us here at nina: a well-knit shop.

This year, resolve to stay connected with us and each other!

#4

Knit & Crochet with Friends

The only thing more enjoyable than knitting and crocheting alone
is knitting and crocheting with others who are knitting and crocheting!
Consider joining the Throwers, Pickers, and Hookers of Wicker Park
for many evenings of guaranteed fun. Also be sure to keep an eye out
for various KALs (knit alongs) that will take place throughout the year.

This year, resolve to spend more time stitching with friends!

#5

Start that Habu Project

You know who you are…

You attended our fabulous Habu Textiles event last summer
and purchased one of the many beautiful kits.
Months later, that beautiful kit is collecting dust.
Get motivated and get help by joining one of our Habu KALs
which take place the first Sunday of each month from 3-5pm.

The next gathering will be Sunday, February 5.

This year, resolve to knit the kit!

#6

Advance Your Skills

What’s a better goal than to add a new skill to your repertoire?
Stay tuned for new classes that we’ll be introducing throughout 2012,

including Basic Entrelac for knitters and Tunisian for crocheters.

We’ll also continue to offer classes in the Magic Loop technique,

Fair Isle, and Mobius knitting, among other things.

This year, resolve to learn something new!

#7

Raid Your Stash for a Good Cause

This year, we look forward to partnering with an

organization to knit and crochet for good.

More on this later, but for now, start setting aside any

machine-washable sport, DK and worsted weight yarns,

and we’ll soon provide you with more details.

This year, resolve to knit and crochet for the greater good!

hat envy…

nina — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:13:36 +0000

Wanted to share Tami’s Escargot Hat.

Doesn’t it look great edged in white?

Add it to my must knit list.

monsters and munchkins…

nina — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:35:03 +0000

Carrie’s been turning out some crazy cute monsters. Meet Hugo and Corbin.

(Made with Malabrigo Rios and Madelinetosh DK)

Molly’s adorable 2 year old daughter, Bea, is destined to be a model.

Here she’s wearing Kindling. So sweet! (made with Be Sweet Bamboo)

kidsilk crazy…

nina — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:56:22 +0000

We love Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze. It’s soft and drapey and comes in a zillion gorgeous shades.

Many people have enjoyed choosing 3 colors to make our Ombre Cowl. This one, knit by Carrie, is especially beautiful!

This one, knit by Molly, is striking too!

And this one, knit by Hilary, was the original inspiration.

Sam and I had fun choosing some pretty color combinations today. What’s your favorite?

If you don’t want to switch between three different colors, but you still want some color interest, try using Rowan’s Kidsilk Stripe. It stripes on its own as you knit or crochet with it.

The blocks of color vary in size depending upon the number of stitches you cast on.

Here are a couple of pretty examples:

simply adorable!

nina — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:47:27 +0000

Maura has been a big help at the shop this winter season. Yesterday she stopped by to show her latest project – the oh so sweet Woodland Hoodlet. I want one! It knit up quickly on size 15 needles and it took 3 skeins of Twinkle Baby Chunky.

last minute gift ideas…

nina — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:13:00 +0000

We know some of you may be running out of time so we thought we would help with some last-minute gift ideas:

From left to right: Blue Sky Alpacas Tin of Sock Needles, Eucalan Wash, Della Q Project Bag, Hiya Hiya Stitch Markers in a Dumpling, Hats, Mittens & Scarves in a Box of Patterns

From left to right: Book of Knitted Gifts, Box of Greeting Cards, Peppermint Candy Tape Measure

For the Sock Lover: Sock Yarns, Sox Stix, Toe-Up Socks Patterns in a Box

For the Shawl Lover: Various Shawl Pins in Glass, Metal & Wood

For the Confused: A gift card, available in any amount

holiday hours…

nina — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:16:42 +0000

Friday, Dec 23 11-6

Saturday, Dec 24 11-3

Sunday, Dec 25 closed

Monday, Dec 26 12-4

Tuesday, Dec 27 closed

Wednesday, Dec 28 11-7

Thursday, Dec 29 11-7

Friday, Dec 30 11-6

Saturday, Dec 31 11-3

Sunday, Jan 1 closed

Monday Jan 2 11-7

Tuesday, Jan 3 closed

After this, we resume our regular hours.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Nina!

a little show and tell…

nina — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:39:37 +0000

Valerie stopped by Sunday with her Cropped Cardigan. Love the bright green color she chose (Malabrigo Worsted – sapphire green).

I recently made a Christmas hat for my friend’s new baby, Sophia. The pattern is the Munchkin Hat (with a few modifications), and the yarn is Blue Sky’s Sport Weight Alpaca.

I needed a quick, cozy Infinity Cowl, and I wanted to try out Twinkle’s Baby Chunky, so I whipped this up. (Super easy pattern: Cast on 112 stitches with a 36-40″ long size 15 circular needle. Join in the round, and repeat the 2 row sequence of knit a row, purl a row until you run out of yarn.) This took one skein of Twinkle Baby Chunky (170 yds).

Jen made this beautiful version of En Blekksprut with Road To China Light.

Maura knit a Ruffle Scarf to demonstrate Rowan’s new yarn – Kidsilk Creation. It’s an easy 1 hour project, and the tutorial is available on Rowan’s website.

And Amy brought by her adorable Daphne & Delilah before gifting it to a lucky child.

nina — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:06:24 +0000

We will be closed Thursday, November 24th for Thanksgiving.

Our hours surrounding the holiday will be:

Wed November 23rd 11-5
Fri November 25th 11-5
Sat November 26th 11-5
Sun November 27th 12-5

Thank you for supporting our shop.

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!