Don't forget....

BLACK FRIDAY SALE! 20% off all non-yarn items.


Show and Tell:


Annie's Leaf Hat (to match her Leaf Scarf which she has finished but has not brought in yet since it was at home blocking....) made with Noro Silk Garden:





Love these colors! Perfect fit for the pattern.





Here is Jana, modeling Trudi's Nimbus sweater:






I forgot to take a close-up fo the button she made for this -she made/baked them herself! I'll get a picture next time...

Jana's intarsia-in-the-round NY Giants hat:




And, as promised, Nancy's sock made with three different colors of Periwinkle Sheep sock yarn:

The other one is done by now, since she was giving them to her sister at Thanksgiving. This is the second pair of three that she is making for herself and her two sisters. Each one starts at the toe with a different color so they know which ones are whose!

A wonderful way to spend all of my free time in one week...

.... PAINTING. We have been in construction mode for a while, putting off the painting until other things got done. Like the shed. Oh wait, the shed is OUTSIDE. Well, I guess outside things take precedent in the nice weather. So we painted the dining room and kitchen this color:

"Deep Smoke Signal"

And the living room/entryway this color:

"Oak Ridge"

Yes, that is painted brick. I'm not really a fan of painted brick. I like it's natural color. However, our fireplace had already been painted. Green. Ugh. We didn't want to strip the paint (could you imagine the mess?) so we settled for a slightly darker shade of the wall color and it is closer to brick color than green is. It at least helps the fireplace blend into the wall instead of sticking out like a sore (green) thumb. Paul and I paint very well together. Luckily we agree on colors too. He's the detail man, so he does the edging. I'm the not-so-detailed one (a.k.a. impatient) so I do all the rolling. The fun part was trying to keep the cat and the dog away from the wet paint on the walls and trim!

Show and Tell:

Me first -- I finally finished something. My "One Row Scarf" (Yarn Harlot) made with Silk Rhapsody by ArtYarns. Wonderfully soft. One skein - perfect for a luxurious holiday gift. The pattern is super easy and therefore, a pretty quick knit.

The hand-dyed-ness makes such pretty color changes.

Some long-distance show and tell from my mom!:

A diagonal lace scarf pattern made with a Lorna's Laces silk bamboo yarn. Very pretty!

Here is Annie, modeling Joan's Thorpe Hat (made with Galway Chunky):

Let's see if I can remember this right... Joan didn't want to model it because: 1) the color was too bright 2) she made it for a kid, and she's not one and 3) she doesn't wear hats. So Annie volunteered to model it because 1) wears hats 2) loves bright colors and 3) tends to act like a kid (her words, not mine!)

And here are Annie's socks:

Made with Opal sock yarn (I think) in a colorway called something like "Edward the Pool Attendant" (maybe those were Laura's.... Annie feel free to comment on the name!)

Amy's Scrappy Flap Hat that she made in the continental knitter class here at the shop:

Made with a few different yarns (hence the name "Scrappy" - made with yarn scraps), it is adorable!

Nancy's socks made with a yarn I forget (again, feel free to comment!):

I had a picture of another of Nancy's socks but for some reason it's not here. Sorry Nancy, I'll get it in the next post.

Susan's second pair of Mini Mochi socks:

She's making several pairs of socks for holiday gifts this year. Such pretty colors!

Lorraines wonderful sweater/shawl made with Kathmandu Aran:

Very cozy - I tried it on! I just LOVE the Kathmandu.

Sheila's second sweater made with this Plymouth pattern and Lamb'sPride Bulky:

Talk about a quick knit - she made this in a week!

Maryann's earflap hat made with her own handspun and dyed yarn!

Happy Thanksgiving -- I am thankful for all of you and your support
of me and my yarn shop!

A really good burrito. Oh and some friends and some yarn!

Last weekend I went out to Massachusetts to shop and eat dinner with my girlfriends from Connecticut (to celebrate my birthday and my friend Jean's birthday - we both turned 40 recently!). On my way to the Lee Outlets I stopped at Colorful Stitches yarn shop in Lenox.

What a pretty shop with lots of wonderful yarns! Imaginative displays too. I, of course, found some goodies:

Malabrigo sock yarn:

Dream in Color Classy worsted weight and Mountain Colors River Twist:

After this, I was hungry so I stopped at a place in Lee that I spied on the way to the store...

Mmmmmm, burritos! I had the best burrito and it came with yummy warm tortilla chips.

Then it was on the the Lee Outlets... I met up with my friend Chrissy first:

Then met up with the other girls soon after that and shopped, shopped shopped!

After we were shopped-out, we went to the Red Lion Inn where the girls were staying overnight. For those who don't remember, this is where Paul and I got married so it always brings back fond memories! I only got one picture of one of the rooms -- it's very charming and each room has it's own unique set-up and decorations:

We had some snacks while we waited to go to dinner. I couldn't wait to start working with the Malabrigo sock yarn so I wound it into a ball while we were chatting:

I don't think anyone really understood why I HAD to start kitting right then. My friend Chrissy said "Boy, you really can't just sit still can you?". Chrissy knows how to knit but doesn't anymore since a really bad experience with boucle yarn and a poncho pattern. Ellen and Debbie both like to knit and were wishing they lived close enough to come take classes.

I got a few rows knit but then when I showed Joan and Nancy the ball at the shop the next day, they both said I had wound it way too tightly, so I took it out and re-wound it on the shop ball winder!

And here are all of us at dinner:

And Ellen with the crazy-huge pumpkins they had out in front of the inn:

And here is what I missed:

Karaoke!

All around great time - so fun spending time with my friends that I don't get too see too often!

Today, Karin from the Periwinkle Sheep stopped by to bring some new yarn colors!

Caramel Apple is on the left - this is the yarn that Jana won the contest for naming! In the middle is Chinese Lantern and on the right is an unnamed limited edition which is also very pretty.

She also brought me a variety of other colors:

If you don't see what you like on the shelf, just ask to see the bin!

Show and Tell:

Nancy's socks made with the Happy Choices sock blank that she dyed herself:

Joan's very pretty Waterfall Beaded Scarf made with Pima Tencel:

Christine's entrelac scarf made with Taos:

And Joan's socks made with Mini Mochi:

Betty

I'm sending you over to Karen Maag-Tanchak's blog "Knitting&" to see the wonderful pictures she took at the memorial celebration of Betty Smith. Betty was a customer of Karen's at The Periwinkle Sheep yarn shop. As many of you know, Betty often came to the knit-ins here and was just as Karen descibes her....


Ok, I tried to put a link here, but it isn't working, so please look on the right hand side of this page, scroll down to see the blogs I read and look for Knitting&.....

Shop visitors!

My aunt Christine and my cousin's wife, Emma, came to visit from Boston last week! They had never seen the shop and they loved it. Christine is a sometimes knitter and Emma is an avid crocheter and also a knitter. Here they are, Emma holding some Ella Rae Lace Merino trying to decide which color to get!:

Emma is from Sweden and her family still lives there. Her mom is going to open a yarn shop there at the end of November! Christine was taking lots of pictures to give her some ideas.
They wandered around the shop for a while and then we went next door to The Homefront Cafe for lunch. It was nice afternoon - Thanks to Christine and Emma for making the trip out here!

Last weekend was the end of the Drop Spindle Spinning class and here are the results:

2-ply yarn made on a drop spindle! The class loved the results. Very cool to make your own yarn. Another class will be scheduled in the spring if you are interested.


Show and Tell:
Sue's socks made Swedish Yarns' Fame sock yarn:

Pretty color changes!

Doris' adorable baby blankets that she made with Dreambaby DK for twin girls recently born:


Nancy's been on a finishing spree:
Her socks made with a yarn I can't remember!


Her second Picovoli tank top, which she made for her sister in law, out of the Bebe Cotsoy:


And her very pretty Textured Circle Shrug, made with Suri Merino for her neice:

(Yes, I know her eyes are closed. I told her and she did not want me to re-take the picture!)

Deirdre's double knit hat made with Cascade 220:

This will be an upcoming class in the winter session. I'm working on one right now!


Erin's woven pillow cover:

So pretty ! Made with Noro Kureyon.

Ethel's very pretty hat and bobble scarf set that she made with Cascade 220:

Mignonne's felted clogs made with Cascade 220:

I just finished a class in these, and have been seeing many more around lately.... great for gifts and fun to make!

Trudi and Karen's needle felted flowers:

Aren't these great????? They have pins on the back so you can accessorize your hats, bags, sweaters etc. They will be planning a class on this for the winter session.

Trudi's Knit One Below Scarf, which she embellished by weaving in another yarn that also becomes the fringe:

very pretty!

Jana in her March Basic sweater (a free Berocco pattern) made with Berocco Ultra Alpaca:

Beautiful! I have some of this yarn at home to test drive!

Sue's miniature sweater, sock and mitten made with Silk Garden Sock Yarn:

So cute - but I forgot to put a ruler next to them so you could see how small they are. (They're pretty small!)

And Sue's Thorpe hats made with Lamb's Pride Bulky:

So many great things you all have been doing.... Keep them coming!

Some knitting progress

I don't know if you've noticed but I haven't posted anything about what I've been knitting for a while. It's been so busy at the shop that I just haven't had time. But these past days off I was able to make some progress on my hoodie! I finally finished the back and two sides, which are at home blocking. Then I can seam and work on the hood. It's getting there. I've also started a double knit hat for a class in the winter session. And I'm still working on my mini mochi socks. No pics yet, but hopefully soon.

In the meantime, here are pics of show and tell:
Bonny's macrame needle case, which we've seen before but wanted to show you that she got a 3rd place ribbon at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival!

Congratulations Bonny!

Lisa's wonderful hat and mitten set, with a pattern by Green Moutain Spinnery that just came into the store:


Barbara's Bella's Mittens made with Peru by Katia:

Mary Kate's Noro Striped scarves:

Instead of using 2 different colors she just pulled from either end of the skein - they came out great!

And Mary Kate's Done by Monday afghan made with Encore: