shallweknit.com

I think I’ve been a little delinquent in blogging lately.  We can blame it on Ravelry – what a place!  All these rabbit trails you can follow and who knows who you might meet along the way or what new patterns you might discover, or new yarns or shows or…

But we have been busy around here.  I have slowly been putting the shop back together after the sale.  And new stuff is coming in for Spring – yup you heard that right – Spring is coming!

And classes, we’ve had some really fun ones lately and I even remembered to take pictures of some of them.  So here is a quick trip through some of the ones I that I took pictures of.

 This was week one of the crochet class with Linda.  It was great, I find a lot of knitters fumble our way through crocheting but never learn how to do it properly.  Linda got us going in the right direction and this week we will see what we remembered over the week.

 And this is our Knitting Elementary taught by Kara.  By the end of the class she had everyone casting on and off, doing knit, purl and even rib.  Not bad for 1 class.   I think we have some new knitters in our midst – YEAH!

 Last night the amazing Cari taught our LK150 class.  This is the knitting machine that we sell but in the class we had 4 different machines.  We were learning new ways of casting on and edgings – very cool!  The picture is Cheryl and John – they were tag team learning – so sweet.

We’ve got a couple more classes booked but I’m working on the next newsletter, so if there is something you would like to see in a class please let me know.

Wow!  Thats all I can say about last week!  Wow!  The sale and everyone who showed up for it totally overwhelmed me – Thank you all!

Now I am starting to put the shop back together and getting ready for new stuff coming in.  This is where I need your help – no not stocking shelves but with what else I should really have.  If you could have your wish and I would order in 2 things (yarns, patterns, beads, whatever)  what would they be?  Now before you get all excited, this doesn’t mean I will get it, but you never know. 

So in the comments give me some ideas, it could be anything.  You can be very specific or more general.  For instance maybe you think I should have some of the Kersti (Koigu DK) or maybe just more sock yarn.  Give me some ideas…

Have I told you guys lately how blessed I am by being part of all your lives?   One of the greatest things about having this shop (besides having this shop) is the friends that I have been blessed with along the way.  Isn’t it amazing how total strangers can connect and become so important to each other in a short amount of time.

Some friendships grow slowly over the years, bonding us as we go through different stages of our lives.  And other friendships seem to have been here for years but we’ve known each other for only a little bit of time.

I love the fact that as people are coming into the shop,  we are getting to know each other and learning about each other all while sharing the common bond of knitting.  Knitting can be such an important part of our lives too.

I have a couple of friends who are going through some painful times and their knitting is helping them to hold onto their sanity.  One friend who is dealing with a scary time told me how comforting it is to sit and knit and pray and knit and sit and pray…I know some people meditate, I have never learnt that but the slow contemplation of dealing with one stitch after another probably is giving the same soothing feeling.

I know when my son was tiny he had some major surgery and the only thing that I was in control of was my knitting.  There was nothing I could do but as long as I was knitting something for him then I felt that he would be ok.  That soon he would be wearing the sweater I was making him and everything would be fine.  And it was and he is.

anyways, thank you for allowing me to be part of your lives,

Ok. I admit it – I have a problem!  I can’t say no, those little things just call my name and and batt their pretty colours at me and I’m hooked.  YARN!!!  I’ve just spent the morning with one of my yarn reps and ordered some new yarns for spring (yes it is coming and sooner than you think). 

Problem : where to put all the new stuff that will be coming?

Solution : have a sale!

So, this is what we are doing.  Starting this Saturday, January 12th and running to the 19th we are having our first annual sale.  Everything but the spinning wheels and knitting machines will be on sale.  Just to whet your appetite here are some of the discounts,

Addis – 25% off

All other needles and knitting accesories, BOOKS, CDs – 15% off

Magazines prior to Winter 07 – 40% off

Morehouse -40% off

Luxury Alpaca Cashmere – 40% off

Kits – 25 % off

Rowan brands – 30% off

Baby giftware and Webkinz – 25 % off

So, are you salivating yet?  Spread the word!

What to do, what to do…we are starting a Pi Shawl knitalong tonight.  I’ve started one in Rowan Tapestry to get a sample started but now I have to figure out which to do for my serious one.

 This is the Pi Shawl.  It was designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman and is basically a template to put in your own lace choices.  A lot of people follow EZ’s patterns exactly but it is a nice one for doing your own thing – which is what I think she would have liked and wanted.  The Pi starts with a crochet cast on in the center and then in the first round you double your stitches and then again in the 3rd, 6th, 12th, 24th…you get the picture.  So between the 6th and 12th row increases you have 6 plain rows that you can put anything in and the same between 12 and 24 or 24 and 48.  The most basic form has just those increase rows and the rest is stocking stitch but EZ even gave a simple version to copy.  It is the button hole pattern, so every 6 rows if it isn’t an increase row you do a buttonhole – YO, K2tog. So I’ve got the basic buttonhole going, working a small lace pattern between rows 24-48 with 288 stitches.  I’m thinking after the next increase I will do a bigger lace version.  I want this one to be a fairly simple lace pattern that I can work on when I don’t have to think. 

But I’m thinking the one I start tonight – I want a little more lacey.  I’m pondering black in the Malabrigo lace but the Alpaca with a Twist colours are really calling my name.

Ohhhh, the choices…

 This would be the reason for all the happy talk about new flannels.  This was taken New Years Day.  We had lost most of the snow over the last few days, had a bit on the ground – but its back – and right now it is -13 outside and that is Celsius people!  Can I wear my flannels to the shop?

I think I’m ready to get back to regular hours, Tom gets up at 5 but anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination.  He usually gives me a kiss and I roll over and go back to sleep for a couple more hours.  Not this morning!  I couldn’t go back to sleep, I kept thinking about samples I want to start when I get to work and about the sale coming up and…

So I got up, it’s 7am and I’ve already written and downloaded a couple of blog entries, made coffee, fed dogs, and made a batch of scones.  I’m scaring myself!  Now I’m off to work on my sewing room for an hour or so before time to get prettied up for work.

Just to leave you with another couple of pictures.  This is my son-in-law (Ed) and grandkids – Chance and Darrian.  Ed built a snowfort in our back yard Christmas Eve day and they had a snowball fight.  I have to say, Darrian has quite the throwing arm!

Just a few more pictures of the sock!  It was really a lot of fun and great to see so many different people working on it.  We had multi-generations working together, husband and wife, daughter and mother-in-law and total strangers (temporarily) it was just a lovely sense of unity.  We were all working on something that hundreds of others knitters from all over have worked on as well.