knot another hat

Unfettered

We have (sadly) wrapped up the 2019 Happy Hour Project Club. Our fourth and final project featured Unfettered. 

Unfettered is defined as “release from restraint or inhibition” - just like these brioche stitches as they ebb and flow around the cowl, with gradient colors slowly drifting. Cheers to the culmination of our 2019 Happy Hour Project Club, and cheers to unfettered knitting! 

I designed this cowl in the slow color-changing yarn Blossom by Wonderland Yarns. The colors in this yarn are rich, saturated and vibrant. I paired it with the kettle-dyed Manos Fino in a complementing color to best show off the gradient.

This pattern is inspired by and adapted from Knitting Fresh Brioche by Nancy Marchant. I highly recommend this book as a lifelong brioche reference tool!

This full package last month included a della Q project bag (Shh...I'm Counting!), one skein of Wonderland Blossom, one skein of Manos Fino, the Unfettered pattern, a candle from Sea Love scented "On The Rocks", and the recipe for Kay's Famous Margarita. 

 

Elegant Drinking Bib Re-Boot

(In an un-planned-for turn of events, the day I am writing about metaphorically re-booting one of my patterns our shop desktop dies while re-booting. Go figure.)

In our first iteration of the Happy Hour Project Club we debuted EDB - the Elegant Drinking Bib. Our original used Manos Serena, a lovely blend of alpaca and cotton that never quite caught on in our store. We let go of Serena a couple of years ago, but we still love the EDB and recently decided it needed some new love. 

Introducing EDB 2.0 - knit by Jill in a most delicious concoction of Pichinku Tawa (merino and silk, naturally dyed in Peru) and Knitted Wit Sock. The EDB relies on choosing a fun variegated yarn and nicely contrasting solid, and these two yarns are a match made in heaven. Knitted Wit's bold and mischievous color paired with Tawa's smooth, silky hand makes for the perfect drinking accessory.  (We used Tiffany in Tawa and If She Builds It in Knitted Wit Sock).

The EDB uses a special stitch, and I thought it might be helpful to give you a little how-to video on this special stitch, which I refer to as "D5" in the pattern. The D5 stitch allows you to create this cool "windowpane" effect - without ever stranding two colors! In fact, the EDB doesn't use anything trickier than simple stripes to accomplish this two-color look: 

We love this new version so much, that we want to share it with you as well. We had enough left over from each of our two skeins to offer YOU a chance to win this yarn and a copy of our EDB pattern! 

Just leave a comment here on the blog telling us about your favorite happy hour ritual - and it doesn't have to involve cocktails! Just tell us what you would ideally do at the end of the day if you had an hour just to sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. We will draw a random winner on June 7th and announce it here on the KAH blog and in our June 7th FB Chat Live. Cheers!

Diving into Square #1

Since we are re-visiting the afghan next month, I decided to cast on and knit with my virtual students. I want to have each square done ahead of them, to refresh my memory (my last afghan was 12 years ago) and make sure I can best prepare them for what lies ahead.

We are starting off with Barbara Selesnick's square, which I dubbed the "heart" square. In my evaluation of all the square we are covering for class, this one is the easiest and presents the most basic cables, which means it is well-suited to those that will be cabling for the first time. 

I whipped this little guy up in about 3 1/2 hours - which means it is completely do-able in a day for most knitters. Of course, I don't use a cable needle to cable (if you want to lose the cable needle - check out my YouTube video), which speeds things up quite a bit. 

I am using Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted for this round, and at first I was a little dubious. While knitting the cables, it felt more robust than I had anticipated. My finished square was .... let's say ... hearty. 

But oh, after blocking? 

This baby came out smoooooooth. I have zero sensitivity to wool, so I can use the "heartiest" of hearty yarns and not really notice. But even I was impressed with how absolutely lovely this yarn feels after blocking. And knowing that it has that good 'ole workhorse wool quality, I can be sure that this heirloom will last long enough to actually become an heirloom. 

My current obsession

If you've been around the shop lately, you already know what I'm going to talk about. Chances are, if you've been around the shop lately, my current obsession has already become your current obsession, because it's spreading like wildfire. 

I'm talking about crochet. 

A few weeks ago, Jill and Kismitt were discussing plans to knit a blanket using their sock weight leftovers. I overheard, and immediately thought of the piles of fingering weight leftovers I have in my stash, in all colors and sizes of "bits". Instead of a knit blanket, though, my thoughts went to a blanket I had made before, but in worsted weight - the One Big Granny Square blanket from Churchmouse Yarns. I originally crocheted mine back in 2012 out of Silk Garden, and it is still one of my favorites to this day: 

That night at home, I dug out alllll of my fingering weight leftovers. Just imagine how many fingering weight leftovers I might accumulate - between my own knitting and knitting for the store - it's a lot. I sorted them roughly by color family: 

I changed the hook from a G to a D (3.25mm), and off I went: 

After this picture I changed from an old steel hook to the much more comfortable Amour hooks, and that little beginning quickly became this: 

In all honesty, to say I've been obsessed is an understatement. I've had to force myself to take breaks because my carpal tunnel and tendonitis are both flaring. But it's soooooo fun. I can't stop. I have a little pouch I carry around with me, and each day (or so) I go back to the stash, grab four or five little balls in some random color progression that appeals to me, and throw them in the pouch. I crochet until I've used them, then I go back for more. I'm trying not to give too much thought to the order I place colors and instead just go with what calls to me in the moment of choosing. And I am in love. 

Now the question is - when do I stop? 

(Some of my favorite yarns making frequent appearances in this are: Knitted With Fingering and Sock, Manos Fino, Dream in Color Smooshy, and Wonderland Mary Ann. 

 

Hammerish

This week brings our third installment in the 2019 Happy Hour Project Club! 

Presenting - Hammerish. 

Ben Franklin sometimes referred to feeling tipsy as being a bit hammerish. If you find yourself a bit hammerish, hunker down with this cozy cap and a nice tall glass of water -- you’ll feel better in no time. 

This hat is knit in worsted weight yarn and is quick to whip up as a gift. I originally designed it in Pichinku Qanchis, a delicious blend of merino and alpaca hand-dyed by a women's coop in Peru. 

The full package this month includes a Della Q bag (Cheaper than therapy!), one skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca, a matching Toft UK alpaca pom, the Hammerish pattern, a coupon for 50% off one skein of Pichinku Qanchis, and the recipe for the Wisest Ever French 75. 

At last month's meetup, we had enough knitters bring in their finished Swirly's that we took this great group photo: 

 

Cheers!

Help! My stash is smothering me!

As a yarn store owner, I hear all the time, 

"Oh - I can't buy any yarn. I've got enough stash to open my own store".

Yikes. 

I think a lot of yarn enthusiasts find themselves in this predicament - a lot of what we love about our craft is picking out the yarn. Which often leads to a stash that is bigger than any one person can consume in their lifetime. And what does this lead to? Feelings of overwhelm, guilt, shame, and a general inability to move forward - either to use up the stash, nor to buy anything new and inspiring. So how do we deal with this? Don't worry - I'm not going to suggest you burn down your stash, collect the insurance money, and go on a shopping spree. Here are my five suggestions for dealing with a too-large stash in a healthy way.  

1) Appreciate it for what it is. 

In this Marie Kondo age, we've all heard the edict to give thanks to an object for the role it played in your life. This is true of our yarn stash as well. We bought that yarn for a reason. For one purchase maybe it was because we were excited at a friend's news of a new baby. Or maybe we were feeling super confident about a new skill and bought up yarn for a project to test our mettle. Whatever the reason, buying that yarn at that moment fulfilled a purpose for you, and you absolutely should appreciate what it did for you in that moment. 

2) Take it out of its containers to see the light of day, shake it, touch it. 

This is as multi-purpose one here - not only does taking your yarn out of its storage containers give you a tangible reminder of what you have, it's also a really good idea to discourage pests. Here in the Pacific Northwest we have more problems with carpet beetle larvae eating wool than moths, and one things carpet beetles don't like is heading out into the sun for some fresh air. So take those skeins out of those Rubbermaid totes, hold them, remind yourself why you bought them. Let them see the light and sing. And inspect them for signs of the dreaded wool pests. 

3) Sort, sort, sort.

Yarn stored away with no organization is yarn that will never be used, except to sit metaphorically on your shoulders like the world's biggest burden. Since you're taking your yarn out of its storage containers anyway, use this time to sort your yarn into a system that makes sense to you. Maybe it's by weight, maybe it's by color, maybe it's by yarn-meant-for-a-specific-project versus yarn-you-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with. As you sort, ask yourself honestly, "Will I use this? Do I see myself making x-y-z with this? Is this a realistic project for me?"* As you answer, set the skeins that no longer call to you aside in their own pile. Full skeins** are often welcome donations at senior centers and thrift shops, and will make another crafter very happy. 

4) Put your stash where you can see it. 

Displaying our yarn stash keeps it fresh in our minds, triggering ideas and inspiration. When you see that next great shawl pattern debut on Ravelry, you will be more likely to grab the perfect stash skeins if you have recently seen them. I'm not suggesting you irresponsibly display your yarn - if you live somewhere with a beetle or moth problem, display it on a shelf inside its plastic ziploc. But keep it where you can see it. I know this one just won't work for everyone, due to different space limitations (and depending on the size of the stash you want to keep), but I want to strongly encourage you to consider finding at least one little spot in your house to display some yarn.  Choose those skeins that you can't bear to part with but that do not have an intended project already, and let them start kindling a fire of inspiration. If your available space is small, set up a rotation schedule so you're seeing different stash skeins every few weeks or months.

5) Get knitting/crocheting/weaving/spinning (yes, this applies to fiber as well).

Sometimes the hardest part of a project is simply getting started. After you have taken the time and care to go through your stash and get a handle on it, pick a new stash project, and cast that baby onto some needles. Give yourself permission to start a fun, new project. Sometimes when we have been overwhelmed for a long period of time, the best way to free your knitting psyche (as I like to say at the shop), is to give yourself permission to be inspired by something new. 

I hope you've found these tips useful in helping you manage your stash. After all, as a yarn store owner my goal is (obvs) to get you to BUY MORE YARN! :) But in all seriousness, I don't like selling you yarn when you truly have too much at home any more than you like the regret you feel after buying it. 

*These steps work just as well for long-languishing projects on the needles, too. 

**Discard any partially used skeins that end up in the "I don't want this anymore pile." There's very little use for others in partially used skeins, especially if there are no labels attached. 

Reminiscing about the Great American Aran Afghan

The shop is abuzz with excitement about our Great American Aran Afghan Club re-boot. Laura and Jill will be teaching our famous 18 month course, beginning in June, and the talk is all-afghan, all-the-time around here. Jill and I each brought our finished afghans in to display, and all the excitement really has me thinking back to when I made my afghan back in 2007. (Side note - I started teaching this class in January of 2007, which means I was five months pregnant with Ms Mals at the time, and then had a baby right in the middle of the 18 month class! What was I thinking?)

Before I keep going - if you are interested in taking our Afghan Class, either in the store or virtually, you can find more info and register on our website. 

The first time I taught this class, I certainly had experience cabling, and I also had experience reading charts. But I think working through these 20 different squares really cemented some key skills for me. For one, I re-charted each month's square for the class. Unfortunately the book does not present the square instructions in the most easy-to-follow format. Each square's instructions lists all individual chart motifs separately and you have bounce around the page as you work to keep track of each motif's progress. I don't fault the publishers for this, because I understand that in the interest of saving space they had to do it this way. However, it makes following along very difficult, especially for a new chart reader.

So for the class, I take this:

Lots of written gobbledy-gook and individual charts to track ...

And convert it to this:

My custom re-format, aligning all instructions, symbols, and motifs into one page

I created all the cable and chart symbols as .jpgs in Photoshop so that they would exactly match the symbols in the book in case anyone needs to cross-reference (except I color-coded mine to be easier to read). Then I just put all the individual charts into Excel into a nice big chart that shows the entire width of the square. I added all the symbol definitions below the chart for easy reference on one piece of paper (usually). For me, it is SO much easier than having to reference each individual motif, then the symbol map for each cable, then the written definition of each cable, every time you need to work across the row. 

Another skill that was refined and cemented throughout knitting this project is cabling without a cable needle. I started on my first square, and never looked back. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had to use a cable needle in the last 12 years. Our class will teach those interested how to cable without a cable needle (and if you can't join us in class, see my YouTube video on Cabling Without a Cable Needle). 

Here is my afghan after I had assembled all of the squares but had yet to do the border: 

Is a swing set where you display your FO's as well?

And a final image of my finished afghan (apologies for the low light): 

I truly love this blanket, and it is in regular use around my house throughout Fall and Winter. It now looks loved and well-worn, and I don't mind one bit. 

Hold My Beer

Last week was our second Happy Hour Project Club get together!  

Who needs a beer cozy when you have these warm felted mittens to protect your hands from your icy bevvie? These mittens are a straightforward knit on size 10.5 needle, with just a bit of contrast whimsical striping to make things fun. 

Introducing Hold My Beer:

Toss them in the washer after knitting, and voila! Warm, snow-proof, frosty-glass-proof mittens! Want to make them extra fun? Swap your Main Color and Contrast Color for the second mitten! 

The rest of the Happy Hour package included a della Q project bag ("Knitting is sitting ... for creative people!"), a JaMpdx yarn chicken enamel pin, a JaMpdx "serious balls" enamel pin, and a recipe for my favorite Bloody Mary recipe. 

Cheers! 

My Top 5 Go-To Gift Patterns

Even selfish knitters like myself find a need for a knitted gift here and there. I pretty rarely knit for others, but sometimes it just feels right (I like to think us knitters have a certain intuition for knowing when a hand-knitted gift is just what the doctor ordered). 

I took a look through ALLLL my projects on Ravelry, specifically at those that were knit as gifts. I was looking for the common themes, or even for repeats (I don't often knit anything twice), and I found that I have some favorite gift projects that I want to share with you. 

#5 Socks

Whether lightweight, midweight, or boot weight, knitted socks are something I have gifted repeatedly (but only to the REALLY deserving!). I have made a total of 23 pairs of socks for others, ranging from kids socks to size 12 men's socks. That's 46 socks! (Remember that time I had to make the SAME pair twice?) I mostly just follow one of my plain vanilla sock patterns for socks on 2 circular needles, because I don't have to think about it. Socks are definitely a bigger time commitment - a pair can take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the weight of your yarn and your speed. Here's a throwback to some matching socks I made for Jason and wee baby Campbell, about 13 years ago: 

#4 Seamless Baby Cardigan

This neck-down, seamless cardigan is so quick to knit, even if you put a giant skull and crossbones in the back. ;) I have made this several times for friends' wee ones, both plain and with pictures knit into the back. In worsted weight a 4.5 sts/inch, you can knit one of these up in under a week. I especially like adding little custom details like a few rows of contrast colored edging. Here is the Skully Girl sweater I knit for a new babe in the family a few years ago: 

#3 The Diamond Slouch Hat

This one is actually one of my own designs, and I've made it several times as gifts for friends with milestone birthdays. The pattern is easy yet has enough going on to be entertaining, and it's worked in light worsted weight, making it doable in a weekend. It's a flattering hat that doesn't crush hair, which is always important (to me, at least). Here's my original diamond slouch: 

#2 The Honey Cowl

This easy cowl makes such a great gift, and can be especially good for using that unique skein of hand-dyed yarn. The slip stitch pattern is easily memorized, and there are two size options: a shorter length, or a long length for doubling. This is great if you are short on time; the smaller version can be knit in a couple of days, and the longer version in about a week. I still wear my almost-black honey cowl daily during the winter, but my favorite might be this version I knit in Knitted Wit's Reforestation - the special colorway she dyed to support the re-building of the Gorge trails after the disastrous fire in 2017:

#1 The Wurm

Aside from plain socks, this might is my most repeated project, as to date I have made no fewer than 5 Wurms. To me this might just be the perfect hat - the slouchy fit means it never crushes your hair, and it works in a nice range of heavy sport to DK weight yarns. Start to finish the Wurm can be knitted in about 6 hours. Over the years I have made Wurms out of alpaca, wool, and silk/cashmere blends, and they've all turned out great. Here is the Wurm I made for my mom a couple years ago in Feederbrook Farms Entropy DK: 

There you have it! I'd love to hear in the comments what some of your favorite gift projects are! 

Calling all WIPs! My top 3 tips for Spring Project Cleaning.

It's time for some Spring Cleaning! 

I don't know about you, but I get a major bee in my bonnet to take stock of all of the projects on my needles this time of year. I think it might be because things are the teensiest bit slower in the shop, giving me more time and mental space to focus on these types of things. 

Two weeks ago during my kids' Spring Break, I took the week off of work and had me a little stay-cation. And it was awesome.

My stash is housed in our family room, which means every time I'm sitting in there watching a movie with the fam or chilling out to my latest TV obsession (hello Russian Doll!), the presence of my stash and pile of WIPs is looming just over my left shoulder. Whispering. Cajoling. Sometimes even name-calling. 

The first WIP to get my attention is a Scarfluffle that I started back in 2014 (gasp! that's five years ago if you need help with the math)!! This was started in some handspun - the fiber was gifted to me by dear friends Nichole and Julia, and I spun up a nice fingering that I thought would be great for this pattern. For some reason I knit it until I was just over halfway, then stopped. Entirely. So I picked this puppy back up and KNOCKED. IT. OUT. 

Next up - socks. I really do prefer wearing hand-knit socks over commercial socks¹, and 10 years ago I knit socks all the time and built up quite a sock supply. But as sweaters began to edge out socks in my list of THINGS SARAH LIKES TO KNIT, my sock supply slowly diminished. Don't get me wrong, I always have a sock on the needles in my purse, because you never know when you're going to get stuck on I84 in an ice storm², but I just don't make that much progress. Until now! I finished these beauties in Havirland Pax Sock (Self-Striping): 

 

Stay tuned - we're getting this yarn!

 

And I just finished these gorgeous Neapolitan socks in Knitted Wit Fingering, using Shannon Squire's Stumptown sock pattern:

With those two crossed off my list, I felt free to cast on some overdue socks for both Jason and Mallory. 

But folks, I didn't stop there. I was able to finish up our shop sample of the Parallelogram Scarf, from the Mason-Dixon Field Guide No. 5, and worked in Wonderland Yarns Blossoms (sooooo good, so, so, good). 

AND - I launched my new Spring/Summer scarf, Panorama, knit in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave (cotton/linen blend), kits now available! 

I even managed to make progress on a couple other WIPs that I will cover in a future post. 

If you would like to do a little Spring WIP cleaning yourself, here are my top 3 tips for getting the most out of your time: 

1. Don't Force It: like anything we do in life, if our heart isn't in it, we won't do it well. It's the same with busting out old projects - you have to be in the right frame of mind and spirit to pick up a five year old project and attack it like there's no tomorrow. If you aren't feeling it right now, come back when you are³. 
2. Break Up the Work: Pick manageable goals or milestones within the project - don't force yourself to work on it exclusively until it's done. You'll feel more free in your work and less burdened by the old project. Give yourself small rewards for reaching your goals (cup of coffee, piece of chocolate, or just moving on to a more enjoyable project for a while). 
3. Complete Them Completely: If you're going to tackle finishing up an old WIP, do it entirely. It will feel so satisfying to get that project checked off your list - to have it seamed, ends woven, and blocked. Off your needles and off your mind! 

There  you have it - think you're ready to tackle a few WIPs yourself? 

1: With the exception of Bombas wool socks, which I am now completely obsessed with thanks to my parents giving me some for Christmas.

2: I wasn't caught in that storm, thank Bob, but if I HAD been I would have knitted at least a pair of socks. 

3: And if you're really not feeling it - like deep-down-in-your-bones not feeling it, it might be time to pull out that needle and set 'er free (that's right - rip it out). Your time and your gorgeous yarn are too precious to waste in lackluster projects!