krex's blog

As the weather gets colder, lots of people come in to the store driven by virtuous and commendable gift-making and -giving ideas. And a lot of the time, these same people fall in love with a new yarn, or a new shade of an old fave, or an exciting new pattern that they want for themselves. And then I get to witness their personal drama: the struggle between the desire to let creativity run free and the desire to at least appear disciplined, self-controlled, maybe even frugal?

I hear that some people stop knitting in the summer. I hear that some people stop knitting with wool in the summer. I hear these things, but I'm not sure I really understand them. The words "stop" and "knitting" don't want to be in the same sentence from my mouth....

Here at the shop I do see knitters going on vacation and needing a little something easy-breezy to knit. I do see knitters settling down to classes as their schedules loosen up for the summer. So we try to meet these needs in addition to our all-year-round support of sweaters, afghans, and all things wooly.

The new year starts here in the shop with an exciting field trip and fun new theme.

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The weather is all over the place this time of year...sunny and hot, foggy and freezing, sunny and windy. Having lots of knitted items on hand to layer on and off as the temperature changes is just the ticket. At least that's the excuse I'm putting forth for having everything from a cotton tank top to an alpaca Einstein Coat on the needles at the same time.

Since September is our first official Cascade Yarns month in the shop, I took the challenge to use a Cascade yarn I hadn't before: Venezia, the chunky version. It's a lovely blend of merino and silk. It is also the perfect gauge for the Sweetheart Vest in Fall 07 Interweave Knits magazine. I was off. The pattern was easy to follow and the little bit of color-work kept me interested. Stop by the shop and see the results!