For those of you who are following the riveting drama that is Natural Stitches’ first knit-a-long, here’s an update:  I JUST FINISHED MY BAG!!! Whoo-hoo!!!  I always forget how much of a slog felted bags can be, that you have to knit them to be couch covers before you can get them down to usable size.  If you’re thinking about starting your first one, think small clutch first.

Pink!

I don’t think I could have done it without all the loving support and hand-holding of my coworkers.  Special thanks go out to Carla and Anna.  If it had not been for your continuous validation and encouragement (“I’m already FIN-ISHED.  I’m already FIN-ISHED.”), I don’t think I could have made it.  Anna’s Cascade 220 bag is here.

Anna's bag: perfect for skipping about

Kelli (the one who started all of this) is one brief round of seaming away from throwing the whole thing in the washer.  (I’m already FIN-ISHED.  I’m already FIN-ISHED.)  She should make her June gift deadline, no problem.  Just remember Kelli, felt 3 minutes, remove and shape.  Repeat til you like it.  Roll up towels in the base and make sure it’s standing up straight before you dry it.

Charissa's Calla. Mal-a-bri-go. Yuuuummm.

We need to get a picture of Carla’s!  It’s really pretty and green and has a lily on it and…oh, you’ll just have to come in and see it. You can read about Charissa’s here.

I’m in lurve with mine.  I added 6″ to each pocket and came up with the perfect school bag.  Feminine yet grown-up, with enough room for a couple of textbooks, a notebook or two and some pencils – perfect for school.

My post, so I get two pictures!

Coming soon: a post with all of our newly-discovered Calla Lily tips and tricks!

It’s that time of year again. We’re cleaning out the shelves and rearranging the store! We’re refining our organizational system and making room for the new goodies Martha and Kelli are planning to order at TNNA, the annual trade show, in June.  What that means for all of you – other than excusing our mess for the next few weeks – is even better prices on some great yarns. We’ve put new yarns on clearance, including Rowan Felted Tweed, Classic Elite Wool BamBoo, Classic Elite Portland Tweed, and Araucania Ranco sock yarns.

Also, just a reminder that we are closed on Memorial Day. We hope you are having a safe, relaxing holiday weekend!

Last summer, Melissa wrote an awesome series of articles for the newsletter with really invaluable tips for knitting socks. I’ve collected them here so we can reference them easily.

• The Cuff, including how to alter for a wide leg.
• The Heel, including How to do an Eye of Partridge Heel.
• The Toe, including how to Kitchener without the instructions in front of you.

Need pattern ideas for a jumping-off point?

• Pattern ideas for handpainted yarns.
• Pattern ideas for a good, regular sock.

Want more ideas? Check out the top sock patterns on Ravelry, many of which are free.  Questions about the contest? Comment here!

Today Kelli and I bid a fond farewell and good riddance to the last hi-rise housing project in East Liberty.

We got to the shop at 8:30, armed with McMuffins and settled in to watch.

The explosion was heard from Regent Square, Edgewood and Oakmont!

That was SO COOL!!!

It’s baaa-aaaack. Start winding your laceweight, polishing your Addi Turbos, and making an inventory of your sock yarn. We’re kicking off our Second Annual Summer of Socks and Lace contest, beginning NOW until Labor Day (September 7, 2009). Who can knit the most pairs of socks? Who can knit or crochet the most yardage of lace?

The prize is a $50 gift card from Natural Stitches, one for the sock category and one for the lace category. As well, there will be a small prize for every participant. (Got your attention now? Keep reading.)

We’ll be going by yardage of the final project as that seems to be the fairest way to go. When you finish a project, bring it to the shop with the ball band and we’ll record the yardage. (The ball band is critical as it will help us to more accurately figure out how much yarn you used.)

You can feel free to use any yarn from your stash, but yarn purchased at Natural Stitches will be counted as DOUBLE yardage. (Another reason the ball band is so important.)

Answers to commonly asked questions:

• Crocheted lace is eligible as are crocheted socks and slippers
• If you knit lace socks, they only qualify in one category. You pick which one.
• You can participate in both categories.
• PLEASE BRING IN PROJECTS AS YOU FINISH THEM SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE A HUGE RUSH ON LABOR DAY
• One winner per category will be contacted shortly after Labor Day and will be announced in the Newsletter published after Labor Day.
• If you’ve never done socks or lace, both our Knit and Crochet teachers offer beginner and intermediate classes in socks and lace.
• Our apologies to handspinners (yet again), but we still can’t figure out a way to accurately calculate yardage without making our heads explode.
• Need to expand your stash? We’ve got several sock and lace yarns on sale (remember…double points for Natural Stitches Yarn!)
  We will keep track of your total yardage in a ledger as well as on a publically displayed leader board.

Excited? We are too!

Here’s what’s new:

We finally have a new shipment of the Microclip LED lights. Shaped like an iPod shuffle, you can’t beat this deal at $6 each.

Classic Knits, the Marianne Isager Collection of patterns translated into English from the original Danish.

Several new yarn lines from Cascade:
• Magnum, a super bulky wool
• Heritage, finally a solid colored sock yarn that should be around for awhile! It comes in great handpaints too.
• Baby Alpaca Chunky / Paints: That one pretty much speaks for itself.
• About a dozen (give or take a few) new colors of Cascade 220, 220 Heathers, & Quatros.

Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren, possibly the cutest baby knits book ev-ver.

I’m always fascinated how fiber goes from that puffy stuff in a bag to a finished knit object. Here, a blogger describes how she spun up our spinning teacher Carol’s Posy Toes roving into a fingering-weight yarn and then went on to design original socks with that yarn.  Thanks for allowing us to share the pictures on our blog, Jamie!

Reminder: Spinner Central gathering on May 14 at Natural Stitches, from 6 till closing at 9pm. You can come earlier than 6:00 of course. Toss your wheel (figuratively!) in the car in the morning, stop by after work, grab some Chinese or Subway for dinner, and spend the evening spinning with others–best way to avoid rush hour traffic.