World Wide Knit In Public Day

This past Saturday was World Wide Knit In Public day. Kniterary celebrated by inviting all customers (old and new) to come and knit outside the shop for the day.

Among the many people who came to celebrate the day at Kniterary were Ruth and Lindsay from Georgetown. They will apparently be joining another WWKIP event this coming Saturday in the Guelph area. They are sure to enjoy their company as much as we did. It is always good to make new knitting friends!

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't in agreement with all the people who were knitting in public, and forced us all inside. We didn't let the weather get us down and moved the fun upstairs.

It wasn't long before there was much more than just knitting going on.

People were spinning and stitching also.

Over-all the event and experience left all feeling accomplished with the progress on their knitting, stitching, spinning, etc and enriched by our time communing with fellow fiber lovers!

The raffle was won by Elizabeth R who came into the shop with 9 members of the guild from Georgina. They spent an hour or more discovering all the nooks and crannies of The Little Green House! Thanks for the visit ladies!

We hope to see them and you all in the shop soon!

Knitting one, Wearing another

I am knitting Baktus with 2 skeins of Manos Serena. This sumptuous alpaca/pima cotton yarn is so soft and pleasing to knit with! The scarf is about 1/2 done now. I am striping two rows of blue and 2 rows of beige. Feels and looks like the desert and the sky!

I am wearing the Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton Summer Striped Scarf from the newest Vogue magazine. Just perfect for a cooler spring day like today!

Come in and check them out!

My Daughter the Photographer

Stitch Markers

Kniterary and Hedgehog Stitchery are putting together an ad to go into the Spring Whitby Downtown magazine. I got Rhea to do a photo shoot of some of the items in the shop. She did a wonderful job! I want to share a few of the photos with you.

Could you imagine getting these stitch markers just to hang in a sunny window?? They are so beautiful!

Tea and yarn

This photo actually made it into the ad. It is my invitation to all of you to join me any Tuesday to Friday for a cup of tea (or coffee), a chat and a knit (or prefered fibre craft)!

Shown in the photo is my unique felted tea Cosy, 2 skeins of Cascade Ultra Pima and the runner is a Mango Moon woven Sari Silk Wrap.

Tea anyone?

You will get to sit near the Manos del Uruguay! You can stroke it all you want!

I am pouring one for you now!

January Blahs...

Does anybody have the January blahs?
I seem to today.
It is grey and rainy when it should be snowy and sunny.
How do you overcome the blahs?

I overcome them by picking something inspiring and colourful to knit. So I have picked up a small sharf (shawl/scarf) from the latest KnitScene called Emily to knit. It is a fun lace knit that can be done in a 4 ply or a lace weight yarn. I have chosen a 4 ply Malabrigo sock yarn from my personal stash. I think that it would also be stunning in any of the Cadenza sock weight that I have on the shelves.

This Mandy Moore Pattern is an easy to follow lace. It starts off small so by the time you are doing longer rows the pattern is solidified in the brain. At least that is what I am finding.

Don't you just love that orange? I feel surrounded by warmth when I knit with it.

If you are looking for something colorful to knit with there is now 3 shades of Silk Garden Sock in the shop and 5 colors of Silk Garden worsted weight.

The Silk Garden Sock is wonderful combined with Cadenza and knit into a simple triangular shawl. I have Emily's in the shop for inspiration!
About a year ago I knit a Log Cabin Blanket with Silk Garden Worsted and I think I am about to revisit that knit just to play with colour. I will get out my sample at the shop and dig up the basic pattern for anyone who is interested.

Also in my project pile is my latest tree. I am knitting a 3 dimensional Ash Tree. So far I have the main trunk done and I am prepping to start dividing it into smaller sections. This has led me on wanders through the neibourhood to analyze how an Ash tree branches out. I have also been really taken with the colors of the mosses that grow on Ash trees. Wandering outside, even on dull days, seems to banish the blahs for a bit too.

If you need a shot of color to ward off the January Blues pop by the shop and have a sensory feast!

See you soon!

The Countdown is on!

Ok Folks where did November go????

Hopefully you are all in the final stages of your Christmas knitting! I am in the process of knitting another simple shawl for my MIL with Pink Cadenza and Sublime Mohair combined. It is coming out a beautiful frothy pink decadence that I know she will love. No Picture yet but you can pop in the shop to have a boo! (OOps I am back in October!!)

If you are looking for quick last minute knits there are scarves, hats and mitts. A new quick scarf pattern that I designed is in the shop and takes only one ball of Peruvia. Peruvia is only $7.99 a skein so it is an inexpensive knit too!

There are the Slouchy hand warmers! These take 2 balls of Milli Colori at $8.99 a ball. Fun to knit and fun to give!

Speaking of things Slouchy the Slouchy Tree is very popular again this year. It can be made big enough to be a hat if one 2 skeins of worsted are held together and a 6mm needle used.

I just got in a slouchy hat pattern from Oat Couture that can be done in DK or Worsted weight yarn
Come in to the shop for lots more ideas!!!

Free Hat Pattern from Kniterary

Patrick wears a Hat

Available soon at the shop! Knit with Mission Falls or any worsted weight!

October Already!

Over the summer Michelle knit a wonderful sweater out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton in one of the newer colours. It turned out beautiful! It is on display in the shop for this month. come in and be inspired! Thanks to Michelle for sharing this project with Kniterary! Michelle also has a beautiful shawl on display. Michelle does lace so well! If you are interested in a lace class with Michelle in the new year let me know and I will get her in!

In progress is my wave piece for the Whitby Station Gallery submission.

I have used a combination of yarns and short rows to bring the wave into being. Among the yarns are; Noro Silk Garden and Silk Mountain, Debbie Bliss Astrakan, Naturally Tussock, Elsbeth Lavold Hempathy and a worsted wool that I had in my stash.

You can come in and see its progression since it is being worked on in our classroom.

Classes coming up this month are my Market bag, Mosaic Knitting, Building on Basics and Crochet. See the classes section at www.kniterary.com.

See you in the shop soon!

August continues

Just in this this last week...6 colours of Arequipa. AnAlpaca/merino/nylon sock yarn. Beautiful colours. Gorgeous to work with!

The pattern for the next square of the Garden path Afghan will be ready to be picked up Thursday evening. It is called the Fuschia stitch.

Only 2 more after this! Then we are on to assembly and edging. Woo HOO!

The Beautiful and talented Miranda finished her Amerlia Earhart Cap using Mirasol Hacho. It would be the perfect hat for under a bike helmet when the days get cooler. Also good as a chemo hat for the cooler weather.

Sorry Miranda...I just had to share this with every one!!

The hat is on disply for your perusal and the pattern is available on line.

Fall yarns are starting to wend their way to the shop so keep an eye open for them!

See you in the shop!

Today at Kniterary

Today I put the blue Easter Basket on display and knit up another basket for felting with a daffodil. Both patterns will be available with the class this Saturday.

Then Miranda popped in to show off her first completed project since joining the Kniterary Friends (also known (to me) as Kniterarians). It is a good hat that can stand on its own!!

Great job Miranda!!!

Then her daughter came to get her and claimed the hat!!

Such a sweetie!! (And a future knitter)

What with all the snow the store was fairly slow but as you can see I had a good day despite having to shovel and shake my fist at the sky.

Hope to see you all Thursday night for Sit N' Knit!!!

Vickie and Her Patterns

I would like to introduce you all to a most creative knitter. Vickie.

She has been creating unique knitting designs since before I knew her. AND...She writes down her creations into patterns. Her patterns (so far) are only available at Kniterary.

She has been creating fingerless glove patterns such as these.

and these
.

There are also a few scarf patterns.

Add to that a felted tea cozy and a felted bag!

What a talent she is!

You may have noticed that a pair of the gloves and the scarf I've shown are in Mosaic knitting. Vickie has agreed to teach a class in Mosaic Knitting in January. The cost will be $30. Particulars are still to be worked out and I will let you all know as soon as they are!

In the meantime come in and check out her inspired designs!!

Almost Halloween..

Wednesday is Halloween.
Boo!! Did I scare you?

That means that Thurday is November 1st.

That means that as of Thursday there will be 55 knitting days until Christmas!

Remember there are lots of quick scarfs and hats that can be done for gifts!

I have been knitting up a quick snuggly shawl from the Fond Time Farm hand spun, naturally dyed Alpaca. I am knitting it like a simple dishcloth pattern without the decreasing. When it gets almost as long as it is going to be I will do a row of yarn over, knit 2 together and then 4 more rows of knitting before casting off. I am really enjoying knitting this because it is quick and easy,and, despite the tight spin and rustic look to the yarn is is really soft and buttery. It is going to be one of the snuggliest shawls ever! So far it has taken 4 pucks of the Alpaca. The approximate cost to make it is $64.00.

I have also been knitting an argyle scarf with Hempwol from Lanaknits Designs. This yarn feels like it will be scratchy while in the ball but is really soft! I am loving knitting with it! Once the hemp washes I expect it will be so, so soft! I'll keep you updated. Because I am using 4 different colours (I am going to duplicate stitch in white stripes) it is taking 4 balls. At $6.49 a ball that is a scarf for $28.00. Actually because there will be lots of the green, red and white left at least one more scarf could be made cutting one scarf to $14.00!! I will write up the pattern for this As soon as I have finished the scarf I promise.

I was in Toronto yesterday to wish Lisa a happy birthday and got started on a Lopi bag for felting. I made some I-cord that I am going to tack on before felting for embellishment. Yes, I am going to write out the pattern for this too! Lopi felts wonderfully! This picture is the pre-felted look. I will post the finished look as soon as it is done.

New Classes are now posted on the classes page of www.kniterary.com. I have included some Sock Saturdays and Finishing Fridays. Go have a look! Prices are all reasonable.

I have been talking to knit designer and author Fiona Ellis and have booked March 22nd, 2008. for her to come out and do her "Twisting with the Cable Girl" workshop. It will be a 3 hour workshop from 1 - 4 PM and the cost will be $30.00. Fiona is a fun and inspirational teacher and I know that you will all love learning from her.

See you in the Shop!