First Sweater

I remember when I first knit this sweater and it didn't seem possible that a human being could ever be so small. Well, turns out Mary is even smaller than that! The sweater is a bit big, but she doesn't seem to mind! Here's hoping we'll get at least another month out of it.

Pattern: Eloise Eyelet Cardi (Lion Brand) [rav link]--the smallest size
Yarn: Exactly one skein of Cascade Sierra, gifted by Steven
Needles: US 8

This is a great pattern for a quick and easy baby sweater. It literally took me a day to knit.

In other news, we'll be closing early on Christmas Eve and will remain closed through the weekend. Have a Merry Christmas!

Baby!

After 9 months of pregnancy and 12 hours of labor, Mary Hadley Dennis was born on Thursday, December 9 at 7:18 pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs 2 ounces and 20 inches. (I know how you all like the baby stats!)
We're both doing fine. Sleep deprived, but recovering nicely.
And did I mention that she's the most beautiful person that I've ever seen in my life? Definitely knitworthy!

Mary Hadley has arrived!

Happy birthday to Mary Hadley, who just arrived! She weighs 8 pounds, 2 ounces and we're awaiting more information (and cute pictures!)

Knitting Time

Fall is knitting time for a lot of people, but I'm talking about knitting TIME...literally. Check out this clock that knits time into a scarf:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662601/infographic-of-the-day-clock-knits-time-into-a-scarf

Also, don't forget about our SALE this weekend. There's still six weeks until Christmas so it's the perfect opportunity to get started on some presents!

FALL SALE
Saturday, November 13 and Sunday, November 14
Everything in the store (except gift certificates) is 10% off
Sales bins 30%-75% off

Baby Shower and Fall Sale

Last Thursday, I was given a surprise baby shower. Among many wonderful and adorable presents, I got this baby blanket.

Isn't it fantastic? Mission Falls 136 and the Mason Dixon mitered square pattern. (And just a few weeks ago, I looked up at the Mission Falls bin and thought to myself, "Hmmmm...why do we only have that much? I thought we ordered a lot more for fall!" I guess the mystery is solved!)

Thank you everybody for being such great knitters and great people!

In other news, we're going to have an impromptu FALL SALE the weekend of November 13 and 14. Everything in the store will be 10% off (notions, patterns, books, bags, YARN, classes--everything but gift certificates) and we'll have sales bins 30% - 75% off. This is our one and only 2 day sale, so take advantage!

Cthlulu

Sorry I've been MIA. It's this whole gestating/graduating thing. It's a real time suck.

But in between the naps and the papers, there has been knitting. A few more baby sweaters. A pair of toe- up socks. And a Cthlulu Balaclava. The Cthuluclava, as it's called.

T is pretty awesome. Not only did she only learn how to knit last year (in our Saturday Beginning Knitting class--I was going to say that this was some shameless self-promotion, but isn't that what a blog is?) and become a regular, not only is she the nicest person in the whole universe, she has the most kick-ass DVD collection, which she shares (see the second compliment) with all the knitters (see the first).

So if you come to Stitch and Bitch and wonder why we're always talking about Buffy and Angel, it's because of T.

As I was watching Buffy, I thought about knitting something to say, "Thanks for being awesome, T!" And knowing that she's a huge sci/fi nerd and HP Lovecraft fan, I knew what I had to knit.

It was a difficult project (lots of little pieces and picking up stitches), but it ended up looking pretty awesome. I told T that I was sorry that I didn't block it.

"That's okay," she said. "Cthlulu is from a dimension that doesn't recognize Euclidean geometry, so it makes sense that he's a bit wonky."

Wow, did I make the right hat for her or what?

Kentucky State Fair, 2010

The Kentucky State Fair is over, so hopefully you all got your fill of donut burgers, fried butter, farm animals, and Joan Jett. I didn't bother going. I'm six months pregnant. Which means no beer tent and food poisoning would be even more unpleasant than normal. Not to mention the heat.


The only thing I felt like I missed out on were the textiles, but luckily, some of our customers sent me pictures of some winning entries. The Knit Nook really represented this year!

Suzanne entered Paloma's owl sweater [rav link], but it didn't win anything. Suzanne said that the fair was just lousy with owls this year. (Just do a Ravelry search for "owls" and you'll see that it's true.) But her beautiful alpaca shawl won second place. We think that the colors were just a tad subtle and dark which is why she didn't win first. But she's got a strategy for next year.


Sharri entered three things and won three ribbons. The Bob Dobbs vest she made for her hubby won a ribbon (no, that's not intarsia; crazy lady did the color work in DUPLICATE STITCH!)


Her Piper hat and scarf set (and Sharri made up the scarf pattern herself to match the hat) won a ribbon.

And her Bex socks (no picture--Sharri, if you have a pic, send it!) also won a ribbon. Good job, Sharri!

Mary Beth's Dale of Norway ski sweater won third place. It's an exquisite piece of craftsmanship (she steeked the armholes for crying out loud!), but unfortunately for Mary Beth, craftsmanship doesn't seem to be a requirement for ribbon-winning at the KY state fair. Cute always beats difficult.

Mary Beth's gloves won second place, which I would have said was a travesty, if they hadn't been overlooked all together last year. So at least they were recognized. Finally!

Martha's crochet wedding purse won a blue ribbon. It's absolutely gorgeous. There are beads and everything. This purse is so lovely, that it has actually converted some people to crochet. Seriously. Martha worked on it in the shop and we had two people sign up for Beginning Crochet.

So remember Mary Beth's exquisite Dale of Norway ski sweater with the steeks and the colorwork? This is what won the blue ribbon. Jane's Sheep Yoke Baby Sweater (free pattern on Ravelry). But honestly, it's adorable.

And remember Suzanne's owl sweater that didn't win? This won a ribbon instead. Jane's Top Down Raglan. (Man, it's a wonder Jane can even show her face around this shop! If she wasn't the Mayor, I'd be worried for her safety!)

But Jane wasn't finished winning ribbons. Her Noni purse with the fairy garden needle felting won Honorable Mention.

Of course, there were plenty more Knit Nookers who submitted items to the fair and won ribbons. If you know of anybody else or have any other pictures to share, please email them to me! Congratulations, everybody! I hope you treated yourselves to some deep fried butter because you deserve it!

Cravings

I would say that since I've been pregnant, one of the most frequently asked questions (besides "Is it a boy or a girl?" or "You're not shutting down the Knit Nook, are you?!") have been about cravings.

I have had two very strong cravings, but neither has been food related. No pickles and ice cream cravings striking in the middle of the night. Which is odd. If you know me at all, you know that I already have disgusting food habits. I drink pickle juice straight from the jar. And that's when I'm not pregnant.

My first craving has been for cigarettes. Almost every single night, I have had dreams where I am smoking. And in these dreams, I am pregnant, but I somehow convince myself that "one or two cigarettes won't kill the baby." Obviously, I have not indulged this craving in my waking hours.

The second craving is less hazardous, so I've been indulging with abandon.

(Ripple stitch blanket out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton.)

Crocheting.

I seriously can't get enough.

Candy Babies by Candi Jensen is one of the best books for baby crochet projects. When I saw Victorian Charm, I got a SERIOUS craving.

Made out of 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss Eco Baby [rav link] in color 14009 and US G/6 hook. I just love it and she's going to look so cute in it!

Unfortunately, sewing on pieces of lace trim has not been one of my pregnancy cravings.

It's a Mini Pini!

It's a Mini Pini!

It's a February Baby Sweater!

It's a Confection Shrug!

It's a GIRL!

Summer Sale!!!

(gratuitous picture of me knitting on the beach a few years ago. cause what's a blog post without a picture?)

I hope everybody had a wonderful Fourth of July. I swam, ate a few burgers, drove over 1000 miles. God Bless America!

But if you thought that the festivities were over, think again! What better way to celebrate this great country of ours than to buy some beautiful yarn on sale? (Yes, I know that the connection between liberty and yarn is a stretch. But I'm talking about yarn. On sale. So you'll forgive my clunky segue.)

Our Summer Sale is this Saturday, July 10! I know, I can't believe it's here already! Everything in the store will be 15%- 75% off. That includes books, patterns, needles, bags, yarn, everything (except gift certificates--but feel free to spend your horded stamp cards and gift certificates at the sale.) We're opening at 10 am so be here early!

Also, our Fall 2010 Class Schedule is posted on the website. I'm going to try my very hardest to get some hard copies in the shop by Saturday.

See you all then!

Audrey in Unst

Just because I wasn't blogging doesn't meant that I wasn't knitting. Here's one of my FO: Audrey in Unst from the Fall 2009 Twist Collective, knit out of Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk DK in neon yellow. I made the fourth size and it took 3 skeins. The real color name is "Roasted Corn" but I don't think that conveys just how loud and obnoxious this color really is. Hey, I'm a child of the eighties--I love me some bright ass yellow!

This was one of those situations where I fell in love with the pattern and the yarn separately. I would dream about this cardigan, wondering what yarn I could possibly use. Simultaneously, a skein of this yarn would end up sitting next to me at the table. And a few skeins were even squirreled away in the back. But it really took me a while to make the connection.

Despite the tiny needles (the pattern calls for US 4 but I used US 3 because those were the only needles I had at the time--it was late at night and I wanted to get started so I told myself that 3 and 4 were practically the same needle--and then later I wondered why the sweater was a smidge too small...hmmmm) this was a really fast knit. The body of the sweater is done from the bottom up and the sleeve stitches are picked up from around the arm hole. The pattern incorporates ingenious short rows to shape the cap. And the lace was fun and easy.


Tonya was good enough to model the sweater for me. She even wore a green shirt and everything. (In this picture I told her to "do a Kevin pose." Not enough muscle-flexing, but good attitude.) Can you believe that it was only four months ago when Tonya has a baby? That's right, Johnny is four months old and Tonya is looking and feeling great. I'd like to say that it is all the sweater's doing because it's just that fantastic, but I'm sure that it has more to do with breastfeeding and Johnny finally sleeping mostly through the night.

Here's a close up of the unst. It's a great stitch with an awful name. Reminds me of smocking and it's very easy.

You can also see that I still haven't put the buttons on it. After I finished it and realized that US 3 needles are in fact smaller than US 4, I also realized that no amount of cajoling could get my pregnant boobs into that cardigan anyway. So for now, it's button-less, but no less wearable. It's the perfect summer sweater--great over a tank.

Tangled up in Yarn

I've been trying to get some knitting done, but it seems like every time I get going on a project, I turn away for a second only to find this:

Tangled yarn all over the living room. Chewed up needles. I find myself spending more time untangling than I do knitting. Needless to say I've learned to put my knitting up high when I'm not around.


Because who knows when the beagle will strike!

Gorilla Knitting

And now for some Gorilla Knitting....

Okay. It's a bad pun, I know. But I've been meaning to blog about this sweater for a while. And then the gorilla was wearing it. And the last post was about Guerilla Knitting....yeah, it was lame.

But not the sweater. This Presto Chango [rav link]. The smallest size took one skein of Cascade Sierra.

The thing that I love about this sweater is that panel. The idea is, that babies are messy. But this sweater is part bib. (Does that make it a swib? OMG, what the heck is my problem today! I'm seriously being so dorky!) Anyway, the baby pukes all over the front and PRESTO CHANGO, you replace the panel!

And the panels can all be different. Just think of all the various combinations. Instead of making a sweater for every holiday, you make one sweater and three or four panels. Or it you aren't sure if the baby is a boy or a girl, make the sweater in a neutral color and gender-fy the panels.

I also think you could remove the panel entirely and it would make a cute shrug.

Well, there were a few Presto Chango's made in the Baby Sweater class and those knitters seemed to enjoy it.


And the gorilla seems to enjoy wearing it. He hasn't taken it off yet, has he?

Guerilla Knitting

Paul sent us this picture from Austin, TX. That is a knitted argyle street lamp cozy. And I thought knitting my Christmas stockings was bad enough...

For more, check out this Flickr group for Guerilla Knitting. I know our own Irene has attempted to start the trend in the Highlands, but unfortunately, no pictures were ever taken. I guess Irene and her Guerilla Knitting are now only the stuff of legends.

Cozy

Ellen accidentally left her priest collar on the table. It just goes to show that you can't leave your stuff at a yarn store. You put something down on a table for one second and before you know it, somebody's crocheted a cozy for it.

Howdy!

Nope, I didn't die.

Actually, the exact opposite has happened. Yep, I'm 13 weeks pregnant, due December 10. (I figured I'd throw you that little tidbit. That way you wouldn't be so judgmental about my blog neglect.)

But I'm feeling more like myself these days and thought that since April and May got completely away from me, that I'd give June a try.

So, I was just looking through some saved pictures on my computer, figuring that I could through up a gratuitous beagle shot (because what's a blog post without a picture?) when I came across this beautiful item.


Did I ever blog about this? I actually went back to the blog and scrolled back a year (don't worry, it didn't take long) and I didn't see it. So I figure that if I blogged about it more than a year ago, then you all forgot about it anyway, so I'd just go ahead and blog about it anyway.

This is Margie's Hemlock, made out of some Debbie Bliss Stella she procured on sale last summer.


It never would have occurred to me to use this yarn for this project (I made mine out of Cascade Heritage because I follow directions--particularly when Jared Flood is the person doing the telling) but I think it turned out beautifully. The stitch definition is out of control. Now, because Margie used a smaller yarn, the blanket isn't very big. But I think you know where I'm headed with this. Smaller yarn. Cotton. Smaller blanket. Hmmm....there might be another Hemlock in my future.

Oh, and speaking of the Summer Sale, it's on the schedule for July 10.

Oh, and one more thing: did you check out Tonya's blog post about her Spud & Chloe pattern? It's absolutely adorable! Congratulations, Tonya!

Okay, before I completely pull a Kevin (you know, not blog for months only to blog a novella once I do finally get to it), I'll let you go. And hopefully, I'll be back before August.

Advanced Lace Class

This is not an April Fool's joke. You can learn how to make this beautiful lace shawl.

Seriously.

The Advanced Lace class starts Wednesday, April 14. Check out the website for details.

You know what else isn't a joke? All of the fabulous new lace weight we just got in.

Six Week Sweater Class

Flattering ribbing, interesting construction--Ysolda Teague does it again.

The Snow White class starts Tuesday, April 13 6-8 pm. Ask us for details.

Other classes that are starting soon. Check out the website.

Extreme Knitting

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVRfVEONxJQ


I will never ever complain about untangling the two or three skeins of yarn in my bag ever again.

Empire Waist Cardigan

Yep, it's another FO!

This is the Empire Waist Cardigan by Pam Allen from the Classic Elite book New Harbor. I had looked through this book many times. I love Pam Allen (she's so sensible!) and also all of the models are standing next to the ocean while wearing their hand knit sweaters, and sometimes they are even walking in the ocean with rubber galoshes. For some reason, whenever I am looking for a knitting pattern, this is a prerequisite for me. Also, if there are any dogs or puppies involved. That usually convinces me to make the sweater, too. (As you can see, I am not nearly as sensible as Pam!)

But as I was saying, I looked through this book a lot, but I never ever noticed this sweater. Maybe it was the yarn choice (brindled light blue cotton). More likely it was that this model was just standing against a building and not next to the ocean at all. But for whatever reason, this sweater didn't even register. Until I saw it on A Friend to Knit With and I saw what a wearable, wonderful sweater this really is (and yes, in her pictures, she was standing next to the ocean--it never hurts. Me, I have no ocean. So I model with dogs. It's a close second.)

Stats:

Pattern: Provence Marl Empire Waist Cardigan by Pam Allen

Source: Classic Elite booklet #9098, New Harbor

Yarn: RYC Silk Wool DK, approximately 13 skeins

Needles: US 5, 6, and 7

And by the way, the little beagle in the pictures is our new dog, Desmond! We adopted him last week. The St. Tropez sweater worked!

The Polar Bear

Okay, Bekah emailed me these pictures weeks ago. In fact, she finished the Polar Bear months ago. She even brought it in, along with her adorable baby Seth. There she was, in the shop, bear and baby in hand. It was a perfect opportunity to take a picture for a blog post.

Bekah, never shy about bossing people around (she's a teacher as well as a girl after my own heart) told me to get the camera and take a picture so I would have something to blog about.

"But my camera is way over THERE!" I whined, pointing to the office that was precisely five feet away. (And we wonder why this blog isn't updated more frequently. Hmmmm....)

Luckily, Bekah took the initiative and sent me pics of the Polar Bear herself. Here he is.



I believe she knit him out of Blue Sky Organic Cotton. And she used safety eyes, I remember, because I marveled at such technological advances (I don't get out much). No clue where she got the pattern (Was it a book? Something about knitted toys? Is it at the Louisville Public Library?) but I know for a fact that the pattern was British because this bear is constructed from no less than five hundred little pieces that must be sewn together.

Of course, it took Bekah forever to knit it. Never mind that she was pregnant and working full time, and then caring for an infant. It took her almost a year to complete this project and I'm blaming it on the pattern. So now I don't feel so bad about taking a few weeks to blog about it. This bear has been a long time coming!

Our Stuffed Animal class just started last night, so hopefully this will be the first of many stuffed animals to make its way onto the blog. If you're interested in knitting a bear, I really recommend Otto by Ysolda Teague. He is made all in one piece, in the round, so there is absolutely no finishing (except for putting his face and ears on). Ysolda is Scottish and so she is much more practical than the British designers. Except she loves crazy cast ons. It must be a UK thing.

St. Tropez

Remember this sweater?
Yeah, I barely remembered it either. I entered it in the fair last year and then I brought it over to Cindy's to block and I never saw it again. That is, until I went over to her house to watch the Oscars and I wore it home.

I wore the sweater yesterday (yep, still unblocked). It's comfortable and as flattering as any hand knit I've ever made (which means, it's still wonky, but pretty much wearable--hey, maybe BLOCKING might solve some of those issues!) But it's a cotton sweater! With short sleeves! And it's called St. Tropez which sounds so tropical! So wearing my wonky, unblocked St. Tropez, I felt intoxicated. I ate some questionable sushi, drank too much wine, and almost adopted a dog over the phone.


I had so much fun making bad decisions, that I decided to wear it again today!

Stats:
Pattern: St Tropez by Sarah Hatton (Rowan Mag #45)
Yarn: Cotton Glace (the gray was frogged from another sweater, the red was from the shop--I don't remember how much. Aren't I so helpful?)

He is Knit-worthy!

It's a serious topic of discussion at the Knit Nook: as we're pouring hours and days and weeks (months!) of our lives into making all the little stitches that convert a ball of string into beautiful handmade objects, we wonder out loud who in the world could possibly be deserving of such a gift. The question is, is the person knit-worthy? Mothers usually are, even mother-in-laws on occasion. Grandmothers almost always are knit-worthy. But what about husbands?


I made Jonathan a sweater for his 30th birthday.

"When did you have time to make this?" he wondered.

And I thought back to all the times when I was sitting right next to him, knitting away on this gray furry monstrosity, wondering if it would be any good, wondering if he could ever appreciate such a gift, promising myself that I wouldn't resent him no matter how he acted because who wants to get a box of guilt for their birthday, even if it is made out of wool and alpaca?

"It's perfect!" he said. "Just what I always wanted!" And he put it on immediately. He even wore it to work the next day despite the fact that it still needed buttons on the collar.

So I gave my husband a sweater for his birthday, but the greatest gift was mine. My husband is KNIT-WORTHY!

Naana Naana Boo Boo!

Guess who I got to meet last night?

Heeeeereeeee's Johnny!

And he had some new sweaters to show me, both by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Here is the Surplice Jacket made out of Corntastic. (This would be a great sweater to make in our upcoming Baby Sweater class that starts Sunday, April 11.)

And here is the Baby Surprise Jacket made out of Dale of Norway Baby Ull. (The BSJ is going to be a class in June!)

I thought the sweaters were wonderful, but Johnny wasn't too impressed. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Alright, Shizknit, I give you permission to steal these pictures!

Knitting Olympics

Dum. Dum. Dumdumdumdumdum Dum dum-dum dum dum dum dum dum!


(That was supposed to be the Olympics music, just in case you don't recognize it.)

So you had all weekend and two snow days: how's your knitting Olympics project coming?

Happy Valentine's Day

Yesterday, we received some flowers at the Knit Nook. Aren't they pretty? With all this snow, this was a lovely reminder that spring is on its way.


But nothing can compare with the card:


Thank you, Steven, for giving us one of the best Valentine's Days ever!

And don't forget to cast on for your Knitting Olympics project tonight!