Witch and Bitch this Thursday!

This Thursday, we'll be having a Witch and Bitch (that just means Stitch and Bitch, except with a Halloween theme). There will be food, tarot card readings by our own Suzanne, and of course, knitting. Wear your scariest hand knits!



No, this isn't Tonya's blog, but I needed a picture for this post and Leo dressed up in a tiny hat and long crocheted scarf, was all I had. (He's getting to the point where he will take off the ridiculous things we put on him, so we have to savor these moments when they occur!)

Don't worry, there will be plenty of yarn-related photos posted soon. I'll definitely take pictures of Thursday. And the new Malabrigo that's coming today!

A Leo for Leo

Tonya blogged about my present for Leo, but since he was so uncooperative about posing with my present, I've decided it's time to toot my own horn.

Leo is a Leo (his birthday is in August) so it seemed appropriate to make him a lion. So here's the Leo I crocheted for Leo. You can find the pattern in this Amigurumi book.

This is my first crocheted toy, but certainly not the last!

Took Me Out to the Ball Game...

I've finally rescued the pictures from my digital camera.

Now that it feels like summer is finally over, and baseball is pretty much over (the Red Sox are still in play, but just barely), what better time than to talk about a baseball game that happened three months ago! Back in July, the Knit Nook hosted our first ever Stitch N Pitch at Slugger Field.
Wow, July really was a long time ago. Courtney is still pregnant in this picture and little Sam was born two months ago! Also braving the heat and the uncomfortable seats were Lara and Leslie.

Mylea (wearing a handknit tank made of Katia Jamaica cotton), Colleen, and (part of) Kevin were there...

As well as Mitzi, Margie, and Marty (Was there an M section? If so, why wasn't Mylea sitting there?)

Bekah (who along with Mitzi, were actually interested in both the knitting and the game) was there. And so were Kyle and Lisa, who appeared to be enjoying the baseball game the same way I do (junk food and beer).


And I even got Jonathan to come!


It was a great time and we will definitely be doing it again next summer!

Charity Knitting: Center for Women and Families

The Knit Nook is currently accepting hand crafted items for the Center for Women and Families. Knit and crochet hats and scarves of all sizes are welcome. The Center helps women who have encountered domestic violence and sexual assault, and also has resources to help women with financial troubles. Help keep these women and children warm with a colorful hat or scarf that lets them know that we care.

Hats made of all materials are accepted, but please tag items that aren't machine washable so they don't accidentally get felted! We'll be taking the first batch down the first week of November, and another batch right before Christmas.

Spotlight on yarn: Andy's Merino II

Hey, all! This is Tonya, stopping in to post on the Knit Nook blog.

Sometime this summer I decided that I needed to knit (or crochet, theoretically) with every yarn the store carries. I tried to tell myself that it's because I need to know about the properties of various yarns as a yarn store employee and knitwear designer; it's really just a justification to buy yummy yarn! I thought it would be fun to spotlight some of these yarns on the Knit Nook blog.

My husband came into the store last week to bring me lunch, picked up a skein of Andy's Merino II, and requested something made from it. I was more than happy to oblige.


The Knit Nook has recently started carrying Farmhouse Yarns, which are all hand dyed and absolutely beautiful! Farmhouse Yarns is a small, woman-owned business based in Connecticut - I recommend going to the website and learning more about the company. One of my favorite things about this yarn is that the tag on each hank has a picture of the actual sheep the yarn comes from - here's Andy of Andy's Merino II:

Photo from the Farmhouse Yarns website.

Andy's Merino II is, in my opinion, just as soft as Malabrigo (which we all know I love!); I don't think I would know the difference if I had my eyes closed. The colors are oh-so-vivid and knit up beautifully. I'm thinking this yarn would be great for felting, and may have to knit up a pair of felted slippers in one of the great colorways! This yarn just came in, but it's already getting a lot of play - Cindy just made a Thorpe out of it, and Holly cast on for some garter stitch mitts. If anyone is curious, the scarf I'm making is the Yarn Harlot's One-Row Handspun Scarf, a super easy scarf that's a great next step if you're tired of garter stitch and ribbing.

Bonus: here's an article about Farmhouse Yarns on Crafting a Green World.