tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366492152024-02-28T04:01:14.873-08:00River Colors JournalRiver Colorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05788778710493792174noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-11325147125033833362017-01-10T04:36:00.000-08:002017-01-10T04:36:37.664-08:00The Beauty of a Slow Project<h1>
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A polar vortex, a serious snowstorm, and the beginning of a new year: the perfect combination of circumstances that invite us to sit down, breathe deeply and immerse ourselves in yarn. Take time and give yourself the gift of a slow project, one that comes with no deadline. There are a number of designers who create KALs and CALs as part of a centering practice to bring us an hour or so of peace in these rushed days. Others create patterns whose repetitive rhythms invite contemplation.<br />
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Taking on a project big in size but not in complexity is a wonderful way to spend the shortest days of the year. The comfort of a garter-stitch shawl or the warmth of a modular blanket can make the most of our short days and dark nights.<br />
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The tactile pleasure of working with a yarn you love, the social possibilities of a project that merely requires you to just keep knitting and the satisfaction of spending a bit of time each day engaged in an activity that brings calm into your world. What will you choose as a winter project?<br />
<br data-cke-eol="1" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428100953017238491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-340954992742407222016-10-19T10:58:00.000-07:002016-10-19T11:10:06.043-07:00Thinking About What American-Made Means<div style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">How Do We Define American-Made?</span></div>
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Lately we started thinking about what “American-made” means in a local yarn store. Very often we get to meet traveling knitters and crocheters who want souvenir yarn. They ask if we have anything locally made. Since our store is in America (Lakewood, Ohio, to be exact) anything locally made is also American-made. Or is it?<span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8m_bf1-4_yjsipi5ygnOqyn6AsaZzvK1LKLdI7gqVVEalQoUpkiNmLM4YCHkhoGO0yD9Wj5mQMFmBnruAiWaruBA1EP_hJ0_6tA7JOEdJmFDqDYU0y6lffMj7-iHcawSxfFj/s1600/AmericanMade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8m_bf1-4_yjsipi5ygnOqyn6AsaZzvK1LKLdI7gqVVEalQoUpkiNmLM4YCHkhoGO0yD9Wj5mQMFmBnruAiWaruBA1EP_hJ0_6tA7JOEdJmFDqDYU0y6lffMj7-iHcawSxfFj/s320/AmericanMade.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;">Most independent dyers use commercially-milled bases for their colorways. There are a limited number of mills spinning hand-knitting yarn and a limited number of sources from which to obtain these bases. If an independent dyer is dyeing on an imported yarn base, is that yarn made in America?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Some yarn companies started making their yarn in America a hundred or more years ago, but they may have moved production offshore to keep their expenses down. The company is American, but is the yarn?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Many yarn crafters prefer to use natural fibers, but acrylics, nylons and microfibers are spun in the USA. If we really want to craft with American-made yarns, must we learn to embrace synthetics, too?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When most customers ask for American-made yarn, they mean that the wool came from sheep ranched in America; it was sheared and scoured at an American mill and spun and dyed either at the same mill or in an American dyehouse. Similar criteria apply to plant fibers: cotton and linen should be grown, processed and spun here to count as “American-made.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So, although we carry yarns from many companies that are based here in America, only the following yarns at River Colors Studio meet the definition for American-made:</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=696" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Brown Sheep Yarn Company</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=1085" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Cestari Yarns</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=978" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Feederbrook Farms Yarn</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=967" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Freia Handpaint Yarns</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=445" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Imperial Yarn Company</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=649" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Made in America Yarns</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=992" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Spincycle Yarns</span></span></a></li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=882" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Swans Island Yarns</span></span></a></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The companies listed above make some wonderful yarns, but they do not all make yarns that are perfect for every project. Sometimes you want some luxury, and adding silk or cashmere or other exotic fibers to a yarn can mean it’s no longer exclusively American-grown and American-made. Most of these companies are producing wool yarns, so you won’t be able to make anything for those wool-sensitive friends on your gift list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What we are trying to say is that American-made is a great way to explore both heritage yarns and new ventures, but there is a whole world of yarn waiting for us out there. We try to bring you the best variety we can of wonderful yarns from around the world. It’s time to explore!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428100953017238491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-12061632058040647032016-08-09T07:37:00.000-07:002016-08-09T08:16:25.222-07:00Hedgehog Fibres exclusive, an interview with Beata JezekHi everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of Hedgehog Fibres' yarn. From the amazing color palette, to the fun and expressive names of the colorways, their yarn is always a treat.<br />
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The level of excitement is at an epic high with the new shipment of Hedgehog yarn(including their Kidsilk Lace)on the way. We are already dreaming up ideas of how to pair the new colors along with our Hedgehog favorites. A little Coral with Monarch? Yes, please! While looking at the list of all the glorious colors, my natural curiosity took over. How are all of these wonderful yarns made? What is it like to be a professional dyer? Rather than just wonder, I acted on my desire to know what goes into making the yarn we love so much. Beata Jezek, the owner of Hedgehog Fibres was very kind and took time out of what I imagine to be an extremely hectic schedule to answer questions I had been dying to ask. (yes, that pun is intended!)</div>
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<b><br /><i>1) How did you get started in dyeing yarn? Was it a goal from the start to launch a dyeing business or did occur organically?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I picked up knitting as a hobby in my early twenties and I was instantly hooked. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">As soon as I got sucked into the knitting world I knew I wanted to create my own line of hand-dyed, soft, squishy yarns.</span> Hedgehog Fibres started as a full time gig right away, there was no messing around. I was pretty broke for a while! I worked from my home for about a year or so before moving into the first premises in 2010.</span></div>
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<b><i>2) As someone who has never had the opportunity to dye fiber, can you tell us what a normal dye day is like for you?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hedgehog Fibres employs around 20 talented people, so not all of my work days are dye days anymore. I remain the head dyer and the creative director, and while I dye for orders occasionally, I usually work on new colourways, I oversee Potlucks and Club colours (we do a ton of one of a kind colourways!), sample new bases, troubleshoot for the dyers and mostly fun things like that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I get to the studio at around <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1320989928" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9am</span></span>, the staff tends to all be there and dyeing starts <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1320989929" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9am</span></span> on the dot. My first job is usually a bit of admin, like organising lead times and deliveries with mills, wholesale orders and replying to emails. Then I usually nip in out of the dyerooms, while continuing to reply to emails all day :)</span></div>
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<b><i>3) Your color combinations are always beautiful and inspiring, can you tell us where you find inspiration?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I love coming up with new colours, techniques and applications. I'm always thinking of the next thing, trying new ways of laying the dye on yarn, new colour combos. It's always about colours. I love colours and the brand progresses as my preferences shift and evolve. </span><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.8px;">I also paint, well it's more like just putting colours on paper, but it's a great way of getting inspired and playing with colour. I use big brushes and thick acrylic paint, I like how quickly I can visualise ideas.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i>4) Speaking of colors, can you take us through the process of how a colorway is born? Has there ever been a time that a colorway didn’t translate well?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sometimes I think of a great name and then create a colourway to match (like Teacup) or sometimes I realise there's something missing in the line and then get completely obsessed with a colour - I have to cast on with it and knit with it immediately and that definitely means it has to be a</span>dded it to the line! I'm into speckled watercolours and strong vivid colours right now, there are new colourways coming out soon, and I'm very excited about them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Some colours are definitely happy accidents! Crybaby was such a great potluck that we added it to the line.</span><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.8px;">There's never a colourway that can't be fixed by adding a pink speckle! Bright pink makes everything better.</span></div>
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<b><i>5) The names of your colorways are almost as fun as the colors themselves! How do you come up with the names for each colorway?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.8px;">We have colour naming parties at work! I like to gather everybody and brainstorm when we have new colours coming out, it's a ton of fun. We also keep a list of potential colourway names to which everybody can add their suggestions.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></b></span></div>
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<b><i>6) Do you have any tips for the adventurous crafter who wants to try dyeing some yarn?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Go mad and have fun with it! As Stephen West says: 'More is more and less is a bore'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, we would like to thank Beata for her time. We hope you've enjoyed learning about the magic behind Hedgehog Fibres. Make room in your stash, you won't want to leave without some!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000375613934493309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-79664025846880842702016-08-03T11:38:00.000-07:002016-08-04T09:24:35.173-07:00Let the games begin!The knitting olympics are upon us and this summer we're sweating it out in Rio... well not really but I can pretend. Wait... what exactly is the knitting olympics you ask? Well to keep it brief... you pick out a project, cast-on during the Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday, August 5th and then proceed to knit like the wind to project completion before the Olympic closing ceremonies on Sunday, August 21st. You can either participate on your own, with a local group of friends or with virtual friends over <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ravellenic-games-2016" target="_blank">Ravelry in the Ravellenic Games 2016 group</a>.<br />
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I'm taking on the knitting Olympic challenge this year and I decided to keep it simple, keep it bulky and keep it in the U.S.A. by using all american wool. I'll be casting on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lainey-cowl" target="_blank">Lainey Cowl by Carrie Bostick Hoge</a> using <a href="http://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1090" target="_blank">Cestari Yarn Mt. Vernon 3-ply bulky</a> that I picked up during our Shephard's Day event at the studio. I think this pattern/yarn combination is a match made in heaven. The simplicity of the Lainey Cowl calls for a yarn that will create on point stitch definition. With only a few weeks to wrap this project up into completion, look for some finished project photos and yarn thoughts later this month.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lainey-cowl" target="_blank"><img alt="Lainey Cowl by Carrie Bostick Hoge" border="0" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/madder/276609229/DSC_2087_medium2.jpg" height="400" title="Lainey Cowl" width="266" /></a></span></td></tr>
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Happy Crafting!</div>
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Gail</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928083035363106404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-14226705679225306272016-08-01T07:15:00.001-07:002016-08-04T10:15:57.562-07:00What it means to be a Yarnbomber<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello fiber artists! I'm sure we can all agree that yarn is a very important part of our lives. With it we indulge our senses and express our love for our friends and families. Yarn is everywhere, yarn is love. As you knit that sweater or pair of socks, do you ever think there must be more I can do with this yarn? Stephen Duneier took that question and turned it into massive art installations, also known as yarnbombs. If you aren't familiar with the term, yarnbombing is a form of street art that uses knitted or crocheted pieces instead of paint. A low impact form of art, yarnbombs bring beauty and a new appreciation for the crafts we love so much.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>1. Can you take us back to when you first picked up a crochet hook or knitting needles and what compelled you to do so?</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My foray into fiber began in 2012. I had set 24 new year’s resolutions for myself. I wanted to learn 12 new skills and do 12 charitable things that didn’t involve writing a check.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> After learning how to unicycle, slackline and use jumping stilts, my wife suggested that I learn how to knit. It seemed like a zen inducing task that I could knock out quickly, so I borrowed some needles from her and began working on a scarf. After just a matter of days, I wanted to tear the hair out of my head. The scarf was quickly becoming a triangle and I was far from achieving anything close to zen. One morning, while hiking, I found myself 2.6 miles up the Cold Spring Trail in the mountains of Santa Barbara, California, standing beneath a 40 foot tall eucalyptus tree. In that moment, I recalled Cristo’s project in Biscayne Bay where he wrapped the islands in pink fabric. That project inspired a passion in me for large scale installation art and modern art, in general. So, as I stood beneath that tree, I decided instead of making a scarf, I would attempt to wrap that tree in yarn. When I got home and searched the internet, I discovered wrapping stuff in yarn was actually a thing. In fact,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the 2nd annual international yarnbombing day was coming up and so I had my target. For next 81 days, no matter where I went, I was knitting. In board meetings, airports, the hospital and at family gatherings, I knitted. When it became clear I was going to fall short, I put out a call to anyone following my blog for contributions of any size, shape and color to add to my stockpile. Luckily, Wordpress happened to feature my blog entry about unicycling on their homepage and that led a number of people to my yarn request. A few even heeded it. To install the yarnbomb, I had to carry a 14 foot ladder 2.6 miles up to the tree along with 5 or 6 giant camping bags of yarn. I was so nervous that people might hate it or think I was insane. I even had dreams of someone lighting it on fire, sending the whole forest up in flames. I didn’t sleep the entire 9 days is was up. It went off without a hitch, I removed all the material and donated it to Warm Up America, thinking I’d never touch yarn again. I moved on to learning how to play the drums. Almost a year later, one of the people who had contributed to my yarnbomb was asking for contributions to her own installation, but she needed them to be crocheted and in specific colors, patterns and shapes. I had to repay her kindness, so I watched her tutorial on YouTube and learned how to crochet. In the time it took me to knock out 27 granny squares for her, I had achieved that zen state. I was “hooked”</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Stephen Dunier photo from artnews.com</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Photo courtesy of yarnbomber.com</span></td></tr>
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<span class="im" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;"><b>2. I've been following your work for several years now, and I've always wondered what gave you the idea to blend yarn and nature. They don't really seem to go together, yet your installations make it seem like they are a perfect match.</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">2007’s new year’s resolution was to hike every trail in the mountains of Santa Barbara, which was ambitious for me, given that I’d never been on a hike in my entire life. Those first few months, I carried big cans of bear repellent, enough food, water and clothing to keep me alive for days, and two hunting knives at the ready. It was a serious case of overkill. Over time, I began to relax and really started enjoying myself. If I don’t get out there at least 3 or 4 times a week, I’m not myself. I’ve met so many people in Santa Barbara who live right at the base of some of the best trails in the world, yet they’ve never set foot on them. That first yarnbomb drew so many people out into the wilderness, and for some who were already hikers, it gave them a reason to go further. Over the 9 days it was up there, I went back several times a day just to listen to people talk about their experience. I’d sit silently to the side, listening as hikers turned the corner and unexpectedly stumbled upon this ridiculous, whimsical, Seuss-like tree. Their conversations would stop mid-sentence, interrupted with giggles and comments like, “What the…” and “Whoa!” When people found out I was behind it, the feedback was unanimous and undeniably genuine. I had women with tears in their eyes, hug me and thank me for doing it. I met teenagers who had returned 3 and 4 times, leading new groups, including their parents to the tree. It was, quite simply, the most magical thing I’d ever experienced. When I learned how to crochet, I returned for another yarnbomb in the mountains. It became just as much about recreating that experience, building a community and drawing people back to nature as it was about the art.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="im" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>3. Your projects are loved by so many around the world and bring so much joy, yet they are not without those that criticize. How do you deal with the few negative responses to your work, and how does it impact your art?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">That is true. I’ve had threats of violence directed at me and my installations on social media and had two installations torn down within hours of going up. To be honest, I can appreciate some of the criticism, but only because they don’t take the time to learn how much effort I put into making sure that I leave no trace. I don’t harm or interfere with wildlife and my installations have very limited lifespans. A couple of my installations have incorporated responses to the criticism. After the Spiderweb and Starfish yarn bombs were torn down, I decided to make a giant American flag for the Lizards Mouth installation, figuring it might discourage a looter from destroying it. The entire concept of the Alien Campsite was a direct response to my critics who said that the installations are unnatural and don’t belong in the wilderness. The reality is, people camp out in the wilderness all the time. Hikers and campers are the same size and shape (roughly) my aliens, and dress in brightly colored, man-made fabrics just like my aliens. They also sleep in brightly colored tents made out of man-made fibers. I had hoped that they would see the hypocrisy of their criticism, but alas, they did not. Even with a permit and praise from the US Forest Service and approval from the Chumash Tribe, threats were made on message boards to defecate on the installation, and even pour gasoline on it which they would light on fire. What I’ve come to realize is that you can't please everyone, that many of the critics never leave their computers, and that far more people enjoy the temporary installations than oppose them.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PP9c6UqOogUKQ6qHUIiMeQajgo-o1UsYGTJ9huhTPoxijAPUojvlNQW5eSuI7W-rA5FhZFKO_anrpgSjZ4mH_8CNZl4BsPyrumgFlYruv29zw-TuiwJs0oPqPFVW-1wjAPt2jg/s1600/yarnbombfairy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PP9c6UqOogUKQ6qHUIiMeQajgo-o1UsYGTJ9huhTPoxijAPUojvlNQW5eSuI7W-rA5FhZFKO_anrpgSjZ4mH_8CNZl4BsPyrumgFlYruv29zw-TuiwJs0oPqPFVW-1wjAPt2jg/s400/yarnbombfairy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Photo courtesy of yarnbomber.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="im" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>4. You lead a multifaceted life, how would you say your fiber art has impacted the other aspects of your life?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">The yarnbombs connect every aspect of my life. They are a way for me to express myself artistically, they present engineering and logistical challenges, they connect me with people from all walks of life, they incorporate my love for the outdoors and they push me to learn new skills. I’m not a very social person, truth be told, I am an introvert. That’s not to say that I am shy, I just like to spend time by myself. As the Yarnbomber, I am able to facilitate community building around the world, while being reclusive.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="im" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>5. You attempted and completed the world's largest granny square. Congratulations! Sometimes as fiber artists, we get burnt out on certain aspects of our craft. Would you say you ever got burnt out on crocheting the granny square? Do you have any advice for other crafters on how to beat or push through the burn out?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">I have spent nearly 30 years studying behavior and in particular, decision making. Central to the approach I have developed is a concept I call, Bija. It is the act of breaking giant goals, like new year’s resolutions and bucket lists down to their tiniest components, and then focusing on them instead of the goal itself. It wasn’t really about setting a world record and getting in the Guinness Book. (In fact, I reached out to the Make a Wish Foundation to see if there was a child who wished to set a world record. I figured they could do the last few stitches and get in the book instead. They told me they didn’t have anyone with that wish.) It was solely about setting an incredibly ambitious goal, devising a plan for achieving it and then executing. In other words, it was about the journey more than the destination.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBRV_eiLvCN5_ha7V63AD0Qp8Gk_baZNjKZPkeLn_oEzhQOGd2NcXt7VKaewFhvJYedvOGTdq8OgcUY8vzSVT89wS1RRHVwK5OKGwPGcV_GaOgXx3yg9UsumSVSgEmSwJbUGK0g/s1600/yarnbombzen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBRV_eiLvCN5_ha7V63AD0Qp8Gk_baZNjKZPkeLn_oEzhQOGd2NcXt7VKaewFhvJYedvOGTdq8OgcUY8vzSVT89wS1RRHVwK5OKGwPGcV_GaOgXx3yg9UsumSVSgEmSwJbUGK0g/s400/yarnbombzen.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="im" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>6. People from 41 countries and all 50 states, including myself, have contributed to your yarnbombs. Would you say that certain types of knitting or crochet are more popular in one country or another.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">Actually, more than differences, what I discovered is just how similar everyone is. Fiber artists around the world share a passion for yarn, creativity, the desire to connect with each other and most importantly, unfinished projects. If it wasn’t for projects gone wrong and works in progress, I don’t think my installations would have grown to be as big as they have become.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; text-align: center;"><b>7. I have often been tempted to do a little yarn bombing around town, what advice do you have for those of us that want to add a little yarn art to our neighborhoods?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">My advice is to just do it. Make something that will bring people together, that will make them smile or giggle. Then take it away, so each time it appears they will fully appreciate the whimsy and color you’ve introduced to their lives. Oh, and go big or go home!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODfkXT6sAXiFNbv7xJJLG-uUcot18N6kbXXKqUlXlucpSGJR41VbJATY-buPVAZvScFz7OU2SxDla3dK86kwdDs7qIYKs3PHubcsn4eLjr7ZZfnNzuzWdlvw6M3ba9yntnLYeiQ/s1600/yarnstar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODfkXT6sAXiFNbv7xJJLG-uUcot18N6kbXXKqUlXlucpSGJR41VbJATY-buPVAZvScFz7OU2SxDla3dK86kwdDs7qIYKs3PHubcsn4eLjr7ZZfnNzuzWdlvw6M3ba9yntnLYeiQ/s400/yarnstar.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">A big thank you to Stephen Duneier for taking the time to talk to us. I hope this has inspired you to try something new, or continue yarnbombing. Let's all go outside and make the world a little more beautiful!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: center;">Hana</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000375613934493309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-64853983232410976052016-07-29T06:30:00.000-07:002016-07-29T06:30:18.949-07:00Intro to Yarn Bombing 101 <span style="font-family: inherit;">Wait, what is a yarn bomber? We at the studio want to introduce you to the concept of yarn bombing. Many of yo</span>u have already been introduced to the concept and this is old news to you. Those of you new to the concept may be chuckling all day.....you may never look at a fence the same way. Instead of seeing something that is meant to contain or prevent access....you will see something that your hook or needles wants to brighten up.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to <a href="chrome://bookmarks/" target="_blank">Wikepedia </a> the definition of yarn bombing is: a type of graffiti or street art that employs colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre rather than paint or chalk....;Wikipedia has a number of references that state that "<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">Y</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;">arn bombing was initially almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"> It has since developed with groups graffiti knitting and crocheting worldwide, each with their own agendas and public graffiti knitting projects being run.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 11.2px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 11.2px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">B<span style="font-family: inherit;">elow are random images of yarn bombing through out the worl</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">d, however Hana found a bomber with a purpose and she scored an interview!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 11.2px; white-space: nowrap;">Read Hana's interview with Stephen Duneier on Monday.</span></div>
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-73690875816620932282016-07-22T08:46:00.001-07:002016-07-22T08:50:23.696-07:00On Color Pops and cleverness<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where we place it makes us feel clever.</span></div>
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So I have to say one of the things we discuss the most at the studio is color. I think every day we have someone hold up two different colors of yarn and ask "which color do you think looks the best on me"? The other discussion we are often included in is "I want to change up my colors and get outside my comfort zone". I propose to you that there are lots of ways to work with the colors that you want to without having to worry about either of those issues. We call it the yarn pop! With a little cleverness you can include the colors you want to work with...those outside of your comfort zone or what looks good on you. How about using that neon that you love in a not so obvious place? I am using fashion garments to demonstrate the concepts so that your creativity gets sparked a little. Yes you are right, usually we are not going to line a poncho with the neon but we might knit or crochet a poncho and then punch it up with a stripe of neon at the edge or place that neon as a patch pocket on a sweater you have knitted or crocheted. Select a shawl pattern that can end with the color that you are dying to use. When you are no longer in love with that color or the fashion trend is outdated you can rip back to your comfort zone colors and replace the outdated colors with new ones. That is the beauty of yarn. Yarn is recyclable and reusable.<br />
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How about this woman? I think she usually likes to wear neutral colors. This amazing fashionable dress she has would look totally different if it were in the orange pop that she has on her hat. Perhaps in the orange the clean sharp lines and drape would be totally lost. She added color by inviting you to see that pop of orange first and then you look at the rest of the garment styling. Perhaps you want to use colors that you are comfortable with but there are those other colors that keep speaking to you. Look for a pattern that will enable you to use them. Take a look at Stephen West's <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/reis/people" target="_blank">Reis</a>. Look at the different photos of this very traditional sweater and take note of color pops. It is amazing how one pattern can look so different based on color selection. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/komepanda/reis" target="_blank">komepanda's Reis on Ravelry</a>.<br />
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Go ahead, give it a try. Play with the colors you have been wanting to. It is the perfect opportunity for playing with the crayon box of colors that we have thanks to <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplaycategories.asp?product=1029" target="_blank">Hedgehog Fibres</a> and <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopDisplayCategories.asp?product=384" target="_blank">Madelinetosh</a>. </div>
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-45342524554334307692016-07-14T16:07:00.000-07:002016-07-14T16:07:45.529-07:00Breaking free from patternsOne of my favorite things about crochet is how easy it is to improvise. Once you know a few techniques - single and double crochet, how to make even rows, how to work in rounds, maybe some increases and decreases - you have all the skills you need to modify existing patterns and design your own projects. <br />
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Because you have only one "live" stitch on the hook, it's very easy to see exactly what's going on in the fabric you're making. No need to find a pattern for a simple pullover; just grab an existing sweater from your wardrobe and crochet pieces that are the same size as the ones in your current garment. You can easily measure your crocheted piece up against the existing garment to make sure you're on the right track with shaping, drape, and overall size. Try it on a kid's garment first - the investment in time and yarn isn't so great - and soon you'll be off to the races.<br />
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Sweaters aren't the only thing you can create as you go. <a href="http://www.allaboutami.com/post/8476868368/amigurumiforbeginners" target="_blank">Amigurumi</a> (a fancy Japanese word for "little stuffed toys") is a great way to play around and invent new things. The basic body shape is usually round or oval, and things like arms, ears, and clothes can all be added or changed. Check out <a href="http://www.idiotsguides.com/hobbies-and-crafts/crochet/making-basic-amigurumi-shapes-part-1-magic-ring-foundation-chain-and-flat-circle/" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http://www.idiotsguides.com/hobbies-and-crafts/crochet/making-basic-amigurumi-shapes-part-2-cones-cylinders-spheres-tubes-and-ovals/" target="_blank">tutorials</a> to start from scratch, or find a <a href="http://www.crochet-patterns-free.com/2014/08/free-crochet-amigurumi-doll-pattern.html" target="_blank">basic pattern </a>and embellish it as you get more familiar with the craft.<br />
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Cute little chicks aren't the only thing you can crochet off the cuff. If you've ever held a crochet hook in your hand, someone has probably shared pictures of the <a href="http://crochetcoralreef.org/coral-reef-gallery.php" target="_blank">Crocheted Coral Reef </a> project with you.</div>
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This art installation is an example of something called "hyperbolic crochet," The technique was developed in 1997 by Dr. Daina Taimina, a mathematician at Cornell, as a way to model a concept known as "hyperbolic space." The resulting objects don't just look cool - they mimic the actual geometry that nature uses in things like kelps, corals, sponges, sea slugs, and nudibranchs. <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&query=hyperbolic" target="_blank">A quick search of Ravelry for the term "hyperbolic"</a> returns plenty of options for getting started with the basic shapes. You'll still be following a loose "pattern," but the results are a lot more organic than your typical granny square.<br />
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And if that's still not wild enough for you ... how about Freeform Crochet? I'm not all that familiar with this technique (yet), but the basic idea is that you mix and match colors, patterns, and stitches as much or as little as you want. Pieces don't have to be worked in rows or rounds unless you want them to be - otherwise, you can make the stitches wherever your heart desires! Frequently, individual pieces (called "scrumbles") are joined together to make a larger garment, blanket, bag, or other project.<br />
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<a href="http://craftscrazy.com/learn-freeform-crochet-15-free-tutorials-to-get-you-started/" target="_blank">Here is a great round-up of tutorials to get you started.</a><br />
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Whichever technique you choose, you shouldn't be afraid to grab a hook and try something new. After all, summer is a time to PLAY, right?<br />
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- GretchenGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-68151169656701746922016-07-05T10:25:00.001-07:002016-07-05T10:41:38.268-07:00A Little Shirt for a Little Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone, I am Hana.<br />
I'm a lifelong crafter. I've been knitting and crocheting since I was eight years old. Over the years of exploring the fiber arts I have become increasingly passionate about it<br />
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Making gifts for family and friends has taken up the majority of my crafting time, but now that I'm a mom, I'm finding myself poring over patterns for little girl clothes and accessories. There are a million and one cute things to make for a little girl, so how do you choose? I had some <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=798" target="_blank">Juniper Moon Farm Zooey</a> left over from knitting a shirt from my mom and thought it would be wonderful for grandma and granddaughter to have matching shirts. Because Zooey is a DK weight yarn I knew I needed a pattern that called for that gauge. In my personal stash I had a bit of Berroco Linsey that I wanted to use for a nice color pop. The Linsey was also going to be my back up in case I ran out of the main yarn. Excited to cast on, I headed over to Ravelry to find a pattern that fit my requirements.<br />
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My search ended when I found the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-in-one-sleeveless-baby-top-6-months--9---12-months" target="_blank">All in One Sleeveless Baby Top</a> by <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/marianna-mel" target="_blank">Marianna Mel</a>. Knit in a DK weight yarn on size US 6 needles, there are options for sizes from six months all the way up to twelve months. It looks great in any color, so I knew I had found my pattern.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Marianna Mel</td></tr>
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I loved that not only was it one piece, I had the right amount of buttons in the right size. The only thing I didn't particularly care for was how it was open all the way down. I had pictured more of an actual shirt, but since I was excited to make something I went ahead and cast on. It's a quick and fun knit, great for hanging out on the couch with your baby. I found myself working on the last button hole round before I knew it, while I kept admiring how cute it was, I still wasn't wild about leaving it open all the way down. What were my options? I didn't have enough buttons to continue that way, so that idea was out. What was my other option? The only other choice I could see was to join it in the round and go from there.<br />
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I took a good look at the construction of the top and what would happen if I joined it as it was. When I pulled it together it seemed a tiny bit bunched, so after joining I did a make one increase to the left. Increasing by one stitch was enough to allow it to lay correctly without puckering. From there it was a simple matter of knitting till I was happy with how long it was. Five easy rows of 1x1 ribbing completed the shirt. All in all it was a very simple modification yet, that one little change altered the entire look of the garment.<br />
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As you can see, little miss Rose is pleased with her new shirt. I am happy with the finished product and with the confidence I've gained. Now I feel like I can tackle more complex modifications without fear.<br />
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Thanks for joining us, now go make something!<br />
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Hana & RoseAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000375613934493309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-30419481549877936172016-06-27T18:10:00.000-07:002016-06-27T18:10:42.767-07:00Tips, tools and apps to make your life easierThere are so many gadgets, hacks, and apps out there - how do you know which ones are worth trying, and which are just going to make your life more difficult? Not to fear! Let's follow the "life cycle" of a project and look at some tips to make things go more smoothly for you.<br />
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<b><u>Find a pattern:</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l-5Yu94WMMKINj_IOoaVTpp_AaQfVxqS6LTuoG0Lt0pscOJdK-k8i4CakAwyl5vL2ciS01GbqA3Rkt0LLG41R1dVFXlbSv1Bwa98jdV5gKF4M3RzzhqHdjliWRpsV9wts0xyUg/s1600/ravelry-logo-81r-300x.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l-5Yu94WMMKINj_IOoaVTpp_AaQfVxqS6LTuoG0Lt0pscOJdK-k8i4CakAwyl5vL2ciS01GbqA3Rkt0LLG41R1dVFXlbSv1Bwa98jdV5gKF4M3RzzhqHdjliWRpsV9wts0xyUg/s200/ravelry-logo-81r-300x.png" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><u><span id="goog_2132630283"></span><span id="goog_2132630284"></span><br /></u></b><a href="http://ravelry.com/">Ravelry.com</a> is the place many of our customers start when they're looking for a new project. They have powerful search functions - click on the "Patterns" tab, then select "pattern browser & advanced search" on the left side of the page. This lets you filter the list of more than 600,000 knitting and crochet patterns. By clicking on choices in the various categories - yarn weight, project type, number of yards, etc. - you can reduce an overwhelming variety of ideas to a handful that are easier to decide among. Many choices are free, and others can be ordered and paid for directly through Ravelry. New to the site? Check out the resources on their wiki pages: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/wiki/pages/GettingStartedGuide">http://www.ravelry.com/wiki/pages/GettingStartedGuide</a><br />
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<b><u>Store your purchases:</u></b><br />
<i>"I have seven balls of this yarn that I bought here two years ago, and I think I was going to make a sweater? But I don't know what pattern I was going to use. Do you remember which one I picked?" </i> Don't let this happen to you! Erika's memory is good, but it's not infallible. When you find a pattern and yarn you like - STORE THEM TOGETHER IN THE SAME BAG. It's such a small thing, but it will save you so many potential heartaches later on. Another tip - when you match your yarn and pattern, add the project to your "queue" in Ravelry. That way you can always go back and see what you'd planned to do, even if the physical objects get separated.<br />
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<b><u>Corral your yarn:</u></b><br />
You're ready to start, and things are going well ... until your yarn ball rolls off and starts herding the dust bunnies that live under your couch. There are lots of ways to keep runaway yarn from slowing you down. <br />
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<li>Wind your yarn into center-pull balls whenever possible. Many people prefer to wind their yarn just in time to use it. If you're one of them, <a href="http://rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=956" target="_blank">consider investing in a yarn winder and swift</a>, the two items you'll need to wind yarn quickly and efficiently.</li>
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<li>Center-pull balls and commercially wound skeins can be easily "unwound" as you work by storing them in something that keeps them contained when you pull on them. This can be anything from a gallon-size plastic bag that's closed except for where the yarn comes out, to a colander, to a shoebox. There are plenty of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/search?q=yarn%20bowl&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=etsy+yarn+bowl_exact&utm_campaign=Search_US_Google-Branded-Etsy-Housewares-Exact&utm_ag=Home%2BDecor&utm_custom1=ad8925bb-914a-46a1-9798-dbc38a6b8558&gclid=Cj0KEQjwyum6BRDQ-9jU4PSVxf8BEiQAu1AHqlGv161moUIv5eiiaOy2iYi7jvIyl0B6Ji3zU3_swh4aAiKo8P8HAQ" target="_blank">beautiful yarn bowls</a> on etsy.com if you want something a little more official, and we've found the <a href="http://rivercolors.com/shop/shopexd.asp?product=36859050" target="_blank">yarn butler</a> to be a useful tool to hold yarn for our shop projects.</li>
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<li><a href="http://rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplaycategories.asp?product=961" target="_blank">Project bags</a> are useful, fun, and a little addictive. They're essential for traveling with a project - nobody wants to chase a ball of yarn all over the floor of an airplane - and they make great gifts.</li>
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<b><u>Keep track of where you are in your pattern:</u></b><br />
Stitch markers and Post-It notes, highlighters and pencils - all these things come in handy when you're trying to keep track of where you are in a complicated pattern. But what do you do if you've joined the digital revolution and your pattern is on your iPad or tablet? You use <a href="https://www.knitcompanion.com/" target="_blank">knitCompanion</a>! This app lets you "mark up" pdf patterns the same way you would highlight rows on a piece of paper. Many of our customers swear by it.<br />
And while I'm thinking about it, I have a confession to make. Despite my collection of useful and cute stitch markers, I still end up using paper clips, hair bands, scraps of yarn, pieces of dental floss, twist ties, plastic baggie ties, and even pieces of paper jammed onto my needles. Some days my projects look like they were assembled by a magpie. Don't ask me why ... and don't be ashamed if you do the same thing!<br />
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<b><u>Weave in ends as you go:</u></b><br />
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There are few things more disheartening than finishing your beautiful afghan ... and then noticing the hundreds of yarn ends you now have to deal with. Crochet projects are no problem - <a href="http://mypoppet.com.au/makes/2013/07/crochet-how-to-weave-in-ends-as-you-go.html" target="_blank">it's easy to bury the yarn tails as you go</a>, no darning needle required. But knitters should consider taking a break every so often to weave in their ends, especially on projects with lots of color changes. You'll do a neater job if you aren't in such a hurry to finish the project, and you probably won't end up hating the process as much.<br />
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<b><u>Pay attention to yarn care requirements:</u></b><br />
The only thing worse than weaving in hundreds of yarn tails? Finishing your project and having it radically change in size or shape the first time you wash it. Ugh! Prevent shrinkage (and bagginess) by paying attention to the care instructions provided by the yarn dyer or manufacturer. These may not be in words - manufacturers have come up with a list of "universal care symbols" which are supposed to tell you all you need to know. Of course, most of us can only remember a few of them, so <a href="http://lawsofknitting.com/yarn-care-symbols/" target="_blank">here's a link to a cheat sheet </a>that shows the meanings of the most common symbols.<br />
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So, what's your favorite hack for knitting or crochet? The weirdest thing you've used as a stitch marker? Ever used pencils or chopsticks to replace a lost needle? Share your tips with us in the comments - let's see what you've got!<br />
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- GretchenGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-74152383152781599712016-06-18T06:00:00.000-07:002016-06-20T06:04:25.901-07:00Sheep Appreciation<div align="left" style="background-color: #b0bcbb; color: #08412b; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.3em; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Appreciating the Sheep</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is there any sight more peaceful than a field of grazing sheep? From afar, their woolly white bodies dot the green field, an echo of the fluffy white clouds in the blue sky above. Their heads bent to the task of turning sweet grass into wool, a flock of sheep reminds us that life can be full and simple at the same time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTQe7mstOefqTzotMD3B2oZ65B7uexNTyhBmQI76-qDiAePpZ6S4p1lR1Tat1lWqhEK8tCKPmAKQMJggSfWLZBQrzVPxo3HZCR2Itz_-RH-H_xgkcalrME253bvVNWsk-xgEL/s1600/SheepFallPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTQe7mstOefqTzotMD3B2oZ65B7uexNTyhBmQI76-qDiAePpZ6S4p1lR1Tat1lWqhEK8tCKPmAKQMJggSfWLZBQrzVPxo3HZCR2Itz_-RH-H_xgkcalrME253bvVNWsk-xgEL/s640/SheepFallPA.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/3K1hbs" target="_blank">Photo courtesy of Flickr</a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here at River Colors Studio, we love wool in all its forms: spun and unspun, dyed and natural. We love the variety of textures of wool from different breeds: the rustic warmth of <a href="http://sable.madmimi.com/click?id=7204.39126.1859.1.b7597705884f87014ad950078528ad21" style="color: #597bb7; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Icelandic Lopi</a>, the plump cushion of <a href="http://sable.madmimi.com/click?id=7204.39126.1860.1.6d305cc7f0fd46508327d82cdf7d0d6d" style="color: #597bb7; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Malabrigo merino</a>, the heathered loft of <a href="http://sable.madmimi.com/click?id=7204.39126.1861.1.94b202cd240115622ca1074a5b379a5c" style="color: #597bb7; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Shetland Spindrift,</a> the Rambouillet bounce of <a href="http://sable.madmimi.com/click?id=7204.39126.1862.1.809430cb0fd430d2384c09d95a6569ce" style="color: #597bb7; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Swans Island All American Collection</a>, the exquisite softness of <a href="http://sable.madmimi.com/click?id=7204.39126.1863.1.ceebdf01553f1fe2adc4054b09c9e3ed" style="color: #597bb7; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Woolfolk's</a> extrafine merino.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #08412b; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Deep Sheep Knowledge</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gtPXB0ZAbpJIQ5Ko2jL9ik9UN1UKXVIgZmGy0rop8GC5ak8vzvnFGzx8abpqFIgOEmZxZB9n8djmMpomNLH3bts01Sf2FDdzXcJ_Emz3IBFKtrZCGns-naLSaSssTK1KmjFz/s1600/Mouflon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gtPXB0ZAbpJIQ5Ko2jL9ik9UN1UKXVIgZmGy0rop8GC5ak8vzvnFGzx8abpqFIgOEmZxZB9n8djmMpomNLH3bts01Sf2FDdzXcJ_Emz3IBFKtrZCGns-naLSaSssTK1KmjFz/s400/Mouflon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mouflon. <a href="https://flic.kr/p/98PzfF" target="_blank">Photo courtesy of Flickr</a><br />
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<li style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Northeast Ohio's own <a href="http://urbanshepherds.org/grazing-projects" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #597bb7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Urban Shepherds</a> promotes using flocks of sheep to manage grass on vacant lots and other large swaths of land like utility corridors.</span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The mouflon(Ovis orientalis orientalis), a wild sheep found in the Mediterranean and Near East, is thought to be one of the ancestors of all domesticated sheep.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Depending on the breed, a sheep can produce anywhere from 2 to 30 lbs of wool fleece in a year.</span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sheep's milk cheeses are highly prized. They include Greek feta, the Spanish manchego, French roquefort and Italian pecorino romano and ricotta.</span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sheep have been domesticated for at least 12,000 years. </span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wool was so valuable a commodity in early modern Europe that Spain's Age of Exploration was financed by its wool trade, and exporting Merino sheep from Spain was a capital offense until the 18th century.</span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the same way, England's King George III, to protect the English wool industry, prohibited the export of sheep to the American colonies and banned wool trading there. And we thought the American Revolution was about taxation without representation!</span></li>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sheepdogs fall into two types: herding dogs, who help the shepherd move the flock, and guardian dogs, who protect the flock from predators.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; color: #08412b; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sheep terminology:adult males are called rams, adult females are called ewes, sheep of both sexes under 14 months are lambs. Castrated adult males are wethers.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Interested in more sheep facts? Many of these came from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/pov/sweetgrass/sheep-facts/" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #597bb7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">25 Surprising Facts About Sheep</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #08412b; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Come to River Colors Studio on Saturday, June 25 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm to buy Cestari yarns. Francis Chester of Cestari Yarns will be here with all of the Cestari yarn blends, plus rugs and cones of yarn. He will tell us about his adventures as a sheep farmer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. After you meet him you might believe that he will have an impact on the states with the highest number of sheep!</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428100953017238491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-54173223702067478032016-06-16T10:31:00.000-07:002016-06-16T14:49:45.533-07:00Knit in Public Day (from the eyes of a child)<i>Well, actually that headline is a tad deceiving. The person (Kelsey) who wrote this post is now a mature wonderful adult. But you see, when I first started River Colors, she was a child and has grown up with the studio and Knit in Public Day in her life. I asked her to write this posting because I thought it would be fun to see what she said. Little did I know that when I reviewed it I would be in tears and say...."wow she gets it". Of course, I am biased so you can decide for yourself. </i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Erika</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
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WWKD<br />x</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I sat down to write this post, Orlando’s most recent tragedy and the tumultuous state of the world came to mind. Even though, my initial brainstorming had led me to a much more lighthearted funny spin on the fast approach of World Wide Knit in Public Day, when I sat down to write, reflection seemed to spill from the keyboard. And thus my title: WWKD….What Would a Knitter Do?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> When I was younger, my siblings and I always thought it was so funny that no matter where she was, my mother ran into a fellow knitter. We used to make fun of her for knowing everyone. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when I was older and wiser, did I realize that River Colors had become a community and when my mother ran into fellow knitters, they shared something more than a passing hello. I should have known this far earlier, as I had watched the effort my mother put in to things, whether it was a garment to share with others, making sure to stay and hang out with the Thursday night knit circle, or the excitement that accompanied World Wide Knit in Public Day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I remember one of the years I first attended World Wide Knit in Public Day. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I remember thinking it was very hot, and when I arrived, I bore witness to a group of individuals knitting away on the asphalt parking lot. I’m sure I didn’t get it then, but in the years since, I have tried to be present on World Wide Knit in Public Day to help, whether it was putting up tents in the sun, or making sure they didn’t blow away in the wind, I even made the food last year (so if you enjoyed it, yep I’m that famous chef you’ve been searching for since!). I did these things because it meant something to my mom, and to the community of River Colors, because after hanging around the store enough, you start to understand it’s not just about a needle and yarn, it’s about everything in between. World Wide Knit in Public Day isn’t a day to knit socks in the heat of summer, it is a day for knitters to unify and celebrate the craft that has created a community for individuals all over the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> When I titled this piece WWKD, it was not in a joking matter, it was that despite other identities, you all identify as knitters. And, in reflection of the events in Orlando, and violence and hatred that divides our world, maybe this year we can see World Wide Knit in Public Day, as day unification, under craft and kindness.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWjWITqgDRrlQHfzRqczmkw0I0uEyHo6plWME_Wk0Ra64WHpVYfgQVI5htYZXFNLmMZPkgjWrsQ90SP6kpOhgDT62U-NA6NeW8a1-YPnT28nRkJpwiCo4FMR7B9s0YL4nbMxWFg/s1600/littlekel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWjWITqgDRrlQHfzRqczmkw0I0uEyHo6plWME_Wk0Ra64WHpVYfgQVI5htYZXFNLmMZPkgjWrsQ90SP6kpOhgDT62U-NA6NeW8a1-YPnT28nRkJpwiCo4FMR7B9s0YL4nbMxWFg/s320/littlekel.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I don't have any pictures of Kelsey at Knit In Public Day.....but I do have these from a long time ago. She was a good sport and modeled for a fashion show we had at the studio. Thanks for sharing Kelsey</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">.</span></i><br />
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-10526724094552512162016-06-13T06:30:00.000-07:002016-06-13T06:30:07.742-07:00Ga-ga for gaugeWait - don't run away in horror at the mention of gauge! I promise, I can make this fun!<br />
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Gauge is just a way of saying "How big are your stitches supposed to be?" It shows up in most patterns, right there near the comments about what size yarn to use and which size hook (or needles) you should try. Not all of us work at the same gauge as the designer, though, so you can't just grab the same hook and yarn and expect it to turn out the same size. Trust me - making a gauge swatch is important if you want the piece you're about to spend hours making to fit. I once ended up with a "slouchy hat" that was more the size of a garbage can cozy. Don't let this happen to you!<br />
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Gauge swatches aren't hard to make or interpret. <a href="http://www.creatiknit.com/archives/how-to-make-measure-a-knitting-gauge-swatch-crochet-gauge-swatch/" target="_blank">I found a nice tutorial which gives you all the details about how this works way better than I could describe it.</a> It's got videos and pictures and everything, and she made it for both knitters and crocheters. Yay!<br />
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Three main things contribute to what gauge you get when you pick up some yarn and start a project: how you tension the yarn, what size yarn you are using, and what size hook or needles you are using. Changing how you tension the yarn isn't real easy to do, and <i>no</i>, a couple of glasses of wine will NOT loosen up your gauge (but they will probably stain your project). Most of the time, you're going to adjust the gauge of your project by changing the size of the hook or needles you're using.<br />
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<li>If your gauge swatch used MORE stitches to make up the 4" than the pattern suggested, it means your stitches are too small, and you'll want to go a size or two BIGGER and try again. </li>
<li>If your gauge swatch used FEWER stitches to make up the 4" than the pattern suggested, your stitches are too big, so grab a size or two SMALLER and make another swatch.</li>
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Don't be afraid to go more than one size larger or smaller - I'm a loose knitter and sometimes I have to go down FOUR needle sizes to get anything that approaches the gauge of a tight-knitting designer's pattern. But be sure to keep an eye on the feel of the fabric you're making - if you vary too much from the sizes recommended in the pattern, the fabric may end up too holey or too stiff for the project.</div>
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The interaction between yarn size and tool size is really interesting. For example, these three samples were all crocheted from the same yarn, but the hook size differs quite a bit. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9Q9Lztffw6ng1cTnGX1Y7Rm3HwOh0XQtE9HHwRbHXmr0bRD26Y2DM0oymGz3Zxjv5w_-r0dHyOsvxXrPtJsB_kI0_rJZUxCLzRsV2cLEF6C-21s71Poi3GYrfBBD_-eX8NYY/s1600/image3+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9Q9Lztffw6ng1cTnGX1Y7Rm3HwOh0XQtE9HHwRbHXmr0bRD26Y2DM0oymGz3Zxjv5w_-r0dHyOsvxXrPtJsB_kI0_rJZUxCLzRsV2cLEF6C-21s71Poi3GYrfBBD_-eX8NYY/s320/image3+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, these next three samples were crocheted using the same size hook, but the yarn size varies from laceweight to bulky. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGBpR6SpHHywBXL6aggfzXWWydX9MmF90gkdgKgN4MVqBCH46zQTROxmS24ml5OgGcLj2BsJLDblcbqtI1W8xcvdYz3ywOagtfxOnh6OebDbLU3NczfMjCcKAW997KBi-MeL/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGBpR6SpHHywBXL6aggfzXWWydX9MmF90gkdgKgN4MVqBCH46zQTROxmS24ml5OgGcLj2BsJLDblcbqtI1W8xcvdYz3ywOagtfxOnh6OebDbLU3NczfMjCcKAW997KBi-MeL/s320/image4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Generally, to get a flexible fabric, you're going to want to use a hook or needles that are larger in diameter than the yarn you're using - the bigger the discrepancy, the lacier and more flexible the fabric. The only time you want to use a hook or needles smaller than the yarn you're working with is when you want a stiff fabric, such as for a bowl or the brim of a sunhat. I suspect that many of the haters who say crochet is "stiff and unflattering" have never seen projects that were done at the proper gauge. Nobody wants an afghan that you can fold in half and stand up in the corner (like the one I made in college - oops!), but with the right combination of hook size and yarn weight, you can whip out lovely lacy things that will have knitters crying in their half-finished projects. Can you say, cashmere cowl in record time? Because I can.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1363574398"><img src="http://images4-d.ravelrycache.com/uploads/LazyMamaDesigns/4636742/cowled_outside_medium2.jpg" height="280" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.crochetme.com/all-free-member-patterns/free-cowl-pattern-baby-its-cowled-outside">http://www.crochetme.com/all-free-member-patterns/free-cowl-pattern-baby-its-cowled-outside</a></div>
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So, let's talk yarn weights. Yarns come in seven official weights, but not all yarns fall squarely into one size or another. What's worse, something that looks like a fingering weight yarn in the store may puff up when washed and end up more like a DK or even worsted weight - which is why washing your swatch before measuring it is important if you want to be CERTAIN that sweater is going to fit when you're done. You may want to print out the standard yarn size chart put out by the Craft Yarn Council and stick it into your craft bag, just in case you need a reference when you're trying to substitute yarns for a project. It can come in handy when you're trying to figure out whether a chunky yarn is bigger than a super bulky yarn ... or is it the other way around? Meh, who can remember? Let's check the chart: <a href="http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html">http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html</a><br />
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At River Colors Studio, one of the best parts of our job is helping you find the perfect combination of pattern, yarn, and tools to make the project you're envisioning. So don't be afraid to ask for assistance or advice - that's why we're here!<br />
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- GretchenGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-39120658237650810522016-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:002016-06-16T10:37:39.779-07:00Building Confidence One Stitch at a Time<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Palatino; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
Building Confidence One Stitch at a Time</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most popular classes we offer at River Colors Studio are our Confidence Building sessions. Currently we run them five times a week and we could probably expand to include a Sunday afternoon session, but we like to reserve that slot for special topic/project classes. <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=119">You can find the times and sign up here</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIHCNNtI9dPLeOwLeasNE9C0dJYv9fi3MLEtU7aeQIP4RZoQekHM-OTjAXhjaEMglpT2Q2uGftXDHTZpZPg2CFCbv9cjQ2icxlil2logmYzWA12tEVj4-svGwZWLq0H8KEBMr/s1600/2016-05-14+11.49.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIHCNNtI9dPLeOwLeasNE9C0dJYv9fi3MLEtU7aeQIP4RZoQekHM-OTjAXhjaEMglpT2Q2uGftXDHTZpZPg2CFCbv9cjQ2icxlil2logmYzWA12tEVj4-svGwZWLq0H8KEBMr/s320/2016-05-14+11.49.45.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What happens in a Confidence Building class? Almost anything can happen, because there is no set curriculum, only the needs of the students present on that day. So if Kathy is knitting her first sweater, a top-down pullover with raglan increases for the sleeves, today’s skill for her might be different kinds of increases and when to use them. Suzanne wants to make lace cowls as Christmas gifts for the women in her life. First she learns about joining her work in the round, being careful not to twist. Once the garter-stitch edge is finished, she will learn about making yarnovers and that stitch markers are her new best friends, keeping her pattern repeats distinct as she works her way around the cowl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each class session becomes a community with the ebb and flow of participants as their projects progress from the tricky bits into stretches of straight stockinette. But there’s something about knowing there’s a specific time and day that they can give themselves the gift of time for their knitting and taking a seat at the table is an affirmation that this craft is important, that the act of creation is a pleasure they can share with strangers who become friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The talk around the table is endlessly informative. Overhearing the instructions one student needs at this point helps another envision what the next step will be in her project. Sometimes everyone stops and listens to me give general advice, like how to use Ravelry to preview how a particular yarn will knit up in a small project like a sock, versus a large project like a shawl. We spend a lot of time discussing yarns: why a yarn works in a certain project; what drives us crazy about another yarn; finding the right project for a yarn with which we’ve fallen in love, or has been gifted to us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another recurring topic centers on body image and how it affects our knitting. Students see a shop sample and admire it, but then deny themselves the pleasure of making it: “Oh, I could never wear that! That sample is the smallest size, I’ll never fit in it to see whether I actually like it.” I always urge them to try it on. First, because knitted garments are magic in their ability to accommodate a range of body types and sizes; second, because setting limits on what we “can” and “can’t” wear limits our vision of ourselves. It’s a poncho, or a sweater, or a skirt. It’s not a verdict on your human worth. And the wisdom of the group around the table can move a student to see herself in a new way. That V-neck seems too low? Turn the tank around and wear the boatneck in front and the V-neck in the back. It looks fantastic on you. And knit the same size as the sample—it fits you, even if you believe that nothing marked “Small” could ever belong to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Confidence Building is exactly what its name declares. Students learn stitches and techniques, they build their knowledge of yarn and fiber and they learn to read their knitting so that they can see where something has gone awry. After they can identify a problem, they learn to fix it themselves, knowing that they won’t have to wait for class and lose that valuable knitting time. They challenge themselves, through both their knitting and their fashion sense, feeling ready to take risks in what they make and who they are. It’s amazing what two sticks and some string can lead us to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">--Laura</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428100953017238491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-32120111672123586342016-06-06T07:50:00.000-07:002016-06-06T07:50:15.630-07:00It's sun hat season!<span id="docs-internal-guid-6a0ad2bc-ed56-bd4f-a2f1-b9c31a8fbee1"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"<i>Why would you spend all that time making that? You can buy them at Walmart, you know."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><wince></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yep, we've all heard that statement at one time or another, usually from a well-meaning friend or relation who thinks they have our best interests at heart. And we talk to them about the superiority of hand-knit socks, the uniqueness of a crocheted cowl, and the fact that keeping our hands busy keeps us happy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But fans of crochet have one extra point they should make, an important one that escapes most people's attention. While spinning and knitting machines allow for the inexpensive manufacture of many items, <a href="http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2011/06/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-crochet-machine/" target="_blank">there is still no machine that can duplicate the motions or finished product of hand crochet</a>. And that means that every crochet cowl, sunhat, cardigan, or afghan you see for sale - no matter how low the price - was made by someone with a ball of yarn and a hook in one hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Think about the economics of that. Walmart has a crocheted sun hat for sale for $8. They're making a profit on it, of course, and that markup is usually about 50% of the price. So they paid $4 for the hat, but they didn't pay that to the craftsman - they bought it from an importer (who marked up the price), who may have bought it from a wholesaler (who made profit on the deal), who in turn paid someone to crochet the hat. It's a pretty simple design, and an experienced crafter could probably make it in two or three hours. But that hat probably earned its maker significantly less than $1 in profit. That's not anything approaching a living wage, anywhere in the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, a discount store isn't the only place you can buy sun hats. You can go to etsy.com, where a quick search will turn up hundreds of options, many of them with a price that is reasonable for the amount of work involved, but can't compete with a big-box retailer. You can also search online and in person for fair-trade suppliers who work with craftspeople in impoverished areas to pay fair wages for the work performed. One trendy supplier is<a href="https://www.krochetkids.org/shop/the-dahlia/" target="_blank"> Krochet Kids International, which offers a cute raffia sunhat ... for $60</a>.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.krochetkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/W_Dahlia_Ivory_Fit_01-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="sun hat" border="0" height="200" src="https://www.krochetkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/W_Dahlia_Ivory_Fit_01-300x300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Or you could, you know, <i>crochet one yourself</i>. Sun hats aren't hard, and the materials to make them certainly won't cost you $60. For example, this (free) pattern comes in infant to adult sizes, is made from <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=842" target="_blank">Berocco Modern Cotton</a>, and is super cute with that ribbon around the crown:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Free-Sun-Hat-Crochet-Pattern-Small" src="http://melodys-makings.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Free-Sun-Hat-Crochet-Pattern-Small.jpg" height="146" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://melodys-makings.com/free-beach-sun-hat-crochet-knit-pattern/">http://melodys-makings.com/free-beach-sun-hat-crochet-knit-pattern/</a></span></td></tr>
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Other yarn choices would allow you to make an airy-er crown, a stiffer brim, or a multi-colorered masterpiece of awesome millinery. Personally, I want to make a slightly oversized version of the one above using <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1078" target="_blank">Rowan Original Denim</a>, then wash it a bunch of times to get it nice and faded and stiff.</div>
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We'd love to see pictures of you in your summer crochet and knitwear. Post them on Instagram and tag them with <b>#RCSsummerfavorites</b> so we can all appreciate your efforts!</div>
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- Gretchen</div>
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Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-31748633070324912482016-05-30T02:00:00.000-07:002016-05-31T06:21:35.998-07:00Keeping cool with crochetThe influx of soft cotton- and linen-blend yarns into the shop over the past few weeks has piqued the interest of many of our customers, and lots of summer-weight projects have already been started. Heck, some of our more dedicated knitters have even FINISHED them already!<br />
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But don't feel left out, crochet friends! There are a ton of cool crochet patterns that would look great in our various new yarns. For example, this shawl is perfect for taking the chill off on a summer night. It would look lovely in any DK weight yarn, but especially so in <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1079" target="_blank">Rowan Summerlite DK</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_938062484"><img alt="Dixie Charm Summer Shawl by ELK Studio" src="http://www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochetdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ELK-Studio-Shawl.jpg" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochetdesigns.com/2014/06/23/dixie-charm-a-free-summer-crochet-shawl-pattern/">http://www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochetdesigns.com/2014/06/23/dixie-charm-a-free-summer-crochet-shawl-pattern/</a></span></td></tr>
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Pick a couple colors of <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=842" target="_blank">Berocco's Modern Cotton</a> and make this cute bag, which is perfect for carrying your projects (or your swimsuit!):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_938062481"><img alt="IMG_4058" src="http://attic24.typepad.com/.a/6a00e551101c54883400e553a9b6d88833-500wi" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-bag.html">http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-bag.html</a></span></td></tr>
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How about something you can dress up a bit? We've got that covered, too, with this tank, which would be beautiful in the sophisticated colors of <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1080" target="_blank">Rowan Summerlite 4ply</a>:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_938062478"><img alt="July_2007_crochet_cascading_shells_84211_small2" src="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Bendy/60823560/july_2007_crochet_cascading_shells_84211_small2.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.freepatterns.com/detail.html?code=FC00982">https://www.freepatterns.com/detail.html?code=FC00982</a></span></td></tr>
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<br />
Here's a pattern that's a little more off-beat, and it could be worn year-round if made in the proper fiber. I was so excited about it that I immediately started one using a vibrant chartreuse ball of <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1056" target="_blank">On-Line Supersocke Swing Color</a>. (And I finished it a week later - come see it in the shop!) It would also be beautiful in something more sedate, like the wonderfully textured <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=983" target="_blank">Shibui Pebble</a>:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_938062475"><img height="640" src="https://makemydaycreative.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/multiplicity-shawl-ways-to-wear-it.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="https://makemydaycreative.com/2014/07/25/multiplicity-buttoned-shawl/">https://makemydaycreative.com/2014/07/25/multiplicity-buttoned-shawl/</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finally, here's a super-cute skirt you can make if you happen to have a lot of time on your hands and 1500-5000 yards of #10 crochet cotton sitting in your stash:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_938062472"><img border="0" src="http://images4-d.ravelrycache.com/uploads/annastasia76/346365880/vertigo941_small2.JPG" height="320" width="216" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vertigo-spiral-skirt">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vertigo-spiral-skirt</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, friends, what's your favorite crochet pattern for the summertime? I'd love to see it - post a link in the comments so we can all be inspired!<br />
<br />
- Gretchen<br />
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Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-82568853565837157332016-05-27T10:45:00.000-07:002016-05-27T10:45:20.711-07:00It All Started with Frank....<div class="Body">
It all started with Frank....Frank Ochre that is. .... Malabrigo yarns produced some new colors in their Rasta yarn base; one just happened to be my
all-time favorite color, Frank Ochre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> As we unpacked the box I swooned and knew I had to have a sweater out of this soft, awesome color. </span>We were meant to be together, Frank and I.... so I searched Ravelry for projects that
had used Rasta and found Melissa Schaschwary’s pattern, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-road-to-gimmerton" target="_blank">The Road to Gimmerton</a>. This pattern is a fitted and cropped cardigan with capped sleeves worked from the top down, and
most importantly using only 3 to 4 skeins of <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=256" target="_blank">Rasta</a>. </div>
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Reading the pattern I was struck by the simplicity of the project
that incorporated top down knitting, paired increases and decreases for the
shaping and minimal seaming (or none if the sleeves are knit in the
round).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the trim was incorporated
into the body knitting, so it didn’t have to be picked up later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized it was the perfect pattern for a
First Sweater and therefore a class. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before that could happen, though, I knew I
should test out the pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frank Ochre
came home with me that night, and I tried to finish it before I returned to work the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Along the way I decided to re knit the capped sleeves to lengthen them. It was this decision </span>that kept me from getting done in 24 hours and winning my bet with Erika that it would be done by the time I returned to the studio!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen9LOM6k1QIu6BY_Ao67u5jt9J-9clAMfna7KZvZKn8z3-gsHXrOrpkgmoW-f13mI8d13OqFsdYlzDWB9YXh-U855TAWW0tLLcCIQxeB67-btNw4dyHnSQ8_7GCJif33VsCKZMQ/s1600/gimmerton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen9LOM6k1QIu6BY_Ao67u5jt9J-9clAMfna7KZvZKn8z3-gsHXrOrpkgmoW-f13mI8d13OqFsdYlzDWB9YXh-U855TAWW0tLLcCIQxeB67-btNw4dyHnSQ8_7GCJif33VsCKZMQ/s320/gimmerton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth and Frank</td></tr>
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We had great participation in the class. We realized that it does take longer than 2 hours to get to the armhole shaping(one of the more challenging aspects of the pattern to a new sweater knitter) and had to touch base in my Confidence Building Classes. Since the class, I have knitted Gimmerton twice more (both in
<a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1039" target="_blank">Woolfolk Hygge</a> yarn) and have loved having a deliciously cozy sweater that
keeps my shoulders and back warm. Because I don't want to overheat, I choose to wear it without a
closure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knitters in the class have proudly worn theirs and all have told me
how happy they are with their finished(!) projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=119" target="_blank">offering the class</a> again and I
hope, if you’ve been hesitating to take the plunge in to sweater knitting, you
will consider taking the road to Gimmerton!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="Body">
Beth<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
P.S. I am happy to say many of the students wanted to start a new sweater. We have ventured into <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/abria" target="_blank">Abria</a> by Bonne Maria Burns and are all using the new Rowan yarn <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=1081" target="_blank">Softyak DK</a>.</div>
keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-33241540780672688812016-05-23T14:53:00.000-07:002016-05-23T15:01:14.397-07:00Stashbusting, or, "What do I do with all these little balls of leftover yarn?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are lots of reasons why you might have random balls of yarn stuffed in odd places around your house:</div>
<ul>
<li>You made a pair of socks and had almost 1/4 of the skein leftover</li>
<li>You bought an extra ball of yarn when making a sweater</li>
<li>You bought souvenir yarn ... in every town you've visited for the past decade</li>
</ul>
Even if you've gone through and organized your main stash (have you seen <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2008/05/stash_toss/" target="_blank">how</a> the <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2016/03/almost-like-a-salad/" target="_blank">Yarn Harlot</a> does it?), it's inevitable that you'll be left with a some orphans. Sure, you can stick them in bowls and use them to decorate your house, but wouldn't it be nice to find a crafty use for them?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m7ZVxqQapVQ/UWHxcQIZXfI/AAAAAAAACO4/A0hiSb_c21M/s320/yarn+vase.jpg" width="219" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(<a href="http://jaimeddesigns.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-i-organize-my-yarn-stash.html">http://jaimeddesigns.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-i-organize-my-yarn-stash.html</a>)</div>
<br />
Crochet is the perfect way to use up those precious little bits I can't bear to throw away. For example, you can make:<br />
<ul>
<li>Embellishments - sew them on a hat or bag, or attach to a pin and use as an accent on many different outfits.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEje_FKWRMxX-G6Kxsi21CFKGLpkIUtS59ixotQfCdIN_msknjy0tdQjfXPsVIi2ksmgU_qHv0r7CV4ycxPh81oKY1hwOW_-00U8QBtGSTNXYmEXVsZxFPvoSeESIgckRw64Xlb6oIrRI-mc_Z2XOpwX7CWG6wC-34OzQ1AntLeHTgGNGyfgIG6eaWMIDl-1n0GFTQfM9MY_wA=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images4-d.ravelrycache.com/uploads/LovisaDrusilla/156213947/crochet-flowers_medium.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(<a href="http://www.molliemakes.com/craft-2/tutorial-tuesday-crochet-flowers/">http://www.molliemakes.com/craft-2/tutorial-tuesday-crochet-flowers/</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Stuffed animals - give them to a child or put them on your desk, they're not just for kids anymore!</li>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkAJAwK3hjdN_Z-BEvkpYsKuV0SRD02KqP2rzwT4vL547uR2e3KDodPCospzOJDkUxasRkBz69WCLSZpY0di-HYxLfCdBbnd118tdU10-khPultRgi5vCWiQhVCBEn-gZQFDc/s320/owl+pattern+23.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(<a href="http://happyamigurumi.blogspot.com/2014/12/fee-amigurumi-pattern-owl.html">http://happyamigurumi.blogspot.com/2014/12/fee-amigurumi-pattern-owl.html</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li>Scrappy afghans - granny squares, stash-busting stripes, and log cabins are all good choices.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="cal113" height="320" src="https://notyouraveragecrochet.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/cal113.jpg?w=640&h=640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(<a href="https://notyouraveragecrochet.com/as-we-go-stripey-blanket/">https://notyouraveragecrochet.com/as-we-go-stripey-blanket/</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And finally, my recent favorite method of using up stash yarns ... holding several yarns together and using a big hook to crochet a blanket, rug, or shawl in record time. Check out what three strands of fingering weight yarns look like when you crochet them with a hook the size of your pinkie finger (that's a 9.0 mm, or US M/N hook in the picture):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qpSz8bdqRLP0joJdWL74smHyYMbxxzhBTXMlhWRN5MTDIhdnUVZwrqh54QJHOaY-Cisnp9NGnjOekelli8-noue1jo3IYx5eUdynSie2S_yGHBGd2j_rieh25q3JAcfJMwXp/s1600/image1+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qpSz8bdqRLP0joJdWL74smHyYMbxxzhBTXMlhWRN5MTDIhdnUVZwrqh54QJHOaY-Cisnp9NGnjOekelli8-noue1jo3IYx5eUdynSie2S_yGHBGd2j_rieh25q3JAcfJMwXp/s320/image1+%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My obsession started with the yarns in the "grab bags" we had in the shop, and when I ran out of them I moved on to raiding my leftover yarns. Seven shawls and three blankets later, I still love the look of it! Almost any pattern for worsted weight (or larger) yarn will work, so have fun poking around on Ravelry to find a pattern that looks like fun to you.<br />
<br />
And by the way ... if you try this technique, don't be afraid to join yarns in the middle of a row. There's a great way to do it almost invisibly called the "magic knot." Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nq_7EXTWHE&list=FLppHSILbcGq3J8FXjvYy_Jw&index=41" target="_blank">this tutorial</a> for more information on how to do this crazy-useful technique, which also comes in handy when you're making a lacy fabric where it would be difficult to hide the yarn tails.<br />
<br />
- Gretchen</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaMTkzsDnTTxPuURRla3AvKFwH4Igzry3i1d83zz0y6s6xImTlgfvxK8MoQwo5STaIICVRDGrkzD1UUZPQn3x-frucCeav5NIUxvmydanN8qykQCVhoKOas7QaUT8_-3WiMd0/s1600/river-colors-studio-clementine-cowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Clementine Cowl" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaMTkzsDnTTxPuURRla3AvKFwH4Igzry3i1d83zz0y6s6xImTlgfvxK8MoQwo5STaIICVRDGrkzD1UUZPQn3x-frucCeav5NIUxvmydanN8qykQCVhoKOas7QaUT8_-3WiMd0/s320/river-colors-studio-clementine-cowl.jpg" title="Clementine Cowl" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clementine Cowl Shop Sample<br />
Freia Dusk/Spincycle Pick Your Poison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The shop sample was actually my second Clementine because I knit one for myself and I just loved the soothing hand work of the slipped stitch patterning. After knitting my first one, I did realize the error in my way of not reading all of the pattern instructions (do as I say, not as I do...). So should you decide to cast one on today, follow the suggestion in the pattern and skip the blocking because it does flatten out the fabulous texture of the <span style="background-color: white;">polka dot pattern.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Have I convinced you to cast one on yet? Yes! Awesome! Here is another tip, go for contrast... not </span>matchy<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">, </span>matchy<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">. Here are some color combination suggestions:</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MCLy6vaB8cAtolvIusmt9ct7vXBtMncwGEhE-naL9cZOcpRsLzgnTD4s4ZwbkVNrc5iDRGFZGG0gkxz4wAgeDsiRag9dqj4kAh7vpg9vqVjmdFcbADmJAG8ThKHE21DPLtHT/s1600/overpasses_espresso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freia Espresso and Spincycle Overpasses" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MCLy6vaB8cAtolvIusmt9ct7vXBtMncwGEhE-naL9cZOcpRsLzgnTD4s4ZwbkVNrc5iDRGFZGG0gkxz4wAgeDsiRag9dqj4kAh7vpg9vqVjmdFcbADmJAG8ThKHE21DPLtHT/s320/overpasses_espresso.jpg" title="Freia Espresso and Spincycle Overpasses" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freia Espresso/Spincycle Overpasses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXcxzGVVRP_DC_lU23R6BZbnp_byhFWyrphFDU0YQhvuCNGVxrWvLDsxI1TAu_zOprY1mSoK5C3HXuI-Tfu-oO9Qt6fybkk_CpAsuEJe2hN7RViD9O_H8L9beOoW4y9RwwT75/s1600/pickYourPoison_Dusk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freia Dusk and Spincycle Pick Your Poison" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXcxzGVVRP_DC_lU23R6BZbnp_byhFWyrphFDU0YQhvuCNGVxrWvLDsxI1TAu_zOprY1mSoK5C3HXuI-Tfu-oO9Qt6fybkk_CpAsuEJe2hN7RViD9O_H8L9beOoW4y9RwwT75/s320/pickYourPoison_Dusk.JPG" title="Freia Dusk and Spincycle Pick Your Poison" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freia Dusk/Spincycle Pick Your Poison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyanpGI51z92U1RP8MWyD6EVeqOO23Uzgbg5AV4pBwnUJnFtmnKvlzZYssNaHiq6mMz7Pw8G3r-A6ehJ94pkZTVUF5T3xEfG4EphG6oxu-_YD1NSnBX0jGh4CwV9Riano6uD_/s1600/pussyWillow_melon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freia Melon and Spincycle Pussywillow" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyanpGI51z92U1RP8MWyD6EVeqOO23Uzgbg5AV4pBwnUJnFtmnKvlzZYssNaHiq6mMz7Pw8G3r-A6ehJ94pkZTVUF5T3xEfG4EphG6oxu-_YD1NSnBX0jGh4CwV9Riano6uD_/s320/pussyWillow_melon.jpg" title="Freia Melon and Spincycle Pussywillow" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freia Melon/Spincycle Pussywillow </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsof-af21RE2FWspf6WU_lpr8LfZPdSjOMQjMqy-DYAvQPK5mNkIsGGFnf_U7w1FxXaohD1QIUsYMoOLejWJJxzVc-RBTm0DhvsOXxgOtfdhGnGVRa3L-aw2jMuuZk7K__sfB/s1600/robinsEgg_hardCandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freia Hard Candy and Spincycle Robin's Egg" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsof-af21RE2FWspf6WU_lpr8LfZPdSjOMQjMqy-DYAvQPK5mNkIsGGFnf_U7w1FxXaohD1QIUsYMoOLejWJJxzVc-RBTm0DhvsOXxgOtfdhGnGVRa3L-aw2jMuuZk7K__sfB/s320/robinsEgg_hardCandy.jpg" title="Freia Hard Candy and Spincycle Robin's Egg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freia Hard Candy/Spincycle Robin's Egg </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_YjyKUZVpUtdn8z6q1JmrsOiMmBbR-89oZEjILyykIv9Nl5CL4Fnx5cVM4tNUh53SXc9eQzkXT2pSmFEzoLETj4THORo32M0vEszIGF2eMdVeDjUr2LsUn55RK-IPmsTslb2/s1600/snowHero_autumnRose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Freia Autumn Rose and Spincycle Snow Hero" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_YjyKUZVpUtdn8z6q1JmrsOiMmBbR-89oZEjILyykIv9Nl5CL4Fnx5cVM4tNUh53SXc9eQzkXT2pSmFEzoLETj4THORo32M0vEszIGF2eMdVeDjUr2LsUn55RK-IPmsTslb2/s320/snowHero_autumnRose.jpg" title="Freia Autumn Rose and Spincycle Snow Hero" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Freia Autumn Rose/Spincycle Snow Hero</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I just recently ran into The SpinCycle Spinsters at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Indie Pop-up shop hosted by <a href="http://knothouseyarns.com/" target="_blank">The Knot House</a> (a definite must stop if you are in the Frederick, MD area). I might have taken home 1... okay it was actually 3 skeins of their fabulous wool. I snapped a few images for your viewing pleasure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJi9anvVHut2O4Kag-aZjsuCo0pLS9NSkuWMxOIZe8gApnQjJWzraYMwCrMByLd5BjhW1wQgTjup5IB1uoBno7JX8A4HuQGODH_iKdPhynm4VAJsGHCIj62odM6HeqfFDVCi5M/s1600/knot-house-spincycle-booth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Knot House Spincycle Booth" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJi9anvVHut2O4Kag-aZjsuCo0pLS9NSkuWMxOIZe8gApnQjJWzraYMwCrMByLd5BjhW1wQgTjup5IB1uoBno7JX8A4HuQGODH_iKdPhynm4VAJsGHCIj62odM6HeqfFDVCi5M/s320/knot-house-spincycle-booth.JPG" title="The Knot House Spincycle Booth" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYSoShNg5dnpCXmmsuthIxmZycC7bcbPEwyEbnaihQPRD-g9QSANmkg14mck0LJl6vK5_VSz2Xh2TBQa3XhWMhfiwpAO2i9KSbXcLaaOEz9NlP9KkcAHsZW0Z8KXukP8Ke8l6/s1600/hank-hat-clementine-cowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spincycle Sample Knits" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYSoShNg5dnpCXmmsuthIxmZycC7bcbPEwyEbnaihQPRD-g9QSANmkg14mck0LJl6vK5_VSz2Xh2TBQa3XhWMhfiwpAO2i9KSbXcLaaOEz9NlP9KkcAHsZW0Z8KXukP8Ke8l6/s320/hank-hat-clementine-cowl.JPG" title="Spincycle Sample Knits" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Want to know all more about the Spinsters of Spincycle? Check out <a href="http://woolful.com/episode-57-rachel-price-kate-burge-oil-industry-tree-sitting-wannabe-amish-farmers-market-and-spincycle-yarns/" target="_blank">Episode 57 of the Woolful Podcast</a>.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928083035363106404noreply@blogger.com0Lakewood, OH, USA41.4819932 -81.79819079999998641.4344092 -81.878871799999985 41.5295772 -81.717509799999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-37267108115539389352016-05-17T06:53:00.000-07:002016-05-17T06:53:56.645-07:00Crochet linen stitch - beautiful, versatile, and EASY!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many customers have been curious about a project I have been working on, a striped cotton baby blanket I designed for my newest nephew. It’s worked in crochet linen stitch (sometimes called moss stitch), which is one of the easiest and most versatile stitches in the craft. It’s basically [single crochet, chain 1] worked into the chain-1 spaces of the previous row. After the first row or two you’ll fall into the rhythm of it - it’s very relaxing to watch the beautiful fabric just flying off your hook! This stitch breaks up pooling in handpainted yarns and gives an interesting texture to solids. By playing around with color, yarn weight, and hook size, you can get a myriad of different effects with this one simple stitch. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpljLmc1MFiWZyUDpoj8LOMuZ5v9qR4Xcli3snKJeYA86Wct5g5UxmQzOpeYZy4OzXjfplbbN2f5A3iBqHpm39y4p3GgcQZ6IZ3M0Gi5tZLcDImQq-Ve95QpI15NVTNzay4izsw/s1600/kogarcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpljLmc1MFiWZyUDpoj8LOMuZ5v9qR4Xcli3snKJeYA86Wct5g5UxmQzOpeYZy4OzXjfplbbN2f5A3iBqHpm39y4p3GgcQZ6IZ3M0Gi5tZLcDImQq-Ve95QpI15NVTNzay4izsw/s1600/kogarcropped.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kogarashi Cowl (a self striping yarn)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k92IiGLTgSH5fcH85MNElkKS6PwBHJE7eEe5v4cLRQuXOAlEMCuVMkcpO16YjI3F3eB_4hwW1YOMNKgEFfOC4tB5xI7M82QdZeUvpydfM9Wwvz98dfHq0ZXTOTvhKTv_NAHI/s640/blogger-image--938181191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k92IiGLTgSH5fcH85MNElkKS6PwBHJE7eEe5v4cLRQuXOAlEMCuVMkcpO16YjI3F3eB_4hwW1YOMNKgEFfOC4tB5xI7M82QdZeUvpydfM9Wwvz98dfHq0ZXTOTvhKTv_NAHI/s320/blogger-image--938181191.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-linen-stitch-scarf" target="_blank">Crocheted Linen Stitch Scarf from Churchmouse Yarns</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dBqrlerN0fA8jiCLSd3DcfDRXSRDyi58FJC4Qwxp9JoUrFwdOUziLdFqvycoKJhYL0tXp3_U_Vm0jPhmJ3bdYJEPmJ5-JLAnDosOHY3JEBEvTqvZCxQJPSnWmoTUcWZPrgna/s1600/image1+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dBqrlerN0fA8jiCLSd3DcfDRXSRDyi58FJC4Qwxp9JoUrFwdOUziLdFqvycoKJhYL0tXp3_U_Vm0jPhmJ3bdYJEPmJ5-JLAnDosOHY3JEBEvTqvZCxQJPSnWmoTUcWZPrgna/s320/image1+%25283%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Braedan’s Blankie</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crochet linen stitch is versatile, beautiful, and easy to master - what are you waiting for? Grab a hook and get stitching!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite quick gift uses crochet linen stitch and one skein of interesting yarn to make a cowl in a flash. Here’s how to make your own:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pick a hook size that is AT LEAST twice the diameter of your yarn. Bigger is better, but don’t go crazy with it. Work a small swatch to make sure you’re happy with the drape of the fabric you’re making.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaving an 18” tail when you make the slip knot, make chain stitches until this foundation chain is the width of the cowl you want to make (between 6” and 8” is pretty standard, but you can make it wider or narrower). </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Work the linen stitch back along the foundation row - <a href="http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/crochet-tutorials/crochet-linen-stitch/" target="_blank">instructions here</a>.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Continue in linen stitch until strip is desired length (or you don’t have enough yarn to complete another row), then cut yarn and secure last stitch.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sew the ends of the strip together with the long tail you left at the beginning. Mattress stitch is often used, but you could whip stitch it or use any other sewing method you like. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 48px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a regular loop, join the two ends without a twist. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 48px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a Mobius loop, flip one end of the strip once before you join the ends.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weave in ends.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This project can also be worked lengthways with no seam; check out this<a href="http://jessieathome.com/linen-stitch-mobius-cowl/" target="_blank"> free pattern</a> for instructions on working the Mobius version in the round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gretchen</span></div>
<br />Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12843719795344732730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-34318281446059486442016-05-12T10:41:00.000-07:002016-05-12T10:41:21.576-07:00Not so wooly Arika Cowl<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPem0y2L9zwapAplRH333UFUC3l6MMH-1l5ugXWg9tOYy7ejMypIWE7C5FueN74nwJWa9Nq7Q-Qg4ORdSekVvZftgnrKbKdI31WLx5bVstGUJz8aRCJDNP9Olcw2PN42_bvysYTg/s1600/arikastorecropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPem0y2L9zwapAplRH333UFUC3l6MMH-1l5ugXWg9tOYy7ejMypIWE7C5FueN74nwJWa9Nq7Q-Qg4ORdSekVvZftgnrKbKdI31WLx5bVstGUJz8aRCJDNP9Olcw2PN42_bvysYTg/s1600/arikastorecropped.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arika Cowl</td></tr>
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At the studio many of us are fans of the designer Jane Richmond. She recently had a knit along for her <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arika-cowl" target="_blank">Arika</a> cowl and I stumbled into it at the very end. I was reviewing the projects on Ravelry after I found the pattern and most people had done it in some type of wool or alpaca. I decided to break loose and use the yarn Norah by Stacy Charles because I wanted to be able to wear the cowl for most of the year rather than just the cold weather. I totally fell in love with the linen and silk blend as I was working with it. I love the swing and the drape that results from the fabric you create. It is kind of funny because some <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arika-cowl/people" target="_blank">300+ ravelers</a> have made it to date and few have used something other than wool. Yarn substitution is often a bit of a challenge if you start to actually consider factors other than gauge. In this case I am thrilled with the results and encourage you to venture into something not "so wooly" as you work on projects this summer.keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-85842144915951878732016-05-06T09:47:00.000-07:002016-05-06T09:47:16.252-07:00Blame It on My MomThat's right I said "Blame it on my mom". My mom's name was Veronica (Vroni) for short and she was a stay at home mom that never stopped. She taught me the saying "Good better best, never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is your best". She was an expert seamstress. We sewed amazing garments together. We sewed pieces that were fashion statements, blazers, coats we did it all. I learned fitting skills, the way fabrics acted based on their fiber content and most of all I learned how to create. I would fall in love with a fashion piece and we would analyze what made it special. It is this skill that transferred over to my knitting and crocheting skills. That ability to see drape and fit or think through how a specific yarn is going to act.<br />
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She was so nervous when I decided to open the store. I will never forget her telling me that I should open the store with just a little bit of yarn and then grow into buying more. More than that I will never forget the day she started working with bamboo needles that we had at the store. My mom went out of her way to tell me how much more she enjoyed knitting with these needles....she was not an easy one to impress. I know many of you met her, she used to come in and help me when she could. She hated not having a task, so I would make up projects just to have her come hang with us.She loved people and people loved her back.<br />
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So next time you come in and the studio has been rearranged....think of my mom and recite<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhZfAetg-U29HkGzT9gMRhyphenhyphensYAJwVieJB24GCeK3jItdIyyD5lda6hj9t3zLSKng0SpAlEST0k7yp2MchU-32VgYwZaiGvYcsFlLLdekkqTI8bXByxpCn6nnF5xkL4dSAmDmvAQ/s1600/momandme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhZfAetg-U29HkGzT9gMRhyphenhyphensYAJwVieJB24GCeK3jItdIyyD5lda6hj9t3zLSKng0SpAlEST0k7yp2MchU-32VgYwZaiGvYcsFlLLdekkqTI8bXByxpCn6nnF5xkL4dSAmDmvAQ/s320/momandme.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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Good, better, best,<br />
Never let it rest,<br />
Until your good is better and<br />
Your better is your best.<br />
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Happy Mother's Day Mom<br />
You are missed.<br />
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-60279476170242962002016-03-20T15:19:00.002-07:002016-04-25T09:45:18.335-07:00Same Pattern, Different Yarn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtinbPWWh3DOCtX4IUS0A4ZMF7AdVzXDpd884Z-oAUQ9vwi4P_FHtrdCmSBQdshHwX0iiKSdqz65_Dw3XsFW9LccoPvAdK2tmLkfWSZd3LZCKdTNhH9y488LvRloU-kwXEC7VGQ/s1600/distgail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Distinction Shawl made out of Malabrigo Mecha" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtinbPWWh3DOCtX4IUS0A4ZMF7AdVzXDpd884Z-oAUQ9vwi4P_FHtrdCmSBQdshHwX0iiKSdqz65_Dw3XsFW9LccoPvAdK2tmLkfWSZd3LZCKdTNhH9y488LvRloU-kwXEC7VGQ/s400/distgail2.jpg" title="Wool Distinction" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wool Distinction (Mecha yarn)<br />
thanks for modeling Gail!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3_13zIJB0hyeCI1wKXikIreUlPFAenABzyukj3d8NvOdBUeBZH9odCVdpnaMwgCdx6FZaLL03EOXDPPcdRfEqvNz891rkxVQybF6uhgcdSyjQczkKvUb2KWLA9-pKNYexx63xQ/s1600/distkel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Distinction Shawl made out of Colinette Giotto yarn" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3_13zIJB0hyeCI1wKXikIreUlPFAenABzyukj3d8NvOdBUeBZH9odCVdpnaMwgCdx6FZaLL03EOXDPPcdRfEqvNz891rkxVQybF6uhgcdSyjQczkKvUb2KWLA9-pKNYexx63xQ/s400/distkel.jpg" title="Cotton Distinction" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cotton Distinction (Giotto yarn)<br />
thanks for modeling Kelsey!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I just can't get enough of the knitted design <i><b><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/distinction" target="_blank">Distinction</a></b></i> by Caitlin Ffrench. I stumbled upon it on Ravelry and made it for a friend of mine out of <a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=680" target="_blank">Malabrigo Mecha</a>. She adored it and I decided she is definitely knit worthy(unfortunatley I did not take a picture of it and have not seen her in awhile, so I can not share it with you).! Luckily our own Caitlin came to my rescue and knitted a store sample for us out of Mecha. The floor sample created a lot of interest and all of the sudden we are seeing many different color combinations, all beautiful and all wool. All of the interest made me want to knit one again, but one for the summer and not made out of wool. I decided to use<a href="https://www.rivercolors.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?product=966" target="_blank"> Colinette Giotto</a> because it is one of my favorite cotton blend yarns. Silky, drapey and saturated with color I decided on Vatican Pie as the main color. The person I wanted to give this to will look fantastic in the color. My family member has had a terrible year, too many things happening to one good person. I want her to know that I think of her daily, and definitely send her good feelings every day. She is not up to conversing and that is why I needed to find another way to communicate my love to her. I am sure she will feel every good feeling that went into the piece and I can only hope it will lift her through the tough days.I did take a picture this time, and the sample is in the mail. Guess what I just started again....yes out of Giotto. This time, this one is for me!</span></td></tr>
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-36324402182098166672016-02-06T07:18:00.003-08:002016-02-06T07:18:22.510-08:00The Stopover Knit alongThe Mason-Dixon Knitting sisters got this Knit along going using the Stopover Pattern by Jane Mucklestone. Fortunately for River Colors, some wonderful customer named Jen included us as a source link for Lopi yarn in one of the discussion threads about the knit along. We have been shipping Lopi galore. How fun is that? Many local people got into the kal as well so we have been vicariously living color combinations. Don't be afraid to change your mind if you get into it and find that the color combo is not right. One of the beautiful things about this project is that the yarn is not expensive. You can see from my posting yesterday that I did just that. While I love the gold, green and navy combo, I decided it was just a tad too handsome for the look I wanted. I took my pop color(the pink) and changed it out for the gold. Now I love it!<br />
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Starting with the sleeve is a good way to check your gauge and your color choices. That is how I discovered that I was not getting the colors I envisioned and that my gauge was way too tight. I am using the 9 inch needles instead of double points, it just simplifies the color change process. Off the top of my head I can not remember if you can get 9 inchers in 10.5 needles. I will have to research that. I started off with smaller needles(size 7 and 9)than recommended because I am usually so loose. Now that I started the body and my gauge is working I am actually on a size 10. You can still join in the fun,there are lots of color choices left and am expecting some of the light greys this Monday. Here is my progress since yesterday morning....I got to the first decrease and had to stop. See you all later, the store is going to be hopping with classes today so I need to go.</div>
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36649215.post-75202315258807431152016-02-05T06:05:00.002-08:002016-02-05T06:05:34.531-08:00Catch up for Mary Jane Mucklestone StopoverI am so sorry! I need to catch up...changing my needles, changing my colors. Please stop back on Saturday for a discussion. Today, I post a picture of the evolution of my Stopover and why I have to knit like crazy today!<br />
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keekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750557560500608161noreply@blogger.com0