I spent a good chunk of the weekend inside my car, surrounded by knitting projects. I was there to provide support to Mark at a very long race. So while there were periodic activities like going out to find adhesive velcro, corralling used socks, refilling bottles with electrolyte drinks, and locating specific pairs of shoes, there was also lots of in-between time to knit. I had planned to spin a little, too, but due to miscommunication about a camp chair, I wasn't able to set up in a comfortable position.
However, all things being equal, I got more stitching done than I would have otherwise, and I finished an audiobook, too!
…mark your calendars
Social Stitching
Every Saturday, 2-4p
Every Tuesday, 10a-12p
Stitch Every Day in May
Our annual challenge! May 1-31 Trackers due in person or by email
Trunk Show with Palouse Yarn
June 4-7, In person spinning with Shelley June 4, 11a - 5p
Junigurumi
Look for more info next week--we're inviting everyone to join us in making one or more amigurumi during the month of June.
Olive Knits 4 Day* KAL
*and by 4 Day we mean totally optional challenge, July 1-31. We will be hosting a cast-on/stitching event, date TBD. This is the 10th & final 4 Day KAL!
…new in the shop
We have the tiniest amount of Universal Yarn's Clean Cotton, which was our go-to worsted weight cotton for dishcloths. (Plenty of other things, too, but that was the inventory niche it filled.) It took a little while for Universal to announce a replacement, but this might have been worth the wait. As you can see, there are plenty of clear, bright colors--the palette is expanded beyond the Clean Cotton. You can see the 24 colors of Uni Cotton we have in stock here.
In preparation for Junigurumi, we filled in all the missing colors of Universal Merino Minis and Nilli Nilli. The Uni Merino Minis can be doubled for a DK weight if needed.
We're not done. There are also five colors of Make It Blumchen, a carry-along yarn with teensy-tiny flower sequins.
Last, but not least, we have six colors of Colorburst. These enormous 200g balls are 660 yards each of a superwash Merino wool and acrylic blend.
…to inspire
As promised, a word about Junigurumi. First of all, I made that up. I do that sometimes. June + amigurumi sounds like it could be a real thing, so good enough.
Second, while most amigurumi patterns call for a specific weight of yarn, you can make most of them in whatever weight you choose, so long as you use a hook or needle that is smaller than you would normally use for that yarn. You want the fabric you're making to be dense enough to prevent the stuffing from escaping.
As for inspiration, we just received several new books, and there are loads of patterns on the internet. As a starting point, this is everything tagged as a "softie" on Ravelry, and you can filter patterns from there, selecting for knit or crochet, type of softie, yarn weight, and more. We also have Woobles kits, which are the gateway to crochet for lots of people!
Amigurumi can be as simple or complicated as you like, and usually don't take a tremendous amount of yarn. Join us for a bit of fun this June, and make a small pal for yourself or someone else!
...currently stitching
This is the start of the Friday Tee, and it's more knitting than it looks like 😂 I'm Using Gepard Cottonwool 3. As you can see from the partial stripes, it has short rows to raise the back of the neck, and I'm about five rows past the end of the short row shaping. The pattern starts with the folded ribbed collar, and the technique used to produce a nice crisp edge is genius. The stitch pattern is a broken rib, so every other round is a plain knit round, which makes it easy to keep track of when to do the raglan increase.
The one down side is that the bigger needle is 3mm. This might not go as quickly as Hiesu did!
I also started and finished a super bulky hat, and swatched for a project that will be less secret soon!
