A sweet beginning!
Thank you!
I appreciate all of you who checked out the new and improved Yarn Folk webstore. Soon, you'll be able to filter your selections by multiple categories, and I have quite a few notions yet to add to the store--plus some other odds and ends. Yarn descriptions are on deck to be enhanced with pattern suggestions, something one of my favorite online fabric stores does especially well. On the whole, things have worked pretty smoothly.
It's especially fun when shoppers place orders overnight :) It's still a novel experience, so I wake up and think "well look at you, you cute little order!" I'm easily entertained.
Current open hours are Monday - Friday, 7am-3:30pm, and Saturdays, 9am-3pm. In-store shopping: mask covering nose and mouth required for the duration of your visit. Please note that the scheduling tool we were using is not currently available on the new platform--if you'd like to reserve a shopping time, please email me: ann@yarnfolk.com. We continue to be mindful about making it possible to maintain social distancing in the shop.
…to learn (and do)
CURRENT CLASSES & EVENTS
Social Stitching via Zoom
Wednesday, October 14, 12:00-1:00pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88351111252?pwd=WFpkR2pLaEx4d1dMSFI3OXl4dWJ5Zz09 OR open Zoom and enter 883-5111-1252 for the meeting ID
Thursday, October 15, 4:00-6:00pm https://us04web.zoom.us/j/981942707?pwd=TExyQlRPWnB3OW40QkFZRCs5aVRtQT09 OR open Zoom and enter 981-942-707 for the meeting ID
Friday, October 16, 12:00-1:00pm https://us04web.zoom.us/j/741980568?pwd=bXp1ellFUHNqS0lUaFYvS1ord3Fndz09 OR open Zoom and enter 741-980-568 for the meeting ID FELIX KAL INCLUDED HERE!
PASSWORD FOR ALL MEETINGS IS 330044.
...to anticipate
New York from Trendsetter Yarns is a 100% organic merino sport weight yarn, and we were so excited when FedEx delivered all 17 colors last week. New York is a woolen spun yarn, so it is lofty, warm, and light, and at 190 yards per 50g skein, it is an excellent value. (Modern Daily Knitting has a nice explanation of the difference between woolen spun and worsted spun here.) I swatched it at both the gauge recommended on the label (20 stitches per four inches) and at a more traditional DK gauge of 22 stitches per four inches. I preferred the 22 stitches slightly, and think it would work well at an even denser gauge--it has a good range.
The swatches also softened and bloomed nicely. I'm eyeing Abbeyhill--but I am also diligently finishing a couple of projects before I cast on! (I did buy the pattern, though.)
…to inspire
The Fall Cowl KAL/CAL begins next week. For a refresher on the pattern selections, refer to last week's blog post--the details can be found in the "to anticipate" section.
I haven't made a final decision about which/how many of these project's I'll be starting, but here are a few of my yarn choice finalists:
Colormatic: HiKoo Kenzie in colors 1004, 1011, 1020, 1021
Cobblestone Cowl: Trendsetter New York in Grey Melange + West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab in Prism Brights
Dissent Cowl (Knit): Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio DK in Alice Gadzinsky and Edgewood
Dissent Cowl (Crochet): Malabrigo Arroyo in Azul Carnival and Azul Profundo
...to stitch
The Sharon Show
One of the things I want you to know about The Sharon Show is that Berroco Ultra Wool Fine, while perfectly lovely to work with from the start, is a yarn that really softens and relaxes in the wash. I machine washed the finished shawl with a superwash sweater in my top-loading machine on the hand wash cycle. The care label specifies that it can also be tumble dried on low, but since this is a rectangular wrap with some lace sections, I preferred to block it for nice, straight edges and opened lace stitches.
I enjoy wearing long wraps like this when I don't quite need a sweater, but want something warm to snuggle around my shoulders. This project had a great variety of different stitches and techniques--none of them very difficult--and kept my interest from start to finish.
Matriochka
Perhaps you, too, have had the experience of being stuck on a project simply because you put it down briefly, and lost your place. That was the case with Matriochka, even though I knew that some basic counting between the markers and comparing my work on the sleeve lace panels to the marked row on the chart in Knit Companion would give me all of the information I needed. When I finally had a few minutes to do so last Friday, I was back on track within about five minutes, and on Sunday, I finished the remaining raglan increases, and separated the sleeve stitches from the body. I even transferred half of the stitches to a second long needle so I could try the sweater on to check the yoke depth! I am anticipating that the sleeves will zip along faster than usual because of the lace panel that continues all the way to the cuffs!
