Webs Tent Sale Means Yarn Adventure

Webs is every knitters’ idea of heaven with a wide variety of yarns and brands including a great selection of related tools like knitting needles and looms. In addition to the quantity discount, they have a warehouse filled with discounted items and cones of fiber. For me, it’s a treasure hunt. Being fortunate to have a fiber-friendly husband, I tend to make an annual pilgrimage as part of a trip further north during the summer.  

Webs 2009 Annual Tent Sale

This year, my friend Amanda persuaded me to join her for the  Webs’ Annual Tent Sale. She didn’t have to work very hard to convince me to meet her for a girls weekend of yarn-related road trips and knitting.  Since Amanda got to last year’s sale mid-afternoon by which point the merchandise was well picked over, we left at the crack of dawn to get to the sale early. Webs had taken over a nearby parking lot and there was lots of activity under the tent. There were so many people that we had to wait to get containers to collect the items we wanted.  The people at the tables were at least three people deep debating the virtues of the various fibers and brands. In addition to yarn there were carryalls and needles (which were a bargain at $1 and $2 a pair!). Fortunately, it was cloudy which kept the heat down. 

At one point, I spied a couple of cartons with a big crowd. It turned out to be free fiber! I got some wonderful white cotton with fushia rayon wrapped around it as well as some rust and baby blue ribbon. It was the idea of free that drove me since I stopped knitting with ribbon ages ago. I went through the various tables at least three times before making my decisions. The bags of Noro for $49.95 kept drawing me over. There was an especially wonderful turquoise, green and yellow blend. Amanda persuaded me that I still had a bag of Noro Silver Thaw from two years ago so…No Noro for me! The tent line took about a half hour. Part of the problem was that there were several yarns that were mismarked in the computer system. 

Then we went inside where Amanda was on a mission for some Cascade 220 for a special project as well as some sock yarn for a friend who had to work. Not one to pass up the opportunity to drool over Web’s inventory, I meandered through the warehouse. There were some wonderful treasures but I restrained myself and waited on line. Inside, there were four separate check out lines that snaked through the store! It took another hour to get checked out inside.  

4 Check Out Lines Inside Webs - Where's my knitting?

Outside, there were some local purveyors of fiber and animals. It’s like a mini-fiber festival.  

Naturally dyed wool

 

Local fiber merchants at Webs Tent Sale

 

Alpacas at Webs Tent Sale

We left with some great yarn buys and our stashes happily enhanced!  As Amanda pointed out we extended our lives by increasing our stash. Between keeping us calmer and augmenting our SABLE, buying yarn is a great life insurance policy.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

2008 FOs and UFOs

As 2008 draws to a close, I have been reviewing my knitting for the year and my growing list of UFOs. Due to our wedding, much of the first half of the year was focused on the big event. As a result, 2008 was not as productive as 2007 in terms of finished objects (aka FOs).

 

2008 FINISHED OBJECTS:

• Essential Tank Top in pink cashmere/silk bought at Silk City Fibers – Pattern from Lace Style
• Woodstock Sweater in beige mercerized cotton bought at Silk City Fibers – Pattern from Sculptured Knits by Jean Moss
• Wedding Shawl in grey Jaggerspun Zephyr bought at Sarah’s Yarns – Inspired by Victorian Lace Today
• Honeymoon Cami in white silk bought at Sarah’s Yarns – Pattern from Knitty
• Honeymoon Vest in Noro Sakura in blacks/greys from The Point – Pattern loosely based on The Knitters’ Handy Book of Sweater Patterns
• Leaf Lace Kimono in Noro Lilly bought at The Point – Pattern from Interweave Magazine Summer 2008
• Baby Kimono in yellow cotton bought at Silk City Fibers – Pattern from Mason Dixon Knits
• Warshrag in Rowan pink and black cotton bought at The Point – Pattern from Mason Dixon Knits
• Souvenir Socks in Crystal Palace bamboo blend bought at Colorful Stitch
• Lace Ribbon Scarf in white silk bought at Sarah’s Yarns – Pattern from Knitty
• Lace Ribbon Scarf in pink/purple Koigu bought at Loop from Knitty
• Saffron Tunic in Beige Jaeger Sienna Cotton bought at Webs – Pattern from Sculptured Knits by Jean Moss
• Purple Chevron Sweater in purple Twinkle Toes from Tess Designs – Pattern inspired by Interweave Chevron Tank Top
• Sister’s Purple Vest in Kyoto bought at ArtFibers – Pattern loosely based on The Knitters’ Handy Book of Sweater Patterns
• Shetland Triangle in Berrocco NaturLin Green bought at Purl by the Sea – Pattern from Scarf Style
• Triinu Shawl in Grignasco Top Print Pinks/Purples bought at Smileys NYC Sale – Pattern from Lace Knitting in Estonia

 

2008 UFOs (Unfinished Objects – a graceful name for knitting that still languishes on a set of needles buried somewhere in the knitting basket)

• Lily of the Valley Shawl in white Jaggerspun Zephyr bought from Sarah’s Yarns – Pattern from Lace Style
• Silk Ribbed Corset in Jaeger 100% white silk bought from Webs(will probably be frogged and used for a wonderful shawl)
• Laced-Front Sweater in white/butter merino/silk blend from Tess Yarns bought at MDSW 2007 – Pattern from Knitted Lingerie
• Apres Surf Hoodie in magenta merino blend  bought at Joan Vass Sale May 2008- Pattern from Interweave Magazine Summer 2008 – Honeymoon project
• Sister’s Lace Ribbon Shawl in grey angora/silk bought from Knitty City – Pattern from Knitty
• Dad’s Classic Ribbed Pullover in Italian wool blend bought from Silk City Fibers – Pattern from Sally Melville’s The Purl Stitche
• Raha Scarf in blue alpaca bought at NYSW – Pattern from Lace Knitting of Estonia
• Dreaming in Orange – Noro Lilly Ribbon Lace Scarf
• Mom’s Black Lace Scarf in alpaca/silk laceweight bought from Knitty City – Pattern from Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting

(Not documented is the Navy Mohair Lace Scarf which is still waiting to be finished. Since it is in mohair, it is easier to finish than frog!  It is still left on the needles from last year.)

 

While last year, I was inspired to finish my projects. I found that not having any knitting in the queue can be a challenge if you can’t decide what to make.  I hope to finish many of these UFOs in 2009 while adding new projects with different challenges.

 

My biggest piece of advice is not to knit any part of your wedding outfit. It’s waaay too much pressure and the planning is enough pressure on its own. That said, I was glad to have the wedding shawl and other honeymoon tops to wear.  Also, bringing knitting on my honeymoon allowed us to have souvenirs of a trip to a place that didn’t have lots of touristy trinkets.

Leaf Lace Kimono Finished

I was enticed to knit this pattern based on commentary in Knitting Daily and Ravelry.

  

Despite my swatching before starting, the actual piece and the measurements that I expected it to be were significantly different. In large part, I attribute this to the lace and how it blossomed. Also, the pattern is meant to be loose which is not how I wear my tops.

 

I am a major fan of using stitch markers for each pace repeat when knitting lace to keep track of your progress. For this lace pattern, the markers needed to be moved one stitch every fifth row which is annoying and extra work.

 

Instead of using ribbon for ties, I made a chain stitch tie. I considered making i-cords but they’re boring and I thought that I might not have enough yarn left.

 

If I hadn’t started this project on my honeymoon, I would give it away. It’s one of the few projects that I’ve made that I haven’t liked once I finished it.

 

Unfortunately, all I have is photos of the piece as it dries on the blocking wires. At some point, I will need to get photos of my completed items. Unlike many of my knitting friends, I don’t mind sewing the pieces together. Although I must admit that unsually shaped garments like this can be a challenge.

 

Interweave Summer 2008 Leaf Lace Kimono Stitch Detail

Leaf Lace Kimono Front and Back on Blocking Wires

Cook Island Honeymoon Knitted

The love that filled our wedding amazed us and filled us with joy. Despite being the hottest day of the summer (although it was the first weekend in June), the celebration went off with relatively few hitches!

 

We were glad that we had a few days to acclimate and get things in order before we headed off for our honeymoon. For our honeymoon we went to the Cook Islands which are located in the South Pacific about a third of the way from New Zealand to South America. We made our decision based on a Google search for “romantic honeymoon” (I kid you not!) We also used TripAdvisor which we swear by to help us decide on hotels, Etu Moana and Rarotonga Beach Bungalows.

 

If you want a place where you can relax and unplug from your everyday world, I wholeheartedly recommend the Cook Islands. They’re the perfect place for a romantic getaway complete with blue-green lagoons, hotels with small individual huts and white sands. We stayed at two different islands, Aitutaki and Rarotonga. To our surprise, we were the only ones who spent any time sitting on the beach.

 

Romantic Beach Front in Aitutaki

 

Raratonga Beach Bungalow

 

View of Beach on Raratonga

 

 In between the romance, walking on the beach, snorkeling and kayaking, I found some time to knit while I soaked in the natural beauty. Knowing that I’d be away from my usual New York knitting emporiums, I planned three projects to overcome difficulty or boredom. They were the Apres Surf Hoodie, Leaf Lace Kimono and Honeymoon Vest. I brought two sets of patterns and needles of the sizes required.

 

Here are some photos of two of my projects, the honeymoon vest out of Noro Sakura for my husband and the Leaf Lace Kimona out of Noro Lily.

  

Leaf Lace Kimono on Aitutaki Beach

 

Leaf Lace Kimono Under Aitutaki Tree - Yarn Harlot Style

Knitting on Etu Moana Deck Overlooking the Beach

 

Leaf Lace Detail

 

Honeymoon Vest on Aitutaki Lagoon Tour

 

While I didn’t finish any one project, I made progress on all three of the items that I brought. Since the Cook Islands are not a major shopping center, these projects are a way of having a souvenir of my honeymoon.

 

Honeymoon Knitting Planned

While many of my knitting friends think that I’m off my rocker to think about knitting on my honeymoon, they overlook the fact that our honeymoon to the Cook Islands involves a lot of flying and airport time. Our flight to Rarotonga leaves from Los Angeles where we’re visiting family and friends and we’re coming home by way of Chicago where we’re visiting more family and friends.

I like having a variety of projects in case one of them hits a snag or gets frustrating. Here’s what I’m planning to do:

- Honeymoon Vest – It’s a gift for my newly minted husband. This is a basic v-neck man’s vest. I’m not using a pattern. I’m using my gauge and his measurements to ensure that it fits. I’m using Noro Sakura which I bought at The Point on sale. It’s my third garment in this yarn. It has pieces which are wrapped in silk thread where I reverse my stitch (use purl instead of knit) so that it pops. This would not be every man’s dream since it has pink (oh my!) but my soon-to-be husband is color-friendly.

- Leaf Lace Kimono – This is a pattern in Summer 2008 Interweave. I must admit that I was influenced by the queue on Ravelry. I am using 6 skiens of Noro Lily in fushia, turquoise and orange which I bought on sale at The Point. (Sorry but $11.50 per skien is a bit pricey for cotton/silk blend, even if it is Noro!)

- Apres Surf Hoodie – This is another pattern that I was influenced by Ravelry.  My soon-to-be husband commented recently that I liked hoodies around the time I was fishing for a project. I am using some wonderful merino/acryllic in magenta, olive green and cobalt blue that I bought at the Joan Vass Sample Sale.

Wish me good luck!

Jean Moss’ Sculptured Knits Discovered

Rains have swept through New York City and between the rain drops the sky is gray as it was blotted with grey cotton. I had harbored hopes of heading out to Paterson, NJ where Silk City Fibers is having their monthly sale but the weather is a deterent (as is the pile of midterms that need to be graded by Tuesday!)

After several hours of being bound to my desk wading through exams, I trekked down to The Point to meet my Saturday afternoon knitters. The store  was relatively empty due to the weather.

Synchroncity hits. I have some of my Noro Lilly in orange and varigated orange/red/blue in my bag to wind. I figure that I’ll make something for my honeymoon. As I’m about to settle in, my friend Enid steers me to the sale bin where the remains of the orange Lilly are piled. I’m enticed and buy 2 more skiens so that I have some extra to play with.

Having spent the  afternoon trying to find the right pattern, none called to me. So, on my way home, I stopped at B&N on Fifth Avenue, the one that specializes in college textbooks. I discovered that they had a great selection of knitting books and the woman working in the department was knitter to boot!

I happened upon Jean Moss’ Sculptured Knits which is a treasure of a book. It is packed with great patterns and there are stories that associate each with art and related trends.

Stash Enhancement-President’s Weekend Sale at The Point

The Point used President’s Day to clean out its winter inventory. According to Manager Patty Lyons, there was a line of knitters waiting for her when she arrived to open up. Most of the time that I was there, there was a line to check out.  One woman happened to come in to purchase some needles to sew a piece together and abandoned her purchase due to the wait!

By the time I arrive, some of my favorite fibers had been picked over due to the major discounts. In particular, I had planned to purchase Noro’s Sakura, a varigated fiber which has silk wrapped portions. I’ve made a tank top/vest and a sweater from it and love the ability to make the stitches pop out by reversing the stitches (i.e. purl instead of knit). I did manage to get 5 skiens in a black and grey color way which is enough for a woman’s tank top that will look great under my grey and black suits!

I expanded my purchases to include Noro Daria, a cord like fiber, which was discounted 75%! I bought 3 skeins of a blue/purple colorway for my friend Amanda who has been making handbags. I found 8 skiens another two jewel colorways in greens and magenta which I purchased to make a top. I figure if I use the colors creatively the difference will look intentional! Although since my purchase, I am considering using the fiber for yippot for my wedding. I will combine it with some gold fiber from Silk City Fibers to make truly memorable keepsakes!

Lastly I bought a cotton/silk Noro called Lilly. Since I prefer to buy sufficient yarn for a project, generally a sweater, I purchased 6 skiens of a fushia, blue, orange colorway and 4 skiens of orange. This way I will have enough to make a long sleeve sweater. I will integrate the two colors. In the sunlight, the orange is very bright but the two colors work together.

All in all, it was a fun shopping experience!

Note to self: Arrive early for next sale at The Point to get prime choices!

Knitting Across Oak Park – Soccer Moms, Mexican Food, Cappucino and Beads

As an added bonus to my Omaha trip, I stopped in Chicago on my way home to visit close friends in Oak Park where I can have stuffed pizza and Mexican food!

On the trip from Omaha to Chicago, I sat opposite a woman who crocheted a baby cap while I worked on my Fishtail Lace Top. I felt that I was making great progress learning the six row repeat until I realized that the four rows that I had knit needed to be unknit! Net knitting = 0 rows! UGH!

It was a regualr Saturday for my friends and their younger son was competing in his soccer team’s playoffs. So we headed to the soccer field where I put my lace issues behind me. Bundled in folding chairs on the sidelines, I watched my friend’s younger son and his team play soccer yarn in hand. Not having children of my own, this was a new experience. While some of the parents shouted words of encouragement to their sons, the rest used the time to socialize and catch up on the latest school gossip.

Knitting with friends during the soccer playoffs in Oak Park.

Beyond brief words of greeting, I used the time to learn the six row repeat of the fishtail lace which I seemed to master by the end of the first match. I periodically looked up to watch the players run from one end of the field to the other impressed by the variety of red, orange and yellow trees surrounding the playing field.

After the game, we had a girls’ lunch at a local Mexican restaurant followed by coffee at The Buzz, a local cafe where I hear there’s a knitting group. The walls are filled with paintings by local artists and there are comfy chairs in the back. Unfortunately, there was a couple that appeared to be on a first date so we decided to sit at a table where we continued to catch up and I continued to add rows to my Fishtail Lace Top!

Fishtail Lace Top close up with The Buzz Coffee Cup

 

Heidi Cohen in Noro vest, knitting and cappucino in hand

We surveyed a few of the local shops. I was enticed by the local bead emporium called Bead in Hand where I found materials to make some unusual stitch markers. While it wasn’t yarn, it did have a yarn use! Then we headed back to the soccer field for the next playoff game.

Dad’s Noro Vest Sewn Up

One challenge in knitting a man, especially one who is over 6′ tall, is that a lot of knitting is required to cover their bodies. My dad’s vest was no exception!

Fortunately, I was able to get a lot of knitting done on my flight to and from San Francisco. Lots of flight time and waiting time can translate to significant progress on a large project. As a result, Dad’s vest is in the home stretch!

Here’s a photo of my boyfriend showing it off. The great part about Noro is how it creates its own pattern of stripes.

Despite how my boyfriend is holding the vest, it actually fits him well. He’s volunteered to give it a home if my Dad doesn’t like it. But what dad wouldn’t wear something that their daughter made? Earlier this spring, my dad had visited me for lunch. As we left the restaurant, he and the gentleman seated at the adjacent table proudly compared scarves that their daughters had made!

Dad’s Vest-The Saga Begins…

Since there’s no persuading dad that he could use a new sweater, especially one knit by me, my boyfriend suggested I make my dad a vest. (Even though, every time we see him during the cooler monthes, he seems to be wearing a sweater that has made a few moths a VERY good meal!) During our summer pilgrimage to Webs, I bought four skeins of Noro’s Silver Thaw. My boyfriend helped with the colors to ensure that they were “dad-friendly”.

My father has lost weight recently so that many of his clothes hang. Therefore, the idea of “borrowing” a sweater as a guide didn’t strike me as a particularly good idea.  To my surprise, like my brother, my dad didn’t let me measure him. Instead he lent me a vest that he claimed fit just right. (I will never trust those words again!)

After testing a number of intricate stitch patterns and cables, I decided that the beauty of Noro Silver Thaw is the nature of the fiber and its colors. So I just made a plain v-neck vest based using the existing vest as a pattern. The wool has created some wonderful stripes on its own.

With this vest, I used a swatch and the measurements from the existing vest as a guide rather than a precise pattern. Lest you think that this vest just evolved on its own, I had the Interweave Handy Book of Patterns as a guide.