Crazy for Ewe

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 9 comments

You are always welcome here

Jun 24, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

Over the years we've has lots of people in the shop wanting to learn to knit. Some of them are actually beginners, but most are not, and the conversation usually starts with something like, "Well, I know how to knit, but I'm doing it all wrong. I want to learn the right way. The right way. In my universe, there is no right way to knit. And, the converse is also true: there is no wrong way to knit. Some people hold their yarn in left hand, others in their right. Picking, throwing, left-hand,.right-handed, whatever, it's all good. Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 17 comments

How I felt that day

Jun 17, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

I got a call from my husband Saturday while I was at the shop. I don't typically take calls while I'm teaching, but he doesn't typically call me while I'm teaching, so I knew something was up.

Me: Hey, what's up?

Bill: Um, I was putting the clothes in the dryer and there's something that doesn't look like it ought to go in the dryer.

Me: What is it?

Bill: I dunno. It's a sweater-like thing. It's white.

Written by Ellen Lewis

Discussion 5 comments

Knitting math

Jun 11, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

There's a certain amount of math in knitting. So much so that teachers have used knitting to improve math skills and make the concepts tangible. It's not hard math. While a modicum of algebra is helpful for changing gauge, knitting math is mostly what you learned in elementary school: addition and subtraction, multiplication and division.

But there is another kind of math familiar to all knitters. This is the math by which we can justify $32 for a skeins of beautiful, soft, hand-dyed merino to make a pair of socks when our neighbor points out that we can buy a perfectly good pair at Target for $8. We have no problem buying yarn that costs twice what a baby blanket costs in order to knit the baby blanket ourselves. To our non-knitting friends, family, and partners, this math is totally illogical and completely irrational.

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

mindfulness, Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 1 comment

Three days in the wilderness

Jun 03, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

I have been listening to an article by Florence Williams called the Three Day Effect. In it she suggests that three days outside enjoying nature can radically change your mindset and your brain. To study the idea, she joins an excursion to a riverside wilderness in Utah, Her guide is charismatic veteran who leads a group of other vets on these camping, hiking, canoeing adventures to help them with PTSD and other after effects of war. He believes strongly in the power of nature to soothe and heal, which sounds pretty good to Williams, as she herself is struggling with the Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 4 comments

It always seems impossible, until it's done

May 13, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

It always seems impossible, until it's done

Last week I had just cast on the front of a Triton sweater in dk weight yarn. Tubular cast on, size 4 needles, 6 rows done -- a fairly time consuming effort, without much to show for it. My husband saw it sitting on the table at breakfast. "Pretty yarn, he said, what's it going to be?"

"A sweater," I answered.

He sort of chuckled and said, "I guess you have to start somewhere."

Yup. We do. We have to start somewhere. My husband knows I can and will

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 2 comments

The price of perfection

May 06, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

I talk a lot about how nice it is that we can go back and fix our knitting. It's awesome that we can rip back as many times as we like, but there is a cost. Depending on the nature of the yarn, how we knit, and how we rip there is wear and a certain amount of structural damage to the fiber. You'll see it right away on fuzzy fabrics like mohair, and you'll see it plenty soon on softly spun fibers. So, it's important to know whether the mistake you're going back to fix is worth going back and fixing. If it's a glaring error that will prevent you from wearing the item, absolutely fix it. Something that will impact the long term integrity of the fabric like a split stitch, by all means, fix it. But if it's a little something that maybe only you can see -- probably better to just leave it, learn from it, and move on. Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

What could hockey and knitting possibly share?

Apr 29, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

What could hockey and knitting possibly share?

When my friend selected Beartown for our book club and said it's about hockey, I was pretty sure I would hate it. I ordered it anyway, because that's what you do when you're in a book club. You read the stupid book even though you know you'll hate it. But sometimes you are wrong. In tiny Beartown, on the outskirts of nowhere, there is an ice hockey club on which the town has pinned all of its hopes and dreams. Through this fierce sport Frederik Backman dives deep into each character, pulling you in as he gently unfolds their world and their reason for needing hockey like they need air. Backman tells a powerful story Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Events, Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 4 comments

Why local yarn stores matter

Apr 22, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

Saturday is Local Yarn Store Day, a day to visit and celebrate your local yarn store. We have tons of fun things planned, from yarn tastings and trunk shows to new products and prizes all day. and I invite you to come and see what's special for this day. But first, why is LYS day even a thing? I'm more than a little biased, but here's why local yarn stores matter.

Obviously, with a local yarn store you have a chance to see and touch all the yarns in real life. You can compare colors and hold the skein up to your face to see what best suits your complexion. Instant gratification too. See it, touch it, and walk out the door with it. Right. Now. Get help, take a class, take a moment. Your local yarn store is a place to come and a place to be. It's a third place.

In his ground breaking book,

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 4 comments

Knitting for the Win

Apr 16, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

College basketball is a big deal in our house. My husband is a Duke fan, but as a UVA alumna, I'm all in for UVA and their handsome coach, Tony Bennett. So, I was pretty happy when UVA won it all this year, the whole championship -- an especially sweet victory after last year when they were beaten early in the tournament by a team not even in the top 15. It was a disaster, and UVA was widely ridiculed and pointed out as an example of what not to do. So this win, as I said, was sweet. But how do you do something like that? How do you get back? How do you recover from that level of public humiliation and defeat? more Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

A little healthy anticipation

Apr 08, 2019

Written by Ellen Lewis

I've really been looking forward to the warmer weather. This spring has been a long time coming, but I think it's finally here. I have been anticipating it so long, looking for tiny buds on trees as I pulled my coat tight around my neck, and I got thinking about the balance between anticipation and more

Products

Posts & Pages

Crazy for Ewe

You are always welcome here

How I felt that day

Knitting math

Three days in the wilderness

It always seems impossible, until it's done

The price of perfection

What could hockey and knitting possibly share?

Why local yarn stores matter

Knitting for the Win

A little healthy anticipation