Crazy for Ewe

This time of year is a celebration for many cultures.  Whether we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the miracle of the oil for the Menorah, or the enlightenment of the Buddha, it is a time of joy, reflection and most importantly, gratitude. 

Tis the season to show the people in our lives, from our family and friends to our mail carrier and hair stylist, how much we value them.  We want to show our gratitude.  

We put a lot of time and care into our beautiful handknits, but it can be hard to figure out how to style them. What I want to talk about today, though, is styling shawls. Many of us make dozens of shawls or scarves and never wear them. Not because we don’t want

Stockholm Sweater is a fabulous design by PetiteKnits, and I'm thrilled to have Jennifer Rua, who led the Metamorphic KAL, leading another a KAL for this one.  .  Stockholm is an easy fitting dropped-shoulder garment knit from the top down at a gauge of 21 stitches per 4 inches,.  

Almost all yarns are blended, whether the label says so or not.   Unless otherwise noted, fibers in yarn labeled simply wool might come from a variety of sheep from all over the world.  This blending isn't necessarily a bad thing but rather can help ensure availability and keep the product of consistent quality. However, when different fibers are included in a yarn, each must be listed

It’s fabulous to give hand-knits to those you love and know will appreciate the time and effort that went into such a thoughtful gift. But here it is the day before Thanksgiving…Is there anything you still make in time?  Yes!  Let me share with you my favorites. 

If you’re a sweater knitter,you still have time to a sweater - as long as it’s in super bulky yarn, and you don’t have too many people on your list.  I did a whol

Cashmere.  Just say it.  Doesn’t the word feel so nice as it rolls off the tongue?  And the images it conjures in the mind – incomparable softness and luxury.  Working with cashmere is the ultimate experience.  But why? What is so amazing about cashmere?  Is it really that great, or is it all hype?  Let’s talk about it.

As we continue our look at yarn construction types, let’s talk first about plied yarn. What is Plied Yarn anyway? Plied yarn has come to mean yarn created by twisting unspun fiber under tension. The resulting strand is a single.  Twisting makes the fiber strong enough to be used without breaking when you pull on it.  The greater the twist,  the stronger the yarn, but there is a limit to how much twist a yarn can have and still behave.  

There are lots of ways to sort and categorize knitting yarn - by weight, by fiber, etc, but one of the most important characteristics that many knitters and crocheters don't understand is yarn construction.  There are 4 basic yarn construction types, plied, chainette, tube or blown, and air jet spun. Let's

At a trunk show, the yarn company or designer sends a whole big box, or trunk, of knitted samples for you to see and try on. The garments are typically in the shop for at least 10 days and sometimes as long as 2 weeks.

A trunk show might feature a single yarn in several different samples, or it could be a seasonal collection, or garments from a book or magazine.  The point is to