Crazy for Ewe
Knitting together a business
On the surface we sell yarn for knitting and crochet, but that doesn’t begin to touch it. We have had babies, raised families, and celebrated every imaginable milestone together. We have dealt with divorce, coped with cancer, and buried our loved ones. Every single conceivable emotion has been shared in our community, and it has been better for that sharing. We have faced down a quarantine, stood fast against a pandemic, and we have survived together. Apocalypse? Bring it. We got this.
Knitting New Year
New year’s is the obvious and most popular time for making a positive change in our lives. New Year’s is an appealing clean slate where we can start anew.
Knitters make a certain brand of resolutions. While some people resolve to start a new hobby or get a new skill, that’s rarely where a knitter’s mind goes. We already have an all-consuming hobby, and we learn new things all the time. No, knitters’ resolutions typically take the form of
I’m not going to cast on a new project until I finish ____________ or, I’m not going to buy any more yarn until I use up everything in my stash
Cozy knitting mystery - On Skein of Death
Some weeks ago, Allie Pleiter’s assistant reached out to see if we were interested in hosting Allie on the podcast. Allie is the author of a new series of knitting mystery books set in a small waterfront town in Maryland. I will admit that I am not a fan of the fluffy and cloying knitting novels of a decade ago, so I was hesitant. But my friend Janet, who owns String Theory Yarns in Chicago, said Allie was terrific So I scheduled her for December 29th - this week.
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'twas the knit before Christmas
‘twas the night before Christmas and all in the shop
Was perfectly arranged from bottom to top
Ginni, her sweater so perfectly fitting
Had just settled down for an evening of Knitting.
When out on the wharf there arose such a clatter,
She jumped from her chair to see what was the matter
The moon on the bay cast a beautiful glow.
So taken was Ginni she stopped knitting mid row
Yarn - a blending of fibers
Here’s a riddle for you. What do chocolate, coffee, and wine have in common with yarn?
If your first thought is that they are all essential elements to happiness in life, come sit with me because we’re going to be BFFs. However, the answer to my riddle is less fun and a bit more objective: All four of these products are often blended. Makers of wine, chocolate, coffee, and yarn all understand that blending different varieties gives them more control over the final product and allows them to create beautifully balanced, consistent products and offer precise characteristics to suit particular tastes and needs.
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If your first thought is that they are all essential elements to happiness in life, come sit with me because we’re going to be BFFs. However, the answer to my riddle is less fun and a bit more objective: All four of these products are often blended. Makers of wine, chocolate, coffee, and yarn all understand that blending different varieties gives them more control over the final product and allows them to create beautifully balanced, consistent products and offer precise characteristics to suit particular tastes and needs.
Mohair - 7 reasons to love it
Elton John is the sound of my childhood—sleepover parties where we shook our bell-bottoms to Crocodile Rock and discussed the deep and mysterious meaning behind Daniel. Another favorite was Bennie and the Jets. We all sang along, humming through mostly unintelligible lyrics until the chorus proclaiming Bennie’s electric boots and mo-hair suits. What was this magical mo-hair B-B-B-Bennie wore? Does it come from a Mo? I never heard of a Mo, and without Google to explain, mo-hair went into the vault of unknowns, along with why Daniel went to Spain.
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Knitting and your style guideposts
During one of our live calls last week in Club Crazy for Ewe, we were talking about what we like to wear and how we like to look. This is a topic that’s always on my mind, because my goal is to help you build a handknit wardrobe full of things you love to wear. But in order to do that, you have to be ruthless about what you choose to knit.
Here are 5 not-so-great reasons knitters choose a pattern
Sheep and cattle
My mother loved the grocery store, as much for the social interaction as anything, and we always went to the Safeway in Camp Washington, near Fairfax, Virginia. She liked that store especially because of Bob Hall, the butcher. Mr. Hall was a huge red-faced man with hands as big as chuck roasts. He wore a white paper cap and a bloody apron, and he always seemed to be honing a giant knife. He would make a great show of using his razor sharp blade to cut the hairs right off his arm. It was an impressive, if unsanitary, demonstration that made quite an impression on me. He taught my mother
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10 knitting lessons from my dog trainer
Last week I hired a dog trainer. After Malcolm nearly broke my finger chasing something, and his baby sister, Charlie trips me every time we go out the door, I realized that we all needed training. Malcolm and Charlie are both Sheepadoodles. If you’re not familiar with the breed, just picture the cutest dog you’ve ever seen times ten. Half sheep dog and half standard poodle, they look like muppets with a silky shaggy tuxedo coat and the soulful eyes of Paul Newman. Here they are being all cute and stuff.
They look like Muppets, but they are, in fact, strong, smart, stubborn furry little monsters with a mind of their own and a decided tendency to want things their way. Hence the trainer. I love them both with a white hot passion. The dogs,
What to use when - how to substitute yarns in your knitting projects
In book club last week, we had a super interesting discussion about Klara and the Sun. Klara’s an Artificial Friend, an AF, an advanced robot doll whose purpose is to pal around with Josie, a thirteen-year-old girl. Josie’s very ill, and her mother is so worried about losing her, that she investigates the concept of replacing her daughter with an AF designed to look just like Josie. But looking alike isn’t really enough, is it? It’s about their personality. What makes them laugh or cry? How do they respond in different situations? Klara, we find, is a storehouse of just such information about Josie, and Klara’s database can be downloaded to create a nearly perfect replica of not just Josie’s appearance, but
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In praise of boring knits
“This is a great sweater,” I overheard a knitter say in the shop last week, “but it’s sooo boring to knit. Miles and miles of stockinette. Gah! I could never do it. I’d be so bored.”
“I like miles and miles of stockinette,” another said, admitting sheepishly, “I like boring knits.”
Standing at the register, I couldn’t stop myself from butting into the conversation, “I like boring knits too.” I offered. The stockinette-lover beamed at me. It’s true