Cameliscious

This week has been tough at the shop. We have recieved some unbelievably beautiful yarns, and I am having to restrain myself. It is very difficult, you have to see for yourself. The first box to arrive was from Misti Alpacas. We have been waiting for the laceweight for ages. Alot of the colors have been on backorder for months. When the new color cards arrived, I fell in love with their Baby Suri alpaca and silk blend. It is so soft and silky. Nathalie agreed, and after some debate, we chose some lovely colors.



There was a lovely red one, but what a shock, it has all gone. The remaining ones are quite lovely as well, so don't feel as if you are missing out!

Next came Handmaiden box number one (number 2 due on Tuesday), full of Camelspin, yum!!! The colors are so rich. The last time we recieved this yarn, it lasted less than a week. This time we have ordered quite a bit more, so don't worry. Even the owner of Fleece Artist told me that she thinks this is their most beautiful yarn. Nathalie and I are in love. She is going to start a shawl this weekend in Peridot. I have settled on Amethyst, what a surprise, purple!



I am on the last pieces of my sweater, finally. Hope to finish next week and start a shawl. Any ideas for not too difficult lace using 900 meters?

Fibers

I've been doing a bit of spinning since that weekend a few weeks ago when I knit too much (is that possible?). It doens't make much sense for me to buy yarn since I see tons of gorgeous ones every day, and don't even have time to use all of them. What else is a girl to do but buy fiber on Etsy! Some of the Saturday ladies in the shop turned me on to this site. It is full of beautiful hand crafted items, and of course, yarn and knitting related things. I started searching for yarn and rovings a while back, and found Copperpot, which is the one that I was using below to Peruvian ply. I am nearly done with that one, hoping to finish the second spool today.

This is what arrived during the week:






The top two are like pillows of fluffiness, 100% Merino wool. The bottom two are a mix of Merino and Tussah silk. They are a little felted, but I think that if I fluff them up, they should be alright. Worth a try.

These three arrived in my husbands suitcase yesterday. I thought since he was in CT that I could save on the shipping. They come from Fat Cats, and look how beautifully they are presented. like skeins of yarn. One is Merino, one is superwash Merino, and one is Falklands wool. I can't stop looking at them!






They have great names like "Italian leather sofa", which is the reddish one.
Last but not least, I forgot this one the other day, my Trekking sock in front of the Duomo in Milan. Notice Roberta in the bottom left (in blue), on the telephone.

P.S. I forgot to mention that we have some new arrivals at the shop. Misti Alpacas has arrived in laceweight in new colors. We also have Baby suri alpaca silk. It is so soft, and the colors have the most beautiful silky sheen!

Weekend in Milan

This past weekend I took a weekend away from Stash, and London, and headed off to Milan with a few friends, one of whom is originally from there. The weather was beautiful, and the shopping was great. I did manage to find one shop that sold yarn, though most of it was cotton, plain but nice. Roberta managed to snap a photo of me before the saleslady realized it and told her that she was not allowed to take photos, who knows why.



Not a bad selection of colors, but otherwise nothing interesting. I did manage to buy a pattern book, in Italian of course, but the photos are nice, and there are some nice lace patterns that I'm sure I could figure out if I wanted to.

The food and gelato were heaven! Now its back to normal life, and the shop. We finally got a box of Knits from a Painters Palette, the Koigu book. It only took about 6 months since I asked the distributor to get it for me. She kept insisting that it wasn't published yet. Of course it has been available in the U.S. since some time late last year. Anyway, we have it now, and it is a beautiful book.

We have also decided to extend the sale one more week until this Saturday. We thought that there were some people who hadn't heard about it, so why not give them some more time to check it out.

On the knitting front, Hubby is away this week, so trying to get something accomplished on the Nashua Handknits sweater. Hoping to finish the back this week. I also saw this one on Knitty that I am going to make as we have the exact yarn in the shop, though it is made by GGH. I am going to do it in red. Off to swatch right now!

Peruvian Plying

Despite my lack of bobbins...the new ones were ordered, but still haven't arrived. Hmmm, don't want to mention any names, but some places are so slow around here! Hoping they arrive some time next week or I may have to carve them myself! Anyway, Diane taught me a new technique the other evening for plying up a small piece of spinning to see how it will look without changing bobbins. Scroll down on this page for an example, it is the one where you wind it onto your hand.
Here is what my sample looked like...



Then I knit it up, the first time I have ever knit anything I have spun. Thinking of doing a skein, and using it for the cuff on a bulky jacket that I have planned for the winter.



Next time I will try to take a photo of the yarn on my hand, but as it was my first time doing it alone, it was a bit tight, and my middle finger started to turn blue!

Off to start spinning more...

Finished and Spinning

OK, I finally finished the dreaded socks. It was the never ending project. I think that I re-learned the pattern about 5 different times, but alas, they are done, and on my feet...



Something else happened to me this weekend. With all the horrible weather, I did so much knitting that I got "knit out". I couldn't knit another stitch, so I decided to do some spinning. I haven't done any since we moved. I got out all my spinning stuff, and guess what...my bobbins are all missing. How annoying is that! I searched the entire house, several times, and decided that they are a casualty of the move.

The next day, I ordered a few more, and borrowed one from Diane so I could participate in her Spin-a-long.



It is one single that is very thick plied with one that is quite a bit thinner. Interesting effect though the colors aren't that exciting.

Now I am inspired, so hopefully my new bobbins will arrive soon!

Works in Progress

Its Bank Holiday weekend here, or Memorial Day weekend as I used to know it. The scary thing is that it is also my older daughters 10 year birthday, double digits. It is strange to think that I have a 10 year old, closer to teenager than little girl. Alot of my friends still are having babies, or have little ones, and my little girl is closing in on puberty! Lets try not to think about that too much! We did have a nice day despite it being very rainy (what a surprise!). We have a friend's daughter for the weekend, so they are busy and thus...time to knit. I have not finished anything in a while. As a matter of fact, I finished my first Seduction sock when I was in Florida. I am determined to finish the other one this weekend, not too far off.



I love having a conservatory, it makes it much easier to photograph, even on a rainy day!

I also finished both panels for the Surplice Lace top. I am a little concerned that they look shorter than in the photo, but they are the length that it says, and the top is longer than I want it to be according to the pattern. I can always add on later if it seems too short, but it says that it is going to be 22 inches from the back of the neck, and that is really long for me. Trust in the pattern, she says.



And a close up (the color is a bit better here).



Next, I have broken down and decided that I need a mindless sock to knit. I never thought I would do a stocking stitch sock, but it is pretty relaxing. I really like this yarn. We had a sample a while back, but the color was so bad that I forgot about it. It is Trekking Pro Natura, wool with bamboo. I have heard that when you wash bamboo it gets silky, so I'll let you know.



Lastly, don't forget that Stash is having our first anniversary sale. I can't believe its been a year already! We have lots of yarns that we are going to reduce to make way for new stock that will be arriving. Nathalie made a list, but I believe it will be a selection from Debbie Bliss, Noro, Lana Grossa (including all of their sock yarns), GGH, Crystal Palace, Feza, Rooster, and lots of other odd balls and end of dye lots. Hope to see you there!

Meme

I've been tagged by Nickerjac, so here goes...

“Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.”

I am only going to tag Diane as most of the others that I know have already been tagged.

Here it is:

1. I started out at University studying Engineering. (What was I thinking!)

2. I am addicted to watching Girls of the Playboy Mansion of E Entertainment TV.

3. I never travelled overseas, nor had a passport until I was in my mid 20's.

4. I play the flute.

5. The vegetable I dislike most is Beetroot.

6. My favorite radio station is XFM, I won't listen to anything else, I am an indie rocker at heart.

7. I sleep flat on my back, and can't fall asleep any other way.



On the knitting front...Started a pair of Trekking Pro Natura socks, photo to come. Finished the first part of my sweater, the front lace panel. Here is a photo of what it will look like. I am using Debbie Bliss Cathay in a pale blue. The pattern is from Nashua handknits. I was so happy that Flossie let me borrow the book when she brought it back from San Francisco. Thanks Flossie!

Back in the Saddle

Its nice to be back at the shop, especially now that Nathalie is back. Its been like at the beginning the past week with Diane away. I've really been enjoying it. It will be nice to have Diane back (if you are out there reading this from the French countryside somewhere!). The one thing that hasn't been easy has been the school runs as all of our kids get out of school at the same time.
On another front, I have finally finished the Gypsy shawl. It was my first try at knitting a lace shawl, and I am really pleased with it. Here are a few photos:





and finally, a close up



On another front, we are expecting a big box from Handmaiden today, loads of Sea Silk, kits, and a new one, Camelspun, yum!

Up and Running...nearly

I am happy to report that although we still don't have internet in our house (its only been a month now) I have been able to link up wirelessly at the shop. Yippee!
The shop website should be updated on a more regular basis now! At least I can read my emails, they have only been piling up for a month.
I'm back in the shop. Diane is on vacation, so its Nathalie and I, like the old days. Looking forward to hanging out with her, as well as getting some work done around here. I did recieve an email that our Sea Silk has shipped, should be here by early next week. I also hope to have some photos of my shawl, finished socks, and some lovely Koigu that I purchased. Might include some Disney photos as well!
Nice to be back online!!!

Shop Update

Since I am in Florida, and have no way of updating the website, I thought I could do it via the blog. Diane has kindly sent me some photos showing some of what has arrived this week.

First we have some more Fleece Artist sock yarn and Sea wool. There are some new colors for spring such as this lovely pinky and orange one on top.



We also decided to try a new one from Fleece Artist called Mo, which as you can probably guess, it mohair. It looks more like cotton candy to me.



Next is some Fiddlesticks Zephyr lace, which is 50% silk and 50% merino wool. The last batch sold out in a week, so just had so get some more.



On my knitting front, the Gypsy shawl is coming along despite the fact that the pattern from Koigu is merely a guide. Some of our customers have made it, and said that they had to figure out the edges, but basically you have to figure out the whole thing yourself. They give you a huge chart that pretty much just has the lace patterns plopped in it with no allowance for the center increases, and it doesn't show the edges at all. I have never knit a lace shawl before, and since everyone said that you had to figure the edges out yourself, didn't think about the center increases until I had to unpick the lace row about 10 times at first. I guess it should have been obvious that if you are increasing at either side of the center, that the lace pattern would increase one stitch each side from the center as well, but I was looking at the chart. Oh well, I am hoping that since there is so much color, the mistake won't show up too much. Once I got into it, it became much easier. I guess it was my initiation into lace knitting and a lesson to not rely on the pattern too much.

I also went to a great knitting shop here in South Florida called Great balls of Yarn. The ladies there were so nice, and they had some fab colors of Koigu that I just had to buy! They will be a great addition to our color selection in the next order. I have no cable for my camera, so can't show them now, but hopefully when I get back in a week.

Greetings from Florida!

I haven't been able to post for ages as we have moved house. I can't tell you how difficult it is to change everything. It took over a week to get the phone working, and we only have one plug that does work. Now the challenge will be to get internet, if ever! They say moving is one of the most stressful things to do, but I have never experienced it in this way before. I don't know if it is just this time, or is moving in the UK is just more difficult? Anyway, lets just say that now I am on vacation in Florida. It is sunny outside, and I can't wait to get to the pool. Please forgive me if the Stash website doesn't get much updating since I had no internet at home, and my parents don't have the software at their house.

On the knitting front, not much has gotten finished due to moving. I was able to knit alot on the airplane yesterday even though my 7 year old daughter refused to sleep or watch movies. Did quite alot on my Seduction Sock. Not sure if my parents have a card reader either, will have to see if I can post photos. Hoping to do some work on the Gypsy Shawl by the pool later on!

On the shop front, Fiddlesticks Zephyr nearly sold out within a week. I had to place another order, which has hopefully shipped already. We should have more supply within a week. We are also expecting more Malabrigo this week, as well as Fleece Artist depending on shipping and customs.

Diane will be on her own this week, so please pop in and keep her company!

Moving right along

This week is the big house move. It is just up the road, but there is still alot to do. This place is a mess. They have packed alot of the boxes and moved them, but the furniture is still here. I think they will move that tomorrow, and the fun will begin, unpacking! I have no idea when I will have internet service again. Things here don't always work very well, so even though they are moving the phone line over, who knows if the internet will work any time soon. I am so exhausted that I have had no time to knit. I am hoping to make some progress on the Gypsy shawl after this week is over. So until I have internet service again...have a good week!
P.S. Check out the shop website for new class listings.

Loads to Do

I don't know if I mentioned that we have to move, fun! We were planning to stay in this house until a year from July, but they have decided to sell it. We thought for a bit whether or not we wanted to buy it or not. In the end, it is a bit too small in the living area, and we are still not sure where we are going to end up in the long run, London or CT USA. I have no idea how we are ever going to decide that, but maybe something will happen next year to make us decide. Meanwhile, we are moving on Monday. The new place will be twice the size, but not quite as nice. I am looking forward to more space though. If I have been a bit lax on the blogging, the cleaning out and moving is taking up alot of my time.
Anyway, here is a photo of Charlie with his new girlfriend, Fluffy.



I hope they like each other. They are like an old married couple, bickering over food, sleeping in seperate beds. There has been no real fighting, and Charlie is a bit frisky still despite his lack of manly parts. They are very cute!

I have done a little knitting, though not much. I started the Koigu Gypsy Shawl, and its coming on slowly.



Not sure whether or not it will be finished by the time I go to Florida, but if not I'll have to knit it by the pool!

Socks that Rock!

Sorry its been awhile. I've been sick again, shocker! I can't believe how ill I have been this winter. This seems to be a rerun of December, some sort of chest thing. Anyway, I think I am on the mend. I have to give credit to the NHS this time as they have given me proper medication, and I didn't have to go to a private doctor and spend loads of cash on medicine. Anyway, on to much more interesting things!
As Diane and Nic are away at Skip North this weekend, I was on duty at the shop all morning yesterday. Nathalie arrived to relieve me around 2:00, at which time I found a card from the postman saying that I had a parcel. Hmmm, what could it be. I was expecting some medicine from Parkside Hospital that they owed me. When I got back to the shop around 4:00, I asked Nathalie to wait while I collected the package. I thought it might be something else, but didn't want to get my hopes up. When I got to the window and recieved the box, I saw the return address, and my heart leapt with joy. I immediately phoned the shop to tell Nathalie. We both squealed with delight, and I walked as fast as I could back without giving myself a heart attack (I am pretty sick, could hardly breathe let alone run!). I tore open the box to find this...



(Click on the photo for a larger view by all means.)

It is the first installment of the Rockin Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. How exciting! I am not sure how much I like the color. It is not what I would ever pick out. The green is nice, but the other side is hard to figure. In some light it is charcoal grey, and others it is a dark brown. The pattern is really interesting. I have never done toe up. The only problem is that it is done on really small needles, and I am notoriously loose, so I have gone an ordered size 000 needles from the U.S.. I can start when they arrive. Here is a better picture of the actual skein. I love the emergency sock yarn by the way.

Back to Normal

OK, sorry about the whiny post the other day. It was actually the only really bad day that I had. The other days were actually quite relaxing, though it was a bit boring not having anything else to do besides knit and sit around. I can't complain about the knitting time, but I think if I decide to go again next year, I am going to pick the place. I would have really liked to have tried snow shoeing, but there wasn't anything like that offered where we were.

This wasn't a bad view to look at though...



Here is my finished Mobius, which was really fun to do, and as I said, the cast on is MUCH easier than people think...



I also did another pair of Fetching from Knitty, but no time for a photo. Maybe later.

I can't complain too much when my daughter looks like she is having the time of her life, and what a view!!!

From the Mountain

I found out this morning that our hotel has Wi-Fi in the bottom floor. Now I am connected! How exciting is that. The first few days here were actually nice and relaxing. The view is beautiful. (OK, this connection is not that great, it won't let me upload photos. Just imagine a snow covered mountain, with lots of sun)


We are at the top of the mountain, so I can just sit on the deck and look out at the mountain. I did alot of knitting the first couple of days. Finished the Mobius. Once again, can't upload the photo, so you'll have to wait for next week.
I am now making myself another pair of Fetching as my other ones are pretty worn out.

I would say that three days would have been enough. Everyone else is off on all day ski outings. I had to eat lunch alone today, which is pretty depressing I have to say. I thought I would go to the village for a little retail therapy, but the shops were all closed for lunch, for several hours. Had to turn right around and come back. Pretty annoying. I have now told my husband that this is the last time I am doing this. He can take the kids alone next time, they are old enough.

The other thing is that there is nowhere outside for me to go other than the deck, and of course everyone is smoking out there as the indoor space is non-smoking. No fresh mountain air for me!

Sorry to be on a downer! Not sure if you saw the comments on my last post, but seems that lots of people are having trouble with the Vogue shrug. I guess I am going to have to frog a bit of it. I have complained to VK, but don't plan on hearing anything from them anytime soon.

Gone Knittin'

I'm off tomorrow on the ski trip. I love the people we are going with, they are some of the nicest people I know. The problem is that I am going to be in the middle of a ski mountain with nothing to do. I have spent the entire week deciding what to bring along in terms of knitting. I am definately not bringing the shrug, its too big, and too many balls of yarn. I did have a lazy week and only managed to do 2 more hexagons. I am planning to go for the big push to finish right after I get back, so watch this space!

I was able to finish my Fleece Artist socks this week. The pattern is Jeanne Townsends Spring Twists. It is available from her Yahoo group.



I don't know why one looks longer than the other in this photo, I can assure you that they match up. The color is great, bright and fun, and they are so soft to wear. I love them! Here is a close up of the pattern.



I am also happy to announce that I have mastered the Mobius Cast-on. It is really very simple. I am using the kit from Fleece Artist, but also have Kat Bordi's book, which helps a bit. It is actually very easy. I was worried, so started it before I left just in case. Now I just have to knit away! I am hoping to finish this quickly and wear it on the trip.



I also cast on these socks. I've been admiring this color of Koigu in the shop for ages. It is not what I would typically choose, but its fun for a change to use something completely different. I am using the Badcaul pattern from Anna.



Sorry about the blurry photo, didn't realize it until I got it into Photoshop. I have to be at the shop to open in 30 minutes, but you get the idea on the color.

I am also going to bring along my lace, which you can see below. It has grown quite a bit, but that photo came out terrible. Hope the next one is of it finished!

See you on the slopes...not!

Hexagons

I am now on the 7th hexagon of the shrug. This means that I have finished the first row, and the following ones will be the shoulders, then the sleeves. I was starting to panic yesterday because it is pretty huge at the moment. I called Nathalie for some knitting therapy, as I was thinking that it is coming out too big. She told me, which makes sense, that when I start to connect it with the other hexagons, that it will probably pull it in. I hope so, or I'm not sure who this thing is going to fit. I did my gauge swatch, and as usual, I had to go down a needle size. I am going to soldier on, and trust in the pattern.



I wanted to wait for all 7 hexagons to be finished before I took a photo, but as it was unually sunny today, I thought I would seize the moment!

I am averaging about a hexagon a day, so basically if I am not lazy, I can at least get onto the sleeves before I leave on my stupid ski trip next week. (This is my name for it as I don't ski and everyone else does. Its pretty much sitting in a lounge knitting week for me) I am working on what projects to take along, most likely not this one though, too big.

I think I forgot to mention which yarn I am using. It is Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Stone.

We got some fun new yarn in the shop this week. Its called Tofutsies from Southwest Trading Company. I might take this one along and try some socks. It feels like silky cotton, though its made with Soysilk and Chitin, which is derived from crab and shrimp shells. I thought it would smell funny(pit doesn't), and it is really soft. I am dying to try it out!

Shrug and New Stuff

This week has been pretty productive on the knitting front. I have made some headway on the Vogue Knitting shrug. I am on the fourth hexagon.



Here is a closer look, the color is pretty true to the real thing in this one:



This project is so much easier than it looks, I am really enjoying it. The only advice I can offer is not to use straight needles, the stitches will never fit. I'm not sure why this is what is written in the pattern, if you look at VK's website, they show it on a circular. Not sure what they are thinking.

Also got a bit of lovely new yarn in the shop. First is the softest cashmere in some really beautiful colors.



This is the same yarn that I used for my husbands hat, it was really great to knit with. I'm thinking of what else I can make with it!

Next, hot off the press is Sea Wool from Fleece Artist. It is a combination of merino wool and Sea Cell, the same as in Sea Silk. It should make a really nice, soft, silky pair of socks. Can't wait to try it out.

Piggie Problems

OK, I know this has nothing to do with knitting, but I must have a rant. Since we got the guinea pigs for the girls a month ago, my life has been consumed with them, and the trouble that they are causing. It is mostly our fault for not doing our homework beforehand. We were just a typical family, who wanted to get pets for our children. We had heard that guinea pigs were supposed to be great for kids because they don't bite. It was nice that they like company and you should get two, which meant one for each of our girls. At the pet shop, the only cute ones were males that day. We were told that this was fine. After we got home and I went to other pet shops, I was told that you should not have two males, and that I might have to seperate them. Around a week later, they began to fight, but from what I read, this was normal fighting for territory, and should subside. To make a long story short, this one




ended up attacking this one to the point of bites, blood, and horrible squeals.





I have now had to house them seperately, you should see my kitchen!

Now for the good part. Last week, while all of this was happening, a customer came in for some help with magic loop on a hat. We got to talking and I told her of my problem. She told me never to buy an animal at a pet shop. I should have known this! She recommended the Bobtails Rescue Center. I have since been in touch with them, and I have to say that Delia has been so lovely and helpful. I have agreed to neuter them both, then she will take Patch (the black and white one), and will find us a nice girl for Charlie (fluffy one).
If you are thinking of getting a rabbit or guinea pig, I would urge you to get your animal(s) from her, we went there yesterday to take a look, and they have a great selection. This is not to say that males guinea pigs cannot live together, they just should be related, or have known each other from very young. I think that we just got extremely unlucky. I would say, please do not buy pets from this shop, although they are great for all of the accessories for your pet.
Many thanks to my customer that day, you were a great help! Hope you are magic looping away!

Now back to knitting. I have started the jacket from the cover of Vogue Knitting, we should have copies in the shop this week, I was told they were on the way. I should be finishing my first hexagon later today, photos to come!