Off to see the sun

I'm here in the shop doing some last minute things before I jet off to CT tomorrow. I won't be able to update the Stash website from there, so I will try and post anything new and exciting here. This week we received a shipment from Dream in Color, and Nathalie and I are casting on our February Lady Sweaters. I think that will be a good holiday project, though I may only be able to work on it indoors in the air conditioning! Every time we get a box of Dream in Color, its as if we have never seen it before. I think we each fall in love with a different color every time

There is a box of Misti Alpacas in transit which will include our all time scarf favorite, 100% Baby Alpaca Chunky. This time we will have solids as well as handpaints. Some of the colors are to follow, so we should be getting another box in a few weeks.

We also have the new issue of Knitscene. This may be their best issue yet. I have to make the Kimono socks. Put those in the list!

Talk to you from the other side of the pond! Happy Knitting!

Summertime



Its (sort of) summertime here in London. More like eternal springtime, which can sometimes be nice. The kids are finishing school this week, and I am looking forward to sleeping in, and not having to make packed lunches! I will be making my annual pilgrimage to Connecticut next week to enjoy some sun and sand. I will also do my best to scope out the yarn shops in CT and NYC to see if there is anything new and exciting that might be great to have at Stash.
On the knitting front, I have finally finished my Aleita vest.



I am loving the way it fits, though I had some stress regarding the tension. Why do they not tell you whether or not tension should be in the round? Maybe it doesn't effect everyone, but for me it really makes a difference. I had to do one for the bottom half, and another for the top, which was knit flat. I would imagine that if you are a beginner, you could end up having to rip this out, or have a real problem with the fit when it is finished. Anyway, its done now. I have moved on to a sleeping WIP, my Icarus shawl. I love the fact that it was about a third finished when I went back to it. Talk about instant gratification! I am on the second chart in less than a week.

As for the shop, the internet site is up and running after a few blips with the payment gateways. We are now taking both Paypal, and credit cards. I would have liked to have a stock control on the site, but as we run a separate system in the London shop, it is not possible right now. If all goes well, we will have to look into some sort of integration. Meanwhile, I have been very diligent about letting customers know if something is not in stock, which hasn't happened much anyway!

I have also put up a link on the site for a newsletter that will be published monthly. You can sign up here. I hope to have the first one out next week, and then after I come back from my trip.

Happy Knitting!

Up and Running

Well, the internet shop is up and running! I am a bit nervous, but it seems to work quite smoothly. Not everything is in there yet, but I think there is a pretty good selection. I still have alot of photos to take! We'll see if I can get some good light over the next weeks. You can get to it from the link on our website or here. Happy Shopping!

Sale List

Today I am home working hard on getting our internet shopping site moving along. Didn't get much done last week as the kids were on half term. I am going to try my best to have it coincide with our two year anniversary. It won't have everything up yet, but I will be adding new lines as the weeks roll on. Speaking of the anniversary, thought I would give you a little taste of what will be in the sale this year. Offhand design bags big reductions, most Louisa Harding yarns, Koigu selected colors, selected Art Yarns, Lambs Pride Worsted, and some others that I am probably forgetting at the moment. Oh yes, we have a big box of mixed Mission Falls cotton odd balls that will be much reduced. Starting Thursday, and carrying on for the next couple of weeks. Happy hunting!

Sale

I don't usually knit for others, I know, I am selfish. I feel very protective of everything I knit. Even when my kids were little, I would follow them around when they were wearing one of the sweaters that  I knit for them, worried that they would get ketchup, or a similar staining agent on it. I have found now that they are not really interested in hand knit items, and are rarely ever warm enough to want to wear one anyway. So when my husband asked me to make a baby sweater for a work colleague, I had to think for a moment.  My husband doesn't ask for much from me in the way of knitting, so I thought, what the heck. I had seen this in VK last year, and thought it looked interesting. I had always wanted to do the Baby Surprise Jacket, but this seemed nicer.

Its the Baby Suplice jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, knit in Socks that Rock, Monsoon. A nice, enjoyable quick knit. I wasn't sure how it worked until right up until the end, but I just trusted in the pattern, and it worked!

On another note, Stash is turning 2 years old next week! I can't believe how time flies. Anyway, we will be doing our usual anniversary sale. We have lots of stuff, so hopefully you can come and check it out! See you there.

Big News

Something new is on the horizon for Stash. We are going internet. I know that its something that we weren't interested in at the beginning, but we have had so many requests, that it had to be done. I have been spending much of my free time photographing yarn, and making sure that it looks as close on screen to the originals. I have had a little bit of help as well..




I know this is not something to complain about, but my house is full of yarn!!








It is hard to resist at times. I was working on the Koigu today, and every skein I picked up, it was as if I had never seen it before. I kept thinking, "this is so beautiful, what can I make with it?". I have to resist temptation at the moment, and get the site up and running.

Even Fluffy is excited!






I'll keep you posted.

Bagels

I love to cook. Not sure if I mentioned this before or not. I also love gadgets. Put those two together, and I love kitchen gadgets as well! I always wanted a bread maker, and got my first one 5 years ago with points earned in Sainsburys Nectar scheme. It was great, and my machine had a great life, but it had to go to the great garbage dump in the sky last week as it stopped working. We had some good times together, and my younger daughter will only eat bread that I make in the bread machine. I have now upgraded to a lovely Panasonic bread machine, which my husband has even learned to love, making pizza dough by the ton the past couple of weeks. Being a New Yorker at heart (I grew up in Connecticut, parents from Da Bronx), I have been homesick for bagels for the past 6 years. I only get good ones when I go back over the summer, and despite what they say here, the Brick Lane Bagel bake is not good at all. They don't even know how to spell bagel, I think they say something like baegel or something. Anyway, I looked for some recipes online, and made these yesterday...







Ta Dah!! They taste mostly like the real thing. Could be a little chewier, but way better than anything I have had this side of the pond. H&H bagels, they are not, but a good substitute. I got the recipe here. The only change I made was to half the sugar, and add 1 tablespoon malt syrup instead. You can get it in the healthfood shop.

On to knitting. I have put aside some other projects, and started the Aleita Shell. Thought it would be nice with the warmer weather coming (hopefully!). The Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny cotton is lovely, and great stitch definition as well.









Also working on the Leafling socks from the Rockin Sock Club






At the shop we got some great new yarns in this week. First of all Shibuiknits sock yarn. Yummy! I bought a couple of skeins a while back to test, and beside the fact that it is super soft, the colors are juicy to say the least.

We had another surprise when we got a big ole box of Koigu!!! As usual, the colors are great, but the big excitement is that we got some of their newest yarn, Mori. It is a mix of Mulberry silk and Merino. The skeins are the same size, and as you would expect with silk, it has a lovely sheen that only silk can provide.

Come in and check it out!

Natural Dye Studio

Last night we kicked off our Yarn of the Month, The Natural Dye Studio with our monthly Yarn Tasting evening. I think I speak for everyone that attended by saying that a great time was had by all. First of all, the yarns are simply lovely. 

You can see for yourself by the display, we have been sent quite a variety of colors and yarns. Second of all, and maybe one of the reasons to have attended last evening was the sample's that were provided. I have to say that they have gone above and beyond what we expected. What a presentation! Everyone received one of these beauties. I didn't want to open mine up!

Each of these skeins contained something like 10 mini skeins, each with a tag describing the yarn. Our only problem was how to wind them, but no one seemed too bothered. I copied Nathalie and put it around my neck and wound by hand.

Here is what it looked like opened up.

And here is everyone enjoying the evening!

Yarn Tasting

I was just reminded today by Nathalie the Stash is going to be having a new Yarn of the Month as of next week. We have been closed this week for Easter holidays, so my mind has not been on yarn as much as how to entertain my two daughters. Lets just say that we have done quite a bit of shopping, as girls like to do. Anyway, we are due a bunch of yarn from The Natural Dye Studio next week. I am really excited about this one. The yarn tasting will be on Monday, April 7 from 7:00-9:00. We will be open on Tuesday, so call if you want to book a place.  

Silkwood

I'm pretty sure that I mentioned this, but the Yarn of the Month is Silkwood. I was admiring the colors the other day, and just had to take some photos. Nic did most of the dying, and they are just yummy.

Hope you can make it in to see it in person.

Silkwood

The new yarn of the month at Stash will be Silkwood starting next week. If anyone is interested, there will be a tasting evening at the shop from 7-9 pm on Monday, 10 March. Nic will be there to answer any questions as she often helps out with the dying. I can't wait to take a look at all of the lovely textures and colors! See you there.

New Stuff

I haven't been knitting as much as I want to lately, but I did finish a quick project last week that turned out great.
It is a baby kimono, you can find the pattern here. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino, about 1.5 skeins. For some reason, Ravelry lists this yarn as bulky, but it is really a DK. It isn't machine washable, but it is a gift for some friends who are having their first baby, and I thought it would be special. I love how it turned out. My only recommendation is to go up a needle size on the sleeves once you start working in the round. I had to rip mine out the first time and re-knit them.



I also have yet to sew a button in, or block it. It is now a sample in the shop, so I will wash it and block before I give it to our friends.

There are lots of new things in the shop. We have quite a bit of new cotton in. Our favorite at the moment is the Blue Sky Skinny Cotton. The colors are beautiful, and I can't wait to start something with it. We got a great new yarn in yesterday that we have been stoking quite a bit. Dream in Color has a new one, Baby Laceweight. It is very similar to their other yarns, which means that it is incredibly soft. It is 100% Merino Superwash, and has something like 750 yards on the skein. As always, the colors are great. Take a look.



We also have recieved some new Mission Falls cotton in multi colors, which use colorways from their existing palette. They are quite interesting, I think you will agree.



I believe that Nathalie is going to make a childs dress with the pinky one, and I am looking forward to seeing how the colors work up.

I was hoping that spring was here, but it seems to be getting cold again. Not sure whether to start another warm project, or move onto all the lovely warm weather stuff! Decisions Decisions!

From the Mountains

Its been a year already, and here I am on the dreaded ski trip. I know, I said that I would never do it again, but the husband and kids seem to like it. This year we have chosen a place that is not in the middle of nowhere (only just a little bit). We are at Club Med, at Tignes Val Claree. There is actually a little town down the road, with a few shops, nothing special, but better than last year. I have booked in at the spa for the next few mornings, which should keep me busy. Yesterday I took the funicular to the top of the mountain, where I saw some spectacular views. The photo doesn't do it justice as I am to scared to go to close to the edge, but here goes.



I have brought along some knitting, of course. The one that I have been working on most is the Salish Sea socks from the STR 2007 sock club. Believe it or not, I have never done a toe up sock. I am not sure that a Cat Bordi sock is the best one to do first, but the directions are pretty clear so far. I am on the arch expansion, and soon on to the heel. I love the color.



Before I left, I made a discovery in my closet, one finished sock in Trekking Bamboo from months back. I am going to take the opportunity this week to try and make the other one as well. No photos of those though.

Hopefully you are aware that Stash recieved a huge shipment of Dream in Color Smooshy last week. Get it while its hot! See you back in London!

Finished

I finally finished the Cheri Amour, though not sure how happy I am with it. The pattern was easy, and worked up quickly. I chose it not only because I liked the styling, but because everyone on Ravelry looked good in it, no matter what their shape. I am not so sure about it on me, which is why I have only photographed the back. The front photos came out horrible, though I didn't think it looked that bad in the mirror. My problem area is the tummy, and this sweater is tight in that area. Not sure its a good style for me. What would Trinny and Susannah say?

The other problem is that I followed the pattern, and blocked it to the measurements, and it is definately not as long as on the girl in the photo. Is she extremely short? I should have noticed this as I was making it, but no way I am going back now.



I'll see if I can get someone else to take the photo later, maybe it will come out different.

I am pretty proud to say that I have finished most of my WIP's, and only have the Party lace scarf left. Hope to make some progress on that this week. In the meantime I have decided that I will make some jewelry with the goodies that I purchased in NYC.

We have a new arrival in the shop today, Casbah sock yarn from Handmaiden, as well as a new shipment of Sea Silk. This time we decided to be daring, and get the yarns dyed in Fleece Artist colors. We are getting a bit tired of the others, even though they are lovely. Its good to try something new after nearly 2 years. Wouldn't you say?

Been a while


I haven't done a post here in what feels like forever. Since Ravelry came on the scene, its so easy to post all of my knitting projects there. It is also so dark here at the moment, that I feel like its evening all of the time. Not feeling particularly energetic in that respect.

Anyway, we had a lovely holiday in the U.S.. First we went to New York, my old haunting ground. Its been such a long time since I spent more than an afternoon there. Our hotel was a block from Grand Central Station, so I was able to take the girls there every morning for yummy baked goods from Zaros, and the best coffee that side of the pond at Orens Daily Roast. All other coffee in the U.S. tastes like water to me since I have gotten used to drinking espresso! We did the whole Mid-town sightseeing thing, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (a must do that time of year). We hit all of our favorite restaurants, Carnagie Deli just to name one. Yummy!!!! Then it was on to Florida, and a cruise with my husbands family. You can see the photos below. I am not a boat person, so even though it was smooth as silk, I felt dizzy the whole time. It was alot of fun none the less. The weather was beautiful as you can see, now that what you call a beach! We then spent the next week at my parents, where the weather was a beautiful and sunny 85F every day. Can't beat that.

Now its back to London where it is pretty much dark all of the time, and my eyes are burning because it makes me feel tired. The only good thing is that it is not freezing like New York.

I did finish quite a few projects lately, here is a list:

Monkey Socks



Fingerless Dashing Gloves



Cherie Amour (body)



Chunky Scarf in Misti Alpaca



I've also been making jewelry since I took a class back in November. I made a bunch for teacher gifts, and didn't take any photos. This is one for my mom with some beads that I bought in NYC, the mecca of all things. You can find anything there, just like London (NOT!). The first bead shop that I walked into was double the size of all of the bead shops in London put together, and I had a list of 10 that I had planned to visit. Oh well, just have to make more trips back I guess.



We are busy at the shop as well, some new yarns due in at any moment. Keep checking the website!

Vacation Photos

I know its been a while. Just a few vacation photos until I have time for a longer post.

Our cruise ship.



How about this rainbow




One of the coolest balloon animals I have ever seen...



Its a killer whale!

Happy New Year!

Bad Luck or Bad Needles?

I have been enjoying my knitting with this lovely Knit Witches mohair. It took me a while to find a pattern that wouldn't drive me crazy. This one is from MagKnits, and takes a little concentration, but not too much.



The other day, I was reading an article about how great the new Knit Picks Options wooden tip are for knitting lace. I do love the metal ones, but this yarn has been just sliding right off, so I decided to give them a try. The tips are pointy, but not too much, great for lace. The only problem is that after one row, my tip came off of the metal holder. I figured this was a fluke, and asked Nathalie to borrow one from her set. So here I was, sitting in the coffee shop near Stash yesterday, enjoying my lace knitting, when here we go again...



I telephoned Knit Picks after the first needle, and they are sending me one. The lady on the other end of the phone seemed a bit confusted by what I was telling her, she wasn't the most helpful, but did finally figure out that I need a new one of 4.5 mm. I guess I will be calling them again about the other. I am now wondering about the rest of my set. Do I ask them to replace the entire thing? It could be quite a while before I get around to trying every size. The questions now is, was this just a bit of bad luck, or are these bad needles held together with childrens paste?

Veste Finished

The Veste Everest is finally finished! I think that it is a little too short, but all of my fashionable friends have told me otherwise. I am so pleased with the color, and it fits perfectly around the bust and waist. It was a pretty quick knit, and though there were no sleeves, there was quite a bit of finishing to do. In the interim, I have been working on some Monkey socks, and have finished one, and a bit of another. The best part is that I can now start working on Cherie Amour, which has been in my queue for a few weeks now.



On the shop front, we have a new yarn in, All Hemp 6 from Hemp for Knitting. I recently saw the pattern for Eiffel in Knitty and fell in love. This was about the time that Lana and Melissa contacted us to see if we would be interested in their yarns. At first this yarn is pretty rough, but when washed, has many of the same qualities of linen. I have learned some interesting things about hemp as well, it can be washed and dryed in the dryer, it does not stretch or shrink, and it has anti-microbial qualities. This makes it a good candidate for making dishcloths as well as garments. The colors are beautiful, and we have it in the shop right now!

Knit Witches

I know its been a whole week since the Knit Witches evening, but it took me this long to get the photos from Nathalie's camera. Here is a photo of the yummy yarns that are in the shop now.



We have four yarns available, a sock yarn, silk laceweight, cashmere laceweight, and mohair. The colors are beautiful semi-solids.

The evening was alot of fun, swatching, and catching up with some regulars who we haven't seen in a while. We were able to present Anne with the Lizard Ridge blanket that some of us knitted for her.



Big thanks to those of you who participated. Anne has left a card in the shop, so if you come in, take a look.

In case you didn't know, we have recieved a huge new shipment of Dream in Color Classy worsted and Smooshy sock this week, hope you can check it out!

Goodies

We had a visit from my parents this past week. They arrived from Florida about the time that it started to get cold here, unlucky for them. Lucky for me they brought some items that I had ordered. First came the Knitpicks wooden tips for the Options needles.



My thought is that these are going to be great for the airplane. Although British Airways has changed their policy in the past year to include knitting needles, I usually bring along bamboo circulars. This way I can bring them on without the tips, and put them on later. I haven't tried them yet, but they are very smooth, the tips look nice, and the join is nearly seamless. I have to start something new this week so that I can give them a try. The color is a bit strange, but what a great idea to do wooden tips for this set.

My next treat was 2 skeins of STR. I think I have a bit of a problem with this yarn. I keep ordering more, and I don't know why. Could it be the luscious colors? The soft feel? All of the above? All I know is that if someone starts STR Anonomous, I will have to become a member, I can't stop myself!!! Here are the two new additions:


Atomic #6


Spinel (extra yum!)

On the knitting front, I have gotten nothing done. I was nearly finished with the vest, and when my mom got here, and I started making silly mistakes. I have decided to put it aside for a short while, as per Jills good advice, and start something new. I have been wanting to make some Monkey socks with this yarn for a while, and started these last night



The color is nearly perfect in the photo, I love them.

Last but not least, who are these two ladies? What a lovely shop!



On another note, don't forget that Knit Witches yarns will be in the shop from next Saturday. Come in and check them out!