KNews at Knitting Today Blog » projects

End of Year sale: Happy New Year!

lea-ann — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:28:52 +0000

Thursday starts the end of year sale at Knitting Today. We don’t make a habit of sales, except Superbowl Sunday, but I am anxious to start the year fresh with new yarn and project choices so there we go. If you are in the area, drop in and see what we have. The hours are noon to 6pm on Thursday and 10 to 4 on Friday. We’ll be closed then on Saturday and Sunday. I’d say I’ll be back with pictures before the end if the year but Tom and I are on our own for sale days, so we know that won’t happen.

Here’s my new project I started early. Its the Shawl Collared Cowl by Never Not Knitting (which is available in our store, btw, using the new Ravelry LYS Download service — one stop shopping, woohoo!). I’m using Jewel by Cascade, a hand dyed thick and thin. Lovely. Two starts though, cause the yarn was pooling and I didn’t like it

—–whoops, that’s not the picture! That’s my grandson and daughter on Christmas day.

– here’s the pooling part.

— here’s how it looks after switching yarns out every other row. I like it much better!

Have a safe and Happy New Year! Thank you everyone, for your patronage, your enthusiasm, and your friendship. Here’s to 2012.

Stash (n): a secret store of something

taralea — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:10:34 +0000

We all have a stash. I have a stash. Lea-Ann has a stash. Our stash just happens to be yarn! We bring that yarn into the house, put it away, buy more yarn we like, choose to use it for a purpose other than originally intended, decide to put the project aside and start something new, or just throw it in the stash bin and leave it as an unfinished projects. Here is my stash story:

Back in August, I bought Shepherd’s Wool for the Hayley Hoodie. I’ve ogled this sweater pattern for a while in the store and decided to make it since my sister, Haley, would not. I bought the yarn and was vigorously knitting it during my lecture classes in college. It was a top-down, cable edge design, and I got the hood done. I was working on the ribbing inbetween the hood and the shoulders when I stopped. I got bored, or maybe I just wanted to get DONE with something!

So, I started to pick up one skein projects. I knitted two headbands (Calorimetry from Knitty.com) for friends Christmas gifts, a ribbed scarf with odds and ends of Shepherd’s Wool interspersed with one matching skein of Noro Kureyon which I didn’t use it for it’s original intentions, a hat for someone else, etc. It felt good to knit those items. I set a small goal for myself every time.For example, the ribbed scarf was being made for my trip to Chicago. I learned that setting dates and times for these projects helped me finish them.

Some of those projects were not one skein, some of them were two! I bought Rio and knitted a 2-skein hat with that. I rummaged through my stash and found yarn from a sale a long time ago. I had started something and got bored with it, so I stashed that. When I came across it again, I searched on Ravelry for a pattern with my weight of yarn and found something I liked. The color of the yarn was pink, and I knew my sister-in-law would love it, too. I made her a cowl in a couple of days with that yarn (it’s a bulky weight).

The point is, stashing is just fine. We buy yarns and don’t want to knit what we originally planned but eventually find a new purpose for them and renewed determination later to get that project done. It’s what I did. Many of us do that. If it’s taking way too long to make a sweater or your bored, do a couple quick one skein projects. My motto at the store lately is “if we get something accomplished, we need to push the ‘easy’ button.” Reward yourself for getting it done. It helps. Don’t be worried about putting something down and picking it up later, Lea-Ann can help you figure out where you left off or write yourself a note saying what row, repeat, etc. you stopped on. I know that the Hayley hoodie will be picked up again someday. Just not yet…

What project have you started and stashed? What yarn are you stashing? Did you know we have a sale at the store on Thursday and Friday of this week? Its the ideal time to pick up some project yarn or enhance your stash!

Woolly Holiday Hunt Day 7 – Baby It’s Cold Outside!

taralea — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:08:16 +0000

Our inspiration, Baby It’s Cold Outside — so cold, your fingers turn a shade of blue, but what better to warm that cold baby in than a blanket made of yarn Ull fall in love with. Look at this flickr photo for inspiration!!

Use the bolded clues above to find the picture on our website at http://www.knittingtoday.com. Send the URL to customerservice@knittingtoday. and you’ll be entered in the drawing for a Marie Mayhew three-pack of patterns or projects (value up to $30). Submissions will close at 9am on Monday, and the drawing for the winner will be at noon.

The featured Marie Mayhew pattern today is Woolly Snowbaby! They are all decked out to keep warm while singing Christmas carols, don’t you think?

Comment below and let us know if you’ve enjoyed this scavenger hunt through the website. Did you get a chance to use the 40% off coupon we emailed those who entered? We have another coupon thank you gift coming, so check your email after noon on Monday!

Woolly Holiday Hunt Day 6 – He licked all the candy canes, ’til he turned them all green.

taralea — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:00:19 +0000

The “Grinch Who Stole Christmas” returns every year for an encore presentation. While looking at the pictured yarn, I was reminded of the lines:

When the Grinch discovered
There was no way,
To Keep Christmas from coming
On Christmas day,
He devised a new plan…

Though not quite as mean.
He licked all the candy canes,
‘Til he turned them all green.

But, really, he couldn’t take away the taste.

Use the bolded clues above to find the picture on our website at http://www.knittingtoday.com. Send the URL to customerservice@knittingtoday.com and you’ll be entered in the drawing for a Marie Mayhew three-pack of patterns or projects (value up to $30). There is one more clue tomorrow at 9am and the drawing will be Monday at noon.

In the meantime, imagine this beautiful Woolly Nest and Eggs added to your tree decor. While you’re at it, throw some scraps to the birds outside for their own nests. If you want a slightly smaller nest, there is the Woolly Nest Ornament Kit which includes everything you need including the poem. We just stocked the refill kits too, in case you want to make more than one. Our little pathetic tree is actually an ornament hanger display filled with greenery. I’ll take better pictures later to show you how cute the display looks with the Woolly Ornaments.

Woolly Holiday Hunt Day 2 – he is a jolly ????

taralea — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:00:24 +0000

Clue:

Frosty the snowman was a jolly ???? soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.

Here’s the scoop: the picture above is copied into one of the products on the page related to the ???? word missing from the clue. If you search for that word, you’ll find a number of products you can click into to find the featured picture. It seems like it should be easy, but we try and make you click around just a little bit so you get to know our offerings and how the website works. Once you find the featured picture on the product page, you need to email that page URL to customerservice@knittingtoday.com. You’ll receive a reply back that you’ve been entered or a try-again if you aren’t quite there. While these clues seem fairly easy to us because we’re in the store day-in and day-out, I realize those who don’t know the products we carry might be having a little trouble. Feel free to email us (customerservice@knittingtoday.com) for clarification.

Come back again tomorrow after 9am est to get the next clue. Every time you email the answer, you are entered into a drawing for three Marie Mayhew Woolly patterns or projects (up to a $30 value).

Here’s a glimpse at some of our favorite patterns, including the cute little snowbaby in the photo above: Woolly Snowbabies, Woolly Snowman, the Snowman Materials Kit, Woolly Accessories, and Woolly Hats. Note, the Woolly Accessories and Materials Kits are new this season to accent your Woolly Snowman. We found that Galway and Rejuvenation make good Natural Snowy colors for felting.

P.S. While you’re busy clicking around, I (Lea-Ann) am working on installing a coupon module in the store and working on some of the design functionality, so don’t be surprised if things move around a little bit.

Woolly Holiday Hunt Day 1 – enjoy your cookies with some ?

taralea — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:00:54 +0000

Clue: Pulling our treats out of the oven to cool! Waiting for our ???? to ~~brew~~ (to make it easier, Lea-Ann is editing this post to say “Steep”, sorry Tara)! You are looking for the page that has the pictures from this blog post on it and that page has to do with the ???? mentioned– send us the link to that page.

Today’s photo features the Woolly Gingerbread Cookie. Shown here, Marie strung the gingerbread men on a satin ribbon with a doorknob jingle.

Gingerbread Men: Forget the fat and calories with these too sweet gingerbread men. Two sizes that are fun to make and decorate. What cute package tie-ons these guys would make with your favorite Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a Jar! This is a cute, easy project to knit out of 100% wool and felt. Use up your odds and ends or choose from the many fun colors of Shepherd’s Wool fingering and worsted. Buy some cute buttons and thread to add the icing! Such a cute design by Marie Mayhew!

Using the clue above, find the product image in our website at http://www.knittingtoday.com, and email customerservice@knittingtoday.com with the location you find. (Note: the search feature will get you part way there, you have to dig into the projects to find the photos). Once we receive your email, you’ll be entered in the drawing to be held on December 19 for three Woolly Marie Mayhew patterns or projects (up to $30 value). Come back tomorrow after 9am EST for the next clue and project idea.

And, I’ll close with a picture of some real cookies from my daughter-in-law and grandson.

Join Our Woolly Holiday Hunt!

taralea — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:19:11 +0000

Once a day, starting December 12th and ending December 18th, we’ll post a photo along with a clue, on the blog at: http://www.knittingtoday.com/knews of a felted holiday project from the Marie Mayhew Trunk Show.

The projects include snowmen, santa, gingerbread men, ornaments, a nest, candy corn, and a penguin. The photo and the clue will give you a hint where these adorable projects will be hiding in our online store at http://www.knittingtoday.com

Once you find the page on the online store with the photo, email us at customerservice@knittingtoday.com, tell us what page you found it, and be entered in a drawing to win 3 Marie Mayhew patterns or products (up to a value of $30)!

The blog picture will be posted at 9 AM Eastern Time daily which gives you 24 hours to find the projects! You will receive a return email confirming your entry (although it won’t be immediate since we don’t check email 24/7).

Only one entry per day, but you can enter every day for more chances to win! Winner will be announced on December 19. Happy Hunting!

One Skein Easy Project 7

taralea — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:37:43 +0000

This project is the king of easy projects. It’s a brand-new yarn that we can’t keep in the store. We’re almost sold out again of Moda by Tahki Stacy Charles, INC. So far, we only have available two colors of purple. We should be receiving more colors this coming week or two, but they can’t guarantee what colors. There is also the yarn Moda Lame that includes metallic which we may get.

This is a perfect, quick Christmas gift for any lady in the family. It’s *ONLY* four stitches. Moda is a net like yarn that doesn’t require wrapping a strand around the needle. You put the loop onto it and knit it. Simple!

The pattern is free and Moda is only $9.00 USD. It takes one ball to make a scarf.

Another great scarf is made out of the Diva bundles. Diva is a fun bundle of yarn in an array of hand-dyed of colors. Each bundle is comprised of several colors of a wool/mohair blend and one strand of a little something special for extra “pop”. It is only 70 yards per bundle.

Pattern: You cast on length wise about 200 stitches and knit until you leave a strand. Leave it hanging there and cast on with the other yard of color. When you’re all done, place beads on the ends and tie them in knots. It takes two to make a long one, skinny scarf, as seen in the photo. It’s knit on a size 9 US needle.

Some nice scarf projects for you to do!

Those are some ideas for Christmas! Also, if you made one of these scarves, don’t be afraid to share it! Look us up on facebook and tag us in the photo! We love to share what our customers are knitting!

Click here for our facebook.

Easy One Skein Knit: Project 4

taralea — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:21:22 +0000

Another great gift for winter is hats! Teens and adults love slouchy hats. You can always find some great patterns online. One of our favorites is the Knit Celebrity Beanies for the family book (we keep selling out!).

If you want to learn how to do cables, the Quick Cable Slouchy Hat is the perfect one! This was designed to help a student learn to make cables. One skein of Shepherd’s Wool will do. If you love a plain slouchy, I will say the best one for girls is Plymouth’s Slouchy Hat. It’s a free with purchase pattern at Knitting Today. Any yarn you buy to make a hat will make this a free pattern. I love it. I would recommend to cast on 80 stitches instead of 100. I have a head about 22″-23″ big and 80 is perfect. Then increase by 20 stitches. When you are ready to decrease, go to the step with (90 sts). I made revisions, yes I know. If you want it to be like the male hat on the Slouchy book, you can increase by ten and add more length than 8″ total.

A man’s hat that I love is Quest for a man off of Ravelry. It has some detail but not over the top full of flowers. Just perfect for his walk in the winter. Another man’s book you might want in your collection is the Scandinavian Caps for Guys.

Hope this piques your interest in knitting hats for the family!

Make sure you buy your yarn from us or find something comparable to the pattern
We want to please you.

Order online at www.knittingtoday.com

or call us at 1-800-426-5098

or stop in and talk to us!

One of a Kind Kits

taralea — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:51:56 +0000

Hey everyone! I love these mosaic patterns called the Key to Warmth Cowl, All Keyed Up Hat, and You Hold the Key Mitts. It looks like Fair Isle, but it’s not! You work one color at a time! I was looking through the bins of Noro Kureyon and Shepherd’s Wool. I decided to make limited One of a Kind Kits for these three patterns.

You can only order these kits by calling us at 1-800-426-5098 or if you are local 1-260-351-2260. But here are your choices:

All these kits are limited edition because we only have a few skeins of the Kureyon or the Shepherd’s Wool. If you like the original colors for the Key to Warmth Cowl, we can special order it for you!

Pick your color arrangement, which pattern you want to do, and call us!

The price for the kits are 27.95 (not including shipping). Hope to hear you call!