Where are they now?

Here it is day four of the 2nd annual knitting and crochet blog week and I'm only now managing to get a post up. Alas. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I have several knitting projects that never made it out of the embryo stage. Right now on needles I've got a shrug that's 80% done, started back when it was warm enough that I altered the pattern to be short sleeved! And soon it will be warm enough again to wear it. It's sitting near a shawl that barely got started (okay I started it about a dozen times, and am seriously considering frogging it yet again, because it's still not coming out quite right).

More ->

Cable cast on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkYejFGwsI

I'm going to have to use this for my next scarf.

Torchwood logo scarf - Updated

A lovely young lady on Ravelry.com took the time to post a Google doc of the Torchwood logo. I of course had to make my own diagram, though I referenced hers extensively (as well as, you know, the actual logo). Below is the result.

The pattern calls for two Torchwood Ts to be knit, one on either end of the scarf.  The first one is upside down, with the top bar of the T toward the middle of the scarf.  On the finished scarf, the two Ts should be rightside-up when worn.

More ->

Take two. Okay, take ... seven?

My attempts at mitts based on the Autumn Days scarf aren't quite succeeding.  I've got a working pattern but it's a little too large.  I wouldn't have to increase for the widest part of my hand.  See the problem?  So it's frogging for me, and the starting again.  Sigh.

Hat based on Aimee Alexander's Autumn Days Scarf

US10 DPNs
Malbrigo Twist yarn in two colors (black and purple), about half a skein each

Pattern:
R1: (K P K K YO K K SSL K2tog PSSO K K YO K) x5

R2, R4, R6: (P K P K9) x5

R3: (K P K K K  YO K SSL K2tog PSSO K YO K K) x5

R5: (K P K K K K YO SSL K2tog PSSO YO K K K) x5

More ->

I-cord, you cord, we all cord

I have learned to i-cord.

I'm making the Official Kittyville Hat. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift for my sister in law but I didn't even start it until well after the holidays.

I'm working in red and black - the band, ear flaps, i-cord, and inner ears in red, the upper hat and outer ears in black. The pom poms will be in both red and black.

The yarn is gorgeous. I picked up some Cascade Cloud 9 at the Yarntopia after-the-holidays sale. As soon as I picked it up, I knew I had to buy the yarn. It's so very, very soft. Think kitten fur soft. I walked around the store petting it before I bought any. *blush* No project in mind. Then I decided it would be perfect for the planned Kittyville Hat for my beloved sis-in-law.

Of course, everything went wrong.

More ->

Teaching myself how to use DPNs, or Rowan Big Wool Red Hat

I started the hat on April 1st, 2009, making me an April Fool I guess.  It took a few tries to get the hang of DPNs.  I was working with Rowan Big Wool for the first time, trying to teach myself how to use double pointed needles (DPNs).  I started out using Size 17 DPNs, thinking bigger was better.  I'd already learned the lesson that I can not accurately do a bottom-up hat (my gauging never quite works out somehow), so I started my hat with six cast on stitches, split them between two sticks to knit in the round, and gradually added a stick as the stitches I had on started to slip off the ends.  It worked, more or less - I bound off way too tightly, so while the beanie-like hat fits, it's a little tight across the brow.  When I figured out what I was doing (how many to cast on, when to increase), I redid it on a US 15 circular.

More ->

Yarn sale!

Yarntopia is having a sale this weekend.

The After The Holidays
Knit/Crochet Something For YOU
SALE
Sat - Sun Jan 9th & 10th!!!

STOREWIDE SALE!!!!
EVERYTHING (yarn, needles, notions, books) will be at least 10% OFF
Many yarns will be up to 25% OFF
Spend over $50 in yarn for a project in any book and that book will be 15% OFF

 

 Join the mailing list to get these alerts emailed to you.

Seed stitch hat and scarf

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the seed stitch hat and seed stitch scarf from Alison Barlow's Fashionable Projects for the New Knitter.  I got the hat finished in time for Christmas but had barely cast on the scarf by the 25th.  (I was working on it after I recovered from the holiday meal-induced food coma.)  I won't include the pattern here, so as to not undercut the author copyright and income source.  She - Alison Barlow - has some patterns on Ravelry.com, though I didn't check to see if she has any free patterns available there.

My first attempt at the hat didn’t quite work out.

More ->

I've forgotton how to magic loop!

I have bizarrely forgotten how to magic loop. I've been working on tiny things lately, mittens for small hands and slippers, and have consequently been using double pointed needles. I didn't realized I'd been so very focused on DPNs until I tried to make something a bit larger just recently (Kitty/ Devil hat from Stitch and Bitch Nation) and found I didn't remember how to do it!

After reviewing the videos I understand that I wasn't pulling the right (as in correct) needle through. I split the stitches onto the two separate needles but then I guess I didn't push the knit-from needle all the way through; I couldn't figure out how to do it. Couldn't remember how to do it, since I've done it successfully before. So, new attempts. No success yet.

Useful videos

Stitches

• Cast on (Google)
  
• Magic Cast On (YouTube)
  
• Magic Loop Knitting (KnittingHelp.com)
  
• Knitted Cast On (VidoeMo)
  

Resource Sites

• KnittingHelp.com
  
• KnitPicks.com how-to channel on YouTube
  
  

Gotham Fine Yarn

Gotham Fine Yarn
148 Orchard Street Between Rivington & Stanton Sts
Tel: 646.863.3504

Knitting and wine Thursdays and Fridays, I believe. I've never made it to the store when there was still wine to be had. The yarn is lovely, chosen for texture as much as color it seems, by someone who likes to play with the yarn. Large, once long table for a work surface, dedicated on class nights for attendees. Otherwise, table and chairs available for dumping your stuff on while you prowl this small, well organized space. Recent purchase of Tosh sock yarn was priced competitively to Knitty City, as was Brown Sheep Co's Lamb's Pride Bulky.

Hours:
Mon - Sunday: 1-8 PM

Smiley's Yarns

Smiley's Yarns
92-06 Jamaica Ave Between Woodhaven Blvd. and 92nd St (Queens)
(718) 849-9873

Ridiculous Hours:
Mon - Tuesday: 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday: Closed
Thu - Saturday: 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday: Closed

I am allergic to acrylic.  Stepping in to Smiley's, I took my life in to my hands.  I was looking for two specific things: Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Bulky and a pair of size 8 DPNs.  I asked the woman seated behind the counter (who I'd seen a week or so before at their once-annual Smiley's Hotel Sale in Manhattan; look for the link in the bottom right of the homepage).  I thought I could get in and out quickly enough to avoid the worst of the acrylic-induced eye itchies and sneezies.  Not so much.  The woman behind the counter didn't greet me on entry; I didn't realize I'd become used to that at the Manhattan stores until the lack of greeting slapped me in the face.  I wandered around for a few minutes, found nothing but acrylic and none of the needles I was looking for, I approached the counter.  And was grunted at.  They barely had anything without acrylic in it, meaning barely had anything in the store that I could work with.  Fine.  No needles, no DPNs at all, evidently.  As per the grunting woman.  Fine, done, I'm gone.  I'd rather pay the prices as AC Moore's, Michael's, and even the Manhattan stores rather than deal with that crap.  Times are tough, my money is good, show some respect or it and I will be out the damn door.

Purl SoHo

Purl
137 Sullivan Street Between W. Houston and Prince Sts.
212-420-8796

Small, staffed with happy shiny Stepford people. Okay, they're universally cheerful. This is New York! It's creepy. On a recent excursion, the chick with the long hair was speaking so fast, in such a happy tone, in such a chirpy voice, I wanted to smack her.

The place is popular, so you can end up waiting a while for the staff's attention, and may have to chase them a bit for their attention.

The store is always brightly lit, making it easier for color matching. A little on the expensive side compared to Knitty City, but then, it's SoHo. Not a lot of needles/ other tools available. Haven't yet tried their sister store up Sullivan, the one with all the fabric notions.

Hours:
Mon - Friday 12-7 PM
Sat - Sunday 12-6 PM

Yarntopia

Yarntopia
974 Amsterdam Ave SW Corner of W. 108th St
(212) 316-9276

This is what I always imagined a yarn shop would look like: small, not brilliantly lit, packed with lovely hued yarn, a little messy but the good, lived-in, kind of messy. It reminds me of some of my favorite cafes, the kind with the chunky, mismatches sofas, whose cups never matched the saucers (when there were saucers).

The needle and book area is small-ish and directly back from the door, perfect for the shopper who needs just that one more thing to finish a project, though they're actually open late enough for me to get there after work and do a little browsing!

There are random sales and always something on discount, usually to be found around the counter. There's a big, comfy sofa just inside the door, opposite the counter, and the owner is happy to have people come and sit and knit and chat. She's a lot of fun to talk to, too.

Not cheap, about on a par with Knitty City and then say +10%, but the discounted bits can make up for it. I've found I'll only do better than Knitty City on the internet, or if I catch a particular sale.

Hours:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 12-9 PM
Wednesday: 12-7 PM
Thursday: 12-9 PM
Fri - Sunday: 12-7 PM

Downtown Yarns

Downtown Yarns
45 Avenue A between E. 3rd and 4th Sts
(212) 995-5991

Deceptively tiny little shop with a good range of choices in non-acrylic yarn.

Hours:
Mon - Saturday: 12-7 PM
Sunday: 12-6 PM

Knitty City

Knitty City
208 West 79th Street Between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave
212-724-9596

The mother ship. You can always find help there, though it's hard to tell the staffers from the equally helpful and knowledgeable regulars. Can be a little spacey about calling you when orders arrive, or so I've been told. Too far out of my usual travel zone to be anything other than a destination. Fortunately on a couple of nights during the week they stay open late enough for me to actually get there. Though they will say things like the store is closing, please make your final selections and bring them to the counter they don't really shoo you out, which is nice. And the announcements come verbally (too small a store for a PA system), in advance of the actual closing time, and regularly spaced. Once the owner forgot the like 10 minute warning and just stayed open a few more minutes, basically saying "Well this is the 10 minute warning" even though it was already 8. Cheerful and helpful without the sell-sell-sell that can be anything but. The staff is never dismissive. However the place is usually full of regulars, or has been every time I've been there, and it can get a bit intimidating. On the plus side, I feel perfectly comfortable throwing down my stuff in a corner as I roam around the store, feeling the yarn. The only thing to be leary of is someone trying to make off with (read: purchase) my yarn (read: what I've already hunted and gathered and laid beside my bag with the intention of purchasing... in a minute, after I look at this next bit of yarn of there).

Hours:
Monday: 11-6 PM
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wed - Thursday: 11-8 PM
Fri - Saturday: 11-6 PM
Sunday: 12-5 PM

School Products

School Products
1201 Broadway Between 28th & 29th
212-679-3516

Also known as the Karabella store.

Ridiculous hours -
Mon - Friday: 9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 10:00 – 3:30
Sunday: Closed

Lion Brand Yarn Studio

Lion Brand Yarn Studio
34 W. 15th Street Between 5th and 6th Aves
212-243-9070

Hours:
Mon - Wednesday: 11:30 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 11:30 AM- 8 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM - 3 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 12 - 5 PM

Pretty, well organized and well lit store, with helpful people, willing to order anything they don't have on hand.  And what they have on hand is all at least partially acrylic, which doesn't work for me.  I was okay hanging out at the table in the middle of the store, far from the shelves that line either wall.  The far part of the store, closest to the counter, has their higher end, acrylic-free yarns.  Pretty stuff but nothing that moved me make a purchase.  And I haven't been back.

The Point of everything

The Point NYC (now closed)
37a Bedford Street
Bedford St at Carmine St

The point at The Point on Bedford is enjoyment. They're a bakery and yarn store, with lots of tables and not much space. I am rather picky when it comes to retail staff. They should be attentive without being intrusive, as well as helpful and knowledgeable without being pedantic or condescending. With a full room of knitters (not shoppers), The Point's staff nailed my requirements.

More ->