03.01.09
Posted in Sock Club, What's New at 6:04 pm by Sue
You may have noticed that Mardi Gras was this week – and I’ve definitely been missing New Orleans. I’ve gotta tell ya, looking at folks in costume on the internet just isn’t anywhere near as much fun as being there yourself. (Looking for knitting content? Keep reading, we’ll get to it in a minute!)
People who aren’t from New Orleans often have a very inaccurate impression of Mardi Gras, as they see only the most outrageous things in the media. Yes, there are some very interesting things going on down on Bourbon Street, and yes, you would not want to bring your six-year-old to the French Quarter on Mardi Gras weekend, but it’s mostly tourists doing all that risque stuff on camera – you may think we ALL do those things on Mardi Gras, but we don’t…
What the locals ARE doing is planning months in advance to have a great day with their family, setting up ladders and lawn chairs and even sofas on the neutral grounds (median strips to you non-New Orleanians) days before the big parades, then bringing their entire families to watch the parades – babies, toddlers, kids of all ages, grandmas and grandpas, everybody. For the natives, Mardi Gras is, first and foremost, a family event.
Yelling for beads, and hoping Uncle Nick (he’s on float #4, sidewalk side) can hear you from up there – because, really, all they can hear is the roar of the crowd. Costumes? Absolutely, and don’t even think about buying one -get busy with a needle and thread (or maybe a saw and some nails!) and make your own – the more creative, the better!
And food? Of course there’s food – this is New Orleans! Po-boys, home-cooked jambalaya, muffulettas, BBQ, chili dogs, king cake, and maybe some brownies your Mom brought from home, all wrapped up in foil… what a great time of year!
Yep, I’m sure missing it all. I picked up a King Cake the other day here in my corner of Texas – I have to give them credit for trying, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing. I think next year I’ll have to try baking one at home. Obviously, my dear hubby thought it was pretty good… you can see there’s not much left! (Have you noticed that I’m always taking photos of food that’s almost gone? I need to learn to take the pictures BEFORE my dear hubby gets to the table…)
So, to distract myself from missing Mardi Gras, I’ve been playing with new yarns! I’ve recently added Kureyon Sock, Silk Garden Lite, Silk Garden Chunky, and lots of new colors in classic Silk Garden and Kureyon to our website – and all are totally gorgeous, of course. If you love Noro, check back often because we’ll be getting a lot more new Noro in the next few weeks.
Also new – Talinay and Socos from Ester Bitran. These are 100% wool yarns from Ester Bitran Hand Dyes in bulky and super-bulky weight. I just love these southwestern-looking colors – great for sweaters and jackets, and both yarns felt very well, making them perfect for totes and purses.
I also added Rowan Felted Tweed – such pretty heathered colors in a DK weight wool & alpaca blend -and we have a lot more great yarns on the way for spring.
I’ve got several projects on my needles right now – I seem to be unable to stick with just one thing lately. I’m working on a great sock in Claudia Handpainted Fingering. The color is Chocolate Cherry, and the pattern is Brick Rib Socks from Gardiner Yarn Works. This yarn and pattern were included in our GYC Sock Club kit for Winter 2008, and I think they look fabulous together!
My other work in progress is a Swirl Shawl – just barely started, but I’m very pleased with it so far. I’m using Jojoland Melody Superwash, and of course, Jojoland’s Swirl Shawl pattern. Each motif is knitted from the outside in, and the pattern calls for DPNs, but as you can see, I’m knitting it on two circulars, and it’s working out just fine.
So pass me some jambalaya and a Coke. Hey, throw me something, mister – some beads or a cup – say, how ’bout some yarn??
Sue
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11.12.08
Posted in Sock Club, Tuesday Tips at 12:43 pm by Sue
Well, I’ve finally caught my breath after the International Quilt Festival… it ended over a week ago, but it probably won’t surprise any of you who met me there that I both lost my voice (must have been too many demos of Flat Feet and the Swirl Shawl!), and subsequently pulled some tiny, but apparently very important, muscle in my back while packing up at the end of the show. But I’m pretty much back to normal now, and catching up on things again. Whew!
The Quilt Festival was a HUGE event, hundreds of vendors, and thousands of attendees… we stayed busy the entire time, and met many wonderful knitters and quilters. Were you there?? Leave a comment to let us know how you liked the show!
I had wonderful helpers too – MANY thanks to Laura, Danuta, Elisa, Vicki, and Karen, not to mention my DH (who one customer nicknamed “Ruler Man” because he was handing out Great Yarn Company gauge rulers with abandon…), my own Mom, and my mother-in-law. Neither of the Moms knits, so it was especially fun to see both of them jump in and start demo’ing items!! Aren’t they cute?
Here’s my sweet mom (in the pink top) helping at the Flat Feet table:
And this is my very supportive mother-in-law (on the right), demonstrating Flat Feet yarn!
In knitting, I have made a lot of progress since the last time I posted about my Wrap Me Up Shawl – it’s almost finished, and I’m working on the dragon tooth edging now. I hope to have it fully completed in a few days, just in time for the little bit of cooler weather we get down here in Texas.
And I finally, FINALLY, finished my DH’s “Eternal Socks” – that’s what I nicknamed them because it seems that I’ve been working on them forever. When I gave them to him, he put them on immediately, sighed, and said, “AAhhhhh….!” Okay, maybe I’m a softie, but that made it all worthwhile! I don’t recall the exact yarn, I think maybe it was Trekking… here’s a look at the finished socks:
Tuesday Tips – knitting tips you can USE!
I know, this is Wednesday, but it’s been so long since my last tip that I thought I’d sneak one on in you!
Do you have trouble with “ladders” when you knit socks on either DPNs or circulars? Ladders are little lines of stretched-out stitches running down the length of your sock, right where you change needles, and they are caused by inconsistent tension when you move from one needle to the next.
Many people try to fix this by tugging the yarn tightly when they make the first stitch on the new needle, but that tightens the last stitch on the previous needle, which does not eliminate the ladder. (Don’t believe it? Try it and watch which stitch gets tighter.)
A better solution is to tug the yarn more tightly on the SECOND stitch on the new needle. Just knit (or purl) the first stitch as usual, then after you insert the needle into the SECOND stitch, give the working yarn a good tug, and complete the stitch. See? It snugged up the first stitch on the needle, and there should be no sloppy loose stitch now. This works no matter which method you use for knitting in the round – DNS’s, two circulars, or one long circular.
And a quick note to our GYC Sock Club members: Your Winter Sock kits will be shipping very soon – they’re all put together, just waiting on one last item, and then they’ll be on their way to you! Get ready for some sock-knitting fun!
So glad my voice has returned and that I can MOVE again (ouch!),
Sue
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10.18.08
Posted in Sock Club, What's New at 9:41 pm by Sue
I’m super excited – Great Yarn Company will have a booth at the International Quilt Festival on October 29 – November 2, here in Houston. I’ve been super busy – this show is a HUGE event, and it’s taken quite a lot of effort to get ready. But we’re all set to go, and can’t wait! If you’re in the Houston area, definitely come visit us at Booth 1617-1619!
If you’re still deciding about our GYC Sock Club, now’s the time – enrollment closes on October 25, and we have just a few slots remaining. I’ve already starting putting together the first shipment, which will go out in November, and I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed!
And just for fun, I’m offering $5.00 off your next purchase – just enter OCT5 in the coupon code field during checkout to get your discount! It’s a quickie – this offer expires October 27!
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08.26.08
Posted in Sock Club, Tuesday Tips at 10:09 pm by Sue
Tuesday Tips – knitting tips you can use!
What on earth is this? Can you guess? It’s one of my favorite knitting tools. I made it myself, and you can too.
I call this my 1-2 marker, and I originally got the idea from a sock knitting book, but I can’t recall which one.
So what is this and how do you use it? It’s designed to keep track of something that alternates, like an increase row and a non-increase row, where you increase in one round but not the next, over and over again. A good example is when you’re knitting the gusset area of a sock. One row has increases (or decreases, depending on whether you’re knitting toe up or toe down), and the next has none.
To keep track of this, I would place one of this marker’s rings as a stitch marker on a non-increase row. The rest of the marker just hangs straight down. Then when I get back around to the marker, I’m on an increase row, so I slip the second ring right next to the first one, using the two rings together as a stitch marker. Now I’ve got two rings on the needle, where I had only one before, and the marker hangs in a loop with both rings on the needle.
When knitting, you “read” the marker by counting rings. One ring = no increase. Two rings is MORE than one ring, so that signifies an INCREASE row. How simple is that? You could define your own method for using this, just decide that one ring means one thing, and two rings means something else. If you’re alternating between two kinds of rows, this is a very simple tracking method.
I have never seen a marker like this in shops, so I made my own with a few silver beads, two jump rings, and some monofilament line. Took all of about 5 minutes to make, and I totally love it. Hope you love it too – email me photos of yours when you make one!!
And in SOCK CLUB news – Sock Club Sign-ups begin TOMORROW!!! I can’t wait!!
Working hard to get everything ready for the onslaught when sign-ups begin tomorrow,
Sue
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07.01.08
Posted in Sock Club, Tuesday Tips at 3:21 pm by Sue
Wow, you guys really like contests! Competition’s hot and heavy to be mentioned in the most comments and win a $15 store credit at Great Yarn Company! Don’t forget – everyone who comments by midnight on July 4th will be entered in the random drawing for a second $15 store credit!
Looks like most of you are sock-knitters (YEA for socks!!) – me too! And guess what’s coming soon? The very first GYC Sock Club. It’ll be a quarterly club – four sock kits per year, in seasonal colors. Once every three months, you’ll receive a new sock kit. We’re matching up the patterns and yarns, so all you gotta do is knit ‘em! And we’ll tuck some fun goodies into every package. More details and registration coming soon!
Tuesday Tip: How to prevent scissors from poking holes in your knitting bag. 
This one’s so simple! I use a needle point protector as my “scissors-point protector.” Since I usually knit on circulars, I don’t get much use out of my rubbery point protectors, which keep stitches from slipping off the ends of straight needles. So I “re-purposed” one of them, and it now lives on the end of my little knitting/embroidery scissors in my knitting bag.
With visions of sock yarns in my head,
Sue
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