Sage Yarn Blog

Hexagons

2011-12-30T22:27:00.002-05:00

Hexagons… generic, not Norah’s

This first one is the one I prefer & would probably knit
From outside-in
Figure out your CO by your gauge – your sts/in multiplied by 18 (for instance 5 sts/in x 18=90 CO)
Join, knit one round
Mark 6 evenly spaced points
Knit the next round, decreasing 2 stitches at each marked point. You can “design” some here by picking your fav decrease combo.

I did… CO 90, marked every 15th stitch with a removable marker, k to within one stitch of this st. and did a centered double decrease – slip 2 stitches knitwise together, k1, pass slipped stitches over)

K2 rounds

Continue to decrease until you hit the center (6 sts remain) – be sure to put 2 even rounds in between decrease rounds to keep it flat.

From the center-out
CO 6 sts, join, knit one round
*K1, yo, repeat from * around
K 2 rounds *k1, (k1, yo, k1) in the same st. repeat from * around
K2 rounds
K2, *yo, k1, yo, k3, repeat from * around ending with a k1 instead of a k3
K2 rounds
K3, *yo, k1, yo, k5, repeat from * around ending with a k2 instead of a k5

Repeat yarn over round, adding 2 stitches in between the (yo, k1, yo) group each round (for instance the next round would have *yo, k1, yo, k7 repeat * around…
You can “design” some by replacing the YOs with your favorite increase method
I marked the k1 “point” stitch with a removable marker in the first round or two so I wouldn’t mess up
Knit 2 rounds in between each increase round to keep the hexagon flat
Stop when you have your sts/in x 3 in between the points.

Something to note – my chunky inside-out hexagon with the yarnovers didn’t block pointy. I think it was the chunky yarn on size 8DPNs :-D

If anyone finds corrections in here let me know via PM and I’ll edit it!

Turkey Coma Remedy

2010-11-26T09:17:00.006-05:00

We have now entered... the *holiday zone*.... do-do, do-do, do-do, do-do

Thanksgiving Day has passed and while we're still basking in the warm fuzzy glow of feeling so loved we're thinking ahead to what to do for those loved ones for the holidays. What do you pick? Something sturdy and useful? Something beautiful and delicate? Something funny and off-the wall? Here are a few ideas to inspire you!

Just for fun - if you click on the ravelry link for these patterns, you can find photos of everyone else's projects! click on the "projects" tab at the top of the pattern listing

A starry crocheted scarf designed by Kristen TenDyke

Princess Star Motif Scarf
ravelry link
Make this one in Classic Elite Summer Set

A slouchy knit beret designed by Melissa LaBarre

A Slouch For All Seasons
ravelry link
Make this one in Classic Elite Classic Silk

A slightly-more-than-basic scarf from Berroco

Almost Garter Scarf
ravelry link
Make this one in Ultra Alpaca Light

A crocheted apple cozy or coffee mug cozy

designed by Teresa Grant (pdf downloads for $3.50)
Adorable Apple Cozy
ravelry link
Mighty Mug Cozy
ravelry link
make these in Plymouth Fantasy Naturale

A simple lace pattern, zig-zag scarf from Veronik Avery

Lace Ribbon Scarf
ravelry link
Make this one in Classic Elite Alpaca Sox

An easy pincushion, straight from your mother's sewing basket

Knitted Pin Cushion
ravelry link
Make this one in Plymouth Galway

An easy, garter stitch baby sweater from Berroco

Pie Baby Set
ravelry link
Make this one in Berroco Pure Merino

Knitted yoga socks from Plymouth

Yoga Socks
ravelry link
Make this one in Plymouth Oceanside Organic

Drawstring bags from Plymouth

Bags in 2 sizes
ravelry link
Make this one in Plymouth Mulberry Merino

Crocheted aran tote bag designed by Celeste Young

Bobbling Along Aran Tote
ravelry link
Make this one in Berroco Ultra Alpaca

Silly stuff!

Knitted Spam - Ravelry link only
Knitted Dalek - Extermiknit!
Crocheted Mario Mushrooms - Mario Brothers Mushrooms
Knitted Lobster - Toy Lobster Pattern

Softy Dog Bone Toy - Fetch!
Catnip Bunny Toy - Ravelry Link

There's something out there for everyone on your list! What fun patterns have you found?

Not So Itty-Bitty

2010-11-17T09:19:00.005-05:00

How about some not-so-itty-bitty projects? I get to talk to a lot of people and hear what they're making as presents for others. Here are some shop favorites, to give you some ideas for something just a bit different. If you've been in the shop recently, you may already know these well!

The Baby Alpaca Grande Vest/Shrug - a Plymouth Yarn Company Leaflet

So infamous here at Sage we've memorized the pattern number and reorder it at every opportunity! Though this one looks fancy when finished, it is actually just knitted rectangle that is sewn together into a semi-circular shrug. Baby Alpaca Grande comes in solids, tweeds and paints.

Tunisian Crochet Entrelac Hat - designed by Josh McKiernan

I'm halfway through my hat from the class we had last weekend. It's so much fun! And it's working up faster than a knit hat, for sure. I also want to use the same pattern to make a circular bag in some crazy colors. Josh's written pattern can be accessed via ravelry. You can use a variety of yarns for this one; it calls for light fingering but I'm using a worsted (Ultra Alpaca).

Nimbus - designed by the Berroco Design team

This is really a perfect sweater. It is fashion-forward without being too weird or crazy. It is knit in a bulky but light wool (Peruvia Quick) that holds up to wear and looks beautiful. You get to pick one awesome button to showcase. And the pattern is FREE! I have knit 4 of them so far.

City Girl Cap - designed by Celeste Young

When I first met Celeste and she told me she had designed this hat I was SO impressed! It's very stylish and cozy and works up really quickly. As with any other top-down hat, you can adjust size as you go for a perfect fit. I made this one up in Encore Tweed, but any other worsted weight yarn would be wonderful (Galway Worsted, Ultra Alpaca, Comfort Worsted, etc.). She also has a wonderful tote bag pattern that is next on my crochet list. Both patterns are available for free as Ravelry downloads.

Knitted Bunny Toy - a Plymouth Yarn Company leaflet

This little bunny has been hopping around the store for a year now. We've made it in all different yarns - some practical yarn for little kids and some fun yarn for friends. This is the perfect project for those times when you don't have enough time to knit a blanket and aren't sure what size sweater to make! These two buns were made by Carol using Comfort worsted.

Remember to have FUN! Let me know if you have any questions - info@sageyarn.com, or 508-457-9513

Itty Bitty Holiday Projects

2010-11-11T15:38:00.005-05:00

Starting tonight we're adding a Friday night knit/crochet night to the line up! I decided to call it "Itty Bitty Holiday Projects" in an effort to keep us motivated to keep working on those projects that just *need* to get done. So from 5:30-7:30 we'll be cozied up in the Sage Yarn classroom, working away on whatever we need to work on.

To get into the spirit this year we Sage kids are making lots of "mini" things... starting with these!

Mini Mittens

This clever mini mitten is a free pattern from the people at WEBS in promotion of their Valley Yarns. I used scraps of Encore DK from the leftovers pile and size 6 needles.

I picture these little mittens decorating a wreath or tree, or attached with a bow to a present or tied around a gift card. They also seem just the right size for an American Girl Doll's hands ;)
I found this pattern by searching ravelry's patterns for "ornament" - here is the ravelry entry for the pattern. You can find all sorts of mini things using the pattern search. Here, I found you some mini ice skates!These are crocheted using just bits of scrap yarn, over a metal paperclip. SO fun!

Making your list

2010-11-05T12:35:00.003-04:00

As we hit November and get closer to the holidays it seems that we yarn lovers start making lists in our heads. We have a mental inventory of who we've made stuff for and who we've missed... how much yarn we have at home and what needles or hooks match them. I make lists like crazy! Sometimes, even the act of making the list gets all of the clutter out of my brain and lets me relax and focus.

Given my own preference for lists, I encourage you to make some lists of our own. Clear out your head! Prioritize! Things will seem less overwhelming and you get the satisfaction of crossing things off every time something is completed.

My list of lists:
small projects - gift tags, ornaments, flower pins, gift card holders, potholder, dishcloth, etc.
medium projects - fingerless gloves, cowls, hats, slippers, legwarmers, scarves, shawls, etc.
large projects - sweaters, shawls, blankets, socks, etc.
people - I list people on the left and a handful of possible projects for each on the right

When thinking about your handmade holiday gifts make sure you include yourself in the equation! Don't just think about what yarn, pattern you need but also ask yourself, "How much am I going to enjoy making this?" Is it worth it to you, to spend your valuable time working on a project you hate to get an end result that you love? Do you want to spend all of your time making one big thing or a split up your time across a dozen little things? Will this person appreciate the time I put into this gift? How upset will I be if the recipient doesn't like my gift? Will I love the meditative act of making the same thing over and over for everyone or will I be crazy-bored?

By considering these things before you even start you will be setting yourself up for a more enjoyable time working on your projects! The answers to these questions are personal and everyone you meet will have a different take on what they want to do. Stick to what is best for you and don't let anyone make you feel bad about what you choose - you're the designer of your happy holiday season!

You'll see many links to the projects that have caught my eye in the next few weeks. I wish I had time to make them all! I will live vicariously through you and the fun things that you make. (I anticipate a lot of my links will be to ravelry listings - if you're not already signed up for ravelry, it's a great resource for all yarn lovers.)

See you soon!

Jen

Patterns of the Month, October 2010

2010-10-01T15:01:00.008-04:00

Patterns of the Month October 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

Reversible Cabled Wrap
from Vermont Fiber Designs

This wonderful pattern line doesn't get a lot of attention at our store and it really deserves highlighting! Clean and classic styles combined with clear instructions make Vermont Fiber Designs a shop favorite. This Reversible Cabled Wrap will get you into some cables, a reversible pattern technique and will keep you warm this fall and winter. Choose from 3 over-sized options and use your favorite worsted weight yarn.

Finished Measurements:
40, (44.5, 49, 53.5)" wide by 50, (54, 58, 62)" long
Yarn requirements:
1225, (1500, 1775, 2075) yards

Great yarn suggestions: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Plymouth Galway, Queensland Rustic Tweed, Berroco Pure Merino

The Cottonwood Coat
from Oat Couture

How cozy would a bulky knitted coat be? This is the perfect pattern to try it out! A super-easy combination of stockinette and garter stitch keeps this pattern simple and stylish. It has pockets!! And choose from Bulky or Super Bulky gauges for speedy knitting.

Finished Measurements:
36, (40, 44, 48, 52, 56)" chest
Yarn requirements:
Bulky = 1450, (1600, 1725, 1890, 2025, 2150) yards at 14sts=4"
Super bulky = 1125, (1235, 1325, 1460, 1565, 1665) yards at 10 sts = 4"

Great yarn suggestions: Berroco Peruvia Quick, Galway Chunky, Reynolds Andean Alpaca Regal, Berroco Sundae

Stay warm through these crisp fall days! If you need anything, please stop by, give us a call (508-457-9513) or an email. We're here for you!

Fall Classes

2010-09-07T10:09:00.006-04:00

Every week we have a dozen customers asking whether we offer classes. We do! This fall we're really stepping up our class selection and variety. We now have seven teachers scheduled in for fall classes. I am so excited about this and I hope you are also!

Back when I got back "in" to yarn, in college, I started out crocheting. My boss at work crocheted and I thought, "Hey, that's neat! I want to try that." A stitch dictionary brought me to a dozen crocheted scarves and a ridiculously heavy bobbled afghan for my sister. Then I picked up my knitting needles again. I wanted a scarf. And then a hat. And then socks. And then a sweater. And each thing I learned led to the next thing I *wanted* to learn.

This is my absolute FAVORITE thing about working with yarn. There is always something new to learn. Even when you think you know everything or have tried everything you stumble upon something different that you just need to try. This is what we hope to become for you, here at Sage. We want to be a place that not only inspires you, but also helps you acquire the skills you need to do anything you want to do. A "center for learning" seems too highfalutin' a phrase, but we hope with our humble little classroom, to become a conduit for the great information of the yarn world to pass through... from person to person, one yarn lover at a time.

Please give all of our new teachers a warm welcome this fall by signing up for your favorite class. They all have been writing patterns and instructions, making class samples and are really excited to be here! It's time try that project you've always been a bit nervous about :) You can view the calendar and class descriptions by clicking here, and you can sign up by giving the store a phone call at 508-457-9513.

Comfort Afghans Trunk Show

2010-08-05T09:27:00.010-04:00

There are many times that we, as human beings in a 3 dimensional universe, simply cannot envision how a 2 dimensional photo of a project will actually look and feel in our hands. This is where our amazing Berroco sales rep comes in! Andra has knit and crocheted sample sizes of the designs from Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans so that we can be inspired (how lucky are we?!) They will be on display from August 11th to August 24th - come in and touch them before they're flying on their way to the next store on the list!

As the title suggests, this book features 27 knit patterns and 24 crochet patterns that use yarns from Berroco's Comfort line. They run the gamut from simple checkerboard and chevron to fair-isle and embellished afghans.

For our "Pattern" of the month sale this month we are featuring the patterns from this book.

For the month of August,
buy the book and/or the yarn to make a pattern in the book and
get 15% off of the purchase!

If we don't have your color in the quantity you need, we'll order it and honor your 15% off.

We stock Comfort Worsted in 31 colors and Comfort DK in 20 colors. If you don't see what you like be sure to ask about ordering.

Here are a few of my favorites from the book, but be sure to check out Berroco's full photo preview - and there are slideshows of both the knit and crochet patterns.

Huge Garment SALE!

2010-08-05T09:04:00.006-04:00

We have a very special promotion going on over the next week - a garment SALE! We don't often put our garments on sale, since we prefer to keep them to show how the yarns knit up. Over the last few years we have accumulated boxes of garments from yarns or patterns that are now long discontinued. Now, we finally have enough to have a great big sale, and sent them up for you to browse through and try on!

Garments are marked at:

50%-75% off of the original value

This means that a sweater that cost $120 in yarn to make is now only $30!

These garments include things for adults and children - sweaters, cardigans, hats, scarves, shawls, bags/purses and even an afghan. Everything is either hand-wash or machine wash - no dry cleaning required. It's a great opportunity to buy a handmade item and stash it away for gift-giving season ;)

This sale will last from
Saturday, August 7th to Saturday August 14th.

Get there early to see the *good* stuff! (really, it's all good, but the most popular styles go first)

Free parking is available all along Main St or across the street from our store, at the park. Email or call if you have any questions! info@sageyarn.com phone: 508-457-9513

Our next big SALE!

2010-07-05T10:37:00.007-04:00

Here on Main St every year we have a street fair on the first Wednesday after the 4th of July. Since the 4th was on a Sunday that means that the fair is *late* this year - on the 14th. Mark your calendar!

While I know it is a pain in the butt to drive down here in the middle of the week, even from across town, here are some reasons why you should stop by Sage Yarn for our street fair SALE!

Our sale starts on Monday, which means you can choose a time, ANY time between 9am on Monday and 5pm on Wednesday to come by for the sale. You don't have to brave the Wednesday crowds if you don't want to.
This is our biggest sale of the year, by far - larger discounts, more yarn on sale
Exclusive yarns - we pull out sale yarns that we don't have room for on the sales floor. You'll see very NICE but discontinued yarns from many yarn companies. You'll also see discontinued colors of current yarn lines such as Encore and Ultra Alpaca.
This is one of two sales a year that features $1, $2, and $3 grab bins - mixed types of yarns mostly in single balls or pairs, for sale at absolute clearance prices.
On fair day we will have some of the last few nice "gifts" on sale from when we were a combined gift and yarn store. This includes some Franz porcelain and a lot of Anne C. Ross glassware.
It is FUN! I know sometimes it stinks to get stuck in a crowd full of people you don't know... but here at Sage it's different. We all have a shared love of yarn and our shoppers frequently have very friendly and helpful conversations at our sales! People share ideas, tips and patterns with complete strangers. It always lifts my spirits.

Other details:
PARKING: On Monday and Tuesday you can park anywhere. There is parking available across the street at the park for those who don't want to parallel park on the street (I know I don't). There is also a very small amount of parking behind our building if you drive down Elm Arch Way. ON FAIR DAY - if you get here early you will be able to park in a parking lot near us. The fair starts at 10 but we open at 9. If you don't get here early you will find someplace to park but you will walk a few minutes to get here.
OTHER FAIR FUN: The fair typically features many booths of jewelry, pottery, quilts, baskets, flower arrangements, kids toys, stained glass, handmade soaps, and many other wonderful products. There is fair food which usually includes fried dough, lemonade, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, etc. ALL OF THE STORES ON MAIN ST. ARE OPEN and usually offering discounts on many products.

Here is a link to our location on google maps.
Here is a link to driving directions to our store.
Here is our website if you want to browse our regular offerings.
Here is a link to email us if you have any questions whatsoever! We hope you'll stop by for some big SALE fun next week!

Patterns of the Month, July 2010

2010-07-05T09:38:00.009-04:00

It's July! If the weather wasn't any indication that summer is here, how about some summery knitting patterns?

Patterns of the Month July 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

In our efforts to fill in the gap in patterns for "tweens" we found this beautiful pattern booklet by Louisa Harding. It also happens to feature a great yarn that we had purchased for cool summer knitwear!

Brighton is an oversized pullover that features a centered cable panel on a reverse stockinette body. It can be customized to your liking - plain collar and edgings or lacy edges with picot details. Albero is a cotton and viscose blend that has just a little bit of shine to it. It has a wonderful drape and isn't stiff at all. On the cotton-difficulty scale I would put this near the bottom - it won't hurt your hands to work with it and as long as you knit a gauge swatch there won't be any droopy surprises.

Recommended Ages: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 years
**Actual chest size: 28", 32", 36", 39.75", 43.75", 46"
Yarn amounts: 6, 7, 7, 8, 9 balls of Albero for plain sweater, add 1 more ball for lacy picot version
Other yarn suggestions: Bebe Cotsoy, Bamboucle, Classic Silk, Summer Set

**When you look at the sizing for this pullover take note that there is 4 inches of ease built into each size. This kind of sizing is great for throwing on over a tank top or t-shirt after the sun sets. I could have used one last night while watching the 4th of July fireworks :) If you don't want so much room, you can make a smaller size and cut down the amount of yarn you purchase. As a 36" chest myself, I'd probably make a size 9-10.

Our next pattern of the month comes from The Mirasol Project and is high on my to-do list this summer. We have often featured Mirasol not only for its very high quality yarns and stylish designs, but also for its humanitarian efforts.

Bobo, a lacy vest, features very simple shaping and a common stitch pattern that would be great for a beginning lace knitter. There is no shaping to complicate things - the back and two fronts are large rectangles without any decreasing or increasing.

(I know she doesn't look too happy about wearing it, but it's a nice vest!)

Bobo is worked in Mirasol's Samp'a, a dk weight organic and naturally dyed cotton. It comes in mostly soft colors so if you're looking for a splash of something bright, check out T'ika! On the cotton-difficulty scale these cottons are both in the middle, but using them for a lace project puts them back at the bottom - super easy.

To fit chest size: 32-34", 36-38", 40-42", 42-44", 44-46"
Actual measurement: 40.75", 43.25", 45.75", 48", 50.5"
Yarn amounts: 9, 10, 10, 11, 11 balls of Samp'a
Other yarn suggestions: T'ika, Pure Pima, Top Seed Cotton, Butterfly, Scartlett, Hempathy, Merletto, Cotton Bamboo

Well I'm sure that's all you ever wanted to know about these two patterns ;) Let me know if you have any questions and I'll see you soon!

Patterns of the Month, June 2010

2010-06-03T14:12:00.006-04:00

Patterns of the Month

June 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it
and get 15% off your purchase!

This June I have chosen a pretty lace shawl pattern and cottony summer cardigan to keep you warm/cool this summer. "Warm/cool" is a technical term (I made up) that means: takes the chill off but doesn't make you too hot.

The Flower Basket Shawl, designed by Evelyn Clark, is one of my favorite Fiber Trends shawl patterns. It has the typical Fiber Trends flexibility - you can pick from laceweight, fingering weight, sport weight or DK/light worsted weight yarns!

We have a small Flower Basket Shawl on display here at the store, made in one skein of Handmaiden SeaSilk. Stop by and see it sometime soon - it's in the front window! For other gorgeous yarn options, Try Mirasol Nuna or Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace.

More details:
Size: Instructions for 3 sizes in 4 yarn weights.
Measurements are approximate and will vary with yarn used. Size can be easily changed by adding or subtracting pattern repeats.
Scarf/shoulder shawl: 27" (69cm) deep and 54" (137cm) wide.
Small Shawl: 34" (86cm) deep and 68" (173cm) wide.
Large Shawl: 45" (114cm) deep and 90" (229cm) wide.

Yarn Requirements and Needle Sizes:
You will need a 24" to 32" (60 to 80 cm) circular needle in the size given below for your yarn weight.
Lace wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 425 yds; small shawl 650 yds;
large shawl 1175 yds; US size 5 needle.
Fingering wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 325 yds; small shawl 600 yds; large shawl 1100 yds; US size 6 needle.
Sport wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 300 yds; small shawl 550 yds; large shawl 1000 yds;US size 8 needle.
DK or lt worsted wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 250 yds; small shawl 450 yds; large shawl 850 yds; US size 10 needle.

Noa is a simple cardigan with ruffly details that you will always keep handy in the summer air conditioning. Worked in Berroco's Weekend, this cotton-blend fabric will cover you up and keep the goosebumps away while not overheating you.

More details:
Noa
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Bust (closed) – 32(36-40-44-48-52)”
Length – 28(28-29-29½-30-30½)”
MATERIALS
4(5-5-6-6-7) Hanks of Berroco Weekend

I've been working with this yarn, knitting a pullover from the same booklet. I really like it! It feels like cotton but is a lot more forgiving than 100% cotton yarns. A LOT. It's easier on your hands and all of the irregular-sized stitches that would stand out with a 100% cotton yarn disappear in Weekend.

I hope you'll stop by sometime soon and check out our spring and summer yarns. Here comes the SUN!

Patterns of the Month, May 2010

2010-05-03T11:11:00.009-04:00

Patterns of the Month
May 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

Our two patterns of the month for May reflect some of the most frequent requests we've had in the store recently. I hope it will give you a chance to knit with some yarns that you haven't found a good pattern for yet!

The first pattern happens to be a free pattern from Berroco.com. Published recently through the Berroco weekly newsletter, Ari has already become a popular pattern on Ravelry and the internet. It fulfills ALL of the criteria that a lot of you have asked for lately. Something that:

will take the chill off at an evening wedding or in the air conditioning
looks elegant but isn't too fancy or difficult
has a WIDE variety of yarns to choose from so you can find the color you want
covers your shoulders but actually stays on without a shawl pin or holding it with your hands

Meet Ari from the Berroco Design Team:
Ari is sized for bodies from 32" to 52" and has a cropped length of between 15.5" and 18.5". This feminine shape is easily customized for longer body or sleeve length if you so wish - but don't be afraid of the cropped look! It is very flattering to all kinds of body types and flexible for different wardrobes. This pattern calls for Berroco's cotton/acrylic blend yarn, Weekend, which we now stock in 19 colors.

You could also use
Cotton & cotton blends - Fantasy Naturale, Jeannee (on clearance)
Wool & wool blends - Peruvia, Lustra, Paca Tweed, Malabrigo Worsted, Ultra Alpaca, Galway, Comfort, Encore and many more!

For our second pattern I have this great, basic twin set from Plymouth Yarn Co. Two patterns in one, it features a v-neck tank top under a versatile deep-v neck cardigan - both with a twisted rib detail throughout. I would find myself reaching for this cardigan every day for work or an evening walk around the block.
This pattern is worked in Plymouth's Oceanside Organic Cotton but take a look at Mirasol's organic, naturally dyed cotton also. Other great options for summer wear include:

And for the wooly, cooler-weather options look at:

Lots of options for you! Let me know if you have any questions about yarn selection or the patterns and I'll get right back to you. Jen at info@sageyarn.com Hopefully we'll see you soon!

The Finer Things - Spring 2010

2010-03-30T11:31:00.005-04:00

It's time for our spring yarn tasting! Email info@sageyarn.com to reserve your spot.

The Finer Things*
featuring sport, fingering and laceweight yarns
and what to do with them!

Friday April 23rd
from 5-8pm
and Saturday April 24th
from 9am-12pm

10% off of all regular priced yarn during these hours!!

A yarn tasting is a time for you to stop by the store and sample some yarns that you may not try on your own. Sometimes it's hard to invest $5-$10 in a ball of yarn just for swatching... and then what happens when you don't like it? Well, sign up for either Friday night or Saturday morning and try out the yarns for FREE! We will be featuring the FINER things in the store this spring - sport, fingering and laceweight yarns. If you never work with fine yarns this is a great opportunity to try it out. Fine weight yarns are for more than just socks and lacy shawls and they're not as hard to work with as you might think!

We will provide a guidebook for you to take with you during your tasting so you can jot down your impressions of each yarn. There will be samples available to take home, a gift bag for those who've signed up, refreshments, free patterns and all of the yarn in the store is 10% off! I've already picked out the door prizes and man, they're good!

There are a limited number of slots open for sign-ups. If you don't get to sign up or choose not to sign up because you're not sure of your schedule, you can still come to shop the sale and see the yarns. You will be ineligible for the door prizes, however :)

email info@sageyarn.com to sign up!

*did you see what I did, there?

Mirasol March

2010-02-24T10:23:00.009-05:00

Mirasol March

A sale to benefit the shepherd's children

Back in our Gift/Yarn store days one of the wonderful yarn lines that we fell in love with was the Mirasol project. The yarns were so high-quality and came in gorgeous colors. The pattern support was designed by renowned knitwear designer, Jane Ellison. And there is a human connection with this yarn... when you purchase this yarn you help children high in the Andes, whose parents tend to the alpaca herds of Mallkini ranch. Since then, the yarn and project has grown on us, and we wish to take the month of March to give the Mirasol Project the attention it deserves.

In this area of Peru, malnutrition and lack of education are a big problem. Children have to walk such a distance to even get to school that many do not attend. The Mirasol project has sought to better this situation by building dormitories and provide health care and meals for the children of the shepherds.

Mallard Mittens from Book 6

The Mirasol Project is also dedicated to "... the principles of Fair Trade where producers receive a price that covers the cost of sustainable production plus an extra premium that is invested in social or economic development projects."* While the yarn you purchase might be a dollar or two more than other yarns imported from Europe or South America, you can rest assured that the producers of these fibers are being compensated fairly and are actually supported by your purchase.

Since it's inception in 2005, the Mirasol Project has seen the construction of the dormitories and the implementation of health and education programs, but they still need your support. School, health and personal supplies, such as vaccines, toothpaste and books, are given to each student. Your purchase of these beautiful yarns will help with the continued success of the Project.

Ilapa from Book 3

Here at Sage, we would like to highlight this project and make it possible for you to spread the word about their wonderful products. Please consider purchasing some Mirasol yarn this month in support of the project. For every purchase you make over $30, Sage will take 15% off of your total. This discount does NOT discount the money that goes towards the project - it comes from our put-up cost. Also, if you are not local and would like to order yarn, we're unable to set up the discount on the website - give us a call and we'll take your order over the phone! 508-457-9513

Please email me if you have any questions about the yarn or anything at all: info@sageyarn.com

The Mirasol Project has pattern support for every one of their yarns from knitwear designer Jane Ellison. From the Mirasol books you can find patterns for Men, Women, Children and your home. Scroll down for more photos from the books and click here to browse through the Mirasol pattern catalogue on the KFI website.

Hannah, in Hap'i from book 5

Solomon, in Samp'a from Book 5

Alhambra, in Tika from book 2

Charlotte, in Samp'a from Book 4

Stella in Samp'a from Book 5

Kallpa, in Tupa from Book 3

Ana, in Qina from Book 3

*quote taken from the Mirasol information leaflet.

Patterns of the Month, February 2010

2010-02-01T14:00:00.012-05:00

Patterns of the Month, February 2010
Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

Here we go! The patterns of the month for February are two "greatest hits" from even before we owned the store.

First, the Portuguese Fisherman's Sweater (Malha de Pescador) - the old standby from the Candide days:
This pattern is still available through Reynolds though we don't carry Candide anymore. We've updated this sweater by knitting it in Peruvia, a wonderful aran weight wool from Berroco. Peruvia is much softer than the old Candide and comes in a wide range of beautiful colors. If Peruvia doesn't strike your fancy try one of these: Paca Tweed, Montera, Lamb's Pride Worsted, Kathmandu Aran, Homestead, Silky Flamme.

This sweater is a great way to cut your teeth on a larger garment without getting into something too complicated. You will cast on, knit, purl, bind off and pick up stitches. That's it! When you pick your size note that the finished measurements give you 2" of ease. This gives you room to wear something underneath and still be comfortable.

Gauge: 4sts & 5rows = 1 inch
Sizes: children 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, Adult 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44
Finished Chest Measurement: children 22", 24", 26", 28", 30", 32" Adult 34", 36", 38", 40", 42", 44", 46"
Yardage: 510, 510, 680, 680, 680, 680, 850, 1020, 1020, 1190, 1360, 1530, 1530

Our second pattern is a great winter pullover from Reynolds. It's called "Colorful Kids" but bear with me - I'm going make a case for this as an adult sweater as well.

This Guernsey features some easy cables and knit and purl details on the upper portion of the sweater. It is knit in a chunky yarn, which makes for a quick project! Our shop sample was knit using Lopi yarn, which has a tough rustic feel to it, but if you should like something a bit softer give these others a try: Peruvia Quick, Galway Chunky, Lamb's Pride Bulky, Encore Chunky, Sulka, Cuzco.

This sweater is great for kids who want to run and play in the cool fall or spring air but resist wearing a jacket. It's super warm! This sweater says it is sized for child's size 2-16... however, the finished measurements for these sizes range from 28" to 41"! For myself, I would knit the child's size 10-12, at a finished size of 36" and maybe add an inch or two to the 21" length (I would grab an extra ball, just in case).
Gauge: 14 sts and 19 rows = 4"
Sizes: 2-4, 6-8, 10-12, 14-16
Finished Measurement: 28", 32.5", 36", 41"
Yardage: 440, 550, 660, 770

As always, let me know if you have any questions or need any help. Email us at info@sageyarn.com or give us a call at 508-457-9513

~Jen

Patterns of the Month, January 2010

2010-01-02T12:00:00.007-05:00

Patterns of the Month, January 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

This month I have picked two very popular patterns from completely different categories. First, the most Versatile Scarf you'll ever knit!
This scarf gently curves around your neck almost in the style of the larger Faroese shawls. The "tails" at the end are long enough to wrap around your neck, tie in the front or pin with a pretty shawl/scarf pin. Deb knit this one using two balls of a beautiful silk from Louisa Harding called Mulberry:
The pattern itself features 3 different stitch patterns and almost endless yarn possibilities. This is the perfect pattern for featuring a special yarn that you've been coveting (Seasilk, Great Big Sea, Malabrigo Silky Merino) a handpainted yarn (Hacho, Chirapa, Malabrigo) or that ONE skein of sock yarn that doesn't want to be socks (Alpaca Sox, Alpaca Prima, Ultra Alpaca Fine). I love the style of this little scarf and enjoy wearing it with the point in front, like this... it seems to be the fashion these days!

Versatile Scarves
Pattern leaflet from Fiber Trends
Yarn Requirements:
Fingering/Sock - 280 yards, size US 6 needle
Sport - 250 yards, size US 7 needle
DK - 220 yards, size US 8 needle
Worsted - 190 yards, size US 10 needles

Our second pattern this month is a very popular afghan pattern leaflet from Plymouth Yarn (this photo really doesn't do it justice).
This aran afghan is knit in one piece and measures 45 x 56 as its finished size - just big enough to cover you up, while small enough not to drive you crazy while knitting it. While visually complex, a simple staggered cable pattern is repeated over and over along the length of the blanket. Once you've done it a few times, you might even have it memorized! Customers frequently knit this one as a present for a loved one and it always gets rave reviews.

Aran Cabled Afghan
leaflet from Plymouth Yarn
2000 yards of a worsted weight yarn of your choice, size US 9 circular needle
Yarn suggestions: Plymouth Encore, Plymouth Galway, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Berroco Comfort, Berroco Peruvia

Well, I hope you see something you like! As usual, if you have any questions shoot me an email at info@sageyarn.com.

Andra's Trunk Show

2009-10-29T11:43:00.016-04:00

Our wonderful sales representative from Berroco yarns has presented us with an amazing opportunity. She has offered to lend us her wonderful handknit sample garments to hold a trunk show at the store! They arrived, in style, this week!!!

Our DEAL for the next two weeks, instead of picking some
"patterns of the month" is to give you
15% off the purchase of the yarn & pattern
for any one of these sweaters!

This is a long post full of great details I don't want to you to miss. I hope you'll read to the end.

Pike
Pike has been on my to-do list for some time now. This size is medium uses only 6 skeins of Peruvia, an ultra soft wool from Berroco. When I told Andra it was on my list for the store she said I could borrow hers! I've seen a few people try it on and the Peruvia is already flying out the door. This is a free pattern online, so you can preview it here.
Loope

I picked out Loope the first time I looked at the pattern book for Lustra. The great shine of the yarn combined with the rich colors, simple styling and FUN tie accessory make this a great addition to your wardrobe. I think I'll walk down the street to Bojangles and pick out a flouncy scarf for a more feminine touch :) This size 44" took only 6 skeins of Lustra.

Anhinga
I have to be honest, I was a little on the fence with Anhinga. I really wasn't sure how it was going to flatter my shape (I'm a wonderful Pear). It has a flutter in the center over your belly and it criss-crosses your front.... Let me tell you - I TOTALLY love it. I tried on Andra's size 42" and it instantly shot to the top of my queue.

Here is the model:
And here is me:
That's my, "hey, I really like this!" face. The lighting is tough but you can see it doesn't highlight the tummy like I thought :-D I'll probably knit a size smaller than this one (I'm a 32" chest and maybe a 40" hip) Andra made this one with 14 balls of Pure Merino but I may make mine in Ultra Alpaca.

Goodall
Last but not least we have Goodall. The most cabley of the bunch, Goodall is made in Inca Gold, a worsted wool and silk blend. I made my wonderful Assemblage in this yarn and I really love it. This is the size 42" sweater and it took 14 skeins of Inca Gold.

WAIT! Why don't I throw Cormorant into the deal?

Cormorant is a sweet one-button cardigan knit in a combination of Ultra Alpaca worsted for the body and Ultra Alpaca Fine for the ruffle at the bottom. We have many matching colors between the worsted and the fine for you to pick from. The teal one I made is size 36" chest and used just 5 skeins of the worsted and one of the Fine.

COME ON IN and try on the samples! We do have to be nice to them - we can't get any strong perfume smells attached to them or have our makeup rub off on them. We have to return them in tip-top shape!

We're so grateful to have a wide range of sizes available in the store at the moment. In addition to those that Andra sent us we have 13 other sweaters and vests for you to browse through and every Berroco booklet currently produced. And here... a shot of Carol in Andra's Nimbus Cardigan (knit in Peruvia Quick) and Mom in Andra's Danielle Cowl and Graham hat (2 and 3 skeins of Sundae, respectively)

We hope you'll stop by in the next two weeks to get inspired!

Patterns of the Month October 2009

2009-10-05T13:13:00.009-04:00

October 2009 Patterns of the Month
Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!!

I don't know about you, but chunky knits are making me very happy right now. I spent the summer making up quick little things like washcloths and portable things like socks. This cooler weather hit and I wanted a sweater - and I wanted it NOW! Chunky knits to the rescue.

For our patterns of the month this month we've picked a great chunky vest pattern and a great fall accessory - legwarmers! (they're back, you can't deny it)

Chunky Vest in Blizzard
leaflet pattern from Reynolds

This vest pattern has two styles to choose from - a placket neck with buttons and a fold-over collar and a plain neck with a hood. Anne made up a sample for us here at the store in the tan Blizzard in the photo:

Don't they look happy? :-D

Super Bulky yarn, Gauge 9sts to 4 inches
Chest circumference = 36", 40", 43", 46", 48"
Collared Vest: 6, 6, 7, 7, 8 balls of Blizzard
OR 396, 396, 462, 462, 528 yards of any super bulky yarn
Hooded Vest: 6, 6, 7, 8, 8 balls of Blizzard
OR 396, 396, 462, 528, 528 yards of any super bulky yarn

Other great super bulky yarns that would be great for this pattern include the NEW Sundae from Berroco (beautiful colors), and Encore Mega (machine wash acrylic/wool). Try putting together two strands of a funky chunky yarn for some extra flair ;)

Leg Warmers leaflet pattern from Oat Couture

Check out the flexibility on this pattern:

3 different leg warmer patterns to choose from
2 different lengths (17" or 21" long)
3 different yarn weights to choose from (DK, Worsted, or Chunky)
choose to either knit flat and seam it up or knit them in the round!

36 possibilities! That's what I call service!

For the sports player, warming up on the field, the figure skater who needs a little something on the ice or the every-day lounger cozying up on the couch...

Sizes: 8.5", 10.5", 13" circumference
DK: 17" long = 285, 350, 430 yards
21" long = 350, 430, 520 yards

Worsted: 17" long = 250, 305, 375 yards
21" long = 305, 375, 460 yards

Chunky: 17" long = 210, 265, 325 yards
21" long = 265, 325, 400 yards

I don't have any of these made up at the store right now but I do know that Carol has made them in the past. She made them in Falmouth colors - maroon and white - and used the solid pattern option, knit flat. With the different yarn choices in this pattern you can make them up using almost 80% of the yarns in the store - your pick!

I hope you see something you like and, as always, let us know if you have any questions!

Patterns of the Month September 2009

2009-09-02T11:17:00.006-04:00

September's Patterns of the Month

Pick your yarn and your pattern and save 15% on both!

This month I decided to go with a pair of simple patterns from companies known for their clean style and clear directions.

First up, fingerless gloves!

Matchgirl Gloves from Dolce Handknits

Out of all the fingerless gloves I've knit, this pair fits me the best (my mom made this pair, here).
They narrow at the wrist just a bit to keep the fabric in close to your skin and keep you nice and cozy. At 300 yards of sport/DK weight yarn it's a great opportunity to indulge in a luxurious fiber :)

Gauge: 6 sts to the inch (it calls for a size 5 needle)
Yarns: My mom used Mirasol Hacho, other great yarns include Malabrigo Silky Merino, Happy Feet DK, Mirasol Qina, Classic Elite Wool Bamboo, Handmaiden Great Big Sea, and Ultra Alpaca Light.

ALL SUMMER I have been yearning for a basic cardigan that I can throw on in the air conditioning. This is one of those patterns - pick a great yarn in a color that flatters and then settle in with some easy knitting.

V Neck, Neckdown Cardigan for Women from Knitting Pure and Simple

Since this one is done in a worsted weight yarn you have your pick of over 30 yarn styles totalling 100s of color choices. Encore Tweed, Paca Tweed, and Kathmandu Aran would get you the great tweedy look of the photograph while Peruvia or Homestead would get you a more wooly sweater. If you're feeling adventurous, you could throw in your favorite stitch pattern here or there!

Finished Measurements: Chest - 36", 40", 44", 48", 52"
Yarn requirements: 1,250, 1,325, 1,400, 1,500, 1,650 yds
Gauge: 18 sts to 4 inches over stockinette st.

Merino Madness!

2009-08-17T14:11:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!
We’ve scheduled the yarn tasting event for the Fall! I think this Fall could be called Merino Madness (last year was Alpacapalooza) since I’ve picked all different merino yarns. I’m putting together all the goodies and brainstorming some new ideas. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Merino Madness!
Friday, September 11th from 5-8pm
OR
Saturday, September 12th from 9-12am

Here’s the yarn tasting overview: For each tasting we pick out a selection of our yarns that we have in stock. We wind up the balls, cast on a bit of knitting using the needles that we have in stock and set them up around a big table. You can walk around, tasting the yarns and taking notes on your favorites in your Yarn Passport. We have goody bags for each person who has signed up, a big door prize and other goodies. And FOOD! We’ll have all of the yarn in the store on sale to give you a chance to stock up while you’re here :)

If you have any questions let me know! Please sign up by emailing info@sageyarn.com. Last year I messed up the signup lists so David is keeping tabs on me, lol. Signups are limited due to space & goody bag availability!

You can check out photos from past yarn tastings here on the blog.

Patterns of the Month August 2009

2009-08-03T10:30:00.008-04:00

August's Patterns of the Month

Pick your yarn and your pattern and save 15% on your purchase of both!

We're big Berroco fans around here & we're happy to offer two selections from their fall line for our August patterns of the month.

How about something nice for your favorite gentleman?
Devon, from Norah Gaughan Men's Booklet, from Berroco Yarns

I have found it difficult to pick patterns for the men in my life and Berroco has jumped in this season to make it easier on me. This pullover is knit in Peruvia Quick, which is a wonderfully soft bulky weight wool from the peruvian highlands. It features a cable pattern along the center front - not too complicated for TV knitting and just enough interesting material to keep you going. Devon has a matching hat with the same cable pattern, should you end up with some leftover yarn :)

I have to confess, I may make this one for myself. The smallest size, 36", would be a really great, loose-fitting pullover to snuggle up with this winter.

Devon
Finished Measurements
Chest – 36(40-44-48-52-56)”
Length – 26½(27-27-27½-28-28½)”
8(9-9-11-12-13) hanks of Berroco Peruvia Quick

Our second pattern for this month is another great sweater for the "tween" in your life.
Ferris, from Berroco Comfort Book for Girls, Berroco Book #291
Ferris is a great, swingy cardigan for the fall, featuring more "grown up" details than most of the younger knits we have in-store. Comfort DK provides beautiful stitch definition for the front cable details while staying soft in your hands (and it's machine-wash!). The sizing is just right - you can see the size 6 (28") on this model - ranging from 26" to 32".

Ferris
Child Sizes 4, 6, 8, 10
Finished Measurements
Chest (closed) – 26(28-30-32)”
Length – 16(17-18-19)”
Materials
5(5-6-7) Balls of Berroco Comfort DK

If you're looking for something just a bit larger than this, check out Calvert from Norah Gaughan Vol 3, which ranges in size from 30" to 50". It's not part of the POTM this month but thought I'd mention it, just in case!
Alright! That's it for August - I hope you see something you like! Let me know if you have any questions about either design or the yarn - info@sageyarn.com

Jen

Patterns of the Month, July 2009

2009-07-01T14:30:00.008-04:00

July's Patterns of the Month

Pick your yarn & your pattern and SAVE 15%! on your WHOLE purchase :-D

Classic Silk Open Cardi by Pam Allen
Found in the New Harbor pattern booklet from Classic Elite

This open, summery cardigan features a simple lace panel on either side of a wide ribbed neckline. Classic Silk is one of our more under-appreciated yarns and is simply beautiful. It's slightly tweedy and cottony feeling but not too hard on your hands. The silk lends to the tweed look and helps to chase away the chill on a summer night (or in the cold A.C.) We stock 9 earthy colors of the Classic Silk and many other yarns you could substitute (any other worsted weight yarn - Classic Elite Summer Set, Plymouth Galway, Berroco Ultra Alpaca and many more)

My mom knit this one in the cream colorway and added a silk flower pin to pull it closed. You could use a shawl pin or double pointed needle to add some style or wear it open!

Classic Silk Open Cardi
Sizes: 30 (33.25, 37.25, 41, 44.75)
Materials: 6 (7, 8, 8, 9) balls of Classic Silk from Classic Elite
Gauge - 19sts by 29 rows = 4" in stockinette on US 7 needles

Kids Kimono
by JoAnne Turcotte, pattern leaflet from Plymouth Yarns
Our second pattern for this month is a child's kimono-style sweater. We have been expanding our selection of patterns for "tween" sizes - children older than toddler but younger than teens - and have had surprising success! This sweater is made up of garter stitch rectangles, making it a great first sweater for a beginning knitter. Since it is over-sized in style, if it is a tiny bit big or small it will still fit the recipient!
This sweater can be knit in any worsted weight yarn which makes the color selection and fiber options HUGE. Pick from Plymouth Encore (now in tweeds), Plymouth Galway, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Berroco Comfort, Queensland Rustic Tweed, and MANY others.

Anne knit this pattern for display in Plymouth Galway Paint:
TAKE NOTE of these sizes! This could be a good cropped design to knit for yourself. If you like the kimono look we have additional patterns for women's sizes and a wonderful book called Knit Kimono.

Sizes: 4 (6, 8, 10) oversized
Chest: 32 (34, 36, 38)
Materials: Encore or Galway 4 (4, 5, 5) balls
Gauge: 16sts=4" on a size 9 needle

We hope you'll enjoy the July patterns of the month - we're still in summer mode but will soon be thinking about fall/winter and holiday projects (can you believe it?)

Patterns of the Month, June 2009

2009-06-01T09:39:00.008-04:00

We're featuring two patterns for our very first Patterns of the Month!
This month this is an in-store special (the website isn't set up for it)

Pick your yarn & your pattern and SAVE 15%! on your purchase :-D

Flower Child and Pucker - both from Norah Gaughan Volume 4, new this spring.

Pucker

Pucker is a t-shirt style summertime knit made in Berroco Seduce. I picked it because it is a simple knit but has a few design features that may be new to you. You mostly knit and purl, in stockinette stitch (you can do that!) but when you get to the neckline you get to use decreases and increases to make the pucker detail along the bust. The short, swingy sleeves are just a bit different from the tight cap sleeves that were in fashion last year.

It is also a pretty flattering knit for many different body types. Click here to check out all of the projects on Ravelry. This is a size 34" on me, a size 32" bust. I have big arms for my bust size and while I do have a waist I have pretty wide hips just below it. I would probably leave the pucker off the bottom edge for my pear self but I love, love, love the neckline.

I forgot to smile because the camera timer was driving me crazy!

Sizes available from 32" to 54"! Adding length to the body or leaving off the bottom pucker are both super easy alterations - email me if you want to do either and need some helpful hints.

Yarn! Pucker is knit in Seduce (I used Seduce Colors), which is a pretty unique yarn. It is silky but not super slippery, textured but not bumpy and comes in beautiful colors. It is a "worsted" weight yarn, meaning you can get a gauge of 5 sts to the inch on US 8 needles but the resulting fabric is a little mesh-like. I think it's beautiful but if you're looking for something a bit more solid check out Hempathy or Butterfly Cotton. You will have to do a gauge swatch to see what needle size to use with this alternative but you will get a much more solid fabric while keeping the swingy style fabric.
Pucker
sizes
to fit bust size 30(34-38-42-46-50-54)”
finished measurements
bust – 30(34-38-42-46-50-54)”
length – 21(21½-22-23-23½-24½-25)”
materials
Seduce or Seduce Colors
6(7-8-9-10-11-12), 40 gr balls

Flower Child
I picked Flower Child because I'm totally in love with it. From the moment I saw a preview copy from our Berroco rep last fall I knew I'd be making one. I have only swatched so far but you'll be seeing me around town in one pretty soon! Flower Child is plain on the back, making for some more simple knitting, while you have to pay more attention when you're working on the front. There area few more skills on this one - knit, purl, increase, decrease, make bobble, cable, yarn over.

There are two versions of this tee - a short version and a long version. The one in the modeled photo is the longer version while the sample that was sent to us is the short version. This design is also one that looks good on all different bodies - click here to check out the projects on Ravelry. I'm knitting the shorter version due to my hips; I'm a pear and the upper detail will balance out my natural hippiness on a shorter version.

This is my sister in the smallest size, short version. Shhh!! Don't tell her I posted this photo!

Yarn: This one is knit in Berroco's new Pure Pima, which I highly recommend. It comes in beautiful, rich shades and it is a VERY high quality cotton for a great price. It won't sag out of shape, especially in a design like this one, so you can feel confident that your finished garment will look great! We have a few good yarn substitutions if Pure Pima doesn't have your color - check out Scarlett, Hempathy, Cotton Bamboo, and Bambool. You will have to swatch with this pattern no matter what yarn you pick. Please, please swatch!

Flower Child
sizes
to fit bust size 30(34-38-42-46-50)”
finished measurements
bust – 30(34-38-42-46-50)”
long version – 28(29-3031-32-33)”
shorter version – 21(22½-24½-26-n/a-n/a)
materials
Pure Pima
long version – 8(10-11-13-14-16), 50 gr hanks
shorter version – 7(8-9-11-n/a,n/a) 50 gr hanks

Summer projects...

2009-05-25T11:16:00.007-04:00

....how do I love thee - let me count the ways...

cottony yarns wick moisture away from my fingers, keeping me cool as I work
lacy fashions are IN and great for cool summer nights
A sock or dishcloth on-the-go keeps me busy at BBQs, family gatherings and road trips
the market bag I just finished will be used at the Farmers' Market that starts up on the green across the street from us
baseball games make the perfect project background noise!
tanks tops get done so much faster than cardigans
I get started on Christmas knitting - small projects like mittens, headbands, scarves - planning the bigger projects for later
bright colors are IN
I work on small pieces of a larger project - that afghan I want can get done one square at a time
linen, bamboo, cotton, hemp and other summer blends are everywhere nowadays
floppy brimmed hats look soooo cute on summer babies at the beach!

You can KNIT/CROCHET IN PUBLIC! since your fingers won't freeze and the weather is so beautiful, you can take your projects outside! (Remember, sand will wash right out of your projects with a good soak)

What do you love about summer knitting/crocheting?

Poppin' Goofballs

2009-05-15T14:39:00.005-04:00

This just might be the silliest thing I've knit so far! I love it...

When our Plymouth yarn rep showed us Poppin' I instantly saw something FUN. Something that you wouldn't have to spend a fortune on, something new you could try and know you'll get goofy, fun results. Now, Mom/Deb would use this in conjuntion with some other yarn in the trim of a hat or cuffs of a sweater but I knit it alone. Just for fun! Since it's a little awkward to figure out at first, I took step-by-step photos. I finished this in two nights of light knitting (the season finales of LOST, The Office and 30 Rock, to be specific).

Materials: One ball of Plymouth Poppin' ($8.99 for 66yds, Ultra Bulky)
One pair of knitting needles-pick a large size, I chose US10s

Finished Measurements: approx 5.5" wide by 70" long, it's springy & bouncy once knit up

OK!
To knit this you are going to space your stitches out so that they happen with the yarn in between the puffs.

Cast on 8 stitches using backwards loop (single) cast on. You can try out a different cast on but backwards loop causes the least headaches :)

see how my loops happen in between the puffs?

Commence the knittin'!
insert your needle as usual (if you're continental your yarn is on the opposite side. The main point is to be using the yarn between the puffs)

Wrap the yarn around, using the yarn between the puffs:Pull the new stitch through:
and push the old stitch off as usual.

You'll have to find your own groove with the yarn. After a while I started anchoring the yarn with my left index finger as I pulled the new stitch through. I couldn't photograph it though.

In this green color it kind of looks like a puffy plant or a catipillar or something. But we also have white, pink and black. We just bought one bag of each to have a bit of fun with and I hope you'll snag a skein or two to have some fun of your own!

May Day Thanksgiving

2009-05-01T10:40:00.005-04:00

AHHHhhhh.....

That's the sound of me decompressing!

THANK YOU to all who came out for the yarn tasting last weekend! I hope everyone had a good time and got to try out some yarns they wouldn't normally try. We had a lot of fun putting it together for you and seeing everyone so excited and happy is definitely good for the soul :)

I don't have any photos of everyone because I was running around a bit. I should have put someone in charge of manning the camera. Does anyone have photos? Here are a few from our preparations - if you are wondering what this yarn tasting thing is all about, here we go:

(I should note that every store does this differently, this is just what we do/have done so far)

We pick a selection of yarns, sometimes with a theme, to be put on display. We go literal and put it right out on a plate for you to taste: I put up big signs to make it easy to spot the yarns you tasted in their natural habitat (on display):

Pure Pima is my new favorite cotton!!

There were prizes! I don't even know who got what, I was so out of it!! Prizes included stitch markers, pattern books, shawl pins, yarn, etc. There were goodie bags with fun things in them. This round I decided to do Yarn Emergency kits with various little things that will help you in a pinch:

We also had some food - cheese & crackers on Friday night and coffee cake and coffee Saturday morning. We had a big table with all the yarn and a few free patterns in the center of the store and the food was in the classroom area.

I'm not sure if there was a clear "hit" of the tasting this spring like there was last spring. I'll tell you about my favorites & maybe you can chime in with yours!

Pure Pima from Berroco. It isn't flashy, there are no gimmicks, it is just a wonderful high quality DK weight cotton with depth and beautiful colorways. At $5.99 for 115 yds it is one of the best summer buys in the shop. It won't stretch out of shape or do anything weird and the stitch definition is fantastic!
Sprout from Classic Elite. How did they make a bulky organic cotton without it weighing a million pounds?! Earthy, fluffy, soft, beautiful with a slightly bumpy texture... I love this yarn.
Ok, so maybe ALL the yarns are my favorites. By default. I mean, the reps come to see us and I pick out my favorites from the hundreds that we see, so the whole store is my favorite. But every favorite has a purpose, honest!

In case you missed them, we were offering printouts of these free patterns:
Market Bag from Plymouth
Star Washcloth from Classic Elite (pdf)
Sprout Baby Blanket from Classic Elite (pdf)
Lacy Crochet Kerchief (pdf)
Also check out Aruna (crochet) and Abrianna (knit) summer tops from Berroco

I want so badly to do more events. More out in the community. More charity work. More knitting in public. I just run out of time for the organizing. If anyone is organizing anything charitable or social I will gladly promote it here or on ravelry (or you can post in the Sage group there), just let me know. I have more ideas than time to execute them!

Happy May Day & Thank you again, everyone!!

Jen

going, going, gone! (almost)

2009-04-11T08:47:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick note to say that there are only 2 slots left for the yarn tasting for

Friday night
April 24th, from 5-8pm

The response has been unbelievable and I'm wondering what kind of food to get now that we have so many people! I can only hope and pray that you don't all show up at once :-D

I am on vacation next week, which I am looking forward to (as much as I love the store) because I'm hoping to knit, knit, knit for a week. If you need anything you can still email us/me at info@sageyarn.com

and maybe this break will give me a moment to write another real blog entry! yay!

I'll see you all soon,
Jen

Yarn Tasting, Spring 2009

2009-04-06T08:56:00.002-04:00

The spring yarn tasting is coming up!
I announced it first in the newsletter, as usual, and the Saturday morning time filled up really quickly. I had no idea it would be so popular!

We hold yarn tastings as a time for you to get to know some new and different yarns without committing to purchasing a whole ball/skein. You get to come in and test knit on a swatch, pet the skein, and take home little yarn samples to match up to your projects. There is also food, door prizes and free goodies!

Friday, April 24th 5-8pm
~~Saturday, April 25th 9-12~~ (sat. is full!)

If you haven't signed up, shoot me an email at info@sageyarn.com

Hope to see you there!
Jen

Ruffled Baby Hat

2009-03-20T09:27:00.007-04:00

Anne made up a sample sweater for us (an Oat Couture leaflet pattern) and had enough yarn left over to make a little matching hat. She thought this pattern up on the spot and she said I could post it as a freebie - lucky us! This hat features a ruffled edge and a gathered top. Anne embellished with some little ribbon flowers to add a sweet detail to the crown. It is such an adorable, quick pattern, it would be great for any of the babies in your life, as well as charity knitting. So... Here we go!

Finished size: 15.5” circumference
Gauge: 4.5 sts/inch in garter stitch
Materials: 1 ball of Louisa Harding Merletto (98yds/50g, 46% Viscose, 34% Polyamide, 20% Linen) Or other yarn that meets the required gauge
Size US 3 double pointed needles (or needles to get gauge)
A blunt-end yarn needle
Ribbon roses for embellishment (bows, buttons, pom poms, embroidery, whatever you like)

Ruffled Baby Hat - KNIT FLAT version

Cast on 140 stitches Knit 7 rows in garter stitch (knit every row)
Next row: k2tog across the row (70 sts remain)
Knit in garter stitch until hat measures 5.5 inches from the beginning.
Next 2 rows: k2tog across

Break your yarn leaving at least an 8” tail. Thread yarn on a blunt-end needle and draw yarn through all the remaining live stitches. Pull up tight to gather together. Use the rest of the tail to sew the back seam, from the top down to the brim. (for seaming tips, check out knitty.com's article on mattress stitch) Weave in ends to secure.

Embellish with ribbons, roses, or bows as desired.

Ruffled Baby Hat - KNIT AROUND version

Using double pointed needles cast on 138 stitches.
Join for knitting in the round, being careful not to twist.
Knit 7 rounds in garter stitch (in the round, that is knit a row, purl a row)
Next row: k2tog across the row (69 sts remain)
Knit in garter stitch until hat measures 5.5 inches from the beginning.
Next 2 rows: k2tog across

Break your yarn leaving at least a 5” tail. Thread yarn on a blunt-end needle and draw yarn through all the remaining live stitches. Pull up tight to gather together. Weave in ends to secure and embellish as desired.

Enjoy!

To Anna:

2009-03-19T12:31:00.003-04:00

I'm writing this post in response to this comment, left on our last FO entry:

I googled Evening gala aran and found your mom's beautiful sweater. Amazing, I just picked up this yarn, mulberry merino, to swatch for this sweater. Although I chose a different color, I do like the ecru better.
I am planning, (and hoping) I could knit this sweater for my Valentine 2010 evening wedding and have the skirt shown in Nicky's book made to match.
Was this sweater a challenge? (and I know that's a subjective question) I have knit sweaters in the past, but nothing like this one. Any advise would be truly welcomed.
Beautiful sweater-have fun wearing it!!!

Anna,
California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Anna!
I have no way to email you so I'm going to post this here and hope you see it!
This was my mom's first charted cable knit - in that way it was a bit of a challenge for her. She needed to get used to reading the symbols on the chart and translating it in her brain. There was a bit of ripping involved :-)

The sweater itself is made in pieces with a raglan sleeve, the shape is not difficult. The finishing work - sewing the beads and boa - was time-consuming but also not way up there on difficulty level. I would recommend finding your beads and boa as soon as you decide you want to make it. Waiting for the boa to arrive in the mail made my Mom anxious and I can't imagine if it wasn't the correct color or something (sending it back, waiting for the new one, etc. could take a while).

Good luck and feel free to email me: info@sageyarn.com

Jen

Ruffled Feathers

2009-02-20T09:20:00.009-05:00

It HAS been a while since I've posted some finished projects. Our wonderful staff here has completed a wide variety of knitted items (I know, you poor crocheters, I have plans for crocheted projects). Shall we dive right in?

This is my mom's winter project. It's amazing. She knit this just for the experience of knitting it and having a beautiful finished project:Pattern: Evening Gala Aran from Nicky Epstein's Knitting On Top of the World
Yarn: Plymouth Mulberry Merino, single ply wool/silk blend

She ordered the boa from somewhere online (ostrich feathers) and the beads came from over-the-bridge. I'll have to get those details from her, but I just wanted to show you so badly! My lame photographs don't really do it justice. She also knit an Einstein coat:Pattern: Einstein Coat (lightweight version) from The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden

This is a great way to get into knitting a garment without being scared away by too much shaping or fanciness. You knit a big rectangle for the "skirt" and pick up and knit the top and sleeves. It's easy to alter to fit your yarn and your body size. I want one for myself! Of course, we've sold out of this color as a result.

How about an easy hat/scarf combo:Pattern: mom made it up, basic roll brim hat with bulky yarn and a lengthwise striped scarf
Yarns: Plymouth Heaven and two strands of Encore with a glitzy yarn carried along for the stripes

For the hands:
Pattern: Swirling Gauntlets and Drawstring Bag from Not Just Socks
Yarn: Online Supersock, one ball for two gloves + half of the drawstring bag

Pattern: Dolce Handknits pattern leaflet, "Matchgirl Gloves"
Yarn: Mirasol Hacho, one hank each glove
That is my hand, there - these fit very nicely because of the bit of shaping along the wrist.

For the Kids:

Pattern: Lacey Mae Layette from Berroco booklet 284 Family Comfort
Yarn: Comfort Baby
Anne knit this sweater/hat combination. I can't believe how cute the ruffles are - maybe I'm just attracted to ruffles lately but they really add such cute detail to baby clothes. The sweater doesn't quite fit the teddy bear because it's a wrap.

And for the little one to hold on to:

Pattern: Oat Couture Pattern Leaflet "Cuddle Toys"
Yarn: One ball of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille

Knit by Carol, this cuddly guy uses one of my favorite cotton yarns. The chenille is soft and doesn't worm like a rayon chenille (I've used this for fancy washcloths that are oh-so-nice). The pattern has options for different animals - bunny, bear, cat & dog - by changing the shape of the ear and the embroidery on the face :-)

Well, it's time for me to get to my other work for today, I hope you enjoyed the photos! Next on the list is to add these projects to our ravelry notebook.

Have fun,
Jen

This Just In

2009-02-03T15:30:00.001-05:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled work day to bring you this important bulletin:

WORDS OF APPRECIATION ISSUED TO MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS!
All of us here at Sage Yarn would like to thank you for continuing to support your local yarn store. We would not be here without your support and hope that you enjoy your visits to our store - thank you for coming out on our unusually warm Super Bowl Weekend to patronize our super sale!

Secondary to that - our website... *big sigh* well, it was down for "server maintenance" over the weekend, which we didn't know about ahead of time. Today I tried to send out the newsletter and it didn't go out (we got an error screen and I didn't get a copy in my inbox). So I just wanted to let you know that NEW CLASSES are posted on the class page of the website and that the newsletter will go out ASAP. (UGH!)

Renovation Complete!

2009-01-20T15:26:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to you, and Happy New Store to US!
We're really excited to have completed our renovation of the store during last week while we were closed. The new carpet went down, David put in a new ceiling and it is brighter, cleaner and much more easier to get around.

Here is a quick photo tour of our brand new Sage Yarn:

This is the view from the front door:
The first yarns in front of you are the sparkly novelty things but you quickly move into lace weight and sock yarn. All of the yarns are grouped according to their thickness to make it easier for everyone to find substitutes for the yarns listed in their patterns. All of the worsted yarn is in the same area, all of the sock yarn is together, and so on.

Here is our new cash wrap/counter:
The display case houses our enamel buttons, Lantern Moon Sock Stix needles, and the Debby Ware kits right now. It is on the opposite wall from where it was before! It will be easier for us to greet you when you come in and you can come in and browse without bumping immediately into the register.

Here is the view from the register where we would be standing:

In the center of the store we have a garment rack like you would see in a clothing store. While we still want to have things on display hanging on the walls we all felt it was very important that we got a bunch of our samples down where you can touch them and pick them up and try them on. Behind the garment rack you can see the Encore and Galway is still in bookcases but it won't be there for long. We got our display units in the mail today and they will go on the shelf this week. They are more shallow than the bookcases and will open up the space even more.

Here is an example of a yarn display:

There are rainbows everywhere! This section in particular is part of the DK section. We've tried to arrange all the yarn so it is more spread out and thus easier to see. When it's all piled on top of each other you can barely make out what is what, let alone make a decision about what you want to buy! So we hope this helps make your shopping easier and more enjoyable.

On the to-do list:

Signs! We are keeping our signature labels with gauge, fiber content and yardage information and adding in informational postings. I also want to put a selection of patterns on display with their correspond yarn.
Displays! - My mom set up the new window display but I have yet to hang everything up on the walls. I have a pile of poor, neglected socks waiting to be hung with the sock yarn. It will be done over the course of this week.
Education! Classes will be scheduled for March and beyond in the next week and posted on the website. Now that we have more space we will be setting up more classes and advertising them. Let us know if you have any requests.
Events! I have many ideas about events now that we don't have to move the gifts out of the way to hold them. Keep tuned in here and to the newsletter for news!

Well, that's it for today! I hope you'll get to stop in and see us soon. There's a sale coming up (good excuse to come check us out)

SUPER BOWL SALE
JAN 30, 31, FEB 1
Details: The usual super bowl sale, everything's a bargain!
With special GRAND REOPENING surprises....

See you soon,
Jen

Berroco Spring '09

2008-12-27T12:01:00.004-05:00

Berroco Spring Preview!

I have a few photos to show you of the new spring patterns from Berroco. We're really excited and I have two samples to knit in the next month or two :-)

I know it seems early to think about spring but all of this will be in the store soon and you can start making your wish lists for the super bowl sale!

Important Dates

2008-12-14T11:20:00.002-05:00

As of this weekend ALL of the gift section of the store is 50% off!! I had yesterday off but was told that the Jim Shore and Ann Ross was flying out the door.

The store will be closed January 12 - 16 for our remodel. It's coming up quickly! If there's anything you'll need during that week be sure to stop by before then.

We will reopen January 17th, complete with new carpet, ceiling tiles, fixtures and displays.

Our GRAND reopening will coincide with our annual Super Bowl Sale, January 30-February 1 2008!

Holiday Project Stress

2008-12-08T12:36:00.004-05:00

Bad, Bad store blogger...

It has been a busy month here, people! It's so exciting when it's busy but it does make it hard to get some blogging time in. I hope you aren't too mad at me ;-)

Let us talk about holiday stress and our projects. *deep breath*

I LOVE giving handmade gifts. I love picking out the perfect project, in the perfect color and making it up with my own two hands. I have developed my own guidelines about my gift-giving with regard to my projects that keep me from going crazy. How about bullet points? If I could send you a powerpoint presentation I would.

I can't make everyone something every year.

This is an especially hard one for me to accept. Because there was a time when I would make everyone on my list a scarf or a hat. But now... now I want more. I want personalized aran sweaters and log cabin afghans. And you just can't do that for everyone every year. So one or two people get something big this year and one or two different people get something big next year. Eventually, everyone will get something lovely.

Not everything will get done by the due date

December 25 became a date burned into my brain as a project deadline rather than a holiday to enjoy with my friends and family. NO MORE! If I can get it done by that date I am happy, if I can't I'm still happy. This becomes especially easy if you only knit or crochet for people who don't mind getting presents in January or February (hi Celeste!). Also, this falls under the "life is short" category. How nice would it be if we gave our loved ones gifts all year, not just on holidays? Would they love you less if they got their mittens in March?

Sometimes the wrapping is pretty, too

If I have a bit of extra time, but not too much, I'll knit a little gift bag or crochet a little ornament to adorn a package. It's special!

Decide not to be upset

This is also a hard one. At some point you have to decide that if you make something for someone and they don't like it - it's OK. Really. They'd rather freeze to death than wear the scarf because it doesn't match their jacket? It's OK. Yes, you spent a chunk of your valuable time on it and they may even have asked for the scarf. But now you know who not to make stuff for. Some people need something store bought with a gift receipt taped to it.
Also, someone might get upset that they did NOT get something handmade. As long as you've gently reminded them how busy you are and that you may or may not have something planned for them in future... what else can you do? You can NOT feel guilty that you didn't get something done for them. You're doing your best.

Make something I enjoy making

I make exceptions to this guideline for things like amigurumi, which kill my hands to make but are just too cute, and lace which tends to go on forever past the point where I'm not interested anymore. Basically, though, if I don't like making it it won't really get done.

Wow, all of that doesn't sound especially happy. But really - I've given myself freedom. I have given myself permission to knit what I want, for whom I want, when I want and left my holiday open to enjoy my family. (I never was an all-nighter kind of person. It just makes me a blubbering idiot the next day and who wants to be an idiot on a holiday?!)

Please have a low-stress December. Remember to take breaks and be easy on yourself. Let me know if you need ANYTHING. And feel free to comment with your favorite way to de-stress!

Jen

p,s. I'll be back with links to last-minute project ideas!

2 Row Reversible Scarf

2008-11-08T09:42:00.007-05:00

Have you been into the shop lately? I only ask because if you have you've seen me all bundled up while my mom is in t-shirts. I'm cold. All the time. I blame the fact that I sit down at the computer and click through ravelry all day (my next pattern is going to be for a mouse glove to cover up my cold mouse-clicking hand). And by "click through ravelry all day" I mean... updating the website and answering store email. If I were smart, I'd get my butt out of my seat and warm up a bit! OR I'd knit the coziest scarf possible and bundle up.

What? Winter's on it's way?

2 Row Reversible Scarf (with endless possibilities)
OR
Cartridge-Belt Rib (that's not really a rib)

Searching for a fun reversible pattern, I found this stitch. Barbara Walker spoke to me. She said, "It is close, non-curling, and looks the same on both sides." I listened and said, "That is AWESOME!"

Reversible, see?

Finished Size: 5" wide by 63" long, unstretched but lightly blocked
Materials: 2 hanks Malabrigo Merino Chunky, 1 pair size US 11 (8.00mm) needles
Gauge - 18.5 sts = 4" (or... 23sts = 5")
Good yarn substitutes at this gauge: Galway Chunky, Cuzco, Peruvia Quick, Sulka

CO 23 sts.
Row 1: K3, *slip 1 with yarn in front, K 3; repeat from *
Row 2: K1, *slip 1 with yarn in front, K3; repeat from * to the last 2 sts, slip 1, K1
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you're almost out of yarn. Bind off.

This "rib" doesn't really stretch or draw in like a real rib, though it has the vertical lines and fluff of a rib - it's super warm! It is found on page 21 of A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker.

Different gauges - use any of your favorite yarns by adding or subtracting stitches in multiples of 4 + 3 to get the width you want. If you need help with this - gimme an email info@sageyarn.com.

Striped variation - here's a swatch with two different colors. The bottom changes colors every 2 rows, the top changes colors every 4 rows:

Berroco Pure Merino on Size 10s

Have fun knitting!! Next up - a hat pattern from MOM! I mean, DEB!

~Jen

Giving Warmth

2008-10-28T10:20:00.004-04:00

Is there a chill in the air?

There sure is!

As you plan your fall and winter projects, I wonder if you'd have a few hours to spare to knit or crochet for a good cause...

As I mentioned here on the blog (or maybe the newsletter?) I’ve been trying to get organized for community involvement here at Sage! I’ve contacted Carriage House here in Falmouth and they would love to receive handmade items as donations. They are a non-profit organization & part of the Housing Assistance Corporation on Cape Cod. From their website:

This shelter for homeless families is located in Falmouth, Mass. It specializes in serving first-time mothers and their children. While sheltering is primary, Carriage House also provides an ongoing in-house workshop program, supportive services and linkages to community resources.

In my emails with the director I asked what they could use and if there are any restrictions on what type of yarn, etc. They are not requiring machine wash-only or acrylic-only (which I love!) so you could use ANY yarn. If you have scraps of wool from felting projects - go for it! If you have cottons from dishcloths - it's all good!

She says they can use any kind of baby/child items or things for the moms. Baby hats, mittens, sweaters, booties, blankets - for the Moms scarves, hats, mittens & gloves are great. She also mentioned throw pillows & lap blankets. If you only have time for a basic afghan square, I'll take those! (we can sew them up for you) I imagine that ANYTHING you would want to make would be loved and cherished.

I have had a few hats donated already from a few of you lovely, generous people! My only personal requirement is that you let me know what yarn you used so I can tag it with washing instructions (or you can tag it yourself if you like with a little personal touch :-)

I hope we can help these first-time moms have a nice winter and give them hope for the winters to come!

I’ve also contacted some other local places to donate items if we have an overflow. I’ll keep you updated on what they need/want/require!

Scarecrow

2008-10-13T10:43:00.003-04:00

We don't actually have any crows to scare in downtown Falmouth - mostly pigeons - but we do have a scarecrow... just for ambiance. This is part of the Falmouth Village Association's fall effort in Main St. pride and unity. Three cheers for Main St.hip-hip-horray!
hip-hip-horray!

hip-hip-horray!

David made the heavy-duty stand that she's built on and mom did all the rest. She's been planning this since she finished the May basket. Over the weekend, people were taking photos with it! :-)

Jump Start for the Hollydaze

2008-10-06T10:47:00.004-04:00

The Super-Fast, Bookmark-This-Page-You'll-Need-it-Later, Scarf

It IS holiday season in the handknit/crochet world. We're not talking the Christmas creep we're talking preparation. I have some formed some definite opinions about handknit holidays... but I'll put that off in favor of getting you jump-started.

This scarf was born out of the need for a project that:

won't cost an arm and a leg
will look nice/stylish
will work up FAST

This is what I came up with - the most basic of lace patterns (don't get scared, it's not hard) on super-bulky yarn.Materials: Twinkle Handknits Soft Chunky (dist. by Classic Elite), 100% virgin wool, 200 g/83 yds per hank, 1 hank color 20, 1 pair size 19 needles
Finished Measurements: approx 5" wide by 63" long unstretched

Pattern:
CO 10 sts
Row 1 - K1 *(YO, K2tog), repeat from * across to last stitch, K1

Repeat row 1 until you almost run out of yarn, bind off

Tips for this scarf:

this scarf can be made in any weight or any fiber, experiment with something else for a slightly different look. (Blizzard and Encore Mega would be our closest subs)
the stitch pattern is over an even number of stitches, to make wider or skinnier add or subtract in multiples of 2.
big thick yarn works up fast but don't try to move fast - move nice and slow, your hands and wrists will thank you and your scarf will still work up quickly.
If you don't want to buy some 19s, just go fishing for your largest needles & see how it looks. 15s? 17s? I know you have some big ol plastic things from Job Lot stashed away somewhere :-)
I've knit this in mohair... yum! How about mohair and silk.. oooOOooo.... or malabrigo...

I knit this scarf over the span of a viewing of Iron Man this weekend. Conservatively, I'd call this a 3 hour scarf. I imagine it will be one of my last-minute gift ideas as the holidays close in.

Let me know if you try this out - have fun!

Alpaca-success!

2008-09-24T09:33:00.002-04:00

I am not married, but I have heard many brides say that remember very little of their wedding day - the day they had been working towards over the length of their engagement (sometimes years!).

I have almost no specific memories of Alpacapalooza... I was there, I said hi to a lot of people, met some other people I hadn't met before, I fetched yarn from the back room, answered questions, gave advice... but it was such a whirlwind weekend!!

I do know it was very successful and everyone who has talked to me has told me how much fun it was. I am SO GLAD!! I love being able to make your day! I hope you went home with some good freebies and are petting your little yarn samples.

For those of you who couldn't make it - I know there will be more in our future. As I get deeper and deeper into this business I hope to reach out to our community more and more. (Next on my to-do list: a charity something-or-other (if you have ideas, I'd love to hear them!)). Here are a few photos of the set-up from the weekend:

I don't have any photos of people - as soon as they got here I was in a daze :-) Anyone have any photos to share? Someone took a photo of me at one point.

SO

THANK YOU!

for coming to our little event! It's a big deal to us, and especially to me, to see everyone so happy (and even just to SEE everyone all in one place, people drove from all over!) and know that we could make that happen for you! :-D

Have fun with your yarn!

Jen

tasting 1.. 2.. 3.. tasting...

2008-09-19T10:00:00.003-04:00

770 mini skeins of yarn to take home... 45 ravelry buttons (hope it's enough)... 70 lollipops... 2 boxes of coffee... 2 coffee cakes... fruit, cheese, crackers... big signs on the yarn... free patterns...

there's still a lot to get done but hopefully we'll see you tonight & tomorrow!!

Saturday tasting is closed

2008-09-16T10:01:00.001-04:00

my goodness!

I have to close sign-ups for the Saturday yarn tasting today! I didn't think we'd have that many people sign up - it's going to be one big party!!

You can still sign up for Friday, but we only have a few slots left there, also.

Sorry for the lack of blog posts... personal life interfered with blogging recently but now I'm back to work. I'll hopefully have some teaser photos for you tomorrow!

Jen

Alpacapalooza sign-ups!

2008-09-04T15:47:00.008-04:00

For our fall yarn tasting I have picked out 10 alpaca yarns from laceweight to super bulky. The yarns will be set up for you to taste along with snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic). You'll also get a gift bag if you sign up ahead of time and there will be prizes and SURprises! AND you get to socialize over yarn! If you can't make it you can have a gift bag sent to you via snail mail.

Alpacapalooza, Sage's fall yarn tasting, will take place:

Friday night, Sept 19th from 5-8pm and

Saturday morning, Sept 20th from 9-12pm.

Whoo hoo!!

If you want to come sign up by emailing me
info@sageyarn.com

(or PMing me in Ravelry - Cadburyskeeper)

Let me know if you want to come Friday night or Saturday morning (for food preparation purposes) If you don't sign up but want to come at the last minute you can just show up! You just might not have a gift bag waiting for you because I'm making those ahead of time.

Let me know if you have any questions. Sorry about sending out the newsletter without the dates! what a bonehead move that was! It just shows how much is bouncing around my head these days...

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2008-08-18T12:38:00.007-04:00

This is what happens when you're crazy about yarn:
You buy too much of it and have to reorganize! David ordered more slat wall so we could hang/display more yarn in the same amount of space that we've always had. He took out the bookcases where all the Noro/Chunky Encore/Yukon/Lopi etc was and put up the slat wall!

All of the extra yarn got packed up (now there's even stuff overflowing in the back room) and moved a few things around. With the bookcases gone the back of the store is completely opened up - can you see from here? You can see the extra storage up to the ceiling in back, we needed that pretty badly:
Here's a better photo of that first aisle:
My computer station is pushed back towards the corner so I'm not as much in the way. I'm still blocking the wall of malabrigo, but will that really keep you away from the stuff?

One of our main goals for this move was to get all the Ultra Alpaca and it's family out of baskets and onto the wall. Here's Ultra Alpaca Fine, Ultra Alpaca Light, Ultra Alpaca and Cuzco:

Did you know we had hand-dyed silk ribbon? We do! We just never had a good place to hang it up! It's great for accents or even tying up your hand-made present. I want to make some fingerless gloves that lace up the side:
Here's Montera, Peruvia (with new colors!) and Peruvia Quick.

The sock yarn is next to the display posters that show how they stripe (nevermind the feather duster):

Goal #2 of the big move is to display all of the new fall Mirasol yarns together on the wall. We moved last season's so that they are together and this season's new yarns should be in soon. We'll be featuring them - it's a very special yarn line for us. When it comes in I'll write a big post about it.

Hope you like the new layout! If you can't find something that you need just let one of us know. Someone here should know where it is :-)

have fun with the string,
Jen

Olympic Motivation

2008-08-11T09:55:00.003-04:00

The people have spoken!
Our next yarn tasting,
Alpacapalooza
will take place Sept. 19 & 20

Thank you for participating! That gives me over a month to get my stuff together...

Are you watching the Olympics?

Today, I shall talk about something that I have had to work hard to maintain at times... motivation! Sometimes you just don't feel like doing anything, let alone knitting on that never-ending scarf or crocheting that 57th square for your afghan.

I mention the Olympics because it has become a knit/crochet motivation tool. When I think about it, watching the best of the best perform after a lifetime of training should motivate me every day -- if so-and-so can get up in the morning and work out for 3 hours before I even get up, surely I can wash the dishes and do the laundry!

For the 2006 winter Olympics the Yarn Harlot mentioned the idea of choosing an olympic project - something that would challenge you - that you would start and finishing within the time frame of the games. So many people challenged themselves and triumphed! It was an amazing thing! Since the Knitting Olympics is a winter event, the summer Olympics has been left open for us to create our own personal challenge. If you are on Ravelry, you might already have joined the Ravelympics, picked or put together a team and are working away on your projects.

It's not too late to pick something, ONE thing that might challenge you over the next few weeks. Set a goal for that thing and DO IT! Whether it's pulling old projects out and finishing them up, organizing your stash or making something crazy that you never thought you would make.

You could even pick something completely unrelated to yarn! I know, take a moment.... what isn't related to yarn? One of my goals is to paint my guest room (which is also my yarn room, thus related to yarn).

I know we'll be talking motivation as the holiday projects start gettin ya down... in the meantime, read yourself some Olympic stories and resolve to do something!

Have fun,
Jen

washing & blocking

2008-07-28T13:35:00.006-04:00

There was a long period of time when I got back into knitting where I never did that last finishing step to complete my project. I never washed or blocked anything! Now I can't imagine even letting a scarf get by without a bath in the sink.

When washing your project you probably should follow the washing instructions on your ball band. Don't get me in trouble for saying this, but sometimes you can do your own thing. Now, don't go and knit an adult men's sweater and throw it in the washer just to "see what happens"... make a swatch!! This is a good use for those gauge swatches I know you're not making.

***Disclaimer*** This is just what I do, there are a billion ways and opinions on this.... I could write a book with everything I've read/heard...

Here is what I do when I wash by hand:

Make sure my sink is clean
Put the stopper on the sink and put a dose of SOAK on top of it (the stopper, that is)
Fill the sink with water the same temperature as the air (lukewarm)
Submerge the project, squeezing lightly to get all the bubbles out
Soak!
Gather up the project away from the stopper and drain the sink
Squeeze or don't squeeze depending on your project
Deposit onto a towel and proceed with blocking procedure

Ok - variations within this depend on the project. You can manhandle cottons a bit more because they won't felt. Wools can't be agitated unless you want to felt it, so you wouldn't want to get aggressive with your squeezing. If I'm afraid of felting I will gently push the project against the side of the sink to get some of the water out, then put it in between two towels and sit or step on it.

I recently finished a shawl in Malabrigo Silky Merino and this was my sink:(I can't get this to upload without rotating, grrr!)

If you get a sink full of dye, as you might from malabrigo, don't be scared! This is EXTRA dye, it's not actually coming out of your yarn - you won't have a faded color. Sometimes it takes a LOT of rinsing to get all the dye out and the companies don't realize they've stopped too soon. I don't care much about this - no big deal to me. Doesn't get your fingers red or anything.

So what is this blocking thing everyone is talking about? Everyone is doing it, you should do it too! Really, it's a good thing. After it's gone through the wash you might be able to shape your project as you see fit. This is amazing for shawls:
It transforms a lump of holey fabric into something flowy and pointy:
You can see I've pinned out the points of the shawl. Once it dries this way it should stay pointy.

Is this good for projects other than lace? YES! Blocking can straighten out individual crooked stitches, giving your project a more finished look. If you're making a sweater you can block the pieces to the correct size. Sometimes if you've come up short and don't want to remake something it can be reshaped in blocking (only a little bit, not a few inches). I block pieces of sweaters so that the edges lay more flat while I'm seaming them together.

Blocking doesn't work as well with acrylics and nylons, though you get absolutely beautiful results with naturals (wool, cotton, bamboo, silk, etc.) and some man-processed naturals (viscose, soy, corn, etc.). I put things down onto a towel and pin them to the rug - some people use their mattress - but use your brain on this, don't ruin something nice with the moisture.

What did we learn today kiddies? Sinks are for washing more than just hands! Swatches actually have another good use! Finishing doesn't end with the last stitch knit/crocheted!

It's up to you whether you spend this time with each and every project. I can tell you that after you've done it once or twice the benefits greatly outweigh the fact that you spent an extra bit of time doing it.

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Stash Enhancement

2008-07-15T09:11:00.010-04:00

First of all - great big thank-you hugs to everyone who came out for the sale!! It was a tough day to get here with the fair going on and I know you had to brave the crazy drivers. There were several people who mentioned that they felt like they were stealing from us - they have some good yarn in their stash now! - but it helps so much to have a big sale like this. Not only does the yarn go to good homes but we get to fill the space where that yarn used to be (in most cases, we've already bought the new yarn to replace it...) there is so much good stuff for fall and winter knitting this year....

Secondly, why didn't you buy all this stuff? I thought for sure you would...

Because YOU didn't take it home, I took it home. And so when you go home with a ton of yarn and you think "what am I going to do with all this stuff?!" I'm SOOOOO with you on that one!!!!

Also, I'm so sorry to announce that Debby Ware's knitting workshop on Martha's Vineyard July 26th has been canceled. I included a notice about it in our June newsletter - maybe next time she's in the area we'll get to visit with her!

Have fun with all your new string!

Jen

Are you Ready? (Street Fair '08)

2008-07-07T09:20:00.004-04:00

While I love 4th of July activities I really hate watching the news on the 5th and 6th of July. However you chose to spend your 4th I hope you had a safe and happy weekend (all fingers and toes intact)!

Since we've passed the 4th that can only mean one thing - The STREET FAIR. Out of all the downtown festivities for the summer this is the BIG ONE for us here at Sage. Here's the overview:

Wednesday July 9th & Thursday July 10th
From open, til close 9am-6pm
get here early, I tell you!

We will be repeating our GRAB BAG section, where you fill our medium-sized shopping bag - everything you can fit in there is 70% off. You can fill multiple bags and there will be a large, quality selection of yarn to choose from. Other yarns will be a flat 50% off but not in the grab bag section. There is so much yarn in this section we're pushing all the gifts in the front of the store out of the way!

This section includes yarns from: Artful Yarns, Berroco, Classic Elite, GGH, Debbie Bliss, Brown Sheep, Jo Sharp, Katia, Malabrigo, Muench, Plymouth, Reynolds, Skacel.

All of the rest of the yarn in the store is 20% off.

Back when we had our super bowl sale I remarked on how much energy and time goes into these sales and how that is the reason we only have 2 a year... well this is #2. This is it for the rest of the year. This is the time to get your stash ready for your winter/holiday/gift season projects!! Since I'm only really giving you 2 days to consider what to do for your holiday knitting/crocheting let me offer you some assistance.....

While your relatives and friends would be Extremely Impressed if you presented each one of them with an afghan to keep them warm this winter, consider picking a large project for only one or two people. They have to learn to understand that you can't knit/crochet using magic and make everyone a Weasley Sweater by Christmas morning. You will be a lot less StReSsEd also!
Consider picking a pattern that is easy for you (maybe one you've memorized) and repeating it for several people on your list. It is still special if you pick out a color and a beautiful yarn that is custom to that person on your list.
As I mentioned briefly in my last post - you might even want to make the wrapping to a small store-bought present to make it more personal. A small drawstring bag? A pretty I-cord tie? A felted flower?
You could always just stash yarn that you like and figure out what to do with it later. I've been known to give a box of yarn + a pattern to a family member for Christmas and say "I just wasn't sure what size you wanted."
Use our website to make out a shopping list!!

Alright. If you need some more help getting organized (you should be on Ravelry queuing up patterns!) here is a nifty spreadsheet. Punch holes in it and keep it in your pattern binder or tuck it in your project bag. Just make sure to keep it away from those you are knitting/crocheting for!!

See you Wednesday and Thursday!! Email me if you need anything! info@sageyarn.com

Jen

Inanimate Objects

2008-07-01T10:35:00.003-04:00

It's summer! Yay!

Before I get into STREET FAIR mode (next wednesday, we're keeping our stuff out through thursday for the locals) - here are some interesting finished projects for you. I'm not quite the queen of odd knit/crochet, since I haven't knit an anatomically correct heart or crocheted a coral reef.... But here's a cake that I got done for my Mom's birthday:

Buttercream
This is a free pattern from Berroco
Crocheted in Ultra Alpaca - 2 hanks of white, 1 hank of green,
scraps for the flowers or 1 skein of each flower color
Yarn Cost - $ 23.97 for the 2 white + 1 green

It is held steady with cardboard and the sections lift off so you can store dishes or little things underneath! Sometimes you just can't think of what to make someone as a gift. It's hard to guess garment sizes, shapes and colors. So instead of saving time to make a whole afghan or something (something everyone uses) you could make some kind of inanimate object...

Like strawberries for a friend who is allergic to strawberries but loves them so much she eats them once and a while but then breaks out into hives.... These were really a very quick knit and fun to make!

These were knit with scraps from my mom's felting stash
Galway Worsted - red, Lamb's Pride Worsted, green
Size 7 double pointed needles
The pattern is free online from Pezdiva
Make sure you tell her how awesome it is

There are many people out there designing food, dolls, amigurumi, objects... everything you can think of. It makes for some fun projects and if your giving it as a gift the recipient will always be surprised! Of course, if weird isn't your thing, you could buy someone a little something and then knit or crochet a little drawstring bag as the gift's "wrapping".

I went to a baby shower this past weekend and presented the mom-to-be with some booties. This was my favorite pair:

Christine's Stay On Booties
Knit in Panda Cotton
Size 1 needles
Yarn Cost $6.90, you'll have yarn leftover for a hat or something

This is a free pattern from a wonderful woman who wanted everyone to have some booties that actually STAY ON wiggly feet! I loved knitting this pattern even though it was on small needles and a little fiddly. You knit the sole first and then pick up stitches and knit the rest in the round. As an added bonus, panda cotton has a bit of elastic in it and can be machine washed! I want to make these in some of the new colors of Fingering Yarn from Claudia Handpaint or the Lace Merino from Malabrigo.... Deedee turned me onto this pattern at knit/crochet group (Tuesday nights, 6-8 at Inkwell Bookstore).

Ok - there was a bug in our email system for this month's newsletter. It sent one out to most of our list but missed a few people.... if you didn't get one and want one email me and I'll forward it to you. I don't want to send it out to the whole list all over again and have most of the list get it twice.

If you need anything - let me know! info@sageyarn.com

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Anticipation

2008-06-26T16:00:00.005-04:00

We get to see our sales reps seasonally. They're armed with color cards, sample swatches and skeins, and pattern book mock-ups. Not only can they tell us all about every yarn from past seasons, they have learned all about the new yarns - gauge, fiber, pattern support, color range - before it's even available to ship to stores!

We saw our Berroco rep this spring & she showed us the fall line. NEVER have I been so anxious to receive a yarn shipment! The new yarns are gorgeous and the patterns are fashion-forward without being to "weird" or anything. I have a HUGE to-do list from these books and might cast on for something even though I'm still working on my spring/summer to-do list!

Norah Gaughan Vol 3 has made a great addition to my Norah collection.... Everyone on Ravelry kept posting when they got their copy in the mail and I just couldn't wait for mine!!

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

Berroco site
Buy at Sage

From the new yarns bought Cuzco, Inca Gold & Peruvia Quick. And, of course, we still have Ultra Alpaca, Ultra Alpaca Light, Peruvia and Comfort in stock from last season!

Have fun anticipating your next project,
Jen

More Babies Things

2008-06-18T10:35:00.006-04:00

How about a smattering of finished baby projects? They are still being mass-produced over here... Babies things are just so quick and cute - you can use them as an opportunity to test out some new skills while only committing to something WEE (and not a whole adult-sized something!). Plus, babies don't complain if you dress them in something silly.

Anne just finished this adorable set. Even though it's on small needles it makes up quick because it's so small:

Yarn: GGH Merino Soft col 3 - 3 balls for 21" chest
Needles: US 2
Pattern: Blue Wave baby sweater from Designer One Skein Wonders
Cost to Make: $26.85
This yarn is superwash!! Great for baby projects (I should get it on the website!)

Anne is a smart girl and simply used the ripple pattern from the sweater to make the matching hat. Maybe if we ask nicely she'll write it down for us?

Surprise! It's a surprise jacket! If you've never seen/made one of these before, it's knit in one piece with such an interesting construction you can't even tell what it's going to be until you fold it up:

Yarn: Hacho col. 306 2 skeins + scraps of a solid blue for (17" chest)
Needles: US 7
Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket, DK weight version from The Opinionated Knitter
Yarn Cost: $16

My mom knit that fishy hat and this one:

Yarn: Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed (the green hat), Classic Elite Summer Set (the blue hat)
Needles: US 6
Pattern: Fishbowl Baby Hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders
Yarn Cost: Mom used scraps but 8.50 for one skein 6.99 for one ball of Summer Set - 16" size

Baby things you could eat!
This set is a gift for a friend who just had a baby girl. Carol knit the mittens, I knit the hat and my mom knit the scarf :-)

Yarn: Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo, col. 1616, 1650, 1658
Pattern: Cupcake Baby Set from Itty-Bitty Nursery
(Not on the site yet, but at the store)
Needle: US 5 & 7
Yarn Cost: $26.97 for just the hat & mittens, $44.95 for the whole set (2 each of the tan and white)

Finally, some knits from free patterns! These are both for a friend of mine who will have a baby girl in August:

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted Colorspun col. 7333, 2 balls
Needle: US 8 - double point, 16" circ, 24" circ, 40" circ
Pattern: Pinwheel Baby Blanket - free from the knitlist
Yarn Cost: $11.58 for a small blanket, I'd go for 4 balls at least for a larger one - $23.16

Cutie booties! I used some scraps of Baby Cashmerino for these but you could use any fingering weight yarn (Baby Cash is a tad thicker than fingering). I want to make these in Merino Soft, Claudia Handpaint Fingering and Sock yarn scraps!

Yarn: Baby Cashmerino scraps
Needle: US 2
Pattern: Saartje's Booties, free from Saartje's blog (pdf file)
Yarn Cost: $7.99 for Baby Cash, $8.95 for Merino Soft, $11.99 for Claudia Fingering Weight

There's the baby round-up! Since this post took me literally ALL day to write I won't get to the other finished projects til tomorrow... so I'll be back with the adult sweaters and accessories!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

It's HOT!

2008-06-12T17:29:00.006-04:00

How can you knit in this heat!?
I know a lot of avid knitters and crocheters who take pretty much the whole summer off from their favorite hobby. Why? It's so freakin hot!

Here are some ways to engage some yarn activities without turning into a sweaty felted mess:

Choose your project wisely - need to get an afghan done? make it in pieces so you don't have a ton of fabric on your lap. A little seaming will save you a lot of sweat.
Think ahead to winter months and use this time to get your smaller holiday gifts out of the way; mittens, scarves & hats can all be knit quickly in an air conditioned room.
Choose your yarn wisely - look for projects in cotton, bamboo, linen and other plant fibers which are great at wicking moisture away from your body. Not only will your hands not sweat and stick to the yarn, your finished project will also be suitable for the warm weather.
Knitting/Crocheting at the beach? Don't worry about getting sand in there - when you get home you can soak your project in a sink of lukewarm water, even if it's still in progress. (Can I recommend some SOAK?) Just be careful about lotion and oils, those might be harder to get out.
Still don't feel like working with some yarn? Use this time to read a little knitting humor or do some project planning for when it does cool down. If you plan your projects ahead of time you might not go crazy when those due dates come up. You can also have an idea of what yarns you need and how much for when those sales come around (we have a street fair sale coming up in July) and you can buy ahead of time on discount.
Use a vacation day to organize your stash (yeah, right, I know it's wishful thinking). Some people store their yarn in plastic bags with a label on them. I don't, but it's important to sift through your old stash once in a while just to check and see if you have some moths in there (Yikes!) or mildew (it will smell like "basement").

Anyone else have any ideas? I'm knitting with a lot of cotton and bamboo right now - no wool at all. My most sticky project right now is in Comfort, which I reserve for when I'm in the AC.

Alright, I'm off to crochet!
Have fun with the string,
Jen

WE DID IT!

2008-06-04T09:28:00.003-04:00

I know I've been a bag blogger... but guess what?!

WE'RE LIVE!!

Our website is now www.sageyarn.com
though you can still get there from www.sageyarnandgifts.com

The blog is linked to it so you don't have to visit 2 separate sites, you can just click through.

There are some things we'll be working on over the next few weeks, including:

The new newsletter system needs to be set up in order for me to use it, so for next month you'll get a fancy newsletter
The yarn colors are in numerical order, we have to go through and manually put them into a nice rainbow order for browsing (it's tedious!)
We'll be updating pretty constantly with new yarn, books, patterns and extras - I'm not going to post big product updates here anymore, so make sure you sign up for the newsletter on the homepage (I'll mention things here but not the big posts with photos like I've been doing)
If you've signed up for the newsletter in person but you're still not getting them it could be that I can't read your handwriting or I mistyped it... sign up on the website so I can get you on there correctly (I can type pretty fast but I know my accuracy isn't so great)

Make a mental note - if you live locally you can buy online, then pick up in store!

Alright!!

Be sure to let us know what you think about it! Comments, concerns, questions, suggestions are all what make us a better local yarn store! And certainly if you run into any errors or weirdness - please let us know. I have problems with layout as a Firefox user, but we think we got most of the bugs.

Now that the website is up and running I'll have more time to post those tips and tricks, tutorials and stories that I've been storing up in my brain.

Have fun with the virtual string,

Jen

Malabrigo update

2008-05-19T11:13:00.004-04:00

SO! I know I haven't posted in a while and I promise I'll post something more informative than this, but I thought I would let you know that the rest of our Malabrigo colors came in for the Silky Merino and the Lace Merino. The colors in these photos are a little off, you really have to come and see them in person!!

Lace Merino:
Silky Merino:

The days have been flying by because we've been insanely working on the website to get it up and running. I'll be posting a GO LIVE date really soon!!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Debbie's May Basket

2008-05-06T13:47:00.003-04:00

My Mom made a May basket as part of the May Day celebration on Main St that was organized by the village association. We've decided to keep it hanging up for a while - isn't it beautiful?

The flowers came from various designs, Mom even made up some of them herself. The bird is Lucinda Guy Pattern from Handknits for Kids. She spent a LOT of time shaving off the felting fuzz and sewing beads onto the various flowers. Here are a bunch of photos for your enjoyment & if you're in the area stop by to see it in person!!

Handdyed and Organic Yarn

2008-04-29T11:25:00.006-04:00

This month I have a whole bunch of hand-dyed and organic yarns. As usual, the photos don't really do the gorgeous colors justice - you might have to come by and check them out in person.

With the addition of Silky Merino and Lace Merino, I had enough yarn to make a Malabrigo wall:
Here is the Silky Merino:

Silky Merino from Malabrigo
50% Silk, 50% wool - 150 yds/50 g.
DK weight but no gauge listed by manufacturer
Hand wash, dry flat
$9.99

And here is the Lace Merino:

Lace Merino from Malabrigo
100% Baby Merino wool, 470 yards/50 g.
Lace to fingering weight, gauge not listed by manufacturer
Hand wash, dry flat
$9.99

We were very excited to receive our shipment of yarn from Handmaiden Yarns out of Canada. Their handpainted colors were inspiring even in the tiny little snippets that were sent to us in our ordering catalog. We decided to get Sea Silk and Great Big Sea, which are both Silk and Seacell blends (seacell is made of seaweed and viscose!). You really have to see this yarn to believe it.

Sea Silk from Handmaiden
70% Silk, 30% Seacell, 436 yards/100g
28 sts to 4 inches on a US 2-3 needle
Hand wash, dry flat
$37.50

Great Big Sea is a heavier weight version of Sea Silk:

Great Big Sea by Handmaiden
50% Silk, 30% Wool, 20% Seacell - 272 yds/100g
20 sts to 4 inches on US 5-6 needle
Hand wash, dry flat
$37.50

And now for the organic portion of our program! The following yarns from Plymouth are all certified organic, use no dye at all - these are the natural fiber colors - and the labels are 100% recycled paper. They also have fabulous price points that make going green affordable!

Oceanside Organic from Plymouth Yarns
100% Organic Cotton - 109 yards/50 g.
20 sts to 4 inches on US 6
Machine wash gentle, tumble dry low
$4.99

Ecco Silk from Plymouth Yarns
100% Silk, 147 yards/50 g.
24 sts to 4 inches on US 6 needle
Hand wash, dry flat
$11.99

Ecco Silk Boucle from Plymouth Yarns
100% Silk, 96 yds/50 g.
20 sts to 4 inches on US 7 needle
Hand wash, dry flat
$12.99

Ecco Cashmere
100% Cashmere, 354 yds/50 g.
Laceweight
Hand wash, dry flat
$29.99

PHEW! Whenever I think we're slowing down for a bit it just keeps going and going... NEW YARN! We have new books, too, but I think I've gone on long enough for today. Stay well!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Wear and Tear

2008-04-28T10:48:00.004-04:00

As I was washing my winter sweaters for storage I got to thinking about how they've held up over the season. "Good idea for a blog post!" I said...

How a yarn will age over time is part of how I pick yarn for my personal projects. For me, it doesn't make sense to make socks with a single-ply yarn that I know will wear straight through in the heel, unless I'm going to be lounging in a recliner under a toasty blanket and never walking in them. So when I chose yarn for these sweaters I took a minute to think about how they might look after a season of wear.

I'm a pretty easy-going gal and so most of the time I pick what I like most in the color I like most that will fit my pattern. I LOVE Malabrigo Merino. I know it is a single-ply yarn and a very soft wool, which means it will pill. Here is a very zoomed-in view of one of the pills on my green Hourglass sweater:Pilling on a very soft fiber like this is pretty common due to what makes it soft. It has short fibers, which are very soft against the skin but the shorter fibers like to get together and work their way out of the yarn easier than longer fibers. You can prevent this with soft fibers by putting a bit more twist into it when you spin it and also by plying it. But if you're on the purchasing end (not spinning at home) the only control you really have is how tight you knit/crochet your fabric. You have the same choice as I had - take it or leave it. I took it. I LOVE it so I took it.

Now my sweater looks worn. It looked worn after the first time I wore it and I'm ok with that. Whether you're ok with that is a personal decision and I know that a lot of people might not feel the same as I do. How do you combat the pills? You can pull them off. Clara Parkes, in The Knitter's Book of Yarn, tells me that pinching them off of very soft fibers like this is just fine and easy because the fibers are so short. So that's what I do. (if you have something insanely pilly, you can use one of those shavers but test it on a hidden spot before you shave away)

***Crochet fabric behaves differently than knit fabric, so this very same yarn might wear different as a crocheted sweater***

Another issue I've found with my love is how quickly it felts. Here's a nice photo of the armpit:
A little bit of fuzzy felting. I've wound hanks that were slightly felted just from being jostled around in bag for too long. Now, the armpits of your sweater are pretty much the most agitated fibers unless you have a sweater long enough to sit on. Knowing this, I don't think any of the rest of this sweater will felt unless I throw it in a hot bath (I promise I won't). So I'm still happy with my choice.

Here's one more example for you so we can talk about a different fiber content. This is my Skully sweater knit in Lamb's Pride Bulky. I knit this sweater in the same yarn as the example in the book so I felt pretty good about it, even though some pattern books make silly yarn decisions. Lamb's pride is wool and mohair - the mohair gives it a fuzzy halo to start with. You can see in this photo, the mohair fibers are getting together for a party:In this case the long wool fibers, even though the yarn is a single-ply yarn, aren't getting together at all, the fuzzy mohair is. These little clumps can only be found in high traffic areas - i.e. the underarms:
These are even easier to pinch off than the merino pills from the malabrigo, they're just about ready to fall off on their own. This is the warmest sweater I've knit for myself so far and I wore it allllll winter.

SO!

If you're not sure about how a certain yarn will look after a little bit of wear and tear, ask whoever is working in the store (or give me an email - info@sageyarnandgifts.com) If they've worked with it they can tell you how things went. It's hard to get around to ALL the yarns so there are some that we might not have specifics on from personal use. If we haven't been able to work with it yet we can do 2 things -

make a prediction based on what we know about the fibers/yarn and what other people have told us
search the interweb & ravelry for other people who have knit with it and ask them

You can also make a swatch of the yarn and put it in your pocket for a few days... see what happens!

I've worked with a lot of yarns and there are still surprises along the way... If you can get your hands on a copy of The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes it is a wonderful resource and it has some fantastic patterns (we have it).

I hope you're all enjoying the spring so far!
Have fun with the string,
Jen

Yarn Tasting Success!

2008-04-21T09:10:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a super fun weekend!! It wouldn't have been any fun without all of you who came out to taste the spring and summer yarns - THANK YOU!! If you wanted to come but missed it, I'm hoping to have them seasonally so we can try out new yarns all the time. Keep your eyes here for future info!

Here are some photos from the weekend... as soon as people got here I got really busy so I don't have many photos of actual people :-) Here's what we had set up though!

Yarn! There were 10 yarns on display and mini skeins in the gift bags. The yarns were tasted on several different types of needles - Lantern Moon Ebony, Addi Turbos, Clover Bamboo, and Kollage Palm Wood Square Needles.

There was fruit, cheese & crackers (donuts and coffee for the morning) and CANDY from Ben & Bills down the street.
There were door prizes! Yarn & a Norah Gaughan book, a Mary Kay facial & Gift Certificate to Sage, Addi Turbo Needle pack, and Handeze Gloves!

My friend Celeste drove out to help with the tasting and brought the beautiful Clapotis that she knit as a sample for us:
People came!

Horray!

Thank you, again! I'm just so happy that everyone came and had a good time. (my man and I planned a halloween party last year, invited about a dozen to 15 people and no one came even though they said they would... it's now an anxiety of ours to sit at a party by ourselves...)

Have fun with the mini-skeins!

Jen

Countdown to the yarn tasting!

2008-04-12T12:06:00.005-04:00

Ok everyone, here's my final teaser for the Yarn Tasting! (more info by clicking here)

We stuffed gift bags today:
Look at all those mini-skeins of yarn. Enough for a little patchwork doll blanket? We have 10 kinds of yarn being displayed next week and you get a mini-skein of each....

As of right now there are very few gift bags left, so if you think you're coming next weekend make sure you email me at info@sageyarnandgifts.com or give the store a call (508-457-9513) so that we save one for you! If you're not sure what is going on and you want to just "stop by" you can certainly do that too. You'll still get to try out all the yarns, munch on snacks and socialize with the other yarn people.

See you next weekend!

Jen

click click clicking of knitting needles

2008-04-08T10:59:00.006-04:00

Is anyone surprised that this post is crammed full of photos? I do frequently think deep and profound thoughts about yarn and patterns and life in general but... they get put aside because I want to SHOW you everything that is going on!! Plus, too many deep thoughts can really drown us sometimes, no?

There are a lot of different patterns represented here, a lot of different price points... if you ever want to make something that we made but want to stick to a different budget - email me! There are many yarn substitutions that we can make for you and you'll still have a fantastic finished result!

SO! Anne finished some summery knits recently. This t-shirt is from the latest Knit Simple Magazine. I love how she went for it with 3 bright colors instead of one solid color as in the magazine:

"Rolled Standard" from Knit Simple Spring/Summer 2008 (#8)
Berroco Suede, 7 balls (2 of purple, stone, 3 of pink)
Size small
Yarn Cost: $70

These ankle socks are ribbed and knit in a lightweight cotton/elastic (Anne is the sock queen):

"Ribbed Anklets" from Creative Knitting May 2008
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, 1 ball (2 balls for a pair)
Size 9" circumference
Yarn Cost: $6.90 for pair: $13.80

Carol knit this scarf from Designer One Skein Wonders. It's not actually a lace pattern - you drop the stitches when you're done knitting to create a lacy effect!

Waterfall Scarf from Designer One Skein Wonders
Claudia Hand Painted Sport Yarn, 1 skein
Yarn Cost: $24

I finished Chantal - I LOVE this cardigan:

Chantal from Norah Gaughan Vol. 1 from Berroco
Ultra Alpaca 2 skeins, Ultra Alpaca Light, 4 skeins
Size 30" (but turned out a smidge bigger like I wanted)
Yarn Cost: $36 Button Cost: $18.80 (I'm a sucker for shell buttons)

This shawl takes advantage of elongated stitches and contrast between skinny mohair and beautiful silk. Both are hand dyed yarns from Colinette:

Mulberry, from Arboretum from Colinette
Tao (silk) 2 skeins, Parisienne (mohair) 2 skeins
Yarn Cost: $79

Need a break from the larger projects? How about a scarf?

Prismatic Scarf, free pattern online
Malabrigo Merino Worsted, 1.5 skeins
Yarn Cost: $22 (you could do it in one skein for $10.99)

Or a little cropped sweater knit in chunky yarn? You can pick any yarn you like plus appropriate needles for the yarn and knit this little capelet from the top down:

Anthropologie Inspired Capelet, free pattern online
GGH Aspen, 4 balls
Size - 12" arm circ.
Yarn Cost: $ 32 (try buying something at Anthropologie for $32!)

Finally - another great Norah Gaughan pattern (can you tell I'm a fan?)

Aamu from Norah Gaughan Vol. 1 from Berroco
Pure Merino Nuance, 7 balls
Size 30" but relaxed after washing
Yarn Cost: $60

OK! That's the latest!
I have one more Yarn Tasting Teaser to post later this week, and then the big event is next weekend!! Have you emailed me to confirm you're coming? If you do, you'll have a gift bag reserved for you :-)

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Do you hear that clicking?

2008-04-04T08:28:00.008-04:00

What IS that?!?

OH! It's Mom, Carol and Ann knit, knit, knitting away! I have a big finished project update for you so I'll give you the Kid/Baby stuff first for the cuteness factor.

My mom knit the same pattern twice (when she finds a good thing she takes advantage of it!)

Baby Cardigan from Plymouth Leaflet #1180
Size 16" chest (6 months?) smallest size
Online Holiday Color #997 (sock yarn), 1 ball
Yarn Cost: $14 Button Cost: $.75

This pattern was written for Plymouth Sockotta, but my mom wanted to see what some of the other yarns looked like. Now we have a new line from Online of Summer cotton colors and some new bright Opal sock yarn and I want to make one myself! You could make this little sweater in any fingering weight or sock weight yarn.

Baby Cardigan from Plymouth Leaflet #1180
Size 16" chest (6 months?) smallest size
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, 2 balls green, 1 pink mix
Yarn cost: $20.70 Button cost: $3.25

Even though this is knit with little stitches on little needles, you KNOW my mom wouldn't do it TWICE unless it knit up quick and easy.... Panda Cotton is a great summer yarn for kids because it's breathable, has elastic in it and is machine wash!

Embellishments can make even the simplest cardigan shine.

The Flower Cardigan, from Itty-Bitty Nursery by Susan Anderson
Size 0-6 months
Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed, 1 skein, scraps for embellishments (or 2 balls of Scarlett, 1 ball of La Gran Mohair)
Yarn cost: $8.50 for Sweater, more if you need to buy the yarn for embellishing

This cute little Blanket Buddy was knit by Carol. It is, indeed, a One Skein Wonder.

Blanket Buddy from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders
Plymouth Encore Colorspun Boucle, 1 ball (scraps for embroidery)
Yarn Cost: $5.79

The very same day this yarn came in, my mom grabbed it to make this sample (it's a beautiful yarn)

Red Maracas Jacket from Miss Bea's Band by Louisa Harding
Size 1-2 years
Mirasol Samp'a, Naturally Dyed Organic Cotton, 5 balls, scraps for embroidery
Yarn Cost: $27.96 Button Cost: $3.90

Finally, a dress for your special girl:

Sweet Pea from Minnowknits, too by Jan Eaton
Size 1 year
Butterfly Super 10 Cotton 2 skeins, Hotaru 2 balls (if you only want 1 ball of hotaru you will have enough butterfly to finish the dress)
Yarn Cost: $29.48 1 ball of hotaru, $38.98 2 balls Button Cost: $3.30

That wraps it up for the kids (at least until my mom comes in this afternoon)

Have fun with the string,

Jen

Yarn Tasting Teaser

2008-03-25T08:53:00.005-04:00

I'm spending my free time (now that I have a break from photo-editing) making mini-skeins of yarn for our yarn tasting! They're oh-so-cute and will be ready for you to take home April 18th or 19th!

I'll keep working on them so we have a whole bunch of different yarns for you.

ALSO! We have some pretty sweet door prizes from Berroco, including yarn and patterns! I won't give any more details, though.... we all love surprises!

If you're thinking of coming to the yarn tasting (even if you're not totally sure) give me an email at info@sageyarnandgifts.com just so I can have enough freebies for everyone!

Have fun with the string,

Jen

Subs needed

2008-03-18T11:39:00.005-04:00

Substituting yarns is something that can really tangle you up in knots (I couldn't resist). There are many ways to figure out what you need to make up a certain pattern and come away with something that will give you a great finished project. Here's one process of elimination that might help you get through your decision. I'm using a knit example here, but I think it would work pretty well with crochet also.

Let us imagine... Obsessive Knitter A. was flipping through the May 2008 issue of Creative Knitting, hot off the press, and this cardigan caught her eye: It's simple, but not too boring - she loves the 3/4 sleeves and the slightly sloping V-neck. Maybe her daughter would like a basic cardigan to keep her warm while up late studying for finals! So A. checks out the yarn in the pattern:
She notes that the pattern has generous sizing - the smallest cardi is 36" and it goes all the way up to 52". The sample was knit in a yarn that isn't available at Sage (her LYS) and she browses around the shop to see what else would do.

Picking out a new color - blue! - A. pulls all the blue "worsted weight" yarns she can find and piles them on the table. I see her growing pile and ask about her project. "How am I going to pick from all these?" she asks. "Would you like a summer cardigan or a fall/winter/spring cardigan?" is usually my first question. "Well, my daughter is always cold and she would get more use out of a fall/winter sweater."

So we put the cottons away and take a look at the wools:
Wool is warm, alpaca and llama are warmer, tweed is tweedy, malabrigo is oh-so-soft. What do we do now?

"Will your daughter bring it home to be cleaned?"
"Probably not...."

We are left with superwash wools and wool blends:From here A.'s decision is personal - how much money does she want to spend?
What would she like to be touching while she is knitting?
Which shade of blue is just right?

In the end, A. picks Pure Merino from Berroco. She says, "Well, the superwash wool seems a bit scratchy... Encore is nice, I've used it before, but I the Pure Merino is just so squishy and soft. I'll just have to tell her how much time and money I spent on it so she doesn't leave it at a friend's place!"

In the span of a short trip, A. has at least narrowed her choices down to 4 very nice yarns. She can write down some names and go home to think about it for a bit if she wants, or make a decision in the store.

If you need any help calculating yardage, making a pile of yarns that fit your gauge or ANYthing else, just let us know! Sometimes, we even hand out more advice than you actually needed (we don't shut up)...

Have fun with the string,

Jen

New (beautiful) Yarns

2008-03-12T13:11:00.009-04:00

I'm really excited to show you all our latest new yarns which include an organic cotton and fingering weight merino! Take a look:

From Mirasol Yarns we have 2 beautiful cottons~

Samp’a – $6.99
100% Naturally Dyed Organic Cotton
120 yds/50g – 22sts/28 rows to 4” on US 6
Hand wash, dry flat, may be dry cleaned, cool iron

T’ika – $6.49
100% Pima Cotton
91 yds/50g – 22sts/28 rows to 4” on US 6
Hand wash, dry flat, may be dry cleaned, cool iron

I personally have several summer knits on my to-do list that like DK weight yarn. I had no idea, though, what yarn I was going to pick for them - until NOW! My only problem will be deciding on a color....

And from GGH we have a fingering weight superwash Merino~

Merino Soft – 8.95
100% Extra Fine Superwash Merino Wool
185 yds/50g – 27sts/36 rows to 4” on US 2-3
Machine wash gentle, lay flat to dry, do not bleach, cool iron

This is a skinny yarn but don't be scared. I've had this yarn in my head since I started working at the store in May and have a lot of ideas for it. It would be great for trying out colorwork, like fair isle knitting, for making babies things (machine wash!) or for crocheting lacy stoles. I have some baby booties on my to-do list & I'll show you when I got those done. Super cute!

Also, all of our spring magazines are coming in and they've been really inspiring with their bright colors and simple yet flattering and fun designs. We have Interweave Knits & Knit Scene, Vogue Knitting & Knit Simple, Knitter's Magazine, Creative Knitting, Interweave Crochet, Defining Crochet! and Rebecca Magazine.

You might not have seen Rebecca before so let me introduce you. Rebecca magazine is produced by GGH/Muench and so uses all GGH yarns, of which we have Soft Kid, Aspen, Bel Air, Merino Soft, Boulino, Scarlett and Safari. It is a European magazine and reflects a fashion-forward style but not in a crazy "runway fashion show" kind of way. It only comes out twice a year and so in one issue you will get patterns for two seasons. The issue pictured covers February through July:

43 Designs!!

This is Issue #36, but we also have a few others for you to browse. Come on in and flip through them to see if you like anything :-)

Have fun with the string & if you have any questions let me know,
Jen

Announcing: A Yarn Tasting

2008-03-10T12:29:00.004-04:00

You’re invited to a yarn tasting!

Who: You and any fiber-loving people you know
Where: Sage Gifts & Yarn, 263 Main St. Falmouth, MA 02540
When: Friday night April 18th from 5-8pm or
Saturday morning April 19th from 9am-12pm
What: A customer-appreciation event to celebrate spring and try out new products!
RSVP: Send me an email at info@sageyarnandgifts.com and let me know you’re coming (this ensures a goody bag is reserved for you!)

Details: Have you ever wanted to try something new but been afraid to buy a whole ball, get home, try it, HATE it and then not be able to return it?! This is your event! In our yarn tasting we will have a selection of our summer and spring yarns set up for you to try your hand at knitting or crocheting with them. We will also have a yarn passport with all of the vital details of the yarn, so you can jot down your notes and bring it home to compare with your pattern ideas. You’ll also get a chance to try out different knitting needles and crochet hooks! The same things will be out on Friday and Saturday – we’ve scheduled two times so that the night people can come at night and the day people can come during the day.

Freebies will include:

A goody bag filled with little fiber-related surprises

(should be called an “awesome bag”)

Little samples of the yarns to take home and play with

Handouts on the fiber, yarn company, trivia

Free patterns written and tested by the Sage staff

A door prize

A coupon towards the purchase of the yarns displayed

Other perks:

Getting to socialize with other yarn people (the highlight, I think!)

Fun atmosphere for a night out of the house!

Free for you and your friends – just come in and check everything out!

Knitter's Paintbox

2008-03-02T15:18:00.003-05:00

It must be over a year ago that I spotted the Festive Fish afghan in the Babies and Toddlers book from XRX. It features a tessellating fish pattern - the fish nest inside one another. There are awesome examples of this blanket around the internet and I want to knit it so badly! But... I can't decide what kind of color scheme to do. Random/scrap yarn is one way to go, but I kind of want to plan mine out.

But then... I took another look in the book to check out something about the pattern and I saw a little note in the corner that said "web features, Knitter's Paintbox"....

Will you check this out!?! You can paint your own Festive Fish afghan!! What an amazing tool to have available. They also have a bunch of other patterns from their magazines and books on there!! Mom was trying to figure out what colors to do for this scarf - she spent the whole of her Friday afternoon on it and still couldn't decide. Imagine the time saved by playing around on the computer! A selection of patterns from the latest Knitter's Magazine are on there (#K89) as well as some from previous issues.

This is going to be FUN! I'm planning my fish afghan as we speak!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Keeping Sane

2008-02-27T09:05:00.007-05:00

I haven't posted to the blog in almost 2 weeks! Did I lose all my readers?
Throughout my day I'm always, you know, thinking about things... and I come up with good blog topics while commuting or at the grocery store or sitting here in front of the computer. But when it comes time to write they may or may not have escaped my memory.

I was a little sick last week - some unknown bug. When we have the flu we know it's the flu and we call it the flu. When we have a cold we know it's a cold and call it a cold. Why is it when we have ANYthing else, it's a bug? I'd like to know what it was... give it a name... so I can hate it by name like I hate the flu and colds!

So I was thinking, while sitting on my couch doubled over, about the things that keep me sane in the midst of craziness. They're usually small things which combine forces in the face of some big thing that threatens to take my sanity. For this blog, I'll stick to knitting/crocheting and just give a sampler:

A nice environment. Sometimes you can't control this, but where I sit at home I like to tidy up the coffee table in front of me and maybe add something cheery to it, like flowers:It also helps to gather any tools you'll need for your project so you don't have to get up every two seconds. And maybe pop in a DVD or have the TV schedule nearby.

Keep all your tiny tools in one container. This keeps you from trying to hunt down ONE MORE stitch marker at the bottom of your project bag.I got this little plastic box from Michael's arts & crafts store for $1. It's been trucked around for a while and hasn't broken or anything. About those tools - don't be afraid to include ordinary things like safety pins, paper clips and lengths of yarn. They can save you in a pinch when you don't have enough stitch markers or want to put some stitches on hold.

Do yourself a favor and put slippery yarn in a zip top bag. You can poke a hole in it and pull the yarn through or you can just leave the top open like this. This will save countless hours of untangling - believe me!

Keeping records really does help in the long run. I know, I know. It's hard to keep a journal up to date and have the time to write in all those details about how you made your decisions and what you changed from your pattern, etc. At the very least, keeping the yarn tag can be a good substitute. When you open your very first ball, clip a length of yarn off it and thread it through the ball band or tag. You can throw this in a zip top bag or a shoe box, like me, and dig through them later if you're stuck, "I need one more ball, what was it CALLED?!" You can go one step further and write on the back of the label what pattern you made and what needle/hook size you used. One more step - you can paste it into a notebook with all that other information.

I could never keep up with a journal, but my blog has been around for years now. If I can't remember how many skeins of malabrigo I used for my green sweater I can just go look it up. You can get your own for free, I used blogger which has been pretty good to me. Now, there's even an online notebook and yarn community called Ravelry. Don't even get me started on that... that's a whole other post! (do check it out)

Finally, having a good reference book around is always a good idea. We have them ranging from $7 to $30 - here's a sampling:

I have a few at home. My more expensive ones were Christmas or birthday gifts. Some pattern books have good technical instruction also.

Phew! Anyone have any fun tips to share? How do you keep yourself sane while working on projects? Maybe I'll post a "keeping sane, round 2" post sometime....

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Keeping Warm

2008-02-12T13:55:00.003-05:00

This New England winter is really giving us a lesson in keeping prepared! Dress in layers, remember your warm accessories and stash water-proof boots in your car....

Here's the latest round-up of finished projects - great for keeping warm in this unpredictable NE winter! (lots of photos, again!)

Keep your hands warm:

Polka Dot Puffin Mittens, knit by Jen
Puffin from Crystal Palace - col. 210 "Dotty Circus"
2 balls - yarn cost $13.80
Pattern - pick your favorite mitten pattern for chunky yarn (I googled it)Keep your body warm:
Noro Cropped Sweater, knit by Deb
3 balls Noro Silk Garden, col. 269,
6 balls Jo Sharp Desert Garden Aran Cotton, col. 245
yarn cost - $74.94
Pattern - "Rikissa" from Noro Book Wonderlust by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton

Keep your head and neck warm:
Cozy Head Scarf, knit by Carol
7 balls Plymouth Yarn Alpaca Boucle, held double throughout
yarn cost - $41.93 (lots of yarn subtitutes make this great for any budget)
Pattern: Free from Berroco.com

Keep your little one warm:

"It's a Colorful Babe" Color Block Sweater, knit by Anne
6 balls Plymouth Suri Merino (one each of blue, orange, white, yellow, 2 of green)
yarn cost - $29.94
Pattern: "It's a Colorful Babe" from Creative Knitting Magazine, March 2008

Keep your little one's head warm:
Kyle's Cap, knit by Jen
2 balls Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, col 405, yarn cost - $12.98
Pattern: Fiber Trends "Kyle's Cap" by Bev Gelaskas
(also found in the book Knit Baby Head and Toes)

Keep your little one entertained:
Lop-Eared Bunnies, knit by Carol
1 ball each color Berroco Comfort, yarn cost - $5.49 each
Pattern: Luxury Lop-Eared Bunnies from Creative Knitting Magazine March 2008

Keep your shoulders warm:
Reading in Bed Shrug. knit by Jen
2 balls GGH Soft Kid, col. 13, yarn cost - $25
Pattern: Free from Interweave Knits online

Stay warm and dry - spring is just around the corner!!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Proposal

2008-02-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

I have a proposal for you & need some feedback if you don't mind...
(In the Valentine's Day season saying the word "proposal" can make anyone's ears perk up!)

Have you ever hesitated to buy a yarn because you are afraid of how it's going to knit/crochet when you work with it?

I propose holding a YARN TASTING in early April
as a celebration of spring and a look forward to summer.

A yarn tasting would include:

balls of spring/summer yarns with a bit of knitting cast onto some needles
free handouts on yarn in general and what you can do with each yarn specifically
small snacks that don't get crumbs on the yarn
a yarn passport where each yarn is listed and you can mark down your personal notes as you go
a chance to socialize with some of the other Sage shoppers (I know if you all met each other you'd be good friends!)

What would we do?

Well, with all the yarns set up you could go around the circle, or down the aisles, and try a bit of knitting or crocheting on each yarn. In this way you can try out the new yarns and some old favorites without gambling any money on buying the skein (who knows, you could HATE it, right?) You could bring you yarn passport with you and make notes on whether you hated/loved/kinda liked it and what you imagine you could do with it (a tank for my little sister/a lovely shawl for myself). The passport would have all the vital stats of the yarn (the yardage, weight, knitting gauge, etc) so that you can take it home and contemplate your pattern selections and future yarn purchases. Handouts would include tips for working with certain fibers, trivia about the yarn or the company it comes from and other fun stuff.

Why else would you come?

DOOR PRIZES
GOODY BAGS & FREEBIES
MEET FUN PEOPLE

Ok, here's what I need to know - would you make the trip out here on an evening in early April? Do you think it would be super fun or a super dud? How many of you would come? (we need to have an idea so I can get the goody bags ready) Would you add anything else to the offerings?

I'll probably put this in the newsletter also but let me know what you think - I need your help.
You can leave a comment here on the blog (at the bottom of this entry, click on comments) or email me info@sageyarnandgifts.com.

Thanks in advance & have fun with the string,
Jen

New Yarn

2008-02-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

Ok, this is already a long post with lots of photos... We got a LOT of yarn this month (I don't know what we were thinking, we don't have room for it!) I won't get into a lot of editorial just because there is so much to show you, but hopefully I'll get to post more about them later. OR if you have any questions about them, leave them in the comments and I'll post replies!

Here we go....

Berroco

Berroco has come out with some great new spring and summer yarns (SOFT linen!) and we brought in their new fantastic stand-by yarn, Comfort.

Comfort – $5.49
50% Super Fine Nylon, 50% Super Fine Acrylic
210 yds/100g – 20 sts/27 rows to 4” on US 8 needles
Machine wash gentle, tumble dry low

NaturLin – $6.99
40% Linen, 60% Viscose
115 yds/50g – 24 sts/32 rows to 4” on US 6 needles
Hand wash in cool water, dry flat

Seduce – $7.99
47% Rayon (Viscose), 25% Linen, 17% Silk, 11% Nylon
100 yds/50g – 20 sts/28 rows to 4” on US 7 needles
Hand wash in cool water, dry flat

Linen Jeans - $6.99
70% Rayon (Viscose), 30% Linen
80 yds/50g – 19 sts/26 rows to 4” on US 9 needles
Hand wash in cool water, dry flat

Colinette

Colinette yarns are hand-dyed to order, colors vary even within dylots so take a look at what you’re buying and make sure you get enough! (It’s beautiful stuff)

Tao – $26.49
100% Silk
126 yds/50g – 24sts/30 rows to 4” on US 6 needle
Hand wash or dry clean, dry flat

Tagliatelli - $26.99
90% Merino wool, 10% Nylon
158 yds/100g – 11 sts/15 rows to 4” on US 11 needles
Handwash in cool water, dry flat

Parisienne - $12.99
70% Kid Mohair, 30 % Polyamide
240yds/25g - 16-22 sts/22-32 rows to 4” on US 5-10 needle
Hand wash or dry clean, dry flat

Knit One Crochet Too

I’ve been eyeing this mohair for a while and we could NOT pass up a silky, machine-washable bamboo blend perfect for kids!

Douceur et Soie - $12.49
70% Mohair, 30% Silk
225yds/25g – wide range of gauges/laceweight
Hand wash delicate or dry clean

Babyboo – $5.49
45% Bamboo, 55% Nylon
115 yds/50g – 22 sts to 4” on US 5 needle
Machine wash cold water, dry flat

Classic Elite

One-skein lace projects galore! It seems almost like magic how something so light and airy can also keep you so warm. Our Alpaca Sox solid colors coordinate with the variegated version for easy color selection.

Silky Alpaca Lace - $9.49
70% Alpaca, 30% Silk
460 yds/50g - 34 sts to 4” on US 2 needles
Hand wash cold, dry flat

Alpaca Sox (solids) - $17.99
60% Alpaca, 20% Merino, 20% Nylon
450 yds/100g – 32 sts to 4” on US 2 needle
Hand wash cold, dry flat

Aslan Trends

Asland Trends is a new “natural luxury yarns” company and we brought in a summer yarn and a spring/fall/winter yarn (an angora blend, my favorite).

Class - $12.49
55% Cotton, 45% Viscose
240 yds/100g – 20-24 sts to 4” on US 4-7 needle
Hand wash in cold water, lay flat to dry or dry clean
“with the right care, it will last forever” (hehe)

Invernal - $16.49
50% Angora, 25% Merino, 25% Polyamide
295 yds/100g – 20-24 sts to 4” on US 6-8 needle
Hand wash in cold water, lay flat to dry or dry clean
“with the right care, it will last forever”

Alright! I hope you made it through... there will be a quiz on Friday!

have fun with the string,
Jen

Thank you Thank you

2008-02-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

All I have to say is - WOW, people. We had such a fun, exciting, busy, successful weekend here at Sage and it's all because of YOU! I forget the official number, but almost 2000 skeins/balls/hanks of yarn went out to good homes over the 3 day period.

I'll make you feel better about what you brought home by showing you my stash in my little 3 bedroom apartment:

All of those cubes, including the blue fabric drawers in the bottom ones, plus a few big bags in the closet next to this.

Ok, so it doesn't look too bad from here but here's the deal - none of this yarn is sold at Sage. So that means anything I knit for Sage or myself with Sage yarn doesn't put even the smallest dent in this pile. This is all discontinued yarn or special yarn I've bought other places.

What's the deal with stashing yarn? Well, I look at it this way - these are my paints to paint with. If I'm feeling the creative itch I can paint right away without leaving the house. Most come home with specific projects in mind but some is just sitting there waiting for inspiration. And I don't feel guilty AT ALL - here's why:

A good movie costs at least $8.50 these days and entertains me for about 2 hours ($4.25/hr). At the end I hopefully have a nice memory of a fun movie but not much else.

A skein of fingering-weight yarn for a shawl costs me $20 and entertains me for at least 40 hours (50 cents/hr). 10 skeins of Encore for an afghan costs me $50 and entertains me for 80 hours at least (63 cents/hr). At the end I hopefully have a garment that I can wear or a blanket to snuggle under for years and years.

If you're still feeling bad about how much you've bought, I have to tell you a secret. If you didn't buy it we would go out of business. Seriously - people talk about going on "yarn diets" and declaring "I will not buy any new yarn this year" as a New Year's Resolution. (And its is ALWAYS good to have a budget and not live outside your means! I'm not saying spend your food money on yarn) But then their local yarn stores go out of business because there's no one in the store buying yarn!

So we are eternally grateful that you came in to shop this weekend. Don't feel guilty! Go throw your purchase on your bed and roll around in it! You deserve it!!

Next post I get to tell you about all the new yarn we got in during the month of Jan (and man, it's a lot of yarn!)

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Special Report

2008-02-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

We now bring you live to the already busy sales floor of Sage Gifts & Yarn in Falmouth MA...

The folks here at Sage really put in some prep time on this one - David did all the heavy lifting and brought in the extra furniture and yarn (give him a high-five when you see him)

One Sage employee was heard commenting, "Did we really have all this yarn? Where did it come from?! " They started setting up on Thursday before opening and stayed after close to finish up.
Here's whats on sale, for all you shoppers -
50% off Berroco books, 50% back issue magazines, FREE pattern leaflets with purchase,
all kits are 20% off:FILL our Medium-sized shopping bag for $25 with any yarn from the SUPER section:
This yarn is all 50% off! (there's some good stuff in here!)
And all the rest of the yarn in the store is 20% off:
Sage employees are bracing for a whirlwind weekend.... Stop by the store and get your own bag o yarn before it's alllllll gone!

You're invited...

2008-01-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

...to our giant SUPER yarn sale!!

This weekend, Feb 1st through the 3rd, every skein, ball and hank of yarn is on sale! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about it (I hope you are, too)

Of course, David is doing all of the heavy lifting-type jobs - bringing all our back-stock out of storage and back to the store and entering in all the sale pricing information into our computer system. I've been doing some organizing, but mostly I've just been fretting over whether or not anyone is actually going to show up...

So - what's on sale?!

I can't list everything here but I can give you a general description:

There will be a FILL THIS BAG section, where you can fill our medium-sized shopping bag with any yarn from this section for only $25 total! With the retail prices on some of this yarn, you can potentially get a discount of almost 90%!! (I KNOW, we're CRAZY)
There will be yarn that we have chosen to no longer carry - very nice yarn that will have to make room for new very nice yarn. This includes some extra fine merino and beautiful cotton that will end up in my stash if you don't buy it (please, buy it! I have no more room!)
We will be selling off discontinued colors of yarn that we will continue to carry. This includes designer names such as Noro, but also occasional colors of yarns like Plymouth Encore.
Kits are included in the sale! We have Ironstone throw blanket kits, Debby Ware kits, Cashmere Scarf kits from GGH, and more all at 20% off
Selected books are 20% off - back issue magazines are 50% off and selected pattern leaflets are FREE

Well... that should be enough to whet your appetite I hope! (I really am starting to have bad dreams of standing around the store with the sale yarns all set up and NO ONE shows up... I had a party like that recently and don't wish to relive it...)

I hope we'll see you over the weekend!!
Have fun with the string,
Jen

Book and Berroco Day

2008-01-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was New Book Day. Mom, Carol, Ann and I LOVE New Book Day. David hates New Book Day.

Here's a peek at my "desk"

Pictured here: Designer One Skein Wonders, Itty Bitty Nursery, Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, Walker Treasuries, How to Knit, How to Crochet, Pursenalities

We love it because we get a lot of new inspirational ideas, new reference materials and new cute photographs of babies in handknits.

David doesn't really hate it but he doesn't like it either - it because they sell really slowly, take up a lot of space and tie up money that we could be spending on other stuff. Now, don't get mad at him, he has a point. There are SO MANY other places to buy the books we have at DEEPLY discounted prices. But we continue to stock them, I continue to buy them for my personal library, and recommend them to others, and this is why:

Purchasing patterns that designers design keeps them designing
The photography in these new books has really become a beautiful aspect of the projects
The diagrams in reference books are handy in a pinch
Designers are coming up with new techniques and new tips for old techniques
Sometimes you rediscover something from crochet or knitting history that revolutionizes your work (Elizabeth Zimmerman!)
Stitch dictionaries let you be a designer

I could probably go on and on.... books, books, books...

On the Finished Project Front - it's been all Berroco, all the time for me the past week and a half. In a good way!

Dizzy, a FREE hat pattern from berroco online
Pure Merino col. 8560 - kind of a burgundy color
Yarn Cost - $7.99/ball

My favorite part about this pattern, besides the cool spiral, is that the pattern itself spirals - you don't have to keep track of rows or anything, you just do the same thing over and over until it's the right length.

Super-spiraly goodness!

ONE IMPORTANT TIP
Every time I've used Pure Merino the garment has grown after washing. To predict what is going to happen in your garment, definitely knit or crochet a swatch and wash it as you would wash the finished garment. You may have to go down in needle or hook size. The pattern calls for 2 balls but I got away with using only one. Because I knew it would grow when I washed it, I stretched the hat slightly while measuring as I was knitting. If I were you, I'd buy the 2 balls, knit it within the 30 day return deadline, and return the second ball if you don't end up using it!

My second Berroco of the week is this lovely cabled knit bag designed by Norah Gaughan:

The Brea Bag, another FREE pattern from Berroco online
2 skeins of Ultra Alpaca in col. 6283
Yarn Cost - $15.98

I think the cabled design in this bag is just so pretty and compliments it's half-moon shape. The center looks like a butterfly, no?

This was my first project with Ultra Alpaca and I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed! It's soft and sturdy and because it's 50% wool holds it's shape perfectly. My favorite colors are the ones that are heathered.... If you've knit cables before, you can knit this bag. I wouldn't recommend it for a first cabling pattern for most people but if you're feeling adventurous, go for it! email me if you have questions!

I keep logging in to post quick posts and then get all long-winded on you... hope you're still with me!

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Rippling along

2008-01-22T08:58:00.001-05:00

There was an article in the most recent issue of Yarn Market News (yes, even the yarn industry has it's own trade magazine) about "Dis-cromination" - that is, discrimination against the crocheters that might potentially shop at your store. They recommended taking a look around the store to see if all your signs say "knit" but not "crochet" and thinking about the atmosphere of your shop.

Well, if you walk around our store you don't see much crochet. It's not because we don't like crochet, or discriminate against crochet, it's because we don't know how to do it (shhh... it's a secret!).

Anne crochets, but she doesn't really prefer it and we don't make her do anything she doesn't want to do!

Mom has attempted to sit down with a hook but lets just say it didn't go well. She needed a nice long break from it but wants to learn.

Carol can crochet a bit and wants to do more in the future.

I've done some crocheting in my time. Actually, it was crochet that got me back into knitting! I was crocheting scarves and granny square blankets by my senior year at UNH and after graduation decided I wanted to knit some socks (what a jump that was).

I like knitting my sweaters and socks. I like crocheting afghans and stuffed animals. I like knitting AND crocheting accessories like purses and scarves. I like summery tanks with crocheted details. It all depends on the project, for me.

I'm hoping that we'll all get to sit down together in the near future and explore some crochet projects. Then you'll see more of it in the store (plus, I recruited an awesome crocheter to make some samples for us). In the meantime, here's a peek at my ripple afghan that I'm making as a summer throw blanket for my living room:

A ripple blanket qualifies as a beginner project and since the same thing is repeated a BILLION times over, you get the hang of it and it becomes a very nice TV project. Plus, the color possibilities are endless - just google "crocheted ripple blanket" and see what happens or check out one of the many ripple-alongs (if you're on Ravelry, click here). Also, there are about a zillion of different ripple stitches to try.

I'm using this free pattern and a variety of colors of Saucy mercerized cotton from JCA Reynolds. I'll give yarn totals when I'm all done!

Have fun with the string,

Jen

PS - stay tuned, I'll post details about the BIG SALE later this week!

Luce scarf/boa

2008-01-15T11:29:00.001-05:00

I finished the Luce scarf. It feels all glamorous and springy when you wear it so I like to call it a boa. Of course, customers are calling it "the slinky scarf" and it does look like one, especially in the gray/silver colorway.

Luce from Norah Gaughan Vol. 1, from Berroco
4 balls Pure Merino Nuance in color 8634, size 9 needles
Yarn cost: $34

One of the most amazing things about the knit and crochet designs that are being published today is how simple techniques are combined to make something really unique, funky and fun. This scarf uses only casting-on, knitting, purling, and binding off... things that you learn with your very first scarf/washcloth/baby blanket or other rectangular beginning knitting project.

And yet, they are combined into something totally new, transforming techniques that are everyday and maybe stale, into something exciting and motivating.

yay for innovations in knit/crochet design!

have fun with the string,

Jen

P.S. There is a similar style version of this (also funky!) on Berroco's website here.
While you're there, check out the preview of Norah's Volume 2! We get this stuff in a couple weeks.

Fur coat + Wool coat = HOT

2008-01-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

Pets in human clothing - sometimes cute, sometimes wrong...

moar funny pictures

Please, won't you be my neighbor?

Christmas Sweaters and Finished Projects

2008-01-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

No. Not those Christmas sweaters - the ones with the reindeer and the little jingle bells stuck to them (you've owned one at some point, I know it!). My mom and I knit sweaters for each other for Christmas, each without leaking clues to the other. I can't imagine how Carol kept everything to herself, as we were both probably giving her daily updates of how our knitting was going.

Mom knit me this swingy jacket design Milan from Dolce Handknits:
Using 13 balls of Kathmandu Aran in Colorway 146 and a Gita Maria button (with a giraffe on it!):

Pretty nice, huh? That's what I said! It's nice and warm and the shape is very forgiving (read not skin-tight, great for all body-types in my opinion) yet has a bit of visual interest with the wide collar, asymmetrical shape and textured front band. The yarn is even softer wearing it than in the ball!

Plus - tweeds are "so totally IN" right now, aren't they?

I knit mom this Cardigan, Ljod, from the Elsebeth Lavold Viking Knits Vol 1 book:
It only took 6 skeins of the Silky Wool to make the 40" size which fit her just right! She says, "hey, my butt looks cute!" :
In other finished projects news, mom made this felted bag. This is the Wisteria bag from Fabulous Felted Bags by Nicky Epstein (only she cut it in half width-wise by knitting with a DK weight instead of worsted):
It kills me that this is her "second try" at this bag. She had initially planned to needle-felt the flowers while keeping the leaves as they are in the photo. She didn't like the combination of the 3D leaves with the more flat needle-felting so she used scraps to make the felted flowers.

Himalayas color 12 for the background, Galway color 606 (a marled color) for the handles, Lamb's Pride & Galway scraps for the flowers. She buys her beads at the Bead Tree in Falmouth.

I finished this sweater for ME! Well, for me AND Sage, of course. This is the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. If you want some more details and photos about this sweater I posted some over here at my blog. I knit it using 4.25 skeins of Malabrigo Merino worsted in color #4 Sapphire Green, and knit the 37" size around the bottom but a 33" bust (I'm a peach of a PEAR, doncha know). It's BRIGHT!

boo hoo - I have a cold in this photo

Have fun with the string,

Jen

On the Needles

2008-01-05T09:19:00.001-05:00

One of our yarn reps recently told me that I will never knit for myself ever again. She was very adamant about it, "Everything you make from now on will be for the store." She's an awesome rep - so full of information and energy and we love to sit with her and pick out yarn. But, as badly as the store needs sample garments, I will always have something on the needles/hook for myself.

I'm old enough to know that life is what you make of it. Even if I have obligations and responsibilities, I have to make time for the thing I love and keeps me sane, Right? (even if it means neglecting other not-so-important stuff, like housework) So here's my project for ME:

The Hourglass Sweater from
Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Knit in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Sapphire Green color #4

It's almost done now and I'll post more details/thoughts/commentary with the finished photos!

All things in balance - here's my store knitting: LuceFrom The Norah Gaughan Collection Vol. 1, from Berroco
Knit in Pure Merino Nuance

I'm knitting it in the charcoal-to-silver-gray colorway (8634). Pure Merino Nuance shades like that all by itself and it's been a joy to knit with so far.

There are a couple sweater designs from the same book that I want to make for the store and I'm having trouble deciding which to do (I'll probably only have the knitting time for one) Here's Chantal, knit in Ultra Alpaca Light for the lower body and lower sleeves and Ultra Alpaca for the rest (this is why we bought matching colors of Ultra Al and Ultra Al light!):

And here's Anais, in Ultra Alpaca Light:
Which one should I do? And what color!? hehe Make my decision for me!!

And for my last bit of dreaming I think I have to make this tank in Yin and Yang - I love the combination of solid body with a little bit of sequin detail:

The Silken Cowl Tank designed by Zoe Valette
from Sensual Knits by Yahira Ferreira

I just think it's so pretty and feminine and is an awesome way to work sequins into your wardrobe!!

I'm hoping to get a crochet project (or two!) going soon. We'll see what falls out of my head later.

Have fun with the string,
Jen

Sage Yarn Blog

Hexagons

Turkey Coma Remedy

Not So Itty-Bitty

Itty Bitty Holiday Projects

Making your list

Patterns of the Month, October 2010

Fall Classes

Comfort Afghans Trunk Show

Huge Garment SALE!

Our next big SALE!

Patterns of the Month, July 2010

Patterns of the Month, June 2010

Patterns of the Month, May 2010

The Finer Things - Spring 2010

Mirasol March

Patterns of the Month, February 2010

Patterns of the Month, January 2010

Andra's Trunk Show

Patterns of the Month October 2009

Patterns of the Month September 2009

Merino Madness!

Patterns of the Month August 2009

Patterns of the Month, July 2009

Patterns of the Month, June 2009

Summer projects...

Poppin' Goofballs

May Day Thanksgiving

going, going, gone! (almost)

Yarn Tasting, Spring 2009

Ruffled Baby Hat

To Anna:

Ruffled Feathers

This Just In

Renovation Complete!

Berroco Spring '09

Important Dates

Holiday Project Stress

2 Row Reversible Scarf

Giving Warmth

Scarecrow

Jump Start for the Hollydaze

Alpaca-success!

tasting 1.. 2.. 3.. tasting...

Saturday tasting is closed

Alpacapalooza sign-ups!

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Olympic Motivation

washing & blocking

Stash Enhancement

Are you Ready? (Street Fair '08)

Inanimate Objects

Anticipation

More Babies Things

It's HOT!

WE DID IT!

Malabrigo update

Debbie's May Basket

Handdyed and Organic Yarn

Wear and Tear

Yarn Tasting Success!

Countdown to the yarn tasting!

click click clicking of knitting needles

Do you hear that clicking?

Yarn Tasting Teaser

Subs needed

New (beautiful) Yarns

Announcing: A Yarn Tasting

Knitter's Paintbox

Keeping Sane

Keeping Warm

Proposal

New Yarn

Thank you Thank you

*Special Report*

You're invited...

Book and Berroco Day

Rippling along

Luce scarf/boa

Fur coat + Wool coat = HOT

Special Report