Ruffled Feathers

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

Inanimate Objects

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

More Babies Things

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

Debbie's May Basket

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!!

click click clicking of knitting needles

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?

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

Keeping Warm

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