I don't even know where to begin with all the news around the shop, but the 1st thing that pops into my mind is the Downton Abby KAL...holy cow I don't think any of us realized that this would be such a big event!! Kristen has done a phenomenal job at hosting the KAL and Terry has jumped in and helped  in so many amazing ways too and I am just plain proud to know them!

I do have to confess to participating and am having a blast knitting my gauntlets. I am knitting mine 2 at a time on DPN's and am now done with clue #3. I of course have fallen in love with Downton Abbey and am now all caught up with the show and can't wait for Sunday, as well as clue #4...open, open, open...ha, ha, ha!!

The show is stimulating all sorts of ideas in both my knitting mind and my new found sewing mind and I just don't even know where to start in getting some organization in my head. Honestly I think that my head is a pretty disorganized place to be and to fight that part of myself is futile.

So where am I going with all of this disjointed talk? Right to the hats, oh the glorious hats!! I want to combine knitting and sewing all into one amazing hat, but how to go about it is where I am a little stumped. However never fear I have some amazing resources (Sandy and Gus, as well as Rachel, Kristen, Terry, Heather...okay all of the amazing JBW gang!!) available to me and am certain that I can come up with something that will fill the brim, so to speak. I want to knit the dome of the hat and sew the brim and have just discovered some really firm interfacing that I bought a while back (when I didn't really understanding what I was doing, hmmm like I do now? ha ha) and think that it will work very well to shore up my brim.

Okay so let me tease you with some color combinations and see what you think. My Gauntlets are done in Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sport Huron (long time stash color) and I have enough to do a dome too. Of course this should be a set right?

So now onto the fabric options and I am leaning towards the Denyse Schmidt Greenfield Hill Mill Plain in Dogwood. I still have to do some color comparisons on this one, but I think it should be a small print what do you think?

At any rate here is my gauntlets waiting for their turn at clue #4 and stay tuned for more on the adventure of Jeanne's hat, as it were.

As always, happy knitting, crocheting and sewing!!

Jeanne

We've got quite a bit of new items here at the shop (don't we always?), and while I can't help but love everything, I've picked a few of my favorites to share with you :)

The Holiday Gifts issue from Interweave Knits is something I look forward to every year because it always has such spectacular gift ideas that are quick and easy -a requirement for anything I knit after Thanksgiving. This year's issue has something for everyone and definitely keeps the tradition of gift-tasticness going! There are so many wonderful projects including scarf, hat and mitten patterns, not to mention lace shawls, home decor and baby items. With this magazine you'll be set for next holiday season too!

Another longtime favorite of mine is the Knit Kit, and the color for 2011 just makes me love it more! A bright bold shade of cherry red, the Knit Kit is a small compact case that includes all the handy necessities you might need while knitting: stitch markers, crochet hook, row counter, scissors that meet TSA regulations (so you can fly with them!) and so much more!

For those who have recently transitioned from knitting as a pastime to knitting as an obsession, the Addi Lace Click is one of the newest must-haves. These interchangeable circular needles come with tips sizes US 4 through 11 and cables lengths 16, 20, 24, 32, and 40 inches. The lace tips have a fine tapered point (good for working on intricate projects) and are slightly shorter in overall length so they can be used comfortably with the shorter cables. Perfect for lace artist and sock knitters alike!

I saved the best for last, as my latest obsession has been the very subject of this book: Cowl Girls. New from Cathy Carron -also the author of Hattitude and truly a master of hip, funky fashion- Cowl Girl features 35 spectacular cowl patterns. With so many styles from glamorous to gaudy and everything in between, you could potentially knit a cowl for every day of the week... or month! I know I'm working on it ;)

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!

Leanne

It has been a very busy week with all the packing for Stitches that Amerique and Jeanne have mentioned but also because the Ravelympics have started. What are the Ravelympics? you ask. Well it's something that has evolved as knitters have sat watching the Olympic games. The Yarnharlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, initiated the Knitting Olympics a few years ago so it is an natural extension with the popularity of Ravelry that members would want to get together and participate in the games. So as the brainchild of a few ravelers with way too much to do already the Ravelympics were born. This is the second year for the games on Ravelry and this year Jimmy Beans has a team. Team Jimmy Beans and I volunteered to be the team captain.

Despite being hopelessly overcommitted already and trying to help keep the retail area running normally while near chaos has reigned behind the black curtain with all the packing I've managed to get two projects started for the games.

For Team Jimmy Beans and the eventplatter event (an event for items made for the home) I've started a rag bath mat for my new apartment. It's made from strips of white sheets and knit on #15 addi turbo following the directions for log cabin rugs found in Mason-Dixon Knitting The Curious Knitter's Guide. This is a real physical workout to knit so progress is slow. I'm not sure I'm happy with my results so far and have contemplated starting over and changing to #17 or #19 needles. Although I do like the texture and think it will be cool to stand on just out of the shower. We shall see how it goes.


For Team Hopelessly Overcommitted, of which I'm a team member, I've entered the laceluge event for which I've started a modified Garden Shawl from Evelyn Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles using Noro Aya in color 12 on #8 Crystal Palace bamboo needles. I'm very pleased with how this is coming out. Aya is really soft. It's 50% cotton 35% silk and 15% wool so will be a great spring shawl. I love the color changes of the yarn so far.

So, what are you working on for the games? We want to see! Make sure you get photos up on Ravelry or bring your projects into the shop or to Stitches for show and tell. We love seeing how creative you all are!

Have fun and play fair.

Terry