Nana's Knitting Shop

Happy Birthday!

2010-05-18T13:35:00.001-05:00

As you may recall, my Prince's 50th birthday is today. I debated about throwing the BIG party, but unless it was held in Massachusetts, the only non-family guest would be our neighbor Chuck. Chuck's fun and all, but they're happy sitting in Chuck's garage smoking cigars so a party wouldn't really be necessary.

Before the big month of May started, my dear husband said,

"You know my birthday's the big one this year."

"Yes, I do," I told him.

"I kind of think that since it is the big one, it should be all me all May."

"And, that's different how?" I asked.

"Well," he said, "I think I should be the absolute center of attention all month."

"Not to sound redundant, dear, but that's different how?"

Now, as many of you know, I've been knitting him a sweater; and, knitting it right in front of him from the get go. When I was sitting in my little room putting on the collar last week, he came in and asked me what I was knitting.

I was so floored by the question, I looked up at him dumbly and said, "Uh, nothing."

Wow, impressive answer wasn't it?

So the sweater was completed with time to spare. All sewn together, blocked, and ready to go days before the BIG DAY! I made it with Classic Elite's Princess which, by the way, is an incredible yarn. It doesn't, in this case, hurt that it's named Princess either.

Being the incredibly impatient type, I simply couldn't wait to give it to him on his birthday so I gave it to him Friday night. This way, I thought, he can wear it out to his birthday dinner on Saturday night.

"Oh, dear, it's a beautiful sweater! So soft! Great color! I love it! When in heaven's name did you knit it?"

"I've been knitting it right in front of you for the last 6 weeks. I can't believe you didn't know. I was sure you knew when you came in and asked me what I was knitting!"

"Well, after the Cubs' game incident, you told me you were never knitting me anything ever again and I believed you."

"See there! It is all you all the time! Try it on; let's see how it fits."

It fits pretty darn well, don't you think?

Happy 50th Birthday, my darling husband! You look damn good in that Princess sweater!

Who's on First?

2010-05-10T22:16:00.005-05:00

Now that baseball season has officially started, I'm reminded of a time when our number two grandchild was 6. He was the Prince's baseball prodigy. He was on the Dodgers here in Oak Lawn, and took this baseball stuff very seriously. The Prince signed him up, was at every practice, every game, practiced with him, and snuck in as coach when he could.

On the day of the big game, Miss Cory called me:

"Mom, he's driving me crazy, he keeps telling me he's got to bring his cup to the game tonight. Do you have it?"

"I don't remember seeing it on the counter when I left this morning," I said.

"Are you sure you don't have it?"

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't in the dishwasher. I have no idea where it is, you better ask Papa."

"God, he's driving me crazy! 'Can't go to the game without my cup; call Papa' over and over again."

Dumb and happy, I go on with my day. Later I asked the Prince:

"Do you know where the boy's cup is?"

"Not really. It could be in the toy box in their room at our house."

"Why would it be in there?"

"Not sure, but I can't think of where else it might be."

"Why does he keep bugging Cory about it?"

"Well, I told him he couldn't pitch or catch without it."

"What? They don't let them drink on the field!"

"You're kidding me, right? Drink on the field? Did you really think it was a drinking cup? He's talking about an athletic supporter for God's sake!"

"Oh! Well, did you buy him one?"

"I can't remember, I know I bought his older brother one last year so there's one around."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IT WOULD SEEM, ALTHOUGH I CLEARLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM, THAT THEY ARE LIKE UNDERWEAR AND ARE NOT SHAREABLE!"

"Ah geez, here we go."

"We're stopping on the way home to get one."

The family came over for a barbeque a few days later. Young Mr. Baseball came running into the house; no hello, no hug,

"Nanny, DO YOU HAVE MY CUP?"

"Yes sir I do and here it is."

"I'm going RIGHT NOW to try it on."

Papa said, "Come on, I'll help you and show you how it works."

They came out of the bathroom and our adorable baseball player posed for the crowd to see.

I whispered to his mother, "Who turned the boy's body around? It looks like he's wearing his butt in the front."

And in Shop news...we're having a sale this weekend! Take 25% off all yarn and don't forget that select books are 40% off all month and needles (except Signature) are 15% off.

Busy, Busy!

2010-04-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've been remiss in posting to my blog of late. Sister Kay has been in town for two weeks and as always, it's been one party after another and I'm constantly distracted! She leaves tomorrow morning so my focus will be much better.

I thought this would be a good time to give you an update on one of the major projects we've got going on around here - the Great North American Afghan.

There are 24 squares in all and we are now on square number 9! It's been a great exercise in technique. There are a total of 7 colors and the color techniques include intarsia, slip stitch color and Fair Isle. It's been great fun to see everyone's squares since all chose different colors. They look totally different from each other.

I chose earthy tones to match my new couch. Eileen and Barbara chose colors for their bedrooms; Marge, bless her heart, is giving hers to her kids - she's making each of them an afghan - and her colors are close to the colors in the book. Kris and Carol chose shades of blue; Joann and Pam chose shades of pink and green; and Adriana, Eva and Sheila's afghans have no particular color theme, but are beautiful nonetheless.

Here's what we've accomplished so far. I've finished this month's square by the eccentric Rick Mondragon of Knitter's magazine fame, but I haven't blocked it yet.

And in other Shop news...someone stole Mr. Ben's baby and took him to Colorado. As you might expect, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Mr. Ben was hysterical at the loss for a while, but as you also might expect, he got over it. By the time the baby came home, Mr. Ben had forgotten all about him. I'm still trying to get them to bond again. Mr. Ben does continue to get a daily break from the damn baby when he goes to his AA meeting. Many thanks to the kidnapper who turned our boy into a raging alcoholic.

An Unabashed Endorsement

2010-04-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

for Mike the Painter Extraordinaire. Mike's been at my house all week, sprucing things up. My good friend Paula is married to Mike, the Painter Extraordinaire, which is how he ended up painting at my house in the first place.

Paula, in addition to being a great little knitter, comes from my home state of Massachusetts so we have lots in common. We discuss our homesickness and all of the things we miss about the great little Bay State, especially the food. Oyster stew, fish chowder, Friendly Ice Cream Fribbles and Big Beefs, fried whole belly clams, and many other uniquely East Coast delicacies. Paula was one of the few who understood my delight at having this grotesquely large crustacean on my plate last Summer:

I live in Beverly in one of those old houses (circa 1927) that has plaster walls, decorative plaster crown moldings, and lots of other eccentric features that would cause just about any painter to head for the hills. Any painter except Mike, who used to restore old churches back in the Bay State.

We had 2 particularly dicey situations, one in the living room where there are plaster beams that had been painted to look like wood, grain and all, with stenciling on the beam faces; and, in the dining room where the crown molding is painted some weird metallic gold. Both rooms needed touching up and the Master of Plaster replastered the molding where it was crumbling, color matched the wood grain beams, the stencils, and the weird gold in the dining room perfectly. I must say it was very impressive work, very impressive indeed.

This time around, he painted one of our bathrooms and he's so neat, I didn't even have to clean it when he was done. So if you want a really good, I mean, really good painter, one who can match any color, tackle weird plaster patching, wallpaper, clean up after so it looks like he wasn't even there, let me know and I'll give you his number.

Naturally, I couldn't end this post without a story and this one is oh so true.

The first time Mike came to paint for us, he was setting up all his stuff as I left for work.

"Have fun," I told him as I walked out of the house.

About noon, the phone rang.

"Hi, it's Mike."
"How are you Mike?"
"I wish you had told me that you have a cat."

He sounded slightly annoyed. There were 3 or 4 people in the Shop at the time and they all heard me reply,

"I don't have a cat."

Both the Shop and the other end of phone went completely silent. Everyone in the Shop, I'm sure thought, "Geez, where is this going?"

"Mike? You there?"

He then started talking really fast.

"I went out to get some supplies out of the car; when I came back inside and started working, this red cat came up to me, brushed up against my legs; flopped down on the drop cloth and made himself right at home.

I went out again and the cat ran out before I could stop him. I spent a long while trying to catch him thinking you'd kill me if he got away or God forbid if he got hit by a car. I ran through the front bushes after him, into your neighbor's yard and I finally got him.

I brought him back in the house and damn it, didn't he tear out ahead of me the next time I went outside. I chased him again and then he ran under my car. I went back in the house and poked around the kitchen for cat treats, but you didn't have any. I'm now back outside, and the cat is still under my car."

Even though I was feeling rather speechless, I managed to say again, "I don't have a cat."

"He must of snuck in when I left the door open."
By now, I'm laughing so hard all I can say is yup.
"Yup."
"Okay then, so I guess he's okay outside?"
"Yup."
"I'm going back to work," he said sheepishly.
"Yup."

Several months later when the furnace guy came, the first thing he asked me as he looked furtively over my shoulder was, "Do you have any pets?"

"We used to have a lovely red cat," I said as forlornly as I could muster, "but our Painter let him run away."

It's Time to Party!

2010-03-25T11:39:00.017-05:00

Join us for a Spring Yarn Tasting Party on Wednesday, March 31. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m.

Bring your needles and try all of the beautiful Spring yarns that have arrived. The new pattern books this season are really gorgeous.

Take 10% off all the new Spring yarns and other select yarns will be on sale for 15%-25% off.

We'll also be serving yummy desserts created by Miss Cory. The last time she made all the desserts, the crowd went wild! If you've never tasted her cheesecake, you haven't really lived - honest, it's that delicious.

And don't you love my little Yarn Tasting Menu? That little beauty was created just for this party by my wonderful friend Knifty Red. It's your guide to all of the yarns you'll be dying to try. I'm so lucky to know so many talented people.

Be sure to come and bring your needles with you!

And in knitting news...drum roll please. My lovely daughter knit me a beautiful shawl called Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante. It's a free pattern on Ravelry. Isn't it lovely?

Now this is an important gift. Cory has never knit for me before even though I've asked plenty of times. She's always said, "I can't knit for you; you knit for yourself and I really can't impress you."

Well, impress me she has, particularly since this was her first lace project. Cory baby, it's beautiful and I love it!

I just received a shipment of Smooshy sock yarn in great Spring colors which would be perfect for the Traveling Woman pattern.

Don't forget to come to our party on Wednesday, March 31!

'Tis a new season!

2010-03-18T12:50:00.014-05:00

I'm happy to report that Spring has finally sprung. And naturally, with a new season comes new yarn!

Spring yarn is arriving and there are some beauties this season. Be sure to stop by and see all of the new yarns and patterns. Check out some project ideas here. And here are pictures of some other project ideas from our friends at Classic Elite. All are from the new book, Farmer's Market.

Yarn: Soft Linen, DK weight, Linen/wool, alpaca blend

Yarn: Soft Linen

Yarn: Allegoro - Sport weight, cotton/linen blend

And speaking of new seasons...the final (boo hoo) season of The Tudors starts on March 21 on Showtime. If you haven't seen this series, run right out and rent the previous seasons so you'll be up to date by March 21. It's the best show - gorgeous costumes, lush scenery and the best looking men on television. You can see a video of my boyfriend, the Duke of Suffolk, Henry Cavill on my dear friend Theresa's blog.

Oh, Theresa, I asked my husband whose boyfriend Henry is and he said,

"Well, of course, he's your boyfriend, dear. No one dare question that."

So even though you saw him first, he's mine.

Sometimes I scare myself...

2010-02-23T17:20:00.038-06:00

2010 not only marks the first decade of the new millennium, but it is also a milestone year for my Prince. He will turn 50 in May.

Now, just a few short years ago, when I turned 50, he had a fabulous surprise party for me. Total surprise. When I walked in the restaurant, I saw lots of totally unconnected people that I actually knew! Since the date wasn't very close to my actual birthday, it took a while for me to realize that all of those people were there for me and my birthday. (The thought that I was attending my own funeral actually crossed my mind.)

How could I follow up on that? I could have a surprise party for his 50th, but the only people that would be there would be my friends and the Prince's friend, our dear neighbor, Chuck. What kind of party would that be if only one of the guests was actually a friend of my Prince?

I could have a surprise party back in Massachusetts where all of his friends live and since most of his relatives live in New York, it would be a hop, skip and a jump for them to come to the party as well.

Oh, but the logistics of such a party would be a nightmare. Not having lived there for 15 years, I wouldn't have a clue what venue to choose. Handling all of those details long distance would be no easy task either. And then there's the problem of getting all of those addresses and how would I know if I left anyone out? How would I get him to Massachusetts without tipping my hand anyway? Sure, we go to visit my family fairly regularly, but what would I use as a lure? May in Massachusetts isn't exactly good for golfing and who knows what fish are running at that time of year.

Cory, her husband, and the kids couldn't be there because it would be too expensive to fly them all out there. And no party is complete without Cory. If Cory were able to come, it wouldn't be a secret, she can't keep a secret. She didn't speak more than a few words to me for months before my party because she was afraid she'd blow it and it drove us both crazy.)

I'll just be a killjoy and ask the Prince what he wants for his birthday. Wow! He doesn't really want a party in Massachusetts and he agrees that a party with Chuck is always fun, but we can do that any old time.

Hmm, off the hook for all that party planning, the never-ending logistics, the hurt feelings as a result of someone being left out, the expense, the secrecy, keeping Cory on the straight and narrow so she wouldn't tell. I am off the hook for all of it.

Surely, there is something I can do to make myself crazy between now and the BIG DAY. This idea is sheer genius. It's an idea that is certain to make me crazy, frustrated, pressured, and oh so much more!

I can knit the Prince another sweater!

He was awfully jealous when I knit Dad that lovely vest for Christmas. He did look a little crest fallen when I just used him as a mannequin instead of actually giving him the fruit of my labor. He was green around the edges when everyone oohed and aahed over Dad's vest when Dad modeled it in front of the Christmas tree.

Despite everything, he's been really, really nice to the sweater I knit for him. He wears it on special occasions and when he needs a little luck. He folds it ever so carefully when he puts it away and if we're out to dinner, he's especially careful not to dribble on it. It really does look great on him, fits him like a dream and the color is oh so beautiful.

What harm would it be just to take a little look see at some patterns? I'll just pull out some magazines and books and spend a little time just looking. Decent mens' sweater patterns are hard to come by so it shouldn't take too long and the chances of finding something are pretty slim anyway.

(Aren't you forgetting about the ugly sock incident?)

Oh my! I forgot I even have this lovely book by Alice Starmore - Fishermen's Sweaters.

(Do not look in that book. Don't you have a Starmore still on the needles for yourself? Does the name Catherine Parr ring any bells? Did you also forget that Starmore, not unlike your lovely friend Theresa, knits everything at a gauge so tight, it can stand up on its own?)

Oh be quiet. I'll get back to it someday. Besides, the gauge is so tight, it'll be too hot to wear and God knows, too hot is not something I can't bear these days. Okay, no Starmore.

Well, take a little lookey loo at the sweater in the Spring Knitter's!

I can even show him a picture of the sweater if the urge to be a spoilsport overwhelms me.

(You surely couldn't show him a picture of the last sweater. The model was wearing a kilt, some weird headdress and a necklace for goodness sake.)

Hmm, no cables, no colorwork. It has sleeves, however, and the sleeves always get me down.

Wow, 5 1/2 stitches to the inch on a size 6. Not bad, not bad at all. I knit Dad's vest on a size 3 needle and it was fine!

(Dad's vest didn't have sleeves!)

But, there's no colorwork or even any cables so it will go much faster than Dad's vest.

Oh! I could use Princess! There's a lovely blue over there. It would take 12 skeins to make; I'll just check the inventory and see how many I have. Well, whaddya know. I have exactly 12 skeins. Sounds like fate, bashert, kismet, karma, destiny.

(Not so fast, Sister. What happened to your 10 shawls in 2010? You're on the last lace repeat of Haruni. What about Kingscot? Last week when Traci came in wearing hers, you wanted it so bad, you were ready to cast on. You even checked your gauge, for God's sake.)

There you go. I'll check my gauge and see what's what. Size 6 needle, 5 1/2 stitches to the inch - perfect. A sweater for the Prince. Here's my progress:

I've gotten pretty far on the back; I've been knitting it right in front of him and he doesn't even have a clue!

It's done, it's in progress, that's it. Phew, that's a load off my poor brain.

If I were a jealous knitter...

2010-02-19T10:34:00.010-06:00

I'd be very green right now.

As you may know, we knit the Great American Aran Afghan as a class of one square per month. We finished it almost a year ago and most everyone put them together and have been enjoying them ever since. Joan, Patrice, Barbara, and Joanne can snuggle under theirs as they knit and I just heard from my friend Mary who moved away that she too, finished hers.

Mine's knit, naturally, since I taught the class and had every square done before each class. Each carefully blocked square is sitting in the back room of my Shop patiently waiting to be put together.

I hadn't been feeling too bad about it sitting there because I knew at least one knitter, had the finishing looming over her head as well. Who was that knitter? Why, it was Tracy of course.

To refresh your memory, dear Tracy made the same fair isle vest for her Dad for Christmas that I made mine. She shamed me regularly on her progress for said vest because she was always, always many inches ahead of me. She got me to rally, however, and I too had a lovely gift for Dad for Christmas. (For the record, I'm not competitive either, but the thought of her being so far ahead of me kept me up at night.)

As we feverishly knit our vests on Fair Isle Friday, we often discussed finishing our afghans. I even suggested that we do it together some afternoon so we could once again share the angst of finishing something fussy, sewing all those squares together and adding our borders.

Speaking of borders, I chose to do the Eyelet border which could be picked up and knit. Tracy chose to do the cable border as shown in the book which required miles of cables that had to be sewn on after the squares were put together. (Barbara and Mary beautifully did this border as well without any angst or complaints at all.) I had already decided to take the easy way out and put on the Eyelet border.

So I merrily knit other things because Tracy and I hadn't set a date and I didn't give my unfinished afghan another thought. It took quite a long time, but I had gotten over the fact that all those other wonderfully over achieving knitters were enjoying their finished afghans because there was something about Tracy not being done that comforted me.

So guess what happens? Tracy strolled into Open Knitting yesterday afternoon with her totally finished, totally lovely afghan all damn done.

I wish you could see all of the finished afghans in person because pictures just don't do them justice.

In keeping with the envy deadly sin theme, Kris and Linda came to the Shop recently with their newly knitted, adorable giraffes, Geoffrey and Eugene. You can read all about their adventures here and here. Too cute, aren't they?

Well, once again try to imagine how I felt when they shared this picture with me.

There's two precious knitted giraffes sitting on Mr. Ben's lap - Mr. Ben, the biggest, homeliest, sassiest, bad ass monkey to ever be created. Those two baby giraffes will probably never be the same after their exposure to that wandering, irresponsible troublemaker.

Do you see that little stripey monkey in the picture? The little guy snuggling up to the baby giraffe's arm? Well, he showed up by parcel post a week or so ago. And you know who he is? He's Mr. Ben's illegitimate son. Apparently, while Mr. Ben was in Texas over the holidays, he took off and went to Tijuana where he whooped it up with the locals. And unlike in Vegas, what happens in Tijuana does not stay in Tijuana.

Geez, Mr. Ben, if I find out that you've corrupted those giraffes in any way...

What's on your needles, part deux

2010-02-11T12:03:00.001-06:00

Kristen is making Veronik Avery's Gentleman's Scarf from Knitted Gifts using Fresco and it's really coming out lovely. She's making it for her Dad for Christmas - yes, she's got a plan for 2010 and it's well underway.

Also from Knitted Gifts is the Transitions Hat and Scarf that Joyce is making:

Many of us are still plugging away on the Great North American Afghan - we've got 6 squares done already! It's been a really fun project and if you're in the Shop ask to see them. We're working with 5 different colors and using Fair Isle, Intarsia and slip stitch color techniques. Six down, 18 to go!

Kamaca is making Ysolda's Liesl using Noro's Furisod e yarn and it's really beautiful. I'm just sorry I don't have a picture of it. Speaking of Liesl, Kristen's is hanging in the Shop; stop by and see it before she takes it home.

Joan just finished Veronik Avery's Zipped Vest from Knitting Classic Style. She used Cascade 220 handpaint. We took it to Stanley's Tailoring here in Oak Lawn to have the zipper put in. They did a great job so keep them in mind if you need a zipper put in one of your knitted projects.

Chris, Joann, and Pam are knitting EZ's Surprise Jacket and their yarns and colorways are so different they don't even look like the same garment.

So, there's a sampling of what some around here are knitting!

As for me, I'm very lace obsessed right now and while I'm still knitting a sweater and afghan squares, I'm also knitting lace. I just finished this from Knitted Lace of Estonia:

It's the Scarf in Leaf Pattern. The yarn is Alpaca Lace.

I've now started this from Ravelry - the Haruni by Emily Ross.

Wow, right? I've also joined a group on Ravelry called 10 shawls in 2010 with the obvious goal of knitting 10 shawls this year. I must be out of my mind...

Shawl number 3 will be the gorgeous triangular Conifer shawl by Kate Gagnon Osborn from the latest issue of KnitScene. It's done in a worsted weight yarn and I'm planning on using one of my all time favorites - Venezia by Cascade.

Number 4 will be another Nancy Bush from Knitted Lace of Estonia. I'm crazy about the lily of the valley pattern.

So very busy...

What's on your needles?

2010-02-04T09:49:00.016-06:00

As always, we're very busy here. Here's what we're working on...

Tracy (of fair isle vest for Dad fame) is making Jared Flood's Cobblestone for her husband. She's making it out of Donegal Tweed.

Tracy just finished this lovely dress for her daughter from Classic Elite's Sunday Brunch book using Moorland.

Tracy is also working on Kingscot from Twist Collective in a lovely red Princess. It was so soft, I can't wait to use it.

Speaking of Kingscot, another wonderful knitter named Traci, walked in this morning wearing it! Hers was a beautiful blue. It looked fabulous on her too.

Paula just started this great Knit Simple Winter/Spring 2010 cardigan using Princess. We really love Princess around here!

Both Georgann and Joann are making this Fair Isle jacket from Cheryl Oberle's Knitted Jackets book using Cascade's fabulous 128:

Isn't it pretty?

Tammi, good, good daughter that she is, is making her Mom this beautiful shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawl book. It's the Kilkenny Cable Shawl and she's using Venezia, one of my all time favorite yarns.

Tammi's also making this beautiful cashmere scarf. It's a Classic Elite Marly kit here at the Shop.
I just finished this scarf too and wow, is cashmere nice to knit with!

Cory is making so many things, I can't really keep track! Now that her mojo is back, she's insane. I do know that she's making this beautiful blanket for my Dad using Silk Garden. It's the 10 Stitch Twist blanket from Ravelry. He's going to love it.

Watch next week for more projects my prolific knitting friends are working on!

I Changed My Mind

2010-01-21T17:10:00.016-06:00

This week I was going to sing the praises of Cascade's Alpaca Lace because it is absolutely beautiful and because I'm making this out of it:

This is the triangular shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia and I'm just 2 repeats away from finishing the center. I adore knitting this and it is so surprisingly easy and a very quick knit. The pattern repeat is only 8 stitches and every wrong side row is purled! I don't really even need the chart - I just use it to start my rows and whip across.

I making mine in a soft gray and the Alpaca Lace is magnificent. It's only going to end up using two skeins and it is embarrassingly inexpensive.

With that said, I was perusing magazines today looking for the perfect project for Classic Elite's Princess yarn and was thrilled to find two! Princess is a wonderful blend of merino, cashmere, and angora. It's so incredibly soft and I've been dying to get my hands on it.

Here are the two sweaters I'm crazy about (today).

The first is the Vogue Knitting Winter 2010 cover sweater.

It's a lovely little cable/Fair Isle number. It's a little too dress-like for me so I'm going to change the pattern. I'm going to eliminate the Fair Isle border on the bottom and the pockets, and I'm going to shorten it up to tunic length. The sleeve border is seed stitch so I'll do a bottom border of seed instead of the Fair Isle. I'm seriously thinking of doing the same colors because I think they fit nicely.

Here's option number two and I think it's adorable:

It's from the Winter issue of Knit Simple and while the picture blurs the details some, it's a broken rib cardigan with a slight ruffle at the bottom and on the sleeves.

Princess will be perfect and I'm planning to use the cobalt blue.

Check these out!

Miss Cory made these adorable Elf Shoes by Pamela Wynne of Flint Knits and she's going to teach a class starting on Friday, February 12. Check out the details at the website. I'd say they are for an intermediate beginner. You'll learn how construct the shoes, short row shaping and a very clever toe technique. You'll also learn all the ins and outs of felting.

I'm in Halo Heaven!

2010-01-14T10:27:00.041-06:00

Dad and all of the skiers made it to France just fine, but all of their luggage was missing for a few days. I've since learned that Dad packed his vest in his carry on so he was the hit of dinner the first night as planned! Lots of oooohs and ahhhhs!

And, now that the Christmas knitting is over, I've been like a kid in a candy shop trying new yarns I haven't had the time to play with up until now.

Fresco is Fabulous!

Pam Allen, Creative Director for Classic Elite Yarns, calls Fresco a "Bohus style" yarn. Bohus, for those of you that are unfamiliar:

"The Bohus Stickning organization came into existence in Sweden in the 1930's during a time of financial hardship for many people. A group of women from Bohuslän, married to unemployed quarry workers sought out the Governor's wife in Gothenburg to find a means of helping support their struggling families. And so this organization was born out of need and for 30 years it created wondrous and beautiful hand knitted garments while helping the women who knitted them support their families financially." (Susanna Hansson, One of Susanna's)

Fresco is an uber soft blend of 60% wool, 30% baby alpaca, and 10% angora. The angora gives this sport weight yarn a heavenly halo and it is perfect for colorwork.

I'm making these darling leg warmers for a class that begins on Thursday, February 18. This is a great introduction to Fair Isle for the intermediate knitter. Working on double points (or we could do Magic Loop), you'll learn how to change colors for stripes as well as how to do jogless stripes ¹. You'll also learn how to knit Fair Isle (two-handed) and how to read a color chart.

We're holding another class using this yarn on Tuesday, February 9 - the Lace Cowl class. In this beginner class, you'll learn how to read a pattern and chart, how to knit in the round, how to block and all of the stitches that make up the lace pattern. Isn't it pretty?

Here are some other pattern ideas for this wonderful yarn.

Jared Flood's Beaumont Tam from Made in Brooklyn. This book is in stock.

Veronik Avery's Fair Isle Vest from Classic Elite's Sunday Afternoon which is in stock.

Another beautiful cowl is Laura Patterson's Basket Whip from Classic Elite's Web Letter. This pattern was one of Ravelry's top ten for quite a while!

Well, Looky Who's Back!

And looking just as smarmy as he did before he left. I haven't gotten all of the details yet, but it seems he was whisked off to Texas of all places! He's been mumbling something about being appointed an honorary Sheriff for some act of heroism, but he's being very tight-lipped about the details.

Hey, Mister Ben, I love the badge and the hat and the hand knit bandana is to die for! (Thank goodness they didn't give him a gun.)

Tune in next week for another of my favorite yarns!

¹When knitting stripes in the round, because you are actually knitting in a spiral, the second round of the same color jogs up slightly at the beginning of the round causing the stripe at the join to not line up exactly.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T10:20:00.006-06:00

Miss Cory and I spent the New Year's weekend taking inventory; how fun was that? We counted and ultimately moved exactly 7,899 skeins of wonderful, beautiful yarn! There were so many I haven't fondled in forever and naturally, there were some I even forgot we stocked!

While we were at it, we reorganized, painted, redecorated, redisplayed and made whopping overall changes to the Shop. Of course, we're biased, but we think it looks great and all the people that have been in the Shop this week agree!

I've got lots of new project ideas; I just had to revisit magazines and books while we were at it - whew we've got a lot of books! You must stop by and see all that's new.

In other news, Mister Ben has not returned, but he was spotted and I'm beginning to rethink the whole kidnapping plot. Does he look like a hostage to you? I thought not. He certainly doesn't look like a hostage to me. Whenever it is that you return, Mister Ben, you have serious 'splainin' to do.

Hello GQ?

2009-12-29T11:13:00.004-06:00

May I suggest this very handsome, oh so dignified gentleman as your next cover model?

He'll be skiing in this very picturesque place in January - a perfect spot for a photo shoot.

Whew! It fit and it looks fabulous, don't you think?

Remember, we'll be closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week for inventory. Happy, happy New Year!

The Good News and the Very Bad News

2009-12-22T10:30:00.042-06:00

First the good news...Christmas knitting is done, finito, finished, kaput.

Here's Tracy's vest all blocked and beautiful and ready to give to Dad. Pattern: Hillhead Slipover, The Art of Fair Isle Knitting. Yarn: Jamieson's Spindrift.

Here's mine. It's done, it's done!

Kristen has been busy making these darling ornaments as gifts.

Paula finished this sweater for her daughter. Pattern: Roxana Jacket, Simply Shetland 5. Yarn: Cascade 220.

And, Tammi made this lovely pillow for her Mom. Pattern: Cabled Pillow, Knitted Gifts. Yarn: Cascade 128.

Molly is finishing up these beautiful scarves for her family. Pattern: Trails Scarf, Natural Landscape Terra Collection. Yarn: Tahki Montana.

And there are so many others knitting gifts; I wish I had pictures of them all!

Now for the very bad news. Mr. Ben has been kidnapped. I came into the Shop this morning and found this.

The note says, "I'm tired of sitting around so I'm going on a trip! See you soon! Ben."

Now, I know the note says Mr. Ben went on a trip of his own volition, but unfortunately for the culprit who took Mr. Ben, the jig is up. Mr. Ben can't write. Unlike real monkeys, Mr. Ben doesn't have thumbs so he can't write a word. Plus, since I've taught him everything he knows (including his sassy attitude), I know he can't write. Anyone who thinks I would teach a sassy monkey how to write is crazy.

The table is set for Christmas and this little one reserved a very special place for Mr. Ben. She's all decked out in her Christmas best and you can see from the picture on the right how much she loves Mr. Ben.

Up until today, I had a long Christmas wish list. Now, all I want for Christmas is the safe return of Mr. Ben. We love you and miss you, Mr. Ben. Come back to us soon. Hopefully, your kidnapper will return you in a brand new, stylish, hand knitted outfit in time for Christmas dinner.

Speaking of Christmas dinner...we'll be open regular hours except on the following days:

Thursday, December 24 - 10:00-4:00.
Friday, December 25 - Closed.

Thursday, December 31 - 10:00-4:00.
Friday, January 1 - Closed.
Saturday, January 2 - Closed for Inventory.
Sunday, January 3 - Closed for Inventory.

Wishing you and your families a safe and joyous Christmas. Sadly, there's one darling little girl whose Christmas will not be joyous unless a very special someone comes home wearing a brand new, hand knitted outfit!

I'm late, I'm late

2009-12-10T09:47:00.005-06:00

for a very important date. No time to say hello. Goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

I'll be out of this rabbit hole, soon, very soon.

Would you like some cheese...

2009-12-04T09:41:00.011-06:00

with that whine? Yes, Paula, I would love some cheese with my whine, but I don't think it will make me feel any better.

So what am I whining about? A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

Way back when I got it in my head that I was going to make Dad a vest for Christmas that actually fit, I convinced Tracy to make one for her Dad too. Same pattern, same colors, same everything, except size. Tracy is making one size smaller for her Dad. Yes, I emphasized one size smaller in a vain attempt to make myself feel better about how far Tracy is and how pathetically far I still have to go. There isn't enough cheese or smaller sizes in the world to make me feel better about how far I have to go.

As you can see, Tracy is just about to the shoulders. Her neck and armhole steeks are all in place and it looks just beautiful. I must say, though, Tracy whined just a little bit too, thinking she wouldn't get it done for Christmas because she still has to put the bands around the neck and armholes. If she won't get hers done, I don't have a chance in hell. She'll get it done, of that I am positive.

In my defense (like you have a defense, Sister), I am now 8 rounds closer to the armhole than when this picture was taken, with a mere 8 rounds to go.

I couldn't possibly end this blog with all this whining. Instead, I'll give out a little education.

Take a really close look at the picture below. Remember, we're both using the exact same yarn and colors.

Do you see that Tracy's vest (on the right) is ever so slightly darker than mine? We're both knitting two-handed, one color in the right hand and the second color in the left hand. Tracy, however, is holding the lighter color in her right hand, the darker in her left hand. I am doing the opposite - darker color in my right, lighter color in my left hand.

When you're knitting two-handed like this, the yarn in the right hand goes over the strand in the left hand and the strand in the left hand goes under. The yarn that goes under the other shows up more prominently than the strand that goes over.

Why? The strand that comes from underneath travels farther to the needle than the strand that goes over; the over strand is closer to the needle. More yarn is used by the farther strand so there is more of it in the finished knitting.

Since Tracy's darker color is farthest from the needle, she's using more dark yarn and her vest is consequently darker than mine.

Consistency here is the key. If you start out with the darker yarn in your right hand (or vice versa), you must continue that throughout the knitting or it will be very uneven and very noticeable.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some serious knitting to do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T11:17:00.000-06:00

I've been making Thanksgiving dinner for a very, very long time and I must say, I'm rather tired of it. My darling daughter told me last year when I wanted her to have it at her house,

"Oh, Mom. You're going to cook Thanksgiving dinner until you're either too infirm or you're dead. Love your stuffing."

My eldest grandson (who eats nothing but peanut butter and hamburger) told me last night that he was looking forward to turkey and mashed potatoes this year. But, I know the underlying message was, "Don't skimp on the rolls, just in case."

So for all of you out there preparing to cook Thanksgiving, I feel your pain. I, for one, plan to knit all day Friday as a reward. I do have a certain vest that needs knitting. I'm also having a big SALE now through Saturday so be sure to join me. A little shopping, a little knitting will make that big sink full of dishes worth it, don't you think?

P.S. As you know, Mister Ben has been behaving very badly lately. Here was his reaction when I told him yesterday that there was no room at my Thanksgiving table for a bad monkey.

My Wish List

2009-11-20T11:19:00.043-06:00

Here's my Christmas Wish List. All I need is more time and more fingers...

I love this simple little cardigan. It's from The Tahki Book Smart Tweed Collection and is knit from Donegal Tweed.

It's called My Antonia and is double seed stitch with a beautiful cable across the middle.

I just got in the most lovely brown Donegal Tweed...

I'm, pretty crazy about this cardigan too! Lots of pretty cables. It's from Tahki's new Terra Collection and is knit from a beautiful new heavy worsted yarn called Lana.

I've chosen the natural colorway of this 100% organic merino wool. It's really soft!

Isn't this little sweater adorable? As many of you know, I have two darling granddaughters ages 5 and 7. I haven't knit for them very much because they insist on using their sleeves as napkins. Think I could convince them not to for this?

It's called the Hearts and Flowers Cardigan and is in the brand new, hot off the presses, Interweave Knits, Winter 2009.

The yarn is Cascade's Heritage sock yarn which is a Superwash merino with a bit of nylon and comes in a whopping 437 yard hank. Solid color sock yarn is hard to come by, but this one does, in lots of classic Cascade colors.

Here are the colors this little sweater calls for.

Next on my list is this triangular leaf shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Ann Budd. It's really hard to decide which shawl to make from this beautiful book, but I've set my sights on this one. Wow, eh?

I can't decide what yarn to use yet, however. I'm not sure if I want to use Dream in Color's Starry (sparkly crack), Alpaca Lace or Ella Rae's Merino Lace. Hmm, this would be beautiful in Cascade's Heritage too!

Since my last two lace projects were made with yarn with mohair, I think I'll skip the mohair this time. Ripping laceweight mohair can get a little frustrating!

I just love this Honeycomb Cardigan by Pam Allen for Classic Elite. It's in the Alpaca Stories book.

Made with Moorland, a very soft merino, alpaca, mohair blend, it looks like a really soft, wearable sweater. One of those "go-to" sweaters we all love on a damp day.

Moorland is a beautiful heather and I have a purple colorway that is screaming my name!

I've been wanting to make this sweater for a long, long time. It's the Monterey by Dolce Handknits and I love it.

You can't really tell from the picture, but it has an allover texture using a pretty stitch call the tiny bowknot.

I love the I-Cord ties and the turned hem on the bottom and sleeves. I've found the perfect yarn to make it in too. I'm going to use CEY Princess. Princess is a blend of merino, cashmere, angora and nylon. Lovely stuff.

I'm making this in the cobalt blue colorway.

Hmmm, another cardigan. Think I have thing for cardigans?

This one is the Lace Bodice Cardigan from CEY's Sunday Brunch.

It's knit in Classic Elite's Fresco which has the most beautiful halo from the angora in it. In the ball, you'd never know it has the halo, but knit up it is so soft, it's incredible.

I've picked out the loveliest shade of purple!

This, much to my chagrin, is only my SHORT list. I've got to find more time and many, many more fingers to get it all done.

That big baby, Mr. Ben, was crying the blues about how bored he was now that he was back from Paris and my darling Lilla did everything in her power to console him.

He felt infinitely better, but then she went home...He's truly impossible to live with these days.

Legacies

2009-11-13T12:07:00.023-06:00

As parents and grandparents, we try to provide our children with legacies, don't we? We try to impart the best of ourselves, share our experiences and wisdom, and hopefully leave our children with fond memories. My dear Nana taught me to knit and so I taught Miss Cory. My wonderful parents tried to bestow on us their sense of optimism, honesty, hard work, and impeccable manners. We have wonderful memories of summer vacations, the New York World's Fair, neighborhood Christmas caroling and homemade floats for the annual 4th of July parade.

My Prince too believes in legacies and recently decided to share one of his "firsts" with our two grandsons. Here's a picture:

That's right, he took our two grandsons to a Kiss concert. Apparently, his first concert at the ripe old age of 16 was a Kiss concert. Fascinatingly enough, this concert was at West Point of all places. Back in the day, West Point was host to all kinds of outdoor rock concerts. Can you imagine any such thing happening today, post 9-11?

Of course, he asked me if I would like to go with he and the boys to this momentous event, to which I responded,

"Oh honey, I'd rather you pull my fingernails out one by one with pliers."

My first concert was Van Morrison so as you can see, we had radically different adolescent taste in music.

Here's my eldest, enjoying the show:

Papa is building fond memories for our darling kids; this one is a memory full of elderly men in makeup spewing blood and running around the stage in platform shoes, but a fond memory just the same.

For all of you Mr. Ben fans out there: he recently snuck away without my knowledge and apparently went to Paris. He's been lounging around ever since, obviously basking in his own fond memories.

Who Ticked off Mr. Ben?

2009-11-04T09:22:00.009-06:00

When I came into the Shop last week, here's how I found Mr. Ben.

Who ticked off Mr Ben, I wondered. The first person to come to mind was that little minx Adriana. When I asked her about it, she said, "Oh, I wish it was me, but it wasn't."

My next suspect was Cherylanne. She's been a little unglued by Mr. Ben ever since he made his debut, you know, scary flying monkeys, scarred childhood memories. She vehemently denied it, but she thinks I ought to make Mr. Ben a girlfriend...

or at a minimum, some clothes. I think she secretly admires Mr. Ben, don't you?

Who ticked off Mr. Ben?

We're having our Second Annual Christmas Ornament Party on November 15 at 1:00 p.m. For all the details, click here.

We had a full house last year and it was a great time. Here's a few examples of the darling ornaments we made:
As a bonus, if I can remember how I made it, I'll give you the pattern for Santa's beard. Modeled here by the very handsome Prince.

Be sure to make your reservations soon! Call the Shop at 708.229.0061.

Vest, How do I Stall Thee?

2009-10-23T16:15:00.015-05:00

Let me count the ways.

Here's one way...

I just couldn't resist these darling slippers. They'll be the topic of a class starting on Wednesday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. Click here for all the details.

Here's another way...

This is our 4th Square for the Great North American Afghan. It was designed by the great Pam Allen.

Another way...

This is the start of the Bex sock by Cookie A. from her book, Sock Innovation. They will look like this when they grow up. P.S. They are being done on Signature double points which make cables soooo much easier when you're using tiny needles.

And finally the last way I've been stalling on The Vest...

Meet Animal Crackers, the most darling baby sweater. Both the slippers and this little gem are from Knitted Gifts, the greatest compilation of patterns in a book that I've seen in a long time. The back is done and as you can see, the front is just about done too.

Here's what it will look like finished:

I will scheduling a class for this sweater soon.

I've been putting away lots of new yarn and books that you really should stop by and see...

For baby:
More books and yarn...
In my defense, I also knit one more repeat of The Vest and only have one half of a repeat to go before I start the armholes. Also in my defense (I am a woman of many excuses, aren't I), I lost Dad's measurements. He's coming in for the weekend so I'll measure him again and this time, I'll put the note where I can't possibly lose it.

I'm always amazed how much knitting I can get done when I'm avoiding the one thing I'm supposed to be knitting.

It's our 4th Anniversary!

2009-10-13T12:45:00.005-05:00

Please join us on Sunday, October 18 at 1:00 p.m. for anniversary cake! The first 20 people to arrive will receive a little goodie bag and we'll have a special project raffle.

It will be a fun day.

The November Class Schedule is up and there you'll find lots of great small projects - perfect for Christmas gifts. The Class samples are all here so stop by and take a peek.

I just received another giant shipment of new Fall yarn! Stop by to see the latest colors of Silk Garden and Kureyon from Noro and their newest yarn, Retro.

Sublime's Baby Cashmere Silk is here and the colors are really beautiful.

New from Araucania - Aysen, Azapa, Panguipulli, and Ruca.

I hope you'll join us on the 18th!

I am Mr. Ben!

2009-10-02T13:37:00.016-05:00

"I'm big, I'm bad and I'm done. You know who can now get back to business. Humanity, my foot, she was stalling. Enough said.

"Here's Dad's vest which she now has no excuse not to knit."

"And here's square three of the Great North American Afghan."

Save Mr. Ben!

2009-09-21T15:58:00.003-05:00

Meet Mr. Ben. He is a sock monkey. He is a giant sock monkey, all 21 inches of him. He is a giant, very endearing sock monkey, but unless you save him, he's going to have a tragic, life altering accident.

As you can see from this picture, Mr. Ben has a head, a body, and one leg. I'm making Mr. Ben for a class because as my friend Deloris would tell me, "Oh, have a stuffed animal class. People love that shit." I've had a stuffed animal class in the past and it was a wonderful success. If you took the Best Friend Bears class with me, you know that my Best Friend only has one arm. He has every other body part and the arm is actually done, it was just never attached.

If you know me, you know I'd never make a sock monkey for myself or anyone I love because, well, I'm just not a sock monkey kind of gal. And, this is a big sock monkey. So unless everyone who reads this blog votes yes, finish the sock monkey, Mr. Ben is going to have a horrible accident.

Mr. Ben is a very talented fellow. He's a magician and has been performing in Vegas for years. His fans adore him and he's called the David Copperfield of the simian world. He packs the house every night and has naturally made tons and tons of money; he's a millionaire in fact which is a very good thing because his off stage passion is sailing.

Don't get me wrong, he loves Vegas, his money spot, but as everyone knows, there's no good sailing in Vegas. He's an East Coast monkey at heart and has a home in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. (Our friend Mr. Ben loves the nightlife.) He also has a home on Martha's Vineyard and in the Hamptons. He's not a braggart, but Mr. Ben is rather proud that he can call Ina Garten, Christie Brinkley and Carly Simon neighbor.

His show runs 40 weeks a year, but he flies east every chance he gets with his showgirl girlfriend Coco to take a spin on his yacht (and dine at Ina's, of which I am totally jealous.) I'm not happy about the relationship with Coco because I think she's using him for his money, but he seems to really love her and she puts up with his antics and his endless list of tics.

Now this is where you come in, my reader friends. The following story of a gorgeous weekend in September can go one of two ways. The first is of a sock monkey and a showgirl spending a cozy weekend on a beautiful yacht visiting friends all along the eastern seaboard. End of story. The second is of two feckless drunks insulting boaters all along their route and results in a career ending tragedy. Oooh, the thought of it gives me shivers.

You must vote. Vote yes, the tragedy must be averted or vote no, screw it, Mr. Ben gets one arm, the one leg I've already knit and nothing more. No second arm and certainly no second leg. I'm committed to the butt, the muzzle, the ears, the tail, and the eyes, but second appendages are definitely up for grabs. Your vote will determine if he gets cute little button eyes or Xs for eyes like cartoon characters when they've been knocked out.

I must tell you that my vote is that Mr. Ben gets one arm and a tail but no further limbs; I have Dad's vest to knit after all and there's a beautiful shawl from this book using this Alpaca Lace that's calling my name. There's also a magnificent sweater from my friends at Twist Collective I'd like to get my hands on. I've already downloaded the pattern and I've already picked out my yarn!

STOP THE PRESSES! Oh! Looky here. Mr. Ben has a second leg and the beginnings of a butt.

It looks like his career, his relationship, and my soul have been saved! My humanity got the better of me over the weekend and I just couldn't bear the thought of that terrible accident even though he was monkeying around after far too many margaritas on a pretty fast moving yacht!

Thanks for thinking about saving Mr. Ben, but he's safe now. He will be finished, he will have all body parts (attached I might add), and he will have darling little button eyes. For those of you who were thinking of voting Mr. Ben into the drink, shame on you! He lives to perform again!

Hope, but no Faith

2009-09-08T12:37:00.016-05:00

I just got back on Saturday from a brief sojourn at Cape Cod with Dad and Sister Kay. I knit briefly on the plane, but haven't again picked up my needles. Dad's vest is looming over me like a cloud. I love, love, love knitting it, but every single round is a color change which gets a bit tiresome. And talk about ends! I'm working them in as I go, but I know for my own peace of mind, I'll end up weaving them all in for a bit.

Because we were flying into Providence which is not our usual destination, Dad and Kay used the GPS to pick us up. Despite her many flaws, Dad believes in his Garmin girl. As we were departing the airport, she started giving directions:

"Turn left, then turn left."

There was a fair amount of construction around the airport which really got her haunches up.

"Turn left...recalculating...turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT, recalculating, turn left, turn right, TURN LEFT."

Then she had a complete meltdown and stopped talking. Kay and I, in the back seat, are calling her countless names, including liar, stupid...you get the picture. Dad immediately jumped to her defense.

"It's alright sweetheart, I don't blame you for being confused."
"Dad, shut her off, she's losing her grip."
"TURN LEFT!"

Fortunately, the road signs were pretty good so we didn't have to rely on Miss Unreliable. Once on the Cape, she managed to get us to our destination and congratulated us for doing so. "Alright!" she said.

Other than the ill fated camping vacation which involved one of those vintage campers we attached to our woodie station wagon, 6 days of unyielding rain and tears, and an unfortunate evening with baked beans, we vacationed in cottages in Dennisport, MA on the Cape. Given that I wanted to eat all the seafood I could stuff down my throat while we were there, Dad remembered a great restaurant called Thompson's Clam Bar.

He entered the name into the GPS and lo and behold, she actually came up with an address! So off we went; this time she gave us meticulous directions and we were all very excited. Dad kept congratulating her and my mouth was watering for the whole belly fried clams I was sure to order.

We pulled up to our destination and she said absolutely nothing. No "alright," nothing.

We were on the waterfront which made sense for a seafood restaurant, but rather than a restaurant full of goodies I wanted to eat, there in front of us was a condo complex. We asked a man walking down the street if he knew of Thompson's and he said he had heard of it, but that it had been closed for at least 10 years.

I screamed from the back seat, "I knew it! She didn't say "Alright," because she knew she she was taking us on a wild goose chase. She needs to go in for major maintenance."

Again, Dad defended her, saying it wasn't her fault, she did the best she could, etc., etc. And that's when we decided to give her a name. Dad had been calling her Suzie which I thought was a little too cutesy for the malicious spoilsport she was. After a number of suggestions, we all agreed that her new name would be Hope. Wouldn't it be great if her name could be Faith? Fat chance, despite what you think of her Dad.

Here's my 3 pound lobster:

Doesn't it look yummy?

Here's Dad with his spiffy car. (We should have snapped him holding his girlfriend Hope.)

Such Lovely Things

2009-08-28T10:25:00.008-05:00

The Twist Collective Trunk Show last Friday was great fun. Julia brought so many beautiful things. I'm always struck by how much more gorgeous pieces are in person. Photos just don't do them justice. For example, I passed by Broderie and Primrose Path more than once. They are so spectacular in living color that I've already bought the patterns and picked out my yarn! Just as soon as Dad's vest is done, Broderie will be on the needles. Thank you for a wonderful evening, Julia!

The new Fall lines are arriving! New yarns and books are here from Cascade, Classic Elite and more. Jared Flood's new book is here and it is amazing. It's already in its second printing! Namaste bags have arrived too and they're beautiful. I have several pieces on display from Classic Elite and you should stop by and see them. I have a baby blanket that would make even the fussiest baby squeal!

In other knitting news...

Here's the Saturday Night Purse. This has been such a popular class that I've scheduled another for October. Click here for all the details. Isn't it adorable?

We're on our way with the Great North American Afghan. Two squares down, only 22 to go!

Wow, we're awfully busy, aren't we?

Just a little inspiration should do it

2009-08-20T10:30:00.014-05:00

When the first issue of Twist Collective came out in the Fall of 2008, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've been a huge fan of Kate Gilbert forever and have made the Fireside Stocking, the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket, the Clapotis, etc.

But, here in the premiere issue were designs by Kate, Ysolda Teague, Pam Allen, Adrian Bizilia, just to name a few. Wow! What company to keep!

When the Winter issue came out, I thought Miss Cory was going to jump out of her skin. She called me at the Shop,

"Mom, did you see it?"
"See what?"
"The new issue of Twist Collective!"
"Not yet."
"Oh, my God, it has a pattern for the most beautiful coat I've ever seen in my life, ever! I mean ever!"
"Really! What's it called?"
"Sylvi...by Mari Muinonen. I have to make it."

And so it was. She bought the pattern, we got the yarn - a beautiful red chunky; and, she even went out and bought fabric for the lining and a very special fabric from the "Lightening bugs and other mysteries" collection by Heather Ross. It's covered in gnomes of all things. She talked about it constantly to anyone who would listen, ensuring everyone it would be done by the Fall.

She cast on and brought the pattern and yarn to Thanksgiving.

"Good God, Mom, look at the charts!"
"You can get through it - you're a far better knitter than you give yourself credit for. Take it one row at a time."

We got her going and she was off to the races, or so I thought...I only asked about it a few times (a few times more than she wanted). She made mittens to match. And then, nothing. No word of Sylvi from about February on. She'd sort of growl at people if they mentioned it so I stopped talking.

In July, she made this pronouncement:

"I am no longer a knitter."

At first I chalked this up to Post Massachusetts Traumatic Indifference Syndrome (PMTIS) which she suffers from every year after she and the kids spend 3 weeks with my family in Massachusetts. Then she said it again,

"I am no longer a knitter."

Imagine my glee when Julia Farwell-Clay agreed to bring her very own Sylvi as part of the Trunk Show! Julia knit Sylvi and is bringing it the Shop on Friday!

I was going to surprise Miss Cory with this news, but as everyone knows, I can't keep a secret.

"Whaddya think about that, Miss I am no longer a knitter! Julia is bringing Sylvi to inspire you, to get your mojo going."

"WOW!" she said, "Thank goodness it's not Fall yet."

Be sure to join us tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. It will be a rare opportunity to see Cory swoon AND it will be your only Chicago opportunity to meet Julia and see all of the beautiful pieces from the amazing Twist Collective magazine.

Twist Collective Trunk Show - August 21

2009-08-15T10:19:00.003-05:00

Be sure to join me for the Twist Collective Trunk Show on Friday, August 21 at 6:00 p.m. You will have an exclusive opportunity to see the beautiful pieces from this rocking online magazine!

The Fall issue will be published on Sunday, August 16, I'm told, and some of the pieces from this brand new issue will be here!

In knitting news, I finished the Saturday Night Purse and it is on display. It's really cute. Speaking of cute, the Baby Surprise Jacket is also on display!

If you're not on my mailing list, you didn't receive the 20% off yarn coupon I recently sent. Sign up now and I'll make sure you receive it! To sign up, go to Nana's Knitting Shop and fill out the sign up information at the top of the page.

See you at the Trunk Show!

TIVO Brain

2009-08-05T11:16:00.023-05:00

Do you have TIVO? TIVO is that great little device you connect to your TV that allows you to record shows, record whole seasons of shows in fact that you can play, rewind, fast forward or stop. This wonderous little device also allows you to rewind live shows as you watch them and then slow or fast forward them again. Each night, through the miracle of technology, the schedules for all shows are downloaded so you get the most up to the minute calendar of what's upcoming on the Boob Tube.

I knit at home laying on my couch while watching TV. Propping charts and directions on my knees gets a little precarious, but I manage. And, thanks to the ingenuity of TIVO, I can rewind what I'm watching when my chart falls off my knees or when I have to unexpectedly rip. It's especially useful when I have to count as I can stop the action, count away and resume at the press of a button without missing a scene!

As great as this is, it's done unexpected things to my usually alert little brain. I now find that throughout the day, I try to rewind my life.

I try to rewind the radio on the drive in when I'm lost in thought and something the newscaster says catches my attention.

My brain thinks I can rewind conversations that I realize I wasn't paying attention to - like when my dear husband is talking about the icing point of a motor and unexpectedly asks for an opinion.

"Focus!" my left brain screams to my right, "Focus!" I've always been a great multitasker and TIVO brain is undermining me, or maybe, just maybe, I'm getting old. Ouch.

Speaking of focus...

the Origata pillow for class tonight is finished! Okay, so there's a couple of ends to weave in. Steeking it was very fun - cut right up the back. The construction of this little number is ingenious, but holy finishing work!

The band on Dad's vest is 4 rows from being done and it's magnificent. I'm sad to say that it won't be complete for Dad's birthday on the 15th, but it's definitely, definitely going to fit! That Ann Feitelson is a color genius. If you look really closely you may be able to see that the band is made up of all 10 of the colors! These colors are so close that on the advise of a dear friend, I made up that little color card you see in the photo. What a Godsend that was for my poor addled TIVO brain.

The Good News and the Not So Good News...

2009-07-30T11:03:00.013-05:00

The good news is that the Botanica Medallion is done. I love it and it fits really well. The class was a blast and most everyone was ready to put their Botanica together on Tuesday night. Joan even wore hers to the class! They are all really lovely. I'm wearing mine today and I'll hang it in the Shop if you'd like to stop by and see it.

Here are several of my typically lousy pictures. One day soon, I really need to learn how to use my camera and Photoshop. It's much prettier in person.

And now for the not so good news...

Remember the beautiful Latvian Vest I made for Dad for Valentine's Day? Remember I blocked the heck out of it so it would fit? Remember I thought my gauge got wonky after I started knitting it? Well, it was a little more than wonky.

I went home to Massachusetts to see my family and I asked Dad about the lovely Latvian Vest.

"Dad, have you worn the vest?"
"Umm, no. It's beautiful, really beautiful, honey, but it's a little snug."
"Try it on for me and let's a little look-see."

So Dad tried it on.

"A little snug, Dad? It's WAY TOO SMALL!"
"Umm, yes, it's way too small. Why don't you take it back with you and give it to your husband."
"Geez, Dad, it won't fit him either. Maybe it will fit me or maybe it will just be a beautiful Shop model."

So, the lovely Latvian vest made the trek back to Chicago and it's now hanging in the Shop - a most beautiful Shop model until Winter when I will wear it.

Needless to say, I'm now on a mission from God to knit Dad a beautiful new vest. And, here's the one I've chosen.

It's the Hillhead Slipover from Anne Feitelson's gorgeous book, The Art of Fair Isle Knitting. I checked and rechecked my gauge. I have all the colors of Spindrift I need - there are a whopping 10 of them, I've cast on all 328 stitches and have started the ribbing. Oh, and while I was home, I took Dad's measurements (what a novel idea) so this time, the darn thing will fit!

Dad's birthday is August 15th. Today is July 30, what kind of lunatic am I to think I can have it done by then?

How about a Friday Fair Isle Knit Along, people? I need to put my knitting mojo into high gear!

Clearance Sale This Weekend!

2009-07-23T10:34:00.004-05:00

On Friday and Saturday, July 24 & 25, we're having a huge summer clearance sale! Yarn will be 15-40% off and select books will be 15% off. We're gearing up for a big Fall season!

All of the Fall yarn has been ordered and will start arriving in August. New yarns from Classic Elite, Auracania, Cascade, Noro, Simply Shetland, Sublime and others will be rolling in and I'm very excited!

I also have some very big surprises up my sleeve so be sure to watch this space for special announcements.

Must get ready for the sale! Be sure to come by.

Whew! That's A Lot of Knitting

2009-07-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

We are making significant progress in our Botanica Medallion class. Everyone's medallion is done and the outer band knitting has begun.

Here's mine:

I'm close to finishing the outer band which currently measures 42 inches! The yarn is one of my all time favorite cottons - King Tut. The drape and sheen of this yarn is just beautiful and the pattern by Shiri Mor is very clever. I'm can't wait to wear it!

I'm also working on the Origata Pillow for the steeking class in August. The pattern calls for cotton, but I'm using another of my favorite yarns, Dolly, because the range of colors is amazing and my new couch is brown and gold!

This is the front:

And here is the back:

See that little section up the middle? Those are steeking stitches and right smack up the middle is where we're going to cut the back open!

If you've ever thought about making a a fair isle sweater, this class is perfect. It's a small project using little yarn and you'll learn all of the techniques you'll need to make a fair isle cardigan! You'll learn how do a provisional cast on, how to knit fair isle, how to carry your floats, how to read a chart, and last, but not least, how to steek and finish your cut edge!

In other knitting news...

I had an opportunity to see one of my students' completed Aran afghans in it's natural habitat and so I've asked all who have finished it to send me a picture showing me where it lives! What a difference it makes seeing these works of art in someone's house rather than on my knitting table!

Here is Patrice's completed afghan. Doesn't it look beautiful?

Speaking of afghans...we've all chosen our colors for the Great North American Afghan which we'll start at the end of this month. I can't believe how much I'm looking forward to starting a new one! I've really missed making a square a month.

Finito

2009-06-26T14:24:00.005-05:00

The Summer Vest is finished:

And so is the Wrapped in Tradition Lace:

I'm working diligently on the Botanica Medallion. I'm about 3/4 done!

And last, but not least I'm working on the Origata Pillow for a really fun class in August.

I've finally chosen my colors for my Great North American Afghan and will be starting very soon. I've really missed making a square every month, I'm shocked to say.

Great Fun with Ysolda

2009-06-10T12:10:00.014-05:00

Here's a recap in pictures of our evening with Ysolda!

Meet Ysolda Teague!

2009-06-04T11:05:00.006-05:00

Scottish Designer Ysolda Teague will be at the Shop on Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m.

She will display a trunk show of her fabulous designs and will be signing copies of her new book, Whimsical Little Knits which will be on sale at the event.

It will be a fun evening and of course, refreshments will be served! See you on Tuesday!

And the Winners are...

2009-06-02T10:14:00.007-05:00

In the Garment category, Kristen K. won the most votes for her lovely empire waist tunic!

The pattern is from the Filatura di Crosa Spring/Summer 2008 book and is made from Cascade's fabulous Heritage sock yarn. Congratulations Kristen, your tunic is beautiful!

The winner in the Accessory category is Eileen R. Eileen made this beautiful Fair Isle Christmas stocking and it is an absolute stunner.

The pattern is Kate Gilbert's Fireside Stocking pattern from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007 issue. Eileen used 6 colors of Cascade 220. Bravo, Eileen!

And the winner of the Voter's raffle was Joanne H.

Many thanks to all of the Competition participants and to all of our very supportive voters. It was lots of fun and as always I am awed by the talented people I know.

We'll do it again next year!

Gearing Up!

2009-05-21T10:56:00.014-05:00

As I mentioned last week, I've got many balls in the air, but I'm knitting like a fiend and making real progress!

I'm down to a mere 144 stitches on my lovely lace poncho so it will move quickly now. I'm moments away from seaming my Summer Vest; and, I'm ready to kick butt on the outer band of my Botanica Medallion Cardi!

So where does it all lead? To the Great North American Afghan, of course.

I couldn't wait to finish the Great American Aran Afghan, but I actually miss having a little monthly project.

The squares on this Afghan are 12" x 12" as were the Aran Afghan squares and it is a fun respite to have something small, different and interesting to knit when my other projects grow tedious.

I will be holding classes and we will do one square a month on the last Thursday of each month beginning in July. This class is just about full already so if you are interested in joining us, please call the Shop to register as soon as possible.

This afghan is an intermediate project and uses 7 different colors! You will learn intarsia, fair isle, and slip stitch color techniques. You'll also learn how to read charts, how to do duplicate stitch as well as several embroidery stitches. Finally, you'll learn how to finish and edge your afghan.

We had a ball creating the Great American Aran Afghan and if you want to take your knitting to the next level, be sure to sign up for this great class. This is a pay as you go class for a $20 montly fee plus the cost of yarn. The first class will be held Thursday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m.

As for colors, I've found that choosing colors as a group results in a much more pleasing pallette. Others usually suggest color combinations that we wouldn't ordinarily put together on our own. With that in mind, we'll be holding a "Pick your Colors" day on Saturday, June 27 at 2:00 p.m. Come to the Shop to pick your colors and take 20% off your afghan yarn purchase rather than the usual 10% off class yarn.

We'll start this project with the easiest squares and move up to the more difficult squares. Our first square, by Deborah Newton, will be this lovely cabled number.

Call to register or stop by the Shop!

Too Many Balls in the Air!

2009-05-13T13:10:00.006-05:00

The skeins are flying. I'm working on three projects at once for upcoming and in-progress classes and I love each and every one to death. I've been knitting and knitting and knitting; and, I'm making great headway on all three.

I'm making this darling little vest. The back is done and both fronts are 1/2 way done and as well know, a vest doesn't have sleeves! Whoo Hoo. Here's what it will look like:

My Wrapped in Tradition Lace Poncho is working up very nicely:

And, I think I love this little number the best. It's the Botanica Medallion Cardigan featured on the front of the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting Magazine. I'm having a class on this in June. Check out all of the details here.

The Entries are...

2009-05-06T13:28:00.018-05:00

We have 22 fabulous entries to our second Nana's Talent Competition. Stop by, see them as my pictures certainly do not do them justice, and vote!

I'll identify the very talented knitters at a later date. Don't forget voters can win too! Click here for the Official Competition rules.

Bursting with Pride!

2009-04-17T13:14:00.016-05:00

The first Great American Aran Afghans are done! We had a finishing party on Sunday and everyone brought in their afghans.

Joan, Barbara and Patrice had sewn theirs together. Patrice even finished her border!

Here they are:This is Patrice's.

This is Joan's.

And, this is Barbara's.

Aren't they magnificent? I wish I could take better pictures because these don't really do these heirlooms justice. They are the prettiest things I've ever seen and the talent that went into them is amazing.

Mary, Joanne, Mary, and I are done with our squares, but we have to put them together and put the border on. There are many others who are well on their way to completion too!

So, now that it's over, my wonderful knitting friends, have been asking, "What's next?"

Barbara suggested another afghan from the Great American series and she said she was particularly curious about the Great North American Afghan. As I'll always bite at a new project, I ordered the book.

Here's a crummy picture of the book cover. I innocently put copies of the book on the table and watched to see what would happen.

Wham! Lots of people are interested and so once again, I will be offering classes in this afghan. We will start in July and again, we will do one square a month.

If you are interested in joining us, stop by the Shop.

Don't forget to enter Nana's Talent Competition! Click here for details.

Drum Roll Please!

2009-04-10T10:21:00.014-05:00

I am thrilled to announce that you can now buy Stiletto point Signature needles at Nana's! I tried them recently and I'm hooked. These gorgeous hand polished metal needles have the perfect point for socks and lace or any other project for which you find yourself digging for stitches. Full details can be found here. Stop by and give them a try!

Also announcing...

Nana's Second Talent Competition!

Bring the Nana's project of which you are most proud to the Shop and compete in Nana’s Talent Show. Drop your project at the Shop by Friday, May 1, 2009.

There will be two categories:

Accessories – hats, mittens, purses, scarves, socks, etc.
Garment – sweaters, vests, shawls, ponchos, etc.

And there are three ways to win!

The Accessories Category Winner will win a $50 Nana’s Gift Certificate!

The Garment Category Winner will win a $75 Nana’s Gift Certificate!

Don’t have anything you’d like to enter?
Cast your vote and you are automatically registered to win a $25 gift certificate!

Competition Rules:

All projects must be hand knitted or crocheted with yarn from Nana’s Knitting Shop.
You may submit one project in only one of the two categories by May 1; and, you must plan for your project to be on display at Nana’s for 30 days.
Voting will begin on Saturday, May 2, 2009.
The design does not have to be original!
You must be present to vote and your vote counts! Voters will be be eligible for a separate drawing to win a $25.00 gift certificate.
You may vote only once for one project in each of the two categories.
The votes will be counted and the Winners announced on Saturday, May 30 at 2:00 p.m.
The Voters’ drawing will also be held at that time. To be eligible for the Voters’ drawing, you must be present to win.
Contestants are encouraged to vote, but if you win the Competition, you are not eligible to win the Voters’ drawing. If one of the Winners’ names is drawn, another name will be drawn.
Contestants agree to be photographed with their project for posting on Nana’s Knitting Shop website. All pictures will be taken at Nana’s at the time of entry.

Lots of fun going on! The May Class Schedule has also been posted.

I should never be left alone

2009-03-25T15:00:00.013-05:00

in the Shop...I came in very early the other day to catch up on everything I missed while I was on vacation. I should have known with Sister Kay and Shop Daughter in charge that there would be nothing to do. Sorry baby Cory, but Sister Kay is Employee of the Month for March. I don't think you'll mind since you're Employee of the Month every other month. Kay had a wonderful time visiting with all of my wonderful knitting friends!

On this first day back from vacation, however, I was alone in the Shop and I took a long tour of my knitting books and fondled all of the yarn that came in while I was gone and the other new Spring yarn that came in when I didn't have time to play with it. And, if I can sum it up simply...I really have great taste in yarn!

A new shipment of Classic Elite Spring yarns came in. Now, I've not had Classic Elite before, but I decided to look into it because our beloved Pam Allen left Interweave to become the Creative Director for Classic Elite some time ago. And, she has once again made her mark. The designs are beautiful and so are the yarns! Check these out...

Soft Linen - this yarn is an alpaca, wool, linen blend that knits up at 5 1/2 stitches to the inch. Isn't this a beautiful hoodie?

Sundance: This light worsted cotton/microfiber blend feels wonderful and the colors are rich and vibrant.

Summer Sox: I couldn't order from a new yarn company without ordering a sock yarn and Summer Sox is a beauty. It's a merino/cotton/nylon blend and comes in solid and variegated colors.

Sprout: This is a chunky weight 100% organic cotton yarn that is as soft as it is beautiful. It's one of the first chunky weight cottons I've seen that isn't a thick and thin. Check out this pretty little number:

There are so many things I want to make!

In knitting news...our amazing, beautiful, heirloom Great American Aran Afghan is done! You may remember that I designed a signature square. Just back from the embroiderer; here are a few samples:

Every artist should sign their work and they look beautiful, don't you think? I have a new afghan project in mind so if you are interested, stop by and I'll show it to you.

Our baby sweater class went great and here's Molly's. She worked so hard to have it done for the baby's shower.

I didn't get in as much knitting as I wanted on my vacation, but I did manage at last to almost finish the Medallion Tunic. All I have left is to sew in one sleeve and the side seams!

And last but certainly not least...it's almost Peep Fondue time! If you missed last year, you can read all about it here. I'll let everyone know the date soon.

Going, Going, Gone

2009-03-10T13:41:00.010-05:00

not yet...but I'm going on vacation and I leave Friday! I'm very excited, but I know what goes on around here when I leave. There's always wild parties, totally unauthorized sales, and more shenanigans than I care to think about. This time, the wonderful Sister Kay is watching the Shop so I'm sure this will open the door to all kinds of new trouble.

I will be closing the Shop at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13 so I can catch a plane to Florida. Then I'm cruising! Cruising to sunny places. The always dreaded bathing suit dilemma has been solved; geez, I hate bathing suits. And, I believe I've solved the what shall I bring to knit dilemma.

I'm proud to say that the lovely Medallion Tunic will be done very, very shortly. My goal is to put it together on the boat and wear it! I thought bringing something easy to knit would be a good idea so I've decided on this...

It's from the new Sublime Organic Cotton book and I love it! I'm going to knit it using Debbie Bliss Prima which is a new yarn made from bamboo and merino. It's going to be gorgeous and should be fast since there are no sleeves!

I may even bring along an unfinished pair of socks.

or maybe not...

See you when I get back and I hope there's at least one canary out there who will tell me the truth about what went on while I was gone. Be sure to stop by and see Kay.

I Cut A Deal

2009-03-03T09:47:00.000-06:00

Sadly, it wasn't a six figure book deal, but I cut a deal nonetheless. I've never been big on cutting deals, I've never had a corrupt political life to write about, and never have I cut a knitting deal.

But a knitting deal I did cut. If you read last week's blog, you know I've been having terrible trouble knitting the 4 rows required for my beautiful Santa Fe Wrap. I used markers (something I rarely do), I counted rows, I made every attempt to focus, but that darn shadow knitting made me crazy! I'd knit an inch, rip a half an inch, knit an inch, rip a half an inch. I'm sure you get the picture.

After much fuss and bother, I did manage to get 14 inches of panel one done. We all met last week for our Santa Fe Wrap Knit Along and I'm trying to knit the remainder of my panel. My friend Pat is knitting away on her second or third panel, I can't remember which, and she suddenly starts laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.
"You're using markers! I've never seen you use markers."
"I know," I said, "I can't seem to count to 8."
"These panels are the easiest thing to knit! What's your problem?"
"I don't know; I can't seem to count to 8."

I started to rip for the umpteenth time when a little light bulb went off in my head.

"Hey Pat! Wanna knit my panels?"
"You're kidding me, right," she said.
"Not really," I said shamefully, "I can't seem to count to 8."
"Okay, " she said. "Do you want them to be 27" long like the pattern or 30" long like I'm making mine?"

I couldn't believe my ears! This crazy woman was going to knit 3 1/2 30" shadow knit panels for me!

"What do you want me to knit for you?"
"You have to knit the heel flaps, turn the heels, and complete the gussets on 2 pairs of socks."
"That's it?" I asked suspiciously.
"That's it," she said.
"Deal. Don't you want me to knit the feet?"
"Nope, just the heels."

Friday rolls around again and in walks Pat...

That's right, wearing her Santa Fe Wrap! And mine is just about done too!

Feeling unbelievable guilty, I insisted that I complete one of the pair of socks, not just the heels. Pat graciously agreed.

Now, I'm sure the irony isn't lost on any of you. I've knit lots of socks...but I've rarely knit the second sock. Here is probably a once in a lifetime look at a completed pair of socks, knit by me, from the heel flap to the toe. The Malabrigo sock yarn is gorgeous by the way. If only these lovely socks were for me.

Thank you Pat! You are a knitting machine.

Big Clearance Sale!

2009-02-19T10:07:00.010-06:00

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, February 20 and running through Saturday, February 21, we're having a big clearance sale! Take up to 75% off yarn!

I'm chalking my latest knitting frustration up to big sale planning; I'm having an amazing amount of trouble counting to 8.

I'm working on the Santa Fe Wrap I showed you last week. I'm knitting the tie panels which consist of 4 rows and two colors. Row 1: With A, *k8, p8* rep from *. Row 2: With B, knit. Row 3: With B, *p8, k8* rep from *. Row 4: With A, knit. Sounds incredibly simply doesn't it?

Well, apparently my brain is pulling a Roland Burris because I always seem to forget what row I'm on! Every couple of inches, I end up ripping back. Fortunately for me, the fate of a tainted Senate seat doesn't rest on the fact that I keep forgetting what I've already done. And, I can keep changing my row story without publicly looking like a fool (although I do feel rather foolish).

In other knitting news, Elijah the toy elephant, otherwise known as Elijah Minnelli, Elijah Doolittle, and Harry Elephante is progressing nicely. At last night's class, I took pictures of two tiny elephants in progress.

They look like little gourds, don't they?

See you at the Sale and don't forget to check out our March Class Schedule!

At Last!

2009-02-13T13:01:00.008-06:00

It's done, it's done, it's D.O.N.E. This is the last square of the Great American Aran Afghan. Whoo Hoo!

This is the Janet Martin Square which is cables surrounding a fish. The fish is supposed to have a bobble eye, but I wanted to leave it open to interpretation. I'm thinking without the bobble eye, it looks like a pineapple which is a little more appealing to me.

All 20 squares are done and now comes the job of sewing them all together and putting on the border.

As you know, 20 of us having been working very hard on this gorgeous afghan for 20 months! I can't tell you that all 20 knitters have finished, but many have. It was a great project to hone everyone's knitting skills. We've learned every cable possible, how to read charts every which way, and every kind of increase and decrease. An unexpected new skill was how to recognize pattern mistakes (and there were many). Everyone involved is now a professional ripper and frogger and as we put it together everyone's finishing skills will be incredible.

Needless to say, we are going to have one heck of a party very soon.

Now on the needles (yes I know, something new again) is the beautiful Santa Fe Wrap by Carol Lapin. Ten of us are working on this wrap as a Knitalong. It's a mighty fast knit and incorporates both mosaic and shadow knitting. Here's a picture of the front:

And here's a picture of my back which is complete:

It's pretty nice, isn't it?

I've just published the March Class Schedule and we've got some very fun things going on. Lace, Technique Workshops, Amigurumi, a Felted Bag, oh my! Check them all out here.

Wooly Booly!

2009-02-06T10:57:00.007-06:00

The Latvian Vest for Dad is oh so done! I was concerned about the fit as my gauge got a little wonky once I started knitting, but I kept on keeping on and finished in pretty record time!

In order to get the most of my blocking, I used a Wooly Board. Having never used one before, it took a bit of time to put it together, but my oh my was it worth it!

Wooly boards have been around forever and are used to block fair isle sweaters. They stretch the fabric just enough to flatten out the knitting and make a beautiful fabric and as a bonus for me, I was able to get enough inches for my lovely vest to fit Dad!

Here's a picture of "jumpers" being blocked on wooly boards from the Shetland Museum:

I love knitting! There's always something new to try.

She's Done it Again!

2009-01-30T10:25:00.008-06:00

You've seen her double pointed and straight needle cases and you've seen her fabulous sock sacks, well, the amazing Georgann has done it again! Now available (in very limited quantities) are her beautiful circular needle cases.

The fabrics are so lovely and there are 16 pockets and each pocket has a tab for labeling!

Here are pictures of the straight and double pointed cases. Pretty, aren't they?

And, what is this little torture device, you ask? Why, it's two socks being knit at the same time on double pointed needles. For illustration and class purposes, I'm knitting two socks at the same time in different colored yarns. One sock is inside the other; the outer layer (tan) is the inside of one sock and the inner layer (brown) is the outside of the other sock. Intriguing, isn't it? One wrong move and your socks are forever joined!

The class is full, but there has been so much interest in this technique that I will be offering the class again. Be sure to watch my website for more information.

Pretty Cute, Isn't He?

2009-01-20T10:18:00.017-06:00

When Amy came for class, she brought in Elijah whom she was knitting for a coworker's toddler. I'd never seen this little guy and I was immediately obsessed. Had to have one.

Here's my Elijah. He's knit in Cherub Kaleidoscope DK. He didn't take very long to knit, but since it's a fussy little pattern, I decided to hold a class. Although it's a fussy pattern, it's very ingenious. Ysolda Teague is very clever. He's knit all in one piece and new techniques to learn are the lighter circular cast on, short rows, and picking up stitches in odd places.

And because I'm nuts, I'm also holding a class to knit two socks at the same time on double pointed needles using a century old pattern. Should be lots of fun!

I'm cooking on Dad's vest.

I know it looks kind of small, but thanks to the miracles of blocking, it will fit. I'm really happy with the colors. Many thanks to all of my color consultants!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T10:41:00.034-06:00

Even though I've been very, very busy mismanaging the biggest uncampaign in the state of Illinois history, I've managed to get quite a few things accomplished over the last month.

I knit Santa a beard.

I made doll sweaters for my two darling granddaughters. I wish I could also take credit for the spectacular skirts, but alas, they were the made by the amazingly talented, Georgann.

I gave Dad the stocking for Christmas...

and he liked it so well, I decided to make him this.

It's the Latvian Vest by Kieran Foley from the latest issue of Knitty.com. Dad's going skiing in France tomorrow and I wish it were done. He'd look just grand sitting around the fireplace in this beauty. Since it doesn't have sleeves, I should have it done soon. There will be other ski lodges this winter he can look grand in.

I made this mitten for my knitting class. And no, it doesn't have a mate!

Thank you all, but it's over.

2008-12-30T13:19:00.001-06:00

Our time has run out! As I'm sure you know, our illustrious Governor is expected to name Roland Burris to the state's second Senate seat today. Mr. Blagojevich, you are indeed a man of conviction, a man to buck the odds.

Sadly, we only raised $478,000.32 for our uncampaign to buy the Senate seat. I couldn't in good conscience ask Tracy for another dime. I hit her up repeatedly for Monopoly money in increments of $25,000. Every time I asked for money, she always agreed, and I think in the end, her total contribution was close to $150,000. (Miss Tammi, your original contribution of $5.32 is still a sore spot, but thanks for coming through with some real dough.)

Even before this announcement, we were planning on bailing. Last night, the Uncandidate and I stayed up all night, discussing the merits of continuing on. We found ourselves not talking about the Senate seat or the Governor or the Monopoly money we've raised, but how Alice Starmore screwed up by letting her pattern books go out of print and how Kiernan Foley's Latvian Vest in the current issue of Knitty.com is the destiny of someone very near and dear to me.

"I'm not sure I'll have the time to be Senator," our Uncandidate told me, "I'm about to start St. Brigid , you know and that's a pretty big commitment."

"I know," I said, "I certainly can't go to Washington with you. I have too many friends, wonderful friends here to leave now. I know you wanted me to be the Mismanager of Everything, but I can't leave, I just can't! Maybe this was a foolhardy idea."

Then of course, there's the dark cloud that would hang over our Senator's head until she could be elected for real. We discussed the snickers and whispers our Uncandidate would hear all over Washington. Obviously, her virtues as a stateswoman and a knitter would overcome all doubt, but it's a pretty tainted seat.

"Nah," she finally told me, "I think knitting and editing erotic romance novels is enough for me now. It was a great uncampaign and lots of fun, but it's time to throw in the towel."

Good luck to you Mr. Burris!

Hey Alaska! Knock it Off!

2008-12-21T18:04:00.000-06:00

So the funny money is pouring in for our Uncampaign to buy Illinois' second Senate seat when bam, the former Vice Presidential Candidate's daughter's soon to be mother inlaw is arrested on 6 felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.

This unfortunate news once again took the national spotlight off Illinois and our embattled Governor and sent it right back to Alaska. Hey, Alaska, this unbridled rivalry for the Top Scandalous State Award has got to stop!

And, once the news hit the wires, the contributions, I mean the bribe money, to our Uncampaign coffers came to an abrupt end.

Knitters of America! Keep your eye on the prize. We're trying to buy one of our own a Senate seat! Need I remind you that our platform is Smut for Everyone! Put down your knitting and send Monopoly money in large quantities now!

As you can see, we've raised about $240,000, but we're still only about halfway to our goal. During his press conference, I was delighted when Governor Blagojevich looked directly at me and told me we still had a chance, but his demeanor was such that we won't be able to buy the Seat for a bargain basement price. He still means business, our tenacious Governor, and we can't insult him with any figure under the $500,000 I think he'd be willing to accept. Efforts to confirm this figure have gone unanswered as he is understandably staying off the phone.

"I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath," he said.

Was I wrong to take that as "I'm up here buying you some time, Knitters; but I'm not fooling around either. Come up with the cash fast; I can't guarantee how long I'll last and I have a really expensive lawyer to pay for."

Now as you all know, we Knitters are a kind and generous bunch who think nothing of spending hours and hours knitting for a loved one and each stitch contains a little piece of our hearts. We delight in the fact that our handiwork keeps our loved ones warm and toasty all winter - whether it be a scarf, hat, mittens, socks or a sweater, we bask in the knowledge that they're a little more comfortable and a little happier for our efforts.

However, it would be a big mistake to underestimate us. We're focused and determined and we always carry sharp, pointy sticks with us wherever we go.

So let's buy Theresa Stevens that Senate seat. She's a terrific Knitter; we know she shares our values and will work tirelessly to promote our interests. Maybe, just maybe, we could get her to appoint a committee to figure out a way to get gauge without swatching! Or how about a way to get the fabric we all so want on size 2 needles, but without all the time and stitches required to get it?

Not a Knitter? Well, there's always the frosting on the cake - Smut for Everyone. Maybe we could convince her to let her contributors be the first to buy the new releases from her publishing house, Red Sage.

Forget about Alaska, please! We have more important issues and scandals right here at home in Illinois. Really now, who cares that someone who knows someone who recently became famous was arrested for drugs. Drug arrests are so Amy Winehouse.

Hey Alaska! Cool your jets until we get this thing done. We have a deadline to meet and your scandals are a distraction we can't afford.

Knitters Unite!

2008-12-14T17:44:00.017-06:00

Since Obama's vacated Senate seat is up for sale, I am using this Knitting Blog to shamelessly request contributions to buy said Senate seat for one of our own.

Mr. Blagojevich hasn't responded to my request for a rock bottom, fire sale, time is of the essence price, so I'm going with the $500,000 number that's been bandied around for the last several days. Beginning last week, I raised about $45,425.32. That means we only have $454,574.68 to go. (Hey, stingy knitter! I know who you are, $5.32 indeed!)

So, who is the candidate, um, appointee, um, buyer?

Well shoot, you know how dicey politics are! I can't reveal her real name. I can tell you; however, she is an attorney who specialized in Constitutional law. She worked in state government and like so many other principled attorneys; she decided to leave the law when the Bush administration made the Constitution moot.

Her career then took an interesting twist when she became the Managing Editor for one of the Nation’s premier erotic romance publishing houses. She's brilliant, has unrivaled integrity, and best of all, is one of the best knitters I know (even though she can’t leave a pattern alone).

Did you hear me?

I just said that she is the Managing Editor for an erotic romance publishing house. While I can’t refute the theory our appointee put forth that all of Illinois’ current corruption woes can be blamed on Alaska, aren’t you sick and tired of Illinois politicians trying to outdo other states' corruption scandals? Why shouldn’t we emulate Detroit, New York, Florida, and Idaho where sex is King? Smut for Everyone is our designee’s platform and best of all, the smut is fiction!

While other states’ sex scandals have wrecked relationships, tarnished careers, and traumatized children; our platform, Smut for Everyone, may actually improve relationships, sharpen career aspirations and make children more cherished. Read more erotic romance! Down with corruption! Up with Smut for Everyone!

Remember the old saying, "Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop"? As if you needed more convincing, what Knitter has idle hands? Wouldn’t it be grand if more Illini, dare I say, more Americans were Knitters?

We Knitters are determined perfectionists who are always willing to admit our mistakes. Who among Us hasn’t ripped 10 inches to correct a mistake as soon as we saw it was there? Who among Us hasn’t realized some way into a project that our illusions of grandeur were over the top and the sweater we’re knitting isn’t going to fit? We don’t backpedal, we don’t hold a press conference to defend our flawed position, no, we RIP! If you knit, you rip and if you rip, you are humble enough to try again. Isn’t being able to accurately gauge how big (or small) an issue (or value) is an attribute we want in a Senator?

I’d say now, Vote for the Knitter’s Candidate, but this is a solicitation for money to buy Illinois’ second Senate seat from Mr. Blagojevich. We’ll come up with the money, Sir, I just hope you still have the power to give it to us.

Please act fast and act generously. All denominations of Monopoly money are graciously accepted.

Oh, and so far in our solicitation, we’ve had only one pay for play request. I’m sorry, Missy, but this is a clean, squeaky clean bribe; our briber will not, I repeat, will not, work to eliminate the sales tax on chocolate!

The Magic Bag

2008-12-12T10:27:00.009-06:00

This is my knitting bag. My dear friend Georgann made it for me and it's the best knitting bag I've ever had. And best of all, it's a magic bag. A Magic Bag of UFOs.

Look.

Ouch.

Ta Da!

2008-12-07T12:43:00.012-06:00

Several of us finished the Fireside Stocking and here they are in all their glory!

These gorgeous stockings were knit by Georgann and Pat. Georgann's is on the left and Pat's is on the right. Notice the darling pom poms that Pat added to hers!

Tracy's stocking is on the left and mine is on the right. Aren't Tracy's colors beautiful?

Georgann is holding a class to teach us how to line our stockings and we can't wait!

In other knitting news...we are down to the wire on the Great American Aran Afghan! I just finished squares 18 & 19. One to go - whoo hoo!

This first square is actually from the Great American Afghan Book and was designed by Kathy Zimmerman.

This second square is one I put together. The center is blank because we are going to have our initials and the year embroidered in it. Afterall, all artists sign their work, don't they?

Next up on the knitting agenda are the adorable Postwar Mittens by Mary Ann Stephens. I'm having a class on these mittens - check out my full class schedule here.

This pattern is from Twist Collective, a new online knitting magazine. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to go there - twistcollective.com. Kate Gilbert is the mastermind behind it and it features designs by true knitting rock stars. I want to make everything in this issue!

Miss Cory has started Silvi from this issue, a spectacular knitted coat with a hood. She hasn't been this excited in her entire knitting career! If you've been here on a Saturday, you already know about this project because she can't stop talking about it. The charts (holy charts, baby) have her a bit freaked out, but she's going to go for it anyway. You go, Missy!

Ornaments Galore!

2008-11-20T10:31:00.026-06:00

If you missed our ornament knitting party on Sunday, I'm sorry! We had a wonderful time. So much fun, in fact, that we're going to make it an annual event. And, since a picture is worth a thousand words...

And here are samples of the darling ornaments we made:

Kris has her Santa on her tree already!

And in other Holiday knitting news...the Fireside Stockings are progressing beautifully! Here are just a few:

Aren't the colors amazing?

Ten Tiny Toes

2008-11-07T10:36:00.016-06:00

Eleven of us are making the beautiful Fireside Stocking by the amazing Kate Gilbert. Class began on Wednesday and by the end of class, everyone had a tiny toe!

Here's what it looks like when it grows up:

In more knitting news - here is Deb's fresh off the needles sweater! Cory just taught Deb to knit in April if you can believe it! This is Deb's first fully shaped, cable detailed sweater and is the sweater she chose for the sweater class I recently held. She and Kelli are the first ones done! Kelli's been out of town so a picture of her beauty will be forthcoming.

There's just 2 spots left for our Ornament Party next Sunday, November 16 from 1:00-5:00. If you don't know the details, click here. It's going to be great fun and there's talk of Karoake! Call the Shop at 708.229.0061 to reserve your place.

Shown Up Again!

2008-10-30T17:52:00.024-05:00

So, several of us started the lovely Catherine Parr last winter.

It's been a casual knit for most of us; we've taken the "oh, it will be done sometime" attitude about it. And of course, we had to fool around with the pattern which has taken time.

Pat joined us one afternoon for Open Knitting and both Tracy and Theresa were knitting the sleeves for said Catherine Parr. My Catherine Parr is naturally buried at the bottom of my knitting bag under the rest of the projects I have going just screaming to see the light of day. Oh, and mine, surprisingly enough needs sleeves.

"What a beautiful sweater," Pat said, "How long have you been working on it?"

"Oh, almost a year."

"A year? Are you crazy? I wouldn't take a year to make anything! I want to make it, but it's going to be done long before a year is up, I can promise you that."

That was just a month ago...

Pattern: Catherine Parr by Alice Starmore from Tudor Roses - out of print.
Yarn: Cascade 220

I wish I could say that the Catherine Parr is all Pat's finished recently. She and her charming sister Karyn finished their Gullris sweaters (mine's done too, just so you know.)

Pattern: Gullris Cardigan by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton from Araucanian Leisure
Yarn: Cascade Venezia Worsted

Aren't they amazing?

Tracy finished her Gullris too! Geez Tracy, I wish you hadn't made me cut your head off for this picture!

Yarn: Tahki Sierra

Tracy also finished the Salt Peanuts!

Pattern: Salt Peanuts by Veronik Avery from The Best of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Cascade Venezia Worsted

Ann finished the Pearl Buck Swing Jacket a long time ago and has finished many, many other things, but every time Ann comes in wearing one of her beautiful sweaters, I get so excited, I forget to take her picture! Not this time, though.

Pattern: Pearl Buck Swing Jacket by Kate Gilbert from The Best of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Bollicine Dolly

I know some pretty incredible knitters, don't I?

Eeeeek! Look what snuck into the Shop this week! My darling Lilla!

Help Us Celebrate!

2008-10-14T13:32:00.012-05:00

It's our Third Anniversary and we're having a party! Join us for cake on Friday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.

To celebrate, we're having a SALE! Take 15-25% off yarn all day Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18.

Be sure to wear or bring a completed Nana's project so everyone can see your talent. So many terrific knitters; bring your Nana's pieces and be appreciated by other great knitters!

It's been an amazing three years and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making them so successful!

Sister Kay is here to join in the festivities and as always she's been very busy. All of her wonderful work will be displayed.

And just look at what she found...

It's a doll coat Nana made. My sisters had giant dolls when they were little and Nana made this gorgeous smocked coat for them. We believe it also originally had a bonnet to match, but alas, it is long gone. It's hand smocked and trimmed with angora. Isn't it something! Be sure to stop by and see it. Pretty amazing to only be worn by a doll!

Check out the right side of the collar back. She must have run out of angora!

Join us Friday, October 17 at 6:30! It will be great fun.

Aubergine Sleeves

2008-10-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

Look. Sleeves. Two of them. Finished, finito, terminado, fini.

Okay, OKAY! So they are not for any of these, but they are sleeves, completed sleeves, nonetheless.

Ready? These off the needles, oh so done (whoo hoo), sleeves are for this!

It's the Backstage Tweed Jacket from Interweave Knits, Fall issue. I had this gem here for the Trunk Show and couldn't stop admiring it. As I packed it up to send it back, I made some notes about it and decided choosing my yarn couldn't hurt even if I didn't start it until the sleeves for other sweaters were done.

I put the yarn away for a couple of weeks telling myself I could cast on just as soon as an in-progress sweater had a sleeve or two. Then I made the grave mistake of looking at the pattern. Unlike many sweater patterns, this one actually told you to start with the sleeves! It was destiny! (I know, it doesn't take much destiny for me to start something new, and I know I'm going to take a big dose of grief for it, but I had to do it, I just had to!)

I'm using Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed for the body and Cascade Venezia for the yoke, plackets and collar. I've put together some other yarns as well in beautiful colorways - stop by and see!

Next week, I'm going to show you pictures of great knitters I know that have finished sweaters, sleeves and all!

Now, That's Good News!

2008-09-25T10:43:00.008-05:00

As many of you know, we have been knitting prosthetics for the Cancer Center at Little Company of Mary. I made a delivery of about 25 back in November and I called recently to tell them I had another 25 to drop off.

When I asked how our little boobs were being received, I was told that they had only given away 5 of the original donation! The reason? Radical mastectomies are on the decline! Now, that's good news, isn't it?

Given that good news, I'm suspending our Donation Knitting Night indefinitely and as I will be making the final delivery very soon, if you have any prosthetics that you've knit, please drop them off at the Shop.

Thank you, thank you to all who participated!

Aghans A Go-Go Part II

2008-09-18T11:25:00.005-05:00

Great American Aran Afghan - 17 down, only 3 to go!

Here are the two I just finished. (The second one just came off the needles this morning so it isn't blocked.) Pretty fantastic, don't you think? I'm so excited to have this gorgeous heirloom almost done. I've had new people join our monthly classes so they will continue until everyone has a completed afghan.

This has been such a great learning experience for everyone. You learn every kind of cable imaginable, how to read charts, different ways to increase and decrease, lace knitting, how to fix mistakes, all of the common knitting abbreviations, and since each one is only a 12" x 12" square, they knit up pretty quickly and they are never boring! I think I can say that everyone who has been involved is a better knitter for the effort.

Since I've knit each one myself, I've corrected all of the pattern errors (there were quite a few) and for each class I provide tips and techniques such as knitting cables without a cable needle and I've simplified many of the charts. I've already designed one of the squares and I hope to design the final square. If you've ever considered knitting an afghan, this one is a beauty. Stop by and see all 17 squares!

Click here for class information.

The Lizard Ridge

Several people have finished this striking afghan by Laura Aylor and the requests for this class keep coming! The Lizard Ridge, using Noro Kureyon, takes full advantage of Noro's great colors. The short row technique can be a bit daunting at first, but I provide simplified instructional hand outs and tips for knitting them fast! We've also come up with a different finishing technique that makes each square dazzle. Best of all, we have over 25 colors of Kureyon to choose from!

The next class will be Wednesday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m.

If you weren't here last Friday night, you missed a great party! Miss Cory made all of the food and it was delicious. Thank you, baby. And thanks to Catherine for her great cheesecake, Karen for her yummy pound cake and Pat for her chocolatey good coffeecake. Kris, Kelli, and Tracy won fabulous prizes and a great time was had by all. Don't miss the next one!

And in other knitting news...sleeves, and more sleeves. The sleeves for my Medallion Tunic are almost ready for armholes decreases and my first Catherine Parr sleeve; well, it's coming.

Fun Tomorrow!

2008-09-11T17:21:00.000-05:00

On Friday, September 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. and ending who knows when, we'll be having an Open House. You'll see all of the new Fall yarn and pieces from the Interweave Trunk Show are here!

Miss Cory has agreed to cater this little soiree so the munchies will be great.

We have all kinds of new books and yarn to inspire you. New designs from Noro, Sublime, Debbie Bliss, Simply Shetland, Tahki, Interweave are all here.

With a little bit of luck, Spindrift will also be here. I'm anxiously awaiting this yarn!

I've just gotten new shipments of sock yarn from Gypsy Girl and Lorna's Laces. Lovely stuff.

Please stop by! There will be food, surprises and raffles for great free stuff!

See you then.

I'm back!

2008-08-31T20:44:00.056-05:00

My vacation was wonderful - East coast, family, friends, lobster, steamers, Washington, DC; it couldn't have been better.

I finished another Aran afghan square and isn't it pretty? Fifteen down, five to go!

Georgann has finished her Lizard Ridge Afghan! She has also kindly let me hang it in the Shop so you've just got to stop by and see it. Rather than sewing each square together, she did a single crochet in black around each square to outline them. She then crocheted them together and put the border on - all in black. Isn't it spectacular?

I will offering this class again on Wednesday, September 17th at 6:30. You don't want to miss it. Once you get the hang of the technique, it knits up very fast.

The Fall yarn and books have arrived and to make room, the sale bins are full, full, full!

There's new sock yarn - Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.

The new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince sock yarn from Opal is due in at the end of September!

Click for examples of new yarns from Tahki/Stacy Charles, Sublime, and Cascade.

I am most excited about the 30 colors of Jamieson's Spindrift, 100% Shetland wool, arriving on September 10! There will be lots of Fair Isle knitting happening here this Fall.

We're starting our Friday Knit Alongs again! Call the Shop for more information - 708.229.0061. These sessions are a fabulous end to the week and you'll learn lots in the process!

I've Got Nothing...

2008-07-31T09:53:00.003-05:00

on knitting this week, but I do have the best blueberry pie recipe ever. Blueberries are inexpensive and delicious right now and this pie hits the spot on a hot day!

Freshy’s Blueberry Pie

Bake a Pillsbury pie crust at 450 for 9-11 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Combine:
¾ C sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
¼ tsp salt

Blend in:
2/3 C water
1 C blueberries

Bring to a boil in a saucepan stirring constantly until very thick.

Stir in:
2 Tbs. butter
1 ½ Tbs lemon juice

Cool.

Fold in: 2 C blueberries
Chill about 1 hour.

Beat:
1 C whipping cream until thick. Add 2 Tbs confectioner’s sugar and ½ tsp vanilla.

Spread half of the whipped cream mixture over the pie crust. Top with blueberry filling. Chill at least 1-2 hours before serving. Garnish with remaining whipped cream.

Yum!

I'm Incredibly Lucky

2008-07-26T10:04:00.019-05:00

to know so many really good knitters. Until now, knitting was a solitary sport and I never got to see anything anyone else was knitting. I went to my local yarn shop, bought yarn and went home and knit - all by myself. Now, I get to see all of the wonderful things the unbelievably talented people I know knit.

Kristen, who we don't think ever sleeps, made this amazing sweater:

It's Eunny Yang's Tangled Yoke sweater and it's made in Rowan's Felted Tweed. I'm particularly jealous of this completed masterpiece because I have it on the needles, but of course, it needs sleeves. Kristen generously let me hang it in the Shop so make sure you see her incredible work the next time you stop by.

Oh, and while you're here, check out Kristen's Juliet made from Venezia Chunky. Alex's hat is pretty spiffy too, don't you think?

Sarah came into the Shop one day right after I got the Spring Vogue a year or so ago. I had seen a most amazing dress in this particular issue and I made Sarah buy the yarn to make it. I really mean it; I made her buy the yarn. It had to be made and it had to be made and worn by Sarah. Her husband Jon and I are very glad she did.

This beautiful dress is made from Cascade's Fixation sock yarn!

Michelle made this lovely Noro number using Silk Garden. It looks so perfect on her that my sister Kay had to make it too! Michelle was kind enough to let me display her jewel at a conference I was speaking at and the crowd went crazy for it! Thank you Michelle; your knitting is amazing.

Patrice made this kimono using Venezia. The pattern is from the Knit Kimono book by Vicki Square. Bravo, Patrice, it looks great!

These two certainly look like trouble, don't they? They're sisters of course and Miss Cory taught Kelly on the left to knit not so long ago. She's wearing her first project from Cory's capelet class made in Malabrigo. Eileen, on the right, has taken a lovely cardigan using Pastaza off the needles, but alas, it is in need of blocking and I think she's stalling...

I had to steal this picture of Theresa's stranded mittens. Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere sure makes a beautiful mitten, doesn't it? Check out those thumbs!

Georgann doesn't sleep either. She told me she was never very good at sports and didn't like gym class much. Well, what she lacks in physical prowess, she sure makes up for in talent. She does it all! Look at her Lizard Ridge afghan! She's got 14 squares done and the class was just a short time ago!

Blocked and beautiful, Georgann came in to show me yesterday and we started fooling around with how they would be put together. Georgann wanted to offset them in black so they would look like stained glass windows and she's going to crochet a border in black 220 around each one and then sew them together. Here's how it's going to look:

Wow, right? Be sure to check out Georgann's double pointed needle cases and sock sacks the next time you're in the Shop. I'm offering the Lizard Ridge afghan class again on August 14.

I wish I could show you more pictures of completed works. Ann came in wearing her Gathered Pullover from the Winter Interweave and I was so bowled over I completely forgot to take a picture! She made it using Dolce and it was magnificent.

The same is true for Tracy's Salt Peanuts by Veronik Avery from the Best of Interweave book. It's beautiful and I'm mad I can't show it to you!

I don't have pictures of Kris's Wicked, Joanne's baby Dale, Kathy's Lacy Kerchief Scarf, Wendy's socks, Deb's Ruffled sweater, Catherine's baby sweater, Beth's Rusted Root, and on and on. So, it is most definitely time for the Second Annual Nana's Talent Show! Watch your EMail and my website for details. September will be a great time for a Talent Show, don't you think?

I will leave you with one final picture. Miss Priss, as you may know, has been on vacation in Massachusetts for 3 long weeks with my grandchildren. Well, I say 3 weeks is too long and since she's not here to defend herself and because I'm mean, here is what Miss Cory looks like when she's doing inventory:

Yup, those are cupcakes on those lovely pants. Tie dye shirt, Malabrigo hat, one green glove, Earth shoes, cupcake pants, and a feather duster - Stacy London, if you're reading this, please come and save my child. She really needs a healthy dose of What Not to Wear!

Come home, Cory, your mother needs you!

There Must be a Plan!

2008-07-18T11:03:00.020-05:00

I've finished ordering all of the Fall yarn and it will be here before I know it. There are so many new and beautiful yarns that I'm dying to get my hands on, a detailed plan to get much of what's on my needles off by the time it arrives must be in place. (To give you a little hint of what's in store, this will be the Fall of Fair Isle. I'm planning some terrific classes for every skill level that will be tons of fun.

But in the meantime, there must be a Plan, a Grand Plan. To keep myself from being completely overwhelmed, I'm going to review what's OFF the needles. There are two new Aran Afghan Squares which makes a total of 14 - whoo hoo, only 6 to go!

Ann McCauley's square.

Ginger Smith's square.

The beautiful Gulris Knit/Crochet Cardigan by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton for a class in August is off the needles. I'm only showing you the sleeve because Shayne is crocheting the ruffle on the rest of the sweater. The class is full, but if there is additional interest, I will offer the class again.

It is knit in Cascade's Venezia which is a merino/silk blend that knits like butter.

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Okay, so now for the Grand Plan. First up is to finish the Medallion Tunic from the Summer issue of Vogue Knitting. Made from Pima Tencel, I've completed the back and am cruising on the sleeves.

If all goes well, I hope to have this off the needles by mid August. I really want to wear it with white pants so much to my Mother's chargrin, I'm going to wear it before and after Labor Day. Stacy London thinks that wearing white after Labor Day is okay so I'm going with her.

Next up will be Catherine Parr. This Starmore classic is being knit in 220 and I've got several friends knitting it with me. Two of them have started their sleeves which is weighing heavily on me. I really don't like being behind. I've knit up to the armholes and since we're adjusting the sleeves and armholes, the sleeves must be knit next. Can I do both Catherine Parr and the Medallion Tunic at the same time? Maybe. Even though this picture doesn't show it, I'm up to the armholes, I really am.

Then, it's back to my lovely Dale. From the Best of Tiur Book and done in Dale of Norway's Tiur, this too needs sleeves.

If you recall, I'm making the Tangled Yoke for my dear Sister Kay. Kristen finished her Tangled Yoke and it's absolutely gorgeous. I'll post a picture of it as soon as I can.

Kay's Tangled Yoke is done up to the armholes. Yup, you guessed it, it needs SLEEVES. Surely, you've noticed a trend here, right? EVERYTHING I'M KNITTING NEEDS SLEEVES!

Look back for a minute...most of the photographs here are either of sleeves or sweaters in need of sleeves. I'm clearly sleeve obsessed, sleeve deficient, and sleeve phobic.

I'm teaching a baby sweater class right now and guess what I made my students knit first? Oh, that's right, the SLEEVES. I'm at least not promoting sleeve-itis. Git 'em out of the way, people. Don't fall into the sleeve trap or you'll end up just like me. One blessing, I suppose, is that three quarter length sleeves are back in fashion.

Who knew it would be so simple, this Grand Plan; just knit sleeves.

Tamming It Up!

2008-07-03T10:00:00.017-05:00

Nancy Marchand's Brioche Windmill Tam has taken Nana's by storm!

We had several classes on it and on Harlot Day, the South Suburban S&B group decided to make it too! The great thing about this tam is that it looks terrific on everyone. Alas, it can be a booger to knit. Even though it is a small project, it can cause great anxiety and I've witnessed much ripping.

As Nancy Marchand says, "Rounds 1 and 2 can be tedious rounds because you have so few stitches. Do your best to plow through them because it quickly gets easier and very enjoyable."

Most, however, have to plow through rounds 1-11 before it gets easy and very enjoyable. Once you master it, knitting them becomes addictive!

Tracy and Kristen were the first to finish from our class. Here's Tracy's:

Tracy liked the technique so well, she went on to start Nancy's Capelet from Interweave's Wrap Style:

Pretty cool, isn't it?

Here's Kristen's tam:

Georgann has made four since our class:

Here are the S&B Group's tams:

Linda was the first of the Group to finish:

Here's Tammi's:

Joanne was thrilled to finish hers:

For those of you who would like to make it, but are a little imitimidated by the pattern, I will be offering another class on Tuesday, July 15 and 29 at 6:30 p.m. Check it out here.

"Yarn Harlot Day..."

2008-06-26T12:00:00.033-05:00

is much more fun when the Harlot is actually here," said my friend Theresa.

And she was so right! Unlike the first time around, the weather cooperated, although the skies got a little angry at times; no one to my knowledge smashed their rental car on the way to the Hilton; no one spent the evening with a certain Mr. Jameson in the hotel bar; and, all of the lights on Cicero seemed to be working.

Stephanie came to the Shop to knit with us which was a wonderful treat:

That's Diane Marie sitting next to her in the beautiful shawl.

These two terrific women have been celebrities here at Nana's forever. Mae, on the left appeared on the Harlot's blog and is now nationally, maybe even internationally famous! Ah, we knew her when.

As always, the Harlot was funny, charming, and insightful and so much has been written about her and our fabulous event, I know not what I can add!

However, not everyone knows Team Nana! Without their help, I'm not sure what would have happened. If you saw me on Friday, you saw a crazed woman. The day was so extraordinary, it was surreal. Team Nana kept me grounded and focused and I want to thank them all for their support.

Meet Theresa and Catherine.

Theresa, on the left, managed the book signing line and ensured that everyone had an opportunity to spend a little time with the Harlot. She stood for so long, she got a blister!

Catherine, on the right, made sure the Shop was Harlot ready and stayed late to tidy up. Thanks so much, Theresa and Catherine!

Aleta and Becca were our official greeters! Becca is mother to baby Miriam who also did a heck of a job greeting knitters!

And, the amazing Aleta in the blue top below, filled a role I didn't even know we needed! She took all of the pictures of knitters with the Harlot. Camera after camera, she made sure everyone who wanted a picture of themselves with the Harlot had one. Aleta, you must have been exhausted!

Beth was the official Harlot photographer and she took over 200 pictures! Thank you Beth and I hope your vacation is going great.

If you bought the Harlot's book at the Hilton, you met these two financial wizards, Eileen and Tammi:

Aren't they terrific?

Did you see those beautiful sock sacks? My friend Georgann made each and every one of them. Talk about talented. Georgann does it all and does it all beautifully.

Here are Georgann's sacks. We gave one to the Harlot and she loved it!

Here's my long suffering Sister Kay. Kay made sure everyone's name was spelled correctly for the book signing. She helped in the Shop, tidied up with Catherine and made sure my sanity stayed intact. Poor thing looks pooped, doesn't she?

And what Nana's event would be complete without this little urchin?

That's everything she's ever knit that she's wearing. Quite a fashion statement, isn't it?

Here's more members of Team Nana!

In the inimitable words of Hillary Clinton, "it takes a village." It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a village to raise a yarn shop. I am eternally grateful to all of the wonderful people I have met. It has been a privilege indeed. Thank you all.

Julianna - Welcome to Illinois!

2008-06-15T17:13:00.004-05:00

She walked into the Shop around 5:30 on Friday. She looked a little breathless, but was wearing a huge smile,

"I made it," she said, "and I didn't even get lost."

"That's great," I said, "Where where you coming from?"

"I just moved to Norwood Park from Florida today! Yours is the first knitting shop I've visited in Illinois."

"Wow!" I said, "All the way from Norwood Park and we're first on your list? That's very flattering."

We chatted while Julianna perused the Shop. She had come from the Tampa area to Chicago for a new job and naturally all of her yarn was still packed. She bought some Malabrigo and some needles and came up to the cash register to pay.

When she gave me her EMail address for our mailing list, I recognized it right away. "You're coming to see the Harlot, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said, "and I can't wait."

"Well, if you haven't started your job, come by early next Friday. We're having a party and you never know who might show up."

"I'll check my calendar," she said. "I knew I was meant to see the Harlot when I saw that her visit coincided with my arrival in Illinois!"

"Uh oh," I said, "You're here for the Harlot, aren't you. You're a week early! She won't be here until next Friday, the 20th!"

"I thought the Shop looked a little quiet to be Harlot Day."

Julianna took the news in stride even though she had come such a long, long way. Florida to Norwood Park to Oak Lawn, all in one day!

Julianna, I hope you had a safe trek back to the northwest side and we can't wait to see you again next week! We're thrilled you're here and welcome to Illinois!

Back at Last!

2008-06-05T09:27:00.069-05:00

I've been terribly remiss in posting to this little blog lately, but we've been busy!

We've been organizing and planning the Yarn Harlot's visit on Friday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Oak Lawn Hilton. If you had tickets for the previously scheduled, but cancelled event, be sure to request your tickets again by Friday, June 6! EMail your request to: yarnharlot@nanasknittingshop.com.

After Friday, we'll be filling new requests for tickets. If you requested tickets and haven't received your confirmation EMail yet, please let me know as there could have been a problem with your EMail address and it may have bounced back to me.

We're filling requests for new tickets from our waiting list in the order in which they were received. EMail tickets for the new requests will start going out on Tuesday, June 10 and all confirmations will go out on Tuesdays thereafter until June 17.

We're having a big Harlot party at the Shop all day on Friday, June 20 so be sure to stop by. We'll have a special Harlot sale and who knows what else! The Shop will be open until 6:00 p.m. and then we're all off to see the Harlot!

If anyone is taking the train, don't forget that the Shop is directly across the street and we'll make sure you get to the Hilton on time. There will be lots of folks going over to the Hilton from the Shop and we'll provide rides to whomever needs one. Let me know if you need a ride back from the Hilton to the train and I'm sure we can accomodate you.

The Great American Aran Afghan

I'm very proud to report that we are on our 13th square of this beautiful afghan. That means we only have 6 left to go! These classes are ongoing and it's not too late to get in on the fun. Check out the details here. To see pictures of the squares, go here. Better yet, stop by the Shop and see them!

I tried my hand this month at designing a square and here's what it looks like:

I used Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns and I chose the outer cable pattern called raveled braid as an ode to two very special knitters, Kris and Theresa, who are knitting the very beautiful, very tedious Fulmar sweater by the elusive knitting rock star, Alice Starmore. The raveled braid is just one of the many cables used in this classic Starmore design.

Check out Theresa's Fulmar here and Kris's Fulmar by clicking here. Do you see the raveled braid? Do you see how much smaller it looks on size 2 needles? That's right, a sweater on size 0 and 2 needles! How's that for tenacity? The inner cable panel is called Spearhead and Chain.

Designing this square and writing the pattern was fun enough that I think I'll do it again.

So what else have we been doing? Well, we're about to start the "insanely gorgeous" Lizard Ridge afghan designed by Laura Aylor. This little beauty uses the long color runs of Noro's Kureyon to perfection. For detailed information on the class, click here.

I've got one square completed and I think it's pretty darn cool.

I've been trucking along on the Medallion Top by Gayle Bunn. This gorgeous tunic is in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Vogue (a great issue by the way) and is being knit in Cascade's Pima Tencel. This magnificent tencel/cotton blend is so soft you want to sleep in it. The colors are pretty darn great too. I've finished the back and have started the sleeves...

Here's a close up of the pattern:

So I'm moving right along on the Medallion Tunic thinking, "Oooh, I might have this done in time to wear to the Hilton on the 20th," when in walks Shayne, Crocheter and Instructor Extraordinairess, carrying these little pieces of wonder:

What is this you ask? It's one part of one of the most gorgeous sweaters I've ever seen that Shayne and I have been planning for a class. It's a sweater called Gullris by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton for Araucania.

We're going to teach this class as a team; Shayne will teach the crochet pieces and I will teach the knitting.

Needless to say, I put down everything else I was working on to begin the knitting part of the sweater and here's where we are:

This is the back and since I've taken this picture, Shayne has finished all six flowers (two for the back, one each for the fronts and one for each sleeve) and I've finished the back to the neckline.

What's the yarn, you ask? Why, it's Cascade Venezia Worsted. I told someone the other day that if I were stranded on an island and could only bring one yarn with me, Venezia would be it. It's a merino/silk blend that has the most unbelievable hand, drape, and stitch definition I've ever seen. If you haven't knit with this yarn, you are missing something magically delicious.

The class starts on Thursday, August 7 and you can see all of the details here. Since I can't keep a secret, the class is already just about full so call now to register. Shout out to Shayne - you are amazing!

Wanna see what it looks like completed? Here you go:

Do you want fries with that?

In July, our very own published celebrity, Beth Doherty, will be teaching an Amigurumi workshop. She is going to teach crocheters of all skill levels how to make the Cheesburger with the Works from her new book, Amigurumi, Super Happy Crochet Cute.

We're extremely lucky to have the opportunity for Beth to teach this workshop so do not miss it! And once again, I'm a blabber mouth so this class is almost full too!

Movie Madness

We had our very first Movie Madness winner. Shayne was the first to guess that our quirky movie of the month was Harold and Maude. We watched the movie last Friday and had a ball. Shopdaughter will be putting up the new display for the June movie this weekend. Be the first to guess June's movie depicted in the Shop display case and get 15% off your total purchase for the day!

See, I told you we've been busy!

She's Really Coming and Other Happenings

2008-05-16T18:12:00.005-05:00

As I'm sure you already know, the Yarn Harlot is really coming to Oak Lawn!

Friday, June 20, 2008
7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Oak Lawn Hilton Grand Ballroom
9333 S. Cicero Avenue
Oak Lawn.

Click here for all of the details.

We're having a party at the Shop that day and we're planning fun and surprises. So be sure to come on by.

Open Knitting is Sunday, June 18 from 1:00-4:00.

If you haven't been by the Shop lately, you haven't seen that Cory's created a Movie Madness Contest. Each month, she will design a diorama in the front case that depicts a movie. If you are the first to guess the movie, you'll get 15% off your total purchase for the day.

This month has been a tough one and no one has guessed it. Here are three clues to help you:

1. Our leading lady hung out with some real characters – Pat, Mike and Rosemary to name a few. She was also known to dance to the beat of a very cool cat.

2. Our leading man is the lonely type – no buds to speak of. He has been known, however, to occasionally hang around with a cougar, coyotes, and another very cool cat.

3. For the answer to our movie madness title, don’t be shy if you want to sing out. I wish, I wish you were on the road to find out, but you’re miles from nowhere.

There you have it! Stop by and see if you can guess the movie.

Note to Cory: I think we'll have to make next month's movie a little easier!

Oh, What a Night!

2008-04-27T11:22:00.007-05:00

To quote my friend Theresa, "Yesterday will go down in history as the Best Harlot Day to Not Actually Include the Harlot."

The anticipation and excitement was palpable all day. We met wonderful, talented knitters. Everyone was happy and knitting their little hearts out despite the fact that the weather was terrible and that the lights were out on Cicero.

We heard from Jayme that the Harlot was going to be late at which no one blinked an eye. The Grand Ballroom opened right on time; the room looked great and all were glad to wait. The Hilton bar was pretty busy with happy knitters and then...

At around 7:00, my cell phone rang and on the other end was a very upset Jayme who said that Stephanie was stuck in Toronto and wouldn't make it.

I walked back into the room and made the announcement that Stephanie would not be coming. I'm telling you that KNITTERS ROCK! There wasn't an angry face in the crowd. Everyone was immediately relieved that Stephanie was stuck at home and not in some distant airport. The news that there would be a Harlot Redo brought cheers and claps.

But, that's not the end of the story! Drinks were brought in, chairs were moved into circles and the group knit on. Undeterred by weather and disappointment, the Knitters knit on.

As many of you know, my sisters, Deb and Kay were here for the event. Deb went home yesterday morning to Western Massachusetts, home of the fabulous WEBS and the host of Sunday's Harlot event. Deb went and saw the Harlot! Traveled to Chicago to watch her sister host the Harlot only to go home and actually sees her! What a hoot. Life is full of wonderful surprises, isn't it?

For some wonderful pictures of the day, click here and here. If I do say so myself, Miss Cory did look marvelous, didn't she? I just wish she wasn't such a shrinking violet. You wouldn't believe the coaxing it took to get her up on the stage at the Hilton. Poor, poor shy thing. NOT!

As soon as I have more information on the Harlot's visit, I'll let everyone know. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your kind words to Cory and I; for being gracious, lovely people that handle disappointment with aplomb and joviality; and, for making the whole day the best party I've ever attended. The only things that really, really hurt were my brand new, very cool shoes.

Robbers and Raccoons Beware!

2008-04-18T06:01:00.018-05:00

The Prince is a vigilant man.

In my house, security is paramount. The Prince is deeply concerned about security breaches and sleeps with one eye open. Nothing gets more tsks or raised eyebrows than a potential security breach. He has a bad, bad habit of regularly waking me up for which I constantly scold him, but when there's the threat of a security breach, all bets are off.

At 4:39 this morning, there was such a security breach. I awoke from a very sound sleep to the Prince sprinting out of the bed, cursing. Our bed is in front of a window, but rather than look out this window from his side of the bed, he ran around to my side, kneeled over me with his knee in my face to look out the window.

"What are you doing?"

"Didn't you feel that? There's a raccoon on the ledge outside the window, probably eating bugs out of the gutter and if I don't get him down, he's going to break the gutters. He's shaking the whole room!"

"Please get out of my face."

He ran to another window, opened it and started screaming, "Hey, get off of there!"

Then he ran downstairs and out the front door to look at the ledge and scare off the offending raccoon.

When he came back to bed, he said, "Didn't you hear it? Didn't you feel it? That raccoon shook the damn room!"

I got up and shook the bedside lamp which was most certainly the noise I heard.

"That's it," he exclaimed, "That's the noise! It must have been an earthquake; hurry, turn on the news."

Sure enough, it was indeed an earthquake. "See, I was right," he said, "See! It was an earthquake."

The TV station was taking calls and one man reported that initially he thought there were aliens landing on his roof.

"Ha ha ha, an alien, it was an earthquake, dummy."
"You thought it was a raccoon, dear."
"I was right, it was an earthquake. This better not show up on the blog. For the record, I thought it was an earthquake."
"Your secret's safe with me."

In knitting news; and there's always knitting news, the UPS guy brought in a hand truck full of boxes yesterday.

One was gigantic and he said, "This one is 69 pounds, it can't be yarn!"

"On the contrary my friend, it is yarn."
"Where are you going to put it all?"
"That, I'm afraid, is Miss Cory's problem."
(The earth shook a little yesterday too and it was Cory groaning from blocks away.)
"Sounds like you have a problem too!"
(Oh, you have no idea.)

Oh, the beautiful yarns I got! You've got to come in and see. One yarn we've all been waiting for came in - Noro Sock yarn!

Here are class pictures of our brioche tams. Pretty spectacular, aren't they? There were some tense moments, but everyone conquered brioche and most of the class finished their magnificent tams.

Here's Kristen's:

Here's Tracy's:

And here's mine:

And Miss Eileen finished her Nantucket! HOORAY!

And last, but not least, here's our latest Great American Aran Afghan Square. Eleven down, nine to go!

"Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome:

2008-04-04T10:18:00.011-05:00

time for zis one to come home!"

I hope I'm not the only one who remembers Tooter Turtle's plea to Mr. Wizard. It is indeed "time for zis one to come home." It's been a long time, but I'm going home for the weekend to see my family! Home, if you didn't know is Wilbraham, Massachussetts. Wilbraham is the home of Friendly Ice Cream and is a suburb of Springfield which is the birthplace of basketball, the Indian motorcycle, Dr. Seuss, the Duryea automobile, the first National Armory, Smith and Wesson and Granville Brothers airplanes. Quite a legacy isn't it?

As always, Cory will be in charge while I'm gone. She's having Open Knitting on Saturday, April 6 from 4:00 p.m. to whenever and she's opening the Shop on Sunday at noon. Stop by and say hey to her and have her show you all of the new Spring yarn! (I just got a big box from Tahki/Stacy Charles this morning.) Make sure she doesn't get too cozy; I'll be back on Tuesday.

Here's the progress on my two latest:

You haven't seen this one before. It's the VIP Cardigan by Charlotte Morris from the Best of Interweave. I've been coveting it for a long time and have just enough Debbie Bliss Cathay to make it. The yarn was supposed to be the intarsia Flourish by Kim Hargreaves, but when I pulled it out the other day to do a row of intarsia, I changed my mind. Given that there was just enough yarn, it seemed to be destiny.

This one is the Medallion sweater from the Spring Vogue I showed you a few weeks ago using Cascade Pima Tencel.

I'm working on both at the same time so I don't really consider them two projects I've started without finishing anything else. It's only one project I've started without finishing something else. My conscience feels better this way and yes, I really do know it's just a silly trick.

See you when I get back.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-03-29T09:43:00.006-05:00

I'm oh so late in posting my blog this week. The Spring yarn has been arriving and in order to keep Cory from quitting, I've been helping her catalog it all and helping her find places to put it. I ordered a lot of Spring yarn...

You've got to come by and see it all because if I take the time now to tell you all about it, Cory will walk out on me. She's trying to put out all of the new books right this minute and she's not happy. Yarn and books, yarn and books.

Oh, and by the way, to appease her, lots of lovely yarn has ended up in the sale bins. If I hear, "Mom, there's no room, put it on sale" one more time, my head will explode.

I'm just about to start the cuff of the last sleeve on the Dale baby sweater! It will be done today - so there! I also started two new sweaters for myself with new Spring yarn, I'm hesitant to say. Rehab may be in order. I'm hopeless.

Afghan A Go-Go!

2008-03-20T11:19:00.019-05:00

We're halfway done (as of next week) with the Great American Aran Afghan! We've completed 10 beautiful squares. Ten down, ten to go. Woo hoo!

See them all here.

And if that weren't enough, I now have the completed Great American Afghan on permanent display at the Shop compliments of my friends at Cascade. The Great American Afghan, like the Great American Aran Afghan, was first seen in Knitter's Magazine and was then published in a pattern book. Each square is knit in Cascade 220 and were designed by such notables as Meg Swanson, Lily Chin, Nancy Bush, Nicky Epstein, and Sally Melville.

It's really something and you should stop by to see it. Call or write if you're interested in classes.

The sale bins are full, full, full! I've received another gigantic shipment of Spring yarn and Miss Cory is desperately trying to make room for it all. There's another shipment due early next week! Miss Cory is freaking out.

One of the new yarns just in is Cascade's Pima Tencel. It's unbelievably soft and luxurious. Naturally, I've already picked out a pattern and I'm swatching for it as you read this! Here's what I chose from the Vogue Knitting Spring issue. Pretty magnificent, isn't it? I chose a raspberry color that is just to die for.

I know, I know, finish the Dale Baby Sweater! I'm getting to it, honestly I am.

What a Whirlwind!

2008-03-13T10:08:00.020-05:00

So much going on! First and foremost, the Yarn Harlot is coming! We are so excited to be hosting an evening with her. There are still tickets available so don't delay! All of the detailed information can be seen here. The Shop will be open on Sundays through March 30 from 12:00-4:00 for those of you who are making a road trip.

The Interweave Spring Knits Trunk Show is here and 17 of the garments from the magazine will be on display until Saturday, March 29.

The Spring yarn is starting to come in and I just received this big box from Lorna's Laces! Hurry in to see it before Cory takes it all home. Sadly, I can no longer trust her with new yarn. She squirrels it out of the Shop before it ever hits the shelves. I'm afraid I've created a knitting monster and by the way, she has very, very good taste.

Although my conscience (Theresa) would say I'm stalling on finishing the darling Dale of Norway baby sweater, I've accomplished quite a bit recently:

I started and finished this Zipped Vest by Veronik Avery from her book Classic Style. The zipper has been basted in and it just needs be permanently stitched. The yarn is Cascade 200 hand paint and I'm just thrilled with the colors.

To make sure the zipper went in nice and straight I basted the front closed. Do you remember the yarn with which I basted it? That's right, it's the yarn I chose for the Prince's never to be finished socks. To know why they'll never be finished, click here. I knew I'd find uses for it.

I made this felted clog:

I completed another square for the Great American Aran Afghan:

And we're almost half way done! Just for fun, I laid it all out today and I must say I do love it. The picture doesn't do it justice, but if you stop by I'll show you all the squares!

It's shaping up to be a great Spring.

The Yarn Harlot is Coming!

2008-03-05T18:13:00.010-06:00

It is with tremendous excitement that I announce that the Yarn Harlot is coming to Oak Lawn! We are hosting her visit on April 25, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Oak Lawn Hilton. Check out all the details here.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee will be signing copies of her new book, Things I Learned From Knitting (whether I wanted to or not) after her talk. The book can be preordered at Nana's.

And...as if that weren't enough, we are also hosting the Interweave Knits Spring Trunk Show beginning on Tuesday, March 18 through Saturday, March 29. Be sure to stop by to see all the lovely things from this issue. Buy the yarn for a project from the magazine and take 10% off.

It's going to be a great Spring, isn't it?

Holy Hangover!

2008-02-29T09:58:00.007-06:00

Like thousands of others, I patiently await this time of year. Not for the start of Spring, although that's very nice, and not for the South Side Irish Parade which is a teenage drunk fest as far as I'm concerned, but for the annual return of PEEPS!

You know PEEPS, right? Those yellow chicks of marshmallowy wonderfulness? Those sticky, better when cured heralds of Spring?

We've been talking about their arrival for a while now and Theresa happened to mention a childhood tradition in her house - PEEP fondue. My brain started to go into sugar convultions at the thought of it; PEEPS dipped in warm, dark chocolate.

And so it was that yesterday was declared PEEP Fondue Day. Clutches of PEEPS began arriving; the result of a big PEEP sale at CVS. They arrived before PEEP Fondue Day so they could, of course, be opened for curing.

An informal poll showed that most people like their PEEPS cured. They have to opened at least a week before consumption to be the perfect hardness.

Getting a fondue pot presented the biggest problem. They were the all the rage wedding gift of the 70s, but to find someone who has one today proved a lot more difficult.

When asked for a fondue pot, here were some of the responses:

"No, but I have an electic fry pan."
"No, but I have a crock pot."
And my favorite, "No, but I have a wok."

Undaunted, I asked Eileen, whose motto is, "If I don't have it or don't know a guy who does, you don't want it."

Sure enough, she had a fondue pot so PEEP Fondue Day was a go.

Here are some pictures and I strongly suggest that if you've never had PEEP fondue, DO IT! You'll pay dearly an hour or so later as you come down from the sugar rush and the next day, the sugar hangover will make you feel like you've been hit by a bus; but heck, PEEPS only come out once a year and it's well worth it.

In knitterly news, Georgeann has become a sock knitting fool since she took my class in December and she's now got a whole collection!

Anne's soon to be felted crochet mittens are spendid, aren't they?

Good Sports and New Yarn!

2008-02-03T18:54:00.008-06:00

The Superbowl wasn't the only place for good sports! If you missed the Nana's Superbowl party, you missed a great time of knitting and Karaoke! That's right, Karaoke! While some of you were slogging through the pre-game, pre-pre-pre-game chatter, those of you who joined me and Miss Cory at the Shop were knitting, eating chili and singing Karaoke to our brand new Karaoke machine.

Where else on earth can you go to knit and sing! Sadly, none of our singers will let me post their pictures - they sing like angels, but are terribly camera shy. Our rendition of "I will Survive" was so unbelievable, I think we should take the show on the road. Nana's Knittettes would be a sure hit!

I got two new yarn shipments this week and am having an awful time keeping my hands off it. Interlacements Tiny Toes sock yarn is here and I'm sure you will agree, it's drop-dead gorgeous.

Lots of Malabrigo arrived in worsted, chunky, and lace weight. Check out these colors!

In knitting news, my conscience (aka Theresa) is making me finish the Dale of Norway baby sweater before I cast on for something new which is sage advise, don't you think?

And with only one sleeve to go, that, my friends, will be tomorrow! Yeah!

In Charity news, I received this wonderful thank you from Linda Courts at Little Company of Mary for our first delivery of beautiful, soft boobs. Hooray for boob knitters! Don't forget to join us for another evening of charity knitting on Tuesday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Oh Brother!

2008-01-31T12:00:00.001-06:00

Here we go again. It's Superbowl time and as you may remember from last year, I really hate football.

Da Bears lost the Superbowl last year and they really stunk this year so one would think, being a Chicagoan, that I'd be off the hook and wouldn't have to put up with the all day television event. Au contraire! The Prince is a native New Yorker and a transplanted Massachusettsian so according to him, this is the game he's always "truly wanted to happen." This is the game of all games, the one not to miss. And sure, he wants the Giants to win, but if the Patriots win (which they will, he tells me), he can always say he wanted the Patriots to win from the get-go.

The last time the Giants were in a Superbowl was 2000, which isn't very long ago so I'm not sure what the big deal is. Tiki Barber apparently led the Giants in rushing and receiving. I knew that guy had a career in something before The Today Show . It didn't occur to me that it might have been a football career, he's way too pretty to be a football player, don't you think?

So I've been trying to get the Prince to watch these gigantic, important, earth shattering events anywhere but home. The television is monopolized all day every Sunday so he can be sure to take in every opinion, every last word from anyone on the upcoming game and of course every word after the game is played even though he's watched it and should know what happened.

This is what he told me,

"Oh, I can't go anywhere. True football fans watch the games alone, in the privacy of their own homes."

"That sounds like code for 'I don't have any friends.'"

"Not true! True football fans have to watch alone so they can analyze every play with no distractions. It has nothing to do with friends, but has everything to do with being a real fan."

"Great," I said, "So on Superbowl Sunday, you'll be here all day?"

"Not necessarily, real fans can watch the Superbowl with someone else."

"That sounds like code for 'if I can find a friend, I'm watching it with him.' I'm not taking any chances, I'm going to have a party at the Shop."

"Can I come?"

"No way. There won't be a television there anyway."

"I'll bring one," he said. "How will everyone watch the game if there's no television?"

"That's the point, dear. No TV, no game, no boys, no problem."

So if you too want to miss all of nauseatingly boring pre-game events, join me for an afternoon of fun and knitting! The Shop will open at 1:00 and we'll have munchies and a few surprises too!

In knitting news, the Dale of Norway Baby Ull sweater is progressing nicely.

Winter Doldrums

2008-01-25T09:56:00.000-06:00

Has the gloom and cold started to dampen your spirits? It certainly has dampened mine! And, if your house is anything like my house it's been all football all the time which is turning my brain and my creative juices to mush.

So with the creative help of the very talented Tornado Sisters, Eileen and Kelly, the Shop has been spiffed up and rearranged; and, to bring some much needed color and warmth into the drab days of winter, I have new yarn, mostly sock yarn in fact!

First, there's a brand new shipment of the glorious Dream in Color Smooshy:

Then, there's the brand new, all beautiful Great Adirondack Soxie:

Next up is Schaefer Anne and the brand new Schaefer Heather sock yarn:

Running the newly arrived Blue Heron Soft Rayon Twist through my poor cold fingers is a delight. These gorgeous colors come in a DK weight for a silky little sweater for the warmer weather that is sure to be here:

I ask you, who can stay blue when you've got fabulous yarn on your needles in to die for colors that will keep your fingers busy and your toes oh so warm?

Stop by and see all that's new!

"It will come to pass...

2008-01-17T10:11:00.000-06:00

that every braggart shall be found an ass." William Shakespeare.

After yesterday, these are the words I shall live by and of course, I'm going to tell you why.

Last week, my darling friend Alex came into the Shop with his Mom. I asked him what he got for Christmas and the last thing on his goody list was of all things, a Pogo Stick.

Well, I was off to the races.

"When I was your age, Alex, I had a pogo stick and I was the pogo stick master! I could stay on my pogo stick all day long. If I didn't have to eat or sleep or do homework, I could have stayed on my pogo stick forever."

I glanced over at Cory and Alex's mother and they both rolled their eyes at me as if to say, "This is a bright, inquisitive little boy, you're going to pay dearly for this kind of talk."

Undeterred, I rambled on,

"As a matter of fact, my pogo stick is still hanging in my parents' garage back in Massachusetts. It' s a little rusty as I haven't jumped for around 40 years, but it's still there! I was the envy of all my friends who constantly dared me. 'I bet you can't stay on for 10 minutes,' they'd say. Oh, I can stay on for an hour and I'd jump and jump and jump. 'You can't stay on for two hours!' Oh, yes I can! I can stay on for eight hours!"

Caught up in the starry-eyed wonder of my tiny audience, I went on and on and on and on. Alex's record at the time was 11 jumps so you can well imagine how impressed he was with me.

Was I the only one who didn't see it coming? Apparently so because to no one's surprise but my own, Alex and his Mom came into the Shop yesterday with none other than the Christmas Pogo Stick! And, much to my dismay, Alex brought a friend to witness the Pogo Stick Champion of the Free World do her thing!

I got on and started to jump.

"Geez," I thought, "I don't remember the footpegs being this narrow. The shaft is a lot shorter than mine; this must be a smaller model."

After three (probably 2 1/2) jumps, I fell off. I got on again. Three more jumps and I fell off into the glass cubbies of yarn. I knocked over a book on the top, but neither I nor the cubbies were seriously hurt.

Alex giggled and took the thing away from me and got on. Sure enough, he jumped 11 times.

Alex's friend said, "You only jumped 3 times and Alex jumped 11 times."

"Well," I said to Alex's mother with all of the sincerity I could muster, "this pogo stick is too small for me. Mine was bigger."

"Ah, of course it was," she said.

I told the Prince later, "I have to buy a Pogo Stick this weekend."

"I'm quite sure that's not a good idea," he said.

I explained the whole ugly story and said,

"Poor Alex has had one disillusionment after another recently. No Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and now his favorite Yarn Shop Owner can't jump on a pogo stick. I've got to make it right. I found one at ToysRUs that advertises to be fun for all kids, ages 8 to 80."

"Well, you're not 80," he said as he adjusted my out of whack back. "By the way, is there anyone that can corroborate your pogo stick prowess? Can your sister validate this skill?"

What is it with men anyway; they always have to prove everything. Why can't they just believe!

Alex, if I can take the pogo stick for a test drive in ToysRUs this weekend to show that it was the stick and not my age that killed my ability, we'll have another demonstration next week.

And as for news back in my comfort zone where thankfully age has nothing to do with ability, here's the Dale Baby Sweater in progress for our class:

Do you have your Ravelry?

2008-01-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

Have you joined Ravelry yet? It's an online knitting and crocheting community where you can get pattern ideas, see yarn, log all of your projects, completed and in progress, log your stash, and even your needles. You can join groups of like-minded people and best of all you can join our group!

If you sign up at ravelry.com. There's a bit of a wait to be "invited" to join, but once you're invited, let me tell you, the fun begins!

If and when you join, be sure to join our group, Nana's Knitting Shop and say hello to Cory and I. Cory's ID is Shopdaughter and I'm Triciaknits.

Be warned - Ravelry can be the biggest time suck you've ever experienced online. You'll easily end up on Ravelry for hours, even days and your family will go hungry, your dust bunnies will accumulate, your significant other will forget what you look like and unless you're incredibly multi-tasking talented, you won't be able to knit!

Miss Cory has been nominated for a Ravelry Bobby Award! The Awards have many categories, but Missy has been nominated for the funniest avatar. What's an avatar you say? Well, it's a little picture you put in as your Ravelry identity.

Here's Cory's avatar for which she was nominated for a Bobby Award:

Apparently, sock yarn confusion has paid off! See you on Ravelry!

Don't stay on Ravelry too long or you'll miss our big Inventory Sale! Yarn, yarn and more yarn is on sale for 15%-40% off! See you on Friday or Saturday, January 11 & 12 for this giant sale event.

Gigantic Sale - January 11 & 12

2008-01-05T11:00:00.000-06:00

We're having a huge Inventory Sale, Friday and Saturday, January 11 & 12. Yarn will be 15%-40% off! Sweater quantities of many yarns are available.

Discount Examples include:
20% off Cascade 220
20% off Gypsy Girl Sock
25% off Rowan Summer Tweed
25% off Tahki New Tweed
30% off Plymouth Sockotta
40% off Recycled Silk and Recycled Rayon
40% off Plymouth Encore Worsted & DK

I hope everyone had a very Happy New Year and I'll see you at the BIG SALE!

Charity Knitting

2007-12-28T12:07:00.000-06:00

I made our first delivery of prosthetics to the Little Company of Mary Cancer Center several weeks ago and they were absolutely thrilled to receive them. Our soft, little beauties will be put in gift bags that will contain with a camisole to hold the prosthetic and other feel good items. These gift bags will be distributed to women who undergo mastectomies at the Cancer Center over the next year.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who helped make this first delivery of 20 cozy boobs a reality. I have asked the hospital to provide me with feedback on how their patients like our handiwork and will make a full report here when that occurs.

Our help is still needed and we now have two Charity Knitting Nights a month! You can now join us at one of two locations, here at Nana's Knitting Shop and at Dr. Nancy Church's office in Beverly. Dr. Church has graciously offered her office on the first Thursday of the month as a gathering place for our charity knitting.

The next meeting will be held at Dr. Church's office, which is located at 10725 South Western Avenue, on Thursday, January 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Supplies may be purchased at Nana's Knitting Shop prior to the event and the pattern and assistance will be provided at Dr. Church's office. If you go, be sure to bring your sizes 5 & 6 double pointed needles.

The next meeting at the Shop will be held on Tuesday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m.

Thank you again for your continued support and I wish you all a very happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-14T23:10:00.000-06:00

Thank you everyone who made an ornament for my tree. I think you'll agree that it looks great! So much creativity!

My dear friend Alex had some crushing news this week. Caution: if there are children reading this, stop now and get away from the computer!

The kids at Alex's school were talking about Christmas this week and several informed my dear friend that there is no Santa Claus, but in fact, Santa Claus is parents!

Alex informed these curmudgens that they would get coal for Christmas for saying such things and adamantly defended Mr. Claus' existence.

When his Mom picked him up from school, he said,

"Mom, are you Santa Claus."
"No, Alex, I'm not."
"Is Dad?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Well the kids at school told me that parents are Santa Claus."
"Well, we're not Santa Claus."
"Is there a Santa Claus?"
"Ummm, yes there was a Santa Claus a long time ago and his real name was Saint Nicholas and he gave presents to children."
"How long ago, Mom?"
"A long time ago."
"Is he dead now?"
"Well, yes Alex, he is dead now, but the tradition was so nice that people continued to give children presents at Christmas."
"So you signed the note from Santa last year?"
"Yes."
"And you signed the cards from Santa?"
"Oh dear, yes Alex."
"Oh Mom, I feel like such a fool! I told the kids that there is a Santa Claus and now I feel like such a fool!"

So Mom and Alex went to the library and took out books on the tradition of Santa Claus.

Alex went to bed that night with a very heavy heart. About an hour after being tucked in, he came downstairs and said,

"Mom, are you the tooth fairy too?"

In other Holiday news, here's a shot of the Prince and Princess. They make a mean gingerbread house making team, don't they?

Who's your Papa?
May Santa Claus, whoever he is, be good to you, and may you and your families have a wonderful, joyous holiday. Thank you for all you do!

She Said Yes!

2007-12-13T12:58:00.000-06:00

I've been reserving this Blog until I was sure...

But I found out that she did, in fact, say yes! I didn't want to jinx anything by telling the story before the yes was confirmed.

It was the day before Sweetest Day and it was almost closing time. The door opened and in walked Tom. I've met Tom before so we chatted for a minute and then he told me the reason for his visit.

"I'm asking my girlfriend to marry me tomorrow and I want to hide the ring in sock yarn. She loves making socks."

"Wow! That's really something," I said.

So we picked out sock yarn; lots of sock yarn. Off Tom rode into the sunset with an engagement ring, a heart full of excitement and a giant bag of sock yarn.

Isn't that romantic!

At long last, Tom and Melissa came into the Shop and I finally found out for certain that she said yes!

Tom, may you get lots of hand knitted socks and may they warm your feet as much as you warmed the hearts of knitters everywhere! Congratulations and best wishes to you both.

The Christmas Tree Curse

2007-12-06T15:32:00.000-06:00

I've always tried to have a positive attitude about having a Christmas tree, despite many, many setbacks. After reading this, I hope you'll take pity on me and bring me a knitted or crocheted ornament for the Shop tree. To entice you, I'm throwing a party on Sunday, December 9 where your contribution will be rewarded with 15% off your total purchase for the day! Join me on December 9 from 12:00-5:00. It will be fun!

Though we had one every single year, Cory never liked decorating the Christmas tree and I inevitably decorated it all by myself. Decorated it all by myself even though I got the tree for Cory in the first place.

To try and lure her into the spirit of the tree, I decided we'd cut our own one year. She was about 13. I trudged her out into the middle of a tree farm, in the snow, carefully checking every tree for the perfect shape and size.

At long last, after many tsks, sighs and "can we go now" from my eternally bored daughter, I picked the tree. It wasn't a very big tree - maybe 4 feet or so, but perfectly shaped. I found the guy with the saw and he graciously, but shabbily, cut it down for me. I dragged it back to the car and took it home. Cory, my darling Cory, rolled her eyes at me the whole way.

Now I don't know about you, but for me, installing the damn thing in the tree stand is the worst part of the whole job. Way back then, tree stand choices were limited. They were small, medium and large and all of them had those screws that you screwed into the trunk. And, it took at least two people to install the tree into the stand.

As most 13 year olds do, Cory had some serious phoning to do since we had been gone several hours hunting down the perfect tree. After all, doesn't everyone have to talk to their friends every 10 minutes whether they have anything to say or not? Just hearing your friend breathing into the phone is far, far better than helping your misguided mother put the Christmas tree you didn't want in the first place into the stand.

So, I knew my tree installation time was limited at best. Cory held the tree while I tried to put it into the stand. Lo and behold, there was a huge knot on the trunk of the tree and all of the cajoling in the world wasn't going to make it go in. It had to be cut again.

I laid the tree down on the rug, gave Cory a desperately needed phone break, and began to cut the tree with the only implement I had - my trusty, advertised to cut through a tin can, Ginsu knife!

And cut through the trunk it did. It took much longer than it should have (hours longer), but it saved the Tree day.

It also took much longer than Cory could bear to get the tree straight after it was in the stand and so once again, I decorated the thing all by myself.

Now I know for a fact that if I had given up on the Christmas tree, Little Miss "I have friends, who needs a Christmas tree" would have been heartily disappointed; so every year, I fought with the tree, the tree stand and the ornaments, ruing the day Christmas trees ever became a tradition.

When Cory went out on her own, I breathed a Christmas tree sigh of relief and thought, "I'm free at last. No more Christmas trees for me."

And then, along came the Prince. He loves Christmas trees. Just like Cory, however, he can't be bothered decorating them. Wants one, insists on one, drags everything up from the basement, will fight with the tree stand, but will not, absolutely will not, decorate it.

When we moved into our house, we realized that in order for a Christmas tree to look good in our living room, we needed an extra tall one. That meant more lights, more ornaments, and a bigger, but still technologically inferior Christmas tree stand.

We bought the biggest tree we could find and dragged it into the house. The Prince had far better cutting tools than I did so cutting it down a little took far less time than cutting it with a Ginsu knife.

Now it was my turn to tsk, sigh and whine "are we done yet" as I stood on a ladder holding the tree while he tried to get it in the stand. At long last, he got it into the stand and went to the kitchen for a giant pitcher of water to fill the giant tree stand.

"Can't let it dry out, you know. That's when it loses all its needles."

Off the Prince went to watch football or whatever other sport they play in December, leaving me to decorate the giant tree. Hours later, I emerged from the living room, much worse for wear, and went to bed.

I had just settled down for a long winter's nap when from the living room, there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

"Crap, the Christmas tree fell over."

The Christmas tree was lying on the floor, the rug and floor completely soaked and most of the Christmas ornaments broken all over the room.

Undeterred, the Prince cried, "The Christmas tree will rise again!"

Oh, it rose again, alright. After cleaning up the mess; water and glass shards are a ghastly combination, we were ready to try again.

I held the tree again for what seemed like hours while the Prince put it back in the stand. He then had the ingenious idea of tying it at the top to the living room rafters with rope.

"Put holes in the beams," I said, "and I'll kill you."

So he tied to it to the hardware on the doors that lead to the patio. Okay, it again looked steady enough; it was straight enough, it was also 2:00 a.m. (when anything looks good) and I started back up to bed.

I glanced back at the Prince who had gone to the kitchen. As I walked up the stairs, I saw the pitcher in his hand.

"Oh, no Mister, you are not going to fill the damn thing with water again. Not happening. Call me crazy, but it's late, very late and the living room can't take another flood.

"It's fine now. Can't let it dry out, you know. That's when it loses all its needles."

I watched and waited. I wasn't going to redecorate until I was sure it wasn't going to fall over, not that I had many ornaments left, mind you.

Sadly, I did not have to wait long...the Christmas tree fell over again the very next day. No broken ornaments this time, but lots and lots and lots of water all over the floor, all over the rug, all over my Christmas spirit.

Unwilling to be beaten, the Prince insisted we put it up again! Not wanting to be the damper on the holiday spirit, I decorated the stupid thing with the remaining ornaments.

"It's sparse, dear, but it's probably going to be okay," he said.

I again saw him sneaking a giant pitcher of water into the living room.

"Can't let it dry out, you know. That's when it loses all its needles."

"Oh dear," I shuttered.

It's impossible to believe, but it fell over AGAIN! This time, it fell two days later and AFTER I had decided it was safe to redecorate. I cleaned up the ornament shards, cleaned up the flood and insisted that we take the devil tree out of the house once and for all.

"EVIL tree," I exclaimed, "Get it out of the house!"

I helped the Prince drag the damn thing out on the patio where I hoped it would shrivel up and die as I gleefully watched it lose all its needles.

Just as I was going back into the house, our wonderful neighbor came over and said to the Prince,

"Having trouble with your tree stand? I just bought a new one so technologically advanced that it actually saved my marriage. I can put up the tree without any help at all! Saved my marriage, I tell you, saved my marriage."

I said, "I'm going in the house to blow my brains out now, dear. If you go out and buy the magic stand that saved Chuck's marriage, be sure to buy ornaments. After three miserable attempts, I'm all out of humor, and you're going to engage in this grudge match all by yourself."

Needless to say, we own the magic stand and some of the funniest looking ornaments you've ever seen. By the time we took the thing down on New Year's Day, it had in fact, lost most of its needles despite the Prince's constant watering.

Fast forward to the following year...

"We're not putting up a tree this year, are we dear?"

"Well, of course we are, it wouldn't be Christmas without one."

"That's it," I thought, "The rug can't possibly soak up any more water without being totally ruined and the finish on the floor is a mess. If the Prince wants a Christmas tree, I'm going to break down and buy an artificial one."

So without the Prince's knowledge, I went out and bought a giant, as real-looking as I could find, artificial Christmas tree. The Prince got a hernia putting the thing together, and I got a wicked case of hives from trying to arrange the artificial branches; but, it looked great and it came complete with lights! No more broken ornaments and no more water to dampen my tenuous Christmas spirit. This Christmas, I thought, is going to be just great.

And then I plugged it in. Not one single light worked.

How Did This Happen?

2007-11-29T17:35:00.000-06:00

How in heaven's name did it happen? Taking a cue from my friend, Theresa, I decided to go through my stuff over the weekend.

Because I consider myself a finisher, I didn't think I'd find much of anything sitting on needles. I knew what I was working on after all. I could see every project in my head and I knew, I just knew this was going to be a very short exercise.

I must be getting old because my memory has become very, very bad. I'm going to show you what I found and I'm starting with those things I completely forgot I ever cast on.

This little snippet is going to be the Flourish intarsia sweater by Kim Hargreaves. There are 64 intarsia flowers on it; oh yes, even the sleeves have flowers. It's being knit from Debbie Bliss Cathay. Even though I temporarily forgot about it, I know Sheila didn't! Note that there isn't a row of intarsia on it yet. I think 15 intarsia flowers would be more doable, don't you?

Where this little beauty was hiding is anyone's guess. It's going to be a lovely, lacy little vest made from Noro Aurora.

It was the thought of the sleeves on this magnificent sweater that made me put it "on vacation" for a while. It's been steeked and all it needs is sleeves and shoulders.

This little wristlet is the Bohus Blue Shimmer pattern. I started it in Susanna Hansson's Bohus Stickning workshop. Yup, that's a size 00 needle going on.

There's a new square. Spiders and leaves, pretty cute, isn't it?

And of course, there's the obligatory pair of socks. (No, my Prince, yours are not considered a work in progress. Yours are off the needles forever and you know why.)

There's the Forbes Forest scarf from Scarf Style in Bollicine Dolly:

Someone asked me if I could do the brioche stitch, so of course, I cast on this tam using 220 and Silk Garden:

There's the Debbie Bliss sweater using Blue Heron's Rayon Twist; cast on the day the yarn entered the Shop:

And last, but certainly not least are the two things I knew I was working on. Frankly, these are the only two things I knew I was working on. These are my current, can't wait to get 'em done projects, the only two I'm knitting regularly, the only two I thought I had got on needles.

The first is the Catherine Parr sweater using Cascade 220. Upon seeing the book, I dreamt about this sweater until it was on my needles:

And the "Oh, I love my sister so much, I'll just whip this up for her" sweater - Eunny Jang's Tangled Yoke sweater out of the magical, marvelous Venezia:

Having just finished the Swing Jacket,

I got all sassy thinking I could do two sweaters at once; what's the big deal? I'm the finisher! They'll both get done.

But then I stopped to start and finish THESE few things. Mittens for Eiley:

Another couple of boobs:

And Christmas ornaments for my pathetic little Shop tree:

Speaking of my pathetic tree, knit or crochet an ornament for it and take 15% off your entire purchase when you deliver your ornament! We'll be decorating the tree on Sunday, December 9 from noon to 5:00 p.m. Join us then for a great party, deliver your ornament and SHOP! We'll be serving some of Nana's traditional Swedish holiday dishes.

Can't make it to the party? Please deliver your ornament by Saturday, December 8 and SHOP then!

This project inventory exercise has taught me the following:
a. I now know where all my needles are;
b. My memory is totally shot;
c. I'll swing at anything anyone wants to knit with me;
d. I'll easily justify knitting with any new yarn that comes into the Shop;
e. And, last but not least, I'm not the finisher I thought I was.

Ah, Thanksgiving

2007-11-15T17:01:00.000-06:00

I've been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for at least the past 25 years. I took over to give my mother a break and have been doing it ever since. And, I cook the exact same thing every year. My entire family looked forward to the exact same thing every year (right, family?).

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR AN IMPORTANT VIDEO. GO HERE AND SEE THE CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR'S NEWEST MEMBER! SINGS LIKE AN ANGEL, DOESN'T HE?

And now, back to our story...Ah, those were the salad days. Since I'm one of those crazy people that only likes to do things I'm good at (cooking Thanksgiving dinner, knitting, Scrabble, crossword puzzles, never ever ever golf, running or anything resembling a contact sport), I reveled in the kudos, the rubbing of the belly while the diners said things like,

"Perfect again this year, dear. So much work, so very much work, you worked so hard, so very, very hard and it was absolutely delicious as always."

Of course, that was my Mother talking, but everyone else always nodded in agreement.

Now, if you've ever been to my house for Thanksgiving, you always know what to expect. I've cooked the exact same menu for those twenty something years. Tried and true recipes, so tried and true that they are now my own.

This gem has been on my table every Thanksgiving Thursday since the beginning of time:

Squash Pudding
Preheat oven to 350
1 whole butternut squash
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 C butter
1 C milk
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
salt to taste

Cut squash vertically into two pieces and bake face down on a baking sheet. Cook until tender. Mash squash (about 2 cups) with the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and bake in casserole dish for about 1 hour or until firm.

This looks and tastes like pumpkin pie!

So given that every dish is the same, year after year after year, how is it possible that now that the fab four grace our Thanksgiving table, the conversation goes something like this:

"What's for dinner, Nanny?"
"Turkey."
"Um, I don't really like turkey, Nanny, what else are we having?"
"Stuffing, squash pudding, mashed potatoes, rolls, sweet potatoes."
"Can I have two rolls?"
"What's for dessert?"
"Apple pie and pumpkin pie. Everything's the same as last year."
"If I eat all my dinner, can I have pie?"
"Sure you can."
"Um, I don't really like turkey, Nanny, can I have something else?"
"There isn't anything else."
"Can I have another roll?"
"Me too?"
"Nanny, I think we just want rolls for dinner. Can we have dessert if we just eat rolls?"
"Can I have another roll, please?"
"Me too?"
"Nanny, I'm not hungry."
"I'm not either."
"I don't really like mashed potatoes. Can I have another roll?"

Would there really be anything wrong with serving pie and rolls for Thanksgiving dinner?

Crochet Coral Reef - Just Go!

2007-11-06T15:11:00.000-06:00

Grandson number one is in the Chicago Children's Choir (he sings like an angel and we are so very proud) and I took him to a retreat at the Cultural Center downtown on Saturday.

Normally, trucking downtown would not be my idea of a good 8:00 a.m. Saturday activity, but I knew the Hyperbolic Crochet Reef was there and I was a bit more than curious.

The brainchild of Christine and Margaret Wertheim at the Institute of Figuring in Los Angeles, the crochet reef was created to call attention to the plight of the world's reefs as a result of global warming.

The vision, the talent, the artistry is just astounding. Here are a few sample pictures. For more information and pictures, go here.

The reef will be on display at the Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street through December 16. Go!

And for your viewing pleasure, here are more pictures of the sweaters we're knitting:

Salt Peanuts by Veronik Avery. Yarn: Cascade 220

Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie Nussbaum. Yarn: Tahki Torino

Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood. Yarn: Cascade 220

Green Gable by Zephyr Style. Yarn: Malabrigo worsted

Sweaters We're Knitting!

2007-10-31T17:24:00.000-05:00

I thought it was time, high time, to give an update on what we're all knitting here at Nana's Knitting Shop; so many incredible knitters doing so many spectacular things. Sadly, I don't have pictures of the works in progress in the flesh, but I will provide pictures of the patterns.

The Pearl Buck by Kate Gilbert. Yarn: Bollicine Dolly

Laura's Poncho by Fiber Trends. Yarn: Tahki 127 print or Cascade Teseo.

Air by Kim Hargreaves. Yarn: Rowan Calmer

Bi-color Cables by Annie Modesitt. Yarn Cascade Venezia

Jawbreaker Cardigan by Kendra Cray. Yarn: Araucania Patagonia

Burma Rings by Barbara Venishnick. Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash.

Cardigan by Tahki. Yarn: Shannon

Lizzy by Jane Ellison. Yarn: Noro Silk Garden.

These are only a sampling of what the talented people around here are doing! I'll have more updates in the weeks to come.

What a Crock!

2007-10-27T08:35:00.001-05:00

So, I just bought my very first crock pot. I know it's odd to have reached this ripe old age and to have never owned a crock pot. Crock pots, I've always been told, allow you to buy cheap cuts of meat that will taste great after hours and hours of stewing.

I've always thought that crock pots were for youngsters starting out, youngsters that have no money and no time. I always had enough time to cook and I like to cook. I've also been very fortunate to have always been able to buy the food I wanted to cook and not have to cook it to death in order for it to taste good.

That's until now. Until I became The Entrepreneur. I love that word - entrepreneur - it sounds so glamorous, so self important, so rich. I mean who do you think of when you think of entrepreneurs? I think of Estee Lauder, Annie Blatt, Martha Stewart, Coco Chanel, Bill Gates.

Entrepreneurs work hard, really hard and they're almost always hungry. Hungry for the next sale, the next big deal, hungry to take their enterprise to the next level. What I didn't know is that Entrepreneurs are hungry. Literally hungry; hungry all the time.

This little entrepreneur, at least, is always starving! Being at the Shop twelve hours a day makes for a long food day. How many sandwiches can one eat, after all? How many Lean Cuisines, how many bowls of Ramen noodles, how many left overs?

Since I opened the Shop I've been eating like a college kid, warming up something fast in the microwave, and eating endless bowls of cereal. I've tried cooking over the weekend, but by Wednesday, I'm sick to death of whatever I've made.

And then there's the Prince. Poor, poor Prince. He'll starve rather than cook. "I don't even know where to begin," he laments.

And so, on Cory's suggestion, I bought a crock pot. She suggested that I put something in the crock pot when I get home and voila, by morning I'd have a delicious something or other cooked and ready to go.

I even bought a cook book - Not your Mother's Slow Cooking Cookbook. My mother never had a crock pot either, but I figured if it wasn't a mother's slow cooking cookbook, some mother's slow cooking recipes, it had to be good. The title implied to me that the recipes in this cookbook would be modern somehow, crispy, not crock pot mush; spicy and fresh, not bland and dead.

On Wednesday, I cooked my very first ever crock pot dish! I decided to cook a pork roast and I followed the instructions to a tee. I added all the ingredients, put the crock pot on low and went to bed.

I lay in bed thinking about the great meal I was going to have the next day without doing a thing. It was so easy throwing stuff into a pot and turning it on; nothing to do but sleep away the cooking hours and wake to dinner!

And wake I did, at 4:30 in the morning. It was the smell that woke me up. And, it smelled not like pork roast, but hot dogs. And I've got to be honest here, it really grossed me out. I'm not crazy about the smell of hot dogs to begin with, but at 4:30 in the morning and upon coming out of a coma-like sleep, it was downright nauseating.

Needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep, but got up and took a little peek into the crock pot. It looked okay, but since the recipe said to cook it for 8-10 hours, I still had hours to wait.

The appointed time finally arrived and even though I was queasy, I was still optimistic at the outcome. I even cooked some rice to go with!

I pulled the roast out, let it rest a while and cut. It fell away under the knife and I thought, "Okay, not a nice sliced pork roast to go with my rice, but it will be a pulled pork sandwich which still might be pretty good."

I proudly told the Prince that dinner was waiting for him in the refrigerator, packed barbeque sauce along with my roast and off I went.

In all fairness to my new crock pot, by the time I ate my pulled pork sandwich, I was pretty tired. I'd been up since 4:30 after all. But, it was truly awful, inedible really, but I was very hungry.

It was dry, oh so dry. Dust bowl dry. Tumbleweed dry. No amount of barbeque sauce could save it dry.

When I came home, the Prince was dousing it in mayonnaise which turned my stomach all over again.

I'm not giving up; I won't cook pork again in my crock pot and the crock pot will have to be in the basement with the door closed. Smelling dinner at the crack of dawn is downright foul and I need my beauty rest.

The extra hours weren't unproductive, however. I finished another square!

Check out our Boobs!

2007-10-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

Aren't they lovely?
I'm so appreciative of all who created these little beauties. Thank you, Beth, Chris, Jennifer, Amy, Jamie, Therese, Nancy, Lauren, Tammi, and Carol.

We are meeting again at 6:30 on Tuesday, October 23 and I hope to see you here. I will be making a delivery to Little Company of Mary very soon and I know that the patients who receive them will be thrilled to because they are not only beautiful and cozy, but were created by generous and talented women who care deeply.

Thank you and please join us on Tuesday!

She Speaks for Herself!

2007-10-12T12:09:00.000-05:00

October marks my 2nd anniversary and oh, what a year it's been! I've met many more incredibly wonderful people and have had more fun than a working person has a right to. To everyone I've met over the past two years and I now have the privilege of knowing, thank you, thank you, thank you for making my little endeavor successful and for helping create a wonderful community of loving, generous and really, really fun knitters! I owe you all my deepest gratitude.

I hope you are coming to my Anniversary Party tonight at 6:00 p.m. My Party Planner has some fun surprises in store for us and as always the company will be a hoot. If a party isn't reason enough to stop by, I'm having a SALE! 15% off all yarn and 10% all books! The Sale ends tomorrow so come on in.

Speaking of the Party Planner...she now speaks for herself here.

I leave you in her good hands as I have to run and get ready for the party! See you tonight.