It really wasn’t fair of me to inflict my existential angst on you in my last post, but frankly, I’m not sorry. I got what I needed which was lots of support and many nice words about the shop, and it really helped. Thanks to everyone who commented on Facebook or sent an email; it was kind of you to take the time to do so and lifted me out of my funk.
Our new classes are posted, and as you will see, the knit-along will be for Hawser, the nice cable-y pullover. The votes were about 50-50 and I decided on Hawser because Karen is going to teach a really pretty cardigan (!!) in the spring, and I didn’t want to do anything too close to her project. I’ve been swatching several yarns for it and many would work, depending on how cozy and warm you want the sweater to be. At my age, I get hot fast and am just more comfortable when I feel a little cool, so I don’t want the sweater to be too dense. And with all that texture, the sweater takes lots of yarn – around 2000 yds for most folks – so I have to think about cost, too. Here are some of my swatches:
The one on the right is Debbie Bliss Bluefaced Leicester DK, a yarn I love, but DK is really too light for this project, even a sturdy DK like this one. The middle swatch is Galway, which makes a very nice and sturdy fabric at a good price. I also swatched Nature Spun Worsted which I don’t have in stock but do have that nice dark blue in my stash. I love this wool, too. It’s a bit lighter than Galway with a lot of yardage in 100 grams and fluffs up nicely when you block it. That’s the one I chose and I’ve gotten a little of the sweater started, although – and I know this never happens to you – I forgot to change to the bigger needle after I finished the ribbing, so I have to rip out 5 rounds this morning! I just couldn’t do it last night, so I went to bed early and decided to whine about it a little before I actually got to it. You can laugh, go ahead. You know how I rip your knitting out with abandon when it needs it. It’s not the same when it’s mine.
Anyway, other reasons I chose Nature Spun: It’s made in Nebraska by Brown Sheep Company, it’s very good quality wool, they have many many colors to choose from, and I can order exactly the number of skeins that you need instead of by the bagful. So if you decide to do the knit-along and to use Nature Spun for it, you can choose your color from their lovely array (it will not be easy!) and I will special-order for the group. I’ll need to order by January 13 to be sure it arrives in time for us to start by January 25. After that, you will need to choose from yarns I have in stock (Galway, Maxima, Moonshine, Blackstone, and others – all beautiful and all more expensive.)
I do have some wonderful customer projects to show you next time, but for now, I’ll just show Bentley, Marci Frey’s pup, who stopped by just before we closed to show off his new sweater:
Look at that face!
All right, I must get on with my ripping and then run errands. I’m having a lovely time off, but both the dogs and I are ready to get back to the shop. The excitement of Christmas has worn off for them – their new toys are now just piles of Fiberfill and scraps of cloth littering the living room. Purl is looking for more:
See you soon!
