Several of you have wanted to learn how to pick up stitches and knit a fringe onto the ends of a scarf. I will demonstrate this technique on Tuesday. If you want knit along with me have this swatch ready to go:
Using worsted weight yarn and straight needles in US # 7 or 8 or 9, cast on 20 stitches. Knit for about 2 or 3 inches and stop. Bring this swatch with you. For fun you can bring another color of similar weight yarn and we'll put one color of fringe on one end and the second color on the second end.
The fringe technique is easy to do. It's a variation of the rosette on The Zelda Hat and uses cable cast on (our favorite!) and bind off.
See you on Tuesday. . .tomato bisque soup is on the menu. Mmmm!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Two Socks on One Needle Class
Class: Two Socks on One Needle
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 13th -- 4 pm to 8 pm
Place: Graywood Designs Studio Store, 44 South Main Street, Pigeon, MI
Class fee: $15, includes supper
Call 989-453-2311 to register -- Limited to 6 students
What you will learn:
How to wind two balls from one skein of self patterning yarn
How to cast on both socks
How to manage the long needle
In addition -- Chain stitch heel edge (Wanda's favorite method -- a bit different)
Square heel -- also a favorite of mine
Two easy patterns for the leg of the socks
You will need to have a 40" circular needle and sock yarn. Also bring double pointed
needles in the size of your circular needle. Bring the book, 2-at-a-Time-Socks, if you have it.
15% discount on class supplies and on purchases made on day of class
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday Night Knitters on January 6
Ah, the push of wrapping presents and preparing meals and entertaining is lessening. Now there is a little time here and there for a “knit-sit.” I hope that you are able to fix a cup of coffee or tea and get some time, even fifteen minutes, to knit.
UPDATES from the Studio Store: The holidays took over and I haven’t done any more tweaking on the website. That will be January work, so do be patient. There are more yarns and needles coming from Skacel in Seattle. Danielle and I will be busy beavers in early January as we update the website and add these items to the Studio Store. Remember, for those of you in the Thumb Area, that we resume regular hours on Wednesday, Jan. 7th.
Tuesday Night Knitters: We will meet at the Studio Store on Tuesday, Jan. 6th from 5pm to 7pm. There will be something hot to eat and something sweet for a finish. Anybody want to bring fruit or veggies? Let me know. Bring your projects. Also, we will be doing burn tests on different kinds of yarn to determine the fiber content. This is a really cool science type experiment that will give you some basic idea of how to identify the odd yarns that you might have in your collection. Bring along a snippet (4-6 inches) of something that you can’t identify and we’ll do the burn test with it.
Photos: Did you take any photos of projects that you finished? Kathy Kent sent me a great photo of a kid’s hat that she did. Let’s talk about permission for posting those photos on the GW blog. I have several ways that I can do that. We can do it for a limited time, too. We’ll talk about that, okay?
What I’m knitting: I’m working on another scarf design. This one uses fine yarn with larger needles and has an open work stitch pattern. I’m using Trekkiing Tweed in a rich red and brown and am knitting on US Size 5 bamboo needles. I’m also finishing the Top Knot Hat (working title) in a larger gauge. This one is knit on US Size 6 needles using the Addi Turbo 16” circular and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn in a soft pink. Very nice! Also have one sock on two circular needles going. That’s right – one sock on two 16” circulars. Just wanted to try this method.
Two Socks on One Needle Roundup: For those of you who want to learn how to knit two socks on one long circular needle, the date for this technique class will be Wednesday, January 13th from 4 pm to 8 pm. Give us a call at 989-453-2311 to sign up for this class. Class fee is $15 and includes supper.
Happy New Year!
UPDATES from the Studio Store: The holidays took over and I haven’t done any more tweaking on the website. That will be January work, so do be patient. There are more yarns and needles coming from Skacel in Seattle. Danielle and I will be busy beavers in early January as we update the website and add these items to the Studio Store. Remember, for those of you in the Thumb Area, that we resume regular hours on Wednesday, Jan. 7th.
Tuesday Night Knitters: We will meet at the Studio Store on Tuesday, Jan. 6th from 5pm to 7pm. There will be something hot to eat and something sweet for a finish. Anybody want to bring fruit or veggies? Let me know. Bring your projects. Also, we will be doing burn tests on different kinds of yarn to determine the fiber content. This is a really cool science type experiment that will give you some basic idea of how to identify the odd yarns that you might have in your collection. Bring along a snippet (4-6 inches) of something that you can’t identify and we’ll do the burn test with it.
Photos: Did you take any photos of projects that you finished? Kathy Kent sent me a great photo of a kid’s hat that she did. Let’s talk about permission for posting those photos on the GW blog. I have several ways that I can do that. We can do it for a limited time, too. We’ll talk about that, okay?
What I’m knitting: I’m working on another scarf design. This one uses fine yarn with larger needles and has an open work stitch pattern. I’m using Trekkiing Tweed in a rich red and brown and am knitting on US Size 5 bamboo needles. I’m also finishing the Top Knot Hat (working title) in a larger gauge. This one is knit on US Size 6 needles using the Addi Turbo 16” circular and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn in a soft pink. Very nice! Also have one sock on two circular needles going. That’s right – one sock on two 16” circulars. Just wanted to try this method.
Two Socks on One Needle Roundup: For those of you who want to learn how to knit two socks on one long circular needle, the date for this technique class will be Wednesday, January 13th from 4 pm to 8 pm. Give us a call at 989-453-2311 to sign up for this class. Class fee is $15 and includes supper.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Our New Website is UP and RUNNING!
We're live! The new Graywood Designs website went up on the web late this afternoon and, wow, is it a grand feeling to see the work that's been going on for months finally come to the web. We'll be tweaking the site to get the glitches out. Your comments here or your emails to me will be graciously appreciated.
I have to finish color charts for yarns yet. We have about ten colors and kinds of sock yarn in the Studio Store that are not on the site yet. Some knitting needles need to be added. And fabric. . .we have lots of fabrics from our collection that will be added, too.
We think that the navigation is much improved on this new site. (Navigation is what you do as you click here and there. Good navigation should be almost instinctual so let us know what you think about that, too!)
Publishing a website is a lot like publishing a book. I've been pretty tied to my laptop and my desktop comupter both these last few weeks. So, it's so good to be ready for you to take a look and enjoy the Studio Store Collection that's on the website.
I have to finish color charts for yarns yet. We have about ten colors and kinds of sock yarn in the Studio Store that are not on the site yet. Some knitting needles need to be added. And fabric. . .we have lots of fabrics from our collection that will be added, too.
We think that the navigation is much improved on this new site. (Navigation is what you do as you click here and there. Good navigation should be almost instinctual so let us know what you think about that, too!)
Publishing a website is a lot like publishing a book. I've been pretty tied to my laptop and my desktop comupter both these last few weeks. So, it's so good to be ready for you to take a look and enjoy the Studio Store Collection that's on the website.
Monday, December 7, 2009
FREE PATTERN: Twin Rib Scarf
What's on your needles in December? I'm currently knitting hats and socks and am about ready to cast on another scarf.
The humble scarf gets a lot of bad press. Even though a scarf is often the first project that we accomplish as a knitter, we often get the feeling that we should "grow up" and get beyond scarves. Well, you could knit a long time and never run out of great scarf ideas and patterns to knit. I always have a few scarf projects going -- some with more difficult stitch patterns, often in lace or cables, and one that is an easy-to-remember-no-brainer for the times when I want to knit but don't want to concentrate.
So, in honor of the scarf (and with the hope that you'll want to cast on yet another project!) here's the quick version of one of my favorite scarves:
Twin Rib Scarf
Use a needle size that is suggested for the gauge of the yarn you choose.
Cast on 29 stitches.
Knit 2 garter ridges.
Row 1: K1, *k3, p3,* ending k3, k1 -- 29 sts.
Row 2: *K1, p1,* ending k1 -- 29 sts.
Knit to desired length. End by knitting 2 garter ridges.
NOTE: Text in red added 3/8/2010. Thank you to anonymous knitter who did the math and pointed out a most helpful text edit.
That's it! Simple knitting without complex pattern. I've knit this scarf for my Dad who likes a wool scarf as a neck warmer. For Dad's scarves, I one skein of Lamb's Pride worsted (190 yards) on US #9 needles and knit until the yarn is used up. This results in a scarf about 36 inches long and 5 inches wide. Dad's scarf is knit in charcoal gray with black stripes at each end. Handsome, isn't it!
For my sister Heidi, I used a lighter weight yarn -- a silk/wool blend -- and knit two skeins (220 yards) on US #6 needles. Her scarf is longer than Dad's and matches her Zelda Hat. Heidi likes her scarf and hat set which I knit in green, one of my favorite colors to use when I'm not sure what color to use. I let the recipient know that if the hat doesn't fit quite right, since it is green, you can wear it when you are doing "green" activities like taking out the recycling or gardening!
The humble scarf gets a lot of bad press. Even though a scarf is often the first project that we accomplish as a knitter, we often get the feeling that we should "grow up" and get beyond scarves. Well, you could knit a long time and never run out of great scarf ideas and patterns to knit. I always have a few scarf projects going -- some with more difficult stitch patterns, often in lace or cables, and one that is an easy-to-remember-no-brainer for the times when I want to knit but don't want to concentrate.
So, in honor of the scarf (and with the hope that you'll want to cast on yet another project!) here's the quick version of one of my favorite scarves:
Twin Rib Scarf
Use a needle size that is suggested for the gauge of the yarn you choose.
Cast on 29 stitches.
Knit 2 garter ridges.
Row 1: K1, *k3, p3,* ending k3, k1 -- 29 sts.
Row 2: *K1, p1,* ending k1 -- 29 sts.
Knit to desired length. End by knitting 2 garter ridges.
NOTE: Text in red added 3/8/2010. Thank you to anonymous knitter who did the math and pointed out a most helpful text edit.
That's it! Simple knitting without complex pattern. I've knit this scarf for my Dad who likes a wool scarf as a neck warmer. For Dad's scarves, I one skein of Lamb's Pride worsted (190 yards) on US #9 needles and knit until the yarn is used up. This results in a scarf about 36 inches long and 5 inches wide. Dad's scarf is knit in charcoal gray with black stripes at each end. Handsome, isn't it!
For my sister Heidi, I used a lighter weight yarn -- a silk/wool blend -- and knit two skeins (220 yards) on US #6 needles. Her scarf is longer than Dad's and matches her Zelda Hat. Heidi likes her scarf and hat set which I knit in green, one of my favorite colors to use when I'm not sure what color to use. I let the recipient know that if the hat doesn't fit quite right, since it is green, you can wear it when you are doing "green" activities like taking out the recycling or gardening!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Snow People; A New Runner
What fun! Snow people for our December window displays! Here's the first one with her bead and sequin features, stick arms and hand knit sparkling hat.Remember how easy it is to do a table runner? Here's a variation of the Change Mat for babies that's in our latest book, Maxmats. My mother-in-law Pauline Eichler sewed these blocks for her daughter, Sue. I finished the quilting and binding last week. Sue's latest email shows the completed runner on top of her antique library table.
Since Sue is a frog fan, the print in the green binding has frogs on it. By the time I cut up the binding and sewed it in place, even the frogs felt right at home in this easy to make table runner.Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Luscious Handpaint Yarn
Here's Brown Sheep's Lanaloft Handpaint yarn. This is a softly spun yarn that is single ply and is 100% wool. We like knitting this yarn for winter hats and find that one skein does a hat for an adult or child easily. Our new website (still to come!) will feature this yarn along with other from the Brown Sheep Co. Brown Sheep is located in Mitchell, NB and is one of the premier producers of knitting yarns here in the U. S.
This is Color LL777 -- Autumn Run in Lanaloft Handpaint Worsted weight 100% wool.
Yardage: 160 yards per 100 gram skein
Price: $12
Suggested needle size: US # 10 1/2. (We prefer using #8 or 9 for this yarn.)
Yardage: 160 yards per 100 gram skein
Price: $12
Suggested needle size: US # 10 1/2. (We prefer using #8 or 9 for this yarn.)
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