On and off my needles

 This fall has been very busy, but I'm still finding time to knit! My current work in progress is this cute green skirt. The pattern's really easy, too:

Cast on 42 stitches for the waistband and knit in 1 by 1 ribbing until it fits you. Then, pick up stitches along one side. Divide the number of stitches you have (I had 260) by 4 and mark 4 increase points. Increase every 6 rows three times, then every tenth row until the skirt is done. I'm about 20 inches from being done. It's slow but steady knitting, and I can't wait to have my finished skirt to wear!




I've been working on some other fun projects, too. This pretty purple shawl is in a lovely yarn - Hemp 6 - with a lot of drape. Edda crocheted a flower to add a little extra charm.

I'm especially excited about this last shawl - it's for my future daughter-in-law! My son is getting married at the end of December and they asked me to make something to help keep the beautiful bride warm. I wound up asking Betsy to help me with the edging, and she did a great job. It's Kidsilk Haze on size 9 needles. The pattern is called Purity.

Pumpkins and Stephen West!

Fall is in full swing at Klose Knit! Want to knit something for Halloween? Check out Edda's fantastic pumpkin pattern (free in the shop!). Make a little pumpkin patch of your own for some festive decorations.

Want to knit something other than pumpkins? Here are some more fun (and free!) Halloween patterns! Click the images to see the patterns in Ravelry.

All this talk of Halloween and pumpkins is making us hungry for pumpkin recipies, too! We can't wait to try out these Iced Pumpkin Cookies from allrecipes.com.

 

Yummy!

Thanks to everyone who came to meet Stephen and take his class. We had a great time! We're also extra excited about Westknits, Book 4, which will be arriving on Thursday!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Stephen West at Klose Knit on October 8!

We are so excited to announce that local knitting celebrity Stephen West of

westknits.com will be at Klose Knit on Monday, October 8!

Stephen has been a longtime friend of the shop, and we are very happy to help him celebrate the release of his third book, Westknits Book 3.

We'll start with a trunk show to display samples of Stephen's amazing work.

At 4:00, come for a meet and greet and book signing. Show off your Westknits projects or get inspired to start a new one!

From 5:30-8:00, join us for a fantastic top-down shawl workshop! In this workshop Stephen West uses his popular shawl designs to talk about shape, construction, and drape. Students will knit a small triangular swatch while he discusses topics such as cast ons, increases, bin offs, and blocking. Special emphasis will be focused on different shaping techniques. You will also learn some of Stephen's favorite tips and tricks.

• Materials: scrap yarn and needles of choice for a swatch (worsted weight recommended).
• Homework: Familiarize yourself with Make One Left and Make One Right increases if you have never encountered them before.
• Cost: $50

Want to learn more about Stephen? Stop by the shop to see his books, or take a tour of his website. He even has some free patterns to give you a taste of his style. Need to practice those make-one increases? Try the Boneyard Shawl for an easy introduction to paired increases: http://westknits.com/index.php/pattern/shawls/boneyard-shawl/  

We look forward to seeing you - and Stephen! - in the shop soon! Until then, happy knitting!

September Wrapup

Our anniversary party was a huge success! Thank you all for coming to support the
shop. The yarn bombing also turned out great. Stop by to see your handiwork on our
handrail! 

The yarn bombing has created a mystery that we really want to solve, though. This
beautiful crochet flower turned up, and we have no idea who donated it! If this 
is your work please let us know so we can thank you properly! 

If you enjoyed this yarn bombing, we have another one coming up! Downtown Urbana
will be celebrating trees on Saturday, October 13. Donate your old, unloved handknit
sweaters to help us decorate Klose Knit's trees. With your help we will really be
able to put something special together! 

Brigitte has just finished her sample of the lovely Firefly Shrug. You can get this
pattern for free when you buy two skeins of Pashm by Kate Wright Designs. This is
the most wonderful, squishy, soft and bouncy yarn we've come across yet, and it 
comes in amazing colorways to boot! Come check out our sample and the yarn, you 
won't be sorry you did. 

We have beautiful new samples from the Little Book of Little Sweaters. If you like
the look of these sweaters, sized for American Girl or other 18" dolls, come sign
up for one of the classes! There are patterns for all skill levels, including knitters
who have never made a sweater before. 

If you'd rather knit a sweater for a teddy bear than a doll, you're in luck - Brigitte
has just finished a new Teddy Bear Sweater pattern, which you can get free at the
shop! We even have bears for sale! Buy one of these sweet teddies and dress him 
in lovely sweaters made from your leftover yarns in any color you like. 

Come see our newest amazing yarn: Beaded Silk Sequins Light by Artyarns. It's silk
with tiny sequins and Murano glass beads. The sparkle on this yarn is incredible!
And it comes in many different shades, sure to appeal to anyone who likes a little
glamor in their knitting. 

We look forward to seeing you in the shop soon! Don't forget to check out the new
Malabrigo! Until then, happy knitting!

It is done!

It was a simple sweater . but a lot of knitting.
I also would NOT take a semisolids for this project.
To avoid pooling by using two balls for the sleeves.

Saint Patrick's Day, Maybe?

I almost finished the left arm! Two more inches to go. What is driving me crazy is alternating skeins of yarn. That is no fun. I'll check back when I'm on the second sleeve.

Slow Progress

Shucks! I'm still on the sleeves! I had to rip one out and start over to fix some pooling and a sizing problem. Now I'm alternating balls two balls of yarn and making great progress. I think it'll take two more weeks before I'm done. Maybe a red St. Patrick's Day sweater!

(Almost) Valentine's Day Sweater

The ribbing is done! On the bottom I used size US 7 needles (200 stitches). The ribbing on the to I used size US 5 needles, took the recommended number of stitches and added a short row in the back. It fits perfectly now!

But the downside is that the Valentine’s Sweater needs a little more time. I needed to get ready for other things, and just did not have the time for my beloved almost Valentine’s Sweater. Next week I hope!

Valentine's Day Sweater Again!

Seven more rows and I'm ready to do the ribbing! More later.

The Valentine's Day Sweater Grows

I am still knitting around and around. More news when I get to the sleeves!

Valentine's Day Sweater

VHi Everybody!
I had this wonderful Lorna's Laces Gree Line left over and it just called out to me Valentin's Day
Sweater. But I also wanted to make this into a class, were people who have always wanted to
make a sweater, really can do a very chick sweater.
This sweater is from Knitting Pure and Simple , and you will learn about how to fit a sweater,
put short rows where the are needed and to feel really on top of things.

More knitting tomorrow...

Class by the way is on March 6, 13, and 20th.
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