Serenity Knits: September 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Have you seen my knitting????

I am happy to report this is just a cute picture I found on the internet, not one of my cats trying to "help", as they sometimes do.

Beth

Serenity Knits

Monday, September 22, 2014

A P.S. to Shopping at Diamond Yarns

I forgot to mention, the Noro self-striping sock yarns which I selected at Diamond Yarns, would be excellent choices for a couple of classes being offered this fall. Both designs require two skeins of sock yarn and are particularly dramatic when one of the yarns is self-striping, with long colour changes.

Check them out on Ravelry

Dreambird

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dreambird-kal

Itineris

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/itineris

Class	Dreambird (Gabriela) 1 three hour class - $30 plus project supplies (pattern available for download) http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dreambird-kal
Date & Time	Friday 1:00-4:00pm, Oct. 24
Description	Dreambird looks more complicated than it is. When you strictly follow the instructions for the first feather the following ones will be a walk in the park! The shaping is done by short rows and Nadita Swings explains everything in detail so that you don’t need to be an advanced knitter to knit this piece. You can knit the feathers with a yarn of rather long color changes in fingering weight yarn or use Kid Silk Haze for a cozy wrap
Prerequisites	Intermediate; you will love short rows after this project!

Class	Itineris Shawl Knit-Along (KAL) Pattern by Hilary Smith Callis (Karen) Six 2 hour classes – Free with purchase of required yarn and pattern.
Date & Time	Wednesday afternoons: October 1 to November 5, 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Description	“Itineris (Latin for voyage) is a modern triangular wrap with a unique construction. The shawl is made up of three sections: a large triangle, a rectangular extension, and a smaller triangle to finish. The knitting will take you different routes while a graphic stripe sequence forms intersecting pathways along the side. Knit all in Garter Stitch with patterns and shaping that are easy to memorize, Itineris is a fun knit that results in a striking finished piece”.
Prerequisites	Good basic knitting skills and the ability to read patterns.
	Both classes still have spaces. And in case you didn't notice, Itineris is a FREE Knit-A-Long with Karen. Happy Knitting Beth

Friday, September 19, 2014

Beth Went Shopping This Week: Part One, Diamond yarns

I made a run to a couple of our local distributors this week. Talk about "knitters' candy store". Row after row of shelves of luscious yarns. It is always so difficult for me to stick to my shopping list.
We have now restocked several of our basics.
* Sirdar Snuggly DK (your perfect baby yarn) and Click DK

Click DK is a wool/acrylic blend with some great tweedy colours. It is machine washable so especially well suited for kids stuff.

*Noro Silk Garden Sock.

Silk Garden Sock shade 87 is one of my all time favourites yarns. It is perfection for entrelac designs.

This pattern is a Free download on Knitting Daily. The link below will get you there via Ravelry
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-basic-entrelac-scarf

Colour 211

The above cowl, Ronbiais. shown in Silk Garden Sock colour 211, is a recently posted FREE pattern on Ravelry. The pattern offers 3 sizes and as you can see, is perfect for self-striping yarns.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ronbiais

Noro Taiyo Sock is also self striping.

I have knit Rollercoaster Triangle with Taiyo and I quite like the way it turned out. The other bonus of this pattern, FREE on Ravelry, is you waste no yarn. You start with a few stitches and increase until you are almost out of yarn and then cast off. I love it. I hate wasting even a few precious meters of my favourite Noro yarns.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rollercoastertriangle

When we first opened, we used to carry Lana Grossa Sock yarns. And they were wonderful. For several years there was no Canadian distributor for Lana Grossa and it was hard to find. We were therefore pleased to see that Diamond now carries this wonderful collection. I picked just a couple of colours with many more to come as they arrive.

Aloha Bali

And last but not least, we are again offering Sirdar Big Softie. Thick bulky yarns are big again this year. Big Softie knits at 9 stitches over 4 inches and is perfect for soft warm cowls and scarves that will knit in a flash.

While supplies last, Big Softie patterns will be half price or Free with yarn purchase. Because of the current popularity of this weight of yarn, you will find hundreds of designs on Ravelry to inspire you. Here are just a couple -

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sewingjem/boho-blues-neckwarmer

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chunky-slouch-cap

Shroom from Knitty http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTshroom.php

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-one-ball-of-rasta-version-of-the-triangle-cowl

Happy Knitting.
Coming soon, Shopping Day Two, Estelle Yarns.
Beth

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Knitting with Beads

Yesterday I had such fun. I took a couple of classes at my local bead store -
That Bead Lady http://www.thatbeadlady.com/

My classes were on basic wire wrapping and pearl knotting. It was a little humbling to be on the student side of a class. My teacher Allison was incredibly patient, I persevered and finished with a couple of pretty cool projects.

They are a few blocks north of us on Davis Drive, just west of Main Street. We send a lot of people there to buy beads for our Knitting with Beads Classes.

Class	Knitting with Beads (Beth) One 2 hour Classes $20 plus supplies
Date & Time	Monday, September 29 6:00pm – 8:00pm OR Thursday, November 27 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Description	Add some bling to your knitting; embellishing garments and accessories with beads has become very popular. In this class we will review &practice a few simple techniques which will allow you to add beads to just about anything you like. A selection of popular projects using beads will be reviewed.
Prerequisites	Intermediate; knowledge of the basics.
	Jewelled Cowl, FREE pattern on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jeweled-cowl Churchmouse Before &After Scarf - purchased pattern we try to keep in stock, can be hard sometimes because we sell a lot of them, it is very popular.

They have a very extensive collection of beautiful quality seed bead in size 6/0, the size which works best for most of the beaded projects we feature at the store.

While there I found out the seed beads were on sale so I selected some beads for another Churchmouse Beaded Design I want to knit - their Beaded Mohair Scarf.

This is the yarn - Fleece Artist mohair.

These are the beads.

I look forward to getting started. I am so glad I discovered how to attach beads with a crochet hook. It is so much kinder to your yarn than stringing them all on advance and a lot easier as well. With variegated yarns and different coloured beads, the "attach as you go with a crochet hook" method also allows you to decide which colour beads best harmonizes with the yarn colours.

That Bead Lady has a sale on right now. Size 6/0 beads are on sale reduced 20% until September 20. A great time to stock up and the selection is great.

Beth

Serenity Knits

Thursday, September 11, 2014

When the weather cools, time to pick up your needles

Summer is just about finished. We have had a couple of really cold days. Thank heavens, it has not been as bad as poor Calgary. September 11 is a little too early for snow. If the cooler weather has you thinking knitting, and maybe you feel like learning something new, fall classes started this week at Serenity Knits. If you have not already had a look at them, check our website for details.
http://www.serenityknits.ca/knittingclasses.htm
As always, please feel free to call or drop by if you have any questions.

For more inspiration, both Vogue Magazine Website

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b7001c3dbde020aa0b7e5c04d&id=11e9cc5920&e=9af17ea975

and Interweave Magazine Website

http://nls.interweave.com/t/bfhbbSMMjQBLS~QQ-fBVfaFXJ6aaaBVfFXJ6?n=8@uD0CtD&X=iX0atVletTu_avmtTpe.jht&Xl=UlmofjXsfhg_oh0fhbs.Vvf&s=6-j&4=&k=%23

have great sales on patterns right now.

Vogue and Interweave have these sales several times a year. They offer a great opportunity to stock up on patterns.

I visit these websites often. If I am knitting from their magazines, I view the errata sections first to check if any problems or mistakes have been identified with the design I am about to begin. Both websites offer a large selection of FREE patterns. Visit their websites and sign up for their newsletters. Then you can access the free patterns and receive notification of future sales.

Beth

Serenity Knits

Friday, September 5, 2014

Classic Elite Liberty Wool Print

One of our favourite yarns at Serenity Knits is Classic Elite Liberty Wool Print. Karen recommends it for her mitered mittens class in October.

Class	Mitered Mittens (Karen) Two 2 hr classes - $40.00 + supplies
Date & Time	Wednesday evenings, October 15, and 29, 6:30 P.M. – 8:30 P.M
Description	If you dislike working on double pointed needles, these are the mittens for you! Worked in one piece beginning with the cuff, seams are sewn along the outside of the hand and around the pointed top as well as the inside of the thumb. The thumb gusset is worked on the side of the mitten resulting in a mitten that will fit either hand. Garter stitch makes them extra squishy and warm and the mitered shaping adds interest in the self-striping yarn.
Prerequisites	Intermediate. The knitter should have good basic knitting skills and be able to follow simple patterns.

Classic Elite has offered this wool for many years and each season adds new colours. If you would like to check out the colour palette, visit their website below.. While you are there, check out their extensive selection of FREE patterns and sign up for their newsletter

http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/home.php

These are just a couple of colourways.