Knit Happens

Santa has visited us a bit early, delivering via DHL. (Hey, he’s a little busy at the Workshop right about now. We understand. We’re a heck of a long way from the North Pole for just one delivery – and we sure did want this one early!)

Five boxes. Right before Christmas. From a mysterious vendor. We were intrigued, to say the least. Upon opening them, we were presented with the wondrous sight of… Malabrigo! Lots and lots of it!

There were sounds of joy all around. We’ve only been waiting for this since the Spring! We had heard about the lusciousness of the Malabrigo, but we hadn’t experienced it for ourselves yet… There may have been some rolling around in the bags of Malabrigo. Maybe. (Working at a yarn store has never looked like more fun, huh?)

Thanks, Santa!

Are there still people out there intimidated by the idea of Fair Isle even after our last post? Well, this hat is a great way to learn how to Fair Isle… without a lot of the stress of taking on a sweater. Plus, in the space of just a couple evenings, you will have a great (very warm) hat that you can keep – or gift, depending on how generous you feel.

Steph found this hat pattern on Ravelry (yes, all of us are on it here at the shop – it’s such a great tool! If you aren’t on their waiting list yet, get on there…) and proceeded to knit it up in just two nights with three colors of the RYC Cashsoft DK. You can probably guess what happened next. A few balls of Cashsoft DK came home with me, a few balls of Felted Tweed went home with Michelle… the list goes on.

“What is this pattern and where can I get it?” you ask? The pattern is the creation of Sheila from Ewenique Fiber and is called the Inga hat. (While you’re there, take a look around her blog – she also makes soap… and it looks good! I may have to get some.) The pattern is very well written – a newer knitter to Fair Isle will be able to understand the technique easily. Plus, the patterning is quite addictive once you see it start to emerge… which is why it can be labeled a ‘quick knit’.

Now, does the Fair Isle still seem scary? Remember, I can knit it without hurting myself. That should tell you something. Try it out and don’t forget to send us pictures!

(Pictures of hats: top, Holly; middle, Steph; bottom, Rachel)