Knit Happens

All of us here at Knit Happens want to wish you and your families a very safe and wonderful New Year! Enjoy yourselves tonight and get lots of rest tomorrow – 2009 will be a great year! We appreciate and love the support and love you’ve all shown us this year and look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

As a reminder, we will be closing at 5pm today (so we can get ready for our celebrations too) and will remain closed through Monday, January 5th for inventory. We will reopen at 10:30am on Tuesday, January 6th. We won’t be answering the door or phones during this time, so if you need to reach us, please leave us a voicemail or email Holly and we’ll get back to you on Tuesday.

Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve! We will see you all in 2009!

~ Holly, Aimée, Kelly, Michelle, Olga and Danielle

(Photo from the Life archives at Google: Crowds celebrating the New Year mobbing Times Square, 1942. If you haven’t used this wonderful search tool for images, try it out – I did a search on knitting there and came up with hundreds of photos through the years!)

I have received phone calls, emails and comments on here asking us about our website. Thank you for all your concern – I am looking into it right now and hope to get the website back up and running ASAP. Until then, keep an eye on here for developments! I’m not quite sure what happened, but thanks again for keeping me informed.

All of us here at Knit Happens want to wish you and your family a very happy and safe Christmas.

As a reminder, we are open today (Christmas Eve) until 1pm and will be closed tomorrow (Christmas Day) and Friday. We will reopen on Saturday, December 27 at 10:30am.

Have a very merry Christmas and we’ll see you on Saturday, if not today!

~ Holly, Aimée, Kelly, Michelle, Olga and Danielle

Just in time for the holidays: a shipment of Studio Sock and Victorian Bulky from Neighborhood Fiber Co!

We have been woefully low on stock of both of those for the longest time – Karida is only one person, after all – and to be surprised with a shipment of sock and bulky is like an early Christmas gift!

For the interested, the colors in the picture are (top shelf, L to R): Randle Circle, Logan Circle, Dupont Circle, Lincoln Park, Brightwood, Grant Circle, Sheridan Circle
(bottom shelf L to R): Columbus Circle, Cooper Circle, LeDroit Park, Kalorama Circle, Tenley Circle, Foggy Bottom, Truxton Circle, Thomas Circle.

In the Victorian Bulky, we have (L to R): Columbus Circle, Cooper Circle, Sheridan Circle. (We did have LeDroit Park, but sold out of it the day after we got it in!)

We also still have plenty of the Studio Sport and the Maisonette (her 50% Merino, 50% Silk blend laceweight) in stock as well.

Why is this a Holiday Gift Idea? This a perfect gift for a knitter who might not live in the area or who used to live in the area and needs a little reminder of home. All of the colorways in the Neighborhood Fiber Co line are named after DC neighborhoods, both well known and obscure. And all of the colorways have stories behind them. I know of a few knitters who will be getting a skein or two in their stocking…

Don’t forget our holiday hours!

Christmas is just around the corner (everyone have your freakout now…. There, better?) and we have changed up our hours next week to reflect that. (The changes are in red.)

Sunday 12/21, 12 – 5
Monday 12/22, 10:30 – 7
Tuesday 12/23, 10:30 – 7
Wednesday 12/24, 9 – 1
Thursday 12/25, Closed
Friday 12/26, Closed
Saturday 12/27, 10:30 – 7

So, you’ve been by the shop and looked at the luscious Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn and wondered what you could do with it, other than making socks (why, I don’t know, but go with me here). How about this idea – use one skein to make a gorgeous, lacy scarf that’s easy and quick to knit?

Well, that’s what we thought too, but no one had enough time to sit down with it and play around to find a lace pattern that wasn’t obscured by the striping, which is where our lovely 4-Ply Katie comes in and saves us! Katie just got back from her honeymoon and is spending lots of time in the DC area before she has to go back to the Sudan and has been acquiring yarn to add to her stash. Well, when she picked up a skein of the Silk Garden Sock, she had the same thought as we did – only she actually came up with a pattern! And what a cute pattern it is… Thanks Katie!

4-Ply Katie’s Simple Chevron Scarf

Materials

1 skein Silk Garden Sock yarn (approx. 320 yds)
1 set US5 needles

Notes

• Scarf will have a three stitch garter stitch border.

• Scarf is approximately 80” long and 5” wide if entire ball is used.

Pattern

Row 1: k3, *yo, k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k1; repeat from * to last two sts, k2

Row 2: k3, purl to last 3 sts, k3

Scarf

CO 29 sts
Knit 6 rows
Repeat the two rows of the pattern until the scarf is the desired length.
Knit 6 rows.
BO all sts.

Block scarf firmly to achieve openness and end points.

Every crafter needs a great bag for projects and supplies – no matter what your style, we’ve got a bag for you!

The Mazie Bag by Della Q is a lightweight tote in colorful cotton and striped silk. Carry small projects in style!

The coordinating Agnes Bag is generously sized with multiple pockets for your larger projects and craft accessories – you could even use it as a weekend bag! Quality details like heavy-duty zippers and metal feet make this a bag you’ll enjoy for a long time.

A portion of the proceeds from each Della Q bag goes to Vietnam Quilts, a non-profit organization that trains low-income and rural Vietnamese women in the art of quilting, and provides them with a means to a steady income.

Stylish design and solid construction make the Newport Bag by Namaste perfect for any occasion. This PVC-free faux leather bag has metal feet and strong magnetic closures. The interior is equipped with plenty of pockets to hold all your supplies – you’ll want to use this bag every day!

Need even more room? Namaste’s Messenger Bag has it! This expandable knitting bag with an urban feel is constructed with a durable corduroy exterior and accented with a interior canvas print for extra style.

(photo credits: Della Q, Namaste Inc.)

It seems like an age since we’ve been able to blog that there is NEW YARN in the shop, but just in time for the holidays, there is… NEW YARN.

Last year we introduced you all to the lusciousness that is the Fibre Company’s Organik line. Unfortunately, after that first order, it was so hard to get it back in stock. We all thought that what we had might be the last of it that we’d ever see…

Fast forward to a couple months ago. I received a letter from Courtney and Kate from Kelbourne Woolens telling me that they are the new distributors for the Fibre Company and were waiting on a shipment of yarn to arrive – specifically, the Organik. Of course I called them up and placed an order – and decided to throw in a new line for us, just to see… the Canopy Fingering. Am I glad I did!

The colors are phenomenal and the feel of the yarn – words cannot express how soft this is! It’s 50% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino and 20% Bamboo, so it should be pretty darn soft. At 200 yards a hank, you will be able to get a lot of knitting done for not a lot of money! The best part by far? They have fabulous pattern support for the Canopy Fingering. I’m currently whipping up a wonderful, one skein project, their Springtime in Philadelphia beret. Knit from the top down in a simple lace pattern, it will be a great accessory this winter. With the alpaca, it will be warm, too. Also offered by them is an absolutely adorable vintage-y baby set, Lucille.

Holiday Gift Idea #4

Everyone’s got that last minute gift that just has to be knit. You know you do. (I promised myself no Christmas Knitting this year, but, as it happens every holiday, I found someone who needs a knitted gift.) So, why not knit up something fun, warm, and quick?

These mittens definitely fit the bill. The Give a Hoot mittens (also by Kelbourne Woolens) are a fun, quick knit using two skeins of the Organik or just one of the Harrisville Orchid (a cashmere/wool blend, how delicious!) and US8’s. Olga whipped these up in just a few hours – of course, she is a speedy knitter… however, you can knit these up in a couple evenings – or just one, if there’s nothing on TV. These mittens also have a new twist on the thumb which make them fun and keep your interest! Instead of the buttons called for in the pattern for the eyes, try a couple french knots instead – it’s a great way to use up those really tiny leftover bits of yarn!

The Canopy Fingering color card posted with permission from Kelbourne Woolens.

Good things come in small packages, and we’ve got some great little gifts to round out your holiday purchases.

The Sweater Stone is perfect for maintaining everything from handknits to upholstery – it gently removes fuzz and pills to keep your fabrics looking fresh. The all-natural pumice stone is packaged with recycled materials – a great eco-friendly choice!

Soak Wash is great for washing handknits, delicates, even your pets! This environmentally friendly, no-rinse wash cleans like crazy while still being gentle on fine fibers, leaving them soft and smelling great. Soak Wash is biodegradable and packaged in recyclable bottles printed with water-based inks. Pick up a bottle to use on all your hand and machine washables, or tuck a few sample packets in with your handknitted gifts.

And of course we’ve got gift certificates! A Knit Happens gift certificate is the perfect choice for that hard-to-shop-for knitter or crocheter on your list. (It’s always the right color and there’s always enough yardage!)

(photo credits: Sweater Stone, Soak Wash)

Have you run into that last minute holiday stocking request? You know the one, where someone comes up to you and tells you that they have a new significant other/spouse/child/pet and tells you that they just know you can knit one for them? (These requests are generally accompanied by lots of compliments on your abilities…) However, you haven’t knitted a stocking in 20 years or you’ve never knit one before?

Or do you just want to learn the basics of knitting a sock – just on a very large scale?

Then join Danielle and Knit-a-Gogo tonight at Buzz Bakery for a two week workshop on Holiday stockings, starting tonight at 7pm and continuing next Thursday, December 11. You will learn how to knit the stockings from the toe up using a turkish cast-on and a short row heel. Register now!

You will need:

• 200 yards worsted weight yarn in main color

• 100 yards of worsted weight yarn in each of two contrast colors

• US#8 16″ circular needle and one additional US#8 circular needle of any size

• Stitch markers

This is the ideal way to learn the basics of toe-up sock knitting while creating a wonderful, lasting memento for your family. Register now for a spot in the workshop!

Photo courtesy of Knit-a-Gogo.