A Knitter's Resolution

The New Year has begun and many of us make resolutions and for knitter's it is usually the "destash" resolution.  I thought about this as I never resolved to plow through my stash and use some of the beautiful yarn I've collected.  So I decided this year I would start with small, one skein projects.  So I'd like to share with you the finished pieces and links to the patterns on Ravelry!

Antrho-Inspired Scarflet

Here is the Antrho-Inspired Scarflet designed by Kim Seio.  This is a free pattern and is quick and easy to complete.  I used a skein of Artyarns, but I didn't have the label, so it may be Beaded Silk & Sequins, but not a 100% sure, the color is 136.

Click here to get more info on this free pattern!

Ruffled Trimmed Cowl

The next destash is the Ruffled Trim Cowl designed by The Knit Knot.  This skein of Artyarns Cashmere 5 has 102 yards and the color is 191.

Click here to get more info on this pattern, price is $4.00.

Morning Walk Headband Earwarmer

The next pattern is the Morning Walk Headband Earwarmer by Tif Matthews - this free pattern is super quick and easy and done with chunky yarn can be finished very quickly.  My niece, Maddie, also made one as well, she decided to line hers with fleece!

The blue-green one is knit in Woolbearers Superwash Chunky and Maddie's is knit in Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky.


Click here to get more info on this free pattern.






So dig through your stash, maybe search for the yarn in Ravelry and see what others are making with it or just start searching for something that you can use up that pretty skein of yarn!!!

Yarnia - Portland, OR - A Different Kind of Yarn Shop

Karen was in Portland, OR last week and had a great time.  Of course she was scouting around yarn shops and stumbled on Yarnia, a very different type of yarn shop and she had a great time!!

Angela - great to work with while picking colors and fibers

Upon entering Yarnia there are cones of yarn everywhere with many different fibers and colors!  You must remember that this is not your typical yarn shop with bins of soft, squishy yarn, but as you realize you can make up your own truly unique yarn to knit with it is like a painter's palette with not just color, but fibers!!!!  Remember many of our beautiful skeins started out on a large cone just like these!

You start to search through the cones and start to put your colors and fibers together - the shop will let you test out your yarn to check gauge and how the combination will look knitted up.  You can pick up to six different cones of yarn, Karen stuck with 3 for each cone she created.

Gray - Alpaca, Mauve - Rayon, Green - Alpaca

This combination has been picked and is ready to be wound together on a cone and ready to knit up!!

The machine works quickly the yarn was created in a matter of minutes - this combination was 340 yards of yarn and will knit up at a worsted weight.  Below is a quick video of the three yarns being wound together!!!!

Karen was at the shop for 3 hours and created 5 different cones of yarn.  It is great to go in with a project in mind.  Karen wants to knit the Low Tide vest by tincanknits and was able to create her yarn and get the yardage wound on one cone!!!  We can't wait to see what she picked!!

This is a fun and different approach for choosing your fiber - make sure to check out this unique shop by clicking here!!!

Knitting & The Compassionate Friends

Ann Hood is on the board of The Compassionate Friends and you really should check out this incredible organization.  See below to read their mission statement to give you a brief intro into this wonderful organization.

Ann invited Karen to teach a Beginning Knitting Class at the 35th Annual Compassionate Friends Conference in Costa Mesa, CA.  Karen flew out with 30 bags, each containing a skein of yarn, knitting needles, a TNNA "Learn to Knit Book" and a handout of useful knitting sites.  

Having never worked with a group that large it seemed a bit daunting, but much to her surprise, several women offered their assistance the day before the class, so Karen, Ann, Cinda and Karen were able to get 29 women and 1 man cast on and knitting - everyone was knitting and it was amazing - what a great group of first time knitters.  Here are some pictures taken by Ann Hood during our class - enjoy!!

Karen - Demonstrating the Cast On

Wife teaching her husband to knit!

The class hard at work

Karen talking about the class and what they would be learning

Our Mission
The mission of The Compassionate Friends: When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

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The Compassionate Friends was founded over 40 years ago when a chaplain at the Warwickshire Hospital in England brought together two sets of grieving parents and realized that the support they gave each other was better than anything he, as a chaplain, could ever say or provide. Meeting around a kitchen table, the Lawleys and the Hendersons were joined by a bereaved mother and the chaplain, Simon Stephens, and The Society of the Compassionate Friends was born. The Compassionate Friends jumped across the ocean and was established in the United States and incorporated in 1978 in Illinois.

Stephen West's Mystery Shawl KAL: 2012

Helen's "Wrap It Up" sessions begin on Thursday, June 28th for shawl knitting.  She had a great idea that we all think about doing the Stephen West Mystery Shawl KAL that begins on Friday, July 13th and runs for 4 weeks.

Click here to purchase the pattern on Ravelry and get full details.  Helen and Karen have already started obsessing about which yarns to use as it takes 2 skeins of light fingering weight yarn.  Karen has decided on her yarn, Play at Life Fiber Arts Sparkle in a beautiful green (no surprise here) and Shibui Sock in Periwinkle (again, no surprise here), she has decided to move up to a US 4 needle for the shawl.  We're all still waiting to see what Helen finally decides - but she was putting together all sorts of beautiful combinations here at the shop! 

Rhode Island Wool & Fiber Festival - May 19TH

On Saturday, May 19th, join fiber and textile enthusiasts from across the Northeast at Rhode Island's only Wool and Fiber Festival.  See craftspeople demonstrate traditional and contemporary fiber arts; purchase your own textile supplies, equipment, and gifts to take home; watch the hand shearing of sheep, and help with 18th century textile and farm work.

9:00am-4:00pm. $8.00 for Adults; $5.00 for Seniors and Children (6-12); Children under 5 Free. Museum Members-$5.00 for Adults; $3.00 for Seniors and Children (6-12); Children 5 and under Free.

Be Sweet Call Out for Friend of Fresh purls

Ellen (Hellocutie) decided to knit this hat for Karen (Buzzknit) because of the bee motif. Be Sweet Satisfaction had just the colors she wanted, but the wrong weight.  Feeling hubristic, she plunged in figuring she could compensate by deleting one of the repeats.

Unfortunately, the hat still came out way too big. Not wanting to frog it after so much work, she threw it in the washing machine, where it felted beautifully (Note to self: Satisfaction is a terrific felting yarn). When she was done, instead of a generously-sized beret, she had a little, round felted cap that did fit the recipient, but was probably more of a fashion-y hat then a warm winter hat (though warm! see: felted wool).

All in all, this is a FAIL, though an interesting failure.

Karen, the recipient does not see it as fail, and loves her Bumble Hat!!  Nice of Be Sweet to give Ellen a call out on what we will call a "Happy Accident!!"

Gads What is All The Construction About????

For those of you visiting us and other merchants on Hope Street have no doubt encountered the crazy detours and one lane road diversions on Hope Street.  Well, here is the skinny on this project and ripping up of the streets:

The "mini-dig" on Hope Street

The construction in our neighborhood is to address Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and bring Rhode Island into compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act by keeping storm-related sewer discharges out of our urban rivers and Narragansett Bay. The current construction---the new pipes being installed throughout Providence--- is for Phase II of the Narragansett Bay Commission’s CSO Project. Phase I was completed in 2008.

What’s a Combined Sewer Overflow?

Many of Providence’s sewers date back to the late 19th or early 20th century. At that time, the state of technology in sewer construction was to install a single pipe in the street to handle both sanitary sewage from homes and businesses AND storm water that flowed off roofs and on streets*. These sewers are called Combined Sewers, and they work great in dry weather. When it rains, however, the pipes become overwhelmed with the extra storm water. In order to keep the sewage from backing up into houses or onto the city street, the original engineers designed the system to overflow into the nearest river in periods of heavy rain. This is called a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO). CSOs violate the Federal Clean Water Act and cause shellfishing closures due to bacterial contamination from sanitary sewage.

Why do you have to rip up the streets?

We know: construction is inconvenient and aggravating. But, the sewers are under the streets, and the only way to get to them is to disturb the surface. We’re doing this as efficiently as possible, but the truth about digging in an older urban environment is that we sometimes find things we didn’t plan on and our work gets delayed.

Source & more information, click here

CONSTRUCTION SALE AT FRESH PURLS

Since there is such a mess Fresh Purls will be having a "Construction Sale" starting on Thursday, April 26th - All full priced items will be 20% off through Wednesday, May 2nd!!!!  (Sale price may not be combined with any other discounts)