Autumn Brings Us October GOLD!!! and November Thanks 2018

Hello Everyone!

No sooner did Summer end than the cooler weather of Fall was upon us. And what better way to celebrate the beautiful color and textures of Fall than to have two KALs featuring Andrea Mowry's spectacular designs. Our October KAL had us knitting the “The Golden Hour” shawl. This shawl has everything to display color combination through mosaic knitting, bobbles, and even lacework eyelets in the beautiful warmth of worsted weight yarn. Foe my shawl, I chose the brighter pallet of the Lorna’s Laces fuchsia, turquoise, and speckled black, with hints of the two brights and more subtle grays and even a hint of orange. I think the hardest part for me was to decide which bright went first. I chose the turquoise but I do think either bright would have worked. I find that knitting with US 8 needles are very comfortable in my hands, especially when knitting so many different techniques. Andrea Mowry includes the best tutorials as part of her patterns, some of them her own, some by others. The links in the pattern to the Garter Tab Cast On, Bobbles, and Cable Cast On are so helpful and very clear. For me, the tutorial on bobbles helped me make them stand up. My bobbles don’t always stand out and this tutorial solved the flat bobble dilemma. Blocking is very important for this project because it really brings out the texture. What is so wonderful about this shawl is the many color combinations you can use. I think this shawl lend equally to neutrals as well as brighter colors. Check out the projects page under the pattern on Ravelry. 

The Golden Hour

Another first for Yarns by HPF was the introduction of our Yarn Club. We offered a choice of two Madeline Tosh yarns for our October debut. The Yarn Club rules are on our Facebook page. What makes our Yarn Club a bit different from the others is that the club members get to choose their color bases. We also offer a surprise or two as part of the experience. Our Yarn Family has given us very positive feedback and we are continuing the club. Stay tuned for new yarns, some one of a kind (a nod to Madeline Tosh, one of our favorites).

As we moved onto November Thanks, our second Andrea Mowry KAL featured her very popular “The Shift” cowl. This cowl drapes like a shawl

The Shift

without the figuring out how to drape it. The colors shift, hence the name, throughout the cowl, making it very eye appealing. We used Schoppel Wolle Edition 3 yarn for our projects. This yarn is an excellent substitute for the patterns Spincyle yarn, offering dynamic and subtle color changes. Perhaps the most exciting thing while knitting this cowl is to see how the colors play off one another. Edition 3 is perfect for marled and striped projects giving artistic and very eye catching results. I used three combinations that all had blacks, grays, and tans (of course) with hints of red, fuchsia, and orange! Yes, I am braking out of my all neutral, all the time mode, one small color burst at a time.

We also featured a pop up art show with the beautiful work of Diana Cadwallader. As part of this show, 20% of the proceeds went to out annual charity donation. This year our Yarn Family supported the Calhoun County Humane Society.

Diana Cadwallader

We rounded out November with the start of our Gnome Workshop. Yes, those cute little guys that we could not get enough of last year are back and they’ve brought friends! We started off with “Here We Gnome Again” by Sarah Schira. These gnomes are a bit more sophisticated than their pals, with their cabled hats and coats, but they are no less cute! Once you knit one, as the saying goes, you cannot stop! There is definitely something about making gnome that get you into the holiday spirit!

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we look forward to the wonder that the Winter season and holidays bring. We have some great quick gifts for that someone special (including yourself!) and more gnomes for December! Knit On! Lisa

GNOMES

September Skill Builders 2018

Hello Everyone!

“September Skill Builders” is in the books and we built several important and far-reaching knitting skills during this month. We learned how to knit a Mobius cowl and how to shape with Short Rows. We also held our first ever Destash/ Restash Party event where members of our Yarns Family sold, bought, or donated from their own stashes – a huge hit!

We started out skill building with Mobius, Möbius, Moebius Knitting with the  “Spiral Euphoria Cowl” pattern by Lavish Craft(Jennifer Kirchenbauer). In her Ravelry profile, Jennifer specializes in small projects with big visual impact, that span all skill levels. Spicing up the traditional with interesting juxtapositions of texture, gauge, shape and/or color. That is certainly true of the “Spiral Euphoria Cowl”. By incorporating the Mobius Cast-On, this cowl has an added twist. Whenever a designer incorporates the Mobius Cast-On, they usually go to the originator of the Mobius Cast-On is Cat Bordhi. Her tutorial video, “Intro to Moebius Knitting”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4 is a very informative, step-by-step tutorial that is easy to follow. I have found that not all creators or originators of a technique necessarily convey how to accomplish the new skill. Cat Bordhi does not disappoint. Her video is very helpful in learning or refreshing this particular skill. There are several videos on the Mobius Cast-On. I think Cat Bordhi’s video is the best one because aside from being the originator of the Mobius Cast-On, she teaches this skill in a methodical way that is easily followed.  If you would like to check out more on Cat Bordhi, go to www.catbordhi.comand you’ll soon see why most use her Mobius cast-on technique. For those members of our Yarns Family that are fortunate enough to have Linda teach you new skills in person, the Mobius Cast-On’s execution will become very clear. Thankfully, we have FaceTime!!

Our next project tackled short rows, that ingenious shaping technique that gives shape to socks, shawls, hats, garments, and toys/ stuffies. Linda taught this shaping skill with the heavenly Moon & Stars Stuffie. Short rows are the key to shaping and are an essential knitting skill when knitting garments, socks, and toys. Short rows are partial rows of knitting that are used to shape or curve sections or to compensate for patterns with different row gauges. According to Wikipedia, “a short row is a row that is not fully knitted; the work is turned before reaching the end of the row. Just before the work is turned, the yarn is generally passed around the next unknitted stitch to prevent a hole from forming at the turning point.” Craftsy has a very clear turtorial on short rows showing how this design element creates soft angles and curves that aren’t quite as obvious or harsh as our usual increases and decreases, by using a key technique called wrap and turn. Check out their tutorial on https://www.craftsy.com/knitting/article/wrap-and-turn/. Another short row method is the German Short Row where those little holes from the traditional short row method can virtually be eliminated. Tin Can Knits has a very good tutorial on https://blog.tincanknits.com/2015/05/14/german-short-rows/. If you want to compare the differences between traditional short rows and German short rows, check out Interweave’s article Substituting German Short-Rows for Wrap-and-Turn Short-Rows at https://www.interweave.com/article/knitting/german-short-rows-wrap-turn/.We chose patterns, “Goodnight, Moon” by Sara Elizabeth Kellner, and Sternkissen - Asterisk (Star Shaped Pillow) by Gudrun Ohle, both free Ravelry downloads for this skill builder projectMoon to make learning short rows fun and engaging. A bit about the designers – Sara Elizabeth Kellner of Rabbit Hole Knits is a toy designer whose designs are really adorable. In her words, her methods of construction are different than other toy designers. It encourages the knitter to learn new skills as her shaping techniques, like the short rows, result in distinctive toys and animals. The pattern is knit in the round, with no seaming required. The pattern is easily memorized because it is the same three rounds repeated from one end to the other. Gussets are added for the nose and mouth. The nightcap can be personalized with stripes, tassels, embroidery, etc. Our second designer is Gudrun Ohle whose beautiful star pattern offers a bit of fun knitting challenge on the accompanying stars. This is her only pattern, but based on its popularity with over 1200 projects and almost 600 queues on Ravelry, we hope she will add more patterns to her Ravelry store.

We enjoyed knitting these skill-building projects. The extra twist from Mobius Cast-On and the shaping of Short Rows are two critical skills that will enhance knitting expertise that takes knitting to the next level.

Speaking of next levels, our “October Gold” projects are full of texture, color, and different techniques! We look forward to what the official start of Autumn will bring!

Knit On! Lisa

HOTTT in August 2018!!!

Hello Everyone!

It was definitely “HOTTT in August!!!” here at Yarns by HPF. The last full month of Summer sizzled with a choice among knitting one of three beautiful tops for our month long KAL. We also ventured back into crochet with the Crocodile Flower Shoulder Bag brought to you by our very own Margaret, the Madame of Mystical Magical Crochet! 

Breeze Sleeveless Airy Top

Marsh

Out HOTTT August KAL offered a choice among three “cool” tops. I have to say it was difficult to choose which top to knit. Do I pick the Breeze Sleeveless Airy Top by Irene Lin with its top down construction and intricate eyelets and I-cord strap? 

Or do I go with the cap sleeved Marsh by Amy Palmer for Berroco featuring an almost full body lace motif?? Or, do I go with Deschain by Leila Raabe, a cropped boxy pullover with dropped stitches throughout a classic shale lace motif???

After much deliberation, which is my usual when Linda gives us project choices, I went with Deschain. The reason I chose this particular top is because I knew it would go perfectly with my new pair of jeans that had an embroidered lace flower on the bottom outside of the hem. The yarn we used for the KAL also played into my decision. We used Universal Yarn Fibra Natura Good Earth Cotton/ Linen Blend. I have knitted with cotton, but never with linen. The linen gives the cotton more structure and dimension that I thought would work well with the Deschain top. Knitting with this cotton/ linen blend had been a purely wondrous experience. The drape this yarn gives to each of the tops makes them fall attractively. The linen gives the cotton a lighter feel, so perfect for these HOTTT days of Summer, even in the Northeast where we’ve had more than our share of high 90s days. And these projects are small enough to be easily portable and quickly knitted so you can knit more that one, making your choice somewhat easier...maybe! 

Out HOTTT in August would not be complete without a very special guest appearance by our very own Margaret, the Madame of Mystical Magical Crochet! Madame Margaret shared her love of and talent and expertise in crochet by guiding us through the beautiful intricacies the Crocodile Flower Shoulder Bag by Joyce D. Lewis.
This project includes Tapestry Crochet, surface crochet, and a chain loop version of the Crocodile Stitch. The key is in the stitch where its mystical loops in this design may be a flower, a multi-point star, or a mandala. Whatever it is to you, this motif is fun and yes, magical. We used the Good Earth Cotton/ Linen Blend yarn where its texture really comes to life. The color choices can take the full range from monochromatic to several complimentary or contrasting colors. The directions in the pattern are clear and the pictures are particularly helpful, especially if you are an occasional or new visitor to crochet.

And if you were fortunate enough to crochet with Margaret, the Madame of Mystical Magical Crochet, then you know how amazing crochet can be! We are grateful that Margaret so generously shared her love of crochet with this beautiful pattern. 

 

So, as we bid adieu to August and to the last days of Summer, we will have warm memories of the camaraderie we shared while exploring our creativity through knitting and crochet. We’re looking forward to September and to further building new skills. So…in the meantime…

Knit, Crochet, and Stitch On! Lisa

Bee All You Can Bee in July!

Hello Everyone!

This month at Yarns by HPF we are all about, “Bee All You Can Bee in July!” We took on the challenge of the Beekeeper Cardigan 4 Day Sweater KAL. This is the second annual 4 Day Sweater KAL for designer Marie Greene of Olive Knits (www.oliveknits.com). Per the Ravelry page, “this cardigan has simple, all-over texture. No lace, no cables. Top-down, seamless construction. 3/4 sleeves with an option for long sleeves. The skill level “intermediate” but confident advanced beginners should be able to knit this if you know how to read a pattern and understand top-down sweater knitting.”

Check out Marie’s Ravelry page and you’ll see last year’s challenge was the Stillwater Cardigan among all her other beautiful designs. This year’s KAL ran from July 1 – 15 and we held our KAL from July 10 – 14. Linda ordered Knitted Wit’s Polwarth Shimmer and Madeline Tosh DK in the most wonderful colors for this KAL. We each chose different colors so the completed sweaters will show a spectrum of how this pattern plays out in various hues. So with needles, pattern, and yarn in hand, with snacks and drinks to fortify us through the day, the KAL officially began! For me, the Beekeeper Cardigan is my first adult sweater and I found following what we were doing in the store and Olive Knit’s Facebook Group, Olive Knits – Knitters’ Lounge, helped this remote Knitter immensely. I definitely felt the sense of community and that I was there knitting along with everyone. I decided to knit my sweater with Knitted Wit’s Polwarth Shimmer in Carbon. The pattern has three to four inch ease. For me choosing a size up let’s me have a looser fitting sweater. I am not a very fast knitter so I started a little earlier in order to blog and follow tips and updates from the Facebook Group. Currently, I am at the sleeve divide.

Coming Up On The Sleeve Divide!

I write down every row so I can keep track of where I am in the pattern. For me this helped greatly when I came to the Little Bee Pattern and especially when I came to adding “Bees”. I used markers because they help me “see” the pattern as I knit and I feel like I have an “audience” cheering me on. I also check the bee p[placement as I knit so as not to go too far when I make an inevitable (!x$%*!) miscount. Checking the Ravelry page, errata, website, Facebook Group Page, and ASKING LINDA QUESTIONS (!!) have proven invaluable. The “scary” part where you come to Rows 43 and 44 are now fully explained and should take away any confusion. I will not finish my sweater in 4, 5, 6, or even 8 days (see www.oliveknits.com, information on the KAL, where the days are adjusted for the size you are knitting; for me it would be 6 days). I am so excited to be knitting my first adult sized sweater that I took Marie Greene’s words to heart and if you’re like me taking more than 4 days to knit your Beekeeper Cardigan,“What happens if I don’t finish in 4 days?  No worries! The challenge is fun – and doing it with friends is even better – but really this project is about the experience. We have so much fun encouraging each other, cheering everyone along and sharing our successes (and pitfalls) along the way. Whether you finish in 4 days or 4 weeks (or 4 months!) – you’ll love the camaraderie and friendship of knitting with friends. Plus, this is a classic style sweater (that happens to be fun and quick to knit), and it’s one you’ll love wearing for years to come.” VERY TRUE!!!!

I will keep you posted on my slow and steady progress. I am looking forward to seeing our Yarns Family’ s completed Beekeeper Cardigans!

Knit On! Lisa

We Are Over The Moon For June! 2018

Hello Everyone,

We Are Over the Moon for June! June is the month where we celebrate our Flag, our Fathers, and the beginning of Summer. We also celebrated with a variety of projects that enhanced our stitching skills and made us smile. We knitted, crocheted, and even incorporated both in our month’s projects. 

We started the month with the Skimmer Socks Revisited KAL. This project’s pattern on Ravelry is by Sheila Toy Stromberg (knitorious S.H.E. on Facebook). Shelia is a self described yarnivore who loves all things fiber arts. Check out her website at www.sheliatoystromberg.com for her “Inventive Designs, A Fresh Perspective on Knitting and Crocheting”. The Skimmer Socks Revisited pattern offers a variety of sizes, uses two yarn colors, and it’s free! This pattern is an updated version to the Skimmer Socks pattern (one color, seamless, some laceworks). We love the low profile/ no-show sock for all our flats and sneakers, including our Converse Chucks. This is a great project for experienced knitters who are new to sock knitting. It uses knitting in the round, Judy’s Magic Cast-On (a fantastic method!), basic increases and decreases, short rows (wrap and turn), and picking up stitches. Although I am an experienced sock knitter, I have only used the Fish Lips Heel (which is great!). I found this pattern challenging even as an experienced sock knitter because of the flap heel. Not that the flap heel is overly difficult, but it was a technique I had not done before. With the pattern’s embedded tutorials, I was able to easily follow Sheila’s clear and enjoyable instructions. I used Madeline Tosh and an Indie Dyer for my yarn. The color combination turned out beautifully. And now that I learned how to do a flap heel, my sock repertoire has now expanded! I will definitely make more of these socks in both the Revisited and Original versions. 

Next, we combined knitting and crocheting with Sheldon Sheep and Friends Get-a-Long (GAL). The pattern is by Amy Gunderson and is a free download on Ravelry. Amy Gunderson works for Universal Yarns and has designed everything from clothing to blankets to novelty items. Check out her patterns on Ravelry under AmyGunderson. Sheldon Sheep and Friends is found under Miscellany and is the first pattern listed. This pattern uses booth knitting and crochet which enhances your Sheldon Sheep’s texture Using the called for bulky yarn, your Sheldon will be twelve inches tall (not including his legs) and fifteen inches in circumference. You can make a smaller Sheldon and Friends by using lighter weight yarns. It’s definitely fun to experiment. The body is crocheted making full use of texture with the arms, legs, and head knitted, showing perfect textural contrast to Sheldon’s body. We love creating stuffies. There is something about knitting and/or crocheting these little buddies that touches our hearts. And we found that when making Sheldon, you may not want him to be an only “child”. So enjoy making his Friends, officially known as Shelia, Sherry, Shirley, and Woolma (!!), in different colors and yarn weights. 

Lastly, we went full on crochet for our Pop-Up Project with the incredible Waistcoat Crochet Basket by Stephanie Jessica Lau at www.allaboutami.com. She explains the Waistcoat Crochet Stitch or Center Single Crochet Stitch in detail on her website’s blogpost (www.allaboutami.com/waistcoat-crochet-basket/). Her instructions are very clear and while I have crocheted a variety of stitches, the waistcoat stitch is a new one for me. I think this variation on single crochet brings the basket into the very special category. Stephanie originally created this basket for her child’s teacher as a gift. We all know how exceptional hand made gifts can be. Not only is this a practical gift, it is also beautiful and can be displayed prominently in a home or office. The pattern has different options for the basket’s handles, using either crocheted or leather tabs. We have a different variation. Linda created a knotted handle using clothesline material fastened onto the basket with large buttons. I personally love the way the basket looks and this handle with oversized buttons gives the basket a unique designer element. This basket is great to make and give to someone special or to keep for yourself, because we all love a handmade gift. 

We definitely enjoyed our Over the Moon for June! projects and we’re looking forward to a fantastic Summer. Come join us in July where we have planned something quite amazing!

Knit, Crochet, & Stitch On! 

Lisa

YAY!!! It's May! 2018

Hello Everyone,

We were so happy that May finally arrived with the full beauty of Spring, we had to proclaim it YAY!!! It’s May! Now that May is almost in the books, we had a busy month knitting some very cool projects where we learned new techniques to add to our skills project bag. 

We started the month with the YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks KAL.

lmb

lmb

These socks are purrrrfect (sorry, couldn’t help it!!) for using contrasting fingering or sock yarn. The best part for me is each sock is the inverse color of the other, one’s yin to the other’s yang, and great to wear to yoga (as a fashion statement because yoga with socks spell disaster for me). Aside from being very cute, we learned an easy Intarsia in the round. While Intarsia is generally used in flat knitting, it can be adapted to knitting in the round. We posted a tutorial from the Confident Knitter (http://confidentknitter.com/2s2p/intarsia-in-the-round/) on our Facebook page. Browneyedbabs on Ravelry who has a tutorial on Intarsia in the round says, “While Intarsia ‘in the round’ is a seamless way to achieve a block of color in hats, toys, sweaters, mittens etc. it is not technically knitting in the round as the work is turned and purled each row, but, it looks like knitting in the round and is completely seamless.” Asa Tricosa probably says in best in her tutorial “(sort of) intarsia in the round” where she adapts the technique because as she puts it, Intarsia does not work well in the round, but it can be done with adaptations (http://asatricosa.com/intarsia/). There are also a number of YouTube tutorials for Intarsia in the Round. I liked Julia farwell-clay’s video because it shows you how to knit an invisible join (https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=v2Iu8fkoBuc). Another method you can use is Duplicate Stitch for the kitty’s eyes and nose. We like this technique because the area is small and duplicate stitch really brings out the eyes and nose. Purl Soho’s tutorial shows us how step –by-step (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/duplicate-stitch/). I found Purl Soho’s tutorials very helpful. Not only are the videos very well done, the instructions and pictures are clear and straightforward. 

Speaking of Purl Soho, we learned a new technique, Honeycomb Brioche, with their pattern, “Latticework Shawl”. We all know that once we learned the Brioche Stitch that we couldn’t get enough. And to learn that there are variations of the Brioche Stitch is just wonderful. The pattern and the excellent tutorials provide a solid basis to use this stitch in a variety of projects. You can make the shawl or use the stitch in a cowl or bandana. To get the most from this stitch, I found using highly contrasting yarn shows the honeycomb pattern the best. I think using more complimentary yarns will give a subtler look and I am looking forward to exploring that with fingering yarn. The most important tip is to cast on an odd number of stitches. After that, let you imagination go!

lmb

Our Pop-Up project was a handy cover for your favorite mop. What better way to help our environment than to make a reusable cover? The versions come in knit or crochet and are an easy way to learn crocheting if you knit or knitting if you crochet. Depending on the yarn and stitch, you can make a cover that scrubs, cleans, or polishes. 

We enjoyed “YAY!!! It’s May!” And we learned several new techniques all while having a lot of fun. We also celebrated our Moms and we honored and remembered those who gave the greatest measure in service to our Nation. 

We are continuing with several skill building projects next month with “Over the Moon for June!” What better way to say HELLO to Summer!

Knit, Crochet, & Stitch On, 

Lisa

April Showers Bring...Small, Fun-Filled Projects! 2018

Hello Everyone!

April is a wrap and we enjoyed ourselves by knitting portable projects. As part of our theme, “April Showers Bring…Small, Fun-Filled Projects!”, we explored the fun that comes with knitting smaller projects. Smaller projects portability lets us take our stitching projects with us on those road trips or as a sports spectator. There is definitely a satisfaction to finishing a smaller project more quickly. Of course small does not mean there won’t be new and skill-building techniques. Our first April project, Sweet Little Cowl by Rachel Brockman for Universal Yarns, has Brioche Stitch, Provisional Crochet Cast-On, and I-Cord Bind Off. Purl Soho has one of the best tutorials for Provisional Crochet Cast-On. Check it out the one step method here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/provisional-cast-on-video/

This pattern underwent a change on April 20^thin the form of erratta to the Two-Color Pearl Brioche portion. Like many of you, I had already knitted the original pattern for my first cowl. The pattern is beautiful in the original form. It’s equally beautiful in the update, so I decided to knit the second cowl with the new stitch pattern. The designer has actually just updated her pattern to reflect these two versions of the Two-Color Pearl Brioche stitch pattern. Per her Ravelry page and the updated pattern, Rachel Brockman added, “The errata on this cowl turned out to be a happy accident, so at the advice of a customer, we’ve decided to include instructions for two versions. Version A reflects the sample photos – the Pearl Brioche has a “v” shape. Version B reflects the happy accident in which the two-color portion has small bars in place of the “v” shape shown on the samples.”Both versions are wonderful and look great together! And did I mention that Universal Yarn FibraNatura Cottonwood is so soft and in your hands as you knit? As Rachel says, “Knit, Relax, Smile, Repeat!”

Sweet Little Cowl (LMB)

Log Cabin Mitts (LMB)

Our next project, Log Cabin Mitts by Karen Templar, combines semi-traditional log cabin squares without intarsia and then moves onto a clever joining method and miter techniques. This project is a great way to use up small amounts of yarn and can be knit in colors that contrast, compliment, or in one color. The one color log cabin pattern plays on texture and is a great alternative if you want a one-color mitt. Since the April weather has been quite cold, these mitts worked perfectly and looked great! Watch out, because we bet you cannot knit just one pair!!

And our pop-up project brought smiles and cuteness in threes! Ernie, Esther,& Enid Easter Chickens by Janice Anderson brought us these fabulous and funky toy chicks. There is something so fun about making “stuffies”. The extra embellishments, the little techniques to make your toy unique and special, all of it are smile inducing. I made wings for my chicks by using the part of the crocheted technique for the legs. I used pony beads in the bottom stuffing, and then I stuffed those little chicks to a high cuteness level of chubbiness. It has been pointed out to me that I do like to stuff my toys. Remember Fa-la-la Fred? Well, my Fred is known as Fat Freddie!! More to love, that’s what I say!!

Esther, Ernie, & Enid 

Lastly, April 21^st saw the first annual LYS Day. Local Yarn Store Day is a brick-and-mortar yarn shop appreciation day created by The National Needle Arts (TNNA) Yarn Group. The inaugural LYS Day takes place today on April 21 and is designed to show support for small businesses while bringing together a unique community of knitters, crocheters, weavers and spinners to drive awareness and celebrate the craft. We thank our amazing stitching community for all your support and encouragement. We are very grateful for all of you!!

In closing, April brought us small, fun-filled projects that taught us new techniques and put huge smiles on our faces. April is in the books and now we look forward to YAY!!! It’s May!

Knit, Crochet, & Stitch On! Lisa