Warm N' Fuzzy

I just went to the new Warm N' Fuzzy in downtown Cary. It is absolutely fabulous! Everything is artfully arranged with plenty of space to sit down and knit, a table for pattern exploration, and many windows which give great light to see the yarn.

The owner, Rebecca Hart, has refurbished an art gallery into a light-filled, community-oriented, yarn-love space. It is stunning!

These adorable, crocheted birds greet all the customers in the shop's front window.

They have a computer set up to help clients look up patterns on the internet. It even has a crocheted stool cover!

I love how each corner is arranged so beautifully; here is a basket of hand-dyed yarns with a crocheted giraffe and alpaca pair beside it.

The sitting area is complete with classy couch with pillows and a coffee table for the pastries from La Farm Bakery and patterns.

The owner, Rebecca, hosts Knit Night every Thursday evening from 7 to 9. I went yesterday evening and had a lovely time. I made great progress on my Boston whale baby hat. Rebecca also helped me find a pattern for slippers that a friend had requested.

Left to right: Mari, Rebecca Hart, and Caryn.  Mari's website with her own knitwear designs is www.mariknits.com.

I'll definitely be returning to Warm N' Fuzzy. Happy Knitting!

The Pink Boston Whaler

Last night, I knit the Boston Whaler in the colors pewter and plum. I had such a great time having another successful Fair Isle project. I'll definitely be using this pattern again.

Ella Rae Bamboo Silk is a new favorite yarn of mine. It has great stitch definition for the whale color work. It's also smooth and soft, which will be perfect for a baby's head.

The Hillsborough Yarn Shop

After dropping my siblings off to stay at my grandparents, my mom and I stopped at The Hillsborough Yarn Shop and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Everything is artfully placed on shelves, or hung on hat racks. The knitting needles are stored in a repurposed card catalog. How creative!

The children's knitting book collection is complete with Missions Falls cotton, a rocking chair, and a hand-knit pig.

There is a mother and baby alpaca pair on top of the spinning rack of alpaca and wool-blend hand-dyed yarns.

The front window is graced with buckets of lovely yarn.

I love the Christmas wreath from red and green skeins of yarn.

Here is a super cute set of hand warmers and a hat.

I really enjoy how the owner, Anne Derby, arranged the baskets of yarn with pattern books that would use that type of yarn.

The coral, pink, and purple blend in the bottom right of this picture is just stunning. Wouldn't it make a lovely baby sweater?

The hand-dyed brown below is so subtle, yet rich with the nuances of brown.

I have enjoyed knitting leaf-motif hats and cowls, but this is an entire sweater of leaves!

This corner was so inviting. Light to knit by, a comfortable easy chair, a hand-knit blanket, and plenty of inspiration.

I definitely want to go back next time I'm driving through Hillsborough.

My mom purchased a baby fair isle pattern called Preppy Hats by Heather Walpole, that can be either pink bows for a girl, or whales for either gender. The pattern is also for sale on Ravelry.

We purchased Ella Rae bamboo silk to knit these hats. I'm going to do the whale versions, one in pewter and plum, and the other in mocha and navy. She's going to knit the pink bow version.

I also purchased my first Debbie Bliss yarn, Fez, which is 85% Extrafine Merino Wool and 15% Camel, in gray. The heathered purple is Ultra Alpaca from Berroco, 50% Alpaca and 50% Wool.

Please visit The Hillsborough Yarn Shop's website to find out more about Anne's lovely shop at www.hillsboroughyarn.com

Happy Knitting!

Hats for Twin Boys

My mom and I knit a pair of brown and gold hats from Vintage Worsted on vacation. It is a simple pattern I designed based off a generic prototype. Vintage is a wonderful, machine-washable yarn with lovely colors that is easy to knit. It makes a great gift knitting yarn because it's machine washable, so a non-knitter can care for it easily.

Materials:
Vintage Worsted (217 yards/skein) 1 skein or other worsted weight yarn
circular or dpn US size 8

Note: One skein of Vintage Worsted can make two hats.

Cast on 70 stitches of circular needles. Place marker and join in round without twisting.
*Knit 1 round.
Purl 1 round.
Repeat from * 3 times

Knit in stockinette stitch (knitting all stitches, each round) for 3.5 inches.

Begin decreases:
*K8, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
Knit all stitches.
*K7, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
Knit all stitches.
*K6, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
Knit all stitches.
*K5, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
*K4, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
*K3, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
*K2, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
*K1, K2tog, repeat from star across round.
*K2tog, repeat from star across round.

Cut yarn, leaving a 10 inch tail, thread tail through remaining 7 stitches. Pull hole closed. Weave tails in.

Congratulations! You now have a toddler sized cap with a garter stitch brim. If you have any questions, leave a comment!

Happy Knitting!

Union Long Beanie

This spring I got to go to the Carolina Fiber Fest at the NC State Fairgrounds. It was so much fun to wander around such a massive building with only yarn, sheep art, buttons, and spinners. I found Fiber Charmer in a beautiful booth filled with her hand-dyed wool yarn. I purchased Valhalla, a deep, rich, tonal purple. I'm currently knitting a Union Long Beanie by Connie Chang Chinchio from the book "Weekend Hats." I absolutely love the subtle richness to the yarn and seeing the difference that ribbing and lace make with the yarn.

I'll be showing my other purple treasure from the Carolina Fiber Fest once I start a project with it. Happy Knitting!

Vacation and Gift Knitting

I went on vacation to the beach this past week to Oak Island, NC. It's absolutely beautiful! Besides boogie boarding, swimming in the ocean, and getting sunburned with my siblings, I sat on the beach knitting, mostly gift knits.

I knit a baby boy sweater from the pattern In Threes, that I knit many times last vacation. I was having trouble matching buttons to it, until I realized that it really isn't a "true blue" but is a beautiful tonal of purple and bluey-greens which as a whole, looks "blue." I found a set of pale green buttons that match; I have to find a thread to attach them with and then it will be finished.

I knit two hats from the book "New England Knits" by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre. The pattern is the Brattleboro Hat, designed by Melissa LaBarre. The first hat I knit in a hand-dyed yarn in a colorway called "Autumn Leaves" from my cousin, from Greenberry House, http://blog.greenberryhouse.com. The two leather buttons are from my maternal grandmother's button collection.

The second hat I knit from Malabrigo Rios, in the same yarn for the baby sweater. For some reason, it looks more blue than the other ball even though they were from the same dye lot. Perhaps the pattern changed which colors ended up next to each other. The two buttons are also from my grandmother's collection.

I also knit a basic stockinette hat with a garter stitch brim. It's long enough to keep the wearer's ears nice and toasty.

And finally, a quick shot of two of my models. Somehow, they were a whole lot happier without winter wool hats in the July heat. :)

Rhode Island architecture and seaside

I wanted to post these pictures as soon as I saw how well they turned out!

I took these pictures when we went on the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island.

We walked around a few of the old mansions on Bellevue. The details are stunning!

I also loved getting to see houses and a church that were built anywhere from the early 1700s to the mid 1900s. It was amazing to see so many different eras and styles together on one street.

Rhode Island is absolutely beautiful! I loved my entire trip, especially getting to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I would visit (in the summer) again in a heartbeat. The little towns, like Wickford, were complete with quaint shops, friendly people, and even a yarn store (which was closed due to July 4th). The other yarn store I did get to visit, Unwind, has a collection of beautiful tonal and variegated yarns (and others) and I look forward to visiting there again.