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News from Double Ewe
October 6, 2014 |
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Is It Knitting Season Yet?
Of course it is! I just finished planning some classes for the next couple of months, and UPS has been arriving with big boxes of new yarn. This is the best time of the year at the yarn shop! Read on for the scoop.
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More Fall Classes
We've got some fun things coming up at the shop. For details, please see the schedule here on our website, or stop by the shop for a copy. - Knitting with Nancy Lindberg - Nancy's first session is wrapping up soon, but another 6 week session will be starting on October 23rd.
- Kelly's Workshop: Knitter's Choice - an inexpensive drop-in style class where you can learn new techniques, learn with friends, or get unstuck on a project. Just about anything goes: it's your choice.
- Skill Builders - One Session Classes: Spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon learning a variety of skills. We're starting out with: how to fix mistakes, finishing techniques, or continental knitting
- Knit Alongs - classes that are a bit more casual and inexpensive. No big commitment; each project is three weeks long, and you can come to all three sessions or just one or two. We're going to be making Christmas stockings in October, and Mittens in November.
- Two at a Time Toe Up Socks - we have this class scheduled in November, but it's already full. Sorry. I'm mentioning it here to let you know that if you were planning on signing up, keep an eye on this newsletter: we'll be offering it again in January.
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Hanging Out at Double Ewe
Join us for a fun social time while working on whatever you want. No registration required, no strings attached, just show up. We have three times set up for you to join us:
- Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 9:00
- Friday afternoons, 1:30 - 5:30
- Saturdays, starting at 9:00am
We gather three times each week, however if you find yourself with some time to kill, or just want a little escape, stop on by anytime we're open and find a spot around the coffee table; enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and relax a while.
Please note: Open Knitting is not a class. Although I'm always happy to answer questions as time permits, sometimes it gets a bit hectic. For dedicated help, consider coming to one of our Knitter's Choice classes.
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New Stuff
I'm so excited about what we've added to the shop this month. So excited.
Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill is a family-owned mill located in south central Wisconsin. Their yarns are made from Merino and Corriedale wool from sheep flocks in the midwest. Their yarns are spun using a woolen process, which produces wonderfully soft, warm lofty yarns. They also offer a few yarns that their machines can't process (the Mer-Made yarns), but they are dyed at Blackberry Ridge. I've started with six of their yarns, but I'm looking forward to adding more:
Colorflow is 100% wool, worsted weight. What makes it special is that the colors change very, gradually, and it takes a full skein to cycle through the colors. It's warm, wooly beauty. It comes in nice big, beefy skeins, so often just one or two is needed for your project. See what other folks have done with it here on Ravelry.
Shady End is also 100% wool, worsted weight. It's another gradient yarn, but this time it's just one color. It's light at the beginning of the skein, and gets very gradually darker, ending up very dark at the other end. We're planning on knitting up the Shady End Neck Warmer with it, but it'd be great for many projects.
Mer-Made Medium is a 100% merino wool, worsted, machine washable yarn. It's extremely soft, so it's perfect for babies and kid's clothing, blankets, etc. It's dyed in beautiful tonal colors. I've got a few things planned for the grandkids with this one.
Mer-Made Plus is a fingering weight 80/20 blend of washable merino and nylon, which was designed for making durable socks. It comes in generous 4 oz skeins of 425 yards. You just have to see the colors!
Cotton Blend is actually more wool than cotton: 80% wool/20% cotton. It's a sport/dk weight yarn, in big, plump skeins that have about 325 yards. Beautiful, rich colors - the cotton and the wool take the dye differently, so they're a bit tweedy looking. Beautiful.
100% Wool Fingering resides near the sock yarns because of it's weight, but it's definitely not a sock yarn. When I look at it, I see colorwork: hats, mittens, cowls, gloves, wristwarmers, and the like in tons of colors. Tons. I have it available almost 50 colors, and it comes in 1 ounce/110 yard skeins, which makes it affordable to play with lots of colors without a ton of leftovers. Lovely stuff.
So, there you have it...fun stuff from our neighbor to the East. If you like to buy US made yarns, Blackberry Ridge makes some great ones. I get such a warm-fuzzy feeling from them.
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Fresh Off The Needles
This is where I like to highlight some of our most recently finished projects.
 Pattern: Wadena from Classic Elite Yarns
Find it: on Ravelry or at Double Ewe
Yarn: Majestic Tweed from Classic Elite Yarns, 4 skeins
Needles: Size 8
Comments: We've had Majestic Tweed since we opened but it got a little lost in the shuffle. It's really nice to work with: a blend of wool, silk, angora and nylon. I love just about anything with angora in it.
  Pattern: Royston from The Fiber Company Find it: on Ravelry or at Double Ewe
Needle: Size 5 & 6
Comments: I started this one last month, but then it got set aside for a bit. When I came back to it, I remembered how much I loved knitting with this yarn; it's a luxurious blend of llama, merino & silk in really interesting, subdued colors. Lots of mini-bobbles on this hat, but if you want to learn how to do them without turning your work, just ask me; I'd be happy to show you. It saves a ton of time, but the little bobbles really add to the hat.
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This Month on Facebook
While I try not to clutter your inbox and send this newsletter just once a month, I do post things to the Double Ewe Facebook page quite often (link at the top left column of this email). I understand that many of you prefer not do use Facebook, so I'll share a few of the posts from the last month.
Posted on September 22:
Last week I felt like making a felted container, so I made two of them. I just finished writing up the pattern, both the tall & the short versions, and it's available here at the shop, free. Who doesn't need something to hold their stuff?
Posted on September 23:
I got a packaged in the mail today from Slipped Stitch Studios: Halloween stitch markers, notions bags, needle nooks, travel scissors, and fun pins, all hand made in California, and available in bunches of fabrics. That was a fun one to open!
   
Posted on September 30:
Tami finished this cute vest last week. It's the Eco Vest by Katie Himmelberg, and Tami knit it in Eco Wool. Find it on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/eco-vest
Posted on October 3:
Emily finished her great big granny square blanket, and it's beautiful! (Emily's my daughter...if you haven't bumped into her at the shop yet, you will eventually. She's quite the knitter and crocheter.)
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That's all for now, folks! Once again, I'd like to thank you all for supporting your local yarn shop.
Kelly
Double Ewe Yarn Shop
9205 Lexington Ave N #3
Circle Pines, MN 55014
763-795-9276 (yarn)
www.double-ewe-yarn.com
kelly@double-ewe-yarn.com
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