HRYC

Is it just me, or does everyone else tend to get to the tricky parts of a project and...stop. Come to a screeching halt, a look over the pattern instructions and think 'oh that looks like far too much like it's asking me to use my brain.'

Amidst the busy life of owning a yarn shop / dyeing yarn / simply existing these days, knitting is a real solace for winding down and (trying to) relax. Plain old stocking stitch is my best friend, I can just knit and knit and knit and end up with something lovely. And smooshy. 

This week saw me with three projects on the needles, and all of them at the very-close-to-being-finished stage. Of course I chose to finish off Vasa: an entirely stocking stitch project that is the focus of our September Knit-Along (if you fancy joining us, there's more information in our Ravelry group).

So I sat with Stasis on my knee, debating with myself as to if I could cope with starting the last section of colourwork:

By way of procrastination, I asked Facebook what to do: suck it up and keep going, or put it down and switch for something easier? 

Of course, being amazing supporters, the response was 'keep going! You can do it!' So I looked back at the pattern, took a deep breath and dove back in. 

Of course, as i've mentioned before, a little challenge is rewarding. Which is another way of saying that it was enjoyable, even though the thought of actually knitting this section filled me with dread. 

Cue random meandering thought paths about how the entire scenario could be a lesson for life. Because knitting is perfect for providing those. All the easy work had been done, most of the jersey was finished. All that remained was a last big effort, a section of knitting involving a technique i'm not 100% confident in my ability to do. With a little encouragement I attacked it anyway, big scary colourwork section and all. 

Done. There are things in our lives that look too difficult, seem like too much hard work, too much effort, ask us to focus and step up to complete a challenge. Without support and some well-placed cheerleaders, it can all seem a bit impossible. Putting down your project and turning to another, easier one, is the simple solution. Good friends will say 'of course you can do it!' So you do. And you succeed, or you fail and learn and move on. 

After all this thinking, I then put my knitting down again as I came to short rows and was all ARGH SHORT ROWS! I HATE SHORT ROWS! Followed by realising how ridiculous this was as an excuse not to keep going, and seeing how close I was to the end, I looked up a short row tutorial and got stuck back in. It isn't done yet, but it will be. And now (hopefully) wearing Stasis will remind me that life might be hard and tricky to navigate, but I can do it. Dealing with the hard stuff is better than turning away and feeling guilty for ignoring it. 

Anyway, I have to get this done because next week a crazy huge amount of Malabrigo is arriving, and i'd like to play with it. So much Malabrigo, in fact, we've bought new shelving just to be able to fit it all in the shop. Hooray!

A few weeks ago Wei Siew of the Kiwiyarns blog sent me an exciting email - a sock pattern designed with Knitsch Sock! It also contained a special request for a fresh batch of West Janney. 

The Droplet Socks pattern is exquisite. I adore the texture and the directional pattern design. I'm a sucker for anything that stands out against a reverse stocking stitch background. And the best part of all? It's free! Hooray! 

Image thanks to Wei Siew

Thanks so much for choosing Knitsch for your pattern Wei Siew! I can't wait to knit my own pair. If you fancy knitting your own lichen-inspired socks, West Janney is now back in stock (along with lots of other colours, hooray!).

The fourth Knit August Nights is done and dusted, and yet again it was a massive success. As usual I was much too busy chatting and catching up and knitting and relaxing in the sun to take any photos. But I want to say my biggest thanks to Maree for organising such a fantastic event. Fancy coming along? It's going to run again next year, so set aside the last weekend in August 2014 for a trip to Napier. 

I'm so lucky to be able to call Colleen of Dear Colleen a friend - and even luckier to have had her design the Knit August Nights tote bag this year. Colleen is exceptionally talented and i'll tell you why - after showing you the bag!

This is the super quick snap I took of it in the middle of setting up our table at KAN - it was my first glimpse of the bag as the supplier ships them straight to Maree. SO EXCITED! If you fancy one of your very own, we'll be giving these babies away with every purchase over $100, and we're also selling them online. 

If our bag isn't proof enough of Colleen's awesomeness, you may have also seen me mention her other knitterly design:

At the recent Lights Up Knitting session there were at least 3 of these bags present...knitting puns are my favourite things ever and I don't think i'm alone there.

As a small business owner I believe Colleen deserves all the support in the world - she does fantastic work and should be rewarded for her talent. At the moment she's running a PledgeMe campaign to fund a print run of a collaborative project called the Season's Eatings calendar - a beautifully illustrated project which also contains a year of recipes designed by the also very clever Bronwyn. On top of that, Colleen also has her HILARIOUS Tupac on a Unicorn tee in the Little Help design competition. Vote, donate, buy, support. 

Also on the clever friends list: Laura Vincent of Hungry and Frozen. Her book came out on Friday!! So much excitement and so very proud - I nabbed the very last copy at Paper Plus in Napier on Saturday. 

You may remember Laura's post about being a new knitter not so long ago. This cookbook makes me so very hungry, and Laura's way with words puts a giant smile on my face. Go buy it, make some tasty food and relax with your knitting.

In other news for us this week, we've updated all our stock post-KAN and i'm pleased to say we have loads of Knitsch Sock filling the shelves! I've also had news that our Malabrigo order has shipped - hip hip hooray! 

Happy knitting xx

Two months ago most Wellingtonians probably talked about earthquakes as no big deal. We had them semi-regularly, but nothing too big or scary. Living on several major fault-lines is something we all understood to mean that one day we might have 'The Big One'. After Christchurch we knew to be prepared, but it was still a thing that we could only imagine. 

Now earthquakes are something we think of with fear. A big, sharp shock one Sunday afternoon about a month ago was followed by too many after shocks to count. Nerves were frayed, emergency gear gathered, 'just in case' bags packed for just in case we needed to get out in a hurry. 

Yesterday I was in the shop trying to get some work done while superstar Megan was taking care of customers. That made two of us, plus five knitters browsing, wobbling through a very big, long, rolling quake that had us all very worried. Where to go? What to do? How much damage this time?

Holding your breath through a big earthquake is one way to instantly bond with people. Megan and I found sucking in glasses of wine through aftershocks helped calm the nerves. The earth is certainly reminding us of our precarious place here. Luckily there wasn't as much damage as the last large earthquake, and the shop was again unscathed. 

Our thoughts go to the people of Seddon who are feeling this much worse than we are. And my respect for Christchurch has increased a thousand fold. Constantly being on edge is awful. Take care of each other. And thank goodness we have our knitting. 

A couple of months ago Jimad from Zealana sent me an exciting email. It bascially went along the lines of 'We're bringing the Vogue Knittng Editor-in-Chief to NZ, can we bring her to visit the shop?'

um, YES!

So on Monday I had the great and wonderful honour of meeting Trisha Malcolm, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Knitting. With her was Sanae Gunji, who won Zealana's design competition held at Vogue Knitting Live in November last year. 

Being in New Zealand it's tricky being so far from the major knitting events and yarn producers in the States. Jumping on a plane to visit a trade show isn't something we can do without a big financial commitment. The chance to meet Trisha in person, have her in the shop and talk yarn business was such an amazing opportunity. 

I don't have any pictures yet, but the story of how much American knitters love Zealana yarn, and Trisha's visit, has been all over the news this week. Here's the story on Scoop.co.nz and a great interview from TVNZ. 

So why has it taken me so long to post about Trisha's visit?

This week has been all about preparing for Knit August Nights in Napier next weekend, 22 - 24 August. I've been dyeing yarn like crazy and am super excited for this, our biggest event all year. If you're in or near Napier, the market is open to the public on Sunday 24 August from 9.30am - 12pm. 

A corner of our stall last year, photo by Maree Buscke

Also this week we had Lights Up Knitting Session the third. The Way Way Back was our movie, and a fantastic one at that. Not too heavy, but some interesting themes in a coming of age film. Also: Sam Rockwell. Swoon. And Alison Janney, one of my all time favourite actors. 

Just two of the three Dear Colleen 'Purl Problems' tote bags that turned up on Monday night.

I have about million zillion other things to talk about, such as our Unwind Shawl knit along, and brand new Knitsch Sock colours, and the One Small Piece knit in at the Dowse this coming Sunday. Promise to be more chatty and post a bit more again soon. Once the mayhem subsides :)