HRYC
Pattern round up: for the bebes
Spinning Sunday: technical sessions
Don't let the word 'technical' scare you off!
Are you new or semi-new to spinning? Do you have a mental list of things you would like to learn in order to improve your technique? Yes? Me too! I can do the absolute basics but I have lots of questions and would love some guidance.
Which is why Sue is coming along to teach us spinning tips and tricks! You can book right here.
Spinning! It's a whole load of fun.
Spinning Sunday is a great way to meet other spinners in a super relaxed environment. From experience I know that as a new-ish spinner, spinning in public can be a bit scary. We're going to make this as welcoming as we possibly can! Come along, learn some things, and have that magic lightbulb moment of 'oh! that's how it works!'
Come on - get excited about spinning with us!
Each session is only $10. Why only $10? Because we really want to make this accesible to everyone. $10 is a commitment to come, and you'll absolutely walk away with more than $10 worth of new knowledge.
Dates:
all Sundays, 1pm - 3pm
16 June
14 July
11 August
15 September
What to bring:
- BYO wheel (if you talk to us first we can arrange a wheel for you to borrow for the session)
- An extra bobbin
And it's super easy to book in online.
Session one, 16 June:
Spinning for plying.
How thick do I need to make my singles, how much twist should I put in to get the type of yarn that I want.
How to spin a reference yarn with the plying information you need in it that you can use to check as you go. (So you don’t get a surprise when merino goes pouf!).
Sessions 2 - 4:
We'll talk about what you would like to learn in the first session, and add a session plan here after 16 June.
It's A Tree!
Our knitty tree outside the shop is starting to look a bit worse for wear. Time for a project! Would you like to help us add some more life and colour?
All you need to do is find some scrap yarn, make up a leaf or flower or several, and drop them in to us. Or post them, if you aren't nearby. We'll add them to the tree - as a little way to show how you help to make this little shop of ours special.
Below are our tried and true leaf and flower patterns - however feel free to make up your own or find one elsewhere.
It's a [simple and easy] Flower!
Cast on 40 stitches, leaving a 30cm tail
Knit for 8 - 10 rows
Bind off all stitches.
Using the bind off tail and tapestry needle, do a running stitch along the bottom edge, pulling tight as you go so the fabric gathers.
Pull it all together and make a few securing stitches so it holds. Stitch the free edge to the out side of the flower. Thread both tails through the needle, make a few stitches to carry both to the base of the flower. Leave these so we can attach it to the tree. Done!
It a Leaf!
Abbreviations
CO - Cast on
K - knit
P - Purl
M1 - Using left needle, pick up stitch between needles, knit into back of new stitch using right needle
SL2, K1, P2SSO - slip 2 stitches to right needle, knit 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over knit stitch
Cast On 10 stitches
Row 1: k10, CO 9
Row 2: k19
Row 3: k1, m1, k7, (sl2, k1, p2sso), k7, m1, k1
Row 4: p19
Row 5: p9, k1, p9
Row 6: k9, p1, k9
Row 7: k1, m1, k7, (sl2, k1, p2sso), k7, m1, k1
Repeat Rows 4 - 7 two times
Row 16: p19
Row 17: p9, k1, p9
Row 18: k9, p1, k9
Row 19: k8, (sl2, k1, p2sso), k8
Repeat rows 16 - 19, each time reducing K stitches on each side of decrease by 1.
When there are only 3 stitches left:
Row 41: k3tog
Cut yarn, pull through last stitch, and weave in end. Don’t weave in the cast on tail - we need this to attach it to our tree!
Drop your finished leaves and flowers into the shop anytime, or post them to:
Holland Road Yarn Company
281 Jackson Street
Petone 5012
Wellington
A delight of new colour
In all the excitement of last week, we didn't have the chance to share some scrummy new colours that we ordered in...
Blue Sky Alpaca Silk Alpaca in Crabapple and Papaya
Silk Alpaca is a gorgeous sport weight that is peeeeerfect for fingerless mitts. You can get a pair out of one skein, but with a range of colours that pair up so beautifully, this yarn is a dream match for the Dream Mitts.
Spud & Chloe Sweater in Firecracker, Splash and Grass Green
Spud & Chloe Sweater wants to be squished. Soft and plump and absolutely fantastic for knitting into baby blankets. Even better: it can be thrown in the machine. It can be tricky to get cotton mix yarns in NZ as we don't produce cotton, and Sweater is a glorious combo of cotton and wool so it's great in summer and winter.
Spud & Chloe Fine in Dolphin, Cricket, Goldfish, Popcorn and Sassafras
A clever mix of silk and wool, Spud & Chloe Fine is like any good sock yarn - durable enough to wear on your feet, but versatile enough to be made into absolutely anything. The new shades we got in are lovely soft Spring colours - a nice to way to brighten up cold winter days.
Adding new colourways to the ranges we stock is super exciting. Slowly but surely we're getting in every colour of every yarn base and it fills the shelves with joy. There's a simple but perfect pleasure in being in a shop filled with shelves where the yarn speaks for itself. If there's ever any colour of a yarn that we don't have in stock, just let us know! We're more than happy to order it in for you.
xx Tash
Post-Handmade: thank you!
Each year Handmade gets better and better, and this year was no different. One of the most amazing things is how Handmade brings together a huge range of New Zealand talent to meet in one place. It was such a joy and an honour to be part of such an excellent event that really celebrates the best of our local makers.
Even better was meeting so many people - and catching up with our favourite customers (that would be all of you, of course!).
Seeing as the Knit Lounge at Handmade was packed with knitters and makers all last weekend, we aren't organising any World Wide Knit in Public day events. However Saturday Sit & Knit will be on as usual for your sitting and knitting (or crocheting) pleasure. I feel like we're slowly getting to the point now where so many of us knit in public on a regular basis that it's not a big deal.
When I first started knitting seriously six years ago, knitting in public was unheard of. Thanks to events like WWKiP and Handmade it isn't as unusual now, which is wonderful. We shouldn't be ashamed of our craft and while there is a way to go before it is no longer in the 'nana craft' basket, times and perceptions are certainly changing.
There's heaps for us to catch you up on - loads of new stock and exciting classes in the works. One of these of course is the Beginner Knitting sessions - we invite you to join the club! It's pretty wonderful!
