HRYC

Here I am about to start writing the first of several posts about how to choose colour for a project...but as per usual I got distracted on the way.

The top patterns on Ravelry feature a surprising number of cover images with samples knit in...

yellow.

Can I say I TOLD YOU SO?

Gaze over these glories knit in radiant sunshine....

Shattered Sun Shawl by Felicia Lo

Nahui by Christelle Nihoul

My Honey by Elena Nodel

Pomme de Pin by Amy Christoffers. Ok so maybe this one is closer to golden syrup than sunshine but still - delicious.

Alright, I better stop being distracted and actually write the post I meant to!

It's a quiet sunny Good Friday as I write this (but you're probably reading on a Monday, or a Tuesday). It's not often I get to hunt through Rav these days, with winter coming we're busier and busier all the time so a few stolen moments to have a browse through new patterns are precious.

With the recent odd weather of late, I'm thinking about shawlettes and light scarves that can be thrown around my neck or in my bag just in case the sunshine turns chilly. And wow, are we spoiled for choice with patterns right now! Here are a few of my faves (all on Ravelry, click on the image to go through to the pattern page).

Aranami, by Olga Buraya-Kefelian for the Brooklyn Tweed team. I don't know how they do it - Every Single Pattern from this lot is spectacular. Their vision is something to seriously envy. I can see this one knit up in various shades of Knitsch Sock greys.

The Echo Flower Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen is a gorgeous example of a modern interpretation of Estonian Lace. Imagine this one knit in Spinning a Yarn silk merino lace (which we now have back in stock, hooray!).

Have I blogged about Henslowe before? I can't remember. Anyway, it's stunning.

Henslowe by Beth Kling

Henslowe is a beautiful balance of stitch definition, yarn colour and lace pattern. It's not an easy thing to achieve - harmony between those three things. Which reminds me, I still need to do that post about colour selection for patterns, yes?

Two more:

Semele by Asa Tricosa

Anne, one of our knit night regulars is knitting this in Blue Sky Alpaca's Alpaca silk - and it looks GORGEOUS. I can't wait to see the finished shawl.

And, lastly:

Sherilyn, by Ysolda Teague

Sherilyn is on the needles. I just couldn't resist the call of Blue Sky Alpaca - i'm using the Alpaca Silk sport weight in Garnet for this one, dreaming of how it will feel against my neck. It's a shop sample, so totally justifiable that it's not in the Queue Project list, right? (I really need to write an update on that one!).

We do have yarns to suit all these projects in the shop - so if you need hand choosing colours or yarns, feel free to drop by. It really is a joyful part of the job.

yikes, I hadn't meant to go so long without posting! After Easter will see this space a bit more chatty. In the meantime, we're looking forward to LOTS of knitting time this weekend.

We'll definitely have Knit Night this week, so drop in for lots of cake (please don't bring any this week!), a good chat and some knitty fun times.

Shop hours:

CLOSED Friday 6 April

OPEN Saturday 7 April 10am - 4pm

CLOSED Sunday 8 April

and closed as per usual Monday 9th / Tuesday 10th of April.

Have a wonderful weekend, and if we don't see you: drive safely, eat lots of chocolate and have a wonderful break!

I wanted to share this wee titbit from the latest Frankie magazine (one of my all-time fave mags):

Everyday new and interesting people walk into the shop with all sorts of completely different life stories. In our internet age it can be hard to reach out to someone new and say, hey! You're awesome! I want to be friends!

That's one of the reasons we love knit nights - it's a great way to meet people and create a little community where we all have a common passion.

I've been mulling over a Saturday knitting hang out time - if you'd like to join me, come on down to the shop any Saturday from 10am - 1pm. We can hang out, and be friends, and if you have any knitting questions it will be the perfect time to ask.

Hooray! At long last we have put together our class schedule. A few new workshops have been added - covering gauge, designing your own socks and spinning sessions.

Beginners Crochet is already full, with a waitlist started. If you're desperate to learn, let us know and we can keep you in the loop about more classes.

Here is the schedule, with short snippets on what each will cover:

Absolute Beginners Knitting
For those that have never knit a stitch before (or can’t remember how)
Wednesday 21, 28 March & 4 April
7 – 9pm
$50 for all 3 – includes yarn & needles

Merry Go Round – FILLING UP FAST!
Techniques for knitting in the round – including double pointed needles, magic loop and circulars.
Wednesday 18 April
7 – 9pm
$20 – byo needles & yarn

Getting to know lace
Are you sick of knit & purl? Learn how to make basic lace stiches and read lace patterns.
Wednesday 25 April
7 – 9pm
$20 – byo needles & yarn

Untangling Cables
Lessons in making cables easy – with and without a cable needle
Wednesday 9 May
7 – 9pm
$20 – byo needles & yarn

Cast on, cast off
Not quite sure which cast on or bind off method to use for your project? Confused by a tab cast on for a shawl pattern? Learn new methods and tips for choosing the best one.
Wednesday 16 May
7 – 9pm
$20 – byo needles & yarn

Beginner’s crochet – 2 sessions FULL
Learn the basics of crochet during the first session, moving onto tips for amigurumi in the second – you’ll be hooking in no time. Taught by the talented Sofia aka Kiwigurumi
Saturday 24 & 31 March
1pm – 3.30pm
$30 per session

DIY sock pattern
Learn how to add your own stitch design into a sock, making a cosy pair exactly how you want them.
Wednesday 30 May
7pm – 9pm
$20 – byo needles & yarn

Reading the numbers
Your gauge swatch is the key to great finished product. We’ll look at how to read your swatch and use it to adjust numbers to achieve a beautifully fitted garment.
Wednesday 6 June
7pm – 9pm
$20 – byo needles, yarn & calculator (the one on your phone is fine)

Spinning Sundays
The last Sunday of every month Tash and Matt of Wabi Sabi fibres turn their hand to spinning. This isn’t a strictly teaching time but we will help where we can.
Sunday 25 March, 29 May, 27 May, 24 June, 29 July, 26 August, 30 September, 28 October, 25 November