Get There Early...

Or it might just be too late.

I hate to do this to you, I know that you'll all be rising early on Saturday to get the bus.

However, we thought it would be worth it. The shop will officially open at 6:30 am on Saturday. I ask that you arrive on time and act in an orderly fashion. You are all also responsible for caffeinating yourselves and getting on the buses in time for the 7:30 departure.

The Koigu people send their regards, and apologize for not being able to attend the MSW Fest this year.

And they've sent us their mill ends.

Come and get 'em Saturday morning.

The fine print:

Mill ends will be on sale starting at 6:30 am until the buses leave. It is your responsibility to get yourself on the bus in time for departure. We will then reopen at 10 am. Mill ends will be on sale during regular business hours, 10-6 so if you aren't going to Maryland don't worry! You can come in and buy them all day (and the next day or the next and so on). If you can't get to Rosie's early you can also purchase mill ends or anything else you need when the buses get back. Don't worry, we have lots of them. Mill ends are $0.15 per gm ($7.50 per 50 gms, regular koigu price $12 per 50 gms). After Saturday the mill ends go up to their regular price of $0.24 per gram.

Questions? Call us at 215-977-YARN (9276)

Crochet Tonight

Just a quick reminder that tonight from 5-7 is our once monthly Crochet Drop-In. Whether you need help on a pattern or need to learn how to crochet from scratch we've got you covered.
$20 per person for the 2 hours.
Hope to see you there!

--If you can, RSVP in comments or call the shop at 215-977-YARN

Galina Khmeleva Scarf in Piecework

The new issue of Piecework arrived today.  

The pattern on the cover is by Galina Khmeleva, Orenberg lace expert and author of Gossamer Webs Design Collection.  It is a relatively easy pattern utilizing the techniques used in Russian Orenberg lace shawls.  Knit this project using 2 skeins of Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere, available in the shop in these colors:

Silver Fern

Smokey Mountains

Little Girl Pink (yes, it's really called that!)

Mahogany

Stop in to see the pattern and pet the yarn!

Cutest Bags Ever!

We were lucky the day Wendy wandered into a shop in town and found a great knitting bag. How so, you ask? Well, Wendy is persistent and she found out who made the tote bag she got. A few phone calls later I had the pleasure of meeting a woman in town who makes these gorgeous bags. Her company is called Hanna and she makes bags of all sizes from kimono fabrics. She is from Japan and brings fabric back to the States with her every year when she goes home to visit. She made these great notions bags for us and she is bringing more after Maryland Sheep and Wool, along with some new shapes and sizes, and maybe some totes. I was so thrilled to find someone local making such exquisite bags. I love being able to support local craftspeople. Everyone should be able to work doing what they love!

And on another note, Happy Earth Day everyone and don't forget to vote!

Koigu Mori Shawl

I couldn't resist, I took home 3 skeins of the new Koigu Mori last night to play with and I'm hooked. After swatching a few different things I came up with this It's a simple stitch and shows the varigation well. You all know I am a sucker for yarn over patterns, just look at Maude and Geyl. This is truly a pleasure to knit with, the yarn is silky and cool in the hand, which I need today! and the drape is unbelievable.

You can see in the picture below that when blocked, or allowed to stretch out the "ribs" of the k2togs line up nicely and the yarn overs create a nice ladder effect. But when the fabric is allowed to collapse on itself its got an effect that reminds me of the surface of choppy water. The pattern is worked on both sides and the yarn overs are stacked on one another which makes the vertical of the yarn overs have very little structure, which is what causes the pattern to collapse on itself. The yarn overs all slant to the right, which gives the look of a bias stitch pattern when the fabric is allowed to relax.

I think that once this is wrapped around my neck it's really going to look great because of the complexity of the fabric structure, the drape, and the stretch. The pattern is available at Rosie's and is free with the purchase of the yarn. I think (I've worked through one ball of the Mori so far) that 4 skeins is going to be just right, which makes it a nice even $100 project. The finished measurements are working out to be about 12" wide by 50" long, but given the nature of the fabric it is much wider when stretched, and I don't know quite how this yarn is going to block out (I think it isn't going to hold a block due to the drape), and that once it is worn it is going to grow in length due to the collapse of the fabric. I'll keep you posted!

Mori

It's here! I know we made you wait a little longer for it, but it's going to be worth the wait. There are top secret boxes in the back labelled "Do Not Open Until Sheep and Wool!" which is making the staff a bit twitchy. In the meantime, I think we can keep ourselves busy with Mori. New from Koigu, it's a 50% merino and 50% Mulberry silk blend at a slightly finer gauge (you were right Wendy) than the KPPM. It's 185 yds per 50 gms instead of the 175 yds per 50 gms. Here is a sampling of the colors

We're going to be winding up a ball, come on in and take it for a test drive!

Rosie's Band Wagon

And the race begins...to complete Rowan Studio 9, Girly 2 by Sarah Hatton. Three of the Rosie's staff members have embarked on the quest of making this super cute, totally adorable cropped sweater. No doubt Kate will be altering this one. Stacy and D.C. worked on the swatches yesterday (yes, we swatch SERIOUSLY) and have casted on, long-tail, of course. We like those elastic hems. Stacy's using the Pure Wool in some really sumptuous colors, I have to say. D.C. is using the Classic Elite Classic One-Fifty and Kate is definitely using something beautiful. If you want to join us we'll be happy to help you get started. If you would like to stay true to form we carry all four colors of the Rowan Calmer that the pattern calls for. We so look forward to our "girly" photo shoot!

New Silk and Wool Koigu?

One of the amazing things we found at TNNA in January was that Koigu was bringing out a new yarn. It's the same KPPPM we love, but 50% merino and 50% silk. Wow! The silk gives the yarn a sheen that is out of sight, the colors are rich and vibrant, it is silky but the spin of the wool that gives it that characteristic "bounce" keeps the silk from getting too drapey. This one's a keeper. We got the call from them that the yarn is on it's way this week and we are on pins and needles awaiting it's arrival.

And, as we all know, Koigu and their mill ends will sadly not be at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival but the silk will be here before May 3rd, so that's some consolation. They also promised to tuck a little (no, a lot) of something in with the silk/wool to make it up to you all. Can't say anything about it yet, but if you're taking the bus you may want to get here early...

An Education

Last week Joan McGowan Michael came and taught a special class for the Rosie's staff on fit. It was and all day workshop where we all made a "block," which is a schematic of one's exact body shape. We used t-shirts instead of muslin, which is more typically used in fashion, because it would mimic the stretch that a hand knit would have. There was lots of pinning and stapling, Stacy even nearly stapled Kate's t-shirt to Kate's torso,

and by the end of the day we all had front/back and sleeve true to life schematics of us! It was really amazing. We learned things like how to add darts, create short rows to compensate for a bust or belly or bum so that the hemlines on sweaters will fall evenly and how to take REALLY good measurements. Jen is now wondering how to continue knitting the three or four sweaters she has on needles knowing what she knows now, to rip or not to rip? I feel similarly.

Friday Joan did a class for customers, which was less intensive, but designed to teach folks how to adjust patterns to their needs. Whether patterns aren't written for your size at all or if your top is a 4 and your bottom a 16, you can knit sweaters that fit if you just take the time to adjust the patterns. I think everyone really got the knowledge and confidence to knit the things they really want to wear. Fear not the short row, it is your friend.

We are also happy to discover that Joan wholesales her White Lies Designs patterns, which are not available as PDFs online. Her philosophy is that a knitting pattern should be a real tangible thing, on nice firm paper with a great photograph. A good pattern is worth the wait, and I have to agree. The attention to detail in her patterns is really lovely. Stop in and take a look at them and get a little help from our staff creating your own perfect fit!

Ohh...yummy!

We got just the thing to cheer us up when we arrived to work this morning sopping wet. Seriously, my clogs FILLED with water while I ran from the coffee shop to Rosie's. Ew! This great new yarn filled a void in our lace weight inventory. It was my TNNA homework from Lisa. My task? Find a yarn suitable for lace shawls that isn't as thin as, say Misti Alpaca Lace (875 yards to 100 gms) and not as heavy as something like Koigu (350 yds to 100 gms). And this is what I found. Hand Jive Nature's Palette Lace Weight Silk and Wool. The same natural dyes we came to love in Nature's Palette but in a lighter weight (655 yds to 100 gms) and with 30% silk. The colors are lovely, bright and scream spring. The natural dyes are rich and subtly shaded, although I wouldn't say it's a variegated yarn.





We also got some nice patterns which you could use for the Nature's Palette Fingering including these Cafe du Monde Glovesand this Spanish Lace Shawl would be great in either the Fingering or the Lace Weight. The pattern on this is very similar to Parthenope so I couldn't resist getting it.