Spring Class Schedule

We've got a great variety of classes for every level and interest area this spring. Come on in to sign up, or give us a call at (215) 977-YARN (9276).

Classes:

Beginning Knitting
Thursdays, February 26 - April 2
This is the basic introductory class for those who've never held needles, or for anyone who has but needs a refresher and wants a more thorough grounding. This isn't just a "learn to cast on and knit" class, it's an intensive 6 week class which teaches you to not just knit and purl, but how to read a pattern, measure for size, make buttonholes, knit in the round and on double pointed needles, and how to increase and decrease. By the end of the six weeks students should be able to jump into any of our more advanced classes like Fair Isle Colorwork, Cables and even the sweater class! $125; materials included.

Intermediate Knitting
Mondays, March 2 - April 6

Now that you have taken the beginner's class it's time to step up to the technique plate. This project based class teaches you the foundations of more advanced techniques; cables, lace and color work. We will learn all of these techniques in 6 weeks, divided into 2 week sections. 3 projects-- a bulky cabled hat, fair isle handwarmers and a simple lace stitch scarf-- will have you well on your way to conquering any knitting project in your queue. $125; materials included.

Shetland Lace Shawls

Tuesdays, March 24 & 31, April 14 & 21, May 5
The tiny North Sea islands of Shetland began to produce these intricate square shawls in the mid-eighteen-hundreds. Treasured as heirlooms and for their ethereal beauty, they became popular as wedding shawls; the finely worked lace can be drawn through a wedding ring. You'll complete your own Shetland shawl in this five-session class, which takes place over eight weeks. $100; materials not included. If you're new to lace knitting, we recommend taking our Introduction to Lace class on March 1.

Sunday Workshops:

February 8: Basic Hats/Knitting on Circular and Double Pointed Needles

Learn new skills and end up with a hat at the end of the day! Perfect for those of you who are sick of knitting scarves and are ready to move on to new things. $50, materials included.

No Class February 15th!

February 22: Knitting Socks Toe Up on Circular Needles
Knitting socks from the toe up makes a lot of sense-- you never have to worry about running out of yarn before you get to the toe! Learn to knit them using the magic loop method, Kate's favorite. She firmly believes one should not knit them any other way! $30; pattern included, materials not included.

March 1: Introduction to Lace
If you've always wanted to try your hand at lace knitting but been intimidated, this is the class for you. You'll learn a variety of techniques for basic lace making, including chart-reading, common abbreviations, and how to read a lace pattern. $20. Yarn is included; please bring one set of straight or circular size 7 or 8 needles.

March 8: Continental Knitting

Learn how to carry the yarn with your left hand. Continental knitters consider themselves to be superior knitters, and of course, they are (just kidding!). If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! But, seriously, Continental Knitting tends to be a bit faster and more efficient, once you get the hang of it. A perfect class for those of you interested in the Two-Handed Fair Isle class on March 22!

$20, bring a pair of #6, 7 or 8 needles.

March 15: Spinning With A Drop Spindle
Learn to spin your own yarn using a drop spindle. You'll find out what to do with the gorgeous roving you've seen at craft conventions and fairs. Get creative! $35; materials included.

March 22: Two Handed Fair Isle
Learn to knit with two color of yarn, holding one in the right hand and one in the left. We will be working in the round, so no Continental purling required! $25, bring a pair of double pointed needles in a size you work comfortably on. We'll be providing scrap yarns for you to use.

March 29: Cables and Arans

Learn this simple and complex-looking technique! If you've always wondered how people make those amazing Aran sweaters wonder no more. We'll be learning the basic techniques including how to follow a cable pattern and how to read cable charts. $35, materials included.

April 9: No Class

April 12: No Class

April 19, April 26 & May 3: Trellis Lace Capelet Knit this super cute pattern written by Rosie's Staffer D.C. Boyd! Knit using Rowan 4-Ply Cotton, the perfect summer yarn, this pattern will gear you up for warm weather!

$30, pattern included, materials not included

May 10: Helen's Lace Mother's Day Shawl

A great way to spend Mother's Day. Knit her a shawl, bring your mom and knit shawls together, or get your kids/partner to pony up for you to attend this one day workshop. Using Lorna's Laces "Helen's Lace" you will work with an instructor to tackle the short row shaping of this simple yet elegant shawl. $60, includes materials.

Crochet:

Fourth Monday of each month: This open ended crochet class is more project oriented, perfect for those who have basic skills and want to learn a bit more. Get help reading patterns, learning new techniques, you name it and Courtney's got you covered. $20/session, please RSVP to courtney@rosiesyarncellar.com or 215-977-9276.

Give the shop a call to sign up for any of the classes, or email courtney@rosiesyarncellar.com. And remember, we are continually adding new classes to the schedule. If you don't see what you need give us a call. As always, we also offer private lessons to help you along your way. Call for details.
Think Spring!

New Debbie Bliss Magazine!

The new issue of Debbie Bliss Magazine just arrived! Included are, as usual, great designs from Debbie Bliss! How appropriate.

Great designs for women, in three stories. There's a lot of great summer sweaters in this one, but remember, many of them are designed for chilly British summer evenings so expect a lot of designs that translate well into great year round office wear, perfect for the chilly summer air conditioning or for if you're always too hot to knit yourself a wool sweater.

Great designs for the wee babes as well! Debbie Bliss does it best.

And a wonderful and innovative home dec section. Great summery afghans for your shore knitting and some great ideas for sprucing up your home on your Spring cleaning binge (yeah, right!).

Enjoy!

Craving something sweet?

Check out this newly arrived yarn, Ruca Multy [sic] from Araucania. It's a scrumptiously soft hand-dyed yarn with the gorgeous drape and silky sheen of bamboo . . . but what's it made of?

That's right, it's made of 100% sugar cane! You get a solid 263 yards to 100 grams, and it comes in the clorways above (top-bottom): pink/coral/yellow (#5), lilac/green/orange (#7), teal/grey/tan (#9), and mint/pink/powder blue (#12). Araucania suggests 5 1/2 stitches to an inch on a size 4 or 5 needle, but I knitted up a swatch on size 3 needles and scored 6 stitches/inch, which is about as loose as you'd want to get with this drape! Ruca Multy would make a delicious tank or dress, a lace scarf, a baby sweater . . . or dessert. Give it what ya got, sugar!

New Winter Vogue!

The new winter Vogue just arrived and it's chock full of projects for your second season of knitting! Now that the holidays are over, and you're ready to knit for you, here's some ideas from our friends at Vogue.

This fair isle scarf is knit in Creative Focus Worsted, a single ply wool and mohair blend that is a Rosie's staff favorite. Perfect for the kids, or yourself!

Jared Flood is at it again. This time it's gloves, not mittens on the agenda. These beautifully and thoughtfully constructed mittens are knit using Rowan Scottish Tweed DK which we have in stock ready for you to knit! I love how the cable crosses on the hand merge into the cables on the fingers. Well designed gloves are a thing of beauty.

This coat is knit using Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran, one of my favorite yarns this season. The body is knit in a slip stitch herringbone pattern that is much simpler than it looks. I can't even begin to describe the construction on this brilliant design by Julie Hines. The side panels are knit seperatley and then the right and left front panels are knit congruently with the sleeves, sort of...It's amazing. You'll have to see for yourself!

And finally, for the Koigu junkies out there, is this cabled jacket knit out of Kersti. We just got a shipment of new KPPPM and Kersti colors last Friday so take advantage of all the color selection now! This is definitely going in my queue.

This issue also includes great articles on the Elizabeth Zimmerman Snail Hat, a ridiculous hat we are all fans of, a designer bio on Sandra Backlund whose sweaters are more sculpture than garment and more!

Courtney and Kate in Knitscene

We at Rosie's were all excited and proud (and maybe a little sad to see them go!) when Courtney and Kate started Kelbourne Woolens and began distributing the Fibre Company yarns. It has been really great to stay in touch with them to see what new and exciting happenings are on the horizon, so it was especially sweet when we received our anxioulsy awaited copies of Knitscene Winter 2008/Spring 2009 at the shop!


The magazine features an article by Lisa Shroyer on Kate and Courtney, which is a great description of what they do, how the distributorship works, and the specifics of their company (Kelbourne Woolens) and the yarn company (The Fibre Company). It also features a photo of Stacy outside Gleamer's Cafe, right in South Philadelphia!

Even more, the magazine has a pattern designed by Kate -- appearing in public later in the game, but actually one of the first berets she knit in her fall slew of hats -- the Tempest Beret, on page 30. Knit out of 2 skeins the Fibre Company's Organik, a blend of 70% Organic Merino, 15% Alpaca and 15% silk, it is a great introduction to (or continuation of) the treat that is knitting with Fibre Company yarns.

The pattern feautres integrated cable increases and decreases in the brim and crown (a design feature that is becoming Kate's signature) and is a repeat of 2x2 cables and a 2x2x2 braid. It would be a perfect project for knitters new to cables, too! Stacy knit a sample in Magma for Kate and Courtney for their trip to TNNA and gave the yarn and pattern an enthusiastic thumbs up.

We have copies of Knitscene and the full palette of Organik in the shop, so come in and check it out! You can also look at the Tempest Beret on Ravelry here if you are a member, and keep up to date with Courtney and Kate and Kelbourne Woolens on their blog, too.

Congrats Kate and Courtney!

Rowan 45 is Here!

I am happy to announce that yesterday we received a little box from the lovely folks at Westminster Fibers. What was inside? You guessed it! The new Spring Rowan magazine is here! There are three fashion stories in the issue:
Driftwood, which makes you want to wrap yourself in a comfy sweater and walk along a rocky shore somewhere:

Blossom, which is sooo beautiful! All the sweaters are named for different flowers, like Lotus shown below, and the look is ultra feminissima. Think floral motifs, ruffles, lace:

And Evergreen, photgraphed in the French countryside. This collection features multiple designs by Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, among others, and is casual, colorful and rustic:

There are also some great articles, including a bio on designer Erika Knight and a section with patterns for some cute summery accessories like a little crocheted bud vase, a picnic table cloth and a nautically inspired throw pillow. Great beach projects (yes, I know it's really really cold out)!

Stop in to take a peek for yourself, or buy a copy online!

Handwarmers for the Whole Family!

Happy New Year! I know, I know, it's the 6th, but I just got back from the annual Family-O-Rama. I was a bit busy in December, not only because it's the busiest retail season, but I also reneged on my promise not to knit for people this year. I conjured up these nifty handwarmers for every member of my family and I am happy to share them with you!


I started working on these a few weeks after Clyde started crawling. We live in a big old drafty house and when he would play on the floor his hands would turn into baby ice cubes! When going outside mittens are great, but making your baby wear mittens while playing inside implies a level of bad parenting that I was not willing to leap into. The answer? Baby handwarmers!


Clyde totally tolerates them and plays happily all day, and they are so stinkin' cute. It's a win-win situation.
I sized them from 6-12 months up to adult large and they are this month's Project of the Month!