Back in the Game

Well folks, it's been a while. I am happy to announce that motherhood hasn't yet killed me and that I am slowly finding new ways to do the things I used to do. Can you find the baby in the office?
I am getting much better at breastfeeding and typing at the same time and accepting the fact that I can't type very fast one handed. We have been to work 3 times, and so far there have been no major disasters and even better than that, I've actually gotten work done!

I updated the home page, finally!

I scheduled new classes for February and March, and we are finally going to bring back some Sunday workshops! So get out your calendars cause here's what we got coming up:

Sweater Class
Session 1: Tuesday Jan 22nd from 6-8 pm meets for 6 Tuesdays.
Session 2: Tuesday March 4th from 6-8 pm meets for 6 Tuesdays.
$75, materials not included.
You choose the sweater and materials and we walk you through all the ins and outs of making your own sweater. If you have taken our beginner's class then this is the class for you! We recommend coming in advance to have one of our staff members help you choose a pattern and materials.

Beginner's Class

Thursday Februrary 21st from 6-8 pm meets for 6 Thursdays (Feb 21, 28, Mar 6, 15, skipping March 20th because of a scheduling conflict, 27 and Apr 3)
$125, materials included
In this intensive class you will learn everything you need to become an excellent knitter, and impress your friends and family with neat gifts this winter! No prior knowledge necessary, simply let us fill your head and hands with yarn-y goodness.


Classic Socks
Sunday Feb 10th, 17th, 24th 10am-12pm
$75, pattern included--you purchase the yarn and needles of your choice.
Jim Shelly will be teaching you how to knit a basic sock using the classic best sellling Yankee Knitter pattern. 3 weeks, every Sunday from 10 am to noon.

And don't forget that the Krazy Kolors workshop begins this Thursday night!

Sunday Workshops
Sunday Feb 7th 1-5pm, $30 materials included
Basic Hats with Stacy Morris
Learn all the you need in one afternoon! In this class you will make a bulky hat on double pointed needles, decreasing for a nicely shaped cap. You should know how to knit and purl well.

Sunday Feb. 17 1-5pm, $40 materials included
Fair Isle with Courtney Kelley
Cast on for some cute wrist warmers on double pointed needles and learn all about how to carry two colors of yarn, read color charts and design your own simple patterns! You should be confident on double pointed needles for this class.
And in other news, I am woefully late in giving everyone the TNNA scoop. I've been trying to finish this post since last week though. Like I said, one handed typing is sloooow.
Clyde and Max and I flew out to Long Beach on Thursday. The flight was shockingly successful for travelling with a 6 week old infant. He was remarkably well behaved, I got knitting done on the flight even! We arrive at LAX, which is shockingly like a Greyhound bus station in appearance and get our Thrify car rental shuttle to pick up our crappy "economy" car rental. We end up with a convertible PT Cruiser however. I have brief visions of calling Lisa and telling her we didn't make it and are still in Philly. Then taking the rental car and driving up the Pacific Coast Hwy and spending the weekend in San Francisco. But I don't. I sucessfully navigate LA traffic and arrive, sore and exhausted, in Long Beach where we immediately consume excessive amounts of food and moderate amounts of beer.
Now for the exciting part: I wake up in the middle of the night; cold, sweaty, aching all over. Oh no, I have a fever. Luckily I have an infant and now carry a thermometer with me wherever I go. Yep, fever of 101. Wow, my left breast is amazingly sore. Oh crap. I have an infection. And the funniest part of this story ('cause I know you're laughing at my misery) is that I am reading "All Creatures Great and Small" and just finished up the chapter about the cow with mastitis. Uh, yeah. Ew. So I call the wonderful midwives at The Birth Center and get a script and by 4:30pm I was on my way to the show. So I had missed the first 6 hours of the show and had to play extreme catch up. And, suprisingly, I was able to do it! One of the things I decided I love about my job is that since it is woman dominated no one thinks that now you've had a baby you are no longer as involved in your career. I didn't feel like I had to prove anything. It's just normal. People have babies. I got to talk to people about designs and colors and ideas and no one thought for a second that because I had a baby I wouldn't be as interested in these things as I was before. At the same time, people are really understanding if you are unable to do something you would have done before. Am I making sense? In any case, it was great and I felt like a normal person, not just a carrier of a tiny baby. So here are some of the things we saw for Spring:
In very exciting news Lorna's Laces and Mountain Colors have teamed up to do a design series using one yarn from each of the two companies. There will be four designs each year, one each quarter, and this is the first one!
This wonderful drapey shrug/shawl is called "Palette of Colors" and is designed by Jackie E-S of Heartstrings Fiber Arts. I tried it on at the show and fell in love. This design uses Half Crepe from Mountain Colors and Helen's Lace from Lorna's Laces. It will be available at Rosie's this Spring in four colorways.
Sandridge/Chinook

and Red Rover/Ruby Ridge.

In more exciting Lorna's Laces news they have a new yarn. This is the Green Line collection, which is all naturally dyed and 100% organic. The colors are softly tonal and the yarn, we got the dk weight, is a super soft but sturdy 100% wool. A great sweater yarn to feel good about.

The colors are (left to right) Hope, Silence, Solitude, Courage, Mirth, Dusk, Growth, Echo and Chagrin. We skipped the three neutrals (I found Silence and Solitutde to be virtually indistinguishable) and went for the last six colors. I think this is a great yarn for us, we have had a lot of folks asking for Eco-friendly yarns and I am always happy to find something new, particularly from a company we already like so much. (ps, Amanda: Took your advice and went to Roscoes Chicken and Waffles. It was delicious.)
There are new colors of Lacey Lamb, which Wendy is happily knitting up. Our half circle shawl from Victorian Lace today was knit in this yarn. It's great stuff, at a great price and the new colors will knock your socks (or shawls) off.
From Louet we got 8 colors of Euroflax Sportweight Linen and 12 more colors of Gems Fingering. I can't get enough of the Gems. Cookie A really set me onto a good thing. I had never really paid it much mind until her sock patterns started popping up and folks kept asking for the Gems. I'm so glad, this yarn has been a good basic fingering for us. And as for the linen, I have always wanted to knit a sweater out of it, but have always feared the pain. People talk all the time about how it is so stiff it kills the hands, worse than cotton etc. But if you've ever been lucky enough to feel someone's well loved linen sweater you know how great it feels. This may be the year I buy some Handeze Craft Gloves and get down to some good flax-y buisness. I must say I ordered some stellar colors. Hopefully they'll be in soon! And new from Louet, so new it's not on their website yet, is Seacell and Corn Fiber Top! Whoa. This stuff just arrived today and it is really something spectacular. Both will be available in 2 oz increments instead of the usual 1/2 lb, $5 for the Seacell and $3 for 2 oz of Corn Top. If you are a spinner you've gotta try it. I wanted to make it available for a reasonable price and quantity so that people could experiment to see if they liked it before making an investment in a project quantity. Take it for a spin and tell us what you think! Both are undyed, so perfect for hand-dyers to play with too!
There's also a new yarn from Hand Jive, the makers of Nature's Palette Fingering Weight Merino. Nature's Palette Laceweight Silk & Wool, a 50/50 merino silk blend with a super springy twist is a great yarn. We are getting it in 5 colors and each skein is 655yds/100 gms making it lighter in weight than something like Koigu yet not as fine as, say, Alpaca Lace from Misti. It's a nice gauge that we don't see very often and makes a great warm and sturdy shawl without being clunky looking.
And, I saved the best for last! The lovely people at Koigu unveiled a new yarn! It's a 50/50 merino silk blend. The put up, gauge and spin are exactly like the KPPPM but it's 50% silk! Think your favorite Koigu but with incredible shine. This stuff glows. The dyes take to it beautifully, vibrantly (is that a word?), amazingly. This is the kind of yarn that changes lives. You think I'm overreacting because I sell yarn for a living? Ha. Just you wait. I should get some smelling salts to keep on hand at the shop just in case.
So I guess that's all for now, I know this was a long post. Thanks for hanging in until the end!

Krazy Kolors Class Preview

Unfortunately, I can't make the first night of the Krazy Kolors Workshop, so this Saturday, I spent some time picking a project, and playing with color - and voila - a perfect preview of what the first class holds in store.

First, I perused patterns to find something I like. I would suggest coming to the first class with at least a good idea of what you want to knit - stop by the shop before the 31st, and we have plenty for you to look at. You can find Kaffe patterns in current and older Rowan Magazines, his own books, many still in print, and older books, which can be found on ebay, or perhaps a friend's library, or even our own free library. If you're reading this post, you're probably pretty internet savy, so what I would suggest is doing a google search, see what comes up, and if you like something, figure out where the pattern is. Kaffe revisits many of his themes over the years, and if you find something from the early 80's, you may very well find an updated version in one of his later publications. Some of his designs are just timeless, though - like the one I picked: The vest consists of 25 bands of fair isle, some bands composed of 2 colors, some of 3. I looked at the chart, and at the yarn recommendations, and I thought, ok, pick 13 colors that play nice together.

So, I went to the shelves and pulled out all of the Rowan Felted Tweed: 15 colors - done, right? Nah, Felted Tweed, while beautiful, doesn't really have a color that "pops," nor does it have a very large range. So, I pulled out all of the Reynolds Whiskey: And then I mixed them together, in what I thought were color families: And then . . . and then I stared at them . . . and stared at them - what the heck am I supposed to do next?

Luckily, in walked Lisa, allegedly for a quick stop in - but it didn't take long for her to be seduced by the colors - so much more fun than shopping for clothes! - and the color families, as I called them were disbanded, and the yarn was sorted into lights, mediums and darks - And then we threw in more yarn! - Drops Alpaca (which would need to be doubled), Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, some Misti Alpaca, which would also have to be doubled - basically if was DK, or could be DK, it ended up on the floor.

Then, we lined them up, in a color progression - And then, we started cutting. The trimming down process was based on, at least for me, taste, texture, cost, and degree of pain in the neck (i.e. doubling). And here's what I had left: And for now, that's the batch I've "narrowed" it down to - the plan now is to check my stash and see what DK's I have hanging out at home, and to do the final paring down before the first class.

Isn't this going to be so much fun!!!!

So, call the shop, sign up, and get ready to brighten up this upcoming dreary time of year - add color to February and March, and give it a try.

Save the Dates! Sign Up Now! Krazy Kolors are here!

Get Your Mummer On!

Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year!

Love - the Rosie's Staff

Coming in 2008 - Krazy Kolors - A Kaffe Fassett 4-6 Month Workshop - starting the last Thursday in January. Details to come!

Looking Ahead: Lace!

Hopefully, everyone's holiday knitting is winding down - if it's not, well, I hate to be negative, but if you still have something dangling on your needles that's supposed to end up wrapped with a nice bow, or stuck in a stocking, well, you may have to run to Macy's before it closes for a replacement gift. Or, the other option, of course, is to wrap said hat, scarf, sweater, sock, on the needles, and after its opened, and the appropriate ooing and ahing is done, take it back and finish it at your leisure.

Regardless of the state of your holiday knitting, it's time to fastforward to January - gift knitting is indeed done, and it's time to pick a project to make you happy. A cozy sweater? Nah. Winter is a contemplative, thoughtful time. It's time to take out the needles, sit in front of the fire, listen to music and take out - that CHART!! Can't you picture that perfect Sunday afternoon - curled up with your stitch markers, tiny needles, perhaps a podcast on the old iPod, yarnovering, ssking, ah - ok, well you're now picturing my perfect Sunday - and I want you all to join me.

This winter, I'm signed up for 2 lace mystery knit-a-longs - Spring Secret Surprise and Secret of the Stole II. Between the 2 projects, I need at least 3000 yards of yarn - miles and miles! So, I did a little survey of the store this weekend - and let me tell you, there's no shortage of laceweight at Rosie's -

First up, Conjoined Creations Soy Silk - our website says, "Pastimes is one of our favorite yarns. It comes in hundreds of colors and the lovely ladies who dye it will custom dye any number of skeins in any number of color combos. It's no wonder we spend well over an hour in their booth at TNNA twice a year! And, at $11 a pop for 550 yards it's good for you too! Stop in to see what we have available." And, here it is knit up: I knit Swallowtail, from Interweave Knits, in this yummy laceweight. While I did the number of repeats called for in the pattern, I had plenty of yarn left over, I easily could have knit a few more repeats, and still had yarn to spare. Need neon purple, electric blue? This is your yarn. The stitch definition is spectacular, even before blocking. Affordable, one of a kind colors, great yarddage, who could ask for anything more?

If you say more - we have more! Here's Helen's Laces, from Lorna's Laces. Helen's Lace, a 50 wool/50 silk blend, is 1250 yards, and comes in many lovely, variegated colors. If you don't have a pattern in mind, that's ok, because there's a free pattern for a half circle shawl, knit in short-row wedges, on the back of the label. I'm using it doubled, for the Bird's Nest Shawl from Folk Shawls. The varigation is very subtle, not stripey, so for a handpainted, multi yarn, the lace pattern isn't swallowed by the color, and it's still an excellent choice for many a project.

What else? How about Jade Sapphire's Lacey Lamb? Lacey Lamb is 100% lambswool, and comes in lovely little squishy balls of 825 yards. I have yet to knit with Lacey Lamb, but I love walking around the store, squeezing a ball like it's Charmin. I have 2 skeins of the Teal set aside for Secret of the Stole ii. For anyone who has walked by the shop, and stared in awe at the red, circular shawl from Victorian Lace hanging in the window, that's Lacey Lamb. Here's a swatch knit up:

Is a size 3 needle too big for you? We have a yarn for you! Grignasco Merino Silk - basically a cobweb weight yarn. "Merino Silk is miraculous stuff--even thinner than Zephyr, with a more even, polished twist. And like so many ultra-thin yarns, the value is almost ridiculous: 1533 yards per 100 grams for $16."
Too skinny, you say? Double it! It's still a bargain.
Not looking for a bargain? Looking for decadence? Cashmere, of course! Jade Sapphire's 2ply Cashmere. Do I need to blog about the wonders of cashmere? I think not, onward!

I've saved the tried and true for last (although,not really last - next time I'm in the shop with my camera, I'll put together a post of nontraditional yarns to use for lace, like Alpaca Sox . . .), Jaggerspun Zephyr. I love Zephyr because I've used it so many times, I don't have to swatch - I know I love it on a 4. Of course, there are more reasons to love Zephyr. How many yards you do you need? 3000 you say, not a problem! Color? Oh, we have a few - or 20. I think I'm doing Spring Shawl Surprise in Pewter, or Mushroom - or . . . I don't know, so many choices!

Not enough choices? Well, there's more at the shop, and I'll be talking about them in the coming weeks. And, come in - there's nothing like fondling the yarn to help you make a decision. Thanks to Sheri for knitting all of the above swatches in a lovely sampler scarf.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

Hot Baby Potato!

We had cookies! Aren't you impressed with my workmanship? I originally thought I was going to be the Rembrandt of Christmas cookies - I mixed colors, I had a whole painter's palette of colored icing - but, um, they were pastels - I had pink stockings, and neon trees, and they were gloppy, and runny . . . and enough of the horror story - thank goodness for Duncan Hines!

And we had presents! What goodies were in the
grab bag, you ask - fantastic stuff! One of a kind Silk Blend Manos, Lisa Souza sock yarn, Socks that Rock, Anne (and no, I didn't put the Anne in the bag, but I did go home with Anne!), Noro Silk Garden Lite, Tess, and sooo much more. The Rosie's girls were to polite for thievery the first round, by by the second round, everyone wanted to get their hands on that one of kind, pink Manos Silk Blend, and all bets were off. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Great Secret Santa Stash Buster. I hope everyone liked what they scored, and hopefully, this will become a Rosie's tradition.

Cookies,presents, nogg, what else could we possibly need. A baby! MUST HOLD THE BABY! When the music stops, pass the baby!!!

Marissa held the baby!
Suzanne held the baby . . .
Pass the baby!
Magda, Lisa and Allison - smell the baby, touch the baby, oooh ahh the baby!


And to think, there really was yarn at this party!

Secret Santa Stash Buster Party!!!!!

Dear Clyde:

You missed the last Rosie's Yarn Cellar Party - but now that you're here - you can go to our next party - December 19, 2007 during knitting circle, the Great Secret Santa Stash Buster!

Look at all the fun you missed - Aunt Stacy knitted her Knightsbridge Sweater.

Mom ooed and ahed at all the fanastic stuff you got - here's a nice red blanket from Andrea.

And - what are these pretty girls thinking? When's that Flippy going to get here already, darnit!

And a spiffy cardigan from Sheri.


And what are these mischievous girls up to? Thinking about what they're bringing to the Secret Santa Stash Buster party - look at that Marissa - she's thinking, "can I get away with a skein of Red Heart wrapped in a $20 - I really don't want to give up anything in my stash . . ."

And look what Aunt Laura got you - "Made in Philly," isn't she thoughtful that it doesn't say, "Yo, Adrienne,we did it!"




And lookie - a present for Mom - hope you haven't projectile vomited on it yet! Thanks Aunt Lisa!



Oh yeah, there weren't just presents - there was cake! Thanks Karen. I'm not sure about the cake on December 19, 2007 - you don't have any teeth yet. But the grownups will be having eggnog and Christmas cookies - and whatever other treats anyone else wants to bring.


And, since you're only oh, a month or so old, you probably don't have any stash accumulated - but the rest of us do! And, wait til ya see the madness when we have the Secret Santa Stash Buster - everyone is going to wrap up a $15- $25 item/items - throw it in a bag, and then, let me tell you, mayhem and frivolity will ensue. I promise you - there's going to be a skein of Anne in that grab bag - and I'm sure many other luscious goodies too.

So, Clyde, don't forget about the party. Take your nap early - and we hope to see you - and everyone else there!

Love -

Rosie's

Clyde is here! Look how cute!
And don't you love the 4-Ply Soft sweater? 6 lbs 10 oz and 19 1/4" long. Born on November 29th, and yes, natural childbirth is overrated. Yikes! But, he's absolutely perfect and we couldn't be happier. I miss you all, but happy to be home knitting in bed with Clyde.

SALE!!!!

We're having a book and bag sale - come on in!!!!! We only have one copy of many of the below books, so first come first serve - I'm sure they're going to FLY off the shelf, so hurry on down!

The following titles are 40% off!!!

In no particular order:

Hand Felted Jewelry and Beads by Carol Huber Cypher
Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits by Jane Davis
Knitstyle by Barbara Larson
Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier & Laurie Kimmelstiel
Celebrity Scarves II by Abra Edelman
Knitting Beautiful Boas and Scarves by Ruth Lee
Crocheted Socks! Janet Rehfeldt and Mary Jane Wood
Classic Crocheted Vests Nancie Wiseman
Family Circle Easy Crochet
Crocheted Lace Pauline Turner
Cool Crochet Melissa Leapman
Crocheted Aran Sweaters and More Crocheted Aran Sweaters Jane Peever
Knit and Crochet with Beads Lily Chin
Cozy Crochet Melissa Leapman
Knit & Crochet Ponchos, Wraps, Capes & Shrugs
Fast Knits Fat Needles
Family Circle Easy Accessories
Creative Machine Knitting Ruth Lee
Tapestry Weaving A Comprehensive Study Guide
Learn to Knit
12 Easy Knitting Projects
Big Fish, Little Fish Jill Eaton
The Pattern Companion Knitting
Adorable Knits for Tots Zoe Mellor
Paintbox Knits
100 Hats to Knit and Crochet
Knitting in Color Brandon Mably
Decorative Knitting
After Dark, Uncommon Knits for Night Time
Brilliant Knits Brandon Mably
Handknit Style Linden Ward and Beryl Hiatt
Hot Knits Melissa Leapman
Simple Chic Jil Eaton
New Directions in Knitting
Perfectly Brilliant Knits Melissa Matthay
Chunky Knits
Knitting Simple Sweaters from Luxurious Yarns Marilyn Saitz Cohen
Big Needle Knitting
At Knits End Stephanie Pearl McPhee
Country Inspiration Sasha Kagan
Pursenalities and Pursenality Plus Eva Wiechman
The Knitting Experience: Book 3 Color
The Ultimate Knitted Tee
Reader's Digest Two-Stitch Knits

All bags (except the awesome Lantern Moon fish bags) are 35% off!

And, while books last, a free copy of Tara Jon Mannings Mindful Knitting or The Gift Knitter with any purchase of $100 or over.