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!

Hours

Wednesday, December 24th: We guarantee 10-3, but if you are desperate and can't get here, just give us a call and we will make arrangements to stay for you.
Thursday, December 25th: Closed
Friday, December 26th-Tuesday, December 30th: Regular Hours
Wednesday, December 31st: 10-2
Thursday, January 1st: Closed
Friday, January 2nd: Resume Regular Hours

My Hands are Cold!

Last night on Weather Underground they predicted something called "Ice Pellets" in our zip code. I don't know if that is something other than what is commonly referred to as sleet, but whatever it is, it sounds like today is a day for mittens. A few weeks ago we had a thrummed mitten class, which was a lot of fun and a big success. What is a thrummed mitten you ask? Basically, it is a simple mitten which has bits of roving fluff knit into some of the stitches, generally in a symmetrical pattern, with the fluff ends to the inside of the mitten to create a fuzzy warm interior. Here's some things that you can use:


From the top we have roving that has been prepared for spinning, then wool batt, pencil roving and a single ply yarn. The top two are what are traditionally used for thrumming, but you could use pencil roving or any bulky singles yarn as well, not traditional, no, but we're talking about getting your hands warm FAST!

Many people would say that unless you are using roving or fleece you are not actually making a thrummed mitten. While I tend to agree with the traditionalists on most things, necessity is the mother of invention (and loose interpretation) and if I have cold hands I am going to thrum mittens with whatever I have laying around the house--even cotton balls if I were desperate and hours away from being sent on an arctic voyage.

Also, I don't own a whole lot of roving as I am merely a tourist in the world of spinning and the bit of roving I do have I covet. It just seemed wrong to make thrummed mittens with my Socks that Rock Sheep 2 Shoe Kit.

Here is what a basic thrummed mitten, done properly with roving, looks like on the outside:


The above mitten was knit with Manos Clasica and some Black Bunny Fibers Wensleydale roving I had in my stash. It was the first roving I ever purchased and I learned to spin with it. I ended up (unintentionally) destroying it and create this mitten with the remnants. Curious to thrum more things, I swatched using Manos Clasica for thrums to see how it would look:


Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I just cut 6" pieces of Manos and held two together to create each thrumm. Here is a photo from class of one of the students knitting her thrum into the mitten:

No matter what you use to make your thrums, the technique is essentially the same; you knit to a stitch you want to thrum, insert the tip of your right hand needle into the stitch, fold your thrum in half and wrap the center of your thrum material around the right hand needle with the material's ends facing the inside of your mitten, wrap the yarn around the needle as if to knit and pull both the thrum and the stitch through the stitch on the left hand needle and slide the new stitch off. Thrum complete! Now, on the next round you knit into the back of the thrummed stitch, twisting it, and this makes the thrum pop, or sit up straight on the ground of the fabric. Without knitting into the back of this stitch you won't get that nice "fair-isle" look to your mitten. Your thrummed "v" stitches will fall into the fabric and look messy and get lost.

To work with washed, unprepared fleece or from wool batt pull off a piece of fleece that is about 1-2 cm thick and about 4-6' long. Leave 'tails' of equal length to the inside of the mitten as you work the thrum.

Working with sliver, or fleece that has been commercially prepared for spinning, is perhaps the easiest. To work this method simply work as above for working with fleece, pulling off bits, or slices, of fleece from the sliver to create thrums.

Working with single ply wool yarn or pencil roving is worked basically the same way, just cut 4-6" lengths of pencil roving or yarn and hold 2-3 strands together for each thrum. Here's what the inside of a mitten done in this way would look like:

You can also work 2 strands of yarn together by pulling from the center and outside of a center pull ball. On first thrum, leave a 6" tail, insert tip of right hand needle into next stitch, wrap the double strand around the right hand needle counter clockwise or the "wrong way," wrap the yarn (the main working yarn) around the stitch clockwise or the "right way," and slip both off the left hand needle. Leave a loop about 4-6" in total length and work the next thrum the same way, without cutting the yarn.

So, get out your dpns and cast on! It's cold out there, what are you waiting for?

Thrummed Mittens
Materials:
One skein of Manos Clasica
2 oz of roving OR 150 yds of pencil roving OR a contrast color of Manos Clasica for the thrums.
#10 dpns or size to obtain gauge.
2 ring markers

Gauge: 4 sts per inch in stockinette stitch

Size: Adult Small (Medium, Large). You can increase or decrease the size by adding or subtracting a multiple of 4. Each multiple of 4 will add or subtract about one inch.
Cast on 32 (36, 40) sts. Divide onto 4 dpns.
Join and work in k2, p2 rib for 10 (10, 12) rounds.

Pattern:
1-3: Knit
4: *thrum 1, k3; rep from * to end of round.
On row after thrums are placed knit through the back of the stitch.
These 4 rows form your pattern.

Work 2 repeats of pattern.
Work row 1.
On next row 1 place thumb by knitting 6 (6, 8) sts and placing on holder.

Knit to end of round. On round 2 of pattern cast on 6 (6, 8) sts over 6 (6, 8) sts on holder.

Continue mitten in pattern until it measures 7, 8, 9" from beginning.
Shape top:
Keep thrum pattern as set.
1. *k6, k2tog; rep from * to end.
2. K
3. *k5, k2tog; rep from * to end.
4. K
5. *k4, k2tog; rep from * to end.
6. *k3, k2tog; rep from * to end.
7. *k2, k2tog; rep from * to end.
8. *k1, k2tog; rep from * to end.
Cut yarn, leaving a 10" tail. Thread end through live stitches and fasten off.

Thumb:
Place thumb sts from holder evenly onto 2 dpns. Pick up and knit 6 (6, 8) sts from cast on stitches onto 2 dpns. Knit around on these 12 (16, 20) sts as follows:
1-3: knit
4: thrum 1, k2 (3).
Work rows 1-4 3 (4) times and then work rows 1-2 once more.
Decrease by k2tog around all sts and fasten off as for top.
Cut yarn, leaving a 10" tail.
Thread through live stitches and pull closed.

Weave in ends.


Enjoy!

Check it out!

Over the last few weeks we have been delighted to see some current Rosie's staffers appear in the "knitosphere" as published knitwear designers!

Laura, co-author of Knit So Fine, has a gorgeous sweater, the Ropes and Picots Cardigan, in the Winter 2008 Interweave Knits. It is knit out of a new Rosie's favorite, Scottish Tweed DK in Apple, available in the shop. The sweater embodies what we love about knitting -- classic techniques and vintage inspiration paired with meticulous details in a tweed yarn that manages to be both feminine and rustic.

Also, this month, Courtney has a pair of socks in Carol's new book by Interweave, Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn. Inspired by Anni Albers and traditional fair isle motifs, her socks are a new and gorgeous example of the possibilites of handdyed yarns if you think outside the box. We have her original pair in the shop and copies of the book to pick up as a perfect gift for the sock knitter on your list. Better yet, grab two copies and knit a pair for yourself or as a last minute gift for someone you love. This great book is full of wonderful designs using all of our favorite handpainted yarns, including Koigu and Black Bunny Fibers!

Beautiful job Carol, Courtney and Laura!

Knitting Circle Holiday Party!

This Wednesday night from 6-8 bring an item from your stash and participate in the chaotic Pollyanna. Bring a snack or beverage to share, if you like. Guaranteed to be a fun, yarny time.

Bert's Mittens

Last week while Lisa was knitting another pair of mittens using this new Noro yarn, Yuzen, she started thinking out loud. Could you knit the mitten sideways and short-row the whole thing to create the shaping for the top of the hand? Could you do it and never have to sew a seam? Could you do it in one skein?
Lisa always likes a challenge. Quoting her:
"This is one of those "because you can" projects: Knitting a pair of mittens in self-striping yarn made me think about all the things knitters do to manipulate the stripes. The rest of the design decisions were motivated by two things: one, I hate sewing seams (so the hand section opens with picked-up stitches and closes with a three-needle bind-off); two, I HATE weaving in ends (so the knitting is continuous from the cast-on at the cuff to the final closure of the thumb)."

This mitten is not for the faint of heart. There is some wacky shaping going on, although in true Lisa style her pattern reads more like prose in parts than a mathematical formula. When people come into the shop with patterns like this I often say something like, "Just do exactly what the pattern says, without question, even if you have no idea why you are doing what you are doing." This pattern fits that bill. By the second mitten you'll know what's going on. And it's amazing.

These mittens use this new yarn from Noro, Yuzen. It's a self striping DK weight yarn with an interesting fiber content: 56% wool, 34% silk, 10% kid mohair. $10 a ball, you'll only need one for these mittens. Note that Lisa mentions in the pattern that she had 6" of yarn remaining when she cast off the second mitten so if you're gauge isn't right or if you adjust the size you'll want a second skein.
Download Bert's Mittens, December's Project of the Month, and have fun knitting this puzzle!

Turkey Day!

Rosie's Thanksgiving Hours:

WEDNESDAY 10-8 (Knitting circle is on from 6-8pm!)
THURSDAY: Closed
FRIDAY: 10-8 (Extended Black Friday hours!)
SATURDAY: 10-6
SUNDAY 12-5

See you soon!

Thrown Together

This just in...
The new Kim Hargreaves book, Thrown Together.

A fantastic new book from Rowan designer Kim Hargreaves. This book is beautifully styled and photographed, making flipping through it's pages worthy of a night spent laying on the couch (which is how I spent part of my evening last night). The patterns have a vintage flair, as did Heartfelt--last winter's book from Kim Hargreaves. It's not just the styling on the pictures however, it's the style, cut and proportions on the garments themselves. Evie, below, is a cute basic cardigan that is designed to look 'oversized' even thought the armhole is fit close to the body and there is a little waist shaping kept close to the hem. It has pockets, always a nice touch, and uses a horizontal welt style rib of knits and purls to give textural interest and, again, a vintage look. This is a great simple sweater, perfect for a novice who doesn't want to look like she's making her first sweater.

Evie

Yarn: Cashsoft 4-Ply (also perfect for 4-Ply Soft or Cashcotton 4-Ply)
Gauge: 7 sts to 1"
Materials: 7 (8, 8, 9, 10, 10) balls of Cashsoft 4-Ply (218 yds/ball)

Sizes: (to fit bust) 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 43

Below is another great sweater, fitted to the body with a little bit of ease, perfect waist shaping, a low, modified square neck with a set in sleeve. She again uses a horizontal rib at the neck and waist reminiscent of the late 20's and early 30's and on this one the sleeve has just a little bit of a puff at the wrist before tapering into a long ribbed cuff. Great detail!

Still
Yarn: Calmer 75% Cotton, 25% Microfiber 175 yds
Gauge: 20 sts to 4" on a US 7-8 needle
Materials: 7 (8, 8, 8, 9 ,10)Sizes: (to fit bust) 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 43

The next two sweaters use Rowan Felted Tweed, one of our most favorite all time yarns.

Heather

Yarn: Felted Tweed, 50% merino wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose/rayon
Gauge: 23 sts to 4" on a US 5-6 needle

Materials: 6 (7, 7, 8, 8 ,8)
Sizes: (to fit bust) 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 43

Olivia

Yarn: Felted Tweed, 50% merino wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose/rayon
Gauge: 23 sts to 4" on a US 5-6 needle
Materials: 7 (7, 8, 8, 9, 9) balls 191 yds / 50 gms
Sizes: (to fit bust) 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 43

Stop in to see all 16 patterns in this great book!

Penny Straker Trunk Show!

We recently received a great trunk show featuring countless Penny Straker Designs. Her patterns are timeless, classic and cover a broad range of aesthetics and abilities. Many of us at the store relish the more traditional format (and black and white photography -- as you can see below) of the original designs, but it is always really great to see the finished samples in person.

One of the most recognizable Penny Straker patterns is the Owl Bonnet and Cardigan.

We have the infant sample in the store (even cuter in person if you can believe it!) but the pattern is offered in in multiple sizes, infant up to children's size 10 (I am constantly tempted to break out the aran weight and knit an adult sweater for myself....one day....)

Another beautiful sample we have in Innisfree, a infant/toddle aran cardigan. Knit in sportweight washable wool, it is the perfect combination of technique, beauty, classic design and hierloom quality. If you have always wanted to knit an aran, this size is a perfect stepping stone to an adult sized project as well.

For adult sweaters, we have a wonderful mix of men and women's cardigans and pullovers. Since the weather has cooled considerably in the last week, we have been passing the Shalor Pullover around. Shown here modeled on a man, and then myself, it is a perfect oversized woman's sweater as well.


Another great pattern we have in the store is the Whit Vest. Shown below modeled by Courtney and also in the original pattern photo, it is easy to see how a classic design can look modern and timeless throughout the decades depending on color choice and wearer.

We have many more samples in the shop for you to check out and the full binder of every pattern in the line! Come in, pile on the knitwear and cast on for a classic design this season.