Its not too late!

Believe it or not, we still have some room left on the buses for Maryland Sheep and Wool!

If you've been waffling a bit about whether or not to go - it is a total blast and worth the trip.

Pygmy Goats!!

Go check out the amazing list of vendors if you still need more convincing then give us a call at 215.977.9276 to sign up.

An Afternoon With Ysolda

Rosie's had a great time on Sunday with Ysolda. Stacy and I were up early sprucing up the store and then after putting the final touches on our afternoon tea spread--Stacy arrived with her vintage Fiesta tea set in tow! At noon we hopped over to 30th Street to meet Ysolda, fresh from her arrival in New York and visit to The Point the previous evening.
After we hit La Columbe and Di Bruno Brothers for a much needed pick-me-up and lunch-y goodness we settled in Rittenhouse Square to chat until the event at 2:00. It was great to just relax with Ysolda, who is totally as down-to-earth and lovely as she seems on her blog.
After arriving at the shop we got all the goodies out and set the water on for tea, yes, even in the 90 degree heat. Turns out she prefers coffee so Stacy bested my painstakingly chosen tea choices from Steap with a gift of a pound of coffee beans from La Columbe.
Ysolda unpacked all of her lovely samples and we set out unsigned copies of her newly released book, Whimsical Little Knits, available at her website or at Rosie's Yarn Cellar.
She also modeled her new Fluevog's for us. She's not really that tall, I was just directed to be sure to get the shoes in the photo so I'm sort of half on the floor.

Okay, I couldn't resist it. The animals are really stinkin' cute.

Customers began to arrive and samples began to get passed around the room as everyone wanted to try on the sweaters and hats--did I mention that it was 90 degrees outside? It didn't even stop Wendy and Ysolda from modeling their versions of Little Birds for the camera.
And then we had to do the Ishbel photo shoot--and this wasn't even all the versions we saw that day!

We were sold out of books (don't worry--she brought us more!) and ready for dinner by the time we locked up at 6:00--only an hour over the scheduled end of the event, not bad! We headed to my favorite Philly dinner spot, Tria, and enjoyed some more knitting talk and excellent drinks and eats 'til we all found our exhausted ways home.
A great sucess.

As a quick note: We have all the samples from Whimsical Little Knits, and more from her website, until after knitting circle tomorrow night so be sure to come out to Rosie's from 6-8 tomorrow and bring your knitting. Ysolda may also be stopping by, so if you missed us on Sunday...

Ysolda is coming to Rosie's!

We are very pleased to announce....


And, whats more, we currently have her beautiful collection of patterns, Whimsical Little Knits, in stock. It will be available in the shop all week -- grab a copy and Ysolda will be happy to sign it for you on Sunday!

Come on down, have some tea (feel free to impress us with your dairy free cookie/cupcake/scone/muffin making prowess!), ask questions and show off your knits using Designs by Ysolda!

See you there!

Don't Forget! Sidewalk Sale this Weekend!

Its that time of year again!...

Make a special request for sun (or at least an end to the rain) and come down to Rosie's this weekend for our annual sidewalk sale. We scour our inventory, search for rare and unusual yarns squirreled away over the last season just for this purpose and bring it all out in one weekend of glorious yarn enabling just for you!

You never know what you are going to find -- custom handdyed sock yarn, a sweater's worth of a classic alpaca blend, or a hank of gorgeous silk -- all at amazing prices.

When: Saturday, April 18th, 10-6 and Sunday, April 19th, 12-5.

Come early, come often.

Bring your Rosie's bag and get an extra $5 off!!

New Spring Classes

Want to learn something new? We've got some dynamite classes going on for all levels this spring: advanced knitters, intermediate knitters, beginners, pre-knitters . . .

The six-week classes:

Beginner Knitting - The basic introductory class for those who've never held needles, or who has but needs a refresher and wants a thorough grounding. You'll learn to knit, purl, cast on, bind off, read a simple pattern, measure gauge, seam knitted pieces, and make a buttonhole. $125, and materials are included. Mondays, 6-8 pm, beginning April 13, or Thursdays, 6-8 pm, beginning April 23.

Sweater Class - Work with an instructor to knit a sweater of your choice. You'll learn to calculate fit and yarn substitutions, increase and decrease, read pattern charts, and more. Students must know how to cast on and bind off, and knit and purl confidently. $75, materials not included. Tuesdays, 6-8 pm, beginning April 28. Note: this class does not meet May 5.

Intermediate Knitting - This project-based class teaches you the foundations of more advanced techniques: cables, lace, and colorwork. Three projects will have you well on your way to conquering any knitting project in your queue. $125, materials included. Thursdays, 6-8 pm, beginning June 4.

Three-week classes:

Trellis Lace Capelet - Knit this super cute pattern written by Rosie's staffer DC Boyd! Knit using Rowan 4-ply cotton, the perfect summer yarn, this pattern will gear you up for warmer weather! $30, pattern included, materials not included. Sundays, 1-5 pm, April 19, April 26 and May 3.

Triangular Shawls Design 101 -Use Courtney's simple formula to design your own easy-to-knit lace shawl. Choose your yarn and your needles, and pick one of a few simple-to-chart patterns and get to it. $65, materials not included. Sundays, 1-5 pm, May 25, May 31, June 7.

Sunday Workshops:

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", a gorgeous hand-dyed wool/silk lace yarn, you will work with an instructor to tackle the short-row shaping of this simple yet elegant shawl. $60, materials included. Sunday, May 10, 1-5 pm.

Baby Caps in Any Gauge - Learn to knit a simple hat, and to design it to your specifications using any yarn you choose! Take this class to learn how to design your own quick knits for all your friends having babies this year. A great idea for stash-busting too! $20, bring yarn and double-pointed needles of your choice. Paper and pencil helpful too! Sunday, May 17, 1-5 pm.

Granny Square Mania! -Remember those afghans on your grandmother's couch? Amazing, weren't they? You know you want to make one. Learn the basics of Granny Squares and crochet a few in the traditional colors of black, white and your choice of crazy colors to accent. We'll be using standard worsted weight yarn in acrylic or wool. $40, materials included. Sunday, June 14, 1-5 pm.

Give us a call to sign up, or come on in and do it in person!

The Other April Project of the Month

Just on the off chance that yesterday's project doesn't cry your name in quite the way you'd like, here's a more demure (but equally lovely) pattern. The Articulation Scarf is a beginner-level lace project made from one skein of Louet Mooi, a luscious bison/bamboo/cashmere blend.

It features a simple two-row repeat, the double-ladder look being achieved by working yarnovers on both right & wrong sides.

Articulation is available for free download here on our Rosie Knits Pattern page. Happy April!

April Project of the Month

Sometimes I look around me, and the artist in me just screams to get away from the strictures of "knitting patterns." Not to mention the fact that the economy has us all scrambling to use what we have instead of buying more and more. The natural move for this month's Project of the Month struck me. I took all of the leftover swatches from the past 20 years of knitting and picked the best and the brightest. When sewn together, they created this masterpeice.

In lieu of the more traditional "pattern .pdf" format we have been bringing you for the past year or so, we wanted this project to be more free-form to enable you to really use your creative minds and heart in order to produce a scarf that really speaks to you and for you as a knitter.

In our version, we also included a versatile pleat (aesthetics and function! A knitter's dream!) that not only adds dimensionality, but adds a keyhole function for an alternate means of wearing the scarf.

It's very easy to knit, and I have outlined each square for you below.

First, gather your materials.

Yarn (1 skein each of the following):

Reynold's Saucy in Lemon Yellow

Cascade Pima Silk in Pink

La Gran Mohair in Fuschia

Kohlibi in Burgundy

Noro Iro #18

Caron Simply Soft in Butter Yellow

Donegal Tweed in Black

Manos Clasica in a color that doesn't actually exist but was a prototype sent to Lisa from Uruguay

Manos Clasica #120

Manos Clasica #64

Reynold's Whisky #86

Rowan Scottish Tweed DK (which is discontinued, but you could probably find it on Ravelry)

Summer Tweed in Toast

Kidsilk Haze (held double) in 579

Rowan Cotton Braid 360 Degas

Red Heart in Yellow

Rowan Pure Wool DK in blue

Reynolds Saucy in Aqua
Cascade 220 in Green

Jameison's Shetland Worsted in Mulberry

Needles:

1 pair each single pointed needles in sizes 4through 13.

Notions:

Stitch markers

Intarsia bobbins

3 Safety pins

Darning Needle

Oh, for goodness sakes.

April Fools Day!

New Yarn! Louisa Harding Cinnabar

Every once and a while here at Rosie's we like to change things up a bit and try out a new and different yarn. This is especially true in the summer when there are a plethora of unique yarn blends available. (Araucania Ruca anyone?)

Even though it was the depths of winter and we were wrapped in woolies when we first saw Louisa Harding Cinnabar, we new it would be a perfect yarn for spring and summer.Cinnabar is a funky blend of 30% Viscose, 25% Cotton, 15% Acrylic, 10% Silk, 10% Linen, 5% Polyamide and 5% Acetate. Each colorway is 6 unique plies: 2 single plies of a natural color, 2 of a bright and 2 wrapped plies that contain a slub linen bound with a hint of sparkle. There is just enough texture, sheen and color to suit all tastes. We currently carry 6 colors in the shop, and they can be found online here.

Our immediate reaction was to use it in summer accessories -- a drapey scarf as a funky addition to a plain Tshirt, jeans and cute flats, or a shawl or shrugworn over a simple flowy dress for a evening wedding. At 20 sts/4" on US Size 7 needles, it would also be the perfect yarn for a summer cardigan or shell for an outdoor dinner or cocktail party.

If a smaller item is more your style, Cinnabar is featured in a beautiful purse on the cover of Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding.

Come in, check it out and try something new!

Saving What Date?

Jen just pointed out to me that I had all the information about Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival listed below, except the date. D'oh! We will be going down Saturday May 2nd. Sorry I left that part out!

How to Block A Project

Most patterns end simply with a one-line instruction to block garment to measurements, but perhaps you're wondering just what that means - and why you would take the time to do it.

Does blocking really make that much of a difference in the end result of your knitting? Yes.

Blocking is a way of using water or steam to set the fibers of your knitting and to perfect its shape and symmetry. It expands the fibers -- especially good for ones that bloom like merino or drape, like bamboo. Blocking is handy if you're making a bulky hat, but it's absolutely crucial if you're making a lace shawl or knitting a sweater. Have a look at what this shawl (Frost Flowers Stole, Interweave Knits, Holiday 2008 by Charlene Schurch knit by Lisa out of a laceweight Silk and Cashmere blend from Skaska for those interested) looked like right off the needles:

And a close up for full effect:

Mercy! We know there is a beautiful piece of knitting hidden in there. After blocking, it looks like this:


You can see the stitches are much more clearly defined, the knitting is flat, has grown in size and the lace pattern is much easier to see. A huge difference!

There are multiple ways to block.

Steam Blocking:
If you're in a hurry, lay your knitting out on top of a towel on a flat surface, pin it to your desired measurements and using either a steamer or your iron set to super-steamy mode, pass the iron over the whole piece. (You're not actually ironing here, so hold the iron about 6 inches above the knitting.)

Wet Blocking:

Method A (for things like heavy wool sweaters): Lay your knitting between two damp towels, positioning it so that the arms are even, the hem isn't stretched, and the entire piece is lying flat. Allow the towels to dry.

Method B (the most precise method, especially for lace and shaped items, and the method used for the stole pictured above):
1. Fill a sink with warmish water and a dab of your favorite woolwash and place your knitting into it. Instead of squeezing or agitating in any way, just let it soak. Go watch an episode of yor favorite prime time t.v. show, then come back and drain the water.
2. Carefully squeeze the water out of the knitting very gently without wringing. It would be best to begin squeezing at one end and working your way to the other without wringing.
3. Next, grab a thick towel and lay your garment onto it. Roll the towel up, with the knitting inside of it, like a sushi roll. Press firmly to allow the towel to absorb the excess water. You could even step on the roll if you'd like!
4. Place another towel onto a flat surface with the knitting on top. This is the time when you measure & pin the item out to the specifications given in the knitting pattern schematic. If it's finely worked, has lace, or has a shaped edging, use rustproof pins to pin it in shape. If you are trying to change the length or width a bit (like if your sweater arms came out a little bit too short and you're trying to stretch them), stretch the piece gently until it's the size and shape you want. Pin the piece and allow to dry.

5. Once completely dry, remove all the pins and marvel at your knitting!

Next time you finish your knitting and it looks a little wonky, don't worry. Take the time to block and you too will find a beautiful end result!

It's Time for The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!

Here's the scoop:

Every year we hire buses to schlep us all down to the wonderful fiber filled Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It's fun for the whole family, with lots of yarn, sheep, alpacas, delicious fair food and more! There are the typical county fair blue ribbon awards, but instead of pies they're judging handknits from knitters in the great state of Maryland (sorry, I'm biased. It's my home turf!).And don't miss the handspun skein competition.


favorite? The sheep to shawl competition!! Those women are amazing. There are alpacas and llamas and sheep being shown by 4-H-ers and, as always, delicious fair food to eat! Funnel cakes anyone?

The buses leave SATURDAY MAY 2ND at 7:30am - sharp! -- from Rosie's at 2017 Locust St., Philadelphia
We leave the fairgrounds at 4pm (usually back by 6:15).
Two ways to go:

Bargain Ride: coffee at the shop, comfy seat, raffle ticket for good
stuff from Rosie's, time to nap on the way home, $40 if booked by March 15th, $45 after that.

High Flyer: Boxed breakfast (muffin or scone and fresh fruit salad), fresh squeezed oj and coffee at the shop, raffle ticket, NEW! Rosie Tote, comfy seat, naptime, etc., $55 if booked by March 15th, $60 after that.

Join us! Call/email Rosie's to reserve - your payment confirms your seat. 215 977 YARN, or email rosie@rosiesyarncellar.com. The bus always fills, so call to secure yourself a spot today!

Crochet Books!!

We just got a bunch of amazing babies' and kids' crochet books, every one of them guaranteed to make you (and everyone at the playground/baby shower/birthday party) shriek with joy. Here are some of our favorites:

Crochet Designs For Kids by Lucinda Guy

features simple designs with adorable details, like the Dolores Dress:

Baby Crochet by Lois Daykin

where you can find sweet bibs and accessories, like the String of Hearts:

Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers by Lesley Stanfield has hats, blankets, jackets. We're smitten with the cover dress shown below:

and this beautiful vintage and Icelandic inspired cardigan -- we're already scheming a grown-up version of this one for ourselves!

Candy Crochet by Candi Jensen has stylish outfits and blankets for babies and toddlers:

and Organic Baby Knit by the Let's Knit Series

has beautiful and inspirational photographs and projects paired with the best charts around.

Come on in and check them out!

March Project of the Month

The March Project of the Month is Jacky's Hat:

This is Clyde.

Designed with earflaps, soft ties (to keep those adorable baby ears cozy, and -- maybe more importantly -- so the hat stays on!) and a cute little elf point, it is knit from the top down for a customizable fit and length.

It's a great use for a skein of Koigu Kersti (so soft, and such wonderful colors). Use Kersti for the optional contrast color as well, or double KPM (if you should happen, by some chance, to have any remnants or mill ends in your stash). Instructions for 0-9 months and 12-18 months.

Click the image below to be taken to the Free pattern page!

Boutique Knits, and Teamwork Gets the Job Done!

I couldn't resist taking a picture the other day when both Jen and Stacy were wearing their Ruffled Neck Kercheifs from Boutique Knits. Both knit out of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport, the construction on these is definitely non-traditional but the end result is really great to wear! You first knit the lace square, with contrasting color stripes. Then you pick up--not all the way around--but just around one corner and knit the ruffled edge. The result is when you wear it you don't have a lot of extra ruffle-y bulk around your neck, making it impossible to look down! It's an innovative, and very cute, pattern. Looks great, ladies!

Exotic Blend of the Day

From Louet, here's Paco Vicunas:

It's a blend of Paco Vicunas (which is a type of alpaca bred to resemble Vicuna, the extremely rare Andean camellid known for its extremely soft, extremely warm fiber), seacell (a cellulose fiber containing seaweed derivative), and optim (merino fiber that has been stretched, making it even finer than "regular" merino).

Most merino has quite a lot of crimp, which gives merino yarns great memory or "bounce." The process that turns it into optim, however, removes the fiber's waviness -- and also, therefore, its tendency to sproing back a bit even after assertive blocking.

Alpaca, of course, is known for its excellent drape (rather than its resilience). Combined with the soft hand of the seacell, we've now got three fibers that say "drape and softness." So you should already be thinking "lace" . . .

. . . even before you hear that there are 350 yards per 50-gram skein. Yes, it's $60, but one skein would certainly make a scarf, and there's a lot of luxury in that 50 grams. It's going to hold pattern stitches beautifully and just float around you.

Here's a close-up that shows the color more accurately:

We'll be getting more colors soon, but wanted everyone to know this has arrived, particularly since Knitter's Review discussed it here. (We haven't swatched yet, but you can go look at theirs.)

Cashmere Sale!

When was the last time you heard the words 'cashmere' and 'sale' in the same sentence?




Well, upon executing some early spring cleaning, we came across Classic Elite Forbidden. It is a bulky weight yarn with 65 yards per skein. For $30 (that's 40% off the suggested retail price!), you get 100% cashmere at 11 stitches to 4" on a US 13 needle for a luxurious knit at a fraction of the cost. Cowl? Hat? Anklewarmers? Fingerless mitts? Whatever you decide, it'll be a treasure!

Tried and True

Every now and again we look up and think, "Wow. We've carried that yarn a LONG TIME." So what is it that makes some yarns a one hit wonder and others tried and true? For one, a trustworthy brand with consistently excellent yarns, a yarn that stands up to the test of time without wearing out or pilling and a yarn that keeps it's look fresh by always having great colors. Kid Classic definitely fit the bill. Allison, long time Rosie's customer, sent me some pictures recently of her very first sweater, knit eight and a half years ago in a sweater class at Rosie's. She says:

Attached are photos (including the telltale armpit area!) of my very
first sweater, Onza by Kim Hargreaves from Rowan #28. So it's 8.5
years old, and it really hasn't pilled. It has been a fantastic
sweater, and I would absolutely make another something for heavy
wearing from Kid Classic.

And the tell-tale armpit area is not felted after eight and a half years! Amazing. Allison also admitted to me in her email that she sometimes even falls asleep in this sweater, and it's no worse for the wear!
It's stories like this that keep us ordering Kid Classic year after year. Allison says it was a great first sweater, well written of course, and with just enough new techniques to make it interesting--a little shaping, set in sleeves, button holes, but all garter stitch. Just a little fancy stuff with short rows at the collar. It still looks great Allison!
And, Kid Classic is Rosie's featured Yarn of the Week-- on sale for $8.00 including shipping. Enjoy!

Addi Turbo Click! Woot!

We received our order of the Addi Turbo Click needles yesterday!

The set comes in a sleek, well organized case with 10 needle tips in Sizes 4-15 and 3 cords in 24", 32" and 40". That is more than 500 possible needle combinations for only $150!

The kit would make a perfect gift (hello Valentine's Day!) so stop in or tell your loved ones to come check it out.