The Amazing Cro Needle and other musings

I love winter and the snow! As long as I am inside and do not have to go any where. Here is what it looks like right now.




David Reidy, on his podcast Sticks and String, talks about the cro needle. And guess what we received today from Addi Turbo? It has a US 3 needle on one end and a C crochet hook on the other end. It is used to pick up stitches and then knit. This is a great invention for knitters.

In the meanwhile we are putting our heads together for a class schedule for this winter. Can't have you sitting home by yourselves. We plan on getting you down here and learning new techniques such as purl stitch texture patterns such as used in guenseys, fair isle color knitting, Norwegian lice and snowflake patterns, cables, lace scarfs, and baby booties.

Gauntlets anyone? They are filling up the netwaves with talk. Go to Knitty.com and look at their pattern for Fetching. We have two examples here - one is made out of Mission Falls wool and the other out of Lamb's Pride Superwash.

Lois' Felted Scarf

See the scarf Lois is wearing? She is my yarn representative for Brown Sheep. She brought in this wonderful scarf that she knitted and felted. She is knitting a new one. And here is the pattern.

Lois’s Felted Scarf

57” x 5” finished

US 10 ½

Lamb's Pride Worsted

CO 170 with 2 strands of yarn. (Make slip knot with about about 6" tail for both yarns)

Knit each row with one strand in garter stitch for about 8” – 9” wide.

Felt.

Use Color grabber by Shout - will keep colors bright. Felt about 6 minutes and separate fringe. Felt another 5 minutes and then pull fringe again. Rinse, but no agitate. Put on Spin cycle.

It's Been a Busy, Crazy Week

It has been busy in my life this week. I am sure that it has everything to do with it being the week before Christmas. My two daughters came home from MSU and I have been spending time with them. Along with working both of my jobs. The camera is kept at the shoppe, otherwise I could show you pictures of the dining room with its bags, bags, and bags. None of it has found its way up to their rooms. Much easier to keep them downstairs, where we can all walk around them. But it has been great to have my daughters home and they will be gone a week from now and then I will have my dining room back.

In the meantime, people are knitting. Here are some pictures. This is Delores. She has a turtle. It started out as a hat, but she was enjoying her knitting too much to slow down and decrease, so she just kept going. We suggested that she turn her oversized , not decreased, hat into a turtle (that is what I call it). Delores liked that idea and she is showing it off.



This is Marie with her crocheted christening dress. Isn't it wonderful?


Rosalie made this Baby Surprise Jacket out of Buttons yarn. Rosalie has made several of these jackets after taking our class.

Melody made this Fiber Trends felted hat out of Lambs Pride wool. It is sitting on my shawl of La Gran mohair and Elegant Aurora.
Here is Susan's poinsetta crocheted granny square afghan. Again made out of Lamb's Pride.




Dorte's scarf out of Elegant Aurora. Dorte is on her way to Denmark for the holidays, where she was born and raised.


I hope your week was productive.

OPEN 7 DAYS

First of all Betsy offered to work Thursdays and just now Jillian asked to work Tuesdays.

So, from now on, we will be open seven days a week.

WOW!!!!

Apron Project

The other day, Barb Marsh stopped by the shoppe and asked if we would be willing to help sell aprons for the Leelanau Christian Neighbors. In my other job, I work with folks who use Leelanau Christian Neighbors, so of course, I said yes. I am going to let Barb tell you why we are selling the aprons.

"Leelanau Christian Neighbors operates two Food Pantries in Leelanau County. One is located in the Suttons Bay Congregational Church in Suttons Bay and the other one is located in St. Gertrude’s Catholic Church in Northport. During the first nine months of 2006 the LCN pantries dispensed 1,748 bags of food at a cost of $11,017. In the first nine months of 2007 the pantries have dispensed 2,890 bags of food at a cost of $24,946. This is a sixty five percent (65%) increase in the number of bags distributed and a one hundred and twenty six percent (126%) increase in the cost. As the Michigan economy worsens LCN, like other human service agencies, is being inundated by those who are in need. The apron project is raising funds for the LCN pantries. 50% of the cost of the apron is a contribution to the LCN pantries."

So stop by the shoppe and order an apron. It will cost you $27.

Hugs,
Kathy

Staying warm at MSU

My daughter is a new knitter. Here is a close-up picture of a scarf she knitted. She started it here and then went back to MSU after Thanksgiving. I gave her encouragement and tips long distance. The scarf was a present for one of her 28 housemates - two ways of staying warm at school.

Ahhhhhh

Look what I found at my doorstep this morning. Claudia Handpainted Yarn in the Silk Lace. Need I say more?

Paying bills AKA ranting

This will not have any pictures unless I can find one showing me very frustrated. I have finally sat down to pay bills. And of them is my Charter bill. First I see that supposedly someone ordered a movie off of PayDemand. It wasn't me, I was off working that day. My son, Ian, and I decide that it was probably my husband, who says it wasn't him. So I call Charter and they say that it played for 2 hours. Hmmm, I go to Wikipedia and they say that movie runs for 93 minutes. Isn't 2 hours 120 minutes? For $3.99 I am not going to argue, but I do put a block on pay movies. No more. You want a movie, you will have to pick up the phone, figure out which number to call, then go through the process of ordering one. No more accidential getting a movie that lasts 120 mins when it should only be 93 minutes. The bill is still not paid as I am told that to pay my bill on the phone will cost me $8. I love it. I am paying them and I get to pay an additional $8 for the pleasure. So I tell them I am not going to do that and I go to the Internet. The Internet tells me that to pay my bill I have to have a security code, but it does not tell me how to get this security code. I call Charter back and this time I get a nice man that I cannot understand. The little I do understand is that I can go to my local Charter office and they will give me my security code, he cannot give me my security code over the phone. Now, how is that all of the other bills I pay on line do not require this? I have never had to drive to the local office of whatever to set up my account on the Internet. In fact, 20 minutes before I was talking to Charter, I had paid my CellularOne bill on the phone, without being charged $8 for the honor. They took my money for free. I explain that the Charter office is in Traverse City, which is an hour's drive away from my home, it is 8:30 at night and I do not think they are open. So sorry, that is what I have to do. So......no Charter bill paid tonight. I will admit it is my fault that I waited until the night before the bill was due, but they really make it hard to take my money. So, tomorrow I will call my local office and see what they tell me. Really wish that the local cable company had not sold out many years ago to Charter. I do not like losing the local home page to something that talks about things I could care less. In fact, I changed my home page to Leelanau.com. Much nicer, they talk about things I care to read.

Busy at the shoppe

It has been busy at the shoppe this week. On Friday, Susan brought in this vest. It is from the Simply Shetland 2 book.
Kathy is modeling the back for us.






Susan also made up this hat for us in a gorgeous blue color from ShiBui Knits Highland Wool Alpaca.



















Yesterday, Melody went to an open house given by Pat McKean. She sent her over to us and here is part of what we bought. Her pins and shawl pins are on the left of the shadow box. On the right are our pins from Romi.















Kate brought in her dog, Archie, with his knitted coat.














Along with her finished shawl made out of qiviut.
















Then Amy came in with her mom and brother and here is the knitted hat with flaps that Amy knitted out of Naturally Tussock Worsted.















And in the meantime, Melody added inside lights to our shoppe.