Wool Gathering...a knitting experience

I have to share the most amazing shawl pattern with you! 

I was searching Ravelry this morning for a fun "vacation project."  Something that would be just plain fun while sitting on the deck looking out over the mountains at the lake and I came upon the Queen Anne's Lace circular shawl.  It is just so beautiful!  Queen Anne's Lace has always been one of my favorite flowers.  My mother had it in her rock gardens when I was a child and it is all over the mountians in NC where I will be for vacation.  What could be more perfect??

My eyes immediately started scanning the shop looking for the perfect yarn with which to knit it.  Then I thought - "How about an informal knit along??"   So - if you would like to knit the shawl as a summer project - dive in and knit with me.  You can come in and work on it in the shop, show me your finished project, email me a picture.  I would love to post as many shawls as I can on the blog!!

Here's the link to the blog/community Men Who Knit, with the pattern: Queen Anne's Lace.  You can ravel it here.  Leave me a comment and let me know if you want to knit along with me!

Due to some unavoidable "kid stuff" there will be some changes in our hours over the next week:

The shop will be open:

*Saturday, June 20 from 10:00 - 6:00
*Monday, June 22 from 11:00 - 4:00
Wednesday, June 24 from 11:00 - 9:00
Thursday, June from 11:00 - 4:00
*These are day/hour changes.
CLOSED Tuesday, June 23 and Friday, June 26

We are closed for vacation from
Saturday, June 27 through Saturday, July 11. 
The shop will reopen on Tuesday, July 14;
when we resume our regular summer hours.

Some sale news...

The following yarns are being discontinued at Wool Gathering and I'd like to offer them to you at a 40% discount:

Jo Sharp is no longer distributing in the US,
so everything I have is on sale!
Silk Road Aran
Silk Road DK
Mohair Infusion
Summer Soho DK
Alpaca Kid Lustre
Desert Garden Aran 

Jade Sapphire Cashmere - worsted and fingering weights

Rowan - Kid Silk Aura and Kid Classic

Sublime - Kid Mohair and Angora Merino

One of my favorite tops is Picovoli, designed by Grumperina a few years ago.  It is a great pattern and swept the blog world when it was introduced.  It is designed to be knit with a DK weight yarn, but I knit my first one with Rowan Calmer and had to completely adjust the numbers to accommodate this yarn!  I started a new one last week using Rowan Glace - one of my summer favorites!  This is a great project - quick, relatively easy, top down, beautiful shaping, I could go on and on! The pictures are pretty accurate for color. Please excuse the incomplete, unblocked top, but I just couldn't wait to share it!  Aren't those waist decreases amazing?!?

 

Another project I have to share is very dear to my heart.  A few years ago, a niece graduated from high school and was going off to college.  My mother and I knit her a blanket to take to school.  We used the Manos Four Seasons pattern.  Now her sister is going away to college and we must carry on with tradition!  We didn't want to do the same blanket and needed something just a special.  My mother has a blanket, knitted by her mother, which has been the one thrown over any of us when we were sick and laying on the couch or in need of comfort.  My grandmother knit it in 1972 and it was one of the last big projects she ever did.  So, I decided it was perfect for my niece.  Luckily, my mother has saved the original (very old!) pattern and I was able to modify it so we could do it together and use yarn I have at the shop.

We are doing the blanket, which we've named "Nannie's Blanket," in panels using Jo Sharp Mohair Infusion (for the 2 multi-colors) and Sublime Kid Mohair.  The color changes are done with a slip stitch so they are very subtle.  I love it!

I have a few customers knitting their own and thought I would share it here.  I have the modified pattern at the shop and would love to help pick colors if you'd like to do one of your own.  I can't wait to finish this one so I can do another.  I'll do my next one all in one piece.

Summer Hours at Wool Gathering

*effective Tuesday, June 2

OPEN
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wednesday
11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday
10:00 am - 3:00 pm

CLOSED
Sunday and Monday

The shop will be
closed for vacation
June 26 - July 11.
We will reopen on
Tuesday, July 14

Once again, I have to post a change in store hours. 

I will not be able to open the shop until 3:30 today,
Wednesday, May 27. 

I am extremely sorry to do this again so soon.
Unfortunately, it is unavoidable.

We will be open this evening for Knit Night.

Wool Gathering will open at 1:00 today, Thursday, May 21 and will be closed tomorrow, Friday, May 22. I apologize for the inconvenience! As the school year comes to a close, there are many events that I feel, as a parent, I must be a part of. Please cut the coupon below, which, as a sign of appreciation from me, may be redeemed today, May 21, through the end of the school year (June 13, 2009). Thanks so much for your understanding! Jackie Langdon Save 25% Save 25% on your complete purchase of yarn,notions, books, and patterns.  Needles and gift items are not included in this offer. Offer Expires: Saturday, June 13, 2009

I started 2 great projects last spring, put them away, and pulled them back out a few weeks ago and finished each in a matter of days.  This is a great way to finish something!  If you get tired of it (or something else gets in the way), put it away for a yearm then when you pull it back out again, you'll be excited to finish!
From ChicKnits - the beautiful Cece.  I knit this in Rowan Calmer.  I love it! It's a great little top when you need a little something to take the chill off.

This one is a Jo Sharp design from last spring's Knit, issue 5.  It's called Ribbed Top.  I knit it with Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton.

Finally, a list of all the new yarns at the shop!  I really hope the pictures display correctly - that's not my strong suit when it comes to TypePad!

From Debbie Bliss: Prima , Cotton DK, Eco Cotton, and new Baby Cashmerino color 

From Sublime: Baby Kapok DK and Soya Cotton

K1C2 Cotonade and great colors of Cascade Sierra (a PERFECT kid yarn!!)
 

Fun projects!

Jackie and Taffy wearing one of new favorites - the "Taffy!"  This is a gorgeous shawl knitted with Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn in super-fun Entrelac.  The pattern is far from original - there are too many to list available on-line.  We have a basic tutorial/guide to the "Taffy" here at the shop. 
Another great new project - Heather knit "Smock" from one of our new Sublime books with Sublime Baby Kapok DK.  Isn't it cute??  Of course, Heather is too.

Here's another Noro project for you - this one knit with Noro Kureyon (yes, we are a little Noro crazy here at Wool Gathering!!).  Taffy knit the Lizard Ridge Afghan  (Knitty, Fall 2006) for her son (awww). This is a great "carry-along" project.  Each square is knit separately then the afghan is seamed together.  It's lots of fun trying to decide which squares should go next to each other.  The other great thing about the afghan is that you don't have to buy all of the yarn at once! Dye-lots don't matter, you can decide how big you want it as you go along.  It's really lots of fun to knit and a great way to learn to do short rows!

As happens every spring, we need to make room for the new yarn!  I'm receiving shipments almost daily of wonderful new yarn - cottons, cotton/bamboo, cotton, soy - and more!

Please come by the shop to check out the sale - the complete listing of sale items can be found here.
The sale runs through this Saturday, April 4.