woolandcompany

A competition …

We know you like them, and we've always got cool prizes.  Make your entry for our latest competition by leaving a comment on this post.  What was happening here at our neighbors at the Meeting Place on Third Street this morning?  Give us your best shot, be it factual, scintillating, smart, sparkling, or witty  … or any combination thereof.  We'll judge the best answers (our decision is final) and announce the prizewinners in the store on Mother's Day, May 11th.

Nancy Cordero is addicted to nuno felting.  She brought along a selection of scarves to show us, and was wearing this little number.

See those sworls on the silk backing?  That's Art Yarns Silk Rhapsody.

In his day job Bob works at the National Accelerator Laboratory.  He helps folks figure out what the universe made of?  How does it work? Where did it come from?  

And he knits socks.

Some people get really shy when the camera comes out.  Should they be in school?  At work?  Do they owe back taxes?

Anyway … we think they should be proud of their work …

Here's Susan Pflederer who made a detour by Wool and Company on her way from Peoria to somewhere.

Now this could be a guess the yarn … but we already played that one with these yarns.  Yes … once again, it's the everso versatile Noro Sock combined with a single strand of fine mohair.  In this case Gedifra Easy Soft, a mohair, cashmere, poly blend.

The result a perfect little spring time jacket, fabulous drape and weight.

We hold forth on matters of national interest …

We impersonate our hero(in)es …

We play hide-de-boo-seek (the British version of  hide and seek) …

We do show and tell …

We just look damn cute …

sometimes we focus on yarn …

sometimes we focus on cake …

we wander around …

we check out roadkill that we find on the knitter's highway …

and we have a natter …

and we celebrate birthdays …

We have restocked Dream in Color's "Classy" Superwash.  Inspired by the play of light in nature, the veil dyeing process brings depth and life to color, giving garments a subtle, dramatic shimmer and shine.  While veil dyed yarn has all the unique character of other hand-dyed yarns, it will not “landscape” or “pool.”  The result?  A magnificent, flattering garment every time!

MyWalit colorful and fun wallets, wallets that are a reflection of you. Designed for the many roles in life. Practical, functional and with eclectic personalities in mind. Our range includes wallets, purses,  credit card holders, and organizers.

Purelife organic cotton is fully certified by Biore. Biore was founded 25 years ago with a company ethos that everyone has the right to work and live with dignity.

Through its foundation, Boire supports the whole organic farming community. It funds mobile health units, malaria prevention, schooling for children and hand pumps for drinking water. Biore also outlaws child labor, regulates working hours and sets a minimum wage. Biore guarantees to buy the farmers cotton for 5 consecutive years at 20% above the standard price paid for conventional cotton.

Knitter's Magazine Spring 2008.  Color outside the lines with intarsia, stranding, stripes.  Shaping with short rows.  Modular knits for guys.

Along with Rowan's Spring and Summer 2008 Magazine we have just received six shades of Rowan's Organic Cotton Purelife.  The other two shades should be arriving soon.  Organically grown naturally dyed yarn is colored with plant dyes.

Well I haven’t been here in a while - so there are a few things to show you.   

Carole was in yesterday and had finished her wonderful blanket.  She used two colors of green and the Manos pattern for the Four Seasons Throw, similar to the one we are doing in the Sunday knitalong.  She loves it and I think it looks great too.  

The afghan knitalong is going well and this Sunday is the last session so I will have more pix of finished blankets and throws to show you … it has been great fun and is amazing to see what yarn everyone picks and what squares they have done.    

Here are a couple of my sections but I do have to confess that I am using Government Certified Destash for mine, so the yarns are from all over the place, in fact I couldn’t even identify some of them but they are all worstedish.  It is amazing how quickly this will come together if you keep at it … probably at the rate of one square every couple of evenings if you have some good telly time.

Then we have some of the little darlings who were in the After School Enrichment program that we did over at Fox Ridge.  They were great kids, all in the 8’ and 9’s and loooooved knitting.     They were pretty good at it after only four sessions and were working away on bags, hats and blankies for various and sundry dolls and pets.  We made pompons together and they had a blast and were such nice little people.

The last picture is of the ever talented Gretl in her wonderful swing coat.  This is the Ladies Jacket intended to be made in Gedifra Lordana Boucle that is recommended in the Gedifra Highlights 72 book that she is teaching the class from. 

She used a different yarn, Plymouth Alpaca Boucle, partly because she had some in her stash.  You know the scenario, oh I have some of that so I will use it, but maybe there is not enough so I will run in to Wool and Company, but they only have 3 more so I will get them and then go online and see what I can find.  To cut a long story short she ended up with several different dye lots from lots of places, but you cannot tell and the jacket is just fabulous.  She says she wears it more than any other jacket she has made, and I can’t wait to do  one.  We just received a shipment with heaps more of the Lordana so now I don’t know if I should do it with that or with the Plymouth.  Decisions, Decisions.  One thing for sure, the ladies in the class decided that it would look extra sassy with an inverse pleat in the back to match the sleeves, so I will do that.  Thanks ladies, I love to learn from our students.

Row 17.  The parenthesis reads (yo, K5, yo, sl 1, K1, K2 tog, psso) it should be (yo, K5, yo, sl 1, K2 tog, psso). 

You’ve probably seen the pictures on Jared Flood’s blog, Brooklyn Tweed of the Noro Striped Scarf.  Perhaps you’ve even seen someone wearing one as he or she walks into Wool and Company.  Did you get the craving to have one of your own? Saturday’s meeting of the Noro Striped Scarf class was filled with those who got the urge, who caught Stripes Fever.  Stripes Fever is so contagious that one person, who just happened to be in the shop, breathed in the contagion and signed up for the class on the spot, 2 minutes before it started.

Doesn’t this look like “Noro Envy” to you?  Even though each student had her own selection of lovely Noro for the scarf, we all couldn’t help but covet our neighbors’ colors, too. Within a short time, all the scarves were well on their way to a full blown epidemic. 

Shortly before the class was over, I asked the knitters to confess if were already planning the the colors for their second scarf.  The answer?  YES!  We can’t help it.  I can’t stop knitting them.  People think that I'm making so many of them to give as gifts, but I haven't been able to part with a single one, yet. The scarf is easy to make once you learn a couple little tricks.  And you get to pick fun yarns that lead to surprises as each row is knit.  We’ll spread this fever to more of you this coming Wednesday evening, Feb 20, at 6:30pm.  There are still a few spots open in the Stripes Fever hospital.  Reserve your bed, er, I mean seat, now!