Views from the Weekend.

First, Saturday. Hollie Wood modeling her finished Selbu from our 2nd KAL. Hollie used Fresco for both the main and contrasting colors. Very cute!

and then on Sunday, Reba Pearson's adorable pug, Weezer, "helping" Theresa with the computer.

Underway with the Selbu Modern Beret.

Friday afternoon, we officially kicked off our 2nd KAL, the Selbu Modern beret. Although we had a full table of knitters, Lucille and Hollie were the only ones working on the beret.

But others are participating - this is Lynn DiCristina's as of yesterday. LOVE how the koigu colors "pop"!

Here are two tips for the beginning:

• First - the stitch count (32) at the end of the instructions about working rows 1-62 of the chart. That is the count of stitches you'll have after you've worked those 62 rows. The chart begins with 24 stitches per repeat; you'll have 8 repeats across the 192 stitches.
• Second - carry the koigu (your contrasting yarn) under the fresco (your background yarn) to make those contrast stitches stand out.

We'll be knitting at the shop again this week - Friday, AugustApril 16 at 2pm.  Please join us!

Getting Ready.

This past Friday was the "official last day" of our first KAL, the Traveling Woman. To mark the occasion, Jane and I modeled our finished shawls.

Mary on the left and Jane on the right

Lynn DiCristina modeled her finished Springtime Bandit, knit from four balls of the lovely soft Debbie Bliss Donagal Luxury Tweed Aran. (and note that the designer of this shawl is the same Kate Gagnon Osborn who designed our 2nd KAL project, the Selbu Modern beret!)

And Karen Cicio selected and wound yarn for her Selbu Modern.

Are you ready to cast on this Friday? 2pm at the shop. If you can't join us in person, please feel free to participate virtually. The more the merrier for sure!

Our Next Knit Along (KAL).

We're hearing tales of finished or nearly-finished Traveling Woman shawls...and seeing a few as proof - which means it's time to pick our next knit along (KAL) project.

Accessory pieces seem to work well - no sizing or "fit" to worry about - and the yarn (and knitting!) requirements are manageable for a 4-6 week project. Thinking we just knit a shawl, we wanted something different. Perhaps gloves, mittens or fingerless mitts? ...maybe in the fall. Socks? could be. but in the end, we liked a beret the best.

Inspired - much like Traveling Woman's Ruca - by the yarn possibilities, we've selected Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborn. It's a free pattern, although she does suggest a donation to APSCA to say thank you. (find it here, or on ravelry, here).

Our yarn inspiration? the lovely Koigu Painters Palette Premium Merino (kpppm) and Classic Elite Fresco.

These two finished projects, the first by Raveler suziknits and the second by karendeane, show how the kpppm, used as the contrast color, create an almost tapestry-like effect. Stunning, don't you think?

And the fresco, which has baby alpaca and angora, will add just a bit of halo to show off the colorwork.

Both yarns come in more colors than I can count - leading to a nearly infinite number of combinations. Jane and I spent a very fun hour (maybe more :-) on Monday pairing kpppm and fresco to show you a few possibilities. Check these out!

We'll be casting on at the April 9th KAL.

Project Highlights (please refer to the pattern for all the details):

• Construction/Pattern - The beret is worked in the round beginning with the brim. The colorwork is charted (62 rows total).
• Yarn - one skein of the fresco and one of the kpppm.
• Needles - of course everyone's gauge is different, but 0's and 2's - as the pattern suggests - seem to work for most. The 0's are for the ribbed brim, switching to 2's for the body.
• Knitting Skills - knitting in the round, increasing and decreasing, two color Fair Isle knitting, following a color chart.