Shibui Yarn Tasting.

Believe it or not, there are still a few spaces open* for tomorrow's yarn tasting event. We can only imagine that's because we haven't done a good job explaining what it is. Because surely spending a few hours swatching any or all of Shibui's seven yarns, trying on the latest Shibui Mix trunk show, perhaps winning a kit to knit one of them, and eating and drinking...in a yarn shop....see what I mean?

First up, the swatching.

We've got tasting-sized balls of each yarn rolled and ready to go. You can try them singly, or mix and match. I'm looking forward to trying the linen and the lace.  Don't forget to bring needles; I suggest sizes 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Then the trunk show of the latest Mix patterns (those are the ones on the bottom row of the photo below). It's a perfect opportunity to try on the pieces and to see how they look in real life. Photos are great, but you know it's always better to see knitwear in person.

Of course there are prizes - we've kitted up two of our favorite patterns from the latest Mix release (No. 8 and No. 10) and we just might have another skein or two of yarn, as well.

...and refreshments. You know the Cottage puts on a great party and this one will be no exception.

The fun starts at 2pm and while I'm planning to stay until 6 (when the shop closes) even if you have just an hour or two to stop by, it will be worth your time! Hope to see you there!

*call the shop at (770) 998-3483 to reserve your spot; the fee is $10.

Pashmina Worsted.

I love it when I don't need to come up with a clever title for the post. Nope, this one is easy. Pashmina Worsted. As in the latest yarn base from the ever-so-popular Madelinetosh. It's a worsted weight version of the lovely Pashmina, a merino, silk and cashmere blend and comes in all your favorite colors, including the newest ones for Fall 2012.

L-R: rain water, foxglove, stephen loves tosh, mansfield garden party and grey gardens

Our shipment arrived last week and it's filled up* the right side of the back wall.  What a pretty sight!

And it's just in time for more gift knitting ideas (of course we won't tell if you decide to make this "gift" for yourself!)

Each skein is 210 yards, which is plenty for a hat or a pair of mitts and even a short cowl. Two skeins would give you enough for a long cowl or a hat and mitts. Here are some of our favorite patterns - all free on Ravelry!

Cowls
Honey Cowl - this is a pattern from Madelinetosh and it's our go-to choice for a variegated yarn. The texture and the slipped stitches really make the colors pop!
Gaptastic Cowl - another pattern with texture, this time a seed stitch. The pattern calls for bulky yarn and a size 13 needle; suggest doubling the Pashmina Worsted to use a size 13 needle (or a size 8 or 9 needle and more stitches - maybe 200 total - if you want to use a single strand)
Infinitude Scarf - with ribbing on one edge and rounds of stockinette and reverse stockinette, this pattern would work well for any of the colors.

Hats
Hermoine's Cable and Eyelet - love for a girl and this is a great project to learn cabling without a cable needle!
Knotty but Nice - and this for a guy (or a girl...love that!).

Mitts
One Cable Mitts - super easy (especially if you can cable without a cable needle!). This one works well for any of the colors.
Diamond Texture Mitts - also quick and easy...and no cables, but the texture stitch requires a little attention. And that texture might be lost in some of the variegated colors; this one works best with the semi-solids.

If you have any other pattern suggestions, please share them here, on Facebook or in our Ravelry forum. We can't wait to see what you knit!

*These photos are from Saturday.... the wall is a bit sparser now!

November Knits.

We're taking a break from the parade of holiday knitting to share a bit of inspiration from my favorite book to hit the yellow table since Coastal Knits arrived last fall.

This is November Knits, a collection of 23 designs curated by the very talented Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelly (yep, we've crushed on them before). In addition to their own designs, they've also included patterns by Melissa LaBarre, Tanis Gray, Gudrun Johnston, Veera Valimaki and many others. They set out to create a collection of projects "capturing the essence of fall in perfect style". 

They've succeeded.  

And the timing is perfect since fall is finally here - have you seen the pansies planted out front?

Here are three projects that show the variety of the patterns - cardigans, accessories, lace, texture, fiber...all fun!

First, the Market Jacket designed by Tanis Gray. Perfect in Rowan's Kid Classic. I'm not sure what I like best - the yarn, the three quarter sleeves, the top-down seamless construction...

...or the stunning lacy cables running down the back.

Another favorite jacket is the Cobblestone Trenchcoat designed by Veera Valimaki ... in Rowan's Lima. Lima is a blend of baby alpaca, merino wool and nylon that will wrap you up in soft warmth. It even has a hood. This sweater is also knit seamlessly, but from the bottom up.

The book includes seven more sweaters, a skirt (!!), a lace shrug and a variety of accessories ranging from socks (two), to mittens, scarves, cowls and hats (six), and legwarmers (two).

These are the Spanish Moss Legwarmers designed by Courtney Kelley ... in Canopy Fingering. A perfect gift (but if you want to keep them for yourself, we won't tell!)

See what I mean? Which projects are inspiring you for fall?

Holiday Knitting Part 2 - Fine Scarves.

For our first post featuring scarves, we're highlighting those knit in laceweight or fingering-weight yarn, resulting in a fine fabric...and a lovely gift.

First, Kozue . You might remember this from a few months back when I asked for input about which yarn to use (and then on facebook about which color). Well, I've been busy knitting other things and haven't gotten around to this; turns out this is one time my procrastination has paid off. We now have Malabrigo's Silkpaca laceweight (a plied 70% baby alpaca/30% silk blend with 420 yards per skein).

See what I mean? I'm glad I waited!

Second, another pattern from Assemblage called Hakusa . 

For most of the pattern, you hold a strand of Habu Merino together with a strand of Habu Silk Stainless; the border is the Silk Stainless by itself. The photo shown on the pattern (and most of the projects on Ravelry) are monochromatic; Kathy knit a sample and used gray and a pale purple. We really like mixing the colors for a tweedy look over the body of the scarf and a defined contrast for the border.

...and finally, we can't resist including the Linen Stitch Scarf . Our latest shipment of Claudia Handpaints Fingering offers up plenty of colorways. Here are a few to get you thinking about fall/winter neutral combinations - with just a pop of purple or blue perhaps?

the pattern calls for three different skeins...which ones would you choose?

In our next installment, we'll offer suggestions for cowls in three different weights - fingering, worsted and chunky...you can choose the project to match the amount of time you have to spend.

Holiday Knitting Part 1 - Labors of Love.

My daughter tweeted today that she was wanting to listen to Christmas music and how lame was that. I replied I didn't think it was lame at all. The needlepoint deadline for Christmas finishing was ten days ago; we've been in a holiday state of mind for weeks!

Fortunately for us knitters, we have a longer timeline to finish up those holiday gifts. Three months from today for Christmas and a few weeks less for Hannukah (it starts December 8). So our first installment in the gift category is for projects that could take a month or two (or more). Those we call "labors of love".

First up - socks. A labor of love if you knit them in sock (aka "fingering weight") yarn and especially if you knit them for folks with larger feet, like that special man in your life? We have a huge assortment of yarns in stock right now that would be perfect for socks; here are Jessica's top picks:

L-R: Smooshy (with cashmere!) in Good Luck Jade, Frolicking Feet in Plum Pudding (how appropriate!), and Claudia Handpaints in Argyle II (yep, three skeins if you're knitting for large feet)

Next - a beaded cowl. We've been a fan of the Jeweled Cowl pattern for a few months, so we have a variety of beads and plenty of those tiny crochet hooks to attach them. The pattern calls for laceweight, but we like using fingering (no other pattern modifications); around 400-450 yards makes a nice sized cowl. Marci pulled these three yarn/bead combinations. She especially likes the Claudia Handpaints with the pink beads (and I'll bet she didn't even notice the colorway was called Truffles!)

L-R: Smooshy (again!) in Wisterious, Claudia Handpaints (again!) in Truffles and Malabrigo Sock in Playa.

And last but definitely not least - a throw. We are in love with Swans Island and the Swans Island Throw (sadly no photos on-line, but we have the pattern in the shop) is the knitted version of their heirloom blanket. It's worked in linen stitch, so the fabric looks woven. The pattern suggests size 10-1/2 needles, 2,500 yards (10 skeins) of their worsted for the main color and another 250 yards (one skein) for the contrast to make a 46"x57" throw. If that's too much labor - how about using Ella Rae Chunky and size 13 or 15 needles? You'd need about 16 balls of the main color and one more for the stripes.

L-R: Ella Rae Chunky, the pattern, and the suggested Swans Island Worsted

Stay tuned for scarf suggestions in our next installment.  And if you're planning gift knitting, please chime in here, or on Facebook or our Ravelry group and let us know how it's going. We'll cheer each other on!

Shopping the Hop.

Is your calendar marked for the sixth annual Atlanta Shop Hop? It starts next weekend (Saturday, September 29) and continues through the following weekend (Sunday, October 7). You can read more about the Hop and see a sampling of prizes offered by the participating stores on the Shop Hop blog. We also shared a preview of our three prizes here last month.

But if you still need convincing...or maybe you're planning to participate and you need some shopping ideas - here you go! My short list of the yarn goodness you'll find at Cast-on Cottage.

Habu...and Soak (love the new Lace "flavor")

Dream in Color's September club installment (open to everyone)

the newest from Kidsilk Haze - Trio and the accompanying pattern book

Sock yarn! a new shipment from Claudia Handpaints, and plenty of Malabrigo's Finito and Sock

Shibui. Swan's Island. Madelinetosh. (enough said!)

Marlowe and Herriot, new from Juniper Moon Farm

and last but not least (and it's right by the front door)...lots and lots of  yarn to knit those quick ruffle scarves.

What's on your shopping list for the Hop?

Herriot.

We have so many new and wonderful yarns in the shop right now, it's hard to pick one to feature. So know that this one is really special.

seven of the ten colors - the other three are just as pretty!

It's Herriot, just out this fall from Juniper Moon Farm. 100% baby alpaca in ten natural colors. Yes, it's to-die-for soft. And I just love that it's named after James Herriot, one of my favorite authors (do you remember All Creatures Great and Small?!)

The website says it's a DK weight, but the label says 19 stitches over 4 inches on a size 7 needle, which  would be a worsted weight. Swatch!!

Manu Cardigan - photo credit here

Since the yarn is just out, there's only one project listed in Ravelry. But it's a stunner. Kate Davies' popular Manu Cardigan , knit by Caroline Fryar (she's the Farm Manager at Juniper Moon).

The alpaca would also be lovely in a scarf or a cowl. Anything that needs to drape and/or be nice and toasty warm!

Here are a few of my favorites:

New York Scarf - a free pattern on Ravelry, this is perfect for a guy (holiday knitting perhaps?)... and there's a matching hat

The Wicker Cowl  - no list of favorites would be complete without this one, right?! one skein should be fine to make a nice sized cowl.

A Grey Loop  - another free pattern on Ravelry, this one would need two skeins to make it long enough to wrap around twice.