Knitting Along the Ella Coat.

Oh my. I can't even think where to start. So I'll share a photo.

that's Boo, Penny, Anne (not knitting Ella), Nora, Nancy, Kathy and me

Yes, that's us yesterday afternoon (mostly*) working on week 2 of the Ella Coat Knit-along. Week 2 starts at the armhole shaping and ends with the bodice completed. Which means there is counting and decreasing (including that tricky ssp!) and talking.....and frogging.

And Kathy looking for bling.

And finding it!

this is what Kathy found for herself (her coat is madelinetosh vintage in the fragrant colorway)

and for Nancy (Nancy's coat is the red, the orange will be the ruffle and the multi sparkle will be stripes)

And Nora looking for inspiration for ruffles.

my coat is shepherds' wool in the plum colorway and that's noro silk garden for the ruffle

And finding it...for me! (thank you Nora for spending much of your knitting time hunting through the bins of Silk Garden to find this!) I hope week 3 includes ruffles because I am so excited about knitting mine I'm not sure I can wait much longer!

(sadly, I didn't get a photo of Nora's ruffle selection - maybe next week?).

It's not to late to join the fun. Be sure to join the Ravelry Group and subscribe to Noni's blog for all the details. And definitely make plans - if you can - to knit with us on Friday afternoons. We start around 1 and end...by 6!

*anyone is free to join in the Friday afternoon knitting...many of us are working on Ella, but not everyone is!

Socks from the Toe Up.

click to see all the patterns on Ravelry

Our sock knitting club starts this Sunday (January 15) from 1-3pm at the shop. The club is going to knit projects from Wendy Johnson's fabulously popular book, Socks from the Toe Up.

They've selected the Diagonal Lace Socks (page 52 ) for their first project.

Prolific sock knitter Jane Kelley has already finished one pair. She used Madelinetosh Pashmina in the magnolia leaf colorway. Pashmina is a sport weight blend of merino, cashmere and silk. I think her feet are going to be spoiled!

The club is meeting monthly on the third Sunday. Hope you're making plans to join in!

Happy New Year. Let's KAL!

Whoa. Blogger tells me it's been 22 days since I last posted. Yes, time flies when you're having fun (or when you're trying to finish up that holiday knitting that didn't seem like that much knitting when you planned it. back in July.)

Please forgive me. (and promise me you'll help me with my holiday knitting "problem" this year by either a) convincing me not to knit it; or b) helping me understand how long it will really - really!! - take to knit - thank you!)

OK deep breath and yes, it's 2012. A new year. I hope you have plans - like me! - for NEW knitting!! ...and a new KAL*!

or two.

or three.

Yep. that's right. We're planning THREE knit-alongs to start the year.

First up, the Ella Coat. Kathy started a world-wide craze; Noni herself has jumped on the bandwagon for this one.  Yay, Kathy! We're officially casting on January 20 at 1pm. If you're interested, check out Noni on Ravelry or Facebook for more details and then contact the shop to get your yarn (come in person if you can - we have all the colors of the suggested Shepherd's Wool in stock).

Kathy will be knitting a striped version.

yes there are sparkles in with all those colors!

I've opted for a solid with a contrasting ruffle.

that dark color (my main color) is the same color shown on the pattern cover. personally, I hope it doesn't turn out quite that bright!

Next, the Panoramic Stole. Continuing our crush on the ever popular Coastal Knits - this is our second KAL from that book (we did the Rustling Leaves Beret in late 2011). I loved this design when I first saw the book. And Theresa sealed the deal when she told me she'd ordered the suggested yarn - Swan's Island. A stunning organic merino/alpaca fingering from Maine. Oh my! The pattern calls for just two skeins. We'll be casting this one on next week - Friday the 13th.

I've chosen a neutral... yes, for once, I won't be the one standing out in the crowd in the purple/blue/green/red lace shawl!

the oatmeal colorway

And third, any and EVERYthing Maggie! Our Maggiknits weekend was a huge success and we know many of you (and me!) have a few kits and/or projects to knit. Please let us know what you're working on - and of course, if you have any questions, ask!  My first (of three!!) projects is the Skerries Capelet (and yes, I'm going to knit it seamlessly!)

*we get lots of questions along the lines of "what's a KAL?". Simply, it's a Knit-along (KAL) - a project that the shop is supporting by encouraging lots of knitters to join in. So we post here on the blog, or Facebook, or Ravelry, or our newsletters about that project. Yarn and needle suggestions, skills required, helpful tips, anything that we think will help you complete that project successfully. Along the way, we like to have fun...and we love to celebrate those successful projects.  There is also a community aspect to these projects. Theresa has created a wonderful environment in the shop for knitting (seriously. that new couch and chairs. have you sat there to knit? amazing!) and we have KAL time in the shop every Friday afternoon from 1-ish til 4-ish (or maybe 6pm when the shop closes). It's a great time, not only to knit, but also to connect with other knitters (not only about knitting)...and it's my hands-down favorite way to start the weekend. If you have any questions about KAL-ing at the Cottage, please leave a comment here, or on Facebook or Ravelry. and please, don't be shy about joining us!

The Knitbot Trunkshow.

Yes, Maggie's gone, but the excitement continues!

trunk show samples (more designs on the table behind)

Hannah Fettig's trunk show arrived in the shop on Monday. She's the designer behind Knitbot and the Maine end of Coastal Knits. We've featured a few of her patterns in the shop for months now - great patterns like the Featherweight Cardigan, Contented Cardi and Wispy Cardi - and now that we have her trunk show, you can see the designs knit up and try them on!

I spent a bit of my time in the shop yesterday doing just that. Here are my hands down favorites - the ones I would cast on right away to knit for myself (if only my Christmas knitting were done!). All of these designs are knit seamlessly, and with the exception of the Sycamore Vest, they're top-down raglans, which means they're also easy to fit.

we're not sure about the bird applique!

 The Trail Jacket  features an A-line silhouette and 3/4 (how about changing these to bracelet?) length sleeves. Knit in a heavy worsted/aran yarn, we suggest Spud&Chloe Sweater, Rowan Felted Tweed Aran or Kathmandu. We would also add a button to the neckband.

the pattern offers two options for the placing the back cable detail - across the waist or across the shoulders

 The Contented Cardi features half-sleeves (which can be easily shortened or lengthened), the super-popular elongated and drape-y fronts, and a subtle cable across the back.  My favorite yarn for this pattern is AslanTrends Llama Mulberry Silk which has a lovely drape, but it would also work well in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Cascade 220 or the Madelinetosh DK or Merino DK.

The Lightweight Pullover  I wasn't prepared to love this one but I do! It reminds me of those very-favorite pullovers I had when I was in college...they were easy to wear, went with everything, and kept me just-a-bit warm. Perfect for our southern winters! The sample is knit in Classic Elite Fresco, one of those under-appreciated yarns. It's a sport-weight wool/alpaca/angora blend...easy to knit with, blooms beautifully and comes in every color. Or of you're wanting to splurge, how about the Fibre Company's Road to China Light. or Madelinetosh Pashmina.

The Sycamore Vest. This came across my radar when it was first released, but a few of the comments on Ravelry made me pause about knitting it. Here's the great thing about trying on a sample! I LOVE the way it fits, especially the way it hangs open, ever so casually....  It takes a sport-weight yarn with a bit of heft to give it drape. I was thinking Mirasol Nuna, but then today remembered the Louet Linen. I'm going to use the Linen.

And last, but certainly not least, the incredibly popular (for good reasons!) Featherweight Cardigan. The sample is knit in Canopy Fingering and it's lovely. simply lovely. If Canopy Fingering doesn't appeal, we have many other options from which to choose. Spud&Chloe Fine, Marian Foale 3-ply, Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light... the list goes on.

The trunk show will be in the shop through December 31. We ordered all the patterns yesterday, so they should be in the shop shortly.  (And we have the Contented Cardi and Featherweight Cardigan and a few others already.)

Maggie Excitement. Continued.

Maggie herself has come and gone and we had a blast while she was here (you can see photos of the all the fun on Facebook)...but we still have the trunkshow and a great selection of kits available in the shop.

the trunkshow - one (of three!) racks

La Alhambra - available as a kit

the London Scarf - multiple kit options

Sadly, the trunkshow and extra kits are headed back to Maggie on Monday. But that still leaves a few days to come into the shop and see what you missed.

I dare you to try to resist!

The Ella Coat Knit-along.

Kathy posted on Facebook and Ravelry about doing a "big" knit-along in early 2012. By "big", we mean a coat!

Yes, we fell in love with The Ella Coat when we saw Nora Bellows modeling it so well back in November (she was in the shop for a weekend, teaching the Noni Bags workshop).

Now the pattern has arrived and we're gearing up to order yarn for all who are interested.

The pattern has options for a solid coat, a solid coat with contrasting ruffle (that's the option pictured) and a striped coat. Yarn requirements vary based on which option you choose. For the solid coat with contrasting ruffle (as pictured), the smallest size 32" takes 1,000 yards of the main color and 500 yarns for the ruffle; the largest size 54" takes 1,500 yards of the main color and 750 yards for the ruffle. Striped versions have 11 different colors (1 skein of each plus 500 yards for the ruffle).

The recommended yarn is Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool, a beautiful worsted wool with 250 yards per skein that comes in plenty of colors (check out the color cards here).

The pattern is very detailed (just like all the Noni Bag patterns, if you're familiar with them) and includes notes about modifications to ensure a beautiful fit. The coat body is constructed as one piece, the sleeves are knit separately and then sewn in. (and even given my bias toward seamless construction, I'm going to give this one a try!)


...the hardest part is going to be choosing the color(s)! I'm thinking about a brown body with an oatmeal ruffle. or maybe an oatmeal body with a brown ruffle. or maybe purple and green like the pattern shows. What colors would you choose?

Off to a Slow Start.

...but a good one!  Three of us started the Rustling Leaves Beret tonight. Yes, it's a slow start - 144 stitches in 1x1 rib on a small needle isn't quick!

not even an inch of ribbing to show for our time! (and how 'bout all those Starbucks cups??!!)

Project notes: we're all using a size 1 16" circular needle (and at least two of us used about a 60" tail to cast on those 144 stitches :-) Please note that the pattern suggests a size 2 needle; we went down one size to ensure a snug fit for the brim. We are planning to switch to size 3 needles (as the pattern suggests) for the body of the beret.

It's not too late to join in the fun! We'll be knitting at the shop tomorrow afternoon - please join us!