Betty Boop Felted Bag

Phew! It's been a busy April, folks, but we are back from our double-show extravaganza of the Creativ Festival and the Toronto Knitter's Frolic.  Both of which were a happy success, thanks to your patronage and support.

This time, Julia is sharing her experience making the Betty Boop Bag.

Following the instructions, knit the bag using two strands of 100% wool, and weave in ends to finish neatly.  Pure wool felts the best, whereas cotton or synthetics do not felt at all.  The bag will be considerably larger than the final felted version, so panic not.

In its original, knitted state.  Kleenex box is for size reference.  Don't lose your keys!

There are several ways to accomplish the felting process (which is a combination of shrinking and matting the fibres together - truly a process called "fulling"), but the simplest by far is to use your washing machine.  Don't bother with your efficient, new, front-loading washer, as there's simply not enough water or agitation to be helpful.  Find someone with a top-loader, and keep your eyes on your bag as you purposely shrink it with hot water and a small amount of detergent.  As you know, there is no way to unshrink anything, so don't walk away, and pull it out frequently to check the size.

When you're satisfied with the size, shape the shrunken mass into something better resembling a purse, and let it air dry.  This will take a couple of days, depending on the weather.  Good time to pick up one of your projects you haven't quite finished...it'll keep you from obsessing about whether your Betty's ready yet.

After the bag is completely dry, sew in the purse frame.  If you haven't already, knit the flowers (again, with good, solid 100% wool).  These you can wet-felt by hand in a bowl with hot water and a bit of detergent. Fun!

Felted flowers & soap...yum!

Once those knit blossoms are down to the size you want, lay them out and let them dry.  Find something to do, or place the soggy flowers somewhere clean and warm, with ventilation and circulation to hasten the drying.

Add the rhinestones to the flowers when they're all dry.  Everything looks nice with a little bling!  Using yarn, sew on the handles with flowers, and scatter more flowers over the purse front.  Sew those pretties on with yarn.  Sew on the purse flap and attach the turn key to the flap. On the inside of the purse, add the plastic canvas to add the needed shape and sturdiness.  Sew it into place.

Kleenex box switched for teacup - everything's smaller now!

Take a picture of your new Betty Boop and your proud, smiling face and email it to us!

Betty Boop purse hardware kits are available in store: #79698 small; #79696 medium; #79697 large
Yarn used in the sample was Shepherd's Wool, in Lime Green #79864 (the number of skeins needed depends upon the size of bag you choose to make).

Our Swiss Miss Yarn Girl, Jacqueline also blogged about this bag.  Read it here.

What's with the Slackers?

Yarn Girl-slash-Knit Wit, Irene is busy making the rest of her team look bad.  She's been knitting up a storm of samples!

First, let's talk about the brand new yarn that came in:  Casablanca, from Cascade.  It's a riot of great colours in a single ply yarn comprised of 59% wool, 24% silk and 17% mohair.  There's a free pattern for a scarf we mentioned in our last newsletter, and Irene's shown you how quick and easy it is.

As you can see, there are several colourways to choose from - you simply can't go wrong!  If you need knitting tips when working through the pattern, you know you can call on Irene for her experience.

Next, we'll look at the pretty spring cardi Irene has completed.  (Julia, our Cardigan Queen had better watch her crown!)

She used the Featherweight Cardigan pattern by Hannah Fettig, available on Ravelry (and we can help you with that in The Yarn Store).

Irene got her hands on two skeins of Americo Abrazos yarn in colour J080, a soft pale blue that isn't a baby pastel, but decidedly more grown-up.  Abrazos is a lace weight bamboo/cotton yarn that is just perfect for Spring knitting.

She knit from both skeins at once on size 4.5mm needles, using two strands at a time to give her the desired body. The yarn itself provides the wonderful stripey texture.  

Irene's much-desired, fit body comes from running marathons - which we delayed somewhat as we took pictures of her modelling the cardigan.

C'mon in and see why the rest of the Yarn Girls are beginning to look like slackers. (Our royal tongue is firmly planted in cheek!)

What's on Our Hooks...Irene?

Just a quickie this week.  Believe us, we've got lots going on!  It's that sort of "too busy to talk" kind of time, what with the Creativ Festival and the Toronto Knitter's Frolic, both on the same weekend!! Thankfully, it's totally possible to get the best of all worlds and visit both shows (say, the Creativ on Friday, April 26 - we're at Booth #115, and then Knitter's Frolic on Saturday, April 27).  See our Upcoming Events page for the whole scoop.

That being said, let us share a little bit.  The question on everybody's lips lately has been, "what's on your needles?" or, in this case, "hooks?".  And hey, if you haven't been wondering, maybe you should...? :)

Irene, our Yarn Girl newbie, the self-professed Knit Wit, is totally outgrowing her newbie status and reaching for all that is meant to be good about the Knit Wit moniker.  She's a continental knitter and, apparently, an accomplished crocheter, as evidenced here:

Irene said she made this giant granny square to see if the guys in her family would like a manly afghan or a car blanket.  She used just one ball of our brand new Noro Taiyo, a lovely blend of cotton, silk, wool and nylon, and just look at the gorgeous colour variations it provides!  The Yarn Store currently has 16 colours available in Taiyo, so there's lots to choose from.

However, this yarn-for-guys movement is building amongst the staff, so you'd better get a move on and get yarn for your man before the staff pinches it all!

We think we might have to come up with a new name for the block... maybe Grampy Square.  What do you think?

Help a Bunny Out!

Spring is here.  Whatever Punxsutawney Phil or Wiarton Willie or Mother Nature have to say, the calendar makes it official, weather be damned.  So the Easter Bunny had better keep his woolies on this year!

Loooove his feet!!

If you are looking for a sweet little something to make this Easter special, you have come to the right place.
Quilt Girl, Cathy, brought in a cute blue bunny and it hopped right over to The Yarn Store.

Then, it got busy, inspiring the Yarn Girls - and bringing a smile to everyone who spotted it.

Julia found herself with DPNs in hand and a little ball of My First Regia. Soon enough, out came a pretty little knitted egg!  Who needs Cadbury? (But we bet you could stuff one of those chocolate eggs inside!)

Just like bunnies, these eggs quickly multiplied.  Julia was kind enough to prepare a pattern to share with you.    Click below, or visit our Free Patterns page on our website to download it, free.

Click here to download pattern

From all of us at The Yarn Store, we wish you a very Hoppy Easter!

Please note that The Quilt Store and The Yarn Store will be closed for Easter on Good Friday (March 29th) but will be open on the Saturday, and again with regular hours on Monday, April 1. No foolin'!

What Julia Made

If you've never been to Knit Night, it's high time you come out!  Not only do you get the time to knit (or crochet), chat and hang out with fellow yarnies, but you get to affect the way the things happen.  Oh, yes.

Last Wednesday's Knit Night crowd numbered nine, with some regulars and their newbie tag-a-longs (who now officially belong).  Our Yarn Girl, Julia, shared that she had just bought new ski gear for a little March Break adventure.  Seeing as it was her first time on the slopes in over fifteen years, it was completely essential that she look goooood, since she couldn't ski worth beans fifteen years ago and absence hardly makes those skills stronger.

Julia found a free two-colour fair isle pattern on Ravelry that she liked, called Norwegian Star Earflap Hat by Tiennie.  

She described her new ski-bunny duds as a fuschia and purple jacket, with lime green ski pants, and the Knit Nighters were all over it.  They toured The Yarn Store and decided en masse that Madelinetosh Vintage was the way to go.  It's the right weight (worsted) and easy care (superwash) with absolutely, perfectly vibrant colours (yum!).

The pattern calls for just one skein of two colours (Lime and Dahlia).  Trusting the Knit Nighters implicitly (and who wouldn't??), Julia picked up her needles and cast on immediately.  

There was a definite deadline for this little endeavour, and Julia met it on Friday morning, with flying hand-dyed colours!  

Holy hotness, Batman!  Not only the colours and the style, but the ski bunny herself!  Who cares how the skiing was...Julia looks like she knows what she's doing (and we can't see all the snow stuffed up her back!).

Indeed, the lesson for the week is this:  become a Knit Nighter and influence people!

If you are interested in learning the Fair Isle knitting technique, check out our Classes page, and call the store to sign up for Julia's Beginner Fair Isle Hat class, beginning April 6, 2013.

Join our free Knit Night group every Wednesday evening from 6:30 - 8:30 pm, and feel the power!

Twice as Nice

The Yarn Girls are rarely without something on their needles...even if their needles are left at home.  Sometimes we get to make a big deal over the final results, and other times they just quietly display their handiwork without fanfare.

On rare occasions, the true story behind a sample is volunteered by someone who wasn't the maker!  Today is one of those occasions.

Julia didn't even giggle as she kindly requested Jacqueline submit her saga to the TYS blog, and yet the details had to be dragged out of her, piece by piece.

Let us begin with how fabulous her Foxy Duo cowl from Prism looks!

Like we said: Fabulous, no?

The Foxy Duo comes in a kit, available in several different colours.  It consists of Stuff and Plume, two wildly different and totally tactile yarns by Prism.

Plume is an incredible hand dyed fibre that when knit, can mimic the look and feel of fur - it's soooo soft.  Granted, you might not run into many soft green furry animals, but there are other, more natural colours to choose from if you so desire.

Prism Yarns Plume in Mink

Stuff is kind of what it says it is: a skein made up of all kinds of stuff!  Each skein consists of many different textures of strands (cotton, rayon, nylon, and mohair) that have been hand dyed and gauge coordinated. Some of the yarns are single, some double and some three strands to maintain consistent gauge.  They are tied together by hand, end to end in varying lengths, so that one yarn changes to another as you knit.  Jacqueline notes that the knots are no big deal, just knit them in and "leave them hanging out there" - the ends are totally camoflaged by all the texture.   If you're looking for an adventure in your knitting or crocheting, check out this Stuff!

Prism Yarns Stuff

So. We're talking about a kit, here.  An accomplished knitter and crocheter, Jacqueline skimmed the instructions and saw "10 needle", and got straight to work.  In less than three hours she was weaving in the ends and calling it done.  However, this cowl was not in its petite, shoulder-grazing size...

Somewhat shocked at this result, she re-read the pattern, and determined that the fault lay with the 10mm needles she had unintentionally picked up.  It should have been US #10 aka 6.0mm needles!  Too polite a lady, Jacqueline has declined to repeat what she said at that moment.

More determined than ever, she undid the whole thing, and knit it again (on the right needles!) in a quick three hours. (Note: she's using our new Boye Artisan Tools Square circular needles!)

Despite the twice-over effort, it's a lot of fun working with so many different yarns at once. In fact, Jacqueline was so inspired, she's even thinking about combining two kits and making a mini skirt to go with the new thigh-high boots she bought recently.... ;)

Thanks for sharing, Jacqueline - we know you did it that way just so your students could benefit!  

Follow more of Jacqueline's adventures on Ravelry ("knitswiss") and on her blog, Passion to Create.

Just in: Boye Square Needles

There are lots of knitting needles on the market, and we have a good selection here at The Yarn Store, too.  We have Pony Pearl DPNs that are made of a wood-based plastic called cellulose acetate, plus polished wooden needles, rosewood, bamboo, aluminum, and nickel-coated brass needles.  The name of the game is speed - and comfort - and durability and longevity.... Okay, there are a lot of names for this knitting game.  We are pleased to introduce a new player to the field: Boye Artisan Tools Square Fixed Circular Needles.

Yes, square needles!  Their smooth precision points are round, like a sharpened pencil, with a square shaft, which narrows to a smooth cable, which is neither droopy nor overly stiff.

Square needles are designed to be easier to handle, and require less pressure from your hands to hold onto them and create stitches.  Those with arthritis or carpal tunnal syndrome can knit more comfortably and for longer periods of time.

Our new Yarn Girl, Irene, is a Continental knitter

There are reports from the Yarn Girls that the stitches are more evenly formed (no matter who's picked up the work) and it's easier to get into the stitches - because loops are round but the needles have flat edges, it's easier to find a space to insert the needle tip.

The aluminum needles are lightweight, with a slight texture to them so they are smooth but not slippery.  Irene says she didn't even notice they were square, but that using them was easy and consistent.

Come in and try a pair!

Still unsure?  We have a pair in the store that you can test out, and form your own opinion.  Let us know what you think!

Boye Artisan Tools Square Circular Needles come in a full range of sizes
from US 1 / 2.5mm (our #82662, regular price $14.99)
to US 13 / 9mm. (our #82674, regular price $18.49)

We have square crochet hooks in stock, too!

Please note that the yarn pictured above is from our staff's stash.  If you wish to use something similar, try Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe (our #71543), or Debbie Bliss Angel (our #81221).  Using a large needle or hook with this slender yarn will give a lovely, hazy lacy effect.