Winter
2015
Newsletter
Franklin Habit tells a story about being at a knitting conference in a session about how to design garments. When the female presenter was asked about designing for men, her response was basically “knit a tube and stick on sleeves.” Franklin promptly stood up and indignantly proclaimed, “We men are not cylinders!” His point is that contemporary men want garments that accent the male form with classic but updated styling, are willing to risk colors, and embrace wearing accessories like scarves, neck gaiters, and cowls. If you want to see male knitwear designers that exemplify these elements, each in their own style, check out Josh Bennett, Brooklyn Tweed (Jared Flood), and Stephen West. Martin Storey also is known for taking classic designs and adding a touch—a stitch pattern, a color combination, a contemporary collar—that make the designs attractive for today. For this issue, we’ve worked up two patterns that reflect sensibilities of contemporary male fashion, and the result is what is often the case nowadays—the pieces are completely unisex, appealing to guys and gals. As always, working with quality yarn makes all the difference, and we picked out some of our favorites in working these designs. Enjoy making and wearing them as you stay warm in the winter chill! 3. Winter Favorites Sincerely, 4. Staggered Brioche
Contents
5. Winter Necessities
and
6. Sivia Harding Workshops 7. Upcoming Workshops 9. Plaid Traveling Mitts 13. Chevron Bandana Cowl 15. Classic Cashmere Pullover 17. Drinking Chocolate Recipe 19. Shop Local 20. Just So You Know...
Find Us Online
www.northcoastknittery.com
1
Winter Chill
Winter is our season. The short days allow us to debut our newest and warmest knitwear; and the long, cold, nights give us all the reason we need to stay inside and knit more. Although we are spoiled and do not have to endure snow, we are indeed much colder than our southern Californian neighbors. Our brisk but clear blue skies during the day are contrasted by foggy evenings and frozen nights. Each morning, when everything is covered in frost, we are grateful for our cozy hand knits. Our fiber arts skills are like our secret weapons, and they serve us best when we need to chase away the winter chill.
2
Vista
50% Wool 50% Alpaca 100 yards / $8.00 Available in undyed shades of grey and brown, Vista is a plump worsted weight yarn with a tight twist- which gives it superb stitch definition. This yarn has the hearty characteristics of a traditional wool, but also the soft nature of alpaca, so you have no problem wearing it against your skin.
Winter Sanctuary
70% Wool 30% Silk 125 yards / $32-$34 Like all Alchemy yarns, Sanctuary was carefully hand painted, steamed over an open fire, and allowed to dry naturally in the cool coastal breeze. This yarn looks amazing, feels amazing, and knits up like a dream. It also felts beautifully, and is used in many shibori felting patterns.
Favorites King Baby Llama & Silk
70% King Baby Llama 30% Mulberry Silk 218 yards / $18.40 This luxurious blend is some of the softest yarn you can get, and every one of the rich colors has an incredible silky shine. This yarn easily made the list for our cozy favorites, and is definitely one of our top choices all year long. 3
Diagonal Crossed Stitch
The tight texture and crossed strands created by the slipped stitches shows off Vista’s excellent stitch definition like a trophy displayed on a mantel. Diagonal lines dart across this surface design in two directions, making this stitch pattern as visually stimulating as it is easy and fun to knit.
Cast On a Multiple of 2. Row 1 (right side): K1, *sl 1, K1, YO, psso the K1 and YO; repeat from * to the last stitch, K1. Row 2: Purl Row 3: K2, *sl 1, K1, YO, psso the K1 and YO; repeat from * to end Row 4: Purl Repeat rows 1 - 4 throughout.
4
Winter Accessories
Necessities Shaune Bazner Shawl Pins It gets cold out there, and you need to make sure your knitwear stays snug around you. But shawls and cardigans don’t always have zippers or buttons. Shawl pins are a great ‘afterthought’ closure, although these pins are more of a wardrobe centerpiece than an afterthought.
Offhand Designs Bags and clutches for your knitting are an absolute necessity when it’s winter. The best option is to transport your handcrafts in a stylish, high quality, handmade bag by Offhand Designs. You can even pick up a matching clutch for your organizing your circular needles!
5
Upcoming Workshops with
Sivia Harding
Visual Mending More Than Making Do!
March 21, 2015. 9:00am-12:00pm $75.00 This class examines past and present methods of mending and darning knits with a look at old vintage books, more for a peek at the philosophy than to copy the techniques. Sivia will introduce her own method of knitting over damaged areas, with a bonus: when knitting is used to mend knits, you can not only fix holes, but make them beautiful or whimsical by using colors and interesting stitches to embellish what was once a sadly worn sock or elbow, and it will become an object of pride.
Fitted Cowl Design
March 21, 2015. 2:00pm-6:00pm $75.00 Cowls can be as simple in execution as a circular knitted tube. They can also serve as a lovely blank canvas on which to project ideas as complex as anything the knitter’s imagination can conjure up. Learn to design a fitted cowl/cape based on a modified round yoke sweater. Using templates for this shape, one can easily fill it with interesting stitch patterns including colorwork, texture, and lace. Include asymmetrical elements with short row shaping, or add unusual edge treatments. Once you understand the construction and template, you can make many variations utilizing different design elements.
Draping For Uncommon Cowls
March 22, 2015. 10:00am-5:45pm $110.00 This fun creative workshop presents the opportunity to create a new shape using cut up T-shirt fabric, and then recreate that shape through knitting. Some basic shaping templates will be given, but the actual draping will be either on a real body or on a dressmaker’s form. There will be no sewing involved. We will form the shape, cutting away fabric to subtract, and using a fusible tape to add fabric. Thus the shape can be organic, and there is no fear of making a mistake. In this experiential exercise, unusual joinings and wildly asymmetrical shaping will be encouraged and celebrated. Then we will knit the resulting shape without the need for a pattern. 6
Handspinning on the Wheel
April 11 & 12, 2015. 12:00pm-3:00pm $80.00 Learn the basics of turning fiber into yarn. You will learn basic terminology of the wheel and spinning, learn how to prepare the fibers, open the fibers (pre-drafting and drafting), control twist, and make a multi-ply yarn utilizing prepared roving. We will also talk about working with raw fleece and its preparation, including scouring and carding. Wheels will be provided for the sessions. Cost includes 4oz of wool roving and wheel usage.
Shaping with Short Rows
August 1 & 8, 2015. 120:00pm-2:30pm $50.00 Short rows add shaped ease, so that garments will fit well. For example, short rows added to the bust area of a sweater will make the front hang evenly with the back. Short rows can mimic the action of horizontal darts in sewing, creating a more closely fitting form. Shape a collar or a shoulder slope, make a toe or heel, or knit a hat flat, achieving a rounded shape by building the entire circumference with short rows and no seaming. You will learn several ways of doing short rows as well as exploring the several applications of short rows mentioned above. 7
Dyeing Handpainted Skeins
June 6, 2015. 12:00pm-5:00pm $75.00 Want to create a one-of-a-kind yarn? Then this is the workshop for you! Blend subtle colorways, have bright, bold transitions, intersperse small dots of an accent color‌you can play with all sorts of possibilities by painting dye onto the skeins of natural colored yarn. Cost includes all materials—250 grams of yarn, dyes, gloves, etc. Additional skeins can be purchased separately if you want to dye more.
Mosaic Knitting: Colorwork the easy way!
June 27, 2015. 12:00pm-3:00pm $45.00 With Mosiac Knitting, you knit with only one color per row to achieve intricate looking patterns without stranding or intarsia wrapping. You simply knit and slip stitches, but the result is stunning! This one-session workshop will teach you how to do several variations, how charts are written and read differently, and practical tips about the best uses for Mosaic Knitting. Once you learn the technique, you will begin a hat in class you can quickly complete at home. Also, several free patterns will be provided for other projects.
8
9
Plaid Traveling Mitts A Free Pattern by Laura Lamers
The plaid traveling mitts were inspired by the Outlander series. I love the plaid kilts and skirts worn by the Scots in this wonderful new series. These mitts have been designed for either a man or woman. Alchemy Yarns has such an array of beautiful colors. You can either knit something very subtle or very bright. I recommend playing with two complimentary colorways and one element color to create the plaid stripes. This pattern includes a step-by-step guide (with pictures!) on how to create the plaid with a crochet hook.
Download this pattern from our
Ravelry Store
Or directly from our
NorthCoast Knittery Website
10
Chevron Bandana Cowl Sometimes scarves and shawls are too much fuss to keep wrapped around your neck, so you need a stylish accessory that doesn’t require constant adjusting. Enter: The Chevron Bandana Cowl. A unisex and beautifully textured cowl that will stay snug around your neck regardless of your activity.
Chevron Bandana Cowl Pattern $6.00 or free with yarn purchase
Sanctuary
by Alchemy Yarns of Transformation 70% Wool & 30% Silk / 125 yards / $32 - $34
Birch
13
Lost Coast
Picasso Blue
The model Chevron Bandana Cowl is shown in Sand Dollar
14
15
Classic Cashmere Pullover There is a time and place for intricate stitch patterns and complex garments, but when given a superb yarn such as this Cashmere- you want to allow the yarn to speak for itself. The Classic Cashmere Pullover was designed to be a casual and gender neutral option for those who still want the luxurious and warm feel of a high quality yarn.
Classic Cashmere Pullover Pattern $6.00 or free with yarn purchase
Mongolian Cashmere
by Jade Sapphire 100% Cashmere / 200 yards / $47
Old Money
Driftwood
The model Classic Cashmere Pullover is shown in Blue Steel
Silver Fox
16
Knit to stay warm on the outside...
Drink Chocolate
to stay warm on the inside.
There’s a bit of a difference between Hot Cocoa and Drinking Chocolate. This stuff is thick, decadent, rich, and totally incredible. It reminds me of the warm melted pool of creamy chocolate at the bottom of a gourmet hot fudge sundae.
17
Ingredients for Whipped Cream: 1 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream 2 Tbsp. Sugar (optional: 1 oz. of Amaretto)
Ingredients for Drinking Chocolate:
6 oz. (2 bars) of Bittersweet Humboldt Chocolate 1 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream 1 Cup of Whole Milk 1 Pinch of Salt 1 Tsp. Corn Starch
Whipped Cream 1. Place the Heavy Whipping Cream in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. 2. Combine the cream and sugar (and the optional Amaretto) into a mixing bowl and whip until the cream stiffens and soft peaks form. You can store the whipped cream in the refrigerator and re-whip when you want.
Drinking Chocolate
1. Finely chop the bars of Humboldt Chocolate. 2. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, pour in your chocolate with the 1 cup of cream. 3. Stir constantly, until all of the chocolate is completely melted. 4. Add in the milk, salt, and cornstarch, and turn the heat down to medium-low. 5. Stir, stir, stir, and never allow it to boil. Allowing it to boil will change the texture. As soon as it begins to bubble, lift off the heat, keep stirring, and place back on the heat. Keep repeating this until it is the consistency you want it. I like to keep stirring until my drinking chocolate is thick like a ganache or pudding. Keep in mind that once the drink cools, it will thicken even more. If you want your drink to be thinner, substitute the cream with a second cup of milk. 6. When you just can’t take waiting any more, pour it into your cup, spoon some of your whipped cream on top, and enjoy! By the way- if you chill your drinking chocolate, you’ll end up with cup of something similar to chocolate mousse... Which is also very, very good!
18
Humboldt Bay Tourism Center
Acting at Humboldt County’s one and only full-service concierge, the Tourism Center can book your hotel, your meals, your local tours, and will even treat you to local beers, wines, cheeses, oysters, and chocolates in their tasting room. They are choosy about which tickets and tours they book with, so you know anything you sign up for- whether it’s renting a bike, trying kayaking, birdwatching, or touring a local brewery- you’re guaranteed to have a fantastic and smooth experience. 205 G Street, Eureka, CA, 95501 help@hbtc.info 707-672-3850
Shop Local Old Town Antique Lighting
Any crafter can tell you how important good lighting is. You need to see what you’re doing, and while a dim ambiance is nice for romantic evenings- it’s not so seductive when you drop a stitch and don’t see it until the next day. Only a block away from us, their brick & mortar store is not only their gallery of antique lighting, but it doubles as their home base for restoration. Even if you’re not in the market to brighten your home, Old Town Antique Lighting is worth a stop. 203 F Street, Eureka, CA, 95501 oldtownantiquelighting@gmail.com 707-267-5439
19
Sip & Knit
Every Thursday evening, from 6:00-8:30pm, you will find the shop full of fellow fiber enthusiasts. Join us for food, refreshments, and show & tell. Feel free to bring something to share, but don’t forget a project to work on! This weekly event is fun for all ages, and every type of fiber craft is welcome.
Birthday Discount
Happy Birthday! During the month of your birthday, we will give you 30% off of one purchase of regularly priced yarn, tools, and notions. Come in and get everything on your personal wish list. This discount is available in-store only.
Beginning Knitting
Don’t know how to knit yet? We can help you with that. When you purchase your materials from us you’re entitled to a free 2 hour beginning knitting lesson. Our beginning classes are every Saturday morning at 10:00am. You must sign up in advance. Give us a call or swing by the shop and we will be happy to get you started.
Complimentary Winding Service
When you’re anxious to get started on your project, hand-winding your new yarn is such a drag! Free of charge, we’ll use our swift and ball winder to transform your unruly skeins into convenient little cakes. Whether you’re shopping in person or online, just let us know and we will wind it all up so you can get straight to the fun part.
20
With Love, Laura Lamers Harry Wells Virginia Barrows Jennifer Kennedy Sherry Lisby
707.442.YARN info@northcoastknittery.com www.northcoastknittery.com 407 2nd Street, Eureka, CA, 95501
Newsletter created by Virginia Barrows