Sock Summit Weekend at Yarnia

As you may already know, this summer Portland will be home to the first ever Sock Summit, taking place at the Oregon Convention Center the weekend of August 6-9!

We've chosen not to have a booth in the marketplace, opting instead to keep our resources here at the shop all weekend, especially for those of you coming in from out-of-town, who may not otherwise get to see the machine in action!

We also know you all have busy schedules with classes, panels, and other fun events going on all weekend, so we're going to have some special extended hours here at the shop that will help to accommodate all of you! Specifically, Yarnia will be open until 9 p.m. the evening of Thursday, August 6, so those of you not attending the Sock Summit Opening Ceremonies can come on by and have your yarn made up after hours!

Here's when we'll be open that whole week/end:

* Wednesday, August 5: 11am-6pm
* Thursday, August 6: 11am-9pm
(special extended hours!)
* Friday, August 7: 11am-6pm
* Saturday, August 8: 11am-6pm
* Sunday, August 9: 12pm-5pm

Thursday's The Day!

When's the best time to come see Yarnia for yourself? We'll be happy to have you anytime that we're open...but if you decide to come in on Thursday, we'll make it worth your while! All day Thursday, August 6, including our after-hours party (see below), you'll receive:

• 10% off any purchase of pre-made sock yarn (does not apply to custom-wound orders)
• 15% off any pre-made cones in our bargain basket

After Hours At Yarnia!

We know you might not have time in your busy sock-reveling schedule to come by the shop during the day, so on Thursday night we're going to have an after hours party where you can take your time and put together your dream yarn! Thursday We'll be open until 9pm that evening -- with food, drinks, and merriment begnning at 6pm!

Check out our website for the best way to get here from the Convention Center, and updates about that weekend as it gets closer!

90 Degrees??

That's how hot it's supposed to get today, which means this is probably the least appropriate time to share with you blanket pictures, but these are a few that I've actually been sitting on for months, a project that I finished back in April for a good friend's wedding that finally just happened this weekend!

So after much anticipation I present to you...

Girasole, by Jared Flood :: 1800 yards :: 2 lbs., 10 oz. :: bamboo/merino/cashmere

This is by far the best lace project I've ever worked on, and though it is a massive undertaking (particularly the knitted-on lace edging -- this is a deceivingly interminable part of the project), I would heartily recommend it for any aspiring lace knitters wanting to get in on the game.

It features the perfect combination of simple, repetitive stitches (and increasingly longer rounds, so that after the first few repetitions on each round you probably won't need the chart anymore), and satisfying variety so that every few rounds you're doing something totally new, which is exciting to watch materialize.

It's also a great way to dive into chart reading if that's been intimidating for you in the past -- though there are a number of different charts in this pattern, the instructions are very clearly written, there are only a few basic common symbols, and the order of charts is easy to follow.

In short, I can't say enough good things about the Girasole.

In fact, I've got another wedding coming up in September, and I've already started on my second one...

July 4 Weekend Special Hours

Just a quick note to let you all know that Yarnia will have some different hours for the 4th of July weekend...

* We will be CLOSED on Friday, July 3.
* We will be OPEN on Saturday, July 4, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
* We will be OPEN on Sunday, July 5, operating regular hours from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

After that we'll be operating our regular hours for the rest of the summer :)

Thanks for your understanding and we hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!

Why I Love Dishcloths

I've been on a dishcloth kick lately. Maybe it's because I'm in the midst of 3-4 long term projects and just want the feel of low-commitment, quick & easy garter stitch on my fingertips. Or maybe it's because it's the perfect season to be knitting with cotton, linen, or hemp, and a mere 4 ounces of it will yield a whole set of dishcloths, easily.

But best of all, a dishcloth is the #1 easiest way to get over your precious knits syndrome. You know, when you spend three months of your life knitting a sweater, and then can never bring yourself to wear it out of the house because you're afraid you might sweat in it, spill on it, or tie it around your waist and get it caught in the spokes of your bike? I've been a longtime sufferer of PKS, but let me tell you, the first time you use an astonishingly absorbent and exfoliating hand-knit dischcloth to clean off your countertop, throw it in the wash, and see it come back clean, unharmed, and ready for another round...it's life-changing, really. Not to say that I can yet bring myself to wear my mohair lace cardigan if I'm biking to work, but hey...baby steps.

Introducing...

a new friendly face at Yarnia! Jamaica will be helping out at the shop on the weekends, and is our guest blogger today, introducing herself in case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet:

"Hello There All! My name is Jamaica, and I am, as you might have guessed, the new face behind the conversion/checkout counter at Yarnia. My first recognizable trait: I'm a redhead. However, this does not mean I have a fiery temper. In fact, I'm rather quiet and easy going, and I love to help people with their knitting/creative inspirations. I've been living in the great, rainy Northwest for over a year (I'm enamored with the area), and came here by a convoluted route that started in the San Francisco Bay Area and went through Davis, CA, and Madison, WI.

"Besides working at Yarnia, I'm also a college student (at Portland Community College), a lab tech (also at PCC), a good friend, and a person who has way too many creative hobbies. I've been working in different yarn stores for the last 6 years, and the last two years I've taught knitting classes at a summer school program near Menlo Park, CA. I also know how to, with varying levels of skill, spin, crochet, weave, sew, cross-stitch, and dye fiber. I usually try and work some literary reference or scientific rule into my stitch count.

"So, here I am. I'm super-excited to be working at Yarnia (the Do-It-Yourself ideal is something that I've adhered to for awhile, and the fact that there is store built around that principle makes me incredibly happy). Please feel free to ask me for as much help or feedback as you want (I'll be there every weekend over the summer), and also I welcome your inspirations and suggestions in terms of my own creativity. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible!"

On (and off) The Needles...

Owls Sweater, in a teal merino/bamboo blend.

Using bulky yarn, this is a really fast knit, and because it's bottom-up, there is barely any seaming at the end!


Coffee Tunic, in a wine colored mixture of bamboo, wool, and nylon.

This one's slow-going, as it's knit on size 3 needles...but the trade-off is amazing stitch definition in the cables! Thankfully the fact that it's sleeveless means that it has the potential to be finished in time for summer...

Reminder: Special Closure This Week

Just a reminder to all of you who are planning stopping by the shop this week -- Yarnia will be CLOSED on Friday, May 22, for a special family event, but we will be open regular hours the rest of the weekend -- that's 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday; 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Thanks for your understanding!