Crocheted Laptop Case

So last week, I tweeted about a blog post I'd seen featuring a pattern for a crocheted laptop cozy.

Then, almost immediately, it was all I wanted to work on.  I grabbed one of our newer blends and went to work.  This is exactly the kind of pattern I dig -- rather than telling me how many stitches to cast on or chain, and for how many rows to work, it just tells me what the end goal is.  You want to make a chain that's the width of your laptop.  Simple enough.

I realize this may look more like a small purse than something that could fit around a computer, but hey, I've got a little Acer Netbook, and really all it needs is this little sleeve.

I still have a few more inches to go before I have to decide whether to leave it as a simple sleeve, or work a little bit extra on one of the sides and fold it over with a button closure.  But with this colorful boucle yarn, I love how snugly it fits and the extra padding from the yarn texture shows up in its crochet stitches, in a way I think it never would if knitted.

Seriously, I've been carting this computer around with me in the most inappropriate of ways for over a year now -- in my grocery tote bags, hanging out loose in my messenger bag, in my extra knitting bag whenever I'm going on a trip.  I'm amazed I haven't destroyed it yet, and it's about time it got a proper cushy carrying case.  Maybe I'll even make a little pouch for the AC adapter!

Yarn of the Year Contest!

Can you believe it's already that time again?  In just a couple weekends, Yarnia will be celebrating our THIRD Anniversary!!

We'll have lots more details to come about the party itself (which will be taking place on Friday, February 11th, so save the date!) and we'll be sending out the official invite on our Facebook page shortly, but we always like to let you know about our special annual contest ahead of time so you can prepare...

Yarn of the Year Contest

What's your favorite Yarnia blend that you've made over the past year? It just might be our favorite, too! During our 3 Year Anniversary Party on Friday, February 11th, we'll be accepting entries for Yarn of the Year. 

Got a little bit of that favorite blend left over? Knit or crochet up a little swatch and bring it in! If your yarn is chosen as our Yarn of the Year, we'll carry it here in the shop as a premade blend (or as close a match as we can, given the fibers on hand), and not only will you get to name it, but you'll also win a $30 Yarnia gift certificate!

Don't have any yarn left over that's calling to you? You can come into the shop and make up a blend anytime up until the evening of the party itself, to submit for consideration. Who knows? Your next custom blend just might be the winner!

Official Rules: All entries must be submitted in person on the evening of Friday, February 11, and must be in swatch form, at least 10 stitches (or chains) by 10 rows in size. Knowing the fiber content is useful, but not necessary. However, there will be room on the entry form to suggest projects that would show off the best of your yarn, so come with a few ideas! The winner will be contacted by the end of the following week, and announced both on the blog, and in next month's newsletter.

Entries will be judged based on versatility, creativity, novelty, and personal taste of the judges :)

Featured Yarn :: Neskowin

Neskowin

Shades of red and just a bit of burnt orange mingle in this cotton/wool blend -- my favorite for comfy knit sweaters.  How fantastic would this look knitted up as the Hey, Teach! cardigan?

• Fiber Content: 46 cotton / 36 wool / 10 merino / 5 lurex / 3 rayon
• Yardage: 500 yards
• Yarn Weight: Worsted
• Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
• Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry

Also available in our online shop!

Home Stretch

Okay guys, it's almost that time.  For over 14 months now I've been carting around an ever-expanding tote bag of squares -- all kinds of granny squares, checking them off my map one-by-one, as I ever-so-slowly approach my target of 81.  That's a nine-by-nine panel blanket, for those of you who have never embarked on a massive granny square undertaking before.

Sometime around November, I realized that I'd actually reached my goal, and had exactly the right number of each type of square that I'd aspired to...which was only mildly exciting, because that meant that the long, arduous task of weaving in about a billion ends was to be my fate for the next two months.

So I was actually kind of shocked the other night at Knit Night, when, just like that, I reached into my bag and pulled out the very last square.  Guys, I think I'm done.

So now the real fun begins -- laying all these guys out, grouped by square design, to double-check and make sure I have as many of all the different designs as I should...

Oh, and of course the centerpiece, by special request of this blanket's recipient.

This is not going to be your average granny square blanket.

Puppy Love

Sad news, friends.  Dezi is not going to work out.  

He's the perfect dog at home alone with me, and actually the perfect dog here at Yarnia too, while he's mellow and napping in his kennel after a long run in the rain this morning, already used to all the customers coming in and out.  He barely even bats an eye anymore when the door opens and windchimes start clanging (some of you even got to meet him at Knit Night this week!).  But alas, he's got some unpredictable aggression issues with strangers and other dogs that he needs to work out.  

In an ideal world, every day would be spent whiling away the days together at home, sitting around in our pajamas and baking bread like we do on our days off.

This week: honey oat.  Read all about my weekly bread baking at Six Dollars A Day.

But I've got an insanely busy schedule, and the other 5 days a week I need a little guy who can be reliably friendly with anyone (and any dog) whose path we might cross.

I'm really bummed about this...way more bummed than I'd ever expect from a dog I just met less than a week ago.  But it's been a long week!  He's been napping in my lap while I work, sitting patiently at my feet while I cook, joining me on morning runs and even sleeping on my bed with me (oops!  I know you're not supposed to do that, but he's the best cuddler I've ever met!).  It's been hard to remind myself that I actually have a ridiculously full life outside of the house, and if he can't accompany me on my excursions, then those other parts of my life will suffer if I keep this little guy.

Fortunately for him, he's got a great backup plan, a foster mom who loves him as much as I do and is happily taking him back.  So tomorrow he'll be reunited with her, and it's back to the puppy hunt for me. 

In the meantime, it's a dreary, rainy day.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to just sit on the couch, fill up the French press, and knit.  Well you're in luck!  The new issue of Knitty just came out, and it's bursting with fun new projects.  We'll be alluding to some of our favorites in some upcoming newsletters and blog posts, so keep an eye out!

Jacqueline

 photo via Knitty

What are you excited to make from this issue??

Giveaway :: Yarn On The House!

Hey, yarn lovers!  Guess what?  This past weekend we were visited by Veronika who did a fantastic writeup about Yarnia on her blog, Yarn On The House.  Go check out the eye candy from her trip, and while you're at it, enter yourself to win a cone of our Gaspe sock yarn!

image courtesy of Yarn On The House
 

Featured Yarn :: Bell

Bell

This luscious fingering weight blend mixes dark blue wool with a butter yellow mohair blend, as a strand of gold metallic lurex runs along side it for an extra luminous shimmer.  Not a fan of mohair in your socks?  Try it out in the gorgeous Simmer Din cowl.

• Fiber Content: 54 wool / 22 mohair blend / 15 merino / 9 lurex
• Yardage: ~390 yards
• Yarn Weight: Sock/Fingering
• Amount on Cone: 4 oz.
• Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry

Also available in our online shop!

Introducing Dezi & A New Clapotis

Aww, look at this guy!  Dezi is potentially my new brand new best friend, and resident shop puppy.  He's making his debut run at Yarnia this week, so please be patient with us as we establish our routines and get him settled in back!

And in the meantime, I've tried to pre-empt disaster at home (he is, as they say, a "power chewer") by moving all my WIPs to higher ground, starting with my brand new Clapotis.

can you spot the twisted stitches?

What?!  Who has room in their life for more than one Clapotis?  Apparently I do, because even though I have a lovely purple-and-grey one that I whipped up a few years ago, this teal/charcoal/cream combo coalesced in my mind during a somewhat slow pre-New-Year's day at the shop.

The Clapotis, now going on its seventh year, is the most fantastic drop-stitch scarf pattern ever, knit in a satisfying parallelogram shape reminiscent of the Lanesplitter skirt, you also get the uber-fun task of purposefully dropping a stitch every 12 rows, and watching it unravel all the way to the bottom, leaving you with gorgeous little ladders separating the solid sections.

This pattern is totally adaptable -- you can make it with as few as 8 ounces of yarn (the same amount our house blends of worsted weight come in -- fancy that!) if you wish, making the scarf narrower and/or shorter than the gargantuan wrap that the original pattern creates.  If you haven't taken a crack at the Clapotis yet, it's definitely that time.  Come on in and we'll hook you up!

Win a Free Class at Yarnia!

I must say, I'm a little disappointed that we never got that snow we were promised.  I mean, I guess I can't complain that for some reason it's almost 60 degrees out right now and I biked to work today in just my down vest rather than a jacket, but...it's a little weird, right?

Well, I treated this week like it had decided to snow anyway, doing very hunker-down things like lying under my mohair blanket and reading, going for a fantastic soak at Common Ground, and having my friend over for a delicious meal (featuring soup, of course).

recipe at Six Dollars A Day

So while it's the quiet time of year and everyone's kinda hibernate-y, we like to check in with you all and see how Yarnia's been treating you.  As our dedicated customers, you are our best asset in finding ways we can make Yarnia even better!  

 

Of course, we're always open to hearing suggestions and feedback about the shop, but this week we've come up with some questions to get you thinking specifically about what you love (or don't) about Yarnia.

We appreciate your feedback so much, and want to make it worth your while to take the time to share your ideas with us.  Each person who completes the survey will be given an opportunity to enter a drawing for a FREE CLASS at Yarnia -- your choice of any of our two-hour workshops!

Click Here to Take the Survey 

This survey is specifically geared towards those of you who come shop at Yarnia in-person.  If you are an online customer, keep an eye out for our online shop survey, which will be coming out in the next week or two.  Of course, if you like to shop both ways, you can fill out both surveys for a double chance to win!

Featured Yarn :: Olive

Olive

A gorgeous shade of teal wool is paired with a tweedy brown and olive green in this 100% wool yarn.  While this wool is rougher than we'd recommend for a close-to-the-skin project, it would be perfect for outerwear or felting.

• Fiber Content: 100% wool
• Yardage: ~200 yards
• Yarn Weight: Bulky
• Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
• Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry

Also available in our online shop!

Finished Project :: Chevron Lace Cardigan

Remember back in the fall when I was working on my Chevron Lace Cardigan?  Well, it's been sitting at 98% finished for quite a few weeks now, and just the other night I had a few minutes to sew on some buttons and call it done.

Dudes, I'm so excited about this pattern.  It is SO simple, SO fast, and totally my style.  I had decided to whip it up in a yarn that had not been such a hot seller, just to test out the pattern, but now that I know how it turns out, I'm psyched to make another with a lighter colored, springier yarn.

Although I have to say, this yarn is one of those that sometimes doesn't hit the spot when knitted up on Size 8 needles, but once you take a crochet hook to it, it blossoms.  I often feel this way about yarns with rainbow elements, actually, and now that it's ready to wear, I'm actually pretty jazzed about the colorway.  

It made its debut run in public today when I wore it out to do all my Monday errands (notably today, Pets on Broadway, because...I'm getting a new puppy this weekend!), and I'm wondering if this is a good or a bad thing: while standing at the New Seasons checkout, waiting for my charmingly chatty cashier to ring up my cornucopia of veggies for the week, he pauses and says, "I like your sweater...is it handmade?" 

I glowingly told him yes, it was, and he nodded knowingly.  "I could tell."  Now, I've been living in Portland for almost four years; it doesn't faze me in the least that my striped-sweater-clad checkout guy not only knows the grocery code for Cox's Orange Pippen heirloom apples offhand but can also spot a hand-crocheted sweater out of the corner of his eye.

But you know, it always makes you stop for a second and be like, that's a good thing, right?

Chevron Lace Cardigan

wool/silk blend :: 700 yards

Cost of materials: $33.60

How Much Does A Cone of Yarn Cost?

If you've been into the shop, you've probably noticed that we do things a little differently than most yarn shops.  Our shelves are not filled with skeins, nor hanks, nor balls.  We're all about the cones.

How much does a cone of yarn cost?  Well, that's entirely up to you, because another main feature that sets Yarnia apart is that we sell our yarn by the pound.

Now, this might seem pretty straightforward if you're looking for an all-wool yarn, or half a pound of bamboo: figure out how much you need, and multiply that by the per-pound price, right?

But things get a little more complicated when you're thinking about blending different fibers, as customers often want to do.  And why wouldn't you?  By mixing wool and silk, you get the best of both worlds -- the warmth and economy of wool, with the sleek sheen and luxury of silk.  But, as you may have guessed, wool and silk are pretty far apart on the price spectrum.

Fingerless gloves made from a merino/silk blend

So how do we figure out how much this yarn is going to cost?  You may have noticed us noodling around with this little device before giving you the quote for your custom yarn.

All this is, is a spreadsheet that I designed, way back when we opened, that calculates the final price-per-pound for us -- based upon the price per pound, and yards per pound, of each of the "ingredient" yarns you choose.

Let's say you want to put together this yarn: one strand of white alpaca, a cream-colored merino wool, a regular white wool, and a light blue silk.

All we need to do here is enter the prices per pound and yards per pound (YPP) into each of the rows in our little spreadsheet...

And voila!  It spits out the final price per pound for us there, in the bright blue box, as well as (handily enough) the YPP of the combined yarn (in the orange box).  Now we know that if you want, say, half a pound of this yarn, you'll be getting 317 yards, and it will cost you $28.82.

Sigh.  I love spreadsheets.

Featured Yarn :: Thomas

Thomas

The intermingling of mohair, acrylic, rayon, and linen makes this yarn incredibly soft, and in gorgeous shades of foresty green and gold, this would make a beautiful hat, like The Big Easy.

• Fiber Content: 37 mohair-acrylic / 33 wool / 10 cotton / 15 rayon / 5 linen
• Yardage: ~400 yards
• Yarn Weight: Worsted
• Amount on Cone: 8 oz.
• Care: Hand wash / lay flat to dry

Also available in our online shop!

Speaking of Girasole...

Guest post by Dory

Dory is an avid crafter, and lives in Brooklyn, NY.  She is also the brains behind all of the graphic design work at Yarnia.

The last time I was in Portland, Lindsey cajoled me into making a Girasole. 



Girasole is a giant circular blanket (knit from the centre out), that Linds has made at least three times now for different friends' weddings.

This is exactly the kind of project that I know Lindsey loves, but I’m hesitant about huge stamina knitting projects. Most of my knitting is on the subway and in lectures and talks; I knit a lot of socks and mittens and fingerless gloves. I like portable knitting, and the quick and constant satisfaction of finishing things. But Lindsey put the pressure on, “you’ll love it” she said.

So after hemming and hawing for 3 days in Portland, I accepted the challenge. Linds wound me up two cones of solid blue 6-strand wool yarn, and I was off.

Shortly after, I went to Calgary Alberta to participate in the Mountain Standard Time performance art festival, where my friend David and I knit a game of Go. We took turns, each knitting our moves, and when it wasn’t my turn, I was working on the Girasole.



Now, it’s getting close to done. I have loved watching this thing grow out from the centre, and even though it now takes close to an hour to knit a row, I’m really invested in seeing this through to the end. I’m nervous about the knitted on edging, where each of the 640 stitiches gets increased to 6 and then decreased back down one. But I’m taking Lindsey’s masterful knitting advice on how to do this: settle in with Netflix and podcasts and it’ll get done.



There’s only been one mishap in the process. When I switched to the longest cable in my interchangeable needle set from KnitPicks, I knit 6 stitches and the cable broke! Thankfully there are two cables in a pack, so I wasn’t without a knitting project for the rest of that day. And later, when I called KnitPicks, I was so impressed by how fast and helpful their customer service was that I just felt great about knitting all around.

This is not to say that I’ve been single-mindedly attached to the Girasole. Since I started it in late September I’ve knit 2 pairs of socks, 3 mittens, and finished a granny-square blanket. I still like the small projects (I think of granny squares as a small project, btw), and an undertaking the Girasole makes me like them even more.

But I think that I'm willing to take on more giant yarn-and-time consuming projects in the future.