River City Yarns March 2007 Newsletter

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Fleece Artist!

Ahhh… it’s March! The days are getting longer and our city streets are icy. It’s that in-between-time: still cold enough to appreciate Thrummed Mittens and Socks but bright enough when the sun is shining to start dreaming of warm, sunny days.
We just opened up a new shipment from the Fleece Artist and the colours will bring a little “spring” to your soul. We have Fleece Artist rovings in an abundance of beautiful colours as well as naturals in Merino and Wensley Teeswater. They are luxuriously soft and ready for your projects.
We also received new Soft Sock/Mitt kits, Felted Totes and a selection of pewter pins. Cynthia’s working on her second pair of Bordello Socks from the Fleece Artist and she loves how soft the Sea Wool feels under her fingers. Sea Wool is a blend of Merino wool and Seacell (a fibre made from seaweed and cellulose). These socks will definitely put some “spring” in your step!

Spring Cleaning (Out) Sale
We have a little too much inventory on hand and new spring and summer stock coming in, so we’ve decided to hold a Spring Cleaning Sale. Our sale starts on Thursday, March 8th and runs until Saturday, March 17. Each day of our sale, we’ll add a new item and continue to offer that item at sale prices until St. Patrick’s Day (Mar 17). Come in to the store often or call us for more details as our sale progresses.
Here’s a sampling of some of our sale items: Lily Chin yarns and patterns up to 40% off; Sweater Kits (childrens’ knits and patterns) 20%-40% off; Elsbeth Lavold and Louisa Harding yarns 20% off (plus an additional incentive for these designers’ books). We’ll also have a nice selection of Crystal Palace yarns on sale.
It gets better… the first 50 customers who make purchases during our sale will receive a set of bamboo needles as a gift and we’ll be handing out $5 coupons for your next purchase with every $50 you spend during our sale. Come early and come often to take advantage of these great deals on designer yarns!

Workshops for March and April
Felted Projects: choose from one of three projects: cozy slippers, warm mittens or a small handbag. (Tuesdays) March 6 & 13 from 1-3PM or (Saturdays) May 5 & 12 from 3-5PM. $45 (plus materials).

New! Fair Isle Projects: choose from two different fair isle projects - a baby sweater or designer handbag. Learn to hold colours in each hand and bring greater options to your knitting. (Saturdays) March 10, 17 & 24 from 3-5PM. $65 (plus materials).

Freeform Knit and Crochet: Let your inner knitter out1 Throw away the pattern and just use the tools and yarn you have at hand to be creative! Inspired by the work of Prudence Mapstone (wwwlknotjustknitting.com). (Thursdays) March 15, 22 and 29 from 1:30-3:30PM or (Mondays) April 16, 23, and 30 from 1-3PM. $65 (plus materials).

New! Baby on the Way! Make the cutest baby booties and matching sweater using a soft cotton. You’ll steal the show at the next baby shower! (Saturdays) March 17, 24, and 31 from 12:30-2:30PM & April 14 from 12-2PM. $48 (plus materials)

Toe-Up Lace Sock: a new workshop designed for sock knitters who are ready for a new challenge. (Wednesdays) March 21, 28 and April 4 from 1-3PM $65 (plus materials).

New! Not-Your-Granny’s Square Project: something for crochet-aficionados! Learn how to make granny squares in cool, updated yarns and incorporate them into projects. (Weds) March 21 & 28 from 4-6PM or (Weds) April 25 & May 2 from 2:30-4:30PM. $45 (plus materials).

Nova Scotia Thrummed Mittens or Socks: Come and learn how to make traditional Nova Scotia thrummed mitts or socks. Mmmm… warm, cozy and colourful! (Fridays) March 25 and 30 from 1-3PM $75 (includes Fleece Artist thrummed mitt/sock kit). Bring or purchase 3.5mm double-pointed needles.

New! Shibori Felting: by request we’ve designed a workshop to show you how to knit and felt your own Shibori item. See our website for pictures and details. (Tuesdays) April 3 & 10 from 4:30-6:30PM. $45 (plus materials).

Sock-it-to-Me! Complete a sock on double pointed or circular needles, pick up stitches, turn a heel and use Kitchener Stitch to graft a toe. (Saturdays) April 21, 28, and May 5 from 2:30-4:30PM.

New! Loop-D-Loop: Let us show you how to knit in the round using only ONE long circular needle. In this workshop, you learn how to incorporate a loop in your circular needle to knit any project you desire in the round without changing needles. (Wednesdays) April 11 & 18 form 2:30-4:30PM.

Needle Felting: Calgary artist, Jill Nuckles will join us at the store for this 3 hour special workshop on needle felted creatures. (Friday) April 13 from 1-4PM or (Saturday) April 14 from 2-5PM. $45 (plus materials). Pictured below: a "funny bunny" by Jill Nuckles.

Moebius Projects: Learn to knit a mobieus (and feel like an Einstein). Project choices include a moebius scarf/shawl, a moebius bowl or cashmere cowl. (Mondays) April 16 & 23 from 4-6PM. $45 (plus materials).

New! Lace Shawl: make a beautiful lace shawl with lightweight yarn and bigger needles to wear on warm summer evenings or as a cover-up for bare shoulders. (Tuesdays) April 17 & 24 form 4:30-6:30PM. $45 (plus materials).

New! Wild and Wooly Hat: We’ve had a lot of interest in learning how to make our “wild and wooly” hat. Learn the “stranded garter stitch” as well as how to incorporate additional yarns into the top of the hat. (Saturdays) April 21 & 28 from 12-2PM. $45 (plus materials). Pictured below: the Wild and Wooly Hat and a Shibori Felted scarf.

Workshops in Your Home (Location Not a Barrier)
Can’t come in to River City Yarns for a workshop? We’ve got a “remote delivery” option for you!
Lucy Neatby has developed four wonderful “workshops on DVD” for you. We carry all four DVDs in the store and can mail them out to you.
KNITTING ESSENTIALS 1 contains everything you need to know as a beginning knitter as well as tips and techniques for more experienced knitters. Find out “The Secrets of Contented Stitches” why stitch mounting is important; Bind-Off Methods; Cast-On Methods; Increases and Decreases; Finishing Basics; Gauge and other Useful Miscellanea.
KNITTING ESSENTIALS 2 has even more Bind-Off and Cast-On Methods; how to use Circular Needles; Cutting Your Knitting; More Finishing Basics; Grafting; Miscellaneous; Garment Gallery and much, much more.
Lucy has also developed two DVDs for sock knitters. Titled SOCK TECHNIQUES 1 and SOCK TECHNIQUES 2, Lucy covers everything from how to knit on double-pointed needles to knitting on one long circular or two circular needles. She also demonstrates “toe-up” methods using a variety of toe options, cuffs, edgings, heels and grafting options. You can find a detailed outline of each of the DVDs on Lucy’s website at: www.tradewindknits.com/dvd_contents.html. You can also watch two video clips (samples from her DVD). Check out the clips if you want to know how to do a provisional cast on (it’s a must see.)
Did you know? Lucy is our featured designer coming with us on the 2007 Wool, Wine & Wheels Trip.

Project Updates
Visit our online web gallery for more photos and details of projects completed by our network of intrepid knitters. The Gallery is located at: www.rivercityyarns.com/gallery.html. Please send us your photos and a short summary of your project and we’ll gladly add it to the album.
Jan A. has been hard at work. She’s finished a Toe-Up Sock using Cat Bordhi’s pattern from Vogue Knitting (Winter 2006), a moebius shawl and (pictured left) “Devin’s Toque” - a 100% cashmere hat in handpainted colours from Hand Maiden.

Visit our online gallery for new photos of felted handbags, fair isle socks and more.

New (Free) Pattern at www.rivercityyarns.com
We have a webpage with downloadable patterns for you to try out for free. Visit our website and click on the Patterns button to see the full selection. Here is a copy of the latest edition:

My So-Called Scarf
Marcene found this pattern on the internet and thought she’d give it a try. While a bit confusing at first, she soon fell in love with the pattern and the way it highlighted the colours of the handcrafted, kettle dyed pure wool from Manos del Uruguay. To see the original story on how the pattern came to the Net, visit: www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com/archives/000079.html. Pictured below: Marcene's So-Called scarf made from Manos del Uruguay.

Materials: 2 skeins of Manos del Uruguay 100% wool (126m, 100g per skein)
Needles: 8mm straight needles

Cast on 30 stitches.
Row 1: K1, *sl 1, K1, psso (but before dropping the slipped stitch from the left needle, knit into the back of it)*. Repeat from * to * until there is one stitch left, K1.
Row 2: *P2tog, do not slip stitches off the needle, purl the first stitch again, slip both stitches off needle.* Repeat from * to * to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 above until you run out of yarn. Cast off loosely and weave in all ends.

While every effort has been made to have these pattern instructions accurate and complete, we cannot be responsible for variance in individual crafters, human errors or typographical mistakes.

Knitting Podcasts
Just before a recent trip, I downloaded several knitting podcasts onto my computer (and then over to my MP3 player). I was able to listen to knitting podcasts while waiting in the airport. They were entertaining, educational and helped me pass the time. Here are some of my recommendations:

Cast-On (a blog and podcasts for knitters) http://cast-on.com (Check out Episode 44 from January in which Brenda Dayne (the podcastor) interviews Lucy Neatby.

Knitting News Cast (free patterns, knitting news and podcasts) www.knittingnewscast.com (the latest episode contains a review of The Friday Night Knitting Club).

Pointy Sticks (offers a “knit-chat” format) www.pointysticks.org

Many of the podcasts play music during their shows providing a break in the talk and an introduction to new musical talent. To save a podcast to your computer, right click on the podcast link and select “Save Target as” in the pop-up window.

Addi Turbo ® Lace Needle
Addi Turbo has come out with a new lace/sock circular needle and we just received our order this week. Designed with lace and sock knitting in mind, the sharp tips are perfect for knitting projects which require more intricate stitches. The tips are a hollow, coated brass tip, which is smooth and light, allowing you to control your stitches better when doing complex patterns. Like all Addi Turbos, the soft pliable cord and smooth joins make knitting on circular needles much more fun! We have them in (metric) sizes 2.5mm - 4mm and cord lengths 60cm - 120cm.

Swifts and Ball Winders
Many of the new handpainted yarns come in skeins rather than balls and need to be wound up into balls prior to working with them. We carry a line of “swifts” (designed to hold the yarn for winding) as well as ball winders (also called wool winders) which will wind your yarn into a beautiful center pull ball. The balls made on a ball winder have a nice flat bottom (so your yarn doesn’t roll away on you). The umbrella swift folds up into a nice portable package and attaches to surfaces such as tables and countertops with ease. We also have a locally made swift that sits flat on a table top and uses arms with pegs to hold the yarn in place for winding. These tools make great gifts for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers. Call the store or send us an e-mail for pricing and availability.

For more information on any of the above, visit our website at www.rivercityyarns.com; send us an e-mail at rivercityyarns@shaw.ca; call the store at (780) 477-9276 or drop in to our store location at #107, 10106-111 Avenue, Edmonton, AB.