Knit, Blog & Be Happy!

We had such a lovely day with Sarah Pedersen of Sea Change Fibers and Kacey Herlihy of Kacey Knits last weekend!  Sarah brought a collection of her amazing yarns, and Kacey, our favorite local designer showcased her designs, highlighting those knit in Sea Change Fibers.  Koryn said that each Monarch staff member couldn't resist going home with a new yummy project.  Such a great start to the fall season! Autumn officially begins on September 22, so let's continue celebrating a tad bit early with another trunk show, shall we? Blue Sky Fibers Trunk Show September 15th to October 14th We are so pleased to be...

I cannot begin to tell you how long I have been looking to bring Woolstok to the shelves at Monarch. I just never made the commitment and I do not know why.  Blue Sky Fibers had a booth at this summer's H+H and as I made my list of vendors to visit, they were on the top. I brought a bit home with me and knit a few swatches and, I can honestly say, I adore this yarn. We will be hosting a Woolstok trunk show from September 15th to October 14th It will feature cowls hats and sweaters.  If...

Like many knitters, I organize my projects before I think about what clothes I am going to take on a trip. We featured this list in the "While We Knit" section a few weeks ago but I thought it was worthy of an expanded blog post. What do I do when I pack my knitting? Read on! When selecting a project with which to travel I always select something that is easy for you to knit. I might be chatting with friends, or on some form of transportation so you want a project that you can pick up and put down...

Swatching is my not favorite part of knitting a sweater or a shawl. As we talk to all of you in the shop, we can confirm that knitting a swatch is low on many knitter's lists. As you all know, if you want a sweater to fit properly, knitting and blocking a swatch to check your gauge is necessary. Many people skip that step and hope for the best. If fit is not a good enough reason to swatch, let me give you another: yarn to pattern marriage. Read on for this week's swatch journey! I am in love with the Beaufort 5 cardigan...

With some new colors coming out today, I decided to celebrate Woolfolk Luft in this week's Spotlight.  I am not a huge fan of knitting of bulkier yarn but Luft is the exception to the rule. This is not a weighty, bulky yarn but one that is light and airy due to the fact that is it an organic cotton chainette tube filled with Woolfolk's Ultimate Merino. (You can read a bit more about their merino here.) Woolfolk describes this season spanning yarn as "a bulky, lightweight miracle"   If you want to give Luft a try, I would suggest knitting...