Knit, Blog & Be Happy!

What a fun Saturday.  The shop was filled with lovely knitters, yarn, samples and joy. In my book, nothing is better than that, well except, perhaps knitting with Woolfolk!   Meredith, the operations manager of Woolfolk, started by presenting a slide show talking about Ultimate Merino, Ovis 2, and the herds in the Patagonian Grasslands.  She touched on their committment to ethical and sustainable practices. Inspiration for color and patterns is guided by the company's North star and founder, Kristin Ford and I must say we love it. "Our pattern collections are wearable, clean and minimal; our focus is on design...

Whether or not we are ready for it, gift-giving season is upon us.  We thought we'd offer some suggestions for you all. Maybe it will be something to go on your list or a wee something to purchase for a family member or a friends.   Monarch Knitting Gift Card (but of course!) Atenti Bags Stitch Stoppers Eat, Sleep, Repeat Notepad Jennie Blue Tea Towels Wax and Wool Candles Skein Coats Artifact Bags (can you tell we crafters love a bag?) Lemon Wood Yarn Box   TKB Cords Cocoknits Maker’s Board and Keep Akerworks Swatch Gauge This is the Back...

Some say that Tunisian Crochet, or Afghan Crochet, combines the best of both knitting and crochet. It produces a fabric that is a bit more dense than regular crochet but looks more like something that is knit. It makes an excellent fabric for shawls, scarves, headbands, hats, and home goods. Tunisian Crochet is created on a hook with a long cord and a stopper at the end. Just like crochet, you start with a series of chain stitches, but, like knitting, the next row’s stitches are worked with the hook, but the stitch stays on the long needle; this row is called...

You know we love all things Woolfolk here at the shop. Kristin Ford, the founder of Woolfolk, learned to knit from her grandmother, Katherine Temple Woolfolk, and the rest is history. The yarn is lovely: Tynd, Far, Flette, Luft, Fleck...the list goes on. They have just released a new yarn in time for winter knitting, Fleck Bulky. Fleck Bulky's base is like their other yarns, predominately Ovis 21, an ultimate merino that combines the feel of cashmere with the wear of merino. This base comprises 90% Ovis 21 and 10% Donegal, creating the tweedy fleck. The lofty chainette construction gives the yarn a cloud-like weight,...

The cool weather is upon us, and the fabulous designers we follow on Ravelry are releasing patterns faster than we can build kits on the newsletter. I thought it would be fun to highlight some patterns that have caught my eye. 1.) No Rhinebeck? No Problem! MKAL 3 by SweaterFreak I must admit I am having a bit of FOMO over Rhinebeck. I had a hotel reservation but canceled it about two weeks ago.  Mr. Monarch and I have a lot going on, so the trip did not fit my schedule.  I saw this on MKAL on Ravelry Tuesday evening, and I...