Monkeying Around

When my friend announced that she was having a baby, I was filled with glee. Not just because I was so happy for my friend and her fiancé, but because that meant I got to knit something for the wee one.

My friend is a knitter and has lots of other knitting friends, so I knew that she would be getting lots of knitted gifts for her first born son. I also knew that meant I needed to pick something that would be extra special. I thought about a blanket, but I had heard through the grapevine that she was getting a blanket as a group gift from some of the other knitters. I also thought about a sweater, but he was expected last week and it would be too hot for him to wear a sweater right off the bat. So I settled on a stuffed toy.

I had made the Monkey Jacobus by Annita Wilschut for my nephew a few years ago and it was a hit, so I knew this was the pattern I was going to knit. I absolutely LOVE this pattern. It is knit all in the round, which means no sewing of tiny parts when you are done! The thought of doing intarsia for the face in the round scared me to death, but her directions and photos make it not only crystal clear…but a snap to knit.

 

I use Liberty Wool Print in color 7821 Caribbean Tidepool, which is a great baby boy color. It is made up of blues and greens. It’s one of those colors that isn’t too soft or too bright. I decided to not try and match up the prints too much and just let the yarn do what it wanted to do. And I love the way that each of the monkey's appendages are different colors because of that. I think it gives the little guy a sense of whimsy. For the face and paws I used Liberty Wool Solid in 7836 Taupe. I wanted something that would coordinate well with the print, while standing out on its own. I found some scraps of a dark orange to make the mouth and some dark brown to embroider the eyes (safety first – nothing that the wee one could possibly pull off and put in his mouth). And since he is made from Liberty Wool, my friend can pop the monkey in washing machine when he gets dirty.

I really hope that the yet-to-be born little boy loves the monkey as much as I do and that they become best buds.

P.S. Wee one – you were supposed to come last week. I think your mom would appreciate it if you made an appearance soon!

On a personal note

I have mentioned on the blog before that I recently moved to Massachusetts to work for Classic Elite Yarns.

The hardest part of moving, whether you are 5, 15, 25 or even older…is making new friends and leaving your old ones behind. Some of the best friends I had made in NYC (and even in life to date) are from my knitting group. Of course the common bond was knitting and yarn, but our friendships grew from there. Talk quickly turned from yarn to jobs, families and even romance. We also looked forward to seeing each other once a week to get updates on projects, as well as catching up with each others' lives.

A tradition in our group was that when someone moved away or had a major life event (such as a wedding or a new baby) we would get together and coordinate a group project - usually a blanket. When I moved, I was so busy with everything, it didn't occur to me that I hadn't gotten a blanket. Although I had been planning on moving away from the city for quite awhile, the amount of time from when I started interviewing for this job to my actual move date was quite brief.  So even if they had wanted to make a blanket for me, they wouldn't have had the time.

One of the ladies from our group was passing through Massachusetts last week and stopped by for a visit. One of the first things she did was hand me a box. It was wrapped in simple brown paper with yarn wrapped around it. I KNEW what this was. (Full disclosure – I went back to NYC for a good friend’s wedding 2 months ago and they had presented me with a card explaining that they were working on the blanket). I would like to say that I was a picture of patience as I opened the box, but I was more like a little kid at his/her birthday and just ripped into that paper. My wonderful friends had made me a blanket!

They made me a 64 Crayons using Liberty Wool. Apparently there was some discussion as soon as I accepted the job that they knew they wanted to make me a blanket and they wanted to use Classic Elite Yarns. The ironic thing was that we had just finished making a 64 crayons for our friend (whose wedding I went back for). I can only imagine how difficult it was for the people who were working on both blankets to not spill the beans to either of us!

There are so many great things about this blanket. The first, of course, is that it was made with love by people I love. I am sure it will keep me warm on cold New England winter days, but also warm my heart during those times when I am feeling lonely for my friends.

I also really love that they used Liberty Wool. Not only is it a tribute to my decision to work for CEY, it is a great yarn for a blanket. Liberty Wool is machine washable, so when a messy life moment happens, I don't have to worry about how to clean it. I can just throw it into the washing machine.

Another great thing about the use of Liberty Wool in combination with this blanket is that it will always go with whatever my décor is. There are so many colors, that they all work together, just like a great quilt would. For the time being, the blanket will be in my living room, but I feel that if I want to put it in the bedroom at some point, it would go with whatever is in there.

I know that this is an heirloom piece for me. And one I will forever more treasure! Thank you to my NYC knitting friends. It means more to me than you will ever know.

A Light in the Window

We all know that the fiber community is ...well…a tight-knit group. There is something about seeing another person knitting or crocheting, that we feel the need to introduce ourselves as a fellow fiber enthusiast and tell them what we are working on, even if we don't speak the same language. Fiber is the great common denominator that becomes a universal language.

So when there is a loss in the fiber world, it is one that we all feel personally. I am sure you have by now heard about the loss of our fiber friend, Kathreen Ricketson. She and her husband recently passed away, leaving behind two small children.

Our good friends, Kay and Ann at Mason Dixon Knitting have released a pattern called A Light in the Window. The pattern is free for a limited time (from now until June 3, 2013) and Ann and Kay ask that you consider making a donation to the Education Fund for Otijillo and Orlando Shugg (Kathreen’s children).

Originally designed as a knit-along for Ann’s book Bowling Avenue, the blanket is made from Liberty Wool and Chesapeake using mitered squares and garter stitch trim. This is one of those pieces that will become an instant classic. With lots of colors to choose from, your options are limitless. 

Liberty Wool Projects

I have been spending a lot of time on Ravelry lately. And I couldn’t help but notice how many lovely projects there are made from Liberty Wool (If you click on the name of the project below each set of pictures, it will take you to the Ravelry page it came from).

There are lots of hats:

        

Eyelet Swirl Hats, Flower Bud Hat, Lacey Cap, and It's Not Easy Being Green.

  

Some cowls and scarves:

 Quadruffle and Mitered Cowl

Oodles of baby things:

  

 

Puerperium Cardigan, Longies, Baby Surprise Jacket and February Baby Cardigan

Sweaters:

  

Cumberland Blues and Elizabeth Jacket

Blankets:

   

Starry, Starry Nap and Starry Stripes

And even socks:

Toe-up Socks

And really how could there not be some many wonderful projects? Liberty Wool is a soft, machine washable yarn that comes in solids and in prints (that self-stripe).

Want to see more? Check out all the FOs on Ravelry here. You can see all the colors of Liberty Wool on our website here. 

New Liberty Wool Colors for January 2013

Every month from January to June we introduce two new colors of Liberty Wool. They are always gorgeous colorways, and this month’s colors are no exception.

Faded Brocade consists of reds, oranges, pinks, greys and greens. This colorway is a great way to brighten up your winter blahs.

They only thing better to chase away winter blahs is Caribbean Tidepool, which coincidentally is the name of our second January colorway. The greens and blues of this yarn will transport you to an island getaway.

Of course you will need some new patterns to go with the new colors of Liberty Wool. Right?

Liberty Wool is a great yarn for children’s sweaters (two words – washable wool); keeping that in mind, designer Tonia Barry created this adorable baby sweater. The mock cable pattern on the trim and hood is appropriate for either a boy or a girl.  

And there is still time to make a scarf for this winter. Why not try either the Diagonal Striped Scarf or our Two Direction Scarf. Both designed by Susan Mills, the patterns use the long color repeats of Liberty Wool to get the maximum effect.

  

Yarn Stores who subscribe to our Liberty Wool program currently have the three new patterns shown above. But what happens if you LOVE one of these patterns and your yarn store isn’t part of our program? Fear not, you will be able to download the patterns from Ravelry starting February 1 (or you can urge your LYS to take part in the subscription fun now - it's not too late for them to sign up!).

Inspira Cowl

I heart cowls. To me, they are the perfect winter accessory. Cowls can be stylish and warm at the same time, and depending on the situation, more convenient than a scarf. They are quick to knit and can be a great way to highlight a stitch pattern or technique. Cowls are also a great way to add a pop of color to any outfit.

A great example of this is the Inspira Cowl by Marcy Clark (aka celerystalk on Ravelry). Knit in the round, the Inspira Cowl is a great introduction to Fair Isle, using a corrugated rib pattern with 2 different colors of yarn.

Our friend Jane had the marvelous idea to use 2 different colors of Liberty Wool to make her cowl. Look how great it came out:

Inspired by Jane’s cowl I immediately logged into Ravelry to see if anyone else had this great idea. I was pleased to see that several people had! I really love the way that each one is so different because of the long color repeats of Liberty Wool. With over 20 colors available  the possibilities are endless. Check with your LYS to see if they have a Liberty Wool subscription; if so they will be receiving  two additional colors every month. Here are just a few of the many colors available:

You can only imagine my surprise when yesterday morning I logged onto Facebook and saw that Colorful Stitches announced that they were hosting a knit-a-long for the Inspira Cowl using Liberty Wool! You can join their knit-a-long here. Betsy Perry, President of Classic Elite Yarns will help judge the winner for the knit-a-long.

Have you made an Inspira Cowl using Liberty Wool? We would love to see it. Post your pictures to our Facebook page or send them to us at info@classiceliteyarns.com. 

April Liberty Print Colors are here!

April's two new colors of Liberty Wool, part of our Liberty Wool Subscription Program, have been released and are available at LYS's across the country!

7866-Red Hot Blues		7867-Glacier

We also have two exclusive new patterns, available free only with the purchase of yarn from subscribing LYS's for the month of April. Is your LYS a subscriber?

Easy Striped Tam	Double Breasted Baby Cardigan

The Easy Striped Tam and the Double Breasted Baby Cardigan will be available for purchase through Patternfish starting on May 1^st.

Remember, March's patterns are now available for purchase. Head to Patternfish.com to download the Hooded Scarf or the Easy Moebius Cowl.

Hooded Scarf	Easy Moebius Cowl

Happy knitting!

More New Liberty Wool Print Colors and Patterns!

We know you love Liberty Wool Print; if you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for? Head over to our website and click the "Buy Now" button to order some from a LYS near you.

This spring we are releasing two new colors of Liberty Wool Print every month along with new patterns to support them. It's time to show two of our newest prints, Watercolor Rainbow and Brick Road!

7862-Watercolor Rainbow		7863-Brick Road

And we wouldn't release new colors without giving you something to knit with them! The Technicolor Scarf from Meg Myers is a cushy brioche-knit scarf in Brick Road and Slate, a solid colorway. The pattern includes instructions for a one-color gauge swatch, helpful for measuring gauge and practicing your brioche technique.

The February Baby Cardigan from Susan Mills is an adorable stockinette cardigan with garter stitch cuffs and a chevron collar and bottom hem. Such a fun piece to see how Liberty Print's colors develop! 

Visit us at classiceliteyarns.com to buy Liberty Wool Print, and visit Patternfish.com to download these and other fabulous Liberty Print patterns!

New Liberty Print Patterns and Colors!

Every month this spring, we are releasing two completely new colors of Liberty Wool Print and patterns to support them. It's all part of our Liberty Wool Subscription Program for retailers! Here's how it works: a shop signs up for a subscription, and is guaranteed to receive a bag of each new color as it's released, delivered automatically to their shop. They also have access to exclusive patterns to give to their customers when they purchase Liberty Wool Print. Is your LYS a subscriber?

Our new colors released in January are:

7860-Berry Brambles		7861-Golden Pagoda

I love the bright pinks and reds of Berry Brambles, and the wild color variations of Golden Pagoda really caught my eye, so much that I cast on a cowl right away (this free pattern is awesome!)

We released five new patterns in the new Liberty Print colors, all available for download now on Patternfish for $3.00 each.

Fingerless Mitts

Easy Granny Hat	Granny Patchwork Hat

Striped Short Row Scarf	Short Row Triangle Scarf

Things to do with Liberty Wool Print!

I've always loved Liberty Wool...what's not to love? Squishy, soft, machine-washable, and the perfect gauge, it suits me completely. As soon as the first Liberty collection came out in fall of 2010, I cast on for the Elizabeth sweater ("the Magic Sweater" as we called it around the office), but made it in a solid color. As a knitter that tends to shy away from bright colors, Liberty Wool Print took a little longer to embrace, but the compulsion hit me hard.

As soon as this week's free pattern was completed, Meg and I both cast on the Splash of Color cowl, one in each new colorway (12 new colors are being released this spring as part of our retailer subscription program). Meg's is in Berry Brambles, mine is in Golden Pagoda. The colors are bright, but what a great way to add an accent color to your outfit.

If you love cowls, this pattern from Kelly J. Knits, the Key to Warmth Cowl, knit here in Liberty Wool Solids and Prints, is brilliant.

We also dressed up our office with Liberty Wool Print. Machine-knit, the installation is 60' total length in 20 colors of Liberty Wool Print...overall 8900 yards and 8 pounds of wool with 73 color changes!

Putting the Liberty "knitdown" on foam core for our office decoration.

Finished! All 60 feet of it!

Downtown Knits in North Carolina has another beautiful display idea using the Molly scarf, one of our best selling patterns. Owner Michele Riggs knit one ball of each color into a scarf, and as new colors are released, she just adds a little more to it.

Betsy, the owner of Classic Elite Yarns, knit up a Log Cabin blanket (with the help of the Mason Dixon ladies) in multiple solid and print colorways of Liberty Wool.

Hub Mills Store here in N. Billerica knit up a chair cushion in each color to soften up the chairs for Knit Night. You also catch a glimpse of the Aldred scarf over the chair, an independent design that uses Liberty Print's color variegation very cleverly.

How do you use your Liberty Print?