the meltdown

The snow vanished, finally. Instead of a white apocalypse, we had this on Friday:

And, as of today, there is no snow on the ground downtown (thank goodness).

Other new bits and bobs:

• "An Evening with Jared Flood" tickets are officially available to registrants. Be sure to drop by the store and pick up your ticket(s) before the event!
• A super Top Secret update on the Japanese knitting books situation. We've heard back from Shufu no Tomo and our order of in-Japanese knitting books is due to ship on January 5th, after the Japanese New Year (Shogatsu). We're hoping to hear back from two other Nihongo publishers after the New Year, as well, so stay tuned for updates on those Japanese books we know you've been coveting.
• Last but not least, I have a reminder: the Gratis Knits deadline is THREE DAYS away. If you've been meaning to submit a cute hat or pair of wristlets, now's the time! Aside from eternal glory across the InterWebs, the winner will also receive a $50 gift card to the store. So, get typing!

And that's about everything that needed to be caught up. We should have Gina's socks and an Ana Bandana tomorrow, if nothing else.

BRRRR

It's so cold outside and inside, I almost want to cast on an afghan to keep warm! Snow or not, this cold snap isn't proving to be much fun, is it?

Oh, well. We have intrepid customers who have braved the cold and ice and downtown Christmas shoppers (eek!) to visit us this week. Memorably, Jennie brought in most of the Christmas presents she had knit for family and friends this year:

At last count there were: 6 scarves, 5 hats, 5 Korkisses, 3 wine bottle outfits, 2 pairs of mitts, 2 cowls, 1 dishcloth and 1 bookmark. She admitted to me that three of the FO's had been gifted already so they couldn't be photographed. Do you know what she sacrificed to achieve this (slight) madness?

Jennie started her Christmas knitting in June. Smart planning on her part, to say the least. She also told me, rather gleefully, that she had cast on the Ruth Sørensen Fair Isle hat as a treat for herself. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that someone who starts their Christmas knitting in June enjoys Fair Isle a lot, but I am.

Next on the news to relate, we were visited by the Live @ 7 crew from KGW Channel 8 and poor Lindsay was shoved in front of the camera:

And, finally, in the reportable news: did I mention the Knit Purl PDX ravelrers group?

I have a sneeking suspicion that I hadn't. Well, now you know. We'll be posting daily updates in the Forum - everything from when popular yarns like Kauni arrive to reminders for upcoming events.

Next post? The socks I'm knitting for Gina, our USPS letter-carrier who is long-suffering, and maybe another Ana Bandana. Until then, keep warm!

The results of the Name That Gizmo! Contest are officially in, aaand KnitPod is the winner. The knitter who submitted the name has asked to remain nameless, but will probably claim her two skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock next week.

And we here at the store want thank everyone who submitted a name or voted in the poll:

Thank you for participating!

Next, we have Susan, dyer of Abstract Fiber, and her first finished November sock (from the Sock Club, y'know):

Looking beautful. Maybe a bit sock-puppet-like, at the moment, but that was unavoidable.

Followed closely behind by my Malabrigo sock in progress:

(Can you totally tell 3M took this photo?)

In "Indiecita" on size 1 (2.25mm) DPNs. Yes, I know I tempt Fate by carrying my Lantern Moon needles in my bag. I guess I just like to live on the edge. The lace pattern on the instep is, for those of you who are not Shetland lace fans, the traditional Print O' The Wave pattern.

My take on the Malabrigo? So far I am loving it. My one slight complaint is that it can be splitty when doing a centered decrease (but only then). Otherwise? Major love. Huge. I am so glad I bought a ton of this when it came in. In fact, I might have to stash up some more...

Moving past my unhealthy stashing habits, I have been asked to remind all y'all about our Last-minute Gifts Knit-a-thon tomorrow (Saturday, December 13) from 6 pm - 12 am. Spend six hours at your (hopefully) favorite LYS with all your favorite knitterly friends, catching up on all those holiday projects that are slowly leading you towards a nervous breakdown.

And that is everything we (I and everyone I asked) can think of to blog about at the moment. If you've been in the store proper during the past week, you'll understand the slightly featherheaded (and belated) quality of this post. Until next time, have a great weekend!

in the spirit of giving

Knitters tend to be very generous creatures, in many ways. This knitterly attribute will definitely be a theme in today's post. Starting off, we have this year's Holiday Food Drive:


Not only are we, as knitters, giving food to the hungry; but, other knitters are offering prizes to give to food donors. It's such a win-win situation. We've got special skeins of yarn from Abstract Fiber (yes, yarn and not roving), adorable tchatchkes from Lantern Moon, Labels of Love from Soak, and a whole bunch of other goodies from businesses like ShibuiKnits and Bryson.

How does this work?, you ask. Well, it's simple. For every item of non-perishable food you bring in from now until December 18th, we'll give you a raffle ticket. On December 18th at 7pm(ish), we'll draw prizes for all our lovely donors.

Next, on the list of generous knitters: Liz. Who, crazily enough, knit these for a friend:


Wow. I'd want to frame them. Project specs?... here!

Yarn: ShibuiKnits Sock in "Ink" and "Wisteria"
Pattern: Cat Mittens by Jorid Linvik

And, finally, the sheer number of knitters who have come in with holiday presents on the needles says a lot about us as a group. Buying someone a gift card to an electronics store would certainly easier and a lot quicker than hand-knitting family and friends beautiful, one-of-a-kind presents, but knitters do it because we want to make something special for loved ones. And that's just awesome.

Of course, it's also a bit stressful when the deadline approaches and you're staring at 600 yards of stockinette. But, hey, think of the joy on the recipient's face.

And, if you're snapping at relatives and cursing your knitting needles, come and knit with us at our Last-minute Gifts Knit-a-thon this Saturday, Dec. 13th. Admission is only $5 and two items for the Food Drive, but gets you six blissful hours of uninterrupted knitting, with wine and aperitifs for fuel.

Or, if you still haven't started your holiday knitting, we have a collection of books and patterns on display (thank you, Sandy B for the poinsetta!) to help us late-starters actually get started:

Don't ask me how far I'm into my holiday knitting. We're just not discussing it.

Moving on, to more selfish projects... I started a Malabrigo Sock sock, with Indiecita and US 1 Lantern Moon DPNs:

It's amazing how much the "KnitPurlzi" has changed my expectations for traveling socks. Now I expect to arrive at Point B with unbroken needles, no tangles and perfectly un-dropped stitches. I really hope M.W. finishes the 5" prototype he promised me soon!

And, while we're talking about the "KnitPurlzi", remember to vote! for your favorite submission(s) to the Name That Gadget! Contest. (see the sidebar ---->)

Finally, we've started a Knit Purl PDX ravelry group to fill all your in-depth update needs. It's also a great place to request workshops, new yarn lines, whatever. We'll also use it to announce sales, new arrivals, or even arrivals of old favorites like Kauni and Malabrigo (which sell out fast).

Until Thursday (and the results of our Name That Gadget! Contest), happy stitching!

time to play

We're sending out a large newsletter tomorrow, so "distracted" doesn't begin to describe us downstairs folk.

But, for your amusement (and ours), please check out the poll on the right-hand sidebar and vote. I'm very curious to see which entry wins. Maybe we'll even have a finished version of That Gizmo by the end of the poll - anything's possible, right?

Other news? Not much, other than...


We just received a GIANT box of Malabrigo Sock yarn!!

Yummm. I'll admit it now, I just grabbed four skeins. Drop by this evening (Sip'n'Stitch tonight!) or tomorrow to snag some for yourself.

Now I've got to get back to the Newsletter.

the name is the game

We have so much happening at the store right now. Probably the least important on the list, but the best photographed, is my finished Ana Bandana:

Which, incidentally, I managed to harass a visiting Liz into modeling...

In "Burgundy". Knit on size 9's ('cause I can't read, clearly), but still wearable. The entire project (folds and all) took about a day and a half. I should mention that I had to rip back after taking it to the Quantum of Solace and, being completely distracted, managed to knit 6 extra inches onto it. Oy. So, all things considered, it'd probably take the average knitter a weekend day to knit.

And, it's a lot of fun to wear and keeps my ears warm, so it might have a fraternal twin soon.

Next on the list: 'tis the season. When you stop in, check out our itty-bitty Christmas tree:

Bedecked with the prettiest hand-turned wooden needlecases you've ever seen. Made locally out of exotic woods, these little one-of-a-kind beauties are just treasures for your knitting kit. At the moment, we have six in stock. Also on our little tree are the too-popular-for-their-own-good Knit Purl Christmas ornaments. I swear they'll be back in stock soon. I hope so, anyway.

On the subject of the holidays, have you donated to our OFB Food Drive yet? Aside from being good karma, we also have a collection of prizes for donors. Stop by the store, or check our Events page for more information.

And finally, the subject of our post, the KnitPurlzi. Well, sort of. Made by our favorite local woodworker (see above), we have the prototype for a new Knit Purl accessory:

A traveling, hand-turned wooden dpn/wip case. And, yes, it's loosely based off of the Knitzi - which unfortunately does not offer wholesale accounts at the moment (believe me, we asked). Leading us to commission our own interpretation of the concept. The tube is made of Black Walnut, the cap is Maple. I've been told the next version will have some notching and creative turning. Can't wait to see it.

And since I was told by the craftsmen to give it a workout, I took it with me on work errands this afternoon. Here is our little prototype saying "hi!" to the streetcar:

Now, here's the problem - we don't have a name for this fantastic gadget. Until we do, I'm jokingly calling it the KnitPurlzi. This connundrum has led to our new game: Name That Gizmo.

Submit your name by 12pm on Thursday, December 4th for entry. All the submissions will be put into a poll, which will be hosted off of the blog. The winner of the contest will win 2 skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock in the color(s) of his/ her choosing. Submit your name by commenting on this post or emailing us at info(at)knit-purl(dot)com, subject line: blog gizmo contest.

This should be interesting.