Friday, August 31, 2012

September Artisan of the Month


 In September we are featuring Rose Marie Aronsson as our artisan of the month. Rose Marie makes lovely and practical to use stitch markers so you'll find a sample of her goods in your package if you place an order in September!*


1-      When did you learn to knit and/or crochet and who taught you? 

I learned to knit in school and to some extent from my grandmother, I didn't keep up with it at that point though and forgot about it. After my grandma died and I realized I had no-one to knit me socks again I decided to learn so I contacted a LYS and learned the basics from them and the rest on Youtube.

2-      When/how did you get into designing stitch markers? 

I decided to make my own stitch markers cause I felt the prices for the ones I found were a bit steep when you have to pay a lot for shipping as well since I live in Sweden. To begin with I only made them for my self but then I decided to try and sell them. And it worked :)

3-      What is your favorite fiber/weight yarn to work with?

Well I don't work with yarn in my business but when knitting I mostly use fingering weight yarn. 

4-      What are you designing now (that you can tell us about)?

I'm planning some new sets for Halloween and I'm always thinking of new color combinations for the shop. 

Part 2:
1-      What is your favorite word? 
Amazing. 
2-      What is your lease favorite word?
Don't have one that I can think of.
3-      What turns you on?
Pretty yarn and fiber and really good books. 
4-      What turns you off?
Books that end the wrong way and tv-series that get cancelled in the middle of a season.
5-      What sound do you love? 
My dogs yawning.
6-      What sound do you hate?
Right now it's the high pitched bark from our puppy, it's almost enough to pop your eardrums.
7-      What is your favorite curse word? 
Not sure I use more  than the f-word. 
8-      What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? 
Not sure but I would love to work with animals. 
9-      What profession would you not like to?
Deli-counter in shops, I have a problem with certain smells and raw fish is one of them. 
10-   If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
I prefer to think of it as Valhalla and then it would be something along the lines of "Here's your mead, come on in and join the party"

 



*free stitch markers included in all non-Club orders over $30 while supplies last

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A New Mystery KAL: Robin Hood




We are excited to announce our next Mystery shawl KAL-- Robin Hood! Designed by our talented Janine le Cras you'll find in this KAL the interesting stitch patterns, unique shaping and easy to follow directions that you've come to expect from Janine's mystery KAL designs. Find out more about the KAL and sign up on our website

Thursday, August 2, 2012

August Featured Designer/ Pattern Giveaway

Blue Hawaii
Our featured designer for the month of August is Sarah Wilson, aka The Sexy Knitter. Sarah specializes in women's garments that flatter the figure in youthful, contemporary styles. Sarah has designed for a number of our clubs and currently has two cardigan patterns in magazines using our Green Sheep Cotton Bamboo yarn. The Crimped Cardigan is in the Spring Knit.Wear and the Worth Avenue Cardigan is in the Summer Knit Scene.

We will be giving away one of Sarah's patterns FREE with August orders*!

1-      When did you learn to knit and/or crochet and who taught you? I learned to knit and crochet when I was around 10 years old. I am self-taught, though I occasionally had to ask my mother for help translating patterns. She neither knits nor crochets, so she was mostly just moral support. She eventually told me I would know what the patterns meant better than she would, which actually encouraged me to take true responsibility for my fiber education.
2-      When/how did you get into designing? I got into designing through my local yarn shop in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2006. The yarn store owner asked me to design a suite of golf club covers, which are still available for free on Ravelry today.
3-      What is your favorite fiber/weight yarn to work with? My absolute favorite fiber to work with is alpaca. I just love it! As far as weight, I don't have a particular favorite but I do tend to design with fingering a lot.
4-      What are you designing now (that you can tell us about)? Right at this very moment I have on the needles a sweater for the September issue of Knit Edge, a new publication from Cooperative Press. I probably shouldn't say that much about it but I am going to leak that it features a custom cable designed by me!

Part 2:
1-      What is your favorite word? Mercy
2-      What is your lease favorite word? Discrimination
3-      What turns you on? If we're talking sexually, that's a secret between me and my husband. ;) If we're talking life, I would say I get excited when I see people reaching for their full potential, whatever that means for them. (Especially true during the Olympics!)
Crimped Cardigan
photo from Interweave

4-      What turns you off? Seeing people give up. Seeing people judge other people for being judgmental. Politics of all kinds. Grown ups acting like junior high students.
5-      What sound do you love? My husband's custom ring tone sounding on my phone, signaling that he's off work and headed home.
6-      What sound do you hate? I'm not particularly fond of the sound my dog makes when he jumps on the back door to get back inside. He's kind of a brat!
7-      What is your favorite curse word? Ooh, there are so many juicy ones to pick from! Can't beat the F word for emphasis, but I also use some creative ones too like "doublecrad", "blargh" and "Jiminy Cricket".
Worth Avenue Cardigan
Photo from Interweave
8-      What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? There are so many! I'd love to act on stage professionally. If I were taller, there'd be no stopping me for trying to become a model. I'm kind of a camera slut! Lately I'm also obsessed with the idea of becoming a hot air balloon pilot (that one's actually gonna happen, though)!
9-      What profession would you not like to? My husband is a doctor and I don't think I could ever go through that much training. They also get beat down emotionally on a daily basis, which would be hard for me.
1-   If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into your rest."

You can find out more about Sarah or contact her using the following links:



*Free patterns will be included with all non-club orders placed in August for $30 or more while supplies last