Japanese Short Rows

Many of you have asked about the repeat of the Japanese Short Rows class. It's THIS SATURDAY MORNING! Whether you are an experienced sweater knitter or you are just starting out, this class is for you! This technique will produce a smooth, easy-to-seam shoulder decrease. No more stair-step mess and ugly gaps. Bring some left-over yarn and a pair of needles. You'll be amazed at the swatch. I'll also show you how to convert your standard pattern to be done in JSR's. It's easy, and extremely practical!

SUGAR RUSH!

Linen, Bamboo......and Sugar Cane. All plant fibers. Wha, wha, WHAT?? Sugar Cane?? Yarn made of 100% sugar cane fiber, now available at VBYC! Who would have thought that the fields I drive through coming in from Youngsville could find their ways to at least two different places: into our sugar bowls and onto our knitting needles. Come check it out! It's amazingly soft and has quite a beautiful glow! Talk about a fantastic spring and summertime Louisiana fiber!

Two Items of Good Use

Charts driving you batty? Do you keep getting confused in the swirling grid of stitch symbols? Try Post-It tape to underline the line you're working. It's a big roll of tape that's like a post-it note. As you move up in your chart, just un-stick the tape, move it, and re-stick it. Each roll contains 36 yards of tear-free knitting. Plus this: when your woolens need cleaning, you can take them to the dry cleaners, cross your fingers, and hope for the best, or you can use Top of the Lamb woolwash from Brown Sheep. A capfull goes a LONG way, and with great results each time. I've used it myself on Malabrigo. Fill your sink with warm water, follow the directions, let your bits soak, return and gently wash the garment, then rinse and remove excess water, dry flat and you're item is clean and fresh-smelling! Both the Post-It tape and the woolwash are available at VBYC!

Continental Knitting

Continental Knitting is the technique of holding the working yarn in the left hand in such a way in order to feed it continuously to the needles. There is no "throwing" involved, customary to the English style of knitting. The word "continental" in the name refers to "The Continent", that is, the European Continent as opposed to the British Isles. Hence the two terms "Continental knitting" and "English knitting". Of course there are many variations within these two knitting "schools", including a number of hybrid techniques. The picture to the left is our family house in Leopoldshall/Stassfurt, Germany, and the two people in front are my grandparents. My mother learned to knit in this house, and I learned to knit from her. Stassfurt is in central Germany, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt -- practically in the center of "The Continent". The way I knit is the Continental method as practiced by generations of the Dreger family from my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, down through the family tree. It's pretty much as authentic as you can get. Moreover, I learned to knit calling knits "rechts" and purls "links" (right and left). That's why sometimes you'll hear me call the "wrong side" the "left side", because in German, a purl is called a "left". I'm very pleased to pass on this method of knitting to anyone who wishes to learn it. Your next chance to learn to knit in the Continental way is Saturday, May 16th at 10am.

Japanese Short Rows

Many of you have asked what exactly Japanese short rows are. Interesting little technique, the Japanese short rows. Generally described, this is a short row technique (said to originate in Japan) with invisible wraps and turns, much easier and straight-forward than other, similar "inivisible" techniques. Knitters of sweaters and other items which involve the standard "stair-step" shaping (like for shoulders), will especially benefit from the Japanese short row technique, as it replaces the hard-to-seam, ugly-to-look-at stair-steps with one single, sloped bind-off edge. Talk about easy to seam! No more of that searching for a place to anchor a seam on the rise of the stair-step. I've used the technique on sweaters recently, and it works like a charm! And it's really easy to adapt patterns from the old stair-steps to the clever Japanese method. Sign up for the class offered May 2nd and be amazed. You'll never want to stair-step again!

In subter laboro demens

Heri ab amica demonstratus est mihi pilleus in modo 16-imi saeculi perfactus similis illis, qui ab Anglicis tempore octavi Henrici regis gesti erant. Gosh golly! I was so intrigued by the clever motto of the Cornell Univeristy historian, whose patterns I was shown Saturday afternoon, I forgot to remove my Latin teacher hat, and just started off describing these wonderful things! At any rate, my ferver and zeal for most things Renaissance had me glued to the page when a knitter came in to purchase supplies to re-create a historically accurate Tudor flat cap. Those of you who watch the entertaining series The Tudors will recognize that practically every man pictured in crowd scenes is donning one of these groovy headgears. We determined that the cap will work on Brown Sheep Nature Spun lace weight on needles of proportional size -- a zillion stitches, felted. Likewise, this same historian has also made a study of period gloves. She provides pictures of historical gloves from the 16th Century, both for everyday wear and some rather ornate ones to be worn by eccliastic higher-up's for liturgical use. These cool items are also re-creatable by the ambitious knitter. Interestingly, the colors and construction of the re-created gloves resemble almost in every detail my own 21st Century fencing gloves (of course those are made of heavy cloth over the wrists and leather on the hands and fingers -- I doubt a woolen glove could cushion the blow from a mis-aimed foil or keenly targeted epee, not to mention a painful, finger-breaking slash from a sabre). I'm not giving you a picture of those, as they're a bit icky, as most fencer's gloves are. The wool gloves in blue and white would be great to wear to the tournament, but not actually in the tournament. If you'd like to investigate these intriguing patterns of historical knits, visit the website: http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/ms154/ICEDragon03/cap.document.html. It is my understanding that the site may not be up for long, but do visit as long as it is, and give these interesting patterns a try. I plan to make the cap for sure. Oh, and the nifty motto. It aptly describes the knitter who likes a challenge!

THE KNIT KIT! Exclusively at VBYC!

Cute as an Easter Chick and unimaginably practical! You've read about them in Knitter's Magazine, and now they're at VBYC -- exclusively at VBYC! Solve your migrating notions issues with The Knit Kit! It's a complete fiber fan's companion in one single package, about the size of a compact. Each kit contains a crochet hook, tape measure, counter, thread cutter, scissors, markers, and stitch holders. The unit has a white case with pink accents.

VBYC E-Store!

Can't come in and get it? No worries! Click on the link in the upper left-hand corner of our blog and check out the extensive selection of items we're offering for online purchase!

Happy Birthday, Heloise!

Monday, April 13 was a special day at Vermilion Bay Yarn. Our dear friend Heloise was treated to a surprise birthday party staged by a crew of clever party elves. Throughout the day, Acadiana knitters and crocheters visited the shop to deliver cards, gifts, birthday wishes....and of course to come sit and work their projects. We successfully polished off the cake and all the party food by 6:00pm. A hearfelt thank-you from Heloise to everyone who stopped in on Monday, as well as to the many many of you either on or returning from out-of-town Easter vacations who telephoned through the day or wrote special Happy Birthday emails! By the end of the day, our enormous coffee table was full of cards, flowers and wonderful goodies! VBYC wishes Heloise all the best for the coming year!

Tulip Shoes for Spring!

Imagine the little person in your life with an adorable pair of these tulip shoes! We'll be making them next Saturday, April 18th at 10:00am. Don't worry about the complexity of the pattern: all the bugs have been worked out, making the pattern as fun to knit as they are to gift! Our sample is made of Rowan Handknit Cotton. The fibers are firm (yet soft) enough for the petals to stand up properly. Other yarn options: Cotton Glace, Milk Cotton, PureLife Cotton, or Debbie Bliss Prima. A simple color change can transform these darling items from girl's wear to boy's wear. Work them up in solid green for the cutest pair of elfin slippers in the realm!