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Ann Budd’s Toe-Up Socks Workshop

POSTED: August 18, 2011 by mysisterknits

We here at MSK are BIG fans of Ann Budd … BIG BIG fans.  How could you not love the woman who literally wrote the book on sock knitting?

A truly great book, filled with different patterns and methods to make any kind of sock you could possible desire.  This book is an awesome way to supplement the knowledge you will learn in this Saturday’s Toe-Up Socks Workshop, taught by Ann herself.

We are so lucky to have such a great knitter coming to our shop to teach these workshops.  You’ll learn to knit socks from the toe-up to the cuff, which means … you can NEVER EVER run out of yarn while you’re knitting the toe of a sock again.  What a great problem to avoid!  Intermediate knitting skills and experience on double-pointed needles is required to take this class.  It’s this Saturday, August 20 from 9:30am – 4:30pm (so please be sure to bring your lunch).  We still have a few spaces available, so call the shop before they’re gone!

Koigu, Ann Budd and Windrift Hill Products

POSTED: August 17, 2011 by mysisterknits

Wednesday Deal of the Day!

Today’s can’t-miss deal is Koigu KPPPM and KPM, buy one, get one FREE.  Both of these yarns are sock/ fingering weights, and solid and variegateds are available.  There is NO LIMIT PER CUSTOMER, so think of something beyond socks!  Great for kids’ items, shawls, scarves, and it’s lovely to crochet.

Lots of colors to choose from at the moment, but no guarantee that will last.

Yarn info: Sock/fingering weight yarn, $14.50/skein. 100 %Merino Wool, 50grams/175yards/160m.

Upcoming Classes

This afternoon, Kathy Hartmeister is teaching Knitting 101, which will cover a basic lecture on yarn and gauge, needle choices and other helpful and innovative tips!  Class is from 2:30 – 5:00pm TODAY, so call to sign up!

The lovely Ann Budd will also be at the shop this Saturday, August 20, from 9:30 – 4:30pm teaching her Toe-Up Socks Workshop.  Don’t miss this great class taught by the woman who literally wrote the book on sock knitting.

At The Shop

Knitters are no strangers to dry, itchy hands.  It seems like almost all of us have a bottle of our favorite hand lotion stashed in our project bag, another in our purse, another on the nightstand … and we’re always trying out new ones.

Windrift Hill makes a line of amazing products using goats milk from their own Nubian goats.  A family-owned business based in Montana, Dick and Deena Maier began making soap in their kitchen when Deena, an occupational therapist at the time, saw a need for skin care products that wouldn’t irritate her clients’ skin the same as some medications.  Using natural clay-oxides, herbs and oils along with the goats milk, they make 40 different types of soaps, five different scented lotions and nine types of body butter.

Windrift Hill Goats Milk Lotions

Their lotions absorb incredibly quickly and truly make a difference — even after several hand-washings, you can still notice a difference in the smoothness of your skin.  Combine that with their amazing fragrances (“Relaxing” is a personal favorite) and you’re sure to replace every bottle in your project bags with Windrift Hill.

Pints & Purls at Pateros Creek Brewing Company

POSTED: August 15, 2011 by mysisterknits

Hot August Knits Yarn Crawl!

Today is the first day of the 2nd Annual Hot August Knits Yarn Crawl!  The great event gives you the chance to get acquainted with eight different shops in Fort Collins and Estes Park, CO as well as Laramie and Cheyenne, WY.  Get your passport stamped at each shop and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win the Grand Prize gift basket!  Pick up your passport today at MSK, and more information can be found on the Hot August Knits Yarn Crawl Facebook and Ravelry pages.

Join Us This Wednesday ….

Pateros Creek Brewing Company has only been open for about two months, and already they’ve got a fan base.  Colorado is no stranger to breweries (especially Fort Collins!), and locals always get excited when a new one opens up.  Pateros Creek Brewing Company is no exception, and we were thrilled (THRILLED, I TELL YOU!) when we learned about their weekly Pints & Purls craft night!

Every Wednesday night from 3pm until close (usually around 7 or 8pm), Pateros Creek allows knitters to take over.  They offer $1 off pints if you’re there to craft, and you can choose from their Porter, Pale Ale or Kolsch-style Ale.  If you can’t decide, they offer flights, too!

Pateros Creek Brewing (Puh-Tar-Os) got its name from the iconic Cache la Poudre River that runs through the City of Fort Collins and throughout Northern Colorado. Pateros Creek is said by local historians to be the original name of the Cache la Poudre River.

They focus on local history and local ideals to bring forth some new styles that speak to the community. Whether you need a quaffing beer to pass away a lazy afternoon sitting on a patio knitting in downtown or you want to expand your ideas of what a great beer can be and share it with friends, Pateros Creek Brewing will satisfy your palate.  Come join us this Wednesday!

2nd ANNUAL HOT AUGUST KNITS YARN CRAWL

POSTED: August 12, 2011 by mysisterknits

This Monday marks the beginning of the 2nd Annual Hot August Knits yarn crawl!  For two weeks this August 15 – 31, My Sister Knits will be participating in this new tradition that is an excellent way to check out some area shops and maybe win some prizes to boot!

The yarn crawl gives you the chance to get acquainted with eight different shops between Fort Collins and Estes Park, CO and Laramie and Cheyenne, WY.  Get your passport stamped at each shop and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win the Grand Prize gift basket!  We’ll be doing features on the participating shops during the crawl, but below you can find an alphabetical list of the shops with links to their web pages, as well as links to the Facebook page and Ravelry group for the yarn crawl.

Cowgirl Yarn, Laramie, WY

Ewe Count, Cheyenne, WY

Lambspun of Colorado, Fort Collins, CO

My Sister Knits, Fort Collins, CO

Neota Designs, Estes Park, CO

Prairie Wind Fiber Arts and Beads, Cheyenne, WY

The Stitchin’ Den, Estes Park, CO

Your Daily Fiber, Fort Collins, CO

Click here for the Ravelry Group; or Click here for the Facebook page.

Happy Knitting!

Stellar Facecloth

POSTED: August 11, 2011 by mysisterknits

The staff here at My Sister Knits are big fans of the designs of Krisit Schueler.  Her blog, Designedly Kristi, is awash with fun and creative ideas and excellent photos of projects and every day things.  We love it when she teaches classes, and the up-coming Stellar Facecloth is no different.

Photo courtesy of Fiberfool

These 5-pointed star washcloths are formed with careful placement of increases and decreases, creating a mitered fabric. You’ll learn a closed center-out cast on to begin, then use different increase methods to create the points.  An excellent gift for a loved-one or yourself!

This class is on Saturday, August 13 from 10am – 12pm, and only costs $30 (plus materials).  Call the shop to sign up and for more information.  Go here to see Kristi’s Ravelry page and check out her other designs!

Cabletalk

POSTED: August 8, 2011 by mysisterknits

Do cables get your fingers twisted, and your brain confused?  Coming up on Tuesday, August 9, Ann McCauley will be teaching the basics of this classic technique.  You’ll practice variations on different types of cables, and learn to read cable instructions and charts in this informative class.  Cables can be really simple once they’re deconstructed, so don’t miss out on this beautiful technique!

Space is still available, so call the shop to sign up.  One session only!

Heels and Gussets

POSTED: August 3, 2011 by mysisterknits

We’ve got a lot of great classes coming up at My Sister Knits.  Included in that list is Julie Conway teaching “Heels and Gussets,” coming up on Saturday, August 6.  The class is from 10am – 1pm, and will help teach you how to deal with heels and gussets of top-down socks.  Plenty of tricks will be shared to give you the tools of success to make a perfect-fitting pair of top-down socks!  Space is limited, so please call the shop to sign up and for more details.

Our class schedule for July – December is currently available, so be sure to pick up a copy the next time you’re in the shop!

Our new favorite: Anzula!

POSTED: August 1, 2011 by mysisterknits

New shipments are exciting for everyone, and we were ESPECIALLY excited to get two different kinds of something new: Anzula.

Anzula Cloud is a dreamy mix of 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere and 10% Nylon.  This light-fingering-weight yarn comes in skeins of about 575 yards, and plenty of gorgeous colors.

We also have Anzula Haiku, a true-fingering weight yarn that is 70% Superwash Merino, 20% Bamboo and 10% Nylon.  Approximately 450 yards per skein, this yarn is soft and a little shiny and totally scrumptious.

While you’re at the shop, be sure to check out all the fab Malabrigo colors that just came in!  We have Twist, Sock and some Rasta.  These colors are all new, so pick some out before they’re gone!

Brooklyn Tweed: Tweed Baby Blanket

POSTED: July 29, 2011 by mysisterknits

As Christmas in July with Brooklyn Tweed comes to an end (along with July itself), we state again how much we love baby knits.  And we're not the only ones ... it seems like as soon as someone learns you're a knitter, up pops a baby.  Friends, kids, grandkids ... babies are everywhere.  And what's better to wrap a new baby in than some scrunchy wool and gorgeous colors?

Brooklyn Tweed knows this, and has responded accordingly by designing the Tweed Baby Blanket.

This blanket is another simple-and-brilliant design.  The garter stitch center is knit on a bias, then the edges are picked up in the round to knit the feather-and-fan border.  Pictured is the small version; the larger version has a three-color repeat around the border.  Knit with Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Aran, it's guaranteed to keep baby warm and snuggly when the weather turns crisp.

If you're one of the few that doesn't have a baby to knit for, this blanket can also work as a lap blanket for the elderly, or a simple small throw to have on the back of the sofa.  Knit with earth tones or a combination like this one, it's simple and striking design will go with anything and everything.  It's sure to become an heirloom piece, so why not pick up your needles and cast on today!  Patterns and yarn are available at the shop.

Brooklyn Tweed: Wool Leaves Baby Blanket

POSTED: July 26, 2011 by mysisterknits

As you may have noticed by now, we love Brooklyn Tweed (and Jared Flood).  He has no shortage of simple and brilliant patterns.  His designs include everything from baby blankets to adult sweaters and accessories, and range from simple and lovely to complex and striking.  He has a finesse for knitting (and photography) that you don't find too often, and we are simply loving tooting his horn!

Continuing on with another one of his simple comfort knitting projects, we'd like to show you the Wool Leaves Baby Blanket.

Knit with two strands of Plymouth EcoWool, Wool Leaves is a classic Shetland leaves pattern bordered with two repeats of moss stitch.  Simple and brilliant, no?  And when knit with a neutral color such as this, you can knit these and keep them in your gift closet for the next baby shower emergency.

If you haven't been reading Jared's blog, here's a link to his post about the Wool Leaves baby blanket.  His blog is a great account of his design process and some of the fun projects that he works on in his "spare time." (Don't we all use quotes when we talk about our spare time?)  Be sure to check it out when you have a chance ... as long as it doesn't take away from your knitting time (because that is NOT the same thing as "spare time")!