catalogue

We just finished getting the listings up on the website--- everything is all set and good to go for tomorrow. After much debate, we decided to go with a single- skein option for Club Kraken. (Did I mention we are calling our first yarn club Club Kraken? We are. Hooray!!!)

There were a few reasons we decided to go this way: while we’ve run larger clubs while part of SG, that was over a year ago, and we had more staff then. We’d like to run a tighter ship and make sure that runs smoothly first, before we do anything larger. This set- up also allows more individuals to get in the club, and that makes us happy--- and we hope that makes you happy, too! We don’t like running on the “you just can’t get this unless you beg, borrow, or wait by your computer refreshing like a madman” model, and as we increase in popularity, we have to get more and more creative to avoid that.

If this goes well, we have plans for more clubs in the future, too!

Okay, here’s the nitty- gritty:

Club Kraken --- We’re offering three- month subscriptions of Bugga, with one skein per month. Each subscription will include exclusive club colors which will be reserved for a minimum of one year. Club members also reserve the right to order custom sweater lots of club colorways in other bases for six months once the club has concluded. Club members will also receive a digital copy of a unique pattern with each shipment, too.

Club members will be able to choose from one of four colorway families. Good luck- I still don’t know which one I’d choose!!

Not- So- Neutrals: These skeins aren’t the dull, dun color of your first apartment walls--- these neutrals are smoky greys, chocolate browns, creaky rusts, sweet creams; the colors found in stone, metal and wood. We don’t think neutrals need to be uninspired; we find them mysterious and serene. Although each color in this collection will be unique, existing colors in our collection that we could consider Not- So- Neutrals would be Bess Beetle, Montauk Monster, Killer Bee, Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly, Moon Jelly, and maybe even Horseshoe Crab.

Narwhallie’s Delight: Rainbows and unicorn manes, variegation galore, truly unique and brilliantly explosive colorways will be featured in this collection. This is not for the weak of heart- these yarns are highly playful, very bright colors! Although each color in this collection will be unique, existing colors in our collection that we could consider similar to Narwhallie’s Delight include Mantis Shrimp, Hawaiian Bobtail Squid, and possibly Splendour Beetle.

Cephalopod Surprise: The option for the truly adventurous--- let us shock you! We’ll create something special each month just for this bold group. This is the place for those who possess either a deep faith in the Squidlets or the desire to head out into the great unknown. Either way, let us take you on an adventure! Each color in this collection will be unique--- and existing colors in our collection that we could consider similar to Cephalopod Surprise include… well, anything and everything, folks. :)

Pseudo- solids: Sweetly sliding, gradual shifts of color in a single skein; semi- solids are the subtle, sultry sirens of the yarn world. These yarns reveal themselves to you gradually, as you work; they do not announce themselves upon arrival, but instead quietly glow. Although each color in this collection will be unique, existing colors in our collection that we could consider similar to the Semi- Solids include Blue Lobster, Copper Demoiselle, Nebraska Conehead, and Strawberry Crab.

The three big questions:

Club Kraken goes for sale on Wednesday, January 30th at approximately 10:30 am Eastern, and will stay on the website until the COB on the 6th of February or they sell out, whichever comes first! (COB is roughly 5pm for us, but we will warn folks if we need to leave early that day!)

Shipments will go out in the last weeks of February, March and April.

Clubs will cost $96 whether domestic or international. Our website will determine shipping and will charge appropriately for each area.

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Whew! 

I feel like I just threw a ton of information at everyone. I'm really, really excited to start this- it's an exciting new way for us to play with colors and to interact with our customers. If this is received well, it'll be the beginning of a new set of games and experiences for us, and we're really, really looking forward to it! 

When something horrible happens, it is natural to feel helpless. Stopped. Frozen. There’s no procedure for dealing with something horrific, no checklist for coping with a tragedy. We become locked in shock and grief.

I find myself restless in the face of horrible things, full of purposeless movement. I fidget, fret, pace: I need a place for all of this energy.

There’s no way to fix this, to mend what went wrong, but I can take my restless energy and apply it to something positive. As I do every time I am sad, or frightened, or in grief, I take up my needles, sit still, and breathe. I knit through it all. 

A group of people have gotten together with the goal of knitting and crocheting stuffed comfort creatures for the surviving children of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. They will be working on knitting and crocheting approximately 600 small creatures over the next few months. It is a small effort, but it is done with love and compassion. In the end, these things are really what we have: this is what heals us as a community and as individuals.

If you are interested in joining us, we would welcome more hands. The work of hands is healing; having something positive to focus on provides some direction for the anger, hurt and grief that so many people are feeling right now. There's no way we can repair what has happened here, but we can do this one tiny thing: we can sit and work, we can stitch in compassion and love. We can create: this is something we can do. This work in specific will provide a small, sweet gift to a child: a handmade reminder that in a world that can be so very ugly and frightening, there are also strangers who are full of kindness, whimsy and compassion. These things matter- the little things, they count too. 

The project is called 600 Monsters Strong For Connecticut, and you can find us on Ravelry. If you are short on yarn, no worries; there’s a yarn donation thread. If you need a pattern for an adorable creature to make, the amazing Rebecca Danger has even offered a discount on some of her patterns for this effort. 

Looking for other ways you can help?

You could send notes and cards here:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
12 Dickenson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482

You could also volunteer to help with memorial activities, or donate to the memorial fund here: newtownmemorial@gmail.com

The United Way has started the Sandy Hook School Support Fund to provide help with funeral expenses, counseling and other services. Donations can be sent here: 

Sandy Hook Support Fund

℅ Newtown Savings Bank

39 Main St

Newtown, CT 06470

The Sandy Hook Elementary School Victims Relief Fund has raised more than $73,750. The fund will be administered by the school PTA, and will be used to provide counseling to survivors, pay for funeral expenses for victims, create a scholarship fund for the school's students and fund a memorial. Donations can be sent here: 

Newtown Memorial Fund

P.O. Box 596

Botsford, CT  06404 

The family of Sandy Hook's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, created a memorial fund for the educator, who died trying to stop the gunman. Donations can be sent here: 

Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund

CT Teachers Credit Union

P.O. Box 2121

Waterbury, CT 06722

Be well. Be safe, be healthy, stay warm. Hug your children. Tell someone you love them. Forgive a friend. If you have the time, join us in making a cuddly comfort creature for a child.  But please, but above all: be well. 

When we are thinking of all the things we have to be grateful for, we have to count all of our wonderful friends, supporters, and customers. We couldn't do any of this without you. We have such a wonderful time here in the studio; this is work, but this is work we enjoy, and that makes all the difference in the world. We like the people we work alongside. We laugh, a lot. We have a space that is ours, and that makes us happy. None of that would be possible without all of you and your support. 

So as a small gesture of thanks, and in keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, we're throwing our first Cyber Monday sale! On Monday the 26th, all day long, you can enter the code CYBER2012 at checkout to receive 10% your entire purchase, excluding patterns. It's our small way of saying thank you for supporting us here in the studio, from patronizing the shop to sending sweet notes, messages, care packages, tweets, hugs at Rhinebeck, being a part of our Afghans For Afghans projects- you name it. You help make and shape what we do here, and you're lovely, every single one of you.

Thank you. 

Congratulations to Kate, who won a copy of Rohn Strong's wonderful The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII. She wrote in, telling us that the first things she'd cast on would be Rosie and Bess, and I have to admit, those are two great choices. Rosie is due to hit my needles this fall, too!

We'll be in touch with Kate this morning, but thanks to everyone who was a part of our giveaway this week! 

I recently had a chance to speak with one of my favorite designers, Rohn Strong. Rohn's latest project is The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII. It's an amazing book full of essays, period photography and 20 gorgeous, revamped vintage patterns from World War I and World War II. I'm in love with this project- not only has Rohn melded two of my favorite subjects- knitting and history!- but his patterns incorporate classic, gorgeous lines. I'll be knitting these patterns for years. 

We'll be giving away a copy of Rohn's newest book to one lucky commenter this week! Details at the end of the interview, below. 

Rohn, I just adore your new book, The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII. It hits on two of my favorite subjects: knitting and history! Could you tell me something about how you became inspired to begin this project?

It was just honestly a series of circumstances that led me to seeing that there was a need for this book. I really think people need to see and hear the stories of knitters long ago, ya know? So, I just went for it. Donna Druchunas was my amazing editor and she helped me through the process, which made it pretty easy! 

This book is full of photographs from the past and gorgeous redesigns of vintage WWI and WWII- era patterns. I'd love to hear about your research process; how did you find your materials?

I am one of those people that actually like to keep my process of research to myself. I love sharing what I find and where I find it but how I find it is my little secret. Needless to say it takes an army. I hire outside people, rummage through what people see as trash, and spend way too much money on antiques! 

Vintage knitting patterns tend to look markedly different from the patterns we are used to seeing now. Did you run into any challenges when you were redesigning the vintage patterns?

Not really! You see, I have this weird talent where I can look at a knitted garment and deconstruct it. When I see vintage patterns, I am able to look at them and re-construct them just by sight. So when I was putting this book together, that is just what I did. I just took my favorite design qualities, construction techniques, colors, and went to town! Vintage patterns nearly require a degree in archeology to understand them. Knitting was a skill and trade then. So men, women, and children, just knew what to do. 

Rohn, was there anything about this project that surprised you? 

Actually, the biggest surprise I have received is how shocked people are by the book. It is not a normal knitting book, not by far. It has a lot more writing than most are used to. I wanted to combine knitting and writing together...that was important to me. Some people like that, some do not. It depends!  

What's your favorite pattern in the book, Rohn?

Cordelia by far. She is just gorgeous. People laugh because I talk about my designs as my children, but that is exactly what they are. Cordelia fit the model like a glove and made me cry when I saw it on. I LOVE that design.  

You're one of the busiest people I know- you always have so many projects going. What's coming next?

I always like to have my hand in something! Right now I am working on releasing, Southern Crochet Book 2: Winter and then I have about 10 more projects that are coming out between December 2012 and July 2013. I have really worked at streamlining my process of patterns, photography, and publishing. So you will see lots next year! From a special Malabrigo Project to working with Red Heart. I am all over the place! 

You can find Rohn on his blog, Rohn Strong Designs. You can find his book, The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII on Amazon, and you can peruse all of his beautiful patterns on Ravelry! 

If you'd like a chance to win a free digital copy of Rohn Strong's The Heritage Collection: WWI & WWII by taking a look through the patterns on Ravelry, then commenting on this entry and letting us know which pattern you'd knit first from the book if you were to win! We will pick a winner using the all- powerful Random Number Generator at noon on Tuesday, October 16th! Good luck, everyone!!

We make hundreds of skeins a week here in the studio. Hundreds! It’s always a surprise to me, the sheer volume of what we can make. Our dyers are amazing. 

Sometimes, though, things go a little awry in the process. It’s usually something in the dyes; something will “split”, making tiny dots or even, in extreme cases, small streaks on the yarn. In other cases, a pot will come out just a wee bit different than the the intended colorway, and we just don’t feel comfortable sending it with the rest of its friends. We’ll collect these Freaks & Geeks, as we call them, and set them aside for a show. 

The thing is, we haven’t had a serious show since Maryland Sheep & Wool. We’ve been preparing for Rhinebeck, and looking at our pile of oddlot Freaks & Geeks and honestly? I’d like to bring some of these to Rhinebeck, but I’d like to share some of the wealth with folks who can’t make it to New York, too. 

There are some seriously lovely things in this pile. This is the table I choose from when I go hunting for my stash, because I feel no guilt when I lift from our “oddlots”; this is where I nabbed the “this is meant to be Hawaiian Bobtail Squid, but it turned out just a bit too purple, and there are four of them” lot of Bugga that I have hidden in my craft room, as well as a gorgeous set of 4 Montauk Monster in Skinny Bugga that spotted and will be a cardigan, someday- someday!- when I have a break in my work knitting. 

Some of the odd bits in these yarns are hardly noticeable, like the Montauk Monster; it’s so difficult to spot any differences in this colorway. Other times these differences are teeny, tiny spots- little speckles that are like pinpoints of color. Some folks would consider this a defect, and other folks would really like this, so we want to be sure to point it out before selling it! 

Sometimes, these differences very noticeable but easily worked with, like the spots on the Starry Night Cracker; these are splits that come from one dye in the recipe, and only occur a few times in the entire skein. These could easily be cut out, but we have set very high quality standards for ourselves. I know what I’d want to receive when I buy yarn, and we want you to receive only the best when you buy with us, so these skeins are set aside and marked on discount. 

We’ll be listing a huge, huge, huge amount of these Freaks & Geeks on Monday, all at 25% off their normal prices. Each will be photographed to especially show their particular difference, and many will be updated in sweater quantities. I’m particularly excited about the Montauk Monster and the Pandorous Sphinx that’s going up; some folks will be making some beautiful sweaters this fall! 

So: to Freaks & Geeks! Here’s a salute to being different. We hope you enjoy our sideshow update this Monday. We’ll be loading the update at approximately noon Eastern time. It’s a wonderful steal for anyone looking to find larger lots, or just some lovely deals. 

 We fired up the Random Number Generator this afternoon to pick our lucky recipient of a copy of Anna Dalvi's gorgeous Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color. Congratulations to Katie, AKA MrsN2itiv, who commented that she would first knit the beautiful Ra and Apep shawl. 

That shawl has my heart, folks. If I ever, ever finish all this work knitting, and then finish all my holiday knitting, I swear I'm going to knit this shawl for myself in Bronze Moth or Killer Bee. It makes me unbelievably happy. 

And so: congratulations, Katie! We will be in touch right away, and we're super- happy for you!! 

I feel *almost* guilty admitting this, but I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Anna Dalvi's Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color at TNNA this June, and it just blew me away. I'd admired Anna's work in Shaping Shawls, and the opportunity to see her new work was exciting. I also had the opportunity to see one of her new pieces worn on the show floor: the astonishing Ra and Apep shawl! It's like wearing the sun itself! I'm in love. 

Her new book, Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color, is available from Cooperative Press and features twelve stunning patterns that explore the colors and motifs of ancient Egypt. I had the opportunity to interview Anna herself about her work this week. Make sure to read through to the end for details of how to win a free copy of Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color!

- Anna, this book is so elegant and unique. Could you tell us a little about your inspiration for Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color? 

I've always enjoyed myths and fairy tales and wanted to design a collection of patterns accompanied by the stories that inspired them.  I do enjoy Ancient Egyptian Myths, and when I found out that colour had great symbolic significance in the ancient Egyptian arts and myths, I thought it would be really nice to use the symbolic meaning of the colours as a driving force for the designs.  

For example, when I look at green yarn, I often think of foliage.  But in the Old Kingdom green was the colour of vegetation and life, but also the colour of death.  So instead of honing in on plants, I designed shawls on the theme of Osiris (the king of the dead) and the Fields of Malachite (the land of the blessed dead).

There were 6 main colours used in the Egyptian art of the Old Kingdom; green, red, white, black, yellow and blue.  The book contains two shawls in each colour.

- How long did this book take you to write, from your conception of the idea to completion?

It took about 16 months from the time that I honed in on Egyptian Mythology to when the book was completed.

- Could you walk us through the design process of one of the patterns from this collection? What does your workflow on a pattern look like?

Let's talk about Osiris.  When reading about the colour green, I found that Osiris was often depicted with green skin.  So I wanted to find a story about Osiris and design a shawl on that theme.  I read a number of different myths about Osiris, and one that really captured my imagination was the story about how Seth trapped Osiris and killed him in his bid to take over as the king of Egypt.  Seth tricked Osiris into lying down in a coffin and nailed it shut.  Osiris died and the coffin was thrown into the Nile, where it drifted down the river until it hit the shore close to a cedar tree.  Isis (Osiris' wife) searched for the coffin and brought it home.  When Seth saw the coffin, he became afraid and snuck in one night and opened it, lifted out his brother's body and ripped it into 14 pieces - one for each full moon during a year.  The 14 pieces were spread over Egypt, so that Isis would not find them.

But Isis was persistent and wandered Egypt for many years, searching for the pieces.  Finally she had gathered 13 of the 14 pieces.  But the last piece - the phallus - had been consumed by a fish.  So she fashioned a phallus out of gold, and brought Osiris back to life.  They spent one passionate night together, so that she could carry his child.  After that, Osiris died and became the king of the dead.

I thought it was a very evocative story, and decided to design a shawl with the 13 full moons, the fish, and the cedar tree where Osiris' coffin got stuck.  And once the shawl was finished, it would really be a conversation piece, because…. well, the fish is really a rather humorous part of the story.

And knitters are so creative.  I thought it was wonderful that someone knit a G-rated version of the shawl, without the fish.

- Do you have any plans for your next book? 

I am planning a collection of patterns inspired by Norse myths, gods and heroes.  I have already released several patterns on this theme, but it is near and dear to my heart, so it will definitely be revisited again and again.

- How did you end up knitting so much lace? Where did your love affair with lace knitting begin?

I tend to like patterns where you have to pay attention.  I get bored with copious amounts of stockinette or garter stitch, and I want there to be some kind of pattern to play with, be it colour work, cables or lace.  Lace is very versatile, and with just a few different types of stitches - knits, purls, yarn overs and decreases - you can create really complex patterns.

One of the first lace patterns I ever knit was a mystery KAL (knitalong) hosted by Melanie Gobbons.  It was a lot of fun and as soon as the KAL ended, I started looking for a new one.  I couldn't find one, so I thought I'd just host my own - how hard could it be to design a lace shawl?  The result was Mystic Waters and a KAL with 1,400+ participants.  The rest is history.

- Do you have any advice for fledgling designers?

I think my best advice is just do it.  There is no reason to be afraid of knitting, because, really….. what's the worst thing that can happen?  So feel free to experiment and try new things.  Worst case you'll have to rip back.  I frog liberally (and never use a lifeline, which I probably shouldn't admit).  If I don't like what I see, I rip back and redesign.

Getting patterns written down so that other people can follow them is a lot harder than designing for your own enjoyment.  To reduce errors, I suggest writing down the pattern before knitting it, and then try to follow it and adjust as you go.  For me, writing down the pattern after I've knit the sample introduces a lot of errors.

- What was the first project you ever knit? Do you still have it?

I couldn't say.  I learned to knit as a child.  Later in school when we were supposed to learn how to knit, I could pick a more advanced project than the standard scarf, since I already knew how to knit.  I knit a pair of woollen socks (with heels) in bright-orange-and-hot-pink yarn.  I wore them once, and then they shrunk in the wash.  They must have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

- Silliest question of the interview: Anna, what's your favorite color? (If you don't have just one, what's your favorite color today?)

I do enjoy variety, and like most colours.  But I always keep coming back to deep dark reds.  And black.

- We know you're always working on something new! Where can knitters find out more about you and your future plans?

My website is http://www.knitandknag.com/ and it has all my patterns, news about upcoming KALs, and a blog where I keep posting about what's new.  

And then there's Ravelry of course, where I'm knitandknag and my group is Knit & Knag Designs.

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Thanks for joining us, Anna! 

We are happy to announce that to celebrate the release of Anna's newest book, we'll be giving away a copy of Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color to one lucky reader! All you need to do is take a look at the patterns, listed here on Ravelry, and then leave us a comment below, telling us which shawl you'd knit first if you were to win! 

Be sure to leave us either your Ravelry name or a good email address in your comment so that we can contact you if you're the lucky winner!

We'll use the Random Number Generator to pick a winner from the entries at noon Eastern time on Tuesday, the 18th on September. 

Good luck, everyone!