Our Thursday Knitting Group is a real highlight of being a LYS owner. For over a year, we've met every week for a couple of hours of knitting, crocheting, & a little spinning here & there. Our group has grown from the 'downtowners' who met in our Gallery Row shop last year to a changeable group of knitters from all over Lancaster & Chester Counties--& occasionally from all over the country & world.

We've watched projects cast on & bound off--cheered on one another & not just about our knitting. Marriages, relationships, buying houses--from the big stuff in our lives to the little--we've gotten to know each other & come to care about each other.

We meet every Thursday at LYS between 5:00p & 8:00p---and you are invited. We're a friendly group & we'll make you welcome!

Here's to everyone who has been part of our knitting group! See you soon!

Ribbon-Drop Scarf

ribbon drop scarf

a free pattern from LYS

designed/'unvented' by Wendy Ellis

sizes: narrow (wide)

approximate dimensions: narrow: 5" x 45"; wide: 7" x 39"

yarn: Knit One, Crochet Too Tartelette (50% cotton, 50% nylon; 50 gram ball = approx 75 yards) 2 balls in color 222, or approximately 150 yards in a comparable yarn

needles: One set US #9 (5.5 mm). Or size to obtain gauge.

gauge: 16 sts = about 4" in stockinette, not terribly important for this project.

abbreviations:

WS: Wrong Side

RS: Right Side

yo: Yarn Over (an increase)

pattern:

Cast on 20 (26) stitches using long-tail cast on method.

Knit 5 rows, ending on RS. Place removable marker to denote RS.

Begin drop stitch pattern:

Row 1: (WS) K1, *yo twice, K1; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: *K1, drop yo's from needle; repeat from * to last stitch, K1.

Row 3-6: Work in garter stitch (knit every row).

You will have 3 garter ridges between dropped stitches. Yarn overs will always be worked on a RS row. Yarn overs will be dropped on a WS row.

Work in drop stitch pattern until nearly out of yarn ending with Row 5 & binding off.

Weave in ends. Block lightly if needed, do not iron.

This is a great pattern for ribbon yarns. The garter drop stitch pattern is widely known & is interpreted here for use with K1,CToo's Tartelette yarn.

pattern copyright Wendy Ellis, 2010

When the box of Serena yarns from Manos del Uruguay arrived late last week, it took me a little while to decide to take the beautiful bundles apart so the skeins could be twisted. The colorways are gorgeous--subtle & quiet, but saturated & they're beautifully coordinated.

Manos del Uruguay describes Serena this way: 'Serena is a lightweight, whisper-soft yarn for trans-seasonal knitting. It combines two luxury fibers: baby alpaca and pima cotton. The alpaca gives beautiful drape, and the cotton year-round wearability. Together, both fibers produce softly heathered color effects. The supple fabric is perfect for simple shapes as well as the tucks and gathers of so many contemporary designs.'

Here are the technical specs:

Fiber Content: 60% baby alpaca, 40% pima cotton (oooo!)Yardage: approx. 50g, 170yds/155m (this makes it a fingering yarn)

Gauge: 22-26 sts = 4″/10cmNeedle size: #4-5 US / 3.5-3.75mm

Care instructions: Handwash, dry flat

My current inclination with this gorgeous yarn is a ruffled shawlette made with two skeins. We'll see! I don't know how I'll decide on a color! Check out some of the projects popping up on Ravelry since the yarn was released: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/manos-del-uruguay-serena/projects Stop in soon to pet this gorgeous new yarn!

MDSW 2010

MARYLAND SHEEP & WOOL

Has it been a year since our last trek to MDSW? Tomorrow we head over to beautiful West Friendship, MD for another day of full fiber immersion!

I'm really excited about loading up our van-full of knitters & spinners from Lancaster County for a day out! The weather forecast is a little dire. Very hot, relatively humid & 'unsettled' with a heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon. Last year we braved temps in the high 40's & cold wind to boot. It was a nice day for hand knit woolies! My best purchase last year? A pair of raspberry (of course) alpaca socks to wear home in the car! We were soaked by the end of the day & it was cold! This year I guess we'll opt for cotton & linen & enjoy looking at the wool, the sheep & all the goodies.

The exhibition barn is high on my list for this year. I love to see finished pieces, and this exhibit often has the best of the best!

Some of the fiber luminaries we may see: Clara Parkes, the Knitmore Girls, Guido, the SavvyGirls...there is a podcaster meet & greet Sunday at 10:30 in the Columbia Sit N Knit Hospitality tent!

Happy knitting & nattering!

Hope to see you at Maryland Sheep & Wool!