a model

Jordana is modeling her hat.
Both are beautiful!

Maker Faire

We are at the Maker Faire this weekend.
Wow. There are "cup cake cars",


Diet Coke and mentos fountains,


and of course, the Noe Knit booth. We are having fun!

Fair Isle Class

Chiaki is teaching the Fair Isle Felted bag class.

Lot's of fun

And the results have been fabulous!

A Nutty Little Story from the Land Of Retail

There was a surprise at the store this week. It's time for a nutty story from the land of retail. Hold on to your hats for this one.
Are you sitting down? Someone wrote on the bathroom wall.

I’ll give you all a moment to ponder that. Our bathroom wall, at lovely Noe Knit, was ‘tagged’ with some graffiti. We have talked here before about theft. Shop lifting from a knitting store seems to be a pairing that most knitters cannot get their minds around. And that assumption (“knitters are good people” “Knitters don’t steal”) is one that makes the shop such a pleasant place to be. Most customers are in the upper 10% of ‘good people’ in life. And all of these ‘good people’ are coming in to visit us and make beautiful things gather inspiration in their time off. The atmosphere is one of pleasant and creative sharing. It’s a safe place to ask for help.

And then, enter our bathroom and there on the wall is a ‘tag’ done in a big silver paint marker. What was this person thinking? We revel in sharing in your delight in customers’ creations. By all means, if you have a knitting or craft project we want to see it! Don’t hide in the bathroom, and then not take credit for it.

I know I am preaching to the choir here. I know that you are as shocked as I am. So now I am done passing on this little tale. Simply understand that if you ever come in and for some strange reason you are not greeted with the most friendly and enthusiastic welcome, perhaps we were off counting missing balls of yarn, or scrubbing paint off the bathroom walls. And YOU coming in the front split green door is probably just what the doctor ordered!

A bootie

This charming little bootie is made with Rabbit Ridge yarn, from Alaska.
It is an adaptation of Sartjee's Bootee pattern.
Her blog is fabulous. Enjoy.

Hat class success

Here is the gallery of some of our recent hat success.

Third Anniversary

Our Third Anniversary Celebration is Wednesday night.
We'll have a party at 6:30, and the fashion show will begin at 7:00pm.
We are so excited to see you, and what you have been working on.

My First Sweater Class success

Thim has finished his first sweater. A pull over from silk road ultra. His million dollar smile tell the whole story. And now, he has started the second sweater! Stay tuned for more!

New Mohair

Let's turn the spotlight on a new mohair we have just brought in. This is a high brush, wonderfully soft yarn. We have it in 13 colors. Yum. Come in and see it.

Finished Sock

A finished sock!

Karen has just finished her first sock in our Introduction to Socks class.
This one is self striping sock yarn, so you just knit, and the color changes come right up out of the ball. The next class is on Sundays in February. Come on in to pick out you yarn and sign up.

The Scarf

In Last Minute Knitted Gifts, there is a beatiful scarf pictured. There are no fancy stitches, it's just a K1, P1 rib. The real joy in this project comes from the stranding. (Stranding is simply knitting with more than one yarn held together at the same time. )


We are always drawn to do projects in the colors that are shown in the pictures. And why not? The pictures are beautiful. But it is always exciting when someone takes the 'risk' to do something in a different color.
Jennifer fell in love with this scarf, and decided to make her own. And the results are one of the most luxurious things to ever hit the back table. This scarf is just RICH.

Jennifer's is made from a strand of Manos wool, a strand of Kid silk Night (for a tiny bit of sparkle), and one strand of Kid Silk Aura (for a little more mohair) The color is so rich and wonderful. But what the picture doesn't show you is how delciously soft this thing is. It is so warm and yummy, you could just sleep with it on.
So if you are cold in this snap we are having, come on in and we'll work up some strands for your scarf!

Stash Reduction Project Update

Boy have we got yarn. People have dug deep and cleaned out for a good cause. If you want a piece of the action: clean out, bring in your stash, and get a discount on your purchase for that day. The program will go until Friday (January 25th)

playing with food

Just a little fun for you today.

New Sock Yarn and Foreign Policy

Here is some new yarn that Crystal Palace introduced, called Panda Cotton. 55% bamboo, 24% cotton and 21% elastic. It has a tendency to split a little bit when it is being knit up. But once it's off the needle, it really has a beautiful soft finish. And it's a wool free alternative for people.



Soho came to visit us from Japan. What a pleasure to meet her. She found us on-line, and made her way from downtown on public transportation! Bravo! We had a nice time doing private mini sock-skills-lessons. She found lots of lovely yarn that she doesn't see in Japan. Then I asked, almost rhetorically "you must have lots of Noro." And funny enough, she had not heard of Noro before. Go figure.
It was such a pleasure to meet her. What a fun day.

A little post holiday wrap up

We've talked about theft before. Here is a variation of Lucious and Loopy Scarf, a free pattern on the internet. The one pictured here I knit to replace the one that was stolen from the ladder display over the holidays. And, yes, it was tied down! Does that mean that someone came in with fingernail clippers, and did a 'clip and grab'? Or a "slash and run"?
I am trying not to be bitter, knitting such a beautiful thing.

A Day with Kaffe Fasset

Bunnie was here visiting for Christmas. One of her presents was a surprise trip to a one day color lecture with Kaffe Fasset. (!!! )
Here is Kaffe chatting with me about my work, and with Bunnie about color.


Kaffe, for those of you who are not familiar, has a really interesting story. He is a painter and artist who fell in love with the colors of yarn, and learned to knit if only as a vehicle to express himself in yarn. He was shocked and somewhat horrified by people knitting garments in one color. His signature work features yarn changes even several times in one row. He tends to do patterns in color families, and tones rather than with a strict color in a specific place. He has written several books on quilting, knitting, and color. He has a studio in London, but travels more than an airline pilot.

He is a wonderful speaker. He uses the most elegant language to describe color. The workshop was amazing!


I have a real fondness for one of his books in particular. My paternal Grandmother is a knitter, quilter and embroiderer. (Crafty bloodline) On a visit to see my grandmother MANY years ago, she bought me "Glorious Color", and that has been a star in my knitting library ever since.


(So really, who was that a Christmas present for? Hmmmm. )
If you have a chance, Kaffe will be at a book signing on Jan 3rd in Pacific Grove. So if you're not headed straight back to work, and you are looking for an excuse to get on the road, I highly recommend a visit.

Merry Christmas

On behalf of all of us at Noe Knit, we wish you a bright and wonderful Christmas! May it be filled with classic hand knits, and wonderful loved ones to share them with.

There is still time:

Are you on a mission for a few more quality presents?
A hat is the answer. There is always time for a hat.
This is an exclusive pattern, designed by Chiaki, shown in Andean Prime Alpaca.
We have the pattern, the yarn and the needles available.

Or you could knit up a scarf. This is the great last minuted knitted gift; luxurious and rich. This pattern is in Pam Allen's book Scarf Style. We have the velvety yarn "Touch Me" in a wide range of colors.

Come on in, and infuse some peace into an insaine rushed schedule.

Lessons

Sue had a lesson with two girls. (Here, they are doing the long tail cast-on, of course.) They made the most wonderful noises. There were squeals of excitement, and jokes shared. They all had a lot of fun.


Then, in came a hat with one missing twist in a cable. We did a lesson in pulling cables out.
I started to take lots of pictures, and make a tutorial. But, others have gone before me, and done WONDERFUL ones. I'll point you to Yarn Harlot's example.
So, I focused on the lesson rather than on the photography. And I never took an "after" (sorry)We had a good time, and the hat left fixed, and the repair was imperceptible.

So, if you are working on a project, and you hit a road block, bring it in before your rip the whole thing back. There just may be a solution.

Young or young-at-heart, problems or just new skills, call us and book a private lesson. We'll take your knitting to the next level.

Peppermint Twist

These are a limited addition tape measure. They are so sweet!
Perfect stocking stuffer!