Have you noticed that January is now being called the month for “selfish knitting”? The reasoning goes that all gift knitting for the holidays is finished, and – for at least 31 days – we should be knitting only what we want for ourselves. I’ve been around enough knitters to know the “us vs. them” battle rages all year long. I hear “I never knit for other people” as often as “I give away everything I make.”

Right now, I have one of Jared Flood’s Turn A Square hats almost done. It started out as a gift, but the intended recipient gave the helical striping a thumbs down. Since I totally love the stripes, I’m going to keep it for myself. Does that count as “selfish knitting”? Either way, I’ll be the warmer for it, since the yarn I’m using is delicious mYak Medium. How about you? What’s on your needles this month?

In this post, “them” is definitely winning out over “us,” and it’s easy to see why. Here are three adorable child-friendly projects, starting with Gina’s Mice Socks, knit in Cascade 220 Sport.

The cute pattern comes from the book Knitted Animal Scarves, Mitts and Socks by Fiona Goble. I found it available free online, on what I hope is a site authorized by the author, here.

Sandy has been working on her Googly-Eyed Gator baby blanket for… let’s just say “awhile.” Designed by Ashley Rao, the pattern appears in the book 60 Quick Baby Blankets (available at GYI). She used Sirdar Snuggly DK. Sandy freely admits she jumped into the deep end with this project, having to learn several new techniques along the way, but she has created a masterpiece of intarsia knitting.

Bonnie chose Ultra Wool for her sweet Schleifchen Cloche* from Stephanie Carton. You know I just had to look up the German/English translation. My one year of college German taught me that -chen is a suffix that creates a diminutive, but what did Schleife mean? Ribbon! Voilà… the “little bow cloche.”

Stella, however, is squarely in the “us” camp. Her scarf uses no pattern, just simple 1×1 ribbing and soft ombré Gomitolo 200 from Lana Grossa. With one ball weighing in at a generous 200g/765 yards, she cast off at the desired length with more than enough yarn left to make a matching pair of armwarmers – for herself, of course.

The next post will sing the praises of two of our favorite yarns that will be fully restocked next week: Ultra Wool worsted and Vintage (both worsted and chunky weights) from Berroco. Watch for lots of pattern ideas for these workhorse yarns!

There’s nothing we enjoy more than seeing GYI yarn come back to the shop as your finished projects. Christine visited last week wearing her Piega* cowl in Shibui Silk Cloud and Baby Alpaca. Designed by Kristin Ford, Christine said it is one of her favorite pieces. (We love hearing that!)

Penny came in later the same day wearing her lovely Gradient cowl, the perfect complement to her smart grey jacket.The pattern comes from Shibui Knits and is worked entirely in triple-stranded Silk Cloud in easy seed stitch.

Brigid brought in a stack of amazing hats she worked on over the holidays. First up, her Tundra Bay Toque* was done in Woolstok from Blue Sky Fibers. It looks nothing like the sample in the Blue Sky poster, which shows (a) what a clever knitter she is and (b) how versatile this pattern can be.

Violet Waffles from Halldora J is a pattern Catherine introduced last year that quickly became a shop favorite. Brigid used Malabrigo Rios in the Aniversario colorway for her Waffles hat. Isn’t it fun to see the before/after of skein and FO?

Below, Lori Versaci’s Origami Top Hat*, one of two Brigid knit. This one’s looking pretty sophisticated in madelinetosh Tosh Vintage.

Her second Origami, this one a bit more playful, was knit in the Arco Iris colorway of Malabrigo Rios worsted.

Have I mentioned how popular the Origami hat is? Here is Bonnie’s, also knit in Rios. She chose the Diana colorway.

Not all of Bonnie’s FOs could make it back to the shop. Some had already been “gifted’ away. In December, we loved watching her make one Pablo the Serious Cat after another, and they clearly went to a loving home.

Stephanie happened to finish her Retrospective* from Laura Aylor on December 24th but not because it needed to be wrapped up and given away. This one’s a keeper in madelinetosh Tosh DK.

Sharon made her heavenly Honey Cowl in one of our new variegated shades of Manos del Uruguay Maxima. Design by Antonia Shankland.

 

It looks sooooo cozy.

Speaking of cozy, Joanne’s 2×2 from Tin Can Knits looks all that in bright red Malabrigo Chunky. She picked some perfect buttons, too.

(Here’s an idea: knit this easy cabled cowl with two strands of Manos Maxima held together for twice the toasty warmth.)

Jamie created this incredible Sakura dress from designer Sargantana Formenterenca with Ewe So Sporty from Ewe Ewe Yarns. It’s a welcome reminder that Spring will come… eventually!

 

Looks like there might be some stranded knitting, some intarsia, maybe even some duplicate stitch? One thing’s for sure, this is going to one very lucky little lady.

 

We were treated to another hint of spring, Gina’s buzzy bee Wonderful Wallaby, a Carol A. Anderson pattern. This one is too cute! Her yarn was Woolstok and Berroco Vintage.

Finally, meet Helen, meet Meg* from Kelly van Niekerk. I made this little hat for the newest redhead in the family, my niece’s son. I used some Classic Elite Liberty Wool from the back of my stash. He should get a few winters’ wear out of it!

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

Don’t want to “bury my lead,” so here’s our NEW YEAR news:

This frigid, icy, crazy cold weather kept so many of you away from the shop last week during our Pre-Inventory Sale (we understand, we really do!) that we are extending our sale through Saturday, January 6. A selection of premium yarns that did not get the love they deserve in 2017 are marked down 30%. The Clearance Corner shelves are also filled with lots of goodies at 40% off.

My email inbox started filling up with “Best of” lists right after Christmas. That started me thinking, which projects were Jill’s, Catherine’s, Brigid’s, and my favorites from 2017? Because not all FOs are created equal, as you know.  Some are special – maybe you loved the yarn or a cleverly written pattern or, once the tails were all woven in, the finished piece made you say, “wow, I made that?!” Sometimes an FO just brings back happy memories of where you were when that project was your constant companion – all good reasons for making a “greatest hits” list. Here are the results of my poll of the GYI crew for everyone’s top three:

J I L L

Gale by Alicia Plummer

Jill used Malabrigo Chunky for her Gale. All our remaining Chunky is now 40% off, btw. Picture is from Gale’s pattern page on Ravelry.

Paulie Cowl by Lisa Hannes

 

Naturally, this beauty was made in Shalimar Yarns Paulie. It got a thumbs up for colorwork that only looks hard but is actually easy, thanks to mosaic knitting technique. Indulge in some merino/camel/cashmere/silk Paulie for yourself. It’s on sale now for under $24.

Plaid is the New Fad by Cally Monster

A work-in-progress shot of Jill’s shawl in Baah Yarn La Jolla. Cally’s ingenious design using slipped stitches made this one special. Below, Cally showing us her Plaid at this year’s TNNA. Love how she also wears it wrapped like a hap shawl.

  

C A T H E R I N E

Void by Melanie Berg

Picture is from Void’s pattern page on Ravelry. Catherine’s comments:

I remember the initial excitement of the knit-along for this project. I had this yarn in my stash, and I didn’t use it for the project that I had purchased it for, and I just loved the color of it, and thought it would be perfect for this project. I loved the pattern and the way it created the boxes of stockinette and garter in the same “box.”

I also remember how much I didn’t like it when I had completed it and thought that I was going to rip it out to become something else some day.  Boy, was I glad I got some input from fellow knitters and did the bind off and tried it on first before ripping it out!  I actually love the way it looks, so I kept it.

No-Wrong-Side Hat by Carolyn Kern

First, I always love doing a test knit for Carolyn.  Her patterns are always well written and tech edited, so, generally, there’s nothing more to do than knit!  What I loved about the pattern, upon seeing her sample, was the brim.  She worked a fold over brim in the design that you don’t even realize is there because it works so well you don’t see it. Plus, what’s not to love about Tundra by the Fibre Company?

Bermuda Shawl by Ilga Leja

I had never done this pattern before, so I was eager to begin because of that, plus I had never used the Dipinto yarn from Lang before.  While it is a pattern that you need to keep track of, definitely not mindless knitting, it isn’t very difficult, and the end result is fabulous!

B R I G I D

Frostline by Amy Miller

100% Maxima from Manos del Uruguay for 100% gorgeous.

Recursive Shawl by Jessica Bolof

Picture is from Recursive’s pattern page on Ravelry.

Origami Top Hat by Lori Versaci

Picture of our shop model in Malabrigo Rios.

A N N

PussyHat Project by Kat Coyle

2017 began with a pile of pink yarn. I had orders for half a dozen pink hats and a deadline. Whatever your politics, the opportunity to engage in craftivism does not come around nearly as often as it should. The photo shows my daughter-in-law and her cousin wearing the hats I made for them in front of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. at the Women’s March on January 21, 2017.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances – First Amendment to the United States Constitution

Guernsey Baby Blanket née Guernsey Wrap by Jared Flood

I enjoyed the challenge of re-working the long rectangular Guernsey Wrap design into a square blanket, and I really enjoyed using the Modern Cotton yarn from Berroco. The stitches practically flew off my needles. It was not as much fun, however, re-re-working my modifications after Mr. Flood completely changed his original charts and directions, but these things happen. Both his (updated) pattern and my (updated) instructions for the blanket are available at the shop.

Good Fortune Wrist Warmers by Ann Ross

Yup, by me! My very first original pattern. I learned so much about the whole process: imagining, designing, swatching, writing, and testing a knitting pattern. My hat’s off to all designers out there. Working with Arranmore Light from the Fibre Company was a treat. Would you like the free pattern? Click for a downloadable PDF: Good Fortune Wrist Warmers, v. 2018.

So that’s our Best of 2017. What tops the list of your favorite FOs?

Next post: Finished projects from Stephanie, Sharon, Jamie, and… you? Happy New Year!

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Are you on Instagram? I post for the shop as @followthyarn. I must confess I jumped on the “Best Nine” bandwagon this year. Users can make a collage of their 9 most “liked” shots of the year and post with #2017bestnine. Here are our top ♥-getters:

We will be open our regular hours through December 30, all the better to help you stretch your yarn dollars with our end-of-year sale on select yarn and all books. You’ll save 30% – plus we’ve stocked the clearance corner with new items marked down 40%!

Don’t forget that 2017 Frequent Buyer Points expire this Saturday. During the sale, if your Frequent Buyer Points earn you greater savings than a sale price, we will redeem your points so you will save more.

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I realized recently that I hadn’t written here about our new mYak Baby Yak Medium yarn, a luxurious worsted weight. This extraordinary yarn has all the boxes checked: it’s soft, sustainably sourced, incredibly durable, warm, comfortably light, and just plain beautiful. mYak (pronounced my-yak) is a good yarn: good for the Tibetan herders who raise the animals, good for the the planet, good to work with and to wear:

Above, our shop sample of the Bonner Hat* from Sarah Solomon in the Desert shade of mYak Medium. The Baby Yak loves cables.

Our palette is a versatile mix of natural shades, light/dark shade pairings, and “pop” colors, too. With January, a.k.a. “selfish knitting month,” approaching, we hope you will treat yourself to this unique and deeply satisfying yarn – because you deserve it!

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Jane’s Christmas stocking is a masterpiece. The pattern is from Michelle Hunter, Christmas Trifecta*. The yarn is Ultra Wool from Berroco. You can count on this designer for clear and well-written patterns, plus she includes helpful video support for all techniques used.

If you (like me) look at such beautiful work and think, I should make gorgeous stockings for my family, too, here’s some advice: don’t wait to cast on until next December. Start knitting those heirlooms now!

If you are already familiar with Fair Isle knitting, please join our Stranded Knitting Group on the first Wednesday of the month at 2:00 p.m. It’s free, and it’s not a class. It’s just an hour or two for knitters who love this technique to “talk shop.” Next meeting is January 3.

Our newest sample: Bermuda Scarf* from Ilga Leja. Okay – the pattern isn’t new to GYI; we had this shawl on display years ago, knit in a now-discontinued yarn, that was one of our most popular samples ever. But when our Dipinto fingering weight arrived from Lang Yarns, we knew it was time to revisit Bermuda. Catherine made this lovely model for the shop. (Who doesn’t love self-striping yarns?)

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In time for last minute gift stitching, we’ve re-stocked dozens of new colors of our favorites Maxima from Manos del Uruguay and Rios from Malabrigo. We’ve also introduced Fibre Company Tundra to our shelves!

Tundra is a bulky weight without the bulk. It’s a 2-ply blend of soft baby alpaca, bouncy merino, and shiny silk. It’s a plump and lofty yarn that offers warmth without weight.

Tundra also happens to be the yarn of choice for Carolyn Kern’s latest amazing design, the No-Wrong-Side Hat.

 

This two-in-one reversible hat (in 3 sizes) was created with Tundra after Carolyn was selected by the Fibre Company to participate in their Fall 2017 Yarn Support Programme – no small honor! Several GYI customers test knit for her, and we knew we had to bring Tundra in after hearing how much they loved the yarn.

If you’d like give (or get) the cozy warmth of Tundra in a cowl, may we suggest the Shawl Collared Cowl* from Alana Dakos?

Or, if you’re up for Cat Bordhi’s Moebius Cast-on, how about casting on 70 stitches and alternating knit and purl rounds? Our sample of just that simple a “pattern” was worked with 200 yards of Malabrigo Chunky on US 11 needles.

Two ginormous cartons filled with Manos del Uruguay Maxima arrived last week, a mix of variegated, tonal, and highlighter bright shades. Maxima is a super soft and squishy kettle-dyed 100% merino worsted weight. The one-ply construction makes it a great all purpose yarn, and the fantastic yardage (218 yards) makes it perfect for 1 skein accessory projects.   

This one is called Chrysanthemum:

Here is Joanne’s Brioche Cowl*, a shop pattern that’s free with the purchase of 2 skeins of Maxima. Love her color combo of Royal and Helium. (Both are back in stock. Just sayin’.)

Manos also has some great free 1-skein patterns. There’s Handful of Berries Mittens by Jocelyn Tunney:

Peasleeville by Melissa LaBarre:

and Paper Bag Cap by Lisa Myers:

And, of course, we re-filled the Malabrigo Rios cubbies, too. We have Sabiduria back, which was used for our shop sample of Lori Versaci’s Origami Top Hat*.

 

Joji Locatelli’s newest free pattern, Rafa’s Hat, would look terrific in Rios…

…as would Elena Nodel’s Stormy Waters, another freebie.

And I made Courtney Kelley’s Croft House Beanie in Rios and loved every stitch on my US 7 needles.

Here’s another of our new DellaQ project bags. Tuck your own stitching inside or use these cute (and pithy) bags as gift packaging for your yarn-loving friends.

We’ve also replenished our supply of the largest size of Mybaggee bags. They’re a personal favorite of mine because they’re big enough to hold an 8½ x 11 pattern page (without folding) and multiple balls of yarn, plus you can place your working yarn between the snaps and knit away, knowing your yarn is staying put.

Tosh DK in Liquid Gold was Renee’s choice for her snappy Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly van Niekerk, completed in just a week. How cute! She had enough yarn to make a matching Barley hat, too, using the Tin Can Knits free pattern.

(Even our customer FOs give me a chance to crow about new yarns in the shop. Did I mention a few weeks back that we received new colors of madelinetosh Tosh DK?)

And Karen took Purl Soho’s Homestretch Hat, four colors of Baah Sequoia, a bit of math to downsize the pattern to smaller needles, and whipped up five (!) gift hats that will make five lucky folks very happy. Looks like she has now crossed the finish line.

If you’re on the homestretch with your gift knitting, visit and let us cheer you on!

 

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

 

We have some simply gorgeous yarns that are still waiting for their “forever” homes. To help give them a nudge out the door, these select yarns will be 25% off on December 2, 9, and 16. Each Saturday, we’ll mark down new yarns, so snap up the savings on your favorites while you can! The yarns du jour will be posted here and on our Facebook and Ravelry group pages. (Have you followed us on Facebook yet and joined our Ravelry Group? Please do!)

Our Saturday Sale yarns on December 2 will be…

Cardiff Cashmere, 120 yards/25g, 100% cashmere, DK

HiKoo Simply Cria, 95 yards/25g, 100% alpaca, worsted

Fyberspates Gleem Lace, 875 yards/100g, 55% BFL/45% silk, lace

 

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Looking for gifts for a stitcher?

Those wonderful felt Basket Weave Totes from Gleener are just now back in stock.

And we have handsome, affordable, oh-so-useful Indian Rosewood and Mango wood yarn bowls, too.

And a slew of fun project bags just arrived from Della Q! One of our favorites…

 

 

 

One big holiday down… now it’s time to look at those gift lists and decide who is knitworthy. Maybe you’d like to learn a new technique to make a special project… maybe you or someone you know would like to start your knitting adventures!

♦  Knitting 101
Saturday, December 2; 9:00-10:00 a.m.
How about getting an early start on a New Year’s resolution to learn to knit? In this one-hour session you will learn to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. All materials supplied, plus you’ll have a 10% New Knitter Discount to use to purchase supplies for practicing at home. $15.

♦  Thrummed Mittens
Saturday, December 2; 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Learn how to add a fluffy lining of unspun wool fleece to your mittens to keep hands unbelievably warm. Previous experience with double point needles or the Magic Loop method required. Fleece and pattern for adult mitten supplied. Cuff worked prior to class. $30.

♦  First Hat/Fast Gift: Croft House Beanie
Saturday, December 2; 2:00-4:00 p.m.
New to knitting in the round? Here’s a simple but stylish hat that’s a perfect way to master circular needles and double points. We’ll discuss brim options  and how to re-size patterns like this one that are written for a single adult size. Get the free pattern here. $30.

♦  Stranded Knitting Study Group
Wednesday, December 6; 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Not a class, this will be a once-monthly support group for stranded knitting. The only way to become proficient in this colorwork technique, also called Fair Isle knitting, is practice, practice, practice – so that’s what we’ll do together! Participants invited to bring their own projects and share any tutorials, patterns, videos, etc. that they’ve found helpful. Free.

Please call 570-287-9999 at least 72 hours in advance to reserve your spot in our classes. This gives us time to prepare your class materials and allows you to finish any pre-class homework

Who doesn’t want to spend less and get more? The savings start at 15 and go up to 40% off everything in the shop today and tomorrow. That’s means more cash that gets to stay in your wallet. And tuck your American Express card in there, too – we now accept all major credit cards!

Leave the dishes in the sink, there’s a sale this Friday and Saturday!

It’s our way of saying thank you to our supportive, talented, inspiring customers. Nowadays, with so many places to buy yarn, find patterns, get advice, and learn how-to, we’re proud to offer all that and more as your local yarn shop.

We hope to see you on “Black Friday” or “Small Business Saturday.” Whether you’re making for others, making for yourself, or giving to your fellow makers, this is the best time to stock up and save on yarn and other good things. If you can’t make it to the shop in person, call with a telephone order. And have the happiest of Thanksgivings!

 

We love the updated look and features of our new website and hope you do, too! We have the talented Carrie of Identity Design Services to thank for the makeover (as well as all the behind-the-scenes bells and whistles that websites need these days to be read on all devices). We found Carrie, who is a knitter herself, through friends in the yarn business. If you are looking for a website designer/developer, she is a joy to work with.

Our original WordPress-based blog has been retired. Older posts have been moved over here. To celebrate the convenience of having all our GYI news finally in one place, this post features only finished projects – if it weren’t for our wonderful customers using our yarn and coming back for more, we wouldn’t be going into our 8th year and re-launching our website!

Renee made her stunning Void shawl with Woolstok from Blue Sky Fibers. This is going to be a cozy and comforting shawl for the winter ahead.

Grey is clearly a favorite of Renee’s. Her Ghostwood Mittens* from Kiyomi Burgin were worked with a strand of cinder-y Berroco Ultra Wool held with a strand of Sugarbush Drizzle silk/mohair. Renee said she enjoyed working the pattern’s afterthought thumb, especially after reading the designer’s helpful tutorial on picking up stitches.

No neutrals for Bonnie – her choice for Stephanie Lotven’s Mrs. Clause Pointy Hat was a bright and jolly shade of Silk Blend from Manos del Uruguay.

Brigid followed the classic 1898 Hat pattern and used Malabrigo Rios for her latest hat. The double layer of garter stitch in the earflap brim means no cold ears for Brigid on her daily walks! The designer is Kristine Byrnes.

For my early morning walks, holding on to a dog on a leash, I’m wearing these fingerless gloves in Malabrigo Rios. The pattern is Spiced Cocoa* from Laura Aylor.

At 6:30 a.m. in the cold and dark, I’m also sporting my Lanvad Hat* with its new upper story. The first time I cast off this hat in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, it was being made as a shop sample. Once it was retired, I reclaimed it, pulled out the top decrease rows and added more repeats of the cabling to better fit my melon-size head. And it worked! Lanvad Hat* (and it’s matching cowl) designed by Justyna Lorkowska.

 

Speaking of shop samples, Catherine completed this gorgeous Stitch Sampler Shawl recently to showcase our big, beautiful 765 yard cakes of Gomitolo 200 from Lana Grossa. You could use a gradient yarn like Gomitolo or multiple yarns for this pattern from On This Day Designs – could be a great stash buster!

 

Note: All patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!