Rhinebeck 2014

                        

Every year Patricia's Yarns takes a bus trip to Rhinebeck for the annual New York Sheep and Wool Festival. And this year didn't disappoint! The weather was perfect for wearing hand-knits and the fairgrounds were beautiful and packed with artisan vendors. 

Our bus ride along the New York Thruway.

A Margaux (a.k.a. Tentenknits) Selfie!

We caught up with Jackie from Soak! 

And the animals are soooo cute!

Balling yarn on the bus...

It was a beautiful day to get out of the city. We look forward to you joining us next year!  Knit, Crochet, Create... In Rhinebeck!

Spring is in the Air

It happened! Mother Nature has (finally) brought Spring - and it is here to stay (I hope). I have spotted daffodils and crocus' sprouting around town. Spring accessories are slowly making their way into our wardrobes and our cooler-weather items are getting moved to closets. But before you put those items away, you need to make sure they are ready for storage, right?

So, what to do? Dry clean? Machine wash? Hand wash? 

Depends on the item, the yarn, and the recommended care. When in doubt - hand wash. We are huge fans of Soak, a wonderful wool wash that does not need rinsing but will clean your hand made woolens beautifully. Fill a clean tub (bowl/sink/tub) with lukewarm water, some Soak and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Gently swish it around - rinse and squish out excess water in a clean towel or two. Then lay flat to dry until.... 

Until cooler air returns, let's enjoy some lighter weight scarves and shawls. Maybe knit a toy for spring - or a market bag for farmers markets! Whatever you do, enjoy these lovely days!

Knit, Crochet - Create!   

Another classic from Churchmouse

Churchmouse Yarns and Teas publishes beautiful patterns that are timeless and classic in style. We sell their patterns and have quite a few samples knit up in the shop. 

For my trip to TNNA in Ohio, I chose to knit Annabella's Cowl out of Koigu KPPPM and Shibui Silk Cloud. It was perfect travel knitting - and so lovely to work with as the Silk Cloud is amazingly soft.  

I recently finished.  This  project is another great example of why blocking is so important. Here is the before: 

during:

and after:

I am really pleased with how it came out. The color is beautiful and this cowl couldn't be softer. 

The blocking process truly is magical; the stitches relax and fall into place making for a gorgeous finished piece. 

To block, I fill my sink with cool water, add a teaspoon of Soak wash, submerge my knitted piece, and squish it around a bit to make sure it is saturated. I let it sit for 15 minutes, drain the sink, squeeze out excess water, roll it up in a towel to get out more water, then lay flat to dry. Sometimes I use blocking wires to help maintain straight edges but this time I only needed pins. It takes a finished project from nice to gorgeous. 

I love this cowl!

Knit, Crochet, Create!

-Patricia