Knit*Six: Back on Blogger!!! (Plus an LYS review of Eleganza Yarns)

Photo: Christopher Six

Hello! Welcome back to Knit*Six @ Blogspot :-)

If you have any questions about why I chose to come back to Blogger, please visit on my "old" Wordpress Blog. This change will also explain why my entries are out of order now: I transferred a few back from Wordpress (by hand) and didn't do it chronologically!

I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting older and less resilient, but Blogger seems more comfortable and easy somehow, and--importantly--faster! I love to write and share photos, but I don't want to spend half a day getting my blog entries "just so." So, here I am, this time to stay.

Now, on to the meat-and-potatoes...

LYS REVIEW: Eleganza Yarns, Frederick, MD

Located in "Shab Row," a funky, upcoming little neighborhood in this historic town, Eleganza is housed in a 19th Century building with more than a little charm. The low ceilings and upstairs-downstairs layout add a bohemian appeal, and make browsing feel more like a treasure hunt than usual. Plus, there's plenty of free parking, a coffeehouse one block away, and an outside patio where non-knitting companions can chill when the weather's nice ;-)

Since we moved to this part of the world, I've visited Eleganza three or four times. Every time, I've found the staff friendly and helpful--even the owner, who invited me to join her as she opened a delivery of new yarn that arrived while I, the only customer at the time, was nearby.

Eleganza's yarn selection is lovely, and includes: Jo Sharp, Debbie Bliss, tons of Ella Rae classic, Dale of Norway, Noro, and even some locally spun/dyed yarns. You'll also find plenty of needles and gadgets, and a slew of books to tempt you if you're looking for some inspiration.

They do offer classes, which range from beginner to advanced levels, focusing on socks, sweaters, designing, spinning, etc. Perhaps best of all are the Sunday Sojourns and (new) Thursday night knitting groups. I'll definitely be checking those out soon!

I heartily recommend stopping in at Eleganza, whether you need something specific, crave a yarn fix now, or just happen to be in the area.

NEXT UP: I'll review Y2Knit, located in Funkstown, MD (and owned by one of the authors of YNotKnit: Step-by-Step Instructions for Continental Knitting and Knitting Basics).

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend...Happy knitting!

Knit*Six: Back on Blogger!!! (Plus an LYS review of Eleganza Yarns)

Inspiration...

I take so much inspiration from our trips to the shore. Cape May in particular. The moody colors of the sea, sand, sky, and the brilliant hues of the Victorian houses (mostly B&Bs now). And when I look more closely, I find inspiration in the lines and shapes around me: the way the grasses lie on the dunes, the windblown beach fences, the slants and curves and layers of the Victorians' architectural elements. Honestly, I could live there and never tire of it. Maybe some day...

My knitting has slowed a bit this week--as has my writing & blogging--due to indescribable back spasms in my upper back. The muscles by my left shoulderblade seem to have fused into a single, cement-hard system of knots. Like having golf balls wedged against your bones...Lovely for the nerves, as you can imagine. I can feel it all the way down to my palm. Ugh.

So, while I can't NOT knit, I've been trying to take it easy. Early in the week I played around with this:
Although I was familiar with all the techniques already, Nona's excellent improvisational knitting tutorialreally got my creative juices flowing. The swatch remains in this condition, due to my laziness about digging through my stash to pull out other bits and pieces. But it's still on the needles, so one day soon it may begin to grow again.

I also started working on Tahoe, using my purple Heirloom Breeze(ordered from Ozeyarn...they're wonderful!). Last week I said that I didn't want to look like a giant Easter egg, wearing all purple (egg comment courtesy of a rude coworker from my distant past). Then I figured out my problem with the yarn: I don't want to make something that's 100% purple Heirloom Breeze. It's wonderful yarn, but for me it needs some embellishment to de-purple it a little.

Then Tahoe came along and inspired me to cast on. I will probably use a dark shade of fingering-weight yarn (Koigu or something similar) to tone down the overall color a bit. And I may end the sleeves at 3/4 length and finish them with a few inches of lace edging in the contrasting color. No photos yet--it's in the boring inches-and-inches-of-stockinette phase. But someday soon, pictures will be taken and posted.

This weeekend, by the way, is not only mon cheri's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS! I LOVE YOU!!!!!), but also our 4th anniversary--on the same day--so we both took a long weekend off.

Hope you all have a great weekend, too.

Inspiration...