It feels like Friday to me!

Hello again. I will be out of town tomorrow, so I'm posting a new project a little early this week.

But first, I wanted to point out that I've added a slideshow of photos from the recent Nicky Epstein class that was offered at The Nest (look up, just below the calendar!). Nicky was here on July 6, and she taught a class on Beginning Edgings and Knitted Flowers. She also did a bit of book signing while she was here. The photos were taken by Michelle Waters of Michelle Waters Photography in Clarksburg, WV. Aren't they beautiful? Anyway, we appreciate everyone who came out for the class, and especially would like to thank Nicky for being so gracious and fun!

On to my most recent project. I really enjoyed knitting this adorable little gift. It was a present for my boss, who loves funky scarves, and had been dropping hints that she'd love a hand-knitted, but lightweight, scarf to wrap around her neck. After searching high and low for the "perfect" pattern, I found the Eden scarf, by Larissa Brown. The pattern is from Knitalong, a wonderful little book full of fun and simple patterns, many of which are designed to be knit with friends. The book also chronicles the history of the "knitalong" or KAL as they're often called. What I loved most about this book is that it wasn't just a book of patterns. It is full of intriguing stories of friendship, teamwork, and the common goal of getting something knitted! It's a great read, and a great source for simple, thoughtful patterns.

I knit my version of the Eden scarf out of 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden. The scarf was knit on size US 7 double-pointed needles. I love the way the color transitions in this yarn/pattern combo, resulting in each leaf being a slightly different color than its neighbors. It took no time at all to finish (I'd guesstimate maybe 6-8 hours of knitting time, tops) and is perfect for intermediate beginners. All in all, it was a wonderful project, one that I'd enthusiastically recommend as a quick knitted gift. Here are some photos:

It's Friday already?

Wow, this week has flown by! It's already Friday, which means it's time for me to show off a new project! This week's FO is a scarf knit out of Malabrigo Sock yarn in the Abril colorway. No photos could do justice to the variations of this kettle-dyed colorway, it's just so gorgeous!

The pattern is the Gathered Scarf by Maryse Roudier. I made the following modifications:

• I slipped the first stitch of each stockinette row for a pretty, even selvedge.
• On the decrease row, I ssk 12 times, then k2tog 12 times. (I had read on Ravelry that the scarf started to "lean" a bit to one side when you k2tog across the entire decrease row. This was my effort to avoid that, and I think it worked quite well.)
• I used smaller needles than the pattern calls for. I used US 3 and US 6 needles, while the pattern calls for US 4 and US 7. I liked the density of the fabric better on the smaller needles. However, the scarf is a bit too narrow for an adult (4" unblocked), so looking back I probably should have cast on more stitches to account for the tighter gauge. Turns out that I gave this scarf to my 7-year-old niece for her birthday, so all's well that ends well.

Finished dimensions: 4" wide, 57" long. I only used 80 grams of this yarn, which equals roughly 350 yards. Okay, here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure.

Have a fabulous weekend! I hope it's full of knitterly fun :)

~A

F.O.... Wednesday!!

Hi folks,

I'll be on vacation this Friday, so my finished object posting is coming a little early this week!

These beautiful socks are knit out of Prism Saki (80% merino, 20% nylon) in the Smoke colorway. The pattern is Blackrose by Suzi Anvin, which was featured in the Winter 2008 edition of Knitty. If you've never checked out Knitty before, you're missing out! It's a wonderful resource for beautiful, well-written (FREE) patterns!

Anyway, the Blackrose pattern is fabulous. It is really easy, but the finished product looks so nice! The combination of a simple lace panel and plain stockinette is so pretty.... Take a look! (I've included an in-progress shot that shows just how vibrant the colors are in the Prism Saki.)

Until next time....

F.O. Fridays

Hi everyone,

I suppose I'll take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Abby, I am Diana's daughter, and I have been the person primarily responsible for blog updates. I live and knit in Nashville, TN. My mother taught me to knit when she first opened her shop, but I have been knitting seriously (like, oh, everyday!) for about a year now. I really enjoy challenging myself and learning new techniques. I love sock yarn, and have built up quite a nice stash of it. And while I love to knit socks, I especially enjoy knitting non-sock items with sock yarn (who knew it was so versatile??). When I'm not knitting, I work at Vanderbilt University (conducting research on Autism), and I enjoy hanging out with my husband and our two spoiled dogs, exercising, and the occasional good book.

I am going to try something new with the shop blog - Finished Object Fridays (F.O. Fridays for short). Each Friday, I will post a photo of something I have knitted with yarn purchased at The Nest. I hope to open this forum up to other Nest Knitters, so if you'd like to show off your lovely work, please email photos and a summary (yarn, pattern, etc.) to newsfromthenest@gmail.com

For our first F.O. Friday posting, I'd like to present my newest finished project. It is one that I am extremely excited about - my first lace shawl (it's actually a mini-shawl, a "shawlette"). The pattern is Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague, who is a very creative young knitwear designer. The pattern is wonderfully written, and perfect for the novice lace knitter. And the word on the street is that the shawlette is an up-and-coming trend in the knitting world. :) My shawlette was knit on US 5 24" circular needles, and the yarn is the oh-so-fabulous Malabrigo Sock in the Turner colorway.

So, here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Have a great weekend!

Abby

Christmas in July

July has become a traditional month of creativity at The Nest for a couple of reasons:

1. We offer quick, instant-gratification project classes with 1-2 sessions, and

2. It's the perfect time to get a jump start on holiday gift knitting.

This month, we're offering the following classes:

Adorable Baby Hats

Admit it, babies in cute hats make everyone smile. :)

We've found a great new book called Itty Bitty Hats with a variety of adorable gift ideas for all seasons. We'll start with a very basic hat in July with a little Mounaineer spirit. (Sized to fit ages 0-2 years.

Tuesdays, July 21 and 28 at 11:00am OR Fridays, July 10 and 17 at 4:00pm. Cost is $20 for 2 one-hour sessions.

Felted Kureyon Stockings

These beautiful Christmas Stockings and/or Door Stockings will become an heirloom treasure! Knit out of fabulous Noro Kureyon, and felted to be strong enough to hold even the beefiest stocking stuffers!

Thursdays, July 9, 16, and 30, at 6:00pm. Cost is $30 for 3 one-hour sessions.

Malabrigo Mable Scarf (with Beth)

Knit this a-MAZE-ing scarf that looks much trickier than it is!

Wednesdays, July 22 and 29 at 4:30pm. Cost is $20 for 2 one-hour sessions.

Please call The Nest at 304.848.2444 for more information or to sign up.

2nd Annual Knit for Life

Phew! It's been a busy couple of months! Please excuse our lack of postings, we've been up to our ears in planning, knitting, spending time with our customers, meeting famous designers, and making it on the news!

Knit for Life

The second annual Knit for Life, held on June 20, was a huge success! Here are the details:

• We collected over 100 hats, all hand-knit by our knitters.
• Mable Somerville alone knitted 40 caps!! She started knitting after last year's event. YOU GO GIRL! You're an inspiration to us all!
• The Nest received an award from Relay for Life for being a sponsor and raising money for this great cause.
• We still need approximately 150 hats to reach our goal of 250. Kits are available in the shop and The Nest will be accepting knitted chemo caps all year long. The recipients of our handknit hats have reported that they provide a great deal of comfort during the worst of times, so help us reach our goal and knit, knit, knit!
• The door prizes, food, grab bags, and tote bags for knitters were a real hit. Special thanks to our sponsors and friends: Harrison County Rotary Club, Dr. Gerardo and Jennifer Lopez, Provence Market Restaurant, Country Peddler, Artworks, Paula Bomhoff, Scott Henderson Stuart McMunn, Brad and Mary Carmichael, Drs. Coonly and Brager, MVB and Larry Mazza.

Events like this remind me of why I opened The Nest. Thanks to everyone who participated! We'll try to post some photos of the Knit for Life event soon!

In the meantime, check it out - we made the news!

http://www.wdtv.com/news/local/48685612.html?skipthumb=Y

http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=61387&email=1