Awesome DPNs, New Knitting and Soft-As-Cashmere Yarn...Oooh La La!!

Hi! How the heck are you? I am fine, thank-you!

Now that the pleasantries are over :), let's get right to it, shall we?

I have to give a super-duper review here of a super-duper line of products....I just couldn't wait to share them with you...




See these?? I know the pic isn't that great but these DPNs by Knit Picks rock the HOUSE! I had been hearing a lot of buzz about them and, having been terribly disappointed with my other DPNs, I decided to try them out. I bought the ENTIRE set. They were so cheap (about $3.99-$5.99 ---> right there should convince you to try them!) that I couldn't decide on just 1 size so I got them all. Ok. All I can say is that you should RUN, not Walk, right out there and get them! They feel very similar to Addi-Turbos and I assume are made of similar materials. They glide effortlessly and your knitting will speed along (be careful not to let your stitches slip off the ends!) and they are lightweight! Absolutely no pressure is put on your fingers and wrists. They are fantastic! Get them, please!

I have been disappointed with my bamboo dpns because they have begun to split on the ends. So frustrating! Seems to occur right in the middle of knitting something complicated and without warning...And my other metal ones have literally bent after working with them from the heat of my hands and, even though I can bend them back, they are never quite the same, you know? Some of them have slightly pitted too. Yuck! And plastic?? Forget it! Yarn doesn't slide easily.

These dpns are PERFECT and, unlike Addi-Turbos, they are a lot less expensive. I don't think Addi makes dpns, do they?? Forget hunting for the perfect dpns...here they are! Geez, I sound like an info-mercial but I call it like I see it and these are AWESOME!....

Moving on....

A bunch of you have emailed to ask how Manny is doing (he's my new little teacup Yorkie) and I am pleased to announce that he is doing just fine! He is getting a little hairier and his color is changing a bit and he now weighs 3.6 lbs. He was only 1.2 when I got him in January but the vet said he will be full-grown in about 6 months and that they grow quickly all at once then stop. Here he is for all you Manny Fan Club Members:



When he gets a little bigger I am going to knit him a little sweater...

Ok, moving right along...

You know, when you are a yarn-dyer you initially pick out the yarn you really like and what takes color well. That doesn't mean however that you will actually work with it as much as you'd like! But, I have been in love with our Softee Alpaca Yarn for a while now and am actually taking some time to work with it quite a bit. It is, well, incredible to say the least. It is as soft as cashmere, literally, but without the hefty pricetag. You should really try it...

I am working the Softee Alpaca with this pattern by JoLene Treace from the Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits here:



Aren't they pretty? They are little lacey mitts. I fell in love with them! She used a cashmere but here are mine (in progress of course!) in the Softee Alpaca yarn in the color Los Angeles on my new dpns:




YUMMY! They are so soft...I can't wait to wear them! I will update and show you when they are done...I love them! I am hoping that JoLene will design something for us in the near future (I am working on her :).

Want to try this great yarn?? A couple of the big guys have it including Patternworks. We're proudly displayed (along with our Silky yarn) in their new Spring 2007 catalog (the one with the flowers on the front) on page 56 across from Koigu. And if you buy from them, they'll include a free scarf pattern made especially for our yarn (you'll see it there along with the yarn). Gotta try it as a cashmere replacement or just for its incredible softness!

Alright! I hope you are ready for our Fall line because we have some really cool things in store for you! And to all our blogging friends singing the praises of our yarn...THANK-YOU!

Bye for now and as always...

Have Fun & Knit Safely!
Julie
J. Knits
www.j-knits.com

Thank-You's, Procrastination and Roving

Hi!! How are you ? I am fine, thank-you!

Lots-a-doin' around here. Hope you are getting your knitting done! I have been procrastinating so badly lately but am working on getting better and finishing all those projects that are lurking around. When I look at them (so sorry looking in my catch-all knitting basket by my couch), I feel bad. They look so lonely :) But I digress...

I have to send a big thank-you out to Janet Russell of the Twisted Knitter Blog, who is "the website person, Saturday employee and the sock-knitting (basic) instructor" of Twisted Yarns in Spring, TX for this awesome photo of our sock yarn in the store:




I love it! Thanks Janet!

And another big thank-you goes out to Donna of yarn4socks.com. They are one of our online retailers and she added our name to a recent ad she placed in Interweave Knits. Here it is:



And yes, that is some of our yarn in the photo too! Check out their ad in this month's issue of IK and their website for some GREAT sock yarn! Thanks again Donna!

I've been thinking a lot about roving lately. Not because I know how to spin (gosh...I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to learn how to spin...I am completely enthralled watching people spin!) but because my midwest customers have been buying a lot of it as of late. I will be adding a thumbnail page of our roving colors to the website in the next coulple of days so check that out!

Recently I came across Amanda's blog called Insomniac's Wonderland. She is a new spinner who took some of our roving and made the most gorgeous yarn out of it. It's like a twisted thick & thin. Basically, she took this:



and turned it into this:



Awesome! It's really interesting to see what people come up with and Amanda rocked the house with this yarn!

On another note, we are pleased to be able to present new knitting designs from a company called Emma's Daughter. The designer is creating everything from socks to ?? (--> It's a secret of course!) and their creativity is unparalleled. Look for those shortly!

I need to scoot for now (more work to do!) but I'll catch up with you later!

Bye for now!

Have Fun & Knit Safely!
Julie
J. Knits
http://www.j-knits.com/

Join the J. Knits Webring!

Hi gang!

I wanted to let you know that the J. Knits Webring is now ACTIVE! The button is over to the left of this post.

You can become by clicking "join" underneath the button and then give us a bit to add you! You'll receive the code to add to your website via email...

Look forward to ringing with you!!

Have Fun & Knit Safely!
Julie
J. Knits
www.j-knits.com

Rowan 40 Trade & Hand-Dyed Yarn Knitting Tips!

Hello, hello, hello! How are you? I hope life (and knitting of course!) is treating you well...

This has been a little bit of a crappy week for me but is slowly getting better now that it's Friday!

I changed the font a bit for this post...like it??

Are you ready for the Superbowl? Do you have your knitting ready? There is nothing better in this world than knitting during sporting events :). Just make sure you don't drip your salsa on your work (don't ask please!!).

In any case...somehow I ended up with 2 copies of the most recent Rowan 40 mag. Here is a pic:




Would anyone like to trade for a different copy? Say, 35-39? If you want this one and can send me one that I don't have, that would be awesome!! Email me privately at: info@j-knits.com and just put Rowan Mag in the subject line so I don't pass it over (I get some junk mail, you know)?

Ok, now that that's done, onto business! I want to take a moment to give a couple of tips for knitting with hand-dyed yarn. The subject has come up recently so I just want to address it quickly...NO, don't hit the scroll please! It will just take a moment, ok? Here goes:

Hand-dyed yarn is beautiful and unique. We all know that! That's what makes it so popular! But in order for you to LOVE your finished product as much as you LOVE the yarn when it's skeined, merely follow these few simple tips:

1. Buy all the yarn you will need at the time you are in the store. A lot of hand-dyers dye the yarn they are sending to the store all at once so that is the closest thing to a dye lot you will ever get. Buy an extra skein or two and see if the store will allow you to return what you don't use (ask in advance!) or make socks or something with the rest. I know you are told to do this with most yarn, but with hand-dyed yarn, this point is IMPERATIVE! You might not get anything even remotely close if you go back later on.

2. Allow XTRA TIME for completing a hand-dyed yarn project. If the store is out of the color you want, they might have to special order it and that could take several weeks or even longer. If a store is asking us for a special order for a customer, we always ask when they need it by so we can be prepared and "get it to the church on time" but some companies don't extend this service and you might have to wait far beyond your need "by date". Allow ample extra time, especially around the holidays...order early if you have to!!

This one is MOST IMPORTANT so pay attention!

3. Alternate Skeins!! Please let me say it again: ALTERNATE SKEINS! Ok, what does this mean? This means that in order for you to have a wonderful looking piece at the end, you MUST work from several skeins at once! If it is a big project, like a sweater, you should work from 3-4 skeins at a time. Smaller project can be just 2-3 depending on what it is. Ok, what does all this mean (again) and how do you do it? Here goes (and it's simple so make sure you do it!!): Before you begin working, wind 3-4 skeins into those little cakes and knit 1-2 rows with 1 skein, and 1-2 rows with another skein, and so on and so on. That's what this all means...

I can't stress this enough. I mean seriously! Don't be lazy and think that because you think the skeins look like the same color to the naked eye you don't have to work from several at one time. You do!

Master knitters know this rule, beginners should to. It is the most-essential point in knitting with hand-dyed yarn...so do it!!

If you want all colors to match 1000% exactly, go to Wal-Mart and buy one of those jumbo skeins for $3...

No matter how hard we try, hand-dyed yarn is almost never, never the same. Remember #1? No dye lot. And some yarn, like ours, has heavy variegation in it's color, and if you knit with 1 skein at a time, you will get blocks and blocks of different looking stripes across your piece that don't match exactly...You will hate yourself if you do this and will have to rip the whole thing out (excuse the rant but this came up recently so I need to address it!!).

Ok, I stressed that well enough I think.

Moving on (almost done...):

4. If your yarn comes skeined all in 1 big skein, ignore rule #3. Our big skein of sock yarn comes 420 yds to the skein. This is usually more than enough to complete a pair of socks. If it comes skeined in 1 big skein, it's the same dye lot and forget #3. This is the only time you can work with just 1 skein.

Does this all sound like stuff you already know? Good. Then you are ahead of most people. Working with hand-dyed yarn is a big step for some people. It requires a larger financial commitment than cheaper yarn does, and in some cases more time too (remember Rule #3??), but, if you work with the yarn the way I've said...

You will have created a beautiful, wonderful, interesting and unique product in the end that will become an heirloom for years to come when you are finally finished. I'm not kidding... There is truly NOTHING quite as interesting as a hand-dyed, hand-knitted (or crocheted, or felted, or spun!) product. Just follow what I've said (rule #3...remember??) and you will love your creation. PROMISE!!

Ok, that's done. Onto something new...

I would love to start one of those secret pal swaps for yarn or whatever...I see them all over the place and would love to do one!! Anyone know how to get one going? Let's do it! If you want to help me organize, email me privately at: info@j-knits.com and put Swap in the subject line. I can make up a cute little button that everyone can put on their blog...It'd be fun!!

Also, blogger has decided to get with the Blogging 21st Century and so now we can list sites we have visited and liked. You can see mine to the left...

I swear...blogging is so addicting! I could spend 10 hours a day just linking from blog to blog to see what is interesting and fun. I've just started my list so check back every once in a while to see what I've been checking out...maybe your blog will be there!!!

Are we all done? I guess so for now...

Have a WONDERFUL knitty weekend and enjoy the big game!

As always...

Have Fun and Knit Safely!
Julie
J. Knits
www.j-knits.com