Monday, February 28, 2011

Pictures as Promised!

First up are my Northman Mittens - I used Mission Falls 136 in Natural and Red - I was just dying to knit red and white mittens and these did not disappoint! I actually lined them with 100% Cashmere fingering that I had in my stash. They are super warm!


And the next - the first of many I'm sure Spilly Jane Isidora in Sunday Knits yarn. I had lots of yarn left from the kit - I'm almost positive I might have enough for a second pair.


Next ones up are Sea Minerals and also a Tanis Four Seasons Hat - I'm really into colorwork these day - I find it pretty simple if the chart is done!


The website is working - if some of you are still getting the 'forbidden' message it's because your ISP hasn't refreshed the cache or something like that. It happened to me yesterday - using my Rogers Stick I could access the site, but using our home provider it took quite a bit longer. And please....if you notice any errors or anything missing please let me know - it's a work in progress and I was really pushing last week and over the weekend to get something up!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

All together now....

Hurray! Pickupsticks.ca is back! Not all the way back but live and working so you can order the new stuff of which there's quite a bit so far and the sale stuff!

All the Spilly Jane's are up and boy oh! boy am I a fan of the patterns and the yarn! You will be too! Sunday Knits is a dream to work with - have a look here and what we've got!

Tanis' Four Seasons Hat Kits arrived - Sarah is busying working on a sample. I've got one all picked out to make too!

One of the new Indie Dyers is expected this week - my new fiber from Zen Yarn Garden has arrived and is scheduled to arrive here around the end of March or so.

I'll post some pics tomorrow of Isidora mittens - sooooo, soooo pretty!

It's Oscar time!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Fun Stuff and a Contest

All of the Knit Picks stuff arrived today and I must say I've very excited to have it in the shop. I made an error on my previous post - the Yarn Swifts actually retail for $55.49 and the Ball Winders for $22.49 - both together are now about the same price of either the ball winder or swifts that I used to carry. Also, in the box were sets of blocking wires - lots of them for just $22.49 plus pins - oh and the Harmony Wood Interchangeables - gorgeous!


So now for the contest - the lovely Roxanne from Zen Yarn Garden is having a yarn spun especially for Pick Up Sticks - it will be a sport weight available in 12 exclusive colorways. So far the yarn is nameless so we've decided to turn that over to all of you. The winner of the contest will receive a free skein of the new yarn in the color of their choice. So here's the details:


Yarn Content: 40% Superwash Merino, 30% Alpaca, 20% Cashmere, 10% Silk

100g=215yds


So put your thinking caps on ......certainly you are all more ingenious then we've proven to be! Please leave a comment - winner will be decided by Roxanne!


Hey - one more thing - did you see the new pattern that Meghan Jackson put up for free on Ravelry - it's awesome - uses one skein of anything - yup -anything!

Gamma Ray
So pretty! Such a great idea!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Colorwork

I have decided that I love colorwork - I've always had a thing for it - but now it's for sure. Meet Isidora from Spilly Jane with yarn provided by Sunday Knits. Great pattern - really, really great pattern - like how the chart is divided up by needle so you know quickly if you've made a mistake! And the yarn....well, aaaaamazing! Three different blends all the same weight so much fun - you can't really see it in the photo but the light flowers are glowing with angora!Here's the palm of the mitten - different pattern, same colors so it kept things interesting! And the thumb - it's plain - how great is that? - no fiddling with lots of colors. That SpillyJane is a smart cookie - and guess what lots and lots of these kits will be at Pick Up Sticks in about 2 weeks with classes to help you get started on your very own SpillyJane's.


This is another mitt in my bag - Northman mitts - I'm knitting with Mission Falls 136 Superwash Merino - these are a late Xmas (ok, very late!) gift for my friend, Martha - very similar to Fiddlehead in that they are also lined. I'm working on finishing this one now and then going back to finish the other Isidora.

Friday, February 04, 2011

By Special Request

Lo and behold as I was re-organizing shelves I found a lonely skein of Poppy in Tanis Green Label - combine that will Buttercup and Orange Blossom and voila! I've got the kit that Rayna was asking for. This is a one off because there's no more poppy.

Photo is much more washed out than the actual colors.

Guess What's On the Way to....

Pick Up Sticks?
Ball Winders $22.49









Set of Harmony Wood DPNs $42.49








Swift $72.49







Harmony Wood Interchangeable Set
$94.49



There's also the Nickel Plated Interchangeable Set coming as well. Knit Picks offers a program for stores to buy the needles and tools for our customers - so let me worry about the duty and exchange - they should be here by the end of next week so pop in and have a look! I'm currently knitting with the Harmony Wood DPNs and I love 'em!

In the comments yesterday, Rayna asked when I would have the kits ready for the Grammy Hat and Mitten Kits and the answer is today - I'm doing them in 4 colors.


Original: Teal, Mallard, Spearmint, Buttercup




















Girls : Grape. Lilac, Sweetheart,











Boys: Midnight, Chestnut, Garnet, Amber

Neutral: Sand, Shadow, Stormy, Olive











Couldn't get the red, orange, yellow to work :)
Thanks to Tanis for permission to make the kits and distribute the patterns!

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Giddy Up Gidget!

I've been hard at work on a project for Emma - a horse sweater! - one of the riders at the barn showed up one day with this amazing Cowichan sweater that she got for Christmas from Aritzia - I searched high and low for it for Emma with no success and truthfully, was not all the excited about the $85 price tag that went along with the store bought one. So began my search for a horse sweater - and finally I decided to follow Meghan's example and buy a kit. I switched the reindeers to horses, the other designs to horse shoes, added her name on the back, lengthened it alot and now I'm proud to say - it's almost done - just drying and then buttons! The best part is Emma loves it!


New yarns have been pouring in here for me to check out - here's the pile of yes yarns - yarns that will be coming to Pick Up Sticks. Most of the new yarns we hope to debut at the Knitter's Frolic in Toronto on April 30th - I can't be there this year because I will be on my way back from Florida but the magnificent Meghan and the super Sarah along with some others will be manning the booth!
Oh and this little pile of gorgeousness - I'm casting on this afternoon. New kits coming to us soon! Can't tell because it's all part of the new plans!
I begin setting up a new refreshed website next week too! I'm excited about that - we will still be live on line until the actual day of the big switch. Lots of work to do - fun, fun, fun!