We’re celebrating the upcoming weekend of fibre fun with some great deals!
These deals are available as of right now and will run until Sunday at 4pm.
If you are free this Saturday the 24th July at 5.15pm why not pop along to TIK for a FREE talk from Louisa Harding?
Louisa will have samples of her new Autumn/Winter yarns with her and a wonderful selection of finished garments on display. She will be signing books and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about her yarns and her designs.
So if you can’t make the workshop itself this will be a great opportunity to meet Louisa and get together with other knitters. Refreshment of the red and white variety will be provided – just the thing to accompany a bit of yarn tasting!
Our Annis KAL is progressing nicely over on Ravelry and, chez TIK, both Dixie and Jacqui have finished and blocked theirs. Funnily enough they knit them out of exactly the same yarn, in exactly the same colourway, but when it was Hedgehog Fibre’s Silk Lace in the evocatively named “Damp” shade who could blame them?
Dixie added beads to hers, beautiful little silver-lined ones, and the result is stunning:
And Jacqui went the un-adorned route and let her hard-won finished object take centre stage… just look at those Nupps!
Having two (pretty much) exactly the same projects, knitted from exactly the same yarn, gave us the perfect opportunity to take these pictures…
Just look at the difference in size! Dixie changed needle sizes to get a firmer looking fabric in her FO and the effect is dramatic. One is very much a decorative scarf and the other is a decent shawlette. Just goes to show people… size does matter 
The weather just keeps on getting better – so much so that I (Charlene) am finding it really hard to keep going with my current WIP, which is another All-Seasons Cardi in the luscious Malabrigo Lace. It’s just too hot for this yummy stuff – my fingers keep sticking to the yarn and the needles and what would be a quick knit in a chilly October has become a long-drawn out slog in this sweltering summer!
Of course, I still want to knit and create, so I’ve been thinking of other things to make that will both be fun to knit in the heat and also nice to wear in the heat. Definitely at the top of my list at the moment is the fabulous Coachella, a fitted sleeveless top with an interesting neckline from Knitty’s Summer 2007 issue.
Our own dear Elana knitted the Coachella from a perfect summer yarn – Rowan Purelife Revive. This yarn is a DK recycled from used silk, cotton and viscose garments which are carded to make regenerated fiber, then spun into a beautiful, high quality yarn. The finished result (as you can see here) is a super-flattering summer knit that you can actually comfortably knit in summer weather!
Do you have a technique you’d like to learn? Or a project that’s stuck in a rut and needs to be rescued? We can help – even if the dates or times of our specific classes don’t suit your schedule. For example, if you’d like to learn how to knit socks and can convince, cajole or bribe two other knitters to come with you then we will set up a class at a time that works for you all.
That’s our “Knit3Tog” system – if there’s a minimum of three people attending we can run any class topic you like, including Project Help, so each participant can get assistance with different techniques. Contact us today to book the class of your choice, at your time.
The set Class Schedule for Autumn is currently being drawn up and it should be hitting the inboxes of newsletter subscribers in the next week or so. We’re looking forward to another busy season of new skills and great projects!
As many of you know, we are taking part in a This Is Knit knitalong of the beautiful free pattern Annis, which was published in the Spring/Summer issue of Knitty.
We started on Sunday the 13th of June to finish within a 6-week timeframe, so there is still plenty of time to get involved if you are interested in participating. There are also a few fabulous incentives to the knitalong:
1. Yarn purchased for the chosen project will be eligible for a 10% discount.
2. Free assistance with the project will be available each Sunday for 6 weeks from June 13th at the Shop, from 2.30pm until 3.30pm.
3. Every knitter that finishes the project within the 6-week timeframe will be entered into a free raffle for a basketful of yarny goodies!
Some of the speedier knitters have already finished theirs, to great effect! You can join in, look at the works in progress and amazing finished pieces on our Ravelry forum. Join us!
As you know, we have been stocking local dyers for a long time here at This Is Knit – from the inception of the Dublin Dye Company’s scrumptious sock yarns, right through to Laura Hogan’s fabulous fibres.
Now, we have two new additions to our Irish-dyed stock of yarns – Hedgehog Fibres and Gaiety Girl Fibre Arts, both going out the door almost as fast as they came in!
If you want to check out our stock, pop on down to the shop to have a look (and a feel!) or take a peek at our online shop where we have several of the cutest Gaiety Girl skeins still up for grabs!
Louisa will be teaching a full day workshop on Saturday the 24th of July at This Is Knit on playing with the colours and textures of different yarns within a piece that will be transformed into a glamorous knitted purse. Throughout the day Louisa will show you how to experiment with these yarns to achieve unique and attractive results in your knitting.
Louisa will also explain and demonstrate how to make twisted cords which act as the purse closure. This fun workshop will be a great experience for knitters of all skill levels.
The workshop times will be 10.00-12.30 with an hour for lunch and then 1.30-4.30 for the afternoon session.
Materials are included in the workshop fee. Participants will just need to bring 4mm, 5mm and 6mm needles.
Tea/coffee and biscuits are also included for the morning and afternoon sessions. Our new neighbours at the “Pepper Pot” cafe will have a special lunch time offer for workshop participants.
If you’ve never met Louisa before then you are in for a treat – she’s a delight to spend time with and her enthusiasm for her craft really shines though. She will be bringing along some of her new yarns to preview for Autumn Winter 2010 and she’ll also have finished garments with her to show how they knit up and for people to try on. This is a day not to be missed
The cost for the day is €75. A €40 deposit will be taken at the time of booking. To book phone us on 01-6709981 or contact us by email.
Join us for a TIK World Wide Knit in Public Event on Sat 19th June from 12.30pm
We’ll be hosting a WWKIP event in support of the Innocent “Big Knit” campaign 2010 on Sat 19th June. There will be free patterns, free smoothies and free yarn for hat knitting purposes Just bring along your needles and hooks…
There’s going to be a fab raffle on the day for prizes that include fruity coloured yarn, fruity needles and a month’s supply of very fruity smoothies! Each hat donated on the day will be exchanged for one ticket in the draw.
If you would like more information on the “Big Knit” then you can click here for details.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 19th!
One of the traits common to most knitters is the love of trying new crafts and projects out – many knitters also have other hobbies on the go such as scrapbooking, crochet or quilting. Well, one hobby that has really caught the knitters of Dublin up in its whirlwind lately is spinning! Not the cycling-in-one-spot kind of spinning either, but the act of spinning one’s own yarn from batt, roving, pieces of silk and other bits and pieces lying around (but the Laura Hogan roving is the creme de la creme for the discerning spinner!).
There’s even a Dublin Spin-In, held in the Powerscourt Centre Loft one Sunday per month from 1pm onwards. If this sounds like just your cup of tea or you are looking for your “next” favourite hobby – come along and enjoy the fibres and colours with other like-minded enthusiasts! You can read more about spinning in Dublin on the Dublin Knit Collective discussion boards on Ravelry, learn about spinning, and of course you can get all the materials you need at our place right before before the Spin-In!