Hand Held Ladies

Karen and Cassy

2010-07-28T09:13:00.005-06:00

Colleen and I celebrated our birthdays this summer and are now in the midst of some required physical maintenance. While we are recuperating and Sarah Jo is apprenticing in Ohio, we are relying heavily on the talents of Karen and Cassy. If you haven't met them yet you will really enjoy them. Both are U. of A. students with different backgrounds and talents. They are both hard workers, very responsible young women and great enthusiastic knitters. Karen is KKPwnall on Ravelry and has a blog http://www.stitchonezoomin.blogspot.com/ and Cassy is casystotyle on Ravelry and her blog is http://www.knitthehellout.com/. Two cool girls, two cool styles.

So, Block Ave. is getting a tune up, Colleen and I are getting improved parts and knitting goes on! Karen and Cassie are minding our continued "sidewalk" sale to make room or new yarn. It's starting to arrive along with new ideas for fall, holiday projects and gifts.

I hope you hang in there with us - your support is so precious. Drop in and have a chat and a knit with Karen and Cassy!

Love ya,
Joy

Knitting challenges

2010-07-16T14:19:00.002-06:00

Last night we convened for our weekly wonderful customer social knitting/crochet group at the shop. We meet from 6:00 - 8:00 every Thursday. Karen took a picture of the gathering. We had birthday treats, some wine, and some great people.

Ideas, inspiration, and skills were shared among the range of novice to experienced knitters. One topic that came up was the notion that there are some folks out there who are intimidated by our shop's specialty - they don't know enough about knitting or crocheting to be one of "us". That makes me sad, 'cause I've always thought our mission was to provide, not only quality materials and tools, but the help with that stuff - no experience required. We provide the support that a general craft store cannot: learn to knit and crochet classes, project classes, drop-in help, answering quick questions, hand holding, as well as bringing together a community of knitters and crocheters that help one another.

For example, I was sitting next to Amy who was finishing up her summer lace, a fabulous form-fitting Vogue cover-up, and she needed help on the crochet edge. Tracie coached her on the first step and she then asked me if she was doing the crab stitch correctly. Well, I can't crochet my way out a paper bag, so I went to get Knitter's Companion for a reference. Sadly, we were sold out. So, I asked Barbara if she knew how to do that stitch. She sat with Amy for the duration and then Amy modeled the finished garment! Voila!

In addition, Jane was teaching how to knit lace, while I coached Andrea, who knows how to stand on her head (which is much harder), on some new stitch patterns. These are just of few of my observations. My point is that all it take is the desire to learn. Knitting and crocheting are not "hard". Life is hard and we're all doing that successfully - sometimes better on a particular day than the next - but we can do knitting an crocheting together and help each other along the way with all the rest, too!

Love you guys!

We're Having Fun Now

2010-06-18T12:35:00.006-06:00

Despite what it looks like in this picture of Sarah Jo,we worked really hard at Market. Sarah Jo got her feet wet in the design world before she left for her apprenticeship with Shannon Oakey. Joy and I combed the vendor booths for the best of all the yarn choices for fall and winter. It's always so exciting to see all there is out there. We feel really confident that we made some really great buys this season. We also met some fabulous people, including Grace Anna Farrow, and Amy Butler. We had lunch with Amy, and are very excited to be offering her complete line of new yarns and designs this fall. Just stay tuned for an upcoming event featuring it. Amy gave us lots of ideas and in addition to being inspirational, is a very nice person. That goes ditto for Grace Anna . We will be featuring her designs also and are going to add Isager wool that she uses in her most recent book. It is a wonderfully dyed, incredibly drapey , lightweight wool, that makes the most of her spectacular shawl designs. If you have been around the shop lately you've heard many of us ooing and aahing over her designs.

Though the heat is raging, my mind is on fall and all the shop goings on that will be upcoming. We have some wonderful classes planned so don't forget to check our website and newsletter for updates. We are in the midst of updating our website so if it seems lacking or you can't get there for a little bit, try again. We will soon have a new webmaster and despite my lack of web knowledge I feel confident it will be more up to date and easier to view.

World Wide Knit in Public Day was over 90 degrees in this part of the world but a few brave souls showed up on the Fayetteville Square and showed all the Farmers Market crowd how portable and beautiful knitting can be. We held a raffle that day for a Knit Kit and the winner was one of our new knitters. That was just perfect, because she can now move on to her next project with a lot of new tools to help her. For those of you who don't know the Knit Kit is a compact little case that has wonderful things included in it like stitch markers, scissors, point protectors, tape measure, and much more. You just throw it in your bag and end the constant searching around for the tools you need.

I hope you all make it down to the shop this season and start planning those Holiday knitting gifts, as you know ,it's never too soon to start. And I promise you will be pleased with the selections we have made for this fall.

WWKIP Day

2010-06-17T17:05:00.006-06:00

Join us on Saturday June 19th for World Wide Knit in Public Day. We'll be swarming the Fayetteville Square during the Farmer's Market - no particular gathering place, just form groups as you please. Bring a chair, your knitting and a friend, and don't forget to stop by Hand Held to enter a raffle. We had lots of fun last year, so come by!

Also, our yarn of the month is Koigu!

It's 20% off for the month of June, and we have lots of lovely colours - and some great patterns from Churchmouse. There's a Linen Stitch Scarf, a cute Beaded Beret, and a ruffle scarf.

Knitting Art

2010-06-03T09:29:00.008-06:00

Knit graffiti!

Go check out the Fayetteville Square (i would suggest soon, as we don't know how long it'll be up). We covered 3 sides of the Square and all the light poles in front of the Towne Center.

The Tuesday Stitch 'n' Bitchers and Hand Held coordinated on this, as well as a First Thursday display in the shop of Cynthia Parker's mad knitting skilz. We're convening at Hand Held for that and partay tonight from 6-8.

See you there!

March in Seattle

2010-03-23T13:07:00.004-06:00

Don't I look happy? And why shouldn't I? I'm on a ferry going from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to see Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. That was just one of the wonderful things that Joy and I did while visiting Seattle for the Yarn Market News Business Conference. We saw and learned lots. Hopefully you will see some of the things we've learned in a future trip to the shop. We are always trying to find ways to make our shop and your shopping experience a little better. Our collective minds have been buzzing about the upcoming season and we will be letting you know about some of the classes and events we will be having soon. Meanwhile remember there are a few more days left of Noro Month and we have 2 yarns featured this week.

Tiedyed Colours and Travel Plans

2010-03-11T21:51:00.008-06:00

Behold, the contents of the 3 giant boxes that came in Tuesday!

Louisa Harding Mulberry, a 100% DK weight silk (along with a book full of gorgeous patterns)

Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, a worsted weight 50/50 wool/cotton blend in an array of colours

Supersocke from On Line, a self-patterning sock yarn that's 20% angora. The photo can't begin to convey the buttery softness

And that's not even all of it!

This week's 25% off Noro yarn is Sekku, a classically-Noro-striping lace weight

Joy and Colleen are off to a Yarn Market News Conference in Seattle this Saturday through Wednesday, but i'll be holding down the fort til they get back. Colleen's taking along a vest made from a new Araucania cotton laceweight

A(n almost) Spring Rainbow!

2010-03-05T21:29:00.007-06:00

The votes are in, and the winner is... Noro Silk Garden! 72% of those that voted preferred Silk Garden, followed by 27% for "one Hand Held doesn't carry" (if Ya'll could elaborate on that in the form of a comment, it would be appreciated), and Kureyon and Taiyo tied at 18%.

As You may know, March is Noro Month here at Hand Held. We'll be hosting several brightly-coloured events throughout the month - i believe tomorrow's slipped stitch hat class is full, but we still have the pattern (and yarn, of course) available, and if You've always wanted to try entralac but never have, we've got a class for that on the 27th!

Each week we'll have a different Noro yarn on sale - check Your inbox for newsletter updates.

This week's is Kureyon - for one more day, it's 25% off!

Joy has been having fun with Taiyo. This sweater is from Noro Flowers book 4.

And, not Noro but perfect for spring, we're getting in some wonderful new summer yarns! Amoung them, Jil Eaton Cottontail

and beautiful lacy scarf kits from Jade Sapphire

with more coming every day!

Socks - Top Down vs. Toe Up

2010-02-21T19:18:00.010-06:00

The results of last week's poll are:
44% use DPNs, 44% prefer 2 circs, and a lonely 11% responded with Magic Loop! i must confess myself surprised by the results.

A note on the following article: the toe up method that i use is not... normal. Most toe up socks have short-row toes and heels, which i'll talk about later, but the pictured example has a "star" or "Turkish" toe and heel.

Let's talk about the more common method of construction first: top down. A top down sock is cast on at the upper edge, the cuff and leg are then constructed, followed by a heel flap, a heel turn and a gusset, and finished with a foot and a toe.

The following sock is top down, with a flap-and-gusset heel, and a wedge toe finished in Kitchener.

The pros: Top down patterns are more readily available, the sock is constructed more logically, and it's easy to try on as You go (You'll know within inches if Your cuff will fit, and You can put it on to check foot length)

The cons: Heel turns can be mystifying and heel flaps maddening to some. Alternative heels are available, such as short-row and afterthought, but You may have to adapt Your pattern. Yardage needed is difficult to determine as You won't know You don't have enough yarn until You run out half-way down the foot of Your second sock, and unless You want a lumpy toe (i learned to accept this a long time ago) You must do Kitchener Stitch to close the toe.

An excellent book on top down socks is Cookie A's Sock Innovation. The example sock was knitted with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock using the Twists and Turns sock pattern in Shannon Okey's How to Knit in the Woods.

Toe up socks begin with either a short-row toe or only a few stitches worked circularly outward, followed by the foot and short-row or Turkish heel, then leg and cuff.

The following sock is toe up using Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprint method, with a Turkish toe and heel.

The pros: No Kitchener stitch is needed, if You want to economize yarn You can divide Your skein in half then knit each cuff until You run out of yarn and, along those lines, if You get tired of knitting or are doing a rush job, You can stop sooner than the pattern suggests.

The cons: Toe up socks are harder to fit as You go and many people find the short-rows required for toe and heel confusing (some patterns do have a gusset and heel flap but those patterns are few and far between), and it is imperative to work a stretchy bind off if You want to be able to wear the socks.

A good book for learning toe up socks is Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D Johnson. The pattern for the photographed sock is Bumpy Socks from Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters with Colinette Jitterbug.

Socks - DPNs vs. 2 Circs

2010-02-15T10:48:00.000-06:00

Knitted socks have been around for a long time. While non-knitters and even some in the knitting community don't understand the purpose of labouring long hours to make something that can be purchased in packs of 5 for 2 dollars, those of us who have tried it know better. It's not about economy of time or money - it's about enjoyment... the beautiful yarns, the delicious patterns, and the way they just feel better on Your feet.

While there are many techniques employed in making socks, i'll focus on just two today. i'm a 2 circs girl, but i'll try to be objective. :)

Let's start with DPNs. Double pointed needles are the traditional way to go. Using 4 or 5 long "toothpicks", one travels in a triangle (or square) around the outside of the sock using the 4th (or 5th) "free" needle to knit with.

Pros include: Most sock patterns are written for DPNs and will detail set-up (so many stitches on each needle, chart breaks, and so on). i would also guess (but i'm putting up a poll to confirm, so please vote!) that there are more sock knitters out there who use DPNS, so if You get into trouble it may be easier to find someone who can help You. And knitting with a bristling wreath may allow You to knit in peace. ;)

Cons are: If You're not paying attention, it is unhappily easy to pull out a needle instead of using Your free one, thereby forcing You to rescue a lot of tiny loose stitches. Along the same lines, if You toss the sock haphazardly into Your knitting bag You are liable to lose a needle (there are, at least, devices made for safe containment during transit). Also, the more needles that are involved in a project, the more places You can have ladders, pesky spaces created by the gap where two needles join.

Star-student Jessie (who learned to knit at January's LTK class) demonstrates how to knit socks on double points at our class Saturday:

When using 2 circs, the stitches are evenly divided between two circular needles - You then knit with one set of needles at a time.

Pros: With only two points of join and the fact that the cable is thinner than the actual needle (enabling You to pull needle-transition stitches tighter) there is less likelihood of developing ladders. The length of the cable also means that Your stitches are more likely to stay put - You can tie the cord in a knot, if it makes You feel safer. And finally, since everything is hooked together You won't drop a needle, making it easier to knit while waiting in line or sitting somewhere You don't want to lose a needle, like an airplane or a movie theatre.

Cons, however, are: Since most sock patterns are written for double points, You will likely have to translate Your pattern from a number designed to be divided by 3 to one divided by 2. It is possible as well to knit with the wrong needle, producing one free circular and a convoluted S-twist. And circular needles themselves are more expensive, especially when You have to buy 2 sets (this is particularly bad if You only knit socks with needles that size - otherwise You can get 2 different lengths and use them for other projects).

Another recent convert to sock knitting works with 2 circs:

Next week, we'll discuss top-down vs. toe-up!

Happy Valentine's Day, All!

2010-02-14T18:22:00.000-06:00

Love - Joy, Colleen, Sasha, and Sarah Jo!

Watch for details on our upcoming sale, and in the meantime, enjoy this pattern!

Spinning Their Wheels

2010-02-07T19:27:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, Cecilia Jaffe from the local spinning guild taught a 2 day workshop at the store on her craft.

The parts of the wheel were discussed

As was proper care. A "thirsty" wheel will squeak and split, so everyone got down to oil their wheels.

Since feeding the fiber while treadling is akin to rubbing Your stomach while patting Your head, treadling was practiced first.

Then the fiber was "attenuated" to make the spinning easier, and to produce a more even yarn.

The attenuated fluff was loosely twirled into "bird's nests"

Once the wheels' needs had been taken care of and the desires of the fiber listened to, the spinning began. Cecilia demonstrated first, to make it look easy

Then everyone else tried.

It was swiftly found to produce an intense desire for alcoholic beverages - cookies and books on spinning were an inadequate substitute.

Day 2 began with plying the yarn, then putting it in to soak.

Wet sheep smells almost as bad as wet dog,

And tends to get handled gingerly.

Coats were donned and everyone tromped outside. Cecilia demonstrated

Then everyone else gave it a go. (Yes, she is slapping a wet hank of yarn against a down-spout) This is an important step because, besides removing excess moisture, it also evens out the twist.

Cindy contemplated her attack

But Fawn dove in energetically.

The completed yarn was hung to dry while the class reviewed the more troublesome topics.

At times it was frustrating, and while these students may be producing "art yarn" for awhile, they've already boldly taken the first step toward becoming Spinners.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-30T12:26:00.000-06:00

The snow has stopped falling, the sun is trying to come out, and it's beautiful weather for staying in and finishing up those pesky WIPs or diminishing Your stash. :)

On my back porch there are a 5 inches of snow.

Not sure how accurate that is. Since the wind was blowing yesterday, i suspect we probably got more.

Since going out is out of the question, i've been knitting. Here's the Sunday Sock Knitters' Mystery Stocking as far i can get it (Jane, is the heel going to be the main colour or the contrasting colour?). i enjoyed learning the mosaic stitch pattern.

An excellent stash-busting project for this sort of weather is Calorimetry, since it takes less than 100 yards of worsted weight yarn.

Have fun and stay warm!

New Year, New Knitters: part 2

2010-01-25T09:42:00.000-06:00

Ah, the exciting day when one moves on from the pink swatch, and starts their very first hat! The delightful choice... which brim shall I do?

i think this class's favorite was the rolled brim. Then a color must be chosen

and the knitting begins!

Note that some are talking while knitting, and others have even dared to glance up from their work. These knitters are well on their way to both a warm winter hat, as well as a life long hobby (or erhm obsession, as is the case of some Learn to Knit graduates ;)

Sunday Sock Knitters' Knit A Long

2010-01-25T09:21:00.000-06:00

The Sunday Sock Knitters (or SSK, for short) created by Juliann, met yesterday afternoon from 1-3. While we were founded as a yarn-and-pattern swap group, the supply of yarn and patterns is piling up, so we're taking a few months off and trying something new. Jane is kindly writing a mystery Christmas stocking pattern for us, which she's doling out a piece at a time. Ah, the suspense!

She went over the pattern with us (looking over the mountain of stash swap yarn on the table),

then assisted us through the concept of a bobble that wasn't knitted into your knitting (to be attached later jester-jingle-bellwise to the points on the cuff, if desired).

After that, we tackled the lace cuff

which has a respite of stockinette and ribbing before beginning the slipped-stitch panel. O_o More on that as knits warrant!

Health Kits for Haiti

2010-01-22T08:25:00.000-06:00

Last night at social knitting, we collected Health Kits for Haiti. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is collecting kits made up of essentials like washcloths, combs, soap, and such to send to the earthquake disaster site.

Despite incredibly short notice, our amazing knitters (there were more, but i was a bit slow getting out the camera)

put together 25 complete kits,

plus enough in donations and partial kits to make 30 more!

A big thanks to everyone that participated! Ya'll rock!

New Year, New Knitters: part 1

2010-01-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

I'm going to guess that a popular New Year's resolution this year was "learn to knit," based on the number of people who have signed up for our class. We had 12 people on Saturday, and even more that had to be bumped into February's class.

Those that had knit somewhat before:

And those that had never knit at all:

By the end of the session, all had a grasp (tentative perhaps, but a grasp nonetheless) on the basics, at least. It may still be sticks and string, but soon it will become a key to wonderful new worlds.

Just learning - the only time a knitter is ever delighted to have made a swatch :)

Next week - starting The Hat

New Year, New Projects--

2010-01-02T11:02:00.000-06:00

What's new with you all? With all this cold weather, I'm more inspired to knit than to hike. I've finished my Christmas knitting, and I'm sneaking up on some lace projects-- thinking about a Pi shawl, thinking about a Print o'the Waves. I'm a little shy of it, but I'm sure that the folks at Hand Held will help keep me on the right track.

socks life

2009-04-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

I'm delighted that Collen and Joy and Sarah and Cynthia and company have convinced me to make socks. They have all been patient and kind about my misgivings and mis-starts, and I've completed two pairs that fit! Hurrah!

Oh my gosh it's the Holidays

2008-11-18T14:29:00.001-06:00

Well, It's November 18th. Sounds innocent enough doesn't it. Well folks it's time to panic! Next week is Thanksgiving, followed quickly by Christmas. You were probably aware of that, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it too, but now it's really hitting me. I did cut back on my holiday knitting aspirations, but somehow that didn't help and I'm still woefully behind. I will push on though and get my 2 small and 1 big project done. (I'm not saying what they are, so as not to be held accountable if they're not finished) I'm particularly envious of our knitters( you know who you are) who planned well and started in July and are now coasting.
We also have another issue at the shop(besides my whining about not being done) and that is, now in our new shop we have windows. That means window displays!!!. So far it's been fun. Now it's time to put the tree in the window and we have no knitted ornaments. Last year we made a tree for auction for the the Alzheimers Association and all our wonderful knitters pitched in and made hand knit ornaments. WELL, CALLING ALL KNITTERS, WE NEED YOUR HELP AGAIN FOR THE SHOP TREE. We will provide scrap yarn if you guys will help us knit ornaments again. This Thursday on our regular knit group night we will have treats and eggnog so that we can get you in the spirit and then spring the yarn on you. If you have any scraps your welcome to bring them too. The Lighting on the Square is Saturday so it would be great to have a presentable tree for that night. I know that all our wonderful friends will help us out and it will be a great community knitted tree.
This will be our 1st holiday season in our new store, and though we truly miss our little house around the corner it is exciting to be so visable and to have a fresh new place to make more memories. Hope to see you all soon.

2008-10-28T16:39:00.001-06:00

It has been a really long time since I have written. The last couple of months at the shop have been crazy!. Sarah Jo told you about the move so I will try to update you from there. We are pretty well settled into our new digs and are loving it. The lighting is spectacular and I'm having a great time decorating the windows. The colors in the yarn seem to have taken on a new life and I'm inspired to start a lot of new projects (but please if you see me eyeing any new yarn in the next 6 months please stop me). I have several pieces started, all of which will hopefully work into great displays or workshops for the upcoming year. The highlight of the last couple of weeks was our day with the owners of OZARK HANDSPUN. They brought basketfuls of yarns and garments and spent the afternoon and evening inspiring us. (you can see some of us in the pic). I hope to see lots of hats and other garments on the streets of Fayetteville this winter in the funky and fun yarn. They showed us their new yarn that is a worsted wool that is dyed as a companion to the handspun that we all know and love(in fact it is called OZARK COMPANION. The colors are amazing! We bought several of the colors, so I hope everyone gets the chance to come see it before it's sold out.

Most of our Fall and Winter yarns have arrived though we are still thinking about some new ones. I'm very pleased with all the Harrisville Shetland that we have. It's such a versatile yarn and I like the fact that it's American made. We got quite a few colors and it will be used by Jane for her shadow knitting workshop. One of my ongoing projects is the Winged Shawl in Harrisville, designed by Vivian Hoxboro. It's on the back burner right now because of the all the other projects I'm working on, but everytime I see the one in the window that Jane did I'm determined to finish mine.

Next week I will be going to Colorado with my husband so I plan to check out the shops in Boulder and Minturn and see what they are doing in that part of the world. I let you know when I get back, Meantime Happy Knitting.

We Moved!!!!!

2008-10-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

Hand Held has moved to 15 N Block --- to an actual store! Not that the house wasn't darling, but now we have display windows and fantastic lighting, so You can actually see the beautiful yarn.

It was a strenuous move, but there were lots of great helpers (thanks!)

Our new hours are 10-6 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10-4 on Saturdays, and 10-8 on Thursdays. Monday night knitting has been moved to Thursday nights.

Sasha has adjusted well, and really enjoys napping in the front windows and greeting customers, as always.

We're having a grand opening Celebration all day on Thursday, October 16th. We look forward to seeing our faithful friends, as well as meeting new ones, at our new location. Join us there!

The power of friends, family and knitting

2008-06-18T21:27:00.000-06:00

Good news! Saturday night my son was in a car accident near Denver where he lives. He has been in ICU since then - I arrived on Tuesday to join the on-site vigil. Everything, so far, is progessing in an amazing way. I'm so impressed with the medical expertise, the team effort, the miracle of the human body and the will to survive. He is on lots of pain medication and sedated in order to be on a ventilator (bruised lungs) but he had no general anesthesia today and he is actually communicating as of this evening. He was opening his eyes and acknowledging us, trying to smile with his jaw wired shut and mouthed "I love you". We are so encouraged and hopeful that this just keeps getting better and better.

Knitting saves me through all these fearful times. I ask questions, take notes, pass information on the others that wait and I wait and knit. Thanks for all your good thoughts and prayers.
Joy

Let's Dye!

2008-06-12T11:38:00.000-06:00

This is from Juliann, the dye lady here at the shop. We are having a dye workshop on June 22, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. Last year we had so much fun. We played with Gaywool dyes, and did a little bit of Kool-Aid. This year we are going to play with a new dye called Culinary Colors. It is an easy dye to mix and does not make a huge mess! It is set in a microwave, and is kitchen friendly! I will set up a crockpot for some Kool-Aid, but we will spend our time with Culinary Colors.

So please sign up now and get on the list. We will be having a great time playing with color, eating, laughing, and making ourselves turn special colors. Be sure to bring rubber gloves and an apron.

And be prepared to HAVE FUN!

A Quick Note

2008-06-10T20:40:00.000-06:00

Just a little note about the World Wide Knit in Public Day this Saturday,June 14th (also Flag Day). We don't have anything formal planned but if anyone feels like coming to the shop and knitting outside in our yard they are certainly welcome. We have some chairs though if the weather is wonderful and the word gets spread you might want to bring your own chair or a blanket. Again we don't have anything planned but the lawn is open. I hope to be back(if I get out tomorrow) from New Orleans. Of course the airlines might screw me up again( today I got to the airport for my 11:50 flight and it was delayed and we couldnt find the right connecting flight so I ended up at home). Don't you just love flying these days? It just makes a person just sit at home and knit. Well I'm off to bed as I have to get up at 4:30am to make the flight they promised me for tomorrow. Wish me luck

Our entire line of Mirasol yarns are now 25% off!

2008-06-10T10:37:00.001-06:00

Are you familiar with the Mirasol line? Well, it's a neat story and wonderful yarn. So, we bought into it - too much so. But, it's to your advantage on many levels - price, quality, designs and giving back.

Here's the deal - it is luxurious Peruvian fibers, cotton, merino, baby llama and alpaca, spun and dyed in Peru. A portion of every purchase is dedicated directly to the funding of a school in the remote Munani region in Peru. Go to http://www.mirasolperu.com/ for beautiful photos and more details of this fairtrade endeavor. Jane Ellison is the designer for the line and has created some wonderful pattern books - she is highly envolved in the project. "Miralsol" is the name of one the children that lives in the highlands. She and her brother are responsible for 350 alpacas and a local school will enable them to get an education.

We have five different yarns in good quantities and two pattern books. And we are selling it at 25% off. We will have it in our webstore this week so you can see colors and of course at the store store so you can touch it -

Miski is 82 yards of 100% baby llama on sale for $6.67,
Sulka is 55 yards of 60% merino and 20% silk on sale for $5.81,

Hacho is 137 yards of 100% hand dyed merino on sale for $6.67,

Cotanani is 90 yards of 60% pima cotton and 40% merino on sale for $5.36 and

T'ika is 91 yards of 100% pima cotton on sale for $5.36.

New for Fall!

2008-06-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

First, I'd like to say, "be in the present and enjoy summer." But, because life never stops, Colleen and I are planning some fall activities that we hope you’ll really like - we're excited. And we’re buying our new fall inventory!

Here are a few of the details so far- Our favorite sales rep visited this week. And as far as the Rowan line is concerned - we're on it! Kim Hargraves is designing fabulous stuff for them and even has her own colors in about six of current the yarns. She has a new book out for Summer which is on it's way and two new for fall. We're replenishing our Cashwool colors and got bunches of lucious Kid Silk Haze. The preview of the fall magazine looks wonderful.

Stephanie had real live Prisim models that we got to try on. The two models were sooo wearable - a swing jacket that covered the derierre and a boxy jacket with curved front panels. We are debating about the line - it is very unique, high-end, luxury hand dye line. See http://prismyarn.com/ which does not do it justice. What do you all think of this line of yarn? How would you like a fashion show and kit sale evening? Any feed back is welcome.

Next, Mission Falls is introducing their wonderful washable wool in a lighter DK weight. We are getting it in all the current colors with a new pattern book. This weight will be so good for our climate and for children's things! Can't wait for that to come in.

Also, we have some ideas for classes and workshops. The Sunday workshops have seemed to work for you all so, we'll be doing more of those. Look for this one - a workshop on the corelation between Good Health and Knitting, yoga for sitters/knitters and how to use the incredible website Ravelry to your advantage and connect to the knitting community "out there".

Another class idea we are planning is a fantastic designer project that uses up your stash yarn. Good, huh? 'Cause you might have some yarn stashed away and might have some small amounts of cool stuff that you don't know what to do with. So, you and a few folks with similar issues, could get together with us and knit Chris Bylsma's fabulous Crayon Box jacket - mitered squares of combined yarns, in colors you choose that is so fabulous. She even has a girl's sized version.

And, we are going to do a Christmas stocking class using the very cute, popular Minnow Knits pattern. If you have never knit socks this is a great intro - first off, it is only one large gauge stocking, not a pair and second you do a real heel flap and turn!

Cynthia Parker is going to teach intarsia knitting - a beautiful Kaffe Fassett knock off pillow top and Jane Foster is going to show us shadow knitting ala Vivian Hoxbro.

Sound like a good start? Let us know what you think and if there is anything more we can do for you!

2008-06-04T14:08:00.000-06:00

Hi, All. We've been really slow in posting about our fabulous Knit Out that we had May 10. Lots of us showed up to knit in public and we attracted some good attention. We have photos and everything. It started to rain for the last 1/2 hour but, we had great fun. The other neat thing is we gave away door prizes by selling raffle tickets for $1. The money we raised, in 1.5 hours mind you, was over $100 for local Meals on Wheels program. We found it very sad that the program can no longer provide meals on the weekends for folks due to lack of funding.

I had an idea - it is quite half baked and needs some work. It may not even be possible to access the names/addresses of the participants but, what if neighbors/neighborhood associations/neightborhood churches could pick up some of the slack? I would be willing to make sure one of my neighbors had, at least, peanut butter and crackers to eat. What do you all think?

Also, how about we knit together again on Saturday morning, June 14, Fayetteville Square for World Wide Knit In Public day?
Joy

A. N. Avery

2008-05-24T13:27:00.000-06:00

Hello, fellow Hand Held knitters!

My name is Nicole and I've been wandering in and out of Hand Held for about a year and a half now. My grad school program (MAT) is finally over and school is officially out for the summer, so I can once again get my knit on without too much interruption. In addition to a deep and abiding love for my knitting, I also enjoy reading just about everything and blogging about what I'm reading and what I'm knitting. Please take some time and stop by my knitting blog Sticks and Tomes. Feel free to comment on any of the posts. You can navigate around by clicking on the links under the "Categories" section or select a type of project from the "Sticks and Tomes Tags." I'll also be making appearances here on the Hand Held Ladies blog since they were kind enough to allow me on as part of their writing contingency.

My summer project is Nora Gaughan's Tilted Duster from Knitting Daily. I officially cast on this morning and I'm already loving it! The yarn feels wonderful between my fingers and the color variation is intriguing. There will be more pictures as the jacket grows, but for now, here are a few starters:

I hope that your summer has started off well and I hope to see you around the shop some time. I'll be the mysterious woman with the bag of purple yarn... Cheers!

Oh what a lovely afghan

2008-04-15T15:59:00.001-06:00

This is one beautiful Great American Aran Afghan. A picture can't do it justice but we had the privledge of having Nancy bring it down to the shop to show us. We remember when she started it 2 years ago and of course all of us said we wanted to knit one at the time. But only Nancy perservered and it is well worth it. It has gotten me inspired again and I hope that in the the not to distant future I will start. As you can see Sasha likes it too. She just had to lay on it. She circled the table several times and we wouldnt let her on it, but when we had our back turned she slipped in and hunkered down. Needless to say she was very disappointed when Nancy took it home. It is wonderful to see what some of our local knitters have done and as I said inspirational. We hope that all of you our there don't get discouraged on any of your projects and give them up. Sometimes just putting them aside for a bit can give you the perspective you need to get back to it.

Now that I'm done waxing philosophically I will celebrate Spring. Finally it seems we are there. The dogwoods are beautiful and the recent freeze hasn't seemed to cause too much damage. We had a great day at the shop Sunday knitting our market bags and though it was pretty chilly that day and the next, I can see all of us on the Square soon with them at the Farmers Market.

Speaking of the Square I want to remind everyone to come to the 2nd annual Knitout on the Square on May 10th. We had such a great time last year and I'm sure it will be just as much fun this year. Just bring your knitting and a chair and meet us in front of the town center at 10am.

We are so pleased to have others adding to our blog. It's great to have customers who have become knitting friends and are willing to add their voice to our own in promoting this wonder ful craft. It's amazing how diverse the group is. We even taught our UPS man to knit with his wife last week. There's always something to learn in knitting! So jump right in and start that new project and come see us.

brave and bold knitters

2008-04-05T09:22:00.000-06:00

So I'm a knitter, as one might expect. I learned the basics in high school from my mother, and then kind of let it slip through most of college. I did a scarf or two and a hat my first year, and then would pick it up sporadically thereafter, but I was too lazy and intimidated to get past marking thumb stitches on a mitten.

Then I graduated, went to France to teach English, and found myself with a lot of time on my hands to sit in the teacher's lounge between classes. So I started knitting again. Just easy little ribbed hats, because I had a limited stash of needles and yarn (the yarn shop near my house had mostly acrylics and novelty yarns). When I got back to the States, I was itching to knit for real, and fortunately, Mom had discovered the Monday night knitting at Handheld. The pink shrug above was my first big project. I'd never knitted lace before, but I thought, okay, I'll try it; after all, I loved the sample that was hanging up in the shop. Instead of the suggested yarn, I used some anonymous fuzzy pink stuff that I'd inherited from my grandmother's sizable stash of weaving yarn. The other knitters at Handheld were immensely helpful, cheering me on through the whole process. Even as they're trying patterns I'm still only dreaming of, they make me feel accomplished and brave. Monday night knitting is now permanently written into my schedule; more than once, I've turned down other engagements because I can't miss it.

Hooray for the knitters of Handheld! And, of course, the yarncat.

Introducing Sarah Jo

2008-04-02T12:20:00.000-06:00

Hi! This Sarah Jo! Hmm... about me? Well, i love to knit! i learned at Hand Held 4 years ago and i've been exploring the wonderful world of knitting ever since.
The photo is of me in my latest big project (which i normally don't do - i like little stuff): a formal dress for a dance in May. i sort of made it up because i couldn't find a pattern i liked. Thankfully, it worked out.
i am willing to try anything once, as far as knitting goes, and i'll usually follow the pattern the first time, but i'm big on modifying to taste.
i inherited a monthly Teen Knitting Group at the Fayetteville Public Library (third Thursday of every month from 5-6:30pm, beginners welcome) where novices are taught, intermidiates can expand their skill, and all the experts pitch in and confuse the first two groups with good advice and lots of "help".
Oh, i can also crochet (my great grandmother taught me) but i prefer knitting. Unless it's a coaster or some other round, flat object - then i prefer crochet.
So now i work at Hand Held two days a week and love it! i'm learning everything i can and getting lots of practice and good advice.
And that's me. But not the end.

one of my favorite places, and some of my favorite people

2008-03-31T19:38:00.000-06:00

I'm so pleased that I've made the time to join the knitting nights at Hand Held. I enjoy seeing what everyone is making, I almost always learn something, and we laugh-- which doesn't come up as often in life as I'd like. Oh-- and they have among the books some of Elizabeth Zimmermann's! My favorite knitting author. Thanks!

sasha modeling baby cap

2008-02-23T12:44:00.000-06:00

Though it doesn't look like it Sasha rather enjoys the attention. One of our Monday night knitters needed a model for her darling baby cap and Sasha jumped right in.

Hello from Colorado

2008-02-22T10:41:00.000-06:00

I'm in Colorado with parts of my family and am having a relaxing and somewhat productive knitting time. The rest of my family are expert and obsessive skiers so that leaves perenially beginner me much time to myself. I have my projects laid out on the footstool in the living room and will begin a morning of knitting soon. I cant wait. I do have to take my daughter up the lifts this afternoon(she's sleeping in) and will do a bit of town wandering but it then is back to the needles until my husband and I go to dinner tonight at our favorite restaraunt. Sounds like heaven doesn't it? I've started my market bag project that we are very excited about at the shop. Depending upon the outcome we will do a class on it later in the Spring. I found this great pattern in Bag Style that screams Farmer's Market so we hope that everyone who is being ecologically smart will knit one and take them to the Farmer's Market this summer. I'm so excited about all the colors of pima cotton we have in that I may have to have several.

Speaking of Spring. I can't wait for it this year. I'm sure I'm not alone. It's been a cold, unpredictable, and icky winter here and though that makes for good knitting it's feels like it's time to move on. We are getting lots of new Spring yarns and have many plans for all of it.
I hope that everyone visits us soon and sees that knitting isn't only for the winter.
Of course socks are a year 'round project and we are getting more sock yarn than we have ever had and plan to be a Hot Sock location for several of the different brands this spring and summer. You will be reading about this in the upcoming Knitter's magazine.
I guess I ought to get to some of these projects be for I get so far behind that I don't have anything to write about. Happy knitting from Colorado.

A Great Day at The Shop

2008-01-30T17:45:00.000-06:00

Like they say, "a bad day at the shop is better than a good day at the office". I love my job! I had a little time to think today since the sale is over and Sarah Jo is helping us out! So, if you come in to get some yarn before the predicted weather hits you'll probably meet Sarah and see a few sale yarns that are left TOTALLY marked down for your bargain of the day! Sarah is a great little knitter and so enthusiastic. She keeps the Teen Knitting Club organized at the Fayetteville Public Library and has taught at the Arts Center on Sang Ave.

Since I posted last, I haven't knit a stitch on the Dale of Norway Fair isle baby sweater, but finished my Koigu modular vest and a Mission Falls Trinket Bag (for this Sunday's workshop, started a men's Gansey out of Louet Gems worsted and made great progress on a Wagtail lace shawl.

I'm including a photo of some customers' finished products, too! A gorgeous Rowan Denim Gansey being sewn up and the classic Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted Cardigan. It is her own design. I love the cable detail and the metal buttons. Great jobs!

Not doing too good...

2008-01-23T19:28:00.000-06:00

I'm not doing very well on my New Years resolution to write every week on our blog and to post pictures. I can give you a lot of excuses but I won't. I'll just try harder. Nothing has slowed down in the New Year. Things are hopping at the shop. We are having a winter clearance sale this week and despite the " Icky" weather we have seen a lot of people. I always get excited with a sale thinking about what we can fill those empty shelves with. We have sock yarn from Mountain Colors on the way(bearfoot) and are looking at others. I would like to get more small mill things this year as well as some local goods. I'm also excited about the fiber festival being planned for this fall. Some lovely and industrious people are heading it up and have asked us to be involved in it. If anybody out there is interested let me know because I can tell it's going to be well planned and wonderful. I'm not sure what role the shop will play but we will do what we can to be part of it.
My husband and I took a short trip to Taos NM this last week (my first) and talk about being in "fiber heaven" La Lana Wools was inspiring and made me want to spend more time on all aspects of my craft. I came home with angora from a bunny named Chloe to spin and some fabulous handspun silk to make socks. I was so overwhelmed that I had to go back twice to just drink it all in. Besides that I spent a couple days just walking around the historic district and eating (way too much) My husband skiied and we spent our evenings in front of the copper fireplace in our room at a wonderful bed and breakfast. We plan to go back at another time of the year so we can get the full flavor of this charming Southwest diamond.
Well I promise again I will get this picture things figured out and start posting some of the shop and all that's going on there. Of course when we had our spinning workshop I was so caught up in it I forgot to take any. We are having a superbowl day on Feb. 3 and I will make up for it then. Got to go; I hear the dog drinking out of the toilet.

new Year, New Resolution

2008-01-04T11:41:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile and I'm feeling the guilt. My promise to our readers is to blog at least weekly and let you know what's going on in our knitting world down here at Hand Held. I also will get this picture thing down and hopefully make this a much livelier sight. (Are you still with me?). Not a lot going on down here, though it's nice to see that people are moving on from their holiday knitting. Now is the exact right time to be knitting with the crazy weather and some slow down in our lives. We are very excited about the introduction of our once a month Sunday workshops and are especially looking forward to this Sunday's spinning time. I promise I will take pics and post them soon. We are anticipating a good turnout and think that this will be a good time to start carrrying more roving and spinning supplies. We also hope to start carrying more local fiber, as that is another one my New Years Resolutions. Well time to get that spinning wheel in the care and down to the shop. I'll let you know how it all goes.

December is moving right along...

2007-12-13T12:16:00.001-06:00

and it is dragging me along with it. I'm incredibly behind schedule with little hope of catching up(although my husband and son went to Colorado for a week and I envision myself knitting all night long). I'm ignoring the fact that my 17 yr old daughter will be at home(and needy) as well as 3 dogs and 2 cats. My cats refuse to get along with my son's dog(whom I'm babysitting) and she(Mac) refuses to leave them alone so they are sequestered in the laundry room....Now it is 3 days later and I'm even farther behind. My older dog, Snow has been very ill(she's 13 with heart trouble)and I have spent a lot of time(and money) at the vets with her this week.
But I won't go on with all my ills. I am coming to terms with the fact that very little of my planned Christmas knitting will get done this year. I hope to go into the New Year with the resolve to plan better for the next season.
That resolution goes for the shop newsletter too. We are trying to get it out before the New Year so everyone can look at what we have going for the rest of the winter. Joy is leaving for Washington DC (to be around when her new grandson is born.) so it's going to be iffy, but we will try. Keep looking for your notice on line about it. Well onto all the chores at hand. Next post will include pictures of finished and possible unfinished project. Happy Holidays to all, and good knitting.

Early Rainy Morning

2007-12-07T08:11:00.000-06:00

Not much time to blog these days. Im feveriously knitting away for those small gifts I have planned. Everybody on my list has a sock done for them; now for the second one. (does anybody out there know a deserving one footed person?) I think after the holidays I am done with socks for awhile. I do love knitting them but I think I need a bigger project for the new year. (of course my Vivian Hoxboro would fit the bill nicely). Wanted to let everybody know that the tree we submitted for the Alzheimers auction got a honorable mention for the most original one. We want to thank all our knitter for their contributions to the tree and we hope we can make this an annual event. Our community of knitters keeps growing and it is wonderful to see how everyone is on board when it comes to a charitable project. Well its time to get out of this bathrobe(dont even try to get a visual) and get down to the shop. Hope to see you all at this Sunday's last minute knitted gifts event. Colleen

Holidays are approaching

2007-11-29T19:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm almost sure everyone is feeling like me. Out of control and way behind.(except the friend I saw the other day who said she had 2/3 of her list finished) What list? Was I supposed to make a list? Ok I'll make one on Dec. 26th. Hopefully it will include taking down the Christmas tree. (that assumes I've put one up by then.)

Speaking of Christmas trees, our wonderful knitters at the shop helped us put a knitted tree together for the Alzheimers fund raising Christmas Festival. You can see a small portion of it in the picture. Mostly you see our beautiful shop cat, Sasha, gazing at it. I wish we could have kept the tree at the shop for the holiday season. It was great to see all the effort that our knitters went to and how perfectly it all turned out. Boy, when we took it to the community center it was a little bit intimidating because most of the trees were surrounded by decorators putting feathers here and shiny balls there and getting all sorts of advise from all the other decorators. But when I let myself see the uniqueness of ours and community effort it took and the homespun Christmas feel of it, I felt awfully proud. (just like Charlie Brown) We did mention to the director of the affair that if nobody bid on it we wanted to because we truly would like to see it back in the shop.

Now that I can post pictures(it was a family effort) I hope to show you some of the lovlies that we have worked up a t the shop. We are going to have a Sunday event on Dec. 9 for doing some last minute gifts and Joy and I are working on some of them now. Maybe I can get some pics this week end. This blogging stuff keeps me going in my knitting just so I can show it off finished. (I may even get to my Ravelry account and start posting things there: that is if I can get off my computer) I guess that means it's time for me to get going. Happy Knitting

The Joy of Blogging

2007-11-15T10:08:00.000-06:00

It's me, Joy, taking time from my knitting to post for the first time. The season has hit me hard - I've started three new projects since Sunday. I am three inches into a Dale of Norway Baby Ull traditional fairisle sweater for my expected grandson. It was my first time knitting with a US0 needle, but what a pleasure - the yarn and the rhythm of fairisle in the round. Second, after receiving new Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran and DK and Aran tweed at the shop we had to move merchanise around, of course. It was the summer cotton that caught my eye for a table runner shown in the summer Jo Sharp 2 magazine. It looks woven and that's what I liked. Why don't I just spend a little time working on my weaving - since I have recently acquired not one, but two looms! Anyway, my third project which I've justified as a "shop project" (definition: something of interest to customers and useful to have knit up as an example) is a Wagtail Lace and Pearls shawl. Three reasons for this: 1.) I paid the Wagtail bill and it was a significant $$ so selling the yarn would be a good thing. 2.) the yarn, a tightly twisted mohair that has a sheen rather than bloom, comes in rich saturated colors from our friends in Australia and I have yet to knit any of it. 3.) The pattern is an Barbara Walker stitch pattern Roman Rows and I've been drooling over her first book all week!

For my next post I'll try photos of the above gems.

2007-10-31T16:38:00.000-06:00

Joy is back in town(from visiting her mom in Chicago) so she will post some soon. We are getting ready for this Sunday's happening( is that word made a comeback or am I just showing my age?)We are going to decorate a tree for an Alzheimer fundraising auction. So many people have great ideas, I think we could decorate a couple of trees if there was time. We are making little knitted sleeves for plain glass ornaments and little sweaters and mittens. Joy and I are planning to do the tree skirt if we can figure out how to do wedges and put them together. It should be a great afternoon. I wish we would have some cooler weather to put us in the mood. It has been so warm this fall. I am a cold weather girl(not good for a girl living in Arkansas). I think its because I can wear sweaters in the fall and winter and cover up any unsightly lumps that have invaded my body over the last few years. It also seems that I'm constantly ironing in the summer(I love linen).
I see the first of the trick or treaters coming down the street so I will sign off.

2007-10-28T09:32:00.000-06:00

Well it's finally happened. It took us 5 years to post a blog but we got to it today. We will visit this space at least once a week and let all of our loyal friends know what is going on at the shop and in our lives.(at least our knitting lives).

The holiday season is fast approaching and I(Colleen) am starting to feel the panic. I decided this year not to set myself up and plan to give everyone a hand knit gift, but then the guilt set in. So now I feel guilty and panicked. I guess I should put that energy into some knitting. I do think that I will try to get at least some slippers done for my mother-in-law. Cynthia(our resident whiz kid knitter) is making some from KNIT TWO TOGETHER for her mother-in-law and they are darling and shouldnt take too long. Am I being a copycat? I don't think so. That's the great thing about the community of knitters, they love sharing their ideas.