Home for the Holidays

Juniper, my first rabbit in her holiday outfit.

It’s been a retail-tastic week here at the Knest. Unfortunately, my financial situation prevents me from buying many gifts this year. I have a budget of $50 for my 6 immediate family members, my boyfriend’s 4 family members, my boyfriend, and then a few very special friends who have really been there for me during these rough times. I totaled it all out and at $3.57, there isn’t much out there that meets my exacting standards for a good gift. It’s a real bummer, because I love x-mas shopping.

Fortuitously, my grandmother has a great deal of gift-shopping anxiety. This year I get to do her x-mas shopping! It’s not quite the same as doing my own, but I am getting my fix. I also have been helping my mother out with her shopping, so I’m feeling pretty good about all this. I know it sounds materialistic, but a x-mas season without lists and trips to the shopping centers just falls a little flat for me. I’m still hand-crafting all my gifts with love and care, so don’t get your knickers in a knot. There is something about going out and just happening upon a great idea and being done with it that does feel a little magical.

At the moment, Grandma and I are iced into our house. We were going to go out to run errands (winterize her car, groceries, finish up her x-mas shopping)  but the garage door seems to have frozen shut. It is 1 measly degree out there, so being home isn’t so terrible. We’re hoping that the sun will hit the door and coax it into working. If not, it’s tea, x-mas knitting, and bunnies for the day.

These photos are from last holiday season. The rabbit, Juniper, my very first pet and forever angel, passed away shortly after I took these photos. Isn’t she beautiful?

Namesake Woes

Nameless Mitts

I need your help. I’m working away towards my goal of putting together a collection of patterns, and also my goal of getting my holiday knitting done. I have knitted these mitts/fingerless gloves/hand cozies/whatever you like to call them. They were a special request from my darling lil sister. While the knitting is done and the pattern-writing is underway, I need help deciding what to call them. Please help me out by voting and leaving comments!

“Hey, this is kind of Fun”

I hope everyone has had a lovely holiday weekend. I know I did.

Sneak Peak

I used the holiday as an excuse to turn “office time” into “knitting time”. I think that is fair, as we are now into full gift-knitting-panic time. I also used the time to contemplate the growth of Knest, Inc. I have known since my early knitting days, that eventually I want to work as a designer (I know, who doesn’t!). In the knitting industry, much like so many professions, nobody takes you too seriously until you have something published. It’s like a Masters’ Thesis. So, for 2010 my goal is to start working towards a book of knitting patterns. I have dozens of original designs knitted up, but very few in written/test knitted pattern form. I plan get at least a few up here on the website and on Ravelry in the next few months. More information to follow.

I don’t know how often my family or other giftees check the blog, so unfortunately, I can not post full photos of what I’m working on right now. After the holidays I will be posting patterns for all sorts of quick knits and gifts. It will be stash-busting-tastic!

Grandma's First Swatch!

With all the clicking that’s been coming from my needles this week, Grandma decided to try her hand with the pointy sticks. I brought out my teaching needles and balls of scrap yarn, and got her started. As an 80 year old, she picked up on the fundamentals just as quickly as my usual students (2nd graders). That is amazing! She’s toiled away for a few days and is getting much more comfortable with the process. I left town for a sales call yesterday and when I came back she said the magic words. “Hey, this is kind of fun!” Yep, she might just be a Knitter. I took a not so close look at her swatch and noticed it was more than a tad askew. I had cast on 15 sts for her to start off with. After perhaps, 10-20 rows, she now had 78 sts on the needles. Now, this is of course a perfectly normal beginner problem, and miraculously, there were no dropped stitches to be seen (Yay!). I pointed out to her that ideally, you should have the same number of stitches in every row for right now. “Oh really? I had no idea… this is not normal?” Grandma quipped at me, and began to pout a little. “No, Grandma, this is perfectly normal. You’re doing great,” I responded. And we sat to knit some more.

Pine tree. Cheese. Pine tree. Road kill. Pine tree. Pine tree.

When I woke up in Hibbing I was greeted by a heavy layer of frost. I plotted my travels for the day; a morning appointment in town, then a 2.5 hour drive to Duluth for a second sales call, then a 3 hour drive back to the Minneapolis area.

Before setting out for appointment number one I remembered why “Hibbing, MN” stuck in my head like like a piece of popcorn sticks in your teeth; Bob Dylan grew up here! Well doesn’t that just make sense. I mentally played some tracks and yep, Hibbing came right into focus. I did a quick Google search for landmarks, but came up with only “The Greyhound Bus Museum”. No thanks.

I arrived at The Knitting Knight a tad early for my appointment. By a tad, I mean about 1/2 an hour early. As my college girlfriends put it, I’m pathologically on-time. I knocked on the door anyways, and was greeted by the shop owner’s brother. I asked him if he could think of any Bob Dylan Landmarks that I could get to before his sister got there. He graciously gave me directions to Bob Dylan’s old house. “It’s a blue house on Bob Dylan Drive with a big mural of “Blood on the Tracks” on the garage.”  Lo and Behold…

Bob Dylan's Garage

I wonder if Bob ever got a letter addressed to this street...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I snapped a few photos because my Dad is a HUGE Bob Dylan fan… I couldn’t not. So, these are for you, Dad.

 

 

When I got back to the Knitting Knight, I settled in for an appointment. I Looked around the shop and was struck by the range in price points that this shop offers. Miss Amber has everything from Red Heart and Lion Brand all the way up through Noro and Misti Alpaca. If you are looking for a rare novelty yarn, I think this store will have just what you’re looking for! Plus Amber and her brother were quite entertaining to visit with. This was my second shop on this trip to be run by siblings. As someone who has my fair share of brother and sisters, I find these arrangements quite endearing and also hilarious.

 

 

Duluth streets all seem to drop straight off into the lake.

From the Knitting Knight I pointed Lola South-East-wards and started driving. Next stop was Playing With Yarn in Knife River. I was treated to yet another stunning day on the road, thank goodness! I did get to cruise through downtown Duluth. Duluth was a surprising treat, with it’s charming shopping district and SPECTACULAR view of Lake Superior. Namely, that view of Lake Superior is from the main drag in town, a remarkably steep and winding road that appears at every turn to drop off instantly into the Great Cold Blue Yonder. All I could think of is driving on this road during the icy months, which in Duluth is usually probably late September until Late May, and also June, July and August. I lucked out and had a clear and miraculously ice-less day. I’m not particularly used to driving anywhere where they have actual geography. I’m from Chicago.

 

When I did pull up at Playing With Yarn I should have taken a photo, or two, or twenty. This shop is located up a National Scenic Highway, backing up onto Lake Superior and surrounded by beautiful pine forest. But alas, it finally happened, I was LATE (gasp!) so I just hustled inside. In this shop I found a very well established shop. Judy, the shop owner, had a very informed perspective on the industry as a whole. She offered me loads of advice and “food for thought”, so much so that I ended up staying much too long. When I finally left, it was dark (and again, I mean DARK like I am not accustomed to).

I ended up crashing in Duluth for the night instead of heading back to Minneapolis. That turned out to be a great idea for several reasons. First of all, I lucked out with the absolute nicest hotel I have stayed in yet. Kudos to the Duluth Days Inn. The woman at the front desk hooked me up with a “handicapped” room because I was so tired and struggling with my bags/food. So my room was extra-big and extremely clean with a brand new mattress and just looked so inviting and warm. The front desk even called me an hour later to make sure everything was too my liking. I am by no means accustomed to such service when I’m on the road. I was just blown away! What a great way to spend my last day on the road.

I woke up the next morning, packed up, and settled in for a long haul back home. It was 9 hours of largely uneventful driving. Cow. Pine tree. cow. pine tree. strip club billboard. pine tree. dead deer. pine tree. pine tree. I think you get the picture.

Days on the Road Recap

When we left our tireless heroine (me) she was hitting the hay in a motel near Stillwater, MN….

When I woke up I realized I had bitten off quite a lot for the coming days. On this day I had 1 appt in Minneapolis, 1 in Buffalo, and I had to get to Hibbing for the night. Well, the flaw in my plan lay there…Hibbing was more than a little farther out than I had anticipated. More like twice as far as I anticipated. Minor miscalculation.

Calhoun Parkway, Minneapolis

My first appointment was at Linden Hills Yarns in Minneapolis. This shop is in a charming corner of the city with beautiful houses and a stunning parkway along a large and picturesque lake. I was blessed with a beautiful cloudless day so I could fully enjoy this parkway.

Please be aware, people in this neighborhood don't know how to park their cars. Getting my massive suitcases back in my trunk was a real trick with this car here.

Linden Hills was a fitting yarn shop for this area. The shop was packed with skillfully knitted sweater samples. Jan, the owner, welcomed me warmly and explained that she had a very experienced, talented clientele. During our meeting she worked on the rice fields sweater, a fascinating two color garter stitch project out of the new Marianne Isager book. I could hardly tear my eyes away. If you are a sweater knitter, this is a fantastic shop to visit.

From Linden Hills I headed out to Buffalo to visit Patty at Silver Creek Cabin. This shop was tucked away in the basement of a coffee shop in a quaint suburb. But don’t let it’s location fool you; this shop was packed floor to ceiling, entryway to backend with yarn. And good yarn!

After leaving Silver Creek I started the longest leg of my journey that day. I pointed Lola northwards and pressed on to Hibbing, MN. Cell phone reception was spotty and signs of human civilization were few and far between. As the sun set I learned rapidly that people out here have an entirely different and shockingly severe definition of the word “dark”. If there was anything to see along the way, I missed it. It was dark.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, I saw the most beautiful WalMart I have ever laid eyes upon. I had arrived in Hibbing. I pulled into the Motel 8, and called it a night, a full 12 hour drive from home.

Phew, well that was a trip!

I’m back home again after a very productive and interesting trip to Minnesota. I visited Kelly at Double Ewe in Circle Pines on Monday Morning. Her shop was very homey and warm and I enjoyed visiting her very much. If you are looking for Jordana Paige bags in northern Minneapolis, stop by and visit this shop soon!

"...falling down the rabbit hole..."

From Circle Pines I headed over to Mahtomedi to visit the ladies of Lila & Claudines. Well, as I mentioned in a previous post, this shop had a lot to live up to. And, well, they did not disappoint! These ladies have really put their heart and soul into creating an invigorating, joyful and all out FUN place to shop and knit. I could have stayed for days…or years… wow!

knitting wonderland at Lila & Claudine's

Oh, before you go and start asking around for Miss Lila or Miss Claudine, you should know… This shop is owned and operated by sisters Kirsten and Polly. They named the shop after their grandmothers. How sweet!

The sisters stocked up on the South West Trading Company so if you need anything, this is the place to go! If you don’t think you need anything, this is still the place to go!

From Lila & Claudines, I emerged dazed and delighted. I sought out a motel for the night, checked in, dropped my bags and then set out for a perhaps non-yarn-shop adventure. I found a brochure and ventured out into Stillwater, Minnesota. From the brochure I quickly decided that this was a vacation-worthy destination. I never made it one block into the shopping district. Just as soon as my tires hit Main St I saw a sign for “Darn Knit Anyway” and well, the car parked itself. I had found a rare find, a yarn shop that was not on my list. Lo and behold, shop owner Aimee just opened this little gem a month ago! I looked around and visited with her. It was nice to meet someone else just starting out as a professional in the knitting industry. Aimee did end up buying some Jordana Paige bags as well, so if you are in the market now you know where to go! Also, she is giving out the cutest little tote-bags with her awesome shop name on them right now, I don’t think those will last so go quickly!

Tune in tomorrow for the rest of my trip.

The Great not-so-white-yet North

I’m on the road again this week. I woke up this morning in Mounds View, Minnesota. I’m very excited about my itinerary this week. Today I’m visiting what must be a very special shop, Lila & Claudine’s. I was first alerted about this shop just days after it opened, by one of my vendors who lives out in Seattle! She had already heard rave reviews of this new shop all the way across the country! She described it as “falling down Alice’s rabbit hole” and demanded that I send her photos when I get there. Well, today’s the day and I’m interested to see what the fuss is about.

Also this week, I’m heading farther North than I’ve ever been, to Hibbing, MN. I’m a little nervous about traveling that far from home. However, the weather has been cooperating and I’d much rather venture out there when it is not under 4 feet of snow and ice. Just sayin’.

I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck, everybody!

I’ve got something New coming in!

I‘m am thrilled beyond thrilled to announce a new addition to the Knest Inc family! I just got off the phone with the charming and talented Julie from J.Knits yarns. J. Knits is a fabulous hand-dyed yarn company with some truly KILLER COLORS! right off the bat, I can tell you that the color “Minneapolis” should be on every stores’ shelves! Check out their website, get to know the line, and get excited with me. I can’t wait to get my rep kit and bring this line to you all!

minneapolis colorway

If you are particularly enthused about this new addition, please leave a comment or drop me an e-mail. That way I will jump you straight to the head of the line to be contacted.

Be the first in town (or in the state!) to carry J. Knits!

 

That’s my bag, baby!

It’s true! My own personal Jordana Paige bag is here!

I got the Rio in Eggplant and I am thrilled with it. This particular bag is already, in my experience, the most popular JP design. Every time I show this line and customers are in a shop, they immediately OOh and Aah over this one. Green Bay to Minneapolis to Chicago, it’s a hit, and that is no fluke.

This bag is a shoulder crusher, to be sure, but sometimes you gotta schlep a lot of stuff. This and all JP bags are made of ultra-lightweight vinyl, so the total weight of this bag is up to you. Personally, I can carry my 15 inch laptop, my current sweater project, all my promotional rep materials, all the notions I could ever want (crochet hooks, tape measures, extra DPNs, scissors, etc), my purse items like wallet, lipsticks, hand sanitizer, and notebooks in the main body compartment. I can fit my rather clunky digital camera, cell phone, headset, business cards and car keys in the generous side pockets. And here’s the kicker… I don’t have to dig for a SINGLE THING. And with all that weight, the straps don’t appear to strain at all!

The Rio is a winner for us gals who have a lot going on. It is durable, organized, and fashionable. Put this one on your X-mas list!

There is a yarn destination in the SW ‘burbs!

It is a sad fact that the downturned economy and a multitude of other forces have sunk several independent yarn shops in the south-west suburbs of Chicago. It seemed to me that this blight of boarded up store fronts was just too bleak to be true. Surely at least one shop managed to hunker down and weather the storm? Well, it turns out, one did! Yesterday I went to visit Stitch N’ Hook in Shorewood, after being tipped off by Jordana Paige that there was a shop still open in the otherwise barren LYS-graveyard. Ms. Sonda’s shop is modest, but well edited. Stitch N’ Hook has a clear and well executed focus on affordable but fashionable sweater knitting. This shop has a spectacular set up for warm and inviting knit nights! I can tell that this shop has a dedicated following of talented knitters. If you haven’t been there yet, I recommend that you go soon. Be advised that there is a mess of construction all up and down Cottage St. The shop is still accessible, but if dealing with construction makes you batty then you should probably wait a month or two before checking this gem out.

Fiber Show at Chicago Botanic Gardens

Well it is a BEAUTIFUL weekend here in Chicago. The temperature is hovering just under 70°F and the sun is out. What a fantastic time for the Fiber Art Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens!

 

The garden was packed to the gills with folks out enjoying the last gasp of warmth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The show was mostly quilts, with a fair amount of weaving thrown in. There was a sizeable market to check out in addition to the show itself. The dozens of woven wraps and scarves available for sale were the highlight of the show for me. There were a lot of strung bead necklaces, painted silk scarves, and simple garments knit from big-box-store yarns that truthfully, I could have done without.

It was a spectacular day to be at the gardens; Quilt show or no.

My New Home

Welcome to my new internet home! After some hmming and hawing I decided it may be time to move the blog to a new host. This way I have some more options and control over the interface.  Also, look up at the top of the page. See those?  The tabs for “about” and “news”? I’ve really been wanting to add those for some time now. This way you don’t need to scroll through all my back-posts in search of important highlights for each company. Is there anything else you would like to see as a tab up top? I really do need input and feedback from you, my ever-silent readers about how to move forwards. Please leave your impressions of the new digs in the comments.

Super Cute Pattern Alert!

This is Emmery from Jordana Paige.

This super-cute felted sweater is sure to jump to the top of your queue. With its fun ruffle edge and practical full collar, this garment has a perfect of whimsy. It is knit in mostly stockinette with minimal finishing so this project is well within the reach of the average knitter. This sample is shown in Blue Sky Alpacas Sportweight, but I bet it could be knit in SWTC Karaoke or Mountain Meadow Wool Cody!

Shopowners, this pattern is available now so if you are interested please contact me! Knitters, ask your LYS owners to contact me or just leave me a comment telling me what shops you think should carry this pattern.

On the Road Again…

I was on the road again this past week. I cruised on up to the Twin Cities for a couple of days to visit a few shops. First I visited Adrianne at Be Ya Gi in Little Canada. We had a great time chatting and sipping coffee and ooing and aaaing over yarn and such. That may seem like a strange name for a shop and it took me a little while to really get it, but it is a mash-up up of “BEads, YArn, GIfts”. That is exactly what they have there, how clever!

From Be Ya Gi, I had a surprise cancelation, so I had some free time to eat lunch and explore Minneapolis a little bit. I visited Russel + Hazel, a stationary store that I enjoyed just a little too much. They had bunny-shaped paper clips! And customizable planner notebooks! And a “Binder Bar”! I was in 7th heaven!

After R+H, I went to Needlework Unlimited, a very large and established yarn shop. There, I met with Karen, who has been at the helm of this great yarn empire for over a decade. Meeting someone that experienced in this industry is a surprisingly rare treat. I enjoyed my visit immensely and learned a lot.

From NU, I checked into my motel for the night. This was my first “yellow-light” situation with a motel. Meaning: I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the cleanliness or safety of this place, but it was quite enough to make me say “no” and leave. What appeared to be a prostitute was eyeing me from the moment I pulled up. She sat in the newly re-furnished lobby and glared at me as I checked in. I got to my room, a dark cavernous space furnished with cast-off patio furniture and king size bed roughly twice my age covered in cigarette burn holes that smelled of BO. It was early, so rather than hang out in the room, I looked up a shopping district and took off. The prostitute glared at me as I left.

The next day I packed up and hit the highway for Shepherd’s Choice in Anoka. When I arrived, I was warmly greeted by Karen, her daughter Nancy, and their friend (whose name I can’t remember and I feel really awful about that cause she was lovely!) I was blown away by these ladies’ enthusiasm and warmth! I could have stayed for days, I was having that much fun with them. They have just moved the store from a barn out in rural MN to a store-front in a quaint suburb. Despite the stress of moving, these gals were invigorated and inspiring. I am really looking forward to hosting a Fashion Event with them in January!

From Shepherd’s Choice, I made one last stop at Knitter’s Palette in Lakeville. There I met with Pam. We had a nice little visit before I hit the road for home.

On the way home, I made a very important decision: I have decided that I much, much, MUCH prefer taking I-94 from MN to IL over I-90. 94 cuts through rural WI and drops me off right in the twin cities over the MN border. 90 takes me through 2+ hours of rural MN before I get to the city. Rural MN creeps me out for some reason, but Rural WI does not. I-90, however, does have the grandest crossing of the Mississippi river I have ever seen, so, put that in your pocket and walk with it.

Sights From The Road

It’s been a slow week here at The Knest.  I’ve been doing a lot of cold-calling which means I’ve actually been doing a lot of message-leaving. That’s not really anything to blog about. So, instead of letting the blog languish away, or worse, posting comprehensive list of voicemails I have left, I put together a “director’s cut” of road photos if you will. These are photos of things I have seen while on the road. I think they are quirky and fun, but did not fit with other posts.

In Madison, WI Rural Route in Wisconsin

 

My trusty steed, Lola, hanging out in Eau Claire, WI The View from my hotel window in Waupaca, WI

 

Spotted a block away from the Waupaca Arts
Center. Too Cool!