There's a new sock yarn that is selling out every time it goes on the market: Little Red Bicycle. Knitters have been clamoring for just about any skein of yarn from Little Red Bicycle. Finger, lace, worsted. They're all flying off the shelves. I've been wanting to buy a skein in Cthulhu but I keep missing the sales. DERP!!!!!

I bought a skein of the sock yarn in Race of the Yith at Stitches West this year and it's the next pair of socks I'm going to make once I'm finished with my Wonderland Dyeworks socks.

From Little Red Bicycle Etsy Shop

Check out Dagon too, soo pretty:

From Little Red Bicycle Etsy Shop

and Deirdre which is another favorite

From Little Red Bicycle Etsy Shop

What are some of the Etsy Indy Yarn shops that you love? Let me know in the comments!

Today we have another guest blogger who you're going to see a lot more of, Evelyn Leong. She's the blogger at Project Stash, which is a fun read. She gives us another perspective on the Knit Picks Interchangeable Nickel Plated Needles.

Product Review: Knit Picks Interchangeable Needles

By Evelyn Leong

What does one need for knitting? Two sticks and some yarn … nothing could be simpler, right?

Well, over the many years that I’ve been knitting, I’ve collected a wide array of sticks although surprisingly, not in every size. In my needle stash are aluminum, wood, and bamboo – yes, I weeded out those dreaded yellow plastic needles years ago. Since my knitting has become more advanced, I recently reached the point where I’ve been craving needles that can give me some slickness and, yes, dare I say it, speed.

In wanting to upgrade my needle stash, I bought myself a set of Knit Picks Interchangeable Nickel Needles. A few years ago, on a mission to graduate from my bamboo needles to a sturdier wood, I bought two pairs of Knit Picks Harmony circular needles in US6 and US9. These are lovely, and I’ve been pleased with how they’ve performed. Still, wanting to experiment further, I recently tried out a pair of Addi Turbos and Chiagoo Red Lace needles. Knitting with these helped me realize that I wanted to knit more regularly with metal as I love the way the yarn slips off the needles and allows me to knit with less drag.

So, let’s talk about what I got in my Knit Picks set. The points range from US4 to US11, including US10.5 which feels like an added bonus. This set has 4.5 inch regular points (not lace), and so far, I’ve found that they thread easily and securely onto the cables that accompany the collection. With this set comes two 24” and two 32” cables, great for enabling my habit of casting on more than one project at a time. Oh, I’m getting better at keeping my WIPs down to a few, but I don’t think I’ve knit only one project in years.

The cables are nice and bendy, allowing the project to sit comfortably while being knitted. Each set of cables comes with a handy little tool that’s akin to an Allen Key – when slipped into the two holes at the base of the thread, the needle point can be tightened easily. This is a necessity as without it, the needles loosen after a while. With the cables come four caps, a great concept for securing one’s work on the cable when the needles are removed to be used for another project.

I wondered, at first, if the length of the needle points would be insufficient, but they’re fine – sure, a couple of extra inches would be great but not especially necessary. Since the cables are so flexible, the project rests easily – no more wrestling with stiff cables – and these two lengths are ample for most projects.

Overall, I’m delighted with my new set of needles but I do have a couple of “I wish they had …” thoughts:

1. I’m an organized knitter and will definitely use the handy clear plastic pouch that the needles came with. The pouch has inner pockets to store each set of needle points and the points come on a card that lists each size. I’ll keep all these together but I wish they had thought to etch the size directly onto each needle;
2. While the threads on the cables are fine, I wish they had thought to make sure each has a bit more definition. My US7 points take a little elbow grease to screw in, something I would rather not have to worry about.

I have heard that Knit Picks has great customer service so I’ll probably give them a call and inquire about the cable threading, but if I had the choice to purchase this set again, the answer would be a definite yes.

Thanks, Angela, for the chance to be a guest blogger today. Happy knitting, everyone.

Huzzah! I have been knitting AND I have been reading. Even better, I have been reading about knitting. It being Wednesday and Yarn Along Day, you get to see a photo for proof.

For Mother's Day I took some momma-time and went out for breakfast by myself where I had the best breakfast sandwich known to man (Cafe Q in Alameda if you're in the area). Then I headed to my local bookstore and happily found The Principles of Knitting and My Life in Stitches by Rachel Herron. I splurged and bought both.

The Principles of Knitting is a must for any obsessed knitter. Any knitting question you have can be answered by the POK. My Life in Stitches was a wonderful read. Much of the memoir takes place in the area where I live so it made me feel right at home. It was such an intimate piece of writing that I felt like I was getting to know a friend better. The stories are parceled out in such compact pieces that it was an easy read, which is exactly what I need with two young children around me.

Knitting-wise I'm happy that I managed to get into the ribbed part of the diminishing rib.

However, I think the sweater is turning out a little bit on the big side, which sucks because I swatched and got gauge, but it's just ginormous. I'm a little worried that it's too late to turn back now :/ Or I'm just going to put some strategically placed buttons and turn it into an assymetric sweater. Hopefully not emphasized on the ass.

Should I just rip it out and start over? Or should I soldier on? Let me know in the comments.

This is my friend's first attempt at knitting and I think it looks fantastic. Do you remember your first attempt? Did it look even remotely as awesome as this?

A couple of weeks ago I told you about one of my friends who was having a rough time. Remember how I was going to send her a learn to knit kit? She's the friend of mine who has been documenting her jouney through a stress-related breakdown. Anyhoo she finally received the kit, which included a Lion Brand learn to knit kit (it's the one I used to learn myself), a Clover Notions kit, copies of Rachel Herron's My Life in Stitches and Debbie Stoller's Original Stitch n Bitch.

I sent the kit for two reasons

1. I truly believe that knitting can change your life, especially if you're going through a difficult time. There's something about using your hands to figure out a new skill that rewires your brain and allows you to get outside of your regular struggles. I'm not the only one who feels this way. You should check out Stitch Links, a non profit organization in the UK that is studying knitting's ability to activate healing and decrease stress when used in combination with traditional medical treatments.
2. When you give the gift of knitting you are giving your friend the opportunity to access not just a new craft, but a new culture, a new way of living.

Well guess what? She is using the kit! This is what she has to say about knitting:

It is oddly soothing and frustrating at the same time.

I thought this was hilarious. I even tried to tell her that the frustrating parts go away once you learn how to knit. But then I realized that they don't, especially as I was getting to the diminishing part of the Diminishing Rib Cardigan (more on that in another post). And that's ok. The frustrating parts are what keeps knitting interesting. It's the difficulty that makes knitting so rewarding. It's a reminder that if we try hard enough, hold ourselves to a high enough standard, be patient with ourselves and go back and fix our mistakes that we are capable of high achievement, even if that achievement is simply casting on stitches for a scarf and ribbing without creating yarn overs by mistake.

So when you're giving the gift of knitting, you're not just giving someone the gift of distraction by hobby. You're giving them a chance at raising their self esteem and showing them how truly capable they are. Because learning to knit is not easy. You are training your brain to do something physically new. It can be as difficult as learning to a bike. When you're casting on the first stitches your fingers are clumsy. You're insecure as to whether or not you're doing it the right way. You might be holding the needles so tight that your hands cramp. But then as you become used to the motions and your brain creates new synapses, knitting stitches and moving from needle to needle becomes second nature. Your muscle memory takes over and you're able to admire the finished work as it grows row by row.

This is the magic of knitting.

Was was learning to knit like for you? What did it bring into your life? Have you tried to teach others too? Please share your story in the comments.

I got a little scoop for you today.

Get yourself over to the Herd group on Ravelry. They're the group for fans of Buffalo Wool. Apparently, if you join the Ravelry group and your birthday is in May you'll be entered into their May birthday giveaway. If you ear burn someone who has a birthday in May, you'll be entered too!

The prize this month is definitely something to covet. Go check out the group to find out what it is.

Sharmie!

Congratulations! You have one a set of the lego stitch markers from Kusala Knitworks. Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it your mailing address and they will be mailed to you.

If you didn't win you can still purchase the stitch markers through Kusala Knitworks's Etsy Shop. She has some other fantastic items that might be to your liking:

Buddha Stitch Markers

XOXO Arm Warmers

Domo Stitch Markers