Knit Fast, Winter is Coming!!



Click here for pattern!

There is a sense of urgency in the air...

Winter is coming and I, for one, am not quite prepared. The skis are ready by the door, the horses have their lush winter coats, the kids have snow boots, and the tire chains and snow shovels are located.  Why is there such a feeling of unpreparedness??

 Aha!  I am behind (let's be honest, I am beyond behind) on my holiday knitting!  Oh no!  The mittens I have been planning all summer long are still wound in to neat little balls in the bag they came home in, the needles neatly tucked in alongside.  The sweater my daughter requested (yes, I am sooo flattered, my daughter ASKED me to knit her a sweater!) still in a place much like the mittens. 

George R. R. Martin said it best...  "Winter is coming!"  Even though we are much too far south for Dire Wolves, we still must prepare ourselves and our loved ones for winter.  This means hats, scarves, mittens, beanies, slippers, Christmas stockings, sweaters, and believe it or not the occasional crochet bikini for those who get to go somewhere WARM for Christmas!

    

Click here!
...to view this awesome pattern on Ravelry!

Even though most folks these days wear helmets on the slopes, and that is awesome, they still need to look good in the lodge.  Therefore, a hand knit beanie or headband is always in style to cover up the dreaded "helmet hair" when your outdoor sport enthusiast heads inside for lunch!  Fair Isle hats are making a big comeback (did they ever leave??) and slouchy beanies have been very popular this year.

Knit 'em, crochet 'em, get those heads covered this winter!  We have hat books and patterns galore, including the Slouchy books, and you will love the new yarns from Cascade and Plymouth that have arrived very recently! 

There is a thing called Fixation from Cascade Yarns that will keep a hat from popping off most any head from newborn to grandparent!  Fixation is a cotton/elastic blend that can be used by itself in a pattern or in company with another yarn in the brim of a hat to give it that extra stretch! 

Fixation!

  

Click here for Gina!

You will want to come in to the shop and meet Gina from Plymouth!  Gina is a lovely color striping yarn that looks fantastic knit or crocheted and is amazing in entreloc!  Gina is 100% wool, single ply, and just waiting for you to make something amazing!







Whether you are looking for a project to treat yourself or another lucky person (or pet!)  you will find what you need at Knit Unique!  We are, of course, back to our winter hours of Monday through Saturday 10 - 6, with Tuesday extended hours to 8 p.m. for our social knit night!  (oh, and just in case, Knit Unique now offers a wish list if you would like us to jot down your hopes and dreams!)

Summer Hours are here at Knit Unique!

 

Summer is knocking and we are answering!  As in the past, Knit Unique will once again be closed on Mondays throughout the summer, beginning in June, which is right around the corner, amazingly enough!  Come see us Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 6 and we are, of course, still hosting knit night every Tuesday from 6 - 8!

 

Our wonderful instructors are brainstorming some fun and quick summer classes, keep an eye out for those, as we will post them as they become available.

 

Have an extraordinary summer and keep those fibers moving!

Pi Day is not just for Mathematicians!

Happy Pi Day! 

Oh yes, March 14 (3.14) is an infamous day for math lovers and pie lovers alike.  However, knitters have carved out their own niche in the Pi Day celebrations!  Check out these cool links to creative Pi Day related patterns on, you guessed it, ravelry! (Click the link below each photo!)

Estonian Pi

Heliotaxis Pi Shawl

For your math lover!

Gotta have a Pi Hat!
 



So celebrate Pi day the low calorie way!  Knit up something fun for you sweetie-pie, math lover, or, hey, even yourself!

Spring Ahead?

Whether you are among the "wanna spring ahead" crowd, or the "of all things, just leave the time alone" crowd, one fact remains the same...there are the SAME number of fiber hours a day either way! To help make it through the daylight savings blues, or to celebrate daylight savings (depending on which crowd you are in!) we have compiled a few patterns from ravelry.com that are awesome and trendy right now:

Gatsby Crescent Shawlette

Holden Shawlette

Holden Shawlette is a free download and is lovely in sock yarn!

Bolster Pillow with Needle Felted Embellishments

This pattern calls for worsted weight yarn and would be lovely in 

Noro, Crystal Palace, or Classic Shades from Universal!

Beautiful Man...er..I mean "Beautiful Pillows for around the house!"

Bulky yarn left over from winter knitting projects?  Finding bulky yarn on sale 'somewhere'?

These pillows would be just the thing!

So go ahead, turn those clocks ahead and change the batteries in your smoke detectors!  You have knitting to do!

ATTENTION WINDOW SHOPPERS!

 

Kaitlin has done it again!

Come by and check out the gorgeous window display that Kaitlin put together for us! 

Jezebel checks out the view from her window and is happy that the furnace works now!
 

There's a good look at Jezebel's view...oh yes, snow and more snow!  Knit your honey something snuggly for Valentine's Day!

Knit Unique carries many beautiful and fun bags!  Lunch totes, like these, as well as reuseable bags and bags for one or more projects!  Bags, bags, bags! 
 

"Hattie"

Pattern in Juniper Moon Farms Book 7

According to the Juniper Moon Farm blog, "You heard it here first: Herriot is going to be a kind of a big deal. What is it, exactly?

Herriot is a DK-weight yarn made of 100% baby alpaca that comes in 10 natural shades (ie, undyed, never-gonna-bleed, straight-off-the-alpaca gorgeous)."

Of course, the first thing I thought when I saw this gorgeous photo was "hmmm, I wonder what kind of yarn that is..."  Yeah right.  I am at a point in my life where I am not to proud to admit that I hated her for a moment (well, maybe more than a moment if we're being totally honest!), because she wears that dress soooo well!  Then I wondered how she stays so fit.  How does she do that?  A leaf of lettuce three times a day?  No, she probably works her tail (literally) off in the gym or maybe mucks out on the farm!  Anyway, the whole package is beautiful and maybe, just maybe, if I buy enough Herriot to make THAT dress in THAT size and don't eat one thing until I get it done, it would fit and I would look exactly like this beautiful model!  Emily, (of course her name is Emily, a beautiful name!), models this dress perfectly and is inspiring me to knit to be fit!  Now there's a slogan:  Knit to be Fit!  As long as I am knitting with both hands, there can be no snacking going on, right?!  All joking aside, Herriot baby Alpaca yarn is absolutely to die for (or to diet for) and in all the colors of the natural alpaca rainbow.  We have a sample in the shop of the Egbertine Cowl:

...and you have got to see and feel it to believe how lusciously, sinfully soft it is! Again, the pattern is in the same book, JMF7.  If you like mittens, the Fair Isle mittens, the Vera Margeurite mittens and tam pattern is in that booklet as well!

So what do you think?  Can it be done?  Shall I accept the challenge and get the yarn for that dress and dare to make it in the size I want to be when I get it done?  This is scary stuff....Seriously, let me know!

Introducing the addi-Art "Diamond"!

This is what Skacel has to say about their new "Diamond" needles!

The addi-Art ‘Diamond’ is sure to be on every knitter’s holiday shopping list this year. Unique in all respects, the limited edition needle was handcrafted with great patience and care. This once in a lifetime creation features a visible core of genuine Swarovski crystals which twinkle and dance in celebration of every stitch you knit. The construction of a needle this special required the utmost attention to detail. Thus, for a single day in the fall of 2012, addi devoted their daily production to focus all efforts on this individual item. Keeping with addi’s hands-on tradition of manufacturing, each individual Swarovski crystal was painstakingly placed into the heart of every needle. The final product gently blurs the line between form and function, constructing a piece of art, with purpose.

Oh yes, we have them!  Two left, size 32" #15!