Saturday, December 11, 2010

Basic Dish Cloth Pattern

Here's a quick gift idea. It can be a dish cloth or a face cloth, depending on the yarn you use. Combine it with a kitchen gadget or some nummy face soap for a fun hostess gift or stocking stuffer. I used one skein of Luna and size 6 needles to make this dishcloth. My gauge was 4 stitches to the inch; but I knit kinda loose, so adjust your needles accordingly.

Cast on 4 stitches.

First Half
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Knit 2 stitches, yarn over, knit to end of row.

Repeat Row 2 until there are 50 stitches on the needles, or until dish cloth is half of desired length.

Second Half
Row 1: Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of row.

Repeat Row 1 until 7 stitches remain.

Finishing
Row 1: Knit 2, slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over the 2 stitches you knit together, knit 2.
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit 1.
Row 3: Knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 2 together.

Bind-off remaining 3 stitches. OR...Make a 3-inch I-Cord using these 3 stitches and sew it down to create a loop to hang the dish cloth. Weave in all loose ends.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Tip of the Month: Felting

Felting is still such a popular technique among knitters. Whether it's a felted bag or hat you are making for a gift, or felted slippers you're keeping for yourself, here are some tips to make your felting experience more successful!

Place finished item in a zippered pillowcase. If you don't, the fibers that come off during felting can ruin your washing machine. Set your machine to the smallest load, the hottest wash and the longest agitation possible. STAY CLOSE BY and check your item frequently, about every 5 minutes. When checking the item, completely remove it from the zippered pillowcase. This is a good time to aid in the shaping and to make sure the item hasn't turned inside out. Place the item back in the zippered pillowcase and resume agitation.

If necessary, repeat the agitation process (without rinsing and spinning), until item is the desired size. Once you're happy with the size, spin the item briefly (always in the pillowcase) to remove excess water. DO NOT WALK AWAY. Stay close so that as soon as the item is done spinning, you can remove it and shape as desired. Let air dry.

Hint: I like to shape my items by stuffing them with plastic grocery bags. This allows me to achieve the exact shape that I want. Once the stocking is mostly dry on the outside, remove the plastic bags and allow to dry inside.

Another Hint: It's okay to felt more that one item at a time, but I recommend putting each one in its own zippered pillowcase. Adjust your water level accordingly.

Most of all...Have Fun! Call the shop (503) 283-2004; or come by if you have any questions! The felted slipper pictured above was embellished by Craig, and you can take his Needle Felting 101 Class if you want to learn more about this!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Cozy Circle Scarf

Lately I've had quite a few customers mention that they've seen these really long cowls, or Circle Scarves, in stores; so I thought I'd create a pattern for you. This would make a great holiday gift; and depending on the yarn you choose, it can knit up really quick!

Here's a pattern for one using a chunky yarn (3-3.5 stitches to the inch) and size 11 needles. I used 3 skeins of Jewel from Cascade Yarns. Since I used bigger needles than the yarn normally calls for, I got a gauge of 2.5 stitches to the inch. You can adjust the number of stitches you cast on, depending on the actual gauge you're getting.

The finished scarf is 60 inches in circumference, and looks really great wrapped twice around.

Using long-tail cast on, cast on 144 stitches and join in the round.
Next Round: Purl.
Next Round: Knit.
Next Round: Purl.
Repeat last 2 rounds 2 more times.

Next Round: Knit 1, yarn over; repeat to end of round.
Next Round: Purl, dropping yarn overs as you come to them.
Next Round: Knit.
Next Round: Purl.
Repeat the last 2 rounds 2 more times.

Repeat the last 8 rounds 3 more times. Bind off knitwise. Weave in your ends, and wear your stylish Cozy Circle Scarf proudly!

I'm going to play around with some other stitch patterns, as well as some other wraps/scarves that are popular in the stores right now. Stay tuned!






Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Feels Great to be Finishing!

I have been in a finishing mode lately, and it's been so much fun! Since I have a habit of starting new projects, it always feels good to complete some.

Here's one of my favorite finished things; the Ashfield Cardigan from the book, New England Knits. A lovely book, by the way. I'm currently working on two other projects from it!

I used Cascade 220 Superwash, and I love the way it washed and dried...in the drier! I'd be happy to order any color you'd like in this yarn. Just let me know!

Check out the rest of my finishing accomplishments in My Notebook on Ravelry. If you don't know about Ravelry or just haven't joined yet, you totally should! It's free, and it's a fun place to search for patterns and see what other people are up to.

What have you finished lately?

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Fall Knit-A-Long Time!

Hey all you Naked Knitters…we’ll be kicking off our Fall Knit-A-Long at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop on Saturday, September 11 from 1-4pm. Join us as we knit the Cloisonne Jacket from the Fall 2010 Interweave KNITS.

We'll meet every Saturday this fall, as we create this gorgeous jacket! I'm so excited! I'll be using Cascade 220 (in brown and pink, what else?!); how about you?

Come and choose your yarn this weekend during our Back-to-School Sale and get at least 15% OFF your yarn! Just tell us that you're buying yarn for the Knit-A-Long, and you'll get 15% OFF your needles and accessories, too!

See you soon!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Feather and Fan Baby Hat

I knit up this cute little baby hat with just two skeins of Luna, one each of main color and contrast color. I used a size 7 16-inch circular needle and double pointed needles. Suggested gauge is 4.5 stitches/inch for a 16” hat. Here's the pattern…Enjoy!

Using main color, cast on 72 stitches. Join in the round; being careful not to twist.
Round 1: Purl.
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3: Purl.

***Change to contrast color and work the following 4 rounds (Feather and Fan Pattern):
Round 1: Knit.
Round 2: (K2tog) 2 times, (yo, k1) 4 times, *(k2tog) 4 times, (yo, k1) 4 times; repeat from * to last 4 stitches, (k2tog) 2 times.
Round 3: Purl.
Round 4: Knit.

Change back to main color and repeat the 4 rounds of Feather and Fan Pattern. Repeat from the *** one more time (8 more rounds).

Work in stockinette until hat measures 4 inches from the beginning.

Work decrease rounds as follows, changing to dpn's when necessary:
Round 1: *Knit 6, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3: *Knit 5, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 4: Knit.
Round 5: *Knit 4, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 6: Knit.
Round 7: *Knit 3, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 8: Knit.
Round 9: *Knit 2, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 10: Knit.
Round 11: *Knit 1, k2tog: repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 12: *K2tog: repeat from * to the end of the round.
Round 13: Repeat round 12 until 4 stitches remain.

With remaining 4 stitches, knit an I-cord that is about 1.5 to 2 inches long. Sew it down to the top of the hat to make a little loop. Weave in ends and you're done!

Design by Cheri Clark, The Knit Wit ©2010
www.thenakedsheepknitshop.com

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Wool Caps for Soldiers

I was recently approached by customer Barbara Jennings regarding an opportunity to participate in an effort to knit wool caps for soldiers. Since we have such generous and giving customers, I wanted to pass along this information to you so that you could have a chance to get involved!

Here's what Barbara had to say...

"We need knitters! We recently became aware of a need for 2700 100% wool caps for soldiers being deployed to Iraq in September. If you can make even one cap before the end of August, it would be a great help. Please read on to get the cap pattern and pictures and check out the videos of the Idaho organizer - Bea is a Rosie the Riverter from WWII and not detered by seemingly insurmountable odds. We want to help her reach her goal and get a knitted cap into each soldier's pack. A huge thank you to Cheri at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop for supporting this project!" -Barbara Jennings and Carla Harwood - Portland knitters.

The Naked Sheep is offering a 10% discount for all yarn purchased at the shop for this project. Just mention this project when you're checking out.

Clink on the links below for the pattern for these wool caps, as well as information on the woman organizing this effort.

Cap Pattern
Bea Mitchell

Saturday, July 3, 2010

5th Anniversary Sale and Celebration Giveaways!!!

Wow! We have TONS of great stuff to give away during our Big 5th Anniversary Sale and Celebration...I'm so excited! In addition to a fabulous sale, there will be daily giveaways and several drawings for larger prizes at the end of the weekend.
A Great Big Thank You to those who generously donated all these items!
We so appreciate the following awesome vendors: Bar-Maids, Bryson Distributing, Cascade Yarns, Elsebeth Lavold, Knit Sew Purl What?!, Lantern Moon, R&M Book Distributors, Stitch Jones, Universal Yarn and WoolPets.
And we LOVE our neighboring businesses and are very appreciative of their donations: Atomic Pizza, Beaterville, Blend, Breakside Brewery, DiPrima, Pause and Trixies Beauty Bar.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Finished!

Finished my Multnomah Shawl! This was our Spring Knit-A-Long project at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop. It was fun to knit, and really pretty easy. I just need to weave in a couple ends and then block it. I'm very happy with the yarn I used; Heritage and Heritage Paints from Cascade Yarns. It's soft and light and lovely! Watch for details on the Summer Knit-A-Long which will start Saturday, June 26!


I also finished Brad's Cosby Sweater, which is a huge accomplishment. I took a child's cardigan pattern that Brad liked, and turned it into a man-size pullover. There were several "hiccups" in the process; and the sweater was in "time-out" several times! I'm glad it's done. I'll get a pic of Brad wearing it soon. And I have enough yarn leftover to knit up a matching sweater for Riley! Yeah!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I've Only Just Begun

Here is the beginning of my Clementine Shawlette from Interweave Knits, Spring 2007. It's a super fun pattern to work on; and I love, love, love this yarn! I'm using Ultra Pima from Cascade Yarns. We have 13 deliciously shiny colorways in this 100% Pima Cotton. This sport weight yarn is machine wash cool and tumble dry low...how easy is that?

Check out the many lovely colors in this yarn. If I don't have the color you want at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, I would be very happy to special order it for you!

Friday, May 28, 2010

60 Quick Knits

Have you seen the new book 60 Quick Knits? It is so awesome! This book is full of smaller projects...mittens, gloves, hats and such; and the patterns are really great! All the patterns use the Cascade Yarns that we love so much.

You should stop by The Naked Sheep Knit Shop and check it out! Priced at only $17.95, it's a super great deal. That's only 30 cents a pattern! We also have a great selection of Cascade Yarns, so you can quickly knit up some fun things!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Podcast: Warm Weather Fibers

Hey...Check out this Podcast: Warm Weather Fibers by my friends Natalie and Rachel. They came to The Naked Sheep Knit Shop to interview me! Does that mean I'm famous?!

I absolutely love the music that they put in between the different segments. These two are seriously fiber and craft obsessed, as their blog states! The podcast was educational and very fun to listen to!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Cool Wool Striped Baby Hat

Have fun knitting up this sweet little hat for someone special. The yarn I used is wonderful; super soft and lovely to knit with! We've got all 12 bright and cheerful colors at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop!

Materials Needed:
*3 colors of Cool Wool (50% Cotton/50% Wool; 50 grams/109 yards); 1 skein each color
*Size 6 16-inch circular needle, or size necessary to achieve gauge
*Size 6 double pointed needles, or size necessary to achieve gauge
*Stitch marker

Gauge:
5 stitches = 1 inch

Abbreviations used:
K2tog = knit 2 together
K = knit
1x1 Ribbing = knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch; repeat to end of round.

(Assign each color you’ve chosen a letter (A, B and C) and use accordingly throughout the pattern, always changing color at the marker.)

Instructions:
Using circular needles and color A, cast on 80 stitches. Place marker and join into the round. Work in 1x1 ribbing for 1 inch.

Change to color B and knit for 1 inch. Change to color C and knit for 1 inch. Continue in stockinette stitch (knitting every round), changing colors every inch as established until hat measures 4 inches from cast on edge.

Beginning at the marker, shape crown as follows; changing to double pointed needles when necessary:

(Don’t forget to make your color changes!)
K6, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
Knit one round.
K5, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
Knit one round.
K4, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
Knit one round.
K3, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
Knit one round.
K2, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
Knit one round.
K1, k2tog, repeat to end of round.
K2tog, repeat to end of round.
K2tog, repeat to end of round.

Cut yarn and thread through tapestry needle. Run tapestry needle through stitches the same direction you would if you were knitting them. Drop tapestry needle through center and pull. Weave in all ends.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

That's a lot of preemie hats!

Dear Naked Sheep knitters,

The last hat has been collected and I just wanted to say thank you all so much for contributing to my Bronze Award project! I collected 323 hats total from The Naked Sheep Knit Shop. With the other two girls from my troop, we got a whopping 787 hats! This was a great experience for me because I was able to learn how to lead a group project. I will feel very proud when I hand the hats over to Medical Teams International. Thank you, again!

Abigail Hall -- Girl Scout troop 41640

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Preemie Hat Update

Abigail, from Girl Scout Troup 1640, stopped by the shop last Thursday for Knit Nite to give us an update on their Preemie Hat Project. So far they have collected 94 hats from The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, and I know that we can get it above 100 by the April 4 deadline!

Thanks to all who have participated! I will give you the final count early in April. Keep on knitting!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Scavenger Hunt

Just 2 days until the Portland Yarn Crawl! Part of the festivities for the weekend will be a Scavenger Hunt. The theme of the Scavenger Hunt is “Hat’s off to Portland’s Knitting Designers.” As you visit each store, be on the lookout for a handknit hat with a numbered tag. The first two people to email phyllis@portlandyarncrawl.com with the name of the designer, store name and item number for all 16 shops will win kits from Blue Sky Alpacas. Good Luck!

I've designed a hat for The Naked Sheep Knit Shop using The Naked Sheep Colorway from StitchJones Dyepot Worsted and Venezia Worsted from Cascade Yarns.

See you this weekend!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Mother Tree Project

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen! Check out Helen's blog and get caught up on the details of The Mother Tree Project. Helen is a North Portland resident and a Naked Sheep Customer. The Mother Tree is now on view in the lobby of The Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Portland, Oregon. Join her on-site to help crochet roots from 11:30am - 1:30pm each weekday starting Feb 16, 2010 and ending March 12, 2010.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Only 21 Days Until the Portland Yarn Crawl!

We are counting down the days until the Portland Yarn Crawl! If you don't know about it, you can find out all the details on their website.
There will be a Scavenger Hunt and each store will have a huge basket of goodies to give away at the end of the weekend!

At The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, we will be giving away additional goodies all weekend. Join us on Saturday afternoon for a fun event with the gals from Bar-Maids. Their products are all natural, and the Lo-Lo Bars are the perfect moisture bars for knitters. We'll also be giving away an "I Deserve This" gift basket from Bar-Maids at the end of the weekend. You definitely want to enter your name to win this basket of luxury!

Can't wait to see you the first weekend in March! We'll keep regular business hours during The Yarn Crawl:

Friday 10-6
Saturday 10-4
Sunday 12-4

Monday, January 11, 2010

Help Girl Scouts, Help Preemies

I was recently approached by Abigail, a 6th grade Girl Scout, asking if we’d like to partner with her troop to collect preemie hats. I told her that The Naked Sheep Knit Shop and it’s customers would be thrilled to help them out. Here’s a note from Abigial, explaining what they’re hoping to accomplish:

"We are members of Girl Scout troop 1640. We are in 6th grade and working on earning our bronze award. We are making preemie sized hats to send to Medical Teams International; but seeing as there are only a few of us, that would mean a lot of knitting and/or crocheting. That's why we're asking for your help. We appreciate any donations of knitted or crocheted hats. We will collect the hats monthly. The last pick-up will be April 4, 2010."

Let's help Abigail and her troop collect a record number of hats! Drop off the hats at The Naked Sheep, and we will make sure they get to Girl Scout Troup 1640. Here are a couple websites where you can find free preemie hat patterns.

p2designs
bevscountrycottage
ravelry

Friday, January 8, 2010

Portland Yarn Crawl


In case you haven't heard, there is going to be a Portland Yarn Crawl the first weekend in March. We're very excited about it! The Naked Sheep Knit Shop will be participating in the festivities, along with just about every other shop in the greater Portland area. There will be prizes, a scavenger hunt and much more...more details to follow about the Yarn Crawl.

And congratulations are in order to our very own VP of Everything, Brad Clark; who designed the lovely logo that will be used on the Portland Yarn Crawl website (which will be live soon!). Good job, Brad! Way to capture the spirit of Portland!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Another Successful Inventory

Inventory at The Naked Sheep Knit Shop was a success! We had 9 lovely counters and 1 inputer...me! The counting was finished in a record 5 hours, and we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast/lunch at Beaterville across the street.

Thanks to my wonderful counters...I couldn't have done it without you!

The shop looks so beautiful....stop by and check it out!