Gift Guide for Knitters and Fiber Lovers!

December 11, 2016Circle of StitchesComment

So you have a beloved fiber lover, and you're stuck on finding them a gift. Let us help you!

1. Crochet Therapy, the soothing art of savoring each stitch

2. A sweet I Heart Stitch Art embroidery kit!

3. Kids Crochet, projects for kids of all ages

4. Pom pom makers! They come in assorted sizes and are a perfect stocking stuffer.

5. The Modern Natural Dyer, for the earth-loving fiberista who would enjoy learning how to dye

6. Alterknit Felt, so your loved one can discover new ways to play with wool

7. Norah Gaughan's Knitted Cable Source Book, an amazing reference book that would make an amazing addition to any knitter's collection

8. On the Loom, a new book on tapestry weaving with an assortment of fun projects

9. Embroidered doll kits, complete with wool stuffing!

10. A JessaLu project bag. Comes in assorted fabrics and every knitter and crocheter loves a project bag!

11. Lux Adorna Fun Sized Sport Bundles - adorable bundles of cashmere, with a cowl pattern included. A lovely little luxury!

12. Take Heart, a lovely new book of knitting patterns

13. Sock-shaped needle point protectors, a perfect stocking stuffer

14. Highlighter tape, another great stocking stuffer

15. A complete pop-out tapestry weaving loom, instructions included! A great gift for any yarn lover

16. A beautiful shawl pin by JUL Designs

17. A cute embroidery kit by CozyBlue

18. A Circle of Stitches stitch gauge! A great stocking stuffer.

19. Heart-eyed Sheep Enamel Pin, to adorn their project bag!

20. Removable brass stitch markers

21. Hand-felted sheep hanging ornament

22. Soak, for washing handknits! Comes in two sizes

23. Woollelujah! A tote bag for all their yarn, because who doesn't love a tote bag?

24. High Fiber Diet tote bag, because see above.

Still can't decide? Get your loved one a gift card!

PS. How about this super cool Yarn Pyramid art print?

A Note on Adjusting Waist Length: The Shaken or Stirred Cardigan

November 29, 2016Ana CamposComment

This fall, we became a flagship store for Harrisville Designs, a family-owned spinning mill here in New England. We are so excited to continue supporting small companies, and when their new FlyWHEEL yarn arrived, I couldn't wait to try it out!

FlyWHEEL is a lofty, woolen-spun yarn made of 100% pure virgin wool. The stunning colors are dyed in the wool and blended during the spinning process, which gives them a beautiful heathered depth. I picked Thea Colman's Shaken or Stirred to showcase the yarn. Thea is also local to New England, so I was excited to knit a super-local project!

I've knit Thea's patterns before and I know that I am longer-waisted than she is. I have a long torso, which means I go into her patterns expecting to adjust the length of the waist shaping (the area between the bust and the hips) for my own body. I know this can sound intimidating and I wanted to take the opportunity to explain this a little, so that it may help you in your own knitting projects. I did not modify any circumferences (bust, waist) in this project, only lengths.

The shaping on this project is very subtle, since it's intended to be a cozy, oversized cardigan. Thea has it set up with 2 sets of decreases, the first at a certain length under the arm, and the second set after another 1" of knitting. After decreasing, there are 3" of straight knitting at the waist. The hip increases then mirror the 2 decreases, over 1".

What this means: The tapering for the waist happens over a length of 5 inches: The decreases are 1" apart from each other, then 3" for the waist, then 1" for the hip increases.

For my size, the pattern called for waist shaping to start 3" under the arm separation. My waist doesn't start sloping inwards until 4" under my arm, so this was an easy adjustment: I knit an extra inch before starting my shaping. Next, I needed 1.5" before getting to my waist instead of just 1". Instead of doing the second decrease 1" after the first, I knit even for 1.5" before decreasing again. I kept the 3" of straight knitting at the waist, then did my first increase. To match the decreases, I spaced my second increase at 1.5" instead of just 1".

In the end, I lowered the entire waist shaping by 1", and then added 1" of length to the entire shaping section. Just some simple math! I hope this helps you with your future projects. Questions? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. - The Harrisville FlyWHEEL worked up beautifully, I can't wait to knit with it again!

Socktober - Help us make a difference!

October 2, 2016Circle of Stitches1 Comment

For us sock knitters, October is "Socktober," the month where we cheerfully knit as many pairs of socks as possible. After all, wearing hand-knit wool socks helps us make it through the dreary winter months!

This year, we want to use Socktober to make a difference in our community. Many people are unaware that the homeless shelter desperately needs, and rarely receives, socks. This article from Points of Light is a couple of years old, but speaks of the importance of socks to the homeless population.

Salem is home to Lifebridge, an organization that provides transitional housing and helps those in need move into permanent housing. They serve over 1,000 people a year, and provide 300 meals a day, 365 days a year. So how can we help?

This Socktober, Circle of Stitches will purchase and donate one pair of socks for every 100 grams of sock yarn sold. Most skeins of sock yarn are 100 grams, so that's just one skein per pair! Help us spread some Socktober love this month and check out our selection of sock yarns! Can't knit socks? Join us for a class, or use your sock yarn for shawls, hats, mittens, whatever inspires you!

Our goal is to donate at least 50 pairs of socks - do you think we can make it to 100?

Introducing Quince & Co

August 20, 2016Circle of StitchesComment

At Circle of Stitches, we are committed to supporting small, unique yarn companies whenever possible. This fall, we are partnering up with Quince & Co and we couldn't be more excited!

Quince & Co is local to New England, based out of Maine. In 2010, founder Pam Allen partnered with a historic mill to design yarns from the ground up, using wool sourced in the U.S. Quince is deeply committed to supporting American ranches and mills to produce high-quality knitting yarns. You can read more about their story and values here.

So far, we've introduced Sparrow and Willet. Sparrow is a beautiful lightweight linen, sourced from Belgium. The U.S. does not produce commercial quantities of linen, so Quince & Co turned to the heart of historic linen production in Belgium to source organic linen yarn. Sparrow uses no toxic chemicals in any stage of its production. If you've never worked with linen before, here is an excellent blog post by Quince on working with this fiber.

Willet is a lovely, minimally-processed cotton yarn. It is spun from Cleaner Cotton, which is grown by family farmers in California. Cleaner Cotton is the product of responsible farming and reduced water use - read all about it here.

Starting in September, we are introducing Quince & Co's core wool line, kicking off with Chickadee. Their core line is made of American wool grown in the ranges of Montana and Wyoming, and is a blend of Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia-based sheep. Ana has already knit up a Sibella pullover, which you can see at the store, and plans on casting on Ebba in a couple of weeks when Chickadee officially arrives.

Quince & Co yarns will not be available through our website, but can be purchased in-store or on the phone. We can be reached at 978-745-9276.

All images courtesy of Quince & Co

Summer of Sweaters KAL!

July 2, 2016Circle of StitchesComment

With our Odele KAL in full swing and some of us nearing the end-point, we can't help but start to feel that tingle - that idea that tugs at the edges of your mind, that tickle that runs through your fingers - Startitis. The desire to start a new project.

Our lovely Carrie teamed up with Jen Beeman of Grainline studio to host the Summer of Sweaters KAL! Join along with #SummerofSweatersKAL on Instagram, and enjoy a summer of relaxing stitching. By the time fall rolls around, you'll have a fresh sweater to wear right away!