Health Benifits of Knitting

My daughter sent me this link to an article on health benefits of knitting.  Interesting but I am not at all surprised. Knitting calms me when I am anxious and lifts my spirits when I feel distressed. Nothing like a new ball of crazy sock yarn.





http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-knitting/?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

We are big panda fans in my house. Thought you might enjoy this adorable video of the Smithsonian Zoo's panda weathering this past weekend's storm

Smithsonian’s National Zoo's  facebook page is incredible . Once you are on, go to the videos at the lower left  and click on the panda image.

https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo/

The zoo's baby panda BeiBei had his first introduction to snow! Keepers took him outside to a small behind-the-scenes area and let him explore in a light dusting of snow for a few minutes while Mei Xiang ate her breakfast in her outdoor yard. Keepers said he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the powdery snow.‬


Beth

Cooking School Winter Knit Night with Chef Heather Goodman

If you’re a knitter, bring your WIP tonight and eat, tink and be merry! Chef Heather Goodman will prepare a delicious feast for you while you sit and knit. After dinner, we’ll discuss the projects we’re working on and share our knitting wisdom! Your mouth-watering menu includes flavourful Green Bean, Pickled Red Onion & Toasted Almond Salad; succulent Chicken Marsala; cheesy Boursin Smashed Potatoes; and decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert.

Please be advised that our Cooking Schools are not allergy-free zones.

Real Canadian Superstore - Aurora Superstore
15900 Bayview Ave, Aurora
$30.00 * per person
Date & Time Friday, February 5th, 7:00pm - 9:30pm

You can register on line at
http://www.pccookingschool.ca/LCLOnline/cookingSchool.jsp?all=t&tab=cs&productId=csaprod16310130&&type=details&
 

 

 

Therapy Shawl

Karen has a shawl class that has been attracting a lot of attention.Therapy Shawl is simple enough to be relaxing but provides enough variety to keep your interest. So many knitters wanted this class, Karen has had to add a second. There are still a couple of spaces.

Class	Therapy Shawl   (Karen) One 2 ½ class - $25 + supplies
Date & Time	Friday, January 29th 1:00 – 3:30 P.M.
Description	In the midst of several demanding knits, I craved garter stripes, simple eyelets, and picots. It had to be almost mindless, easy to put down and pick up so that I could squeeze it in among other things, and be appropriate for using a variegated yarn with a couple of supporting solids.
Prerequisites	Advanced beginner and above. A good knowledge of knitting and purling, and other basic knitting techniques
	Karen's finished store sample that has been attracting all the attention.   A few of the colour combinations students have selected.   Karen enjoyed this project so much, she has actually begun a second. Karen rarely repeats projects.   Come join in on the fun. Beth

Jacques Cousteau Hat

Jacques Cousteau Hat by Lalla Pohjanpalo

 

I have looked at this hat on Ravelry many times. Just before Christmas I was looking for a nice classic style toque as a gift for some one and decided to give it a try. It was a simple easy design and I loved the finished hat. What I really liked was the design created on the top by the decreases.

 

 

                            

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jacques-cousteau-hat

 

 The pattern offers 2 sizes and the original hat is knit in DK (22sts/4").  The first one, now gifted so I can't offer a picture, was knit in Berroco  Ultra Alpaca light.  I decided to try it in Cascade 220, a worsted (20sts/4"), and knit the small/medium size which turned out a perfect medium/large in the thicker yarn. Shown below

 

 

 

 The pattern is a knit3, purl 2 rib which is very stretchy, providing a snug comfortable fit. And it has a generous fold back brim for an extra layer over the ears. Because I enjoy playing around, I decided to try a baby hat out of some left over Fleece Artist sock yarn. An unexpected surprise was the colour pooling. 28 grams of sock yarn, 100 sts on a 3mm needle. It finished with an un-stretched circumference of 10 inches, 8 inch depth. Because this hat is so stretchy, I think it would fit from a newborn up to close to 9 months to a year

 

 

 I plan to knit a few of these as Christmas gifts for next year. 

 

Beth

Beautiful New Sock Yarn

We have almost finished restocking the sock yarn, only Zauberball left to come in.

Alegria

Heritage and Heritage Silk

Brand New Cascade Wave

New Colours of Wendy Roam & Fusion

I like it so much, we got more colours of On Line Swing

And Fixation is back

For a sock knitter like me, this is heaven.

 

Beth

My Christmas Surprise from Karen

Karen gave me a lovely pottery yarn bowl for Christmas. When I unwrapped it, I found an additional treat snuggled inside. Karen knows I am addicted to caramel and particularly fond of fudge.

 

 

I managed to resist it for several days. There was no shortage of other Christmas treats in the house. One night I decided to finally indulge. I opened it up and took a bite. I had not thoroughly read the whole label.

It was soap beautifully designed to look like fudge. I can tell you, soap that smells like Apple Butter Caramel  does not taste like Apple Butter Caramel!!!!  Do you have any idea how long it takes to get the taste of soap out of your mouth? I now understand why it is said some parents discipline their children by washing their mouth out with soap.  My first thought was to rinse my mouth out with water. All that did was distribute the soap flavor over all the taste buds so I could truly savour the flavor. I followed up with brushing my teeth  and a thorough rinse with mouth wash. Taste was still there. Finally, I was rescued by an ice cold Red Racer beer.

Any one who has had the pleasure of meeting Karen, knows she is a kind and generous woman who would never intentionally hurt someone. But she did laugh at me when I told her what had happened.
Beth

New Year, New Yarn

Karen and I always appreciate a good year end sale. January first is inventory day and we need to count EVERYTHING. But after the counting is finished and the shelves straightened up, the store can look a little empty. The restocking has begun.

 

 

Top Shelf Arne & Carlos

Lower Shelf Lana Grossa Aloha

 

 

 

On Line Jupiter, so soft with added aloe vera and jojoba

 

 

On Line Swing, a cotton wool blend,

great for a lighter weight summer sock.

 

 

 

We still have a few balls of some other great colours.

I love sock yarn, the colours are great.

 

The restocking has started but more to come.

 

Beth