New Location and New Classes

We have moved.  We are now located at 4000 Albemarle Street NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20016.

We are located across the street from the Tenley Town Metro (RED LINE).  Our phone number is 202.487.4337

Currently, we are open for our classes.  We are fully stocked for our classes.  We will be reopening our retail location on November 5 for weekends during the Holiday season.

Our class schedule is here.  We are constantly updating and adding new classes.  Visit often.  Build and enhance your knitting skills with classes for any level from beginner to uber knitter!  See you soon in our new cozy spot!

Big News at Stitch DC

This is just a tease.  We have been working on something really fantastic here at Stitch DC.  All will be revealed in the next day or so.  Also our new class schedule and many other Fall yarn events will be posted as we are updated and revamping our website on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

Sweater class in September

Yes, It will get cold again.  Already, some morning you can feel a bit chill.  Are you ready?  Do you have your sweaters planned for the Fall?  We have a class starting September 8 where you can knit your first sweater or make another great sweater with expert assistance.  I will be teaching this class and sharing all my designer tips and pointers.  I've been digging through raverly for patterns to share with my students.  Here are a few that I recommend for class.  You can sign up here.

Here are the choices: 

Over four weeks, we will learn about gauge, fit, customizing, seaming, pattern reading, fixing mistakes and so much more!

See you in class!  If you have any questions, just email me at marie@marieconnolly.com.  And yes, you can use your groupon for this class.  If you have a 201 groupon that you'd like to use before it expires in September.  Email me and I'll let you use it for this class.  Same price so great deal!

Baby Socks -- Free pattern

I'm not so much a sock knitter but occasionally I need a quick gift or instant gratification of baby things.  Although I don't have any small babies, I can still whip out a pair of socks for Oonagh in a jiffy.  Here is a free pattern that I designed for Stitch DC that is for newborn to 6 month old babies.  I used Aurora 8, a super soft washable merino, and size 6 needles so I had a pair knit in less than 2.5 hours!

Baby socks
Designed by Marie Connolly


Suggested Materials
50 yards of worsted weight yarn. (sample was knit with Aurora 8; one skein would produce two pairs)
US 6 double pointed needles (or circular needles if you prefer magic loop or two circulars)


Notes:
1. These socks are knit from the toe up in the round.
2. The pattern is written for double pointed needles but as long
as you indicate each needle divide, you can modify it to magic loop or two circulars.




Cast on using turkish cast a total of 16 stitches. Knit these stitches
Knit one more round. At this point you can divide the stitches as follows 

• needle 1: 8 stitches
• needle 2: 4 stitches 
• needle 3: 4 stitches

Start two increases as follows:
Round 1: needle 1: k1, m1, knit to last stitch, m1, k1; needle 2: k1, m1, knit to end of needle; needle 3: knit to last stitch, m1, k1
Round 2: knit all stitches
Repeat these two round once more. (24 total stitches as follows needle 1: 12 stitches; needle 2: 6 stitches; needle 3: 6 stitches)
Knit in the round for an additional inch.


The Heel
Build the gusset as follows:
Round 1: needle 1: k1, m1, knit to last stitch, m1, k1; needle 2: knit; needle 3: knit 
Round 2: knit all stitches
Repeat last two rounds until Needle 1 has 22 stitches.
Please note during this section, we are only increasing on needle 1.

Turn the heel:
Please note for the next section, we are only working needle 1:
Next round: knit 11 stitches, place marker, knit 2, k2tog, k1 TURN work
Next row: still working on needle 1: purl to marker, p2, p2tog, p1 TURN


Right side rows: *Turn. Slip 1, knit back to the gap, knit the stitch before and after the gap together. Knit 1. 


Wrong side rows: Turn. Slip 1, purl back to the gap, purl the stitch before and after the gap together. Purl 1.*


Repeat these two rows until you have worked all stitches on the gusset needle.
Note that you will have two more stitches on the heel/gusset needle than you started with.
Resume knitting around both needles and decrease away the excess stitches to bring the total back to 24 stitches.

Reset the needles so they are arranged as follows:

needle 1: 12 stitches
needle 2:  6 stitches
needle 3: 6 stitches
Knit one round 


Next round: needle 1: [k2tog] twice, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, [k2tog] twice; 
needle 2: [k2tog] twice, k1, yo, k1, yo; 
needle 3:k1, yo, k1, yo, [k2tog] twice


Purl one round 
Knit two round

Repeat last 4 rounds once more.   
Bind off loosely. Weave in the ends.


Repeat for second sock or knit two at a time 



Pattern Designed by Marie Connolly Published August. 2011
Pattern cannot be reproduced with permission and is designed for personal use only.
Photo credit: Mickie Gelling 

It may be 900 degrees outside but we have been stocking up for Winter

Even in the summer, as knitters we need to plan for cooler times.  We have been stocking up with warm woolens to knit.  Last week we got in a big shipment of bright cascade 220 yarns. 

As if these colors are not inspiring enough, how about this beautiful blanket featured in Knitty, The Lizard Ridge Blanket. 

Or I must say this whimiscal toy just is too cute not to show you and maybe knit for Oonagh...

This is available on Petits Purls website .

Lastly, something fun and silly for the summer in DC:  The Deadliest Crab

New Yarn Alert -- Techno from BLue Sky Alpaca

Even in the middle of the summer, we are bringing in new yarns for the Fall and Winter.  The newest yarn from our favorite, BLue Sky Yarns, is Techno. 

Techno is a luxurious blend of 68% baby alpaca / 10% extra fine merino / 22% silk.  It is a a modern take on 1970’s neon and natural, the line includes seven groovy pop colors perfectly balanced with six granola-lover neutrals. Modern technology makes Techno a feather-weight genius: baby alpaca is blown into a mesh tube of silk for really fast knitting with literally no splitting.

This hat above is available as a free pattern. Click here for the full pattern.


YARN DETAILS

Details: Weight: 50 grams / Approx: 120 yards / 109 meters

Needle Size: 10.5 US / 6.5 mm

Gauge: 3-5 sts/inch or 2.5 cm * A suggested gauge only. Works beautifully with large or small needles.

New Yarn Inspiration

I love unpacking new yarn.  The anticipation of what these pretty skeins will turn into.  The hope that you'll like the colors I picked.  Summer is a strange time at a knitting store because it's hard to motivate knitters when it's 95 and sticky outside.  But that is what summer yarn and air conditioning is for right? 

So I see KRAFT (funny that is the name of my landlord's a/c contractor) outside which means they are working on my new a/c system.  We have our old one working but it would be great to have a new high efficiency system in place soon too. 

So next is the arrival of Curtis from UPS with my new Ultra Pima Cotton from Cascade.  10 new colors.  It's a DK yarn (22-24 stitches per 4 inches) and each skein has 220 yards.  Priced at 7.50$/skein, it's a bargain luxury yarn.  It has a subtle shimmer and soft hand.  I can't wait to get this on the needles.  I found a few patterns free online to motivate you. 

First is from Fiona Ellis for Cascade.  It's a pretty cabled summer vest. 

The pattern is available here.  It uses 3 to 5 skeins depending on your size. 

Another option is something crocheted.  This shawl that you can find here.

This yarn is versatile.  A quick search on ravelry shows me everything from baby stuff, shawls, and even lingerie.  I love this tank top.  The pattern is available here

Or maybe this shawl, Saroyan from ravelry

Enjoy the day!