Posts Tagged ‘Classic Elite’

Summer Flies and Summer Yarns

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
Ashley's Summer Flies

Ashley's Summer Flies

So I just got back from Tofino and I have to say, the weather there was pretty terrible! It is, however, still summer. I’m torn on the subject of weather because as a knitter I love indoor weather but as a parent of a busy bee of a 1.5 year old I need some better weather before we go stir crazy! But I digress. It’s time to think about some summery fibers and I have just the combo for you: Firefly from Classic Elite and Summer Flies by Donna Griffin.

Kynna's Summer Flies

Kynna's Summer Flies

This pattern seems to be an addictive one. It’s on a lot of people’s lists of ‘To Knit’, which isn’t too surprising since it combines simplicity and interest, a winning combination. What is surprising is that those who have knit it seem to feel an urge to cast on for a second right away. Perhaps in a different colour. Maybe a different yarn or fiber. Maybe one for a gift….the list goes on!

A perfect yarn for this pattern is Firefly from Classic Elite. It has an intriguing mix of linen and rayon, giving it a light summery feel. It also has great colours and a certain sheen to it that gives me pause when I walk by it’s cubby. A lovely yarn for Summer Flies!

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Fantastic Mr. Fox

Friday, August 19th, 2011

I recently saw this silly little movie and it was great. I mean, is there anything better than George Clooney as a hen hungry fox, looking to break away from his safe and settled life and back into his wild ways of the past? Nope, I love Clooney, I can’t help it.

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So after watching some Clooney/cartoony magic I was particularly smitten with Kynna’s latest project: a Fantastic Fox of her very own. It’s adorable! I have only seen it in person while it was in progress but it was adorable even then. Another great toy knit from Interweave Knits Magazine. Knitting mags are so much fun, there is usually a wide assortment of patterns as well as some interesting knitterly tidbits to peruse.

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This Fantastic Fox was made with Classic Elite Fresco, a soft yarn in just the right foxy colour. Pick up a mag and a couple of skeins and make yourself a little foxy of your very own.

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Cinder Scarf

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

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It’s snowing on Burnaby mountain and I need a new scarf! I’ve been walking around the mountain trying to convince my child it’s time to come out! I need something long and wrapable, warm, soft, luxurious, and maybe with a little cable….. enter the Cinder Scarf. This is a pretty Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed) pattern and one of the features I quite like is that it is reversable. Reversable just makes good sense in a scarf because what are the odds, with all the wrapping and twisting a scarf naturally does that it will be lying exactly the way you want it to? Pretty much nil. With this beauty the ribbing makes it completely reversable so  you don’t have to think twice once you wrap it on.

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The yarn for Cinder is one of our newer favorites, Ariosa by Classic Elite. A super soft single ply yarn made up of merino and a hint of cashmere. The single ply combined with the cashmere make it a really luxurious yarn, perfect for any knitting project really. It’s a nice bulkyish yarn too: 14 stitches per 4 inches, so the scarf will go nice and quick even if it is quite long. The one Amanda knit up in the shop is 6 skeins but it’s a REALLY long scarf so anywhere from 4-6 is great depending on your scarf length preferences.

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If you are as smitten with this yarn as we are and are looking for a larger project there is also a wonderful sweater pattern in Jared’s book ‘Made in Brooklyn’ called Rockaway. It’s absolutely gorgeous! It’s knit in the Ariosa as well and I think it would be great for guy or girl, a nice warm wear for the weather.

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Monday, December 13th, 2010

There is a big new yarn in town (and I mean that rather literally) and it is Twinkle. ‘Tis’ the season for warm, chunky, chic knits and a super soft new yarn to knit them in! Last year (and who are we kidding, this year too) it’s been a rush to decide what to knit in our bulkier yarns. Fashionable and fast is an excellent last minute gift combination.

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Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky (which is used in the two cute patterns above) is a fave, along with the washable Spud and Chloe Outer. The new kid on the block is Twinkle. Twinkle is a Classic Elite Yarn, one of the newer lines at UY, and it is like butter to touch. Mmmmm, just thinking about Twinkle yarn, big bamboo needles, and some coco with marshmallows makes me smile.

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Twinkle is one of those charming single ply yarns that knits up to about an 8 stitch gauge on 15mm needles. What is a single ply yarn, you may ask? Why it’s a yarn that looks kind of like it came straight from the sheep, no spin to it at all. Twinkle is 100% wool but it’s hard to believe that when you feel it, it’s more like 100% cloud. There is also a great new book for Twinkle, full of chic knits, you can check out the contents here.

Of course, what would big yarn be without a one skein project? Here’s a link to a free Ravelry pattern for a lovely one skein cowl called Marian. Sarah has knit one up in the shop in the Malabrigo Rasta, but I’m knitting mine up in some plummy purple Twinkle.

As you might know, we have a lot of samples hanging around the shop. Some samples come to us from the various yarn companies we carry but the vast majority of them are knit by the lovely ladies in the shop. A little while ago UY was approached by a movie company wanting some hand knits for their movie. We were happy to oblige, who wouldn’t want their knitting on TV? Well, the show airs this Thursday, December 16th at 9 o’clock and it’s called “On Strike for Xmas”. I’ll be tuning in to see my knits in action!

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