Friday, December 17, 2021, Issue 228: Happy Friday...Christmas is in 8 days!

For those who still have last minute Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers to buy, I am open tomorrow until 4 pm. Next week, I will be open normal hours on Tuesday until Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm. If you can't make during the hours above, I am pretty flexible so just ask!

The Tuesday Knit Afternoon and Thursday Knit Night next week are still on next week but will be cancelled the following week. Please remember to call 519-726-4226 to reserve your spot! We are limited to 10 people for indoor informal social gatherings.

It’s a party. A community. A bit of fun. (Actually, a lot of fun.) Sarah Schira of Imagined Landscapes is hosting A Year of Gnomes Make-along! She wants to celebrate making gnomes on your terms! As with all of her make-alongs, she is keeping this simple and low-key. There are LOTS of ways for you to participate, with very few rules.

• Make 1 gnome in 2022? Great!
• Make the same gnome every month? Fun!
• Make different gnomes when you feel like it? Super!

It's a very simple KAL with simple rules:

• You can make any number of gnomes from any Imagined Landscapes pattern. Use your stash or buy a curated Gnome kit.
• You can enter one gnome made in each month for a chance to win quarterly prizes. Please cast on and finish in that month. No WIPs.
• There’s a special prize category for people who make a gnome every month in 2022.

There are hashtags to use if you want: #YearOfGnomes and #NeverNotGnoming for Instagram if you’re over there.

You can join the party at any time in the year, and you can knit as many gnomes as you like! You don't have to be an expert knitter to make a gnome - in fact it is a great way to learn new techniques as Sarah has videos and tutorials for all the gnome bits. 

This is going to be so much fun - the possibilities for this KAL are e-gnome-ous! You could knit a group of different Gnomes in a similar colour palette for a Gnome Family photo, or you could knit the same gnome in different seasonal colours. How fun would it be to knit the same gnome in Valentine's, Easter, Hallowe'en and Christmas outfits? Then switch them out and see how long it takes for anyone else to notice

Project Pages
Sarah wants you to make separate project pages for the gnomes. It allows her to easily understand that you started and finished in a calendar month.

There is a Table for yards/meters by gnomes and totals so you can use a single 4 colour scheme for your gnomes or however you choose. Sue2Knits will have kits available from Ancient Arts Yarns by Pre-Order. I have signed the shop up as participating! I will post these soon!

Malabrigo is hosting an Arroyo KAL which will start February 1st! The pattern is La Mondiola Wrap designed by their team for the KAL is available as a free Ravelry download.

Malabrigo Arroyo - 4 skeins.
Color A (two skeins), colors B and C (one skein each).

Level: Intermediate

Gauge: 22 stitches and 31 rows = 4 inches

Needles: 4.40 mm (US 7) or as required to get gauge

To knit this wrap you would need to know how to: 

• Increase with yarn over
• Double Central Decrease
• Slip stitch pattern
• Understand slip stitch pattern
• Elastic Bind off
• Knit stitch and Purl stitch
• Add a new color
• Change to another color and carry non-working yarn

WIPs and FOs

I am so very slow at knitting rib stitches and the half fishermen's rib that is used throughout Stria is no exception so here I am still on sleeve island after how long??

At least now I am finally seeing some progress on my Stria by Andrea Mowry! Just a few inches to go on the sleeves before an inch of 1x1 rib before picking up to work the front bands. In the yoke and body, I used the donut of Schoppel Wolle Zauberball as the colours came up so there are only ends to weave in at the beginning. On the sleeves, I changed colours for each stripe but wove in as I went so there are still no ends to weave in! This will mean very little finishing will be needed!

My Stria fits pretty good so far even without the front bands!

KNIT GROUP AND GALLERY

The newest Knit-Alongs are the Any Sweater / Shawl KAL and the Knit Any Project: our everlasting knit-along to encourage and support you to knit is running from September 1 to December 31, 2021. December 31 is coming up fast!

Remember to post photos to the finished object (FO) thread when you finish a project during the Knit-Along so that you will be included in the next draw! We will also add the option of posting your finished project to Instagram using the #sue2knitskal so that I can find them!

Jocelyne (jocblais) finished this great pair of Work Sock Set by Pamela Graham for her sister!

Anna (@kollar.annie) took this pic just before she finished her second sock! Pattern is Rumplestiltskin by verybusymonkey.

Lise knit the smallest size of Cloud Street Hat by Dani Sunshine for her granddaughter using one strand of Bergere de France Ideal and one strand of Drops Kid Silk.

Sonia (soniabknits) finished this at the end of November for her husband. Pattern is Rein by Arne & Carlos.

Debbie (@love.knit.spin.weave) modified the Moose Cap from Saltwater Classics to snowmobile motifs to gift a snowmobile enthusiast neighbour!

One of the many, many hats knit this year by Brenda (bmallat42), this one is knit with Malabrigo Rasta.

Veronica (@xov.knits) knit these colourful but chunkier versions of her original Red Brie Beanie!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…these were knit by Debbie (debsnubs)!

Happy Friday. Happy Holidays, Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Crafting! Keep calm and keep on knitting and making!