Have you heard...

...about the Valentine Tea and Yarn Package? It is extra special for the month of February!

I am introducing a new yarn to my line up and you'll be the first to get it! But that is only half of it; you get 2 skeins (at a discounted price)!

I'm dyeing the yarn in coordinating colorways, so you can use them together in a project or if that doesn't suit your fancy, you get to make two projects! It's not the typical fingering weight either. It's a very special yarn with 8 plies, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's a bulky weight! It's not that either.

The Tea is extra scrumptious, it has to be since it's a Valentine's package right??  It is called Wonder-Berry Chocolate Truffle -- that just sounds wonderfully delicious! I know, I've tried it several times.

There will be sweet extras in your package as well. After all it's Valentine's day!

Tea and Yarn Club...

...February only is now listed in the shop. The clue this time is Tropical. Take yourself away with a cup of warm tea and escape this cold weather we are having, and lucky you if you live in warm weather. You'll still enjoy this great tea!

I have posted last months colorway in the Tea and Yarn section over in the right hand column for you to look at if you like.

I have a new yarn that I will be listing in the shop soon. It's a BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) and Nylon blend. It's beautiful and BFL is known for it's strength and durability. BFL also has a great sheen to it much like silk. I can't wait to knit with it myself! Some sock knitters swear by it wears like iron! I sold some to a local knitter here in  town and here is her socks that she is making. These are all minimal pooling colorways and the middle on is my Oceania colorway.

Tea and Yarn...

...January only is now listed in the shop and there is just 1 available. It usually sells quickly, so snag it now if you want it!

In case you are wondering what the benefit might be if you purchase the 3 month club I'll fill you in. The price for the 3 month club is reduced and I'll be putting little extras in the packages, most of the time knitting related, sometimes not, it will be a nice surprise. You will also get to see new yarns first hand and sometimes never before seen in my shop at a reduced priced! Rest assured they are very good quality yarns and knitter tested!

I have the Summer Tea and Yarn Club listed as well in my shop, and if you don't think tea is so good for summer, try it on ice. I think the Teavana teas are so good on ice, especially on a hot summer day. Did you know that mixing the teas for a fun new flavor is exciting, too. I ounce bought a tea that I didn't care for very much on it's own, but I mixed it with another and it was amazingly good! So, no wasted money there, just by mixing them up a bit you'll be creating new flavors of your own.

I'm off to brew myself a cup of Swiss Vervaine, it's cold this morning!
~ Angela

Tea and...

...Fiber anyone? I just listed the ever popular Vervaine colorway in Merino Top in the shop.  Sure to be a delight with the spinners! I personally love it and might need to make myself some someday!

Psst...20% off selected items in the shop today as well...

There is also 1 tea and yarn 3 month club left and available for purchase. The first shipment is in January and the last in March. Tea and Yarn Listing


HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you all have a blessed and prosperous 2011!
~ Angela

Tea Cake Knitters...

...had a great time last night knitting, talking and learning how to cable! By request I taught everyone how to incorporate cables into their knitting. I got a few free patterns on Ravelry and they are making 2 different headbands. It will be fun to see the progress next month! I remember teaching myself to cable; I always thought it was so difficult, until my Uncle told me just the opposite and explained it to me without showing me, it then seemed to so easy, and really it is. I was so excited I went ahead and made my son ( not knowing he was a boy -- but I had a really good feeling) this sweater before he was born. I love cables!

I made delicious carrot cake, with toasted walnut cream cheese frosting, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, mm-mm, so good, we ate what was left for breakfast this morning! It reminded me of when I worked in surgery; if someone brought treats, we always ate them on our morning break, or they would be gone by the time we went to lunch. Carrot cake was a favorite, a special lady whom I worked with for a while would often bring her carrot cake in, among other goodies she is "famous" for. That was a fun little trip down memory lane for me this morning...

I made peach tea to go with it, about all I had left in the cupboard to tell the truth. It was delightful with the cake I thought.
All the knitters in action, working on those cables...

Check out those pointy sticks! I've never been able to maneuver those myself, especially pregnant, I'm sure I would have poked myself a lot!
Remember those pots and buckets a few posts back? Oh, and they were hanging so pretty in the tree, too. Well here are a few all skeined up. Some may make it to my shop, but most are going to the festival with me. (Unless you beg me : ~)

Special Limited Edition...

...Tea and Yarn for December only. Treat yourself with a little Christmas gift! I'm sending out my favorite tea with this one, Swiss Vervaine Melange Herbal. I've done this colorway before, but this one is completely different. The yarn base has never been sold in my shop before, either. Find more details here.

I have 1 skein...

...of the September Tea and Yarn club for sale in the shop. For those of you who really wanted to purchase the entire club, but just couldn't. This is for you! This month's colorway is very likely not repeatable, I have only 1 skein left for sale with the tea. It took me 3 tries to get it right this month, I like a very good balance; I like it represent the tea as best I can and also be a pleasant colorway, especially when knitted into a garment. It is a delicate balance and very challenging sometimes! It is so satisfying when I put the package in the mail to my customers knowing that this is the best, which represents the tea and the yarn alone is beautiful, tea or not!

TeaCake Knitters...

 ...as promised, but a bit late! Chocolate cake is always better late than never if you ask me!
My plan is to make a colorway from the tea we drink each month (see photo below) and have a sock yarn club,  and include the tea with the yarn. I'm not sure about the market for this yet. I have a colorway from this tea already, a photo below as well.

Best Ever Chocolate Cake

2 Cups flour

2 Cups sugar

2/3 Cup baking cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 Cup milk

1/3 Cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Cup brewed coffee, room temperature (I stick an ice cube in to help it cool down) Igor makes coffee for me from freshly ground beans. Way better than instant!

Combine the dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in coffee (batter will be thin). Pour into greased baking pans. 9x13 or 2 9 inch rounds. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Ganache Frosting

5 oz dark chocolate (Lindt is the best!)

5 oz milk chocolate

1 1/4 Cup heavy cream

2 Tbls corn syrup

2 Tbls butter

Bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes. Add butter and whisk. Cool to room temperature and frost the cake.

We drank fantastic tea, one of my personal favorites; Swiss Vervaine from Teavana.

It was so much fun to use my tea set that I purchased in Russia on my first trip. I haven't had many opportunities to use it, especially with company and everyone loved it! It really makes drinking tea a delight!

We started the evening off with of course the tea and cake, then I gave a short education on yarn weights. Everyone thought it was very informative and can't wait to learn more next month. (We'll be learning about yarn types, protein, cellulose, etc)

I chose to do yarn weights because when I was learning how to knit I found it somewhat intimidating going into a yarn shop and not knowing what all the different sized yarn was used for and more so what those sizes were, how do we know what size they are if the label doesn't say what it is? (This is one reason why I label my yarn with the weight.)

Here's what my experience tells me with some help from a few good books; nothing is set in stone!

Lace
Used to make lace of course!
Yardage: around 800 yards give or take a few hundred!
Gauge: it varies depending on the lace you make, could be large, could be small.  I recommend following the patterns instructions. 

Fingering/Sock
It is the most common weight to make socks with, but really can be used to make anything, gloves, hats, scarves, baby clothing, lightweight sweaters.
Yardage: around 400 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 8-9 sts per inch on US 1-2

Sport
Commonly used for heavier socks, but as always it can be used for anything.
Yardage: around 340 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 6-7 sts per inch on US 2-4

DK, or Double Knitting
Common for making  baby clothes, medium sweaters, again anything you like! I love this weight, it's not too heavy or not to light, it knits up faster than fingering or sport and you still have a fine yarn.
Yardage: around 280 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 5-6 sts per inch on US 5-7

Worsted
Very common sweater and afghan weight. Sometimes referred to as afghan weight.
Yardage: around  220 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 5-6 sts per inch on a US 7-8

Aran
Commonly interchanged with worsted weight, but a little heavier, but not as heavy as a chunky weight.
Yardage: around 200 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 4-5 sts per inch on a US 8-9

Chunky
Used for heavier sweaters and outdoor gear, heavier accessories. Knits up quickly!
Yardage: around 170 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 3-5 sts per inch on a US 8-10

Bulky
Any yarn that is heavier than a chunky weight.
Yardage: around 100 yards in a 4 ounce/100 gram skein.
Gauge: 2-4 sts per inch on a US 10 or larger

These are just rough estimates and can be mixed up for any given effect or pattern. We thought it was a helpful little guide when shopping for yarn, for example if this yarn says it has 330 yards and is 100 grams, but doesn't say the weight on the label, it's most likely a  sport weight. I hope it is helpful! 



My wonderful husband took the kids on a bike ride to the lake and a park along the way.  David found a strawberry on one of the ladies plates when he got home! He loved it and kept on going back to look for more after I cleaned him up!

Tea + Cake + Yarn =

The TeaCake Knitters... I'm starting a knitting group with some friends once a month and I'll be serving delicious tea, scrumptious cake and we'll play with yummy yarn! I will be teaching something about yarn or knitting as well.  I plan on posting what I teach, the yummy recipe for the cake and the kind of tea, which I would like to also use for a colorway inspiration for my yarn. My first colorway is here. Our first meeting is June 9th. The second Wednesday of the month. I think I will make chocolate cake with ganache frosting and top it with strawberries, they are in season in June, unless I find something different in the mean time. I will have to use raspberries in August - oh, I can't wait!
So, the post cards go out tomorrow...now I'll work on some yarn and knitting education for the first meeting.
Until soon,
Angela

The new yarns...

...are in and they are to die for! Next in the dye pot is Resplendence, 50% Merino and 50% Silk. It's sheen is luxurious, shiny and beautiful!  I will be finding some test knitters for this line and the others once I have some dyed. I can't wait to see and feel them knitted up. So, tomorrow I'm going to dye the merino silk blend in greens, and pinks, with a hint of orange and purple. I was inspired by my tea: Swiss Vervaine, my absolute favorite! It is from Teavana, a wonderful little store dedicated solely to tea and it's fun accessories! If you purchase this colorway I will send some tea, too! I will post pictures in a  few days! In the mean time I have new colorways worth taking a look at in the shop! Enjoy and Happy Knitting...Angela