2013 Our Year In Review

My dream came true when Bella Luna Knits opened in Fort White on January 14th with an amazing Open House event that immediately captivated a large group of fiber lovers and friends.  

By February the shop included locally handmade consigned jewelry, crocheted doilies, and an assortment of other handmade fiber items for sale.  Four area Alpaca breeders and an Angora breeder added their spinning fibers and yarns to the array of local products for sale in the shop.

  

In the early Spring we were invited to attend an annual Alpaca shearing at Sanderon Farms in Fort White.  It was amazing to watch!  Followed by the April 6th Spin into Spring (including a personal visit from Blaze, an alpaca owned by Linda Brink of High Springs) a group of spinners began to spin monthly at the shop; I got a spinning wheel and learned to spin; then eventually bought a drum carder and learned a little about blending fiber; learned to wash and prepare raw fleece from two local breeds (Florida Cracker and Jacob); and met a new world of fiber fondling fiends!  In late Spring Ewephoric Fibers of Gainesville added their hand-dyed spinning fibers and sock yarns to the mix of consigned inventory.

We spent the year playing with yarns from Malabrigo, Blue Heron, Interlacements, Universal, Feza, Cascade, Trendsetter, and Imperial Yarns just to name a few.  We discovered cashmere blended with cotton, 100% mink yarn and Malabrigo's new merino roving.  We knitted a yarn bomb,

learned to knit socks, loom hats, crochet granny squares, knit felted purses and lace scarves; and, we even knit stranded colorwork Christmas stockings just in time for Christmas.  Some of us who thought we'd never knit because we crocheted! learned to knit in a big way.  We laughed and learned from each other's successes and failures.  We bonded in ways only fiber fiends can bond.   

During Summer things slowed down a bit but, a few very special fiber friends continued to knit and crochet and spin and enjoy each other's company every other Friday night.

Fall brought with it the addition of Haldecraft's hand-dyed yarn, handmade soaps and handcrafted ceramics to the offerings in the shop.  In December we offered free sock classes to anyone purchasing Haldecraft or Ewephoric Fibers sock yarns.  New sock knitters have been born!  We rang in the Winter with Handmade for the Holidays on November 30th where 20 local crafters sold their handmade items.

It's been an amazing year, full of surprises and new found friends.  We couldn't have done it without you all!  Thank you so much for making our first year amazing.  Watch for news coming soon about surprising changes in our business plan for 2014! HINT: We'll be a bit more mobile!

Cheers to 2013 and hopes that 2014 will be another amazing year!

Shop Local, Support US Jobs

Just like we support US sheep farmers, by buying US sourced and made yarns like Imperial Yarn and Brown Sheep Co., we also support locally produced spinning fibers by Ewephoric Fibers, Alpaca Ambassadors, and C&J Angoras and local indie dyers like Haldecraft who also happen to make beautiful, unique ceramic items.  You can find these, and more, on sale in the shop.

Jewelry, some made exclusively for Bella Luna Knits, is another item we carry; from hand crocheted and knitted necklaces - many featuring Swarovski crystals - to intricately beaded bracelets and earrings.

Local Knitters and Crocheters share their beautifully crafted handiwork at prices you don't expect for such exquisite work.  

Twenty artisans and crafters will join us at the shop on November 30th for the First Annual Handmade for the Holidays. Starting at 9 am you will enjoy shopping for your Christmas gifts among the many handcrafted items on sale.

Don't miss this opportunity to support your local community of makers while purchasing unique gifts for the Holiday Season.

A drawing for a handmade, queen-size quilt will be held at 5 pm.  

Tickets available the 30th until 4 pm.

Thank you for supporting local business and buying locally made products this holiday season and beyond!

Crafty Vendors Wanted

KAL- update!

I just passed my own halfway point and wanted to share a quick tip about joining the next skein. Keep in mind that every 4th stitch (the purls) you will be dropping so you need to be careful WHERE you join your new yarn strand.

New yarn strand joined- view from the back (wrong) side.

I try to join mine on the right side (majority knit stitches) on the second-to-last stitch. This means my pattern is not interrupted during the ribbing nor when adding stitches and the new strand in anchored in place on the return row (wrong side). It also lets me use the edge to hide the strands when I weave them in! I am willing to lose a little bit of yarn to make sure I hit this spot but I make sure to keep that in mind for balancing the amount of yarn needed on the decrease side.

How is everyone else doing on their knit along?

Playing with Kool Aid

Saturday afternoon, following a fun Yarn Swap with Vicki, Laurie, Jewel, and Donna, Vicki and I decided to make the best of some old (and slightly smelly) 100% virgin wool from a long ago stash (really, does anyone remember Lee Wards?) and here's what we did We started with this

then we "hanked it up"

After that I mixed up some Orange Flavored Kool Aid with a little warm water until dissolved. We added a quarter of water to the color. Meanwhile, the hanked-up ugly yarn rested in tepid water until it was nice and soaked. We then lowered it carefully into the glass bowl of orange Kool Aid zapped it in the microwave for 2 minutes, squished it down with the spoon; nuked it for 2 more minutes and as it cooled down the last of the color absorbed into the wool and the water became clear!

We then gave it a quick rinse in tepid water (the lovely aroma of orange Kool Aid permeated the air) and hung it up to dry:

Resulting in a totally different yarn (shown here with Tropical Fruit Punch Skein - processed the same day, with the same technique)Somehow I failed to get photos of the red, which is actually a lovely, faded sort of tomatoish red. So, now you see how cool it is to have a yarn swap, exchange for something inspiring, and when you get stuck with your own yarn turn it into something new and magnificent! What's not to love? Thank Goodness it's Tuesday and I have a yarn shop. :-)

Week One Update- Knit Along with Bella Luna Knits!

With a little more that one week down in this 8 week Knit-Along (KAL) I have made some decent progress! I am roughly halfway through my first skein of yarn and I love the way the yarn colors are turning out.



Front Side of the Clapo-Ktus

Wrong Side of the Clapo-Ktus
(you can really see the rib design on this side)

 Kim has been working on her project too:

 

 

 

Feel free to share your progress- either by email, in the comments, or on the Facebook page!

Quilt Raffle - Queen Sized Quilt

Purchase your raffle tickets to win this queen-sized quilt (all hand quilted) at $1 each or 6 for $5. All proceeds benefit Christ's Fellowship Church Building Fund CFR 778 Fort White, FL Drawing will be held on 11/30/13 at Bella Luna Knits or 12/1/13 at Christ's Fellowship Church. Winner does not have to be present to win. You will receive a phone call if your ticket is drawn. Good luck!

Cast On Day- Knit Along with Bella Luna Knits

Today is the first day of the August - September 2013 Knit Along (KAL) with Bella Luna Knits.

More information in a prior post:
http://bellalunaknits.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-late-summer-knit-long.html

I had a difficult time deciding on my yarn- I want a larger shawl, but one that is not too warm for Florida. I finally settled on three skeins of Interlacements Cabled Cotton (Bachelor Buttons colorway) from my stash. After hand winding one skein into a ball, I could begin.

 

 

CAST ON!

 

I have cast on AND added the project to Ravelry. I do have a small confession: Even though I have test knit this pattern, it STILL took four cast on attempts for me to get going so do not get discouraged!

Hint/Tip:
The even rows call for "Sl1, work all the stitches as presented". This means if my odd row is a whole row of knit stitches, my even row needs to begin with slipping my first stitch and then purling the rest of the way across. If my odd row is three knit stitches, one purl, three knit stitches, then the next even row will be a slip stitch, two purls, one knit, three purls. Once you get the hang of the pattern it is easy to see the ribbing emerge and it is easier to catch yourself before you make a mistake.

After the first twelve rows, you should have a very nice start on the KAL!

 

Right side...

Wrong side...

 

 

Knit Along- Know Your Stitches!

Before we all cast on August 1st, here is a list of the stitches you will need to be familiar with for the pattern:

• Long Tail Cast On: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGHhETWoFUM This is my preferred method to casting on as the finished edge looks similar to the bind off edge. Since the pattern is worked from side to side it will make both ends lookends look the same.

• Knit Stitch (k): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLJwpyRubKs

• Purl Stitch (p): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVPe4zdfqs

• Knit through the Back Loop (ktbl): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1KiHViK160 This stitch is sandwiched on either side of the knit stitch and creates a twisted stitch. This imparts a little more stability to the fabric once the purl stitches begin to drop.

•Yarn Over (yo): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ovNj7ibnhQ OR: Knit in Front and Back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGHZrnPaX98 As you increase up the first side you need to be increasing the stitches. The pattern says use yarn overs, which will leave smallleave small holes on that side of the shawl. If you use the knit front and back (make one) stitch instead, you avoid that problem.

• Knit Two Together (k2tog): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2W1tIMc4ho As you decrease down the other side the pattern calls for knitting two stitches together.

• Cast Off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuE6Wjzq2d8

This pattern will be a challenge for the novice knitter and keeps the interest of the more advanced knitters. If you know how to do the above stitches you’ll be able to complete the knit-along! If you are participating, help is available for this pattern in the shop during normal business hours. All videos are courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn’s YouTube feed: http://www.youtube.com/user/LionBrandYarn

New Late Summer Knit-a-Long

I'm so excited to announce we have a new Knit-a-Long that begins August 1, 2013 and ends October 1, 2013.  This Clapo-Ktus pattern, found here on Ravelry:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clapo-ktus is beginner friendly, but interesting enough for advanced knitters too.  We've provided a video overview of the project on YouTube which you can access here:  http://youtu.be/9Rv3hfayqio.  Updates will be posted to the blog and Facebook regularly. 

Let us know that you're participating and send any questions and frequent pictures of your progress to bellalunaknits@gmail.com .  We'll post your progress on the blog and Facebook and address your questions for all to see.  One on one assistance is also available in the shop.  Just stop in and ask!

Finish the project by October 1st, submit your completed project picture to us and you'll receive a 25% off coupon to use on any yarn, notion, needle or book in the shop.

A completed project is hanging in the shop so you can take a look in person.  We've got an amazing array of yarns at all price points (today's sale means you can participate in this KAL for less than $10) and you can choose from sock, sport, or DK weight and make your project as large or small as you like.  You only need two skeins!

Happy Saturday!  It's our 6 month anniversary and we are so excited to celebrate with you.

Kim

Guest Post: "How joining Ravelry changed my Knitting"

Guest column by Victoria Masters

I have been knitting, on and off, since my grandmother first taught me at age five. I grew up on box-store acrylic yarns and plastic needles from my mom, but had put down the hobby a few years ago to pursue other arts and crafts endeavors. When Bella Luna Knits opened, I stopped by to support my friend on opening day and was amazed to see how much softer my cherished acrylics had become over the years. I was amazed by the other natural fiber yarns, too. There was more variety than I ever remember seeing growing up.

During the course of a Friday night Sit-N-Knit at Bella Luna Knits, the topic of Ravelry came up. Ravelry is an online community for people who knit, crochet, spin, weave, dye, and generally enjoy the fiber arts. The website allows a user to track their yarn stash, their projects, patterns they want to use, and connect through forums with other like-minded individuals. I initially rolled my eyes- I didn’t need another social media platform to log onto! But, being curious, I created a free account and explored the site.

So- six months have passed and I have 19 projects (most of them complete), 118 stashed yarns, 242 patterns bookmarked, and my hooks and needles cataloged. I can honestly say it has changed the way I look at knitting (and now crochet!) for the better. I can see, while shopping at Bella Luna Knits, what yarns I have purchased so I don’t accidentally buy duplicates. I can link yarns in my stash to patterns I want to try and make sure I have enough to complete the whole project before I even begin. I can use the pictures of my stash purchased elsewhere to guide buying complimentary yarns in the store. If I’m on the fence about WHAT to do with a yarn, Ravelry has hundreds (or thousands) of patterns that link that yarn!

Ravelry has changed not just how I knit (their forums have helpful advice that I can access during hours no shop is open), but how I buy yarn, how I pick patterns, and how much satisfaction I have in my final item (and who doesn’t like to share a nice finished project?). I’ve also learned new knitting terms- LYS, FO, KALs, frogging, etc., that I NEVER heard my grandmother or mother use, and connected with people I would never usually meet.

If you want to connect with me on Ravelry, I welcome new friends: http://www.ravelry.com/people/Victoriamasters and connecting with Bella Luna Knits is just as easy: http://www.ravelry.com/people/BellaLunaKnits

25% OFF Rainy Days Sale and New Yarn in the Shop!

Today through Saturday, June 8th - Rainy Days Cotton Sale

ALL in stock Cascade Cottons are 25% off!  

This includes Ultra Pima, Ultra Pima Fine and Luna/Luna Paints. Don't miss this opportunity to stock up on some of the nicest cottons around! We have gorgeous Spring/Summer colors.

Hope to see you Saturday for International Yarn Bomb Day and World Wide Knit in Public Day!

Rain will not cancel this event!  We'll move to the Ft. White library if the rain isn't finished by Friday night!  Stop at the shop first and we'll let you know if we have to move.

New Yarn! Come take a look!

1000 yds for $40.50 Egyptian Mercerized Cotton Lace (sock weight)

Cabled Cotton (cable plied) gorgeous hand-dyed colors

100% Mercerized Cotton 270 yds for $15!!!

Cabled Cotton Skeined

Blue Heron Soft Twist Rayon 525 yds @ $38.50 (it's like two skeins in one and sooooo soft!)

Sweet Feet Sport Weight Yarn - Soft merino superwash and Tussah Silk @ $30 for 400 yds! 

I tried, I really did try...

Sometimes you just have to give in to creative impulses. I tried to keep plugging away at all my summery yarn projects and then Stephen West pops up on Ravelry and then again on Craftsy (he has a class on Shawls there!!) and I couldn't resist the urge to start drooling over his designs (WestKnits).  

And, as if that wasn't enough, the Malabrigo Rios (very practical but lovely hand dyed  superwash) just kept staring at me like there was something wrong with me for not immediately grabbing it and casting on The Boneyard Shawl.  So, well I guess you know what I did... and here is the unadulterated proof, in the Candombe color way.  West Knits FREE pattern for the Boneyard Shawl can be found on Ravelry, along with lots more Stephen West designs!

They say recognizing and admitting your problem is the best way to begin dealing with it.  I really don't think that is working in my case. :), and when it comes to fiber I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Happy Knitting! 

Kim

We're now a Craftsy Connect Partner!

HAPPY SUMMER - now's the time to plan and work on those Christmas Projects - watch for our Christmas in July update!

HAPPY SUMMER! 

JUNE'S NEWSLETTER IS OUT!  You can access it here:  Bella Luna Knits Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/z81MP

June's Calendar and Program Outline can be found here:  http://bellalunaknits.yolasite.com/products-and-lessons.php

Summer is the perfect time to start planning your projects for Christmas gifts.  We'll be having a Christmas in July event to get your creative juices flowing.  We also have a lots of lovely and affordable gifts available ready-made in the shop like our fresh Goat Milk soap; handknit and beaded jewelry; crocheted doilies; Barefoot Sandal Kits; Ruffled Scarves and Button Bracelets. 

We offer a very high level of customer services in the shop, including searching for patterns that fit your needs and the yarn you purchase in the shop.  I love spending hours perusing patterns and once I know what you are looking for I'm happy to research and send you ideas.

Have a great summer and remember knitting and fiber crafts are still valid summer activities.  We have a great work room with cool air conditioning and a relaxed but creatively energized environment.

See you soon!

Wild and Wooly Hand Spun Cowl

Knitted my first hand spun ever! I even wrote the pattern to show off the colors.
Here's what I started with

Size 13 24" circular needle.

Linen Stitch Pattern:
Round 1: K1 *slip 1 wyif, K1* repeat around
Round 2: Slip 1, *K1, slip 1 wyif* repeat around

Lace Stitch
Round 1: K2tog, *YO, K2tog* repeat around
Round 2: Knit around

Cowl:
CO 79 stitches loosely.

5 rounds Linen stitch (ends after round 1)
4 rounds lace stitch (ends with knitting around)
5 rounds Linen stitch (ends after round 1)
4 rounds lace stitch (ends with knitting around)
5 rounds Linen Stitch

Bind off loosely. Cut remainder of hand spun into 8-12 inch pieces. Holding 3 pieces together at a time attach fringe so both ends hang out the front using a crochet hook to pull through the loop.

Here's the Wild and Wooly Hand Spun Cowl (not yet blocked)

Lovely crocheted doilies

The very talented Teena Fritz Gordon has her crochet doilies in the shop for sale. They are so beautifully hand made. Lots of uses for these, like place one under a potted plant and protect your furniture. I just love them. Intricate details that are not done justice by the photos. Come see these in person! You will not believe how affordable and beautiful they are.

New Beaded Bling in the Shop

Victoria Master's gorgeous hand beaded and hand knit jewelry, made exclusively for Bella Luna Knits, is now available in the shop. There is more to shop for than I have room to display. Stop in and get yours now. Beautiful and affordable.