Nine Rubies Knitting

Weekend Workshops with Designer Melissa Leapman

Noted author and designer Melissa Leapman is coming to Nine Rubies Knitting in January for a weekend of workshops! Melissa is the author of more than 5 knitting and crochet books, and her designs have appeared in every major knitting magazine. She has also been a guest on DIY’s Knitty Gritty several times. Melissa is known for her contemporary but classic design pattern, cable, and crochet wizadry.

Nine Rubies Knitting has been fortunate to have a number of top designers and authors come to the shop in 2007. We’ve heard from many customers that they would have loved to work on socks with Nancy Bush, learned valuable tips from Lily Chin, learned combination knitting from Annie Modesitt or modular knitting from Iris Schreier. Alas, these classes were all during the week. Well, we’ve listened to our customers and will be doing workshops on the weekend. Melissa has taught these classes several times at Stitches and the TKGA shows. Now’s your chance to enjoy them in the cozy atmosphere here at the shop. Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, January 26th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Basic Pattern Drafting ($70 plus materials)
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Crochet for Cowards ($70 plus $20 materials fee payable to the instructor)

Sunday, January 27th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Cable Ready ($70 plus materials)
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Celtic Cables ($70 plus materials)

Please stop by the shop or call 650-685-6205 to register.

Add comment November 18th, 2007

Holidays are coming … the holidays are coming!

As the holidays approach (whether we are ready or not), more and more customers are coming in with that “What am I going to knit for (insert gift recipient’s name here)?”

You might call this a report from the front. Jocelyn’s house has started to look like a war zone. The guns have been replaced by yarn, with projects battling for a front-line position. They must get done somehow.

Here’s what she’s working on for some key family members.  Hopefully it will inspire you to press on (or get started?) on your holiday gift knitting.

The Log Cabin Socks from Melanie Falick’s classic book Handknit Holidays are a beautiful gift for anyone in a cold-weather climate (or chronically cold feet).  The original pattern calls for Cascade Pastaza, a warm wool/llama yarn.  You can also knit them in anything from Cascade 220 to Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.  We have slipper soles that can be sewn to the bottoms for protection against slippery wood or tile floors.  An added bonus:  the heavy gauge of the yarn makes these a weekend project.

Mel Clark and Tracey Ullman’s book Knit 2 Together has some wonderful projects, and the Grownup Bonnet is one of the quickest! It’s a straightforward knit that’s perfect for TV watching.  Not only that, you can use one of yummiest yarns. Malabrigo Worsted has gorgeous colors and is definitely one of the softest yarns we carry.  Two skeins are enough to complete this project and it’ll cost you under $25.

What would holiday knitting be without a couple of hats?  Jocelyn’s sister and brother-in-law live in Northern Vermont (brrr). Woody is getting a hat designed by Pam Allen. It’s a free pattern called Ryan’s Hat that can be found here. (This PDF file has several great hat patterns.) This example is knit up in Cascade 220, but the pattern actually calls for Pastaza, which we have in lots of colors.  Either way, it’s a great introduction to the Fair Isle knitting technique.

Last but not least, Jocelyn’s nephew is spending the winter in Wyoming (double brrr).  Since he’ll be outside most of the time, he’s getting a double knit hat in Cascade 220. This is also a free pattern from Alison Hansel of The Blue Blog and author of Charmed Knits.  We have over 100 colors of Cascade 220, and for less than $15, you can knit one up something super-warm in almost any color combination you can think of.

Add comment November 13th, 2007