I hate it.  You probably hate it too.  The evil swatch.  But it is a knitting necessity.  When it is time to start a new project, I want to jump right in.  I want to cast on and get going!  But I know that if I want my sweater to actually fit me, I need to make sure that my needles, my yarn and my knitting are all going to add up to the right gauge.  Please trust me, and thousands of knitters before me…  If you want your gorgeous hand knitted sweater to fit you..YOU * MUST * SWATCH!!

I just started the Myrtle Cardigan.  Despite the overwhelming desire to cast on, I took the time to make myself a little swatch.    The gauge is 24 stitches and 33 row= 4″ in stockinette.  So, I cast on 34 stitches.  I always add a few stitches on the edges of my swatch.  This gives me a border and I can measure between the border edges.

I got gauge!

I am knitting the Myrtle Cardigan in a yarn that is fairly new to our shop, Auracania Ranco.  I’ve been wanting to try out this yarn for quite a while and I wanted to use it for something other than socks.

Speaking of socks…

We have been doing some rearranging here at the shop.  Someone said that we didn’t have much sock yarn - ha!!  Come check it out - we have TONS of sock yarn!  And now, it is all right in the front of the shop, all together and all pretty!

See all that?  It’s ALL sock yarn!

You’re not a sock knitter?  Well then, check out the Myrtle Cardigan and knit along with me!  We have so much to choose from!

One of our favorite local fiber artists, Shiela Rovelstad Designs, is extra-beloved this month! Wullenstudio in all its glorious rainbow colors in the Yarn of the Month for March, meaning it’ll be 10% off for the rest of the month. See many of the colorways knit up into socks:

And check out a few brand-new colorways.

You won’t miss the trunk show when you walk in (unless you’re looking for a trunk. There isn’t one), but you might miss everything else. We’ve been rearranging like crazy people, so take some time to wander around to get the feel of the new layout. The trunk show is right in the middle of the new Sock Section, where you’ll see all the fingering weight yarn in the store in one place. We’re not finished yet, but we already are enjoying the changes!