Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Yarn Dying Class
Saturday November 14th 2-4
$30 includes all materials (you will dye 2 skeins of sock yarn, enough to make 2 pair of socks)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sock Club Yarn Dyeing
What are you knitting?
Chris Jones designed and knitted this cute little number!! What are you knitting? We would love to share your projects. Bring them in. :)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Pumpkin Crazy!!
The Great Knitted Pumpkin Raffle
WHAT: Win a fabulous fall basket filled with knitting and non knitting goodies
HOW: Knit a pumpkin. Bring in your knitted pumpkin for a photo and receive a raffle ticket.
The winning ticket will be drawn Saturday October 31st
Don’t have a pumpkin? Buy a ticket $2.00 for each or 3 for $5.00 (all ticket money will go towards Relay for Life)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Shine a Light
Please nominate us!!!!!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Happy Bithday Sue!!
To celebrate her birth selected items in the store will be 30% off Wednesday -Saturday
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Martin's sweater
Workshops
Alison working on her Shawl pin and Leslie holding up Jennifer's beautiful Cashmere Shawl!! (Stay tuned...we will be getting this beautiful lace weight yarn for your special lace project!!)
Ellen's shawl pin!!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Special Guests


Leslie will be doing a work shop on how to make a simple shawl pin. It is 30min long and the cost is $20
Space is limited for both of there workshops so call now!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Relay for Life
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Another Fair Isle Bag
Can't wait to see how everybody else's bags turn out...
Yours in 2-stranded knitting,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Friday, April 03, 2009
SRS SALE!!
8lbs 4 oz
Sale does not include special orders or lay a way items.
Please join us for birthday cake at Happy Hour tonight (4/3)!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Meet the newest member of the Cultured Purl Family!!!!
Lots of love and hugs,
Claire
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Knitting at the Cultured ppurl
(ohmygod what a run-on!!!!!!)
thanks, ladies, for a nice afternoon
yours in merino lace,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Monday, March 16, 2009
A New Design

I'm working on a little evening shrug design. I decided to go with a simple top down garter raglan, with the complexity of the pattern being reserved for the sleeves and the edging detail.
I'm playing around with the idea of a to-the-elbow bell sleeve and maybe a knit-on edging along the cropped lower edge. Still working it out in my head!
The garter doesn't look like much right now...but after blocking I have high hopes for it. And this color is a very interesting grey with a lot of depth - thinking of it for over the top of a little black dress! Shirani has this yarn in lots of really pretty colors, and the skein has such enormous yardage, you'll get something nice out of just one skein :-)Yours in lace,
Claire
The Fair Isle Hat Class
yours in two-stranded knitting,
Claire
Monday, March 02, 2009
The Sock Thingy...
Thanks Stacy, for your comment and question about the needle holder for socks. I get that question a lot. It's a little wooden gadget, designed for sock-sized double pointed needles. They're handmade right here in PA especially for Cultured Purl and they come sized for both 5 inch and 6 inch needles. One end pops off and you slip the needles inside, cap the end again so the needles won't fall out and then the work (socks or mittens or whatever other little thing you might have going) hangs out the slit along the side. I actually wrap the sock around the needle holder and it makes a tidy little package that I can tuck in my pocket or purse without having to worry about the stitches slipping off or the needles breaking in half.
I'm glad you like the shawls. I LOVE lace!!!!! It's funny that I haven't met you yet but see your husband all the time! Despite seeing WAY too much of him lately, I do adore my car and wouldn't think of driving anything but a Volvo: sooooooo good in snow. Champion takes very good care of its customers, so for anyone in the market for a car, I highly recommend them.
I haven't had much time for knitting these last few weeks, although I've just started a couple of Fair Isle Hats w/ear flaps classes: and we're having a lot of fun! Instead of getting any personal knitting done, I've been busy paining set pieces for the Walnut Creek Middle School production of Seussical the Musical, which opens this weekend. Here are a couple of the 16 feet x 6 feet book covers I've done which will act as wings on the sides of the stage.
There are 4 in total, so I'm heading back over to school right now to get a few more hours in!
Don't be afraid of tackling socks - next to lace, they're my favorite thing to knit. Laura, the sock teacher at Cultured Purl, is wonderful. Think about signing up for one of her classes and you'll be addicted before you know it!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Meet Oliver & Ruby
There's something cozy about kittens and yarn, and it got me thinking in general about pets and knitting. I'm wondering what funny stories readers have about pets getting themselves in the way of knitting projects.
The one that comes to mind for me happened about 8 years ago when Bailey was still a puppy...
Bailey was a major chewer,and it drove my husband and kids crazy,because she'd chew anything within reach which was usually my husband's gloves or one of the kids' toys. I was always sticking up for Bailey, pushing her positives, defending her chewing habit as being the most natural and innocent of puppy traits. Until she got a hold of the RED SWEATER...
I had, years before, found the most gorgeous red silky wool at a store in England...I'd carefully brought it home, tucked safely in my carry-on, lovingly watched over it for a long, long, long time - waiting for the perfect project to knit it into something wonderful. Finally I found just the project: a complex lace, dropped sleeve sweater... The front and back and one sleeve were done and the pieces felt like butter against my skin...The second sleeve was on the needles when the unthinkable happened...I'd left my knitting on top of my open knitting bag after working late into the night. In the morning, I discovered, to my horror, that Bailey had slept on the project and at some point during the wee morning hours it must have caught in her puppy nails, where it had snagged and become a really really fun chew-toy.. The work was shredded...as were the three extra skeins tucked in the bottom of the bag, Bailey had left no skein intact. It was hopeless. And yet...as my vet friend pointed out,she had slept there because my scent was on the sweater and she loved me best....How can you argue with that?
And so, 8 years later, I'm bringing two kitties into the house: Eight paws with nails itching to catch my knitting...but look at those little faces! I'll let you know how it goes...
Yours in yarn,
Claire
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Polishing the silver

Today I polished the silver and it got me thinking about how some things seem meant to be. Years ago, I was strolling through a dirty, dark, antique shop somewhere in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, when I spied a filthy, tarnished, cobweb-covered
tea service. Most people wouldn't have, understandably, given it a second glance, but something about it spoke to me and after some good natured back and forth with the shop owner, it left the shop with me and made the long journey back to Pennsylvania. And now we come to the point of the story...I quickly set about polishing (thank God for Goddard's silver paste) and as that lovely silvery sheen emerged from under years of black tarnish, I was shocked to see that a finely engraved "B", previously hidden under the weathered layers of age and time, now graced each piece of the tea set. A "B" for my last name: as if it were meant for me all along...
Sort of the way it seems that I was meant to find the Cultured Purl, and Sue and Shirani, my wonderful friends, and all the customers who I enjoy so much. It makes me smile to think of all the little twists and turns my life has taken through the years for me to have happened into their shop one sunny August day. As if it were always meant to be!
Well the silver is gleaming, and I am heading back to my super chunky neck warmer: a new design I've been playing around with. And, no Amy, I never made it to 12: New Year's Day saw me at 11 and 1/3. Although, technically, the single socks I had done through the year really did push me past the dozen I had set as a goal, but since they weren't pairs I'm not going to count them!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
ps, the thing that got me in the mood to polish silver this morning is the book I'm reading: An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear, her most recent title in the wonderful Maisie Dobbs series - set in 1920s England, Maisie is a psychologist/war veteren (nurse) who solves some very interesting mysteries as Winspear explores the journey of an independent woman trying to make her own way in life in the aftermath of WWI. A good weekend read.
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Friday, January 23, 2009
Baby Surprise!!

These are Daren McCullough's Baby Surprise Sweaters...TOO CUTE! Hard to believe this was all stash yarn.
The finished one is one ball of sock yarn.
Can't wait to see the pink one finished!
If you would like to bring your stash and join us for the class there is still room...call the shop for info.
Thanks for sharing Daren. :)
~Shirani
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Number 11 and counting
Here's the 11th set of socks this year. They're knit from the top down and done in the wonderful Austermann Step with Aloe. I'm in love with the stripes and the repeat was frequent enough that it wasn't hard to match the striping on second sock
SO...one more sock to go. The stress of getting it done for Christmas was getting to me, what with everything else going on. Then it occurred to me that the year doesn't end till the 31st! SO it doesn't look like there'll be a knitted gift under the tree for my husband this year...
That takes a bit of pressure off. There's still so much holiday work - haven't wrapped a thing, still have to decide on the Chrismas Carols we're singing next week so we can learn them all, there are parcels to mail, fruitcake to make (a pale apricot pistachio this year) and the Christmas cards aren't quite finished - looks like England won't get theirs till the week of New Year's at this point...My parents are visiting and Mum took care of the baking-of-the-cookies-with-the-kids this year. (There was a wee bit of stress when my mother realized that my husband had accidentally poured the Wheat Flour into the All Purpose Flour tin, resulting a cookie dough was unbelievably soft and difficult for the kids to roll out, but Mum was a trooper and made the best of it.)
We did make the annual trek out into the woods of Edinboro to cut down our Christmas tree this morning. On a sad note, it was the first year in recent memory that Bailey wasn't with us, bounding around, getting her leach tangled in the trees, and occasionally knocking one or the other of us into deep snow in her exuberance (she never really did lose her puppy mentality). Her absence was especially noticeable because it seemed like EVERYONE IN ERIE COUNTY was at the tree farm WITH THEIR DOG this year...but I think in general fun was had by all.
And thanks Amy and Linda for your kind comments about Bird in Hand Designs, I'm having a really good time with it.
For now it's back to #12. I'll feel better if it's at least on the needles,
Yours in Trekking,
Claire
Saturday, December 13, 2008
I've got news!
Printed copies of my patterns will always be available at Cultured Purl (thank you Sue and Shirani!), but once BirdinHandDesigns.com is up and running, you'll also be able to find me online at Ravelry and Etsy. Toward that end, I have started a blog here at BirdinHandDesigns.com so feel free to stop by and let me know what you think. There is a TON of set up involved: I'm hoping to be officially open for business in February. In the meantime I'd love your thoughts and comments.

I just got designer status at Ravelry.com and I have a couple of free patterns that you can download here and here.
Take a peek and let me know what you think!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
Monday, December 01, 2008
Another toe-up sock completed!
These small changes to the basic toe-up pattern, made better fitted socks for both girls (although they won't know it till Christmas morning!) For my son's pair, and that's number 11 if you're keeping count, I'm going back to my old friend the top-down sock. I'll let you know how it goes,
yours in yarn,
Claire
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Manos del Uruguay

Check out this new yarn Shirani just got in: Manos Silk Blend - a lusciously soft blend of Silk and Merino Wool. Silky soft beyond belief and the colors! Well, these are the three colorways Cultured Purl has in stock right now and I'm in love with all of them. It's hand dyed by the "hands of Uruguay", a non profit organization with over 400 artisans in cooperatives scattered all over the countryside of Uruguay. Its goal is to bring economic and social opportunities to rural women.
This yarn would make a beautiful hat, pair of mittens, or dare I say it, a shawl...
Stop by the store and take a look!
yours in yarn,
Claire
Sunday, November 09, 2008
18 Hours of Musical Theatre...
(the same 3 hours over and over and over again! only a Mother's love...)
I had planned to get SO MUCH knitting done, but it turns out that trying to sneak in a few rounds on black yarn in a darkened theatre simply does not pay. I ended up dropping stitches and ripping back so frequently I just didn't get anywhere fast on this hat for my brother-in-law. (Sorry it printed sideways!)
I love this fibre so much I'm ready to get started on a second hat (my husband's birthday is a few short days away and I now he'll love the feeling of this wool - it's very soft and not at all itchy.) I'm going to cast on right now, and then do my best to put it aside for today's 3 hour afternoon show!!
yours in organic wool,
Claire
PS, Next year's sock club is almost full. If you'd like to sign up, stop by or call the Cultured Purl.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Jill's Baby Blanket
She did a lovely job! Her color choice was inspired and the garter stitch was spot on! Love the red border Jill!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Friday, October 31, 2008
And then there were two...
The fit on the first sock was just shy of perfect, so I cast on 4 more stitches at the start to make the toe a bit less pointy. I also began the gusset 6 rows earlier to create some negative ease. And after the short rows were done, I picked up 2 extra stitches at each corner to eliminate a messy looking gap at the top of the heel. This second sock fits like a glove. And Robin, yes I did finish the socks in about 2 days, but ankle socks take a lot less time! The ribbed cuff is my least favorite part of sock construction - all that back and forth with the yarn on size 0s is tough on ones wrist. For the girls, I only do 8 rows of ribbing and it's a breeze.
Well it's back to the double points for me...my deadline is looming closer!
yours in yarn,
Claire
Monday, October 27, 2008
Toe-Up Socks and "Nice" Feet
Archy feet are lovely on Pointe, but a pain in the butt when it comes to getting a good fit in a toe-up sock. The short row heel doesn't seem to be as elastic as the flap construction of a top-down sock which makes slipping the sock over the ankle and heel difficult for those of us with high arches. After trolling around online yesterday, I decided to add a gusset to my daughter's ankle sock.

When the foot was about an inch shorter than where I wanted to begin the heel, I began increasing one stitch at each side of the instep. I alternated the increase round with a plain knit round, and added 6 stitches to each side, taking my total stitch count from 56 to 68 - allowing a little ease at the widest part of my daughter's lovely ballerina feet. Once the heel was complete, I quickly narrowed the ankle area, by decreasing every round 6 times to remove the extra 12 stitches. The decreasing can be done more quickly because the anatomy of the ankle narrows at a faster rate than along the curve of the arch.
I'll have her try the sock on tonight, but it fits me just fine and while my arches aren't as 'nice' as hers, she did inherit hers from me, so I'm optimistic that the fit will be tailored right to her!
On to the other one,
yours in Opal sock yarn,
Claire
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The End of the Year is Coming Fast
I thought I'd custom fit it to her particular foot shape, so I cast on only 16 stitches to create a pointier toe. After testing several cast-ons, I settled on the Figure 8 method. It nicely mirrors the look of the grafted toe on the top-down sock although the cast-on stitches looked a little loose and sloppy at first. After knitting a few rounds, I used my crochet hook to pull the slack over to the side with the tail so it looks neater. For the second sock, I may try the Eastern Cast-on to see if that gives a neater appearance.
After watching Shirani rip hers out several times because the increases weren't nicely matched, I decided to use the Lifted Increase, my favorite, which is nearly invisible, leaves no hole, and has an almost perfectly symmetrical slant depending on which stitch the increase is worked into.
By the by, here's a photo of the double pointed needle holders that readers asked about. (Hmmm, it posted upside down...)
They are great to use when knitting socks: the needles fit inside the tube and the sock in progress can be wrapped around the outside. Hand made for Cultured Purl by a wonderful Pennsylvania woodworker, they are beautifully constructed out of various woods and come in two sizes to hold either 5 inch or 6 inch needles. They are perfect for protecting your precious wooden double points and keeping your work in progress from slipping off the needles. I have several. Cultured Purl just got a bunch in - they make a great Christmas gift!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A hint on the Rambling Rows Blanket
I'm continuing to make progress on the afghan. It's mildly annoying to look at all those ends dangling from the back of the blocks (but that's NOTHING compared to how annoying it would be to have to SEAM TOGETHER all those blocks, so I'm not complaining...) so I thought I'd stop for a bit and weave some of those ends in. A mistake.
Those ends are really the simplest way to tell front from back. Really, this blanket is so beautifully designed, the joins blend right in rather "seamlessly"! So, if you do decided to stop by Cultured Purl and pick up this pattern and some Noro Silk Garden, resist the urge to take care of all the tails as you go.
By the By, we had a WONDERFUL time in Stockbridge. Turns out the bar has a late night menu with the MOST DELICIOUS chicken nachos ever, so missing dinner didn't matter much. The weather was beautiful, crispy cool and clear: a perfect New England FAll weekend. The Red Lion Inn is amazing.
The rooms are filled with gorgeous antiques from the collections of the various people who have owned the inn since it was begun as a stagecoach stop between Boston and Albany in (around) 1773.
The porch is quintessential New England: a charming spot to sit in the late afternoon with a cup of tea or a cocktail before dinner. Just inside the doors is a room with a roaring fire and lots of old rocking chairs perfect for doing a little knitting.
Almost upon entering the inn, one seems to relax into the nostalgia of another time and place. Even those of us with type A personalities can stop and smell the flowers!!
Keep this magical place in mind if you're ever looking for a weekend getaway.
Yours in knitting,
Claire
Friday, October 03, 2008
On the Road Again
(she sighs as she snaps the photo of the highway sign confirming that even considering remotely the possibility of making it for a little nibble of kitchen left overs is beyond ridiculous.)
but here we are, somewhere in New York State, listening to a Billy Collins poetry reading on a CD I burned last night. I drove for awhile because my husband worked most of the night and, as I knew would happen, he was snoring before we hit Harborcreek. For awhile the pager kept going off, followed by the usual phone calls checking in, till we either crossed an invisible line of unspoken acceptability for leaving behind responsibility and entering
vacation mode, or we got out of the pager's range!
Either way here we are in that comfortable, easy silence earned after years of togetherness -the kind you have to experience to really appreciate. Billy Collins is talking about (ironically) the virtues of staying at home, and I am knitting on my husband's sock-he has no clue...
Enjoy the weekend,
Yours in knitting,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Seamless mitered blocks
After knitting the fair isle hat and having your sister love it, you must get a sense of that also. And by the by, fair isle isn't easy...you're already knitting beautiful things!!
Stop by the shop soon. I'd love to see what you're working on!
Yours in knitting,
Claire
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Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail




















