Meet the newest member of the Cultured Purl Family!!!!

Meet Stuart Reginald Straker, born about 10 this morning, at 8lbs 4oz. Shirani, looking tired but beautiful, is doing great. And little baby Stuart looks a lot like big brother Leo! Congratulations Shirani, Martin, and Leo.

Lots of love and hugs,
Claire

Knitting at the Cultured ppurl

I stopped by the shop today and was once again struck by what a warm and friendly place Sue and Shirani have created. Passing an hour with the friends I've made there, convinces me that maybe the best of part of knitting, and the reason the craft has endured such a long and colorful history, isn't its beauty or function, but more the comraderie it has inspired and friendships it has sparked as knitters have circled together round the globe these last centuries...creating garments for those they love while sharing their stories and lives with like-minded women (and the occasional man)!

(ohmygod what a run-on!!!!!!)

thanks, ladies, for a nice afternoon

yours in merino lace,
Claire

~�~�~�~�~�~�~�~�~�~�~�~

Sent with my Treo 755p smartphone & Chattermail

A New Design

I've got something new on the needles!!!! This is the gorgeous Skacel Merino Lace and


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

I had the best time today with my A+ fair isle knitters!!!! Aren't their hats turning out great! Thanks for being such great students :-)

yours in two-stranded knitting,
Claire

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