Merry Christmas

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Wishing you all a happy and healthy Holiday

Rowan: Holiday Gift Guide

With only a few weeks left until Christmas, we are quickly knitting up a storm. Rowan yarns are great for holiday knits as they can be used to make virtually any project out there. The yarns are so versatile and the quality is unmistakable. Here are some of our favorites.

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The "it" pattern at the shop at this moment is Tipsy by Martin Storey. This cowl is knit using three skeins of Rowan Big Wool and can be knit in a few nights. Our favorite thus far was knit by Alice in Sun-068.

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Next up is the Belle Cable Hat also by Martin Storey. Lima is definitely one of our favorite yarns to knit hats out of. It makes for deceptively warm caps that have a lovely drape to flatter anyone (yes, even that person who thinks they don't look good in hats).

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Link by Sarah Hatton is a quick cowl, knit flat and then seamed together. It can be knit in both a short or long version and Frost offers an amazing snuggley drapiness (not quite a technical term) that's to die for. Stop by the shop to see the sample we knit!

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Last, but not least, why not indulge yourself in a longer project in the middle of the holiday knitting frenzy? Madison by Martin Storey is a beautiful cape knit out of Creative Focus Worsted. We also have a shop sample of this lovely knit which could easily be knit a little at a time through all of those fun holiday activities.

Stop by and see everything Rowan has to offer this season!

XO,

Karen

Bergere de France

For as long as I can remember, I have always admired the patterns and yarns released by Bergere de France. This company has been around for 65 years, so they are obviously doing something right. More notably, these patterns make me WANT to knit. Even my daughter, who learned to knit at an early age, looks through the pictures and says "I'd knit that!"

After Sandy blew through with her mighty fury, I had several options laying before me. After cleaning up and re-opening, I finally decided to give the line a shot. Boy am I happy I did. I ordered three of their yarn lines into the store: Magic +, Ideal, and Alaska. All of these lines are not only machine washable, but also machine dry as well! The patterns and pattern books are absolutely amazing. Added plus, many of the patterns can be beautifully knit up with other lines we carry that our knitters know well.

Pattern books currently available for purchase are:
Mag 164- I'm a Beginner
Mag 159- Irish Knit Mag
Creations 2012-2013
Mag 163 "Tricot Kid" 4-16
Mag 158 "Tricot Kid" 4-16
Mag 160 Layette

I look forward to showing you all that Bergere de France has to offer!

Madeline Tosh: Holiday Knit Guide

I recently received a box tightly packed with Madeline Tosh yarns and couldn't help but squeal with glee. As I sit here looking at all of the pretty colors, I have been imagining all of the things I want to knit up from it! All of this pondering has lead me to come up with a Holiday Knit Guide for the yarns.

First up, ToshSock!

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I have already knit up a sample of this beautiful beret! The pattern is the Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana Dakos from Coastal Knits. The pattern was extremely easy to understand and I definitely found myself experiencing the "just another round" syndrome as I began to see each leaf take shape. The i-cord topper is just charming. I loved everything about this project!

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Damson by Ysolda Teague would be another great knit in this wonderful hand dyed yarn. The simplicity of the shawl would highlight the beauty of the colors wonderfully. One hank would make a shawl, and even better, it would be a great television knit for those hours spent in front of the TV while your other half watches the game.

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This wouldn't be a post about sock yarn without mentioning a sock, right? One of my favorite patterns is the Monkey Socks by Cookie A. I have made a few of these socks and they work up very quickly. The pattern repeat is very easy to memorize and of course, they look great in hand dyed yarns!

Next up, Tosh DK.

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Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater is a timeless classic. What mother or mother-to-be wouldn't love to receive this beautiful sweater for their baby girl? I can't decide what would be more exciting, choosing a color or choosing buttons! What do you think?

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The Honey Cowl by MadelineTosh is a super fun, super easy knit. Designed with this yarn in mind, it offers amazing drape. The honeycomb stitch highlights the yarn perfectly. Better yet, you can choose to make a short of long version using one or two hanks respectively.

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Last, but not least is Hannah Fettig's Calligraphy Cardigan. She designed this beautiful cardigan with Tosh DK in mind and boy is it an amazing fit. This is a perfect project for those long trips to see family this holiday season. We knitters tend to forget to indulge ourselves through the frenzy of gift knitting that we have going on.

I hope you enjoyed this little post. Over the next few days, I will be posting a Holiday Knit Guide for each of the lines that we stock in the store.

XO,

Karen

Week in Review

We had a very eventful week here at 2 Stix.

Trendsetter Yarns Bodega is now on sale for $16, originally priced $26. Stop in and start whipping up those holiday scarves!

  

We now have Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK in stock. This super soft superwash yarn is perfect for all of your baby projects.

Our selections of The Fibre Company yarns continues to grow!

We have also added both Kelbourne Woolens books to our current stock of fabulous books.

We want to thank everyone who came to our Hurricane Sandy party yesterday. We had a great turnout! Please note that the shop will be closed on Tuesday, October 30th due to Hurricane Sandy. We hope that you all stay safe and dry.

Lillie's Little Sweater

When Mia walked in looking for washable worsted weight yarn for a baby sweater, I showed her Plymouth Yarn Encore. She asked if I'd heard of Lillie's Little Sweater, which I hadn't. She swore by the pattern commenting that she'd made it countless times and was the easiest, best baby sweater pattern out there. She immediately fell in love with a dark blue heathered colorway and was on her way to begin her sweater. 

 

A few days later, Mia stopped by and showed me the progress of the sweater, I knew I had to order the pattern for the shop. This pattern really is the best baby sweater out there. Perfect for a beginner to practice all of their new found skills, but simple and quick enough to not be daunting. So simple that a seasoned knitter can whip one up in a few days while vegging out in front of the TV. Best of all, it's knit in one piece!

I chose to make a shop sample out of Manos Maxima in Meltaway Mints. Both are knit in the 6 months size. Mia chose cute sailboat buttons all the way down the front for her sweater which she knit for her nephew Landon. I only worked the first three buttonholes and chose three different color buttons matching the hand-dyed colorway.

Here the two sweaters can be seen having a play date this past Sunday. Stop by to pick up your pattern and yarn. We already have two knitters casting on for their very own Lillie's Little Sweaters!

What to Knit When You're Expecting

We were very excited to host a book signing for Nikki Van De Car's book What to Knit When You're Expecting this past weekend! This lovely book by a very talented Jersey City designer is full of simple, timeless items that every expectant mom would want to knit, or receive, for their little bundle of joy. Each piece is named after a special little someone in Nikki's life and has its own story behind it. The directions are clear and concise. The photographs are simple and beautiful, just like the knits themselves. 

The book is separated into three sections, with the knits being categorized by the trimester you find yourself in. The first trimester if full of longer projects while you await finding out the sex of your baby. Next, once you know the gender, you can start preparing with some boy or girl specific knits. Last but not least, those last three months that fly by are full of small quick projects.

Our personal favorite is the Little Old Man Sweater inspired by Nikki's grandfather. Stop by the shop to pick up your copy today. We couldn't be happier for Nikki and anxiously await to see what she comes up with next!

Note: All photos for this post are from the What to Knit When You're Expecting book.

Grand Opening!!

A few photos from our Grand Opening Party which took place on Sept. 6th.

All pictures are copyrighted material of Mickey Mathis.

We want to thank everyone who showed their support. We look forward to creating a wonderful and fun knitting community in Jersey City.

A special thanks to our friend Mickey Mathis for taking these beautiful pictures.