Tag Archives: habu

Another garter stitch shawl.

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If you’ve been to the shop in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely seen me with a little ball of lace-weight purple yarn and a pair of bamboo needles. I’m working on a sample for the shop, a simple garter stitch shawl in the style of the Alpaca 1 shawl, which has become a favorite free HYS pattern.

My purple lace-weight is a slightly textured cotton from Habu, a yarn that got some attention on the blog last year.

To add interest to this triangular shawl, I’ve added big, thick stripes by holding a strand of white Habu cotton together with the purple. This creates an interesting marled color, and a slightly different texture, as well, though the stitches remain blissfully simple. All I have to remember to do is increase one stitch at the beginning of every row, and then knit, and watch as it slowly grows. The fabric is soft, stretchy, and tremendously lightweight; perfect summertime knitting.

If you’d like to see and feel this feather-light piece, come by the shop, where you can get a garter stitch shawl started for yourself in single or double strands of cotton or any other lace-weight yarn that strikes your fancy. See you at the shop!

A fashion show, a thousand things to see.

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Anne and Rosi and I had another long, excitement-and-yarn-filled day here at The National NeedleArts Association Trade Show in Columbus. We got up early for some interesting classes, then hustled over to the fashion show, scoring front row seats, thanks to Rosi.

Then it was time to start walking the showroom floor, where hundreds of vendors had set up displays of their yarn, patterns, books, and accessories. I saw so many things that I’d heard of, but never seen in person, and even more that I’d never heard of at all. There were an overwhelming number of new things to see, but we made sure to visit some familiar faces, as well, to order a few new things from old friends.

After seven hours spent strolling up and down the first five or so aisles of vendors (out of at least a dozen aisles), we dragged ourselves away and back to the room to sort through the business cards and sample skeins we’d acquired throughout the day. There is so much to think about as we decide what to bring into the shop, what would please our knitters and crocheters the most, and how to fill in little gaps in our inventory. We’re having so much fun deciding! And tomorrow, we do it all again, which means that now I must rest up for another big day.

Habu.

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For the past few weeks, Anne has been hard at work on a sweater, a sample for the shop knit from a Habu kit. The yarn is a fine, slubbed cotton, and the pattern is in the Japanese style, with little to no written instructions. Instead, Anne’s knitting is guided by a simple diagram, a few numbers, and a post-it note with tally-marks for each knitted row. When asked what she’s knitting, she holds up the diagram and says, “This is the entire pattern,” which always elicits a raised brow. Japanese patterns may seem mysterious and complicated, but Anne assures us that this is not so. When the sweater is done, she promises a class on Japanese pattern reading.

Just in time for this proposed class, our selection of Habu kits has expanded.

I’ve written before about the Kusha Kusha scarf kit, which also features a Japanese pattern. Now, three sweaters are joining the Kusha Kusha kits.

Come by the shop to chat with Anne about Japanese patterns, and to take a closer look at our expanded Habu collection. If a class on Japanese pattern reading appeals to you, let us know, and we’ll alert you when the class is scheduled. See you soon!

Kusha Kusha.

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The Kusha Kusha scarf gets a lot of attention at the shop. This is in part because of its unusual, organic-looking shape, almost like a strand of kelp. Another reason to take note of this scarf is its fiber content. Kusha Kusha is knit with two strands of lace weight yarn held together, one of which is 100% merino wool, the other of which is stainless steel wrapped in silk. The stainless steel gives memory to the yarn and the resulting fabric, so that you can crinkle it up or stretch it out and it holds its shape.

The Kusha Kusha scarf comes as a kit from Habu Textiles, complete with the pattern and a cone of each yarn. We’ve carried these kits at the shop for some time, but our supply was getting low. When we reordered this past week, we got many more colors than we’d ever had before, a spectrum of elegant pairings.

Make sure to take a look at this unusual scarf the next time you’re in the shop. If you’re curious to see what others have done with this kit and pattern, check out the Kushua Kusha Love group on Ravelry. See you at the shop!

Habu cotton shawl.

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Perhaps you remember our Habu cotton, a soft, airy, laceweight boucle yarn that Anne has been using in a striped shawl.

Perhaps you remember my promise to post pictures of said shawl soon. I was reminded of this promise when the latest shipment of Habu cotton came in this week, boasting more of all the existing colors as well as one brand new teal, completing the Habu cotton spectrum. The shawl is still in progress, and only becomes more alluring as each successive stripe is added.

I said it in the last Habu post and it still holds true: you have to touch this shawl. It’s light, soft, drapes beautifully, and is so open on size 11 needles as to be transparent.

Come and admire it, and begin planning a similarly weightless summer shawl if you are so inclined.

Habu cotton.

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Many visitors to the shop have admired the two kits that live on the teacart: the Kusha Kusha scarf kits from Habu Textiles, and the striped shawl kits from Be Sweet. Last week, these two kits were joined by another yarn from Habu: a lace-weight cotton boucle, which can be seen in the basket in the above photo. The juxtaposition inspired Anne to cast on for the striped Be Sweet shawl with the Habu cotton, suitable for those knitters who have the misfortune of being allergic to the mohair yarn used in the Be Sweet kits. I haven’t snapped a picture of the shawl yet, so you’ll just have to come to the shop in the meantime to see it, or better yet, feel it. It is extremely lightweight, elegant and delicate. A shawl for all seasons, but particularly those that make wool and mohair less than comfortable. I’ll post a picture soon, but I’m serious about coming in to feel it: you should.