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The Imperial Stock Ranch is going to be the best retreat ! I’m practically giddy – ok I am giddy!
We will be knitting by the campfire, drinking wine at dinner and learning some knitting tricks from Julie Weisenberger of Coco Knits. (Psst! I’ve seen them and I’m real excited!!)
Vogue Knitting Live just hosted a retreat at Imperial Stock Ranch, Creative Knitting Magazine just did an article and so did Oregen Culture.
Say goodbye to chores, work, stress and have a relaxing weekend with some awesome woman and knitting.
Call up your BFF, knitting buddy or sister and hop on this knitting train. Yee! Ok I’m only a little excited. But it does happen to fall on my 29th birthday weekend💕
I hope I see your beautiful faces sitting on the bus to the ranch 😃
Happy planning!
xx
Ash
These tape measures are ah-doooor-able!
Oh hello gorgeous Erika Knight yarn… Wait till you see the other yarn from her collection. It’s awesome!
Ok knitters pride aren’t new but they are super fabulous and we just received a new shipment
We have so many fun things currently in the shop. New project bags by Hadaki, BlockHead Press, Chicken Boots, and Slip Stitch Studios.
New colors of Pencil roving by Imperial Yarns, new Imperial patterns, and we have re stocked our Columbia and Anna yarn as well. (If you haven’t yet sign up for the retreat- do it! It’s going to be epic!)
Coco Knits has some fabulous patterns out. The Weekend Wrap vest that takes #17 needles and drapes so perfectly?! Oh yes I will knit that, thank you.
The Necessary Cowl kits are flying out the door and this will be your last chance to get your hands on these, lustable, discontinued yarns.
We also have Classic Elite, Manos and Madeline Tosh on its way!
And check the website for class updates. Julie of Coco Knits, beginning knitting, beginning crochet, self fringe shawl, any time tank, top down sweater… Lots of fun classes!
This week I’ll be sharing some pretty fun knits. Erika Knight vest(s) adult and kid versions, my Imperial Stock Ranch sweater, what I did with the Shi Bui linen.
Happy Monday!
xx
Ash
Oh its necessary Have you seen it on Ravelry? Have you made one? We are loving these and rocking them in tons of colors, yarns, and in our very stylish ways 😉
The Lovely Gail
Our awesome Tuesday girl, Carol
How cute is Paige?!
Anie rocking the “Mink”
Shelli keeping warm while grooming the wonderful Miss April
Sam! Looks so happy in this cowl don’t you want one too?!
Ahhh! Heidi looking like one of her dolls!
Lilly! so sweet! (love the big smile girly!)
Kristy – is bomb.com! Stylin her cowl AND knitting?!
And the lovely Jimmy Beans babes!
We love the simplicity of the pattern and the kits are so inexpensive! It’s a cowl for everyone. I love how all of our styles are so different and we all look great wearing it.
Make one and send us a photo to add to our blog, FB, Twitter, and IG 😉
Happy Cowling!
xx
Ash
I really wasn’t sure how many dish towels I needed, so I piled up the ones that looked the saddest. Then I started to cut and rip them into strips (ps this towel was not bad I just needed a fifth towel – I found out – and I had not more sad ones 😉)
After cutting 4 I started to attach the strips to make my “yarn”
I folded over one end (do this with every strip) and cut a slit. Do this on the two pieces you plan to connect. Then feed one end into one hole. Pull the strip through and feed it into that strips hole. Pull. Ta da connected. This takes a bit of time, but its fun.
So there will be a slit on both ends of every strip except the first and last one. I did have one towel that was thin and on some of those I just tied.
Now roll them into a ball… I had help..
Then you knit! I used a 17 straight for mine. It wasnt super tight, like the one in Natural Nursery Knits, so it turned out floppy. More like a bowl.
Totally had a perma grin when I finished!
Happy ripping!
xx
Ash
The kitchen is my place. My family has spent a lot of time leaning over counters (my whole life). The kitchen is the life blood to this family. And kitchen tools are like toys 
Dish towels are often an exciting accessory to the fridge, oven, or tossed over a shoulder.
When my favorite towels started to fall apart I looked for something to turn them into. And along comes Ms Erika Knight to revive my ragged towels.
In her book Natural Nursery Knits there is the perfect solution to my issue. A rag basket. So I got to ripping.
5 hand towels later I have this, and couldn’t be happier.
Enjoy!
Happy Knitting!
xx
Ash
This was a very exciting thing for me. I have always been interested in fashion and fashion design. Lately I have been crushing on the Isager yarns and Amimono style of Helga Isager. I was over the moon excited when she agreed to do an interview for me!
Helga’s designs are amazing and inspiring. So excited to share the interview.
Enjoy!!
xx
Ash
Ash: You have been designing Amimono since 2005, when did you decide/ start to design?
Helga Isager: When I look back I have always been a knitwear designer, but it took me some years and quite a few detours to realize it. Finally in 2003 I tried to get accepted at the Danish Design School, but had no luck, so I decided to start my own company. In retrospect that was a very haphazard move. I learned things the hard way, but I wouldn’t have been without these experiences.
A:Did you always want to design knitwear?
HI: No, definitely not. When I was younger I couldn’t think of anything I least wanted to do.
A: Your Mother is also a knitwear/ yarn designer was there a lot of pressure to have a completely different look? Or was it natural?
HI: I think the difference is very natural and unavoidable. We’re from different generations and have different perspectives on fashion. But it’s interesting how much the outcome differs even though we use many of the same techniques and the same yarns.
A: Who inspires you? Music? Artist? Designers? Authors?
HI: I’m inspired by lots of things. Cool people on the street, films, fashion designers and artists. At the moment I’m working on a collection (The Map Collection) inspired by landscape photos taken from above. In knit design you usually repeat the same pattern. I have wanted to work with patterns and materials on a more abstract level for a long time. I would like to think of the sweater as a canvas on which I can ‘draw’ with stitches in a more free hand.
In aerial photos you often observe different structures, unpredictable patterns and colors clash, and I find this order in chaos very inspiring.
A: What most influenced the bird/ little bird and home collections?
HI: In the Bird Collection I worked with different shapes of sleeves, and some of them reminded me of wings – that’s why I gave all styles bird names.
The colors and forms of the Belgian artist Pierre Alechinsky’s paintings inspired The Home Collection. I’m fascinated by his way of using colors. He always uses one or two colors, which don’t match the rest. I love this unpredictability.
A: In the craft world we seem to collect hobbies, cooking, baking, sewing, crochet, what are your favorites?
HI: I make a strong point of cooking healthy food everyday, but beside that my work doesn’t leave me much spare time for hobbies.
I love to knit even though it’s my job, so naturally I always have a knitting project close at hand.
A: What is the most beautiful place your designs have brought you?
HI: I have been teaching knitting several times in Iceland. I can’t think of a more beautiful place. The landscape is magnificent and untouched by human hands and the natural colors are just beautiful.
A:What’s your best advice for nurturing your creativity and family?
HI: Take a vacation on your own or with your best friend, once in a while. It makes you a better mother/wife when you come back.
A: What’s on your iPod now?
HI: The Norwegian artist Ane Brun is one my favorites at the moment. Love her music!
A: What, in your career, are you most proud of?
HI: Luckily I’m always most proud of my latest collection.
A: If you could have one super power what would it be?
HI: I never thought about that. But being able to do several things at the same time would be fantastic. So maybe a cloning ability would come in handy. So many things to do and so little time to do it.
A: If you could live anywhere in the world… Where and what time of year?
HI: I actually feel quite privileged to live in Denmark – In Copenhagen and in Northern Jutland, where we just bought a little farm. I have plans of spending more time there. My husband is a documentary filmmaker, so he travels all over the world. Because of my work I’m free to go with him sometimes. He’s planning to make another film in Japan and we’re thinking about living there for a period of time. I love Tokyo!
A: What are your favorite fibers to work with? What’s your favorite Isager yarn?
HI: I only work with natural fibers and like to work with all Isager yarns, but my favorites at the moment are Spinni and Alpaca – especially knitted together. It makes a very light and still durable material.
A: How old were you when you began knitting?
HI: My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was 7 years old, but at that time I didn’t really have the patience for it. My obsession with knitting started in high school. I lived far out in the countryside – far away from fancy shops – and I realized that I could make some pretty cool designs with a little help from my mother. It was in the nineties, where no one else – except really old ladies – knitted, and my classmates thought it was weird that I spent my time on such an old fashioned hobby.
A. Do you have anything exciting coming up? Little Nordic Collection?
HI: I just released The Little Nordic Collection in Denmark. It’s a booklet with 10 designs for children, all inspired by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren’s fantastic universe.
A.What is your motto?
HI:The process is just as important as the outcome.
*Thank you so much to Helga for being so awesome and answering my questions*
Seasons are a changing! Fashion is evolving and spring is here! The shop girls are switching things up. Out with the cold and in with the new. Linen, cotton, bamboo, and light weight fibers. The set up is awesome and I am falling in love with spring/ summer yarns, textures and color ways.
In particular is a gorgeous linen by Shi Bui. I’ve been lusting after the coral and navy – would make the best striped, loose knit sweater or scarf or floppy hat… Ahh I’ve picked up the combo so many times I feel like the sweater exists.
Erika Knight says “knit all summer long” and since she is a knit genius – I’ll be planning out my summer knits. Have you seen the “fur gillet”?! Um yes please! Ev and I will be matching matching 😉 It’s so on trend and knits up in a weekend. Unique pieces are essential! And pieces that go fall/ winter/ summer?! The best.
Knitterly is filled with bright colors, soft yarns, light weight textures and guess what I saw a box of?? Unpacked! Madeline Tosh. Holy amazing yarn! seriously not going to be here long – our shop girls are drooling already!
We also have the trunk show for the Coastal knits book. It’s so good. We sell the book $22 and have all the samples to try on.
For all you lantern moon needles lovers we have something exciting in! Rosewood interchangeable lantern moon circulars! Yep! They are really nice.
So much coming in and coming up. We will have Julie of Coco Knits here, Imperial Stock Ranch retreat (reserve your spot! Going fast) interviews with amazing designers and fiber artists (Don’t you want to know who?!)
What are you excited to knit?? Spring knitting projects? Tell me! I love to talk knit/ design/ yarn…
Happy Thursday!
xx
Ash
Something’s are burned into us. By stories we heard, songs, images from books, or our own imaginations. My Great Grandmother, Thelma, shaped so much of who I am today and how I raise my own children.
She taught me to crochet, introduced my brother and I to Entemann’s, little Debbie, Bonanza and Davvy Crocket, baked cookies (often) taught us you can never know too much, be a proud American, stand by your beliefs, … She used to sing us to sleep with old cowboy songs and read us stories about horses and the frontier. I used to play “prairie girl” in the back yard. Ha ha
This is my segue into the Imperial Stock Ranch and how I can’t wait to play farm… In May! It’s so amazing watch this video and you will want to be one on the plane with us to this one of a kind retreat.
The ranch is run by a hard working family who believes in what they do. It’s amazing and inspiring and I just want to catch whatever it is they have!
The yarn is great, the view will be incredible, knitting classes, YARN, food prepared for us, yarn, just being in the beautiful country. I mean – come on – its knitting heaven, the quiet, gorgeous scenery, and knitting classes?!
Even the place we stay is run by the daughter and son in law of the ranch family. Knitting seems to be the bonus of the weekend 😉
I called to order yarn last week and had the nicest chat with the owner, sweet man. And his daughter in law, was so cool! She had to call me back (he didn’t know the low down on yarn orders and his people were out on lunch… He said he could have taken at least five orders while they were out) and she told me all about the ranch and how excited they are to host our retreat. She had me ready to drive on over and have some coffee☕
So I’m romanticizing about knitting on a porch with hot coffee as the sun comes up over -whatever majestic -mountain is painted in the backdrop of this beautiful place.
Yee! I have picked (and I am ready to knit!) EvaLou’s sweater for Easter Sunday.
The winner is… Amimono Bird collection “Dove Cardigan” knitted with Shi Bui “Baby Alpaca” It’s going to be a pleasure to knit! It’s a gorgeously soft yarn and the pattern is bottom up… No sewing! Yee.
I think I will only need two skeins. “Baby Alpaca” has 255yards and 100g. The smallest size is for a 3T with yarn doubled on a size 4 & 6 needle. I’m making mine for a 18 month old and not doubling on a size 5. It should turn out good… Ok think happy thoughts.
I should just plan to knit the entire book. Seriously so gorgeous.
I’m off to get to it!
Shelli came up with another awesome pattern! And then…. To make things better… She put them in kits. Which is probably what makes me want to knit them all. (Those darn adorable cellophane bags!)
Such a fast project. Whip out a cowl on your drive to Tahoe – cutest snow bunny out there.
The kits are $25 (the pattern sells separate for $4)
