New jacket?

Maybe John Bozeman needs a new plaid tux jacket…

I’ve never been a guerrilla or been involved in a guerrilla group before. Anyone interested in this?

New Classes!!!

The November/December class schedule is hot out of the oven.  This one’s full of great last-minute Christmas presents for everyone on your list.  Including:

“Quincy” by Jared Flood
2 sessions – Thursday, November 12th and 19th from 7:00-9:00
Pick up some advanced skills while knitting this cool moebius hat. Techniques include: provisional cast-on, picking up stitches, and Kitchener stitch. Pattern is found in Made in Brooklyn – 13 original designs by Jared Flood or on Ravelry.  Please purchase pattern in advance.  If you purchase Made in Brooklyn at Stix for the class, you will receive a 25% discount!
Instructor: Brittany

Knit Cowl
1 session – Wednesday, November 18th from 7:00-9:00
An ideal class for the knitting beginner – a great way to learn the purl stitch, how to pick up stitches, and create button-holes. This Winter cowl is worked in a cozy ribbed stitch and knits up quickly making it a great Christmas present.
Instructor: Brittany

Knit Mittens
2 sessions – Tuesday, November 17th and December 1st from 7:00-9:00
Explore double-pointed needles with a little help from our instructor. Made with bulky yarn these mittens knit up very quickly. Try them with a variegated or self-striping yarn for even more fun.  Please purchase pattern in advance ($5.00)
Instructor: Tracy

Super-Bulky Crochet Hat
1 session – Saturday, December 5th from 12:30-2:00
Worked in super-bulky yarn and cozy single crochet stitches this hat not only is as warm as it gets but can be made from start to finish in an afternoon. Add earflaps if you like or top with a pom-pom (or both, of course). An ideal class for crochet beginners.  Please purchase pattern in advance ($5.00)
Instructor: Tracy

Crochet Felted Coasters
1 session – Saturday, December 12th from 12:30-2:00
An ideal class for crochet beginners. Learn to crochet in a circle and dabble in the felting process. You can make a stack of these adorable home accessories in a day! Tie them all together with a crocheted chain for a super-cute homemade gift.
Instructor: Tracy

And more…

Christmas Stocking Knit-Along

Saturday mornings (November 14th – December 12th) from 10:30-12:0

Join the Chix Saturday mornings to knit this striped stocking just in time for Christmas. Mix yarn colors and textures to make yours as eccentric or traditional as you like. Bring scraps of worsted-aran weight yarns from your stash to share with your fellow Knit-Alongers.

Mystery Crochet-Along Chapter 3

Between the Country and the City

Head West but not too far

Stand in line at the bar

To get your latest clue-ity.

Good luck!  See you Saturday!

I Feel the Need – The Need for Tweed

Did you know the tiny flecks of contrasting color felted into tweed yarns are called “nepps?” These nepps used to occur on accident as spinners began to mix different shades of carded wool together in the spinning process to produce hues that weren’t available previously. Sometimes some of the contrasting color wool wouldn’t be integrated completely into the yarn during the spinning process and would stand out as a large fleck. Tweed yarns became more colorful as early spinners began to experiment with natural dyes from flowers, berries, vegetables, etc. The same accidental flecking occured with the newly colored yarns and tweed as we know and love it today was born when spinners began to incorporate the nepps on purpose.

The more you know…

Tweed is an incredibly versatile kind of yarn. The colored flecks add interest without detracting from stitch definition. That’s why tweed looks stunning in stockinette, fabulous in fair-isle, and charming in cables.

A pair of tweed mittens is about as classic as it gets. The nepps (I love that word) add so much pizazz to this basic mitten design. The aran weight tweed makes for a quick and warm accessory – perfect for Christmas presents!

Ultimate in Awesome-ness Mittens by Brittany Tyler
Sample shown in Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran by Debbie Bliss
Download Pattern – $4.00

More adventurous tweed enthusiasts should try the Inverness Cape by Carol Lapin. Inspired by the traditional outerwear originally made famous by Sherlock Holmes (who donned it in tweed), the Inverness Cape is still worn on rainy days in Scotland particularly by pipe bands who need their arms to be unrestricted while they play.

Inverness Cape by Carol Lapin
Published in Simply Shetland 4
Sample shown in Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran by Debbie Bliss

Lapin’s sensational wrap is a warm piece knit in wool tweed over a very cozy seed stitch pattern and edged in a ruffle. The result is something fit for the drizzly streets of Edinbourgh or even a day of light snow in downtown Bozeman.

The newest addition to the tweed family at Stix is Blackstone Tweed by Berroco. This yarn has all the classic appeal of a tweed but also has a subtle mohair halo. Top it off with a touch of angora for increased softness and you have a comfortable yarn that is perfect for all your tweed projects.

Check out Berroco #228 – all patterns devoted to Blackstone Tweed. The designs range from scarves and hats to pullovers and cardigans… there’s even a knitted dress (on Brittany’s list).

Come down to see our full selection of tweed yarns, ask Brittany for more tweed fun facts, or just to try on Cameron’s B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Inverness Cape.

MALABRIGO is here!

The Stix Chix are unpacking two big boxes of Malabrigo worsted, chunky and lace right now! Fifteen new colors of worsted. So NOW is the time to knit that sweater that you’ve been drooling over.

Colorful Knitting Techniques Inspired by Kaffe Fassett

Knitting, like all other artistic mediums, relies heavily on color to help achieve the desired look and feel of a finished piece. Whether a project has a single broad stripe across its center or an intricate fair isle design throughout, choosing a harmonious color scheme can be a challenge for crafters.

Arguably no one understands color better than world-renowned fiber artist Kaffe Fassett. Kaffe Fassett enjoys many artistic mediums including knitting, quilting, painting, mosaic, and needlepoint but no matter what his materials color is the centerpiece of any Kaffe Fassett creation – “Color is music to your eyes,” believes Kaffe.

The Stix Chix had a recent opportunity to participate in one of Kaffe Fassett’s painting workshops. Though this event was not fiber-focused, the Chix took a lot out of the experience particularly regarding the use of color. Tracy St. John found lots of inspiration in Fassett’s demonstration. “He is truly excited by what he does, and his passion for his work was a little contagious. I came home very inspired to continue playing with color and applying the new techniques I learned to my own work,” said Tracy.

Cameron and Tracy Enjoying their visit with Kaffe Fassett.
See more photos of their trip here.

There are many ways you can enjoy adding more color into your knitted pieces. A recent issue of Knitting Daily featured a fun technique called “Faux Isle” which incorporates multicolored yarn into color-work designs for added visual harmony. The next time you choose a project with an intarsia or fair-isle chart pattern consider using variegated or self-striping yarns rather than just solids. Look for the Faux Isle class in our November/December schedule – coming soon!

Tea Cosy Hat by Sarah Bradberry – Free Pattern! —–>
Sample shown in Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend.

Whether you’re working on a Faux Isle creation or not, self-striping yarns make projects not only stunning but easy to finish. The striping pattern keeps even the most boring of knits interesting so you want to work on them. I often tell myself when working with a self-striping yarn, “I just want to knit through one more stripe.”

This hip, chunky scarf is a quick project with a stunningly cool effect. It’s knit in Colorscape Chunky (designed by Kaffe Fassett so you know any colorway you choose will be amazing). The cables and stripes compliment each other in this scarf making this versatile accessory a very chic winter piece.

<—– Cora by Sarah Hatton – Free Pattern!
Sample shown in Kaffe Fassett’s Colorscape Chunky by Rowan

Use a self-striping yarn for your next entrelac project. The yarn enhances the braided look as all the diamonds come out in a different color. There really is no comparison to the beauty of a striped entrelac piece. Don’t know how to knit entrelac? Take our class on Wednesday, October 28th from 7:00-9:00.

“Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole” by Kathleen Power Johnson – published in Scarf Style. —–>
Sample shown in Silk Garden by Noro

Mystery Crochet Along – Week 3

We at Stix have had a rough week (swine flu, typhoons, missing shoes, you name it!), so we are giving you a week off from new pattern releases.  Take the week to catch up on the first 2 chapters, and join us on Saturday to compare notes or swipe more yarn.  See you here next Wednesday for the next exciting installment of the Mystery…

New Mystery Crochet-Along!

Back by popular demand, we’re hosting another Mystery Crochet-Along.  This time, however,  not only are participants totally unaware of what they are making, but they also must search for portions of the pattern in a scavenger hunt!  Every Wednesday for the next few weeks we’ll post a clue.  Each answer is the Downtown Bozeman location of the next bit of instructions for the mystery project.  Join us every Saturday morning at Stix from 10:30-12:30 to work on your piece and see how everyone else’s is coming along!  Here is this week’s clue:

To the left is a place with plush-art
Go below and it’s good for your heart
To shop there Martha Stewart would be smart
(well maybe after she stepped to the right and resolved a few of her legal issues anyway)–
Easy right?

Good luck!

Reduced Hours

A couple of the Stix Chix are attending a course with Kaffe Fassett this weekend!!! As a result, Stix’s hours are at the mercy of Brittany’s class schedule and will be reduced…

Wednesday, Sep. 30th  - Stix will be closed from 11:30-2:30

Thursday, Oct. 1st  - Stix will be closed from 12:30-2:30

That’s it! Thank you for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience