Sample Sale!

Samples Galore  Remaining
prices do not include shipping.

Unless otherwise noted, the sample is the first piece pictured on the pattern page.
Email me directly at nellknits@gmail.com with the item(s) that you'd like.  Include a zipcode, and I'll send a paypal invoice.
I will remove the sales from this list as they are completed. 

Many Thanks!!


Cowls and Scarves $20. each

Infinitely Alice ( third image, green) 
Madness (second one, garden gate malabrigo)
Tessle, here
Shimmy 


Hats $15. each

Noctua pending
Pillars (both)
Sunchoke (blue)


Also  (priced as above unless otherwise noted) :

ava cowl cotton wool

ava prototype scarf Quince Lark

Shutters hat Kismet Abundant LarcSong

Blanket prototype 24" square, Shepherd's Wool $25.

prototype cowl, discontinued indie sock

Louet Linen top, size 34 $45.

An Alternative Provisional Cast On

I love using this long tail style as a provisional cast on :

Hold the waste yarn and the project yarn simultaneously, or join with a slip knot to begin.  

Place the waste yarn over the thumb, and the project yarn over the forefinger,

 cast on in the long tail fashion.

Do not count the slip knot as a stitch.

Cut the waste yarn, leaving a short tail, and 

proceed to work your pattern using the project yarn. 

Don't forget to drop the slip knot if you used one.

When it's time to pick up the live cast on stitches,  just snip the waste yarn every few stitches and pick up the live stitches.  

Use a smaller circumference needle to do this, but remember to work onto the appropriate size needle.

In the image above, I left a yard-long tail of the project yarn at the beginning of the cast on, as the live stitches will be worked together with a 3 needle bind off.

Monday, Monday

Stash Raffle Reminder  

I am adding to the big Stash Giveaway nearly every day. 

Six bags full. 

I keep finding surprise pockets of beautiful yarn as I pack up this little house 

for our move at the end of the month.

Paypal me $30. (nellknits@gmail.com) 

I will send you 5 Ravelry coupon codes, 

good through the end of December Next Year and 

your name goes in the drawing which will be held at the end of next week. 

Many thanks.

*********************

Our big news is that we now have a destination! 

The Asheville area of NC will be our new home.

The other big news is that there is a job there for me at the Black Mountain Yarn Shop. 

This was complete serendipity - I was quite resigned to a job, any job.  

Thank you, Maria!

If you know of a home in the area, please, do let me know.

In addition to packing, sorting and constantly refreshing Craigslist, 

I'm participating in the Fringe and Friends KAL with a redo of my 

seemingly ill-fated and still unpublished Roger Cardigan.  

I had to stop while I panicked about yardage.  I thought there were 6, 

but no, just 5 skeins of the Orange Crush.  

I think I have come up with a plan that will work,

A completely different base.  And gauge.  But darned close in color...

Thoughts?

While I was in knitting limbo, I was prompted by this post on MasonDixonKnitting-

which I read before making coffee most mornings - and have pulled out old design notes

and even older stash to get going on yet another cardi. 

Because I tend to cast on when I'm overly anxious... 

Deep, short row shaped hem with pockets (always bigger on the inside) and all the details that your favorite go-to layer will have.  

The sketch did not have the notched collar that Kay wanted, but I am now tempted...

Into the Wool Fiber Retreat

I just returned home from Into the Wool Fiber Retreat in Crossville, TN -

and did not take a single picture of yarn or of people the entire weekend.

But let me assure you, there was - Just. So. Much. Wonderful.

Many new friends...

I did, however, take many pictures of the beautiful and peaceful setting on 

Lake Francis.

Can you even see the buildings tucked in the trees?

I strolled along a shady trail, hoping to see some wild thing 

or a mushroom that I hadn't yet discovered, and stumbled across 

an amazing obstacle course (it is a gymnastics camp).

I marveled at the early morning mist,

 

and did see evidence of what were likely River Otters tumbling just under the surface.

Evidence of the wonderfully cool nights that was so enjoyed. 

So very thankful to have been invited to be part of such a memorable weekend, 

and to have had such enthusiastic students, many of whom may become good friends.  

Oh, and I did find a bit of wildlife after all.

I’m Raffling off my Amazing Yarn Stash!

Image swiped right off the site cited below

First of all, what I am most excited about right now is our planned hike to McAffee Knob in the Jefferson National Forest, just outside of Roanoke, VA.  More than merely stepping onto the Appalachian Trail (as I once did, years ago on a trip to and around upstate NY) hiking a bit of the AT has been on my list for a very long time.  In fact, I had a long map of the entire trail up on my kitchen wall when we lived in Atlanta.

Also coming up is a trip to check out the Richmond area.  It’s time to move, again - and the proximity of a city is a must - along with a Trader Joe’s, better cell and internet coverage, and some other things that one should never discuss.  
We've also visited Winston-Salem NC and Charlottesville... both lovely.

In preparation for that move, I am going to raffle off one hell of a yarn stash.  Mine.  When we left Atlanta, I sold, donated and shared a ton of beautiful yarn, but somehow still have a ton of beautiful yarn.  I have also acquired a large amount of beautiful yarn in the meanwhile.  How does that even happen?

My proposal is this:  Send me $30 (nellknits@gmail.com).  I will send you 5 coupon codes each good for one NellKnits pattern via Ravelry.  The codes will be good for as long as Ravelry allows them to be, (December 2017) and, therefore, can be used even on yet to be published work.  And they can be given as gifts…  

I will cap the entries at 75.  And hope for at least 50, which will give me a little extra cash to cover some of the crazy moving expenses.  
So, thank you all for the $30 pre-payment loan + love.

The week before we move - which is just 4 weeks away, I will ask a very random person or number generator to draw a name/number.

That person will receive my stash. I cannot ship outside the US, unless - the expense is completely covered by the winner.  

Please share this with your friends, I’ll ask how all participants heard of the raffle and if your name comes up enough, well, you will get an extra ticket in the draw.

I’ve published a great pair of mitts, Happy Hands, that I knit with amazing 

SilverSpun® Sock yarn spun with cotton, a little elasticness (nylon + lycra) and pure shimmering silver.  Read all about this wonder fiber here.

and this great new hat, Hawkeye - for which I bought Brooklyn Tweed fabulous New Shelter Marl, in Newsprint, just to do.  

Please follow my IG account to see what the heck I’m up to.

Time Just Flies.

I'm looking through what I've done this year as we pack up to leave this little sublet.

One new thing has been some simple sewing.

I chose the Esme Tunic from Lotta Jansdotter's Everyday Style, as a first top :

When the bobbin mysteriously changes to a new color.

The top went together so smoothly and easily.  

I've added side vests at the hem.

And used some of the yards of bias binding that I cut way too much of.  

Since I planned to Indigo dye it, I thought it would be a perfect match.

It was.  I did some hand sewn finishing -

And now have a new favorite top.

  I also revived one of my very favorite washcloths in the vat,

 this is a mini of the Peeko pattern.

One good tunic deserved another, here I've repositioned the dart from 

-a bit too high on the side- 

to the shoulder, which is better for my shape.

Another project has been a few jersey skirts.  The pattern is from 

Alabama Stitch Book.

Here I'm using some cast off extra large tees for the fabric.

I highly recommend both books (all of the Alabama Studio books, in fact).

Add a little stitching to your life.  

As always, my Instagram account is a nearly daily mini blog of what 

inspires and delights me, follow along! 

Last Weekend, This Weekend and Next Weekend

We were in Washington last weekend for TNNA.  It was a whirlwind, and I took very few indoor photos.

(In fact, this one was taken in my dining room)

Kate, of the beautiful Dragonfly Fibers gave me a choice of colors of their new base, Valkyrie, an Aran weight superwash Merino.  Yum.

This duo is now ready to go, wound, sketched and rows of math...

The colors are Dragonberry and Cheshire Cat.

In love with Washington.

We forewent the icons of DC in favor of the charming neighborhood around the convention center.  

Beautiful architecture everywhere.

This weekend is Father's Day.  

I won't see this guy till next week, but there will be cake.

And finally, I will be in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday, June 25th for a Trunk Show at 

Baa Baa Sheep   from 1pm-3pm.  

Do stop in to say hello!