Tilli Tomas Blog

If you’re out west – or dying for a road trip – then get thee to Stitches West this weekend!

February 23rd (today!) through the 26th you can meet Stitch Diva Studios, Fickle Knitter Designs, and hundreds of other fiber artists up close and personal. Get your books signed, see samples of projects you’ve been dying to knit, meet like minded knitters, and have an all-around amazing time.

And, we’d like to ask you a favor – PLEASE send us your pics from the show! You can share them with us on Twitter @tillitomas, or on Facebook at the Tilli Tomas page. Hope to see you there!

We had the amazing fortune to be in Provincetown, MA this weekend at the exact right moment. Four Eleven Studio had a special show featuring works by local knitters and weavers, with particular focus on male knitters. The show included an interactive knitting performance entitled Sheep To Shore, by local artist Barry Pike.

Here are some our favorite pieces from the show:

covered shoes by Dino Foxx

"Sock Story" by Nathan Butera

Sheep To Shore performance, organized by Barry Pike

Four Eleven Studio

More and better photos should emerge soon on Four Eleven Studio’s Facebook page. There you’ll be able to read more about the studio’s owner, Liz Carney, connect with Provincetown knitters, and see the wealth of great fiber art they had at the show.

So next time you’re P-Town, stop in, say hi, and knit a spell.

We’re fortunate enough to work with a myriad of knitwear designers (lest you think we do all this sample knitting ourselves).  This roster includes the lovely and talented HeartStrings FiberArts.   Luckily for us, she has two new, beautiful patterns out showcasing some of our favorite yarns:

This picture of the Austrian Lace Stirrup Leg Warmers makes me want to get a pedicure! Delightfully chic, and great with a pair of open-toed shoes for spring. She used Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock, a beautiful 90/10 Merino/Nylon blend. I’ll probably make mine in some boring shade of gray, but don’t let that stop you from experimenting with some wild colors.

Another great accessory (HeartStrings has a wealth of them) is this Rock Star Choker, made with Tilli Tomas Rock Star beaded yarn. With all those glass beads around your neck, all you’ll need is a little sunshine. Or a disco ball. Your call.

Check out all of HeartString’s new patterns and then visit our yarn page to pick out something fun, quick, and glamorous to punch up your accessories wardrobe for spring!

We had a new big hit at the TNNA show in Phoenix – Sari Ribbon:

What’s great about this sari yarn compared to others you’ve surely seen on the market is that it is not reprocessed and spun – which means the colors of each sari stay separate, one into another. This creates a really beautiful variegated, almost Noro-like effect.

The other big hit was our variegated sock yarn, especially in Coconut Grove and Bad Romance:

This all brings to mind Diana Vreeland’s old line: “Pink is the Navy Blue of India.” So, this spring, embrace your inner Bollywood!

The deCordova is having its Biennial show, which just started this week.  Why does this affect you as fiber lovers, you ask?  Because our favorite local celebrities the South End Knitters have yarn-bombed the museum in honor of the event!  So much for Art vs. Craft, eh?

Busy this month? Fear not, this Biennial runs through March, which is when the South End Knitters will be having a special hands-on presentation. You can see the full details of all Biennial events here.

South End Knitters cover a bike rack in the Back Bay

If you missed the gun shot at the starting line (which, FYI, was a scant few days ago on the 16th), fear not! Knitting is a marathon, not a sprint. You have plenty of time to catch up and enjoy the fun. And boy do we mean fun:

The Ella Coat, which – believe it or not – is not felted, is a great new design in a range of sizes by Noni Designs. They’ve been using Facebook, Twitter, and their new blog to gather together Noni fans from all around for a great online KAL.

Many people – we are happy to report – are also using Tilli Tomas Flurries to create beaded accents around the collar and in several stripes. If, like us, you love a little glitter, you can get some Flurries here to add to your Ella and make it your own.

Check out the official pattern for the Ella Coat on Ravelry, and then see Noni’s special “get started” blog entry to join in the KAL. And please – PLEASE! – send us your photos or post them to Noni’s Facebook page or the Tilli Tomas Facebook page. We always love to see what you do with our yarn!

I love it when blogging and events line up seamlessly on the calendar – like tomorrow’s Ignite Craft: Boston, hosted by the Common Cod Fiber Guild.

For the second year running, the CCFG will play Alex Trebek to wealth of local experts who will – in rapid succession – teach you everything they know about exactly what it is they do.

Doors open at 6:30 and presentations begin at 7:00pm.  MIT hosts the event near the Kendall T stop at 32 Vassar Street, room 32-123, Cambridge, MA.

In short – you can knit the night away while listening to quick, entertaining presentations and meet loads of fellow local fiber enthusiasts.

And hey, you just might learn something.

We found this blog yesterday via the BBC.co.uk site, called Delit Maille.  FYI, it’s a French pun on “Daily Mail” and means, roughly, “Criminal Stitch”.   Which I think this image of a tiny, knit Silvio Berlusconi with two miniature knit escorts demonstrates brilliantly:

Guessing Mario Monti's not having this much fun!

Anna knits the news and takes hilarious photos of it, punctuated with witty copy. Most of said copy is in French, but many of the posts she translates into English as well. So don’t let the language barrier stop you from checking this out. After all, a picture of tiny knit people doing awful-yet-true things is easily worth 1000 words.

While I generally refrain from making resolutions on my more important behavior (Stop eating sugar?  Good luck with that . . .) I’m keen to redirect that impulse toward my knitting.  So here’s my list of New Year’s Knitting Resolutions – holler at us on Facebook if any of these apply to you!

1. Knit a felted coat (or, well, at least felt something)

So, Noni has these extraordinary felting patterns, many of which look completely amazing in Tilli Tomas Flurries, because after you felt it, the thing is still beaded.  Which translates to felt that sparkles.  My inner 12-year-old thinks this is the best thing ever.  So, a new coat with beaded trim for 2012?  YES.

2. Knit something sexy

So, I am not much of a sock knitter (although I can’t say I’ve never done it.  And recently this new sock yarn has tempted me greatly, but I digress).  But, being something of a Girl Anachronism, I would happily knit stockings.  And so, these stirrup boot socks a la Prada c. 2007 are right up my alley.  Also, for those of you who are math-oriented, if you were to re-gauge the pattern and knit these up on larger needles, you could get some very attractive see-through effects going on.  Just sayin’.

3. Knit something, then embroider it

I have a definite affinity for embroidery.  Like I said, anachronistic.  A small hat and mitten set like this is a great place to start – being in wool, it’s almost like crewel work, really.  Someday I’d love to work my way up to some serious needlepoint, but, you know, one thing at a time.  If this piques your interest, another great source for embellished knits is Kristin Nicholas.  (Take a look at the gloves halfway down that page – to DIE for.)

4. Knit more colorwork

Colorwork and I are finally getting along.  I even tried intarsia again recently, which is saying something.  So, I’d really like to some more daring colorwork for 2012.  Now that Oilily’s out of business I figure someone has to pick up the slack.  Hint: If you’re looking for a great and endless of palette of colors to make your fair isle dreams come true, check out Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock.  Singular, you get great resolution for complex colorwork, and held double it becomes a light worsted.  So either way, it’s a win-win.

5. Knit something for myself

Oh, why are the simplest resolutions the hardest to keep?  Knitting something for ourselves shouldn’t require such discipline.  With such a range of amazing patterns to choose from, the sky is the limit.  That said, all I really want is the perfect black cardigan.  So, whether your tastes, like mine, are more practical, or whether you’ve finally got your eye on the project of your dreams this year, make time for YOU.

Best wishes to all and see you in 2012!

Yes, really! We’ve got this great little bowl sitting here that we absolutely love.

First of all the pattern is FREE. Secondly, you can use it for anything – shown here, it’s a brilliant way to dress up a dollar store vase.  It can be a beautiful way to package a gift, or even the gift itself! 

A perfect first felting project too, for anyone nervous about the resizing that happens with felting and wanting to get their feet wet in a quick, satisfying way. That mobius twist in the center front gives it interest, and in the self-beaded Flurries yarn it looks like you worked awfully hard at some beautiful embellishment! A great option is to use the Flurries only for the top band, and use some Stitch Boutique Wool to keep the bottom simple.

Hope this helps all our fellow knitters looking for a quick, last-minute, festive knit! After all, you can only give so many fingerless mittens, right?