Meet Amy Singer at Loop!

Please join us on Sunday, August 26 to welcome Amy Singer to Philadelphia!


Amy is the very talented founder and editor of our favorite online magazine, Knitty. She is also the co-author of Big Girl Knits: 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves and the author of her new book, No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights.


Amy will teach a class based on No Sheep for You from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Here's how she describes the class:

Learn the ins and outs of fibers that aren't wool and never had four legs. Get to know the GeeKY thing [hint: it involves knitting]. It's the tool that will help you to how to substitute non-wool fibers when the pattern calls for wool and get a great result. Here's a secret -- it's WAY more than matching the gauge. We'll learn about cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, lyocell, rayon, soy, the new synthetics and more, plus the most delicious non-wool of all: silk.

The class fee is $55 and includes yarn samples. We just announced the class in our newsletter and it's already filling up. Please call us to reserve your space!

After the class, from 1 to 2 pm, Amy will sign copies of her books and chat with us about her work. There is no cost for the book signing.

In addition to being creative, knowledgeable, and talented, Amy is fun and dynamic. I hope you'll join us for a great day of knitting!

Knitters love Beth Brown-Reinsel

After 2 days of classes, I can safely say that knitters love Beth Brown-Reinsel. Beth has an extensive knowledge of Scandavian knitting techniques and history, an obvious joy in sharing it, and a seemingly never-ending supply of patience. For those of you who missed her, rest assured, Beth will be back!

Saturday's class was on traditional Ganseys. We learned what makes a Gansey - from the Channel Island cast on to the underarm gussets to the shoulder strap construction - and knit our own mini version. Here's the sample Beth brought -


And here's mine, photographed the next morning -


With all the end of day excitement, I didn't get photos of my classmates' ganseys. None of us finished, though Camille led the pack - she's quick with those 12" circulars! - and we all did a lot of knitting in our 6 hour class.

Sunday morning began with Swedish Cast-ons. Each new cast-on Beth demonstrated was greeting with, "why do it this way?" only to be quickly followed by oooh's and aaah's as we mastered each one and saw the beautiful results for ourselves.



On Sunday afternoon, Beth taught a class about Latvian knitting techniques using a wrister as a template. Here's what a few students had knit by the end of the day.


It's fun to challenge yourself by learning something new, and Beth was a great guide into unknown territory. I hope you'll join us the next time we welcome a guest teacher or for one of our own classes. Knitting can be as simple or as complex as you like, and if you want to, there's always something new to learn!

take a class with Beth Brown-Reinsel

Author, instructor, and knitwear designer Beth Brown-Reinsel will teach 3 classes at Loop on Saturday & Sunday, January 20 & 21, 2007. Beth has been involved in many facets of the fiber arts as a spinner, basket weaver, dyer, knitter and yarn shop owner, but teaching is her passion. She is the author of Knitting Ganseys and has written articles for Threads, Cast On, Interweave Knits, and Knitters magazines.

Beth will teach 3 classes during her visit:

Traditional Gansey Techniques
$150 – 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday, January 20, 2007 (lunch break from 1 to 2 pm)

Students will learn how to construct a Gansey, a sweater form prevalent in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century among fisherman in the British Isles. A small scale sweater will be knitted using traditional construction techniques including the classic Channel Island Cast-on, split welts, seam stitches, traditional knit/purl patterns, the underarm gusset, shoulder straps with perpendicular joining and picked up sleeves.

This class is for intermediate to advanced knitters. You must be proficient with double-pointed needles. This is a 6 hour class with a one-hour lunch break.

Swedish Cast-ons and Scandinavian Knitting Technique
$75 – 10 am to 1 pm, Sunday, January 21, 2007

Five cast-ons from Sweden will be taught in this hands-on class. They are all one-needle cast-on methods, and can be adapted for one or two color edges for sweaters, mittens, socks, and hats. In addition, the Continental and English methods of knitting, purling, and weaving will be taught as a basis for the Scandinavian technique of working with two yarns in the left hand (knitting, purling, and weaving) and Twined knitting (two yarns in the right hand). Small sample swatches will be made using all of the techniques learned in class.

This class is for advanced beginner to advanced knitters.

Latvian Wristers
$75 – 2 pm to 5 pm, Sunday, January 21, 2007

Using wristers as a template, some of the beautiful knitting methods of Latvia will be studied in this class. Knit on of a pair of wristers to learn the following techniques, which can be applied to mitten cuffs, sock tops, or sleeves: a scalloped cuff, the herringbone braid and many subtle and beautiful variations of the half-braid. A choice of traditional motifs is incorporated in the main part of the wrister, as well as a picot edge at the end. Additional techniques to be discussed include knitting with two yarns in the right hand, two yarns in the left hand, or a yarn in each hand, as well as knitting with three colors and setting up the knitting for color changes in the braids.

This class is for intermediate to advanced knitters. You must be proficient with double-pointed needles.

Reserve your space with Beth today!

These classes will fill up quickly so register today! Full payment is required when you register. There will be no refunds unless the classes are cancelled, in which case a full refund will be made. Seating is limited, so call or stop in today!

Doris Chan rejuvenates crochet

While we've been hearing about the return of crochet for a few years now, little has come out that's been exciting or new. Until now.

Doris Chan's Amazing Crochet Lace: New Fashions Inspired by Old-Fashioned Lace is exciting and new and has me ready to pick up the nearest crochet hook and get started.


Doris's concept is, at first glance, simple - take traditional lace motifs and enlarge them with chunkier yarn and bigger hooks. It's what she calls "exploded lace".


The difficulty arises in construction. But fear not, because aside from reading how Doris experimented and solved these puzzles, you don't have to do a thing except follow her directions.


We are very pleased that Doris will join us on Saturday, December 1 at 1 pm to demonstrate her cast-on and to talk about her book. We hope you'll come and see what's new in crochet!

Meet Suss Cousins

Suss Cousins will be at Loop this Saturday, November 11 at 1 pm to celebrate her new book, Home Knits. Suss's knitting has taken her from her native Sweden to New York to Hollywood, and she has some wonderful stories to share.


Home Knits features 30 modern designs for the home arranged by room - living room, bedroom and bath, and dining room and kitchen. The degree of difficulty ranges from easy to challenging.


The Crystal Table Runner is knit in soft angora and embellished with shiny lurex and crystal beads. It's a lovely decoration for the dining room. And like so many of the projects in the book, it would be a great holiday gift, especially for newly-weds or friends in a new home.


In their book, Mason Dixon Knitting, Ann and Kay talked about how they enjoyed knitting things other than garments, so they could have knitted items all over the house. Suss does this in many wonderful ways, including with lighting.


The Alpaca Lampshades look beautiful with the lamp off and so cozy with the lights on.


In addition to her yarns that we already carry, Suss sent us a sampling of the yarns she used in her book. There's a soft brushed alpaca, a crisp cotton, and a cool ultrasuede.

We hope you'll join us in welcoming Suss and celebrating Home Knits!

an evening with Melissa

Fans, friends, and alums from last winter's classes came last night to see Melissa Leapman and her new book, Cables Untangled.

Like so many others, I've always been a little intimidated by cables; not because they're difficult necessarily but because they require so much attention. (I'll confess that most of my knitting happens in front of the TV or while I'm talking with other knitters!) So I was surprised when Melissa said she wrote this book because cables are her favorite kind of knitting. She assured me that cables don't require all the energy I thought, especially since many of the motifs can be memorized as you repeat them.

Cables Untangled begins with a comprehensive guide to cabling that explains cables and twists, reading charts, designing with cables, and related techniques. There are great illustrations and Melissa's clear teaching style really comes through in writing.

The pattern section of the book starts with easier projects and progresses to the more complex. There are over 20 designs including garments, accessories, and home items.


This is one of the first patterns in the book - a comfy sweater with a big cable down the front. Melissa helped Lori, one of her new fans, pick the lilac shade of Blue Sky Bulky Hand Dyes for her sweater.


Melissa brought this sweater with her for us to see. It's a great project for the adventurous cable knitter. And kids' sweaters are a fun way to try out new skills.


Even though we tend to think of cables on winter sweaters, Melissa designed this summer tank in a light weight bulky cotton.

Cables Untangled ends with a large dictionary of 100 cable stitches. I didn't realize until last night that Melissa designed many of these herself, they are originals that can only be found here.

When the night ended and we said our good-byes, everyone left with their autographed copy in hand, planning their first - or latest - cable venture. If you didn't make it last night, come get your copy and get cabling!

meet Melissa Leapman

That's right, Melissa Leapman is coming back to Loop! Please join us on Friday, October 27th, at 7 PM to celebrate the release of Melissa's fantastic new book, Cables Untangled.





Melissa is an incredible talent who divides her time between teaching and knitwear design. She's also a lot of fun! We're thrilled that she's taking time out of her busy schedule to stop by.

So, come have a glass of wine, peruse her new book and help us welcome her! See you then!

Annie Modesitt's visit

We had a great day with Annie yesterday. It was an early Sunday - especially for Annie who lives a couple hours away - but everyone was ready and excited to learn about combination knitting. The class did great and Annie ended with a lesson in cabling without a cable needle.

Here she is with everyone watching -


Oh mighty X!

After a quick break for lunch, the afternoon class, Knitting with Wire, began. Annie's book, Twist and Loop, has dozens of patterns and ideas for knitted and crocheted wire jewelry. She brought the projects from the book for us to see; they are spectacular! I can't wait until the book comes out later this month.



Annie has so much knowledge to share and a wonderful sense of humor. Her classes are a great knitting experience.

Annie will be back on November 19 for a repeat performance. The Combination Knitting class is full, but there's still room in the Knitting with Wire class. Call now to reserve your space!

Wendy knits - and visits, too

Wendy Johnson of wendyknits.net visited us last Saturday afternoon. Local fans filled the store to meet her and to hear her read from her book, Wendy Knits.



After the reading, everyone got their book signed and enjoyed talking to Wendy about her, and their, knitting. There was time for a quick group shot before Wendy was off for home.



From the left that's Kathy, Wendy, Rachel, and Laura. You'll notice that Craig and Grace are missing. Grace was on vacation - and we're told had a wonderful time! - and Craig was in Indianapolis at the Summer Market. Both were sorry to miss Wendy; maybe she'll come again! Until then, we have her wonderful book - there's a few left if you haven't picked up a copy yet.