Dear Friends of The Blue Purl,
There is a growing body of evidence that loneliness can harm your health.
But solitude, true solitude can be restorative, it can give you a chance to think, to heal, to be one with yourself and your surroundings. Solitude is what our craft can offer, a sense of calm in the storm that rages around all of us all day long.
Knitting, crocheting, is a solitary pursuit, but it does not always mean being alone.
“Solitude is fine,’’ wrote the French playwright and author, Honoré de Balzac, “but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.”
Now please, we are not critics of French literature, so take this with a grain of salt, but our understanding of this quote is simple. Be alone, just not too alone. We are fundamentally social creatures, right?
This is the territory that we occupy at The Blue Purl, the world we try to wrap you in. We know that each project is a solitary pursuit, but each project also connects you to our community – to the folks who produce the yarn; to the artists who create the patterns; to the instructors who see you through; to The Blue Purl, a small, neighborhood shop that aims to offer you a bit of this all, materials, guidance, camaraderie, community.
If you have not been in the shop for a while, please come by. We continue to take precautions, so only four people can enter at a time, but we think you will like what you see. We like our little shop and have filled it with beautiful fibers.
We have had a lot of fun, ok and maybe a little stress, with our zoom classes. But we think that working online has brought us all closer, or at least kept us as a community during the pandemic. We are putting together new classes and a KAL (see below) now for the Spring – so keep your eyes peeled for our next schedule. Hopefully, this is our last round of zoom classes and that by the fall, we can be seated together again in our shop, having classes around the tables.
Either way, we hope to help you find some solitude amid the craziness. Online. In person. Always. Alone, together.
connect + create
Patty, Wendy & TBP Team
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SEE WHAT WE'RE UP TO! FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
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Winter hours: Tue. - Fri. 11-4
Saturday 11-3
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4 customers at a time are allowed in the shop for half hour shopping.
- Face masks MUST be worn.
- Phone/facetime/email sales and curbside pickup will continue
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Please limit your in-person visit to 30 minutes when we have others waiting.
- We have 30 min scheduled appointments for shopping. Call us at 973-377-5648 for a scheduled appointment.
- We can NOT offer knitting help/fixing mistakes in the shop at this time due to social distancing guidelines. Thank you for understanding. Call us and we'll try to arrange for help.
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Did you catch a peek last week when we were setting up? It's official! We are excited to carry Jill Draper Makes Stuff, starting with her DK yarn- Kingston. How many colors can you see in those tweedy flecks? The whole staff can't stop staring at this yarn. Each skein is a hefty 270 yards of tweedy wool from the Finger Lakes region, spun into a 3-ply, making it very bouncy & great for cables or colorwork. We love how this tweedy texture blooms and softens after blocking.
We put together a Ravelry bundle of our favorite ideas for Kingston. Click on the image to look in more detail but our favorites include the Lionheart Shawl by Gabrielle Vezina, Hard Cider by Thea Colman, Summer Fog by Lori Versaci and Cowboys & Angels by Isabell Kraemer. |
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The Blue Purl February Knit Along |
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We can't wait to use that beautiful Jill Draper Kingston, so we decided to run a Knit-Along (KAL). New to a KAL? It's when a group of knitters get together and work on the same project, so we can share each other's progress, talk about any issues that come up, get advice from the group on dealing with it and just have fun chit chat to get us through those stretches of stockinette. How about drinks & dessert too? After all, physical-distancing doesn't mean social-distancing!
Tam will host a knit along for Hard Cider by Thea Colman. Hard Cider is a top-down, boxy, loose pullover with options for a a cowl neck, turtleneck, or crew neckline. Tam is planning on a crewneck. You can also adjust the body length to your taste. This flexible wardrobe staple has some minimal shaping & a bit of lace work to keep all the stockinette interesting.
Please note- this is NOT a class. There will be no instruction or recorded videos of instruction. Everyone should already have the skills required for this sweater.
This is a great way for knitters to talk over issues & advise each other as we knit this piece together, knit with camaraderie & have a weekly group show & tell!
Skills Required: You must be comfortable knitting a sweater, this is NOT a first sweater pattern. You should be able to knit, purl, join & knit in the round, be able to execute short rows, pick up stitches, be able to read a lace chart & understand basic sweater construction.
Who: Anyone that wants to knit Hard Cider with us with the above skills. We do have to limit the number of sign-ups due to our Zoom capacity.
Where: Zoom, of course. We'll email the group with a zoom link closer to the start date.
When: Tuesdays, 7-8pm, starting Feb. 9th, and every Tuesday to Mar. 2nd
Cost: FREE, but projects must be purchased from the Blue Purl.
Call or email us to sign up and you can find all the yarns listed online or in the shop. Tam will also be in the shop on Friday to answer questions. |
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Ever see a pattern that makes you want to drop everything & cast it on right away? Joji Locatelli's latest- the Liquorice Vest does that for us. Nevermind that her patterns tend to be user-friendly, the idea of a comfy vest, perfect for layering, knit top down with bulky/chunky yarn is too appealing to resist. Knit with a US 11 needle, you could have a garment (no sleeve island!) done in record time. We love this with Woolfolk Luft or Sandnes Garn Kos. The texture would look great in either a bright color or a neutral. Find the pattern on sale this week on Ravelry and the Woolfolk Luft and Sandnes Garn Kos online or in store. |
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The Blue Purl Gateway to Color Work Cowl |
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Want to try color work but feel intimidated by all the skills you need to knit a color work pattern? Our Gateway to Color Work cowl is the pattern to start with. The pattern is designed to introduce simple color work for those ready to dip your toe into a new skill. You need to be able to knit, purl & join in the round. That's it! Unlike most color work patterns, there is no chart to decipher, no increases or decreases to deal with and only 2 yarns to handle in a row. In fact, there's only 1 pattern row to follow for most of the cowl. There's also 2 videos to explain cable cast on and how to strand your yarn in color work, included in the pattern.
This pattern is exclusive to the Blue Purl and is included free with the purchase of the Gateway to Color Cowl kit. The kit includes 2 balls of Rowan Cashmere Tweed in contrasting colors & the free pattern, all for $25. Kits can be found online or in our store. |
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Woven Cable Headband-More Colors |
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We updated our kits with new colors for this quick knit. If you hurry, you can have one done before the next winter storm!
A quick knit for you or a friend- the Woven Cable Headband is knit flat and then seamed.
Our kit uses 1 ball of Sublime Worsted, a soft bouncy, superwash merino. The pattern is free & included with each kit. Find it online or in the shop. |
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Such a sweet little hat, the Love and Hearts hat by Susan B. Anderson is adorable for your sweetheart. The pattern is sized from 1 month to teen/adult. The intermediate level pattern requires comfort with knitting color work, reading a simple chart with 3 yarn colors used & comfort with double pointed needles to make the small heart topper.
The pattern can be purchased on Ravelry, the kits are online & in the shop. For other color combos, visit us in person. |
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Blue Purl Easy Peasy Scarf-restocked! |
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We just got a re-stock of the original sample colors of the Easy Peasy Scarf. You can find the kits online or in the shop.
The scarf uses 1 ball each of 4 colors and a size US 6 needle. All you need to know is how to knit & purl, no decreases, increases or crazy tricks, this is a great 2nd project for a beginner.
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Pom Pom Magazine Spring 2021 |
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Pom Pom Quarterly Issue 36, Spring 2021 is available for pre-order. This issue is so bright & colorful, a feast for winter weary eyes with both knit & crochet patterns
Call or email us to pre-order your copy. |
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Rosemary D. did an amazing job knitting the Ella Cardigan by Tahki Stacey Charles. This V neck cardi has such a beautiful texture from the cable and deep ribbing. She used Woolfolk Far in that new not quite blue... kind of gray color. It looks - and feels awesome. Stunning Rosemary! |
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The Love Note! Annie's is perfect for Valentines Day :) She made it with fingering held with Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud. Lovely Annie! You look fabulous! |
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Christina made this beautiful blanket for her friends new baby. She used Susan Strachan's Four Bunnies Blanket as a starting point, then made modifications to illustrate the Moon Rabbit from Asian (her friends are Korean) folklore -they see a rabbit instead of a man in the moon. It's beautiful. the way the rabbits are gathered looking up at the Moon Rabbit. Lovely.
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Ahh look at this cute little one piece guy - Gno Fun Like Gnome Fun - with a heart beard! Kathie made him with bits and bobs of some leftover Baah La Jolla she used with for these great fitting Everything November Mitts - nice thumb coverage! Thanks for sharing Kathie! |
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This Hitchhiker is beautiful in this Plymouth Encore wine color! Maria did a fantastic job! Another is in the making... Super Maria! |
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Rosemary made this Arctic Circle Cowl by Antonia Shnland, from one of our kits with Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. Lovely and soft. |
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Cheryl made The Cuddliest Crochet Bear Lovey at Sewrella.com, made with Berroco Vintage worsted weight and Cascade 220.So cute Cheryl!
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Cassie (14) has mastered the Rasta Hats! She made many for her lucky friends. Way to go Cassie!!! They're awesome! |
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This Windowpane Scarf is crocheted by Rosemary with Baah LaJolla. The pattern is great for showing off yarn.This is from the beginning crochet class! Bravo Rosemary! It's beautiful! |
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S ue knitted the Telluride Aran by Amy Herzog with Cascade 220 - She hand knitted the honeycomb front and did the back and sleeves with a knitting machine. She also did a lot of shaping and fitting so her daughter has a sweater she is thrilled with. t's gorgeous Sue - of course she loves it!!
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Bernie's Mitts in a sweater |
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And of course, there's a sweater version of Bernie's Mitts, Feel the Bern. This pattern is provided for free by Caitlin Hunter/Boyland Knitworks, but note -she says it has NOT been test knitted or tech edited. |
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