Posts filed under 'Events'
We just finished our Noni Knitalong for the Ella jacket! Check out the new Ella Coat (picture above and also available in children sizes) by Nora J. Bellows. Knitters dropped by and knit this jacket with Sudha, who knit this jacket for Saloni. There were many, many different versions of this jacket and you really should check out Nora’s blog for more ideas on this jacket.
We at the store love this structured sweater. We think it’s perfect for the end of winter and beginning of spring. The ruffles add a sense of whimsy and the pattern is basic enough it almost invites experimentation with colors. For the icing on the cake, the A-line cut and slightly lifted waist on the jacket means it’s flattering for most body types.
The pattern is ranked at intermediate to advanced, but we reckon any daring knitter could manage it.
The children’s pattern is just as charming with the bobbles and striping. Nora herself says it was inspired by the story of the Princess and the Pea. We think it’s the perfect amount of girly without being garish.
This coat, unlike the women’s size, is felted. This adds durability and warmth.
And here is the result of the one Sudha made:
The jacket was knit in Stonehedge Fiber Mills Shepherd’s Wool. Come welcome spring with this great jacket!
March 30th, 2012
Almost HERE, as in San Mateo, the home of Nine Rubies! We are hustling and bustling, getting together what we need for our booth, as well as scheduling a special designers’ night at the store! Let me give you the run down!
1. Nine Rubies will be one of the only retail stores setting up a booth at the Interweave Knitting Lab Knitter’s Market. This market is free to attend and open to the public:
- Thursday, November 3: 5 – 9 p.m
- Friday, November 4: Noon – 9 p.m
- Saturday, November 5: 9 – 3 p.m
We will be carrying a whole lotta Shepherd’s Wool in a whole lotta colors (that’s 50, if you want exact numbers)! In addition, we have been winding yarn for weeks now to create enough Dipped Infinity Scarf Kits for the event! There will be more, lots more, and you’ll only know what if you come on down to visit us at our booth (but here’s a hint: sock yarn, Noni accessories…I’ve said too much)!
2. On Friday evening, from 5pm – 7pm, we will also be hosting a special Local Designers’ Night! Carrie Sullivan aka Irish Girlie Knits, and Hilary Smith Callis (of the Citron Shawl and Ceres Scarf fame) will be coming by to show off their newest patterns! RSVP on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/events/local-designers-night
October 13th, 2011
We’re pleased to announce a great addition to the Yarnbombing talk and booksigning coming up Saturday, October 8th: Scott Hamilton’s beautiful fiber creations will be on display.
Scott creates large pillars made of mohair that are meant to be hung from ceilings and walls. These pillars look light-as-air, and allow sunlight and shadows to pass through them, creating a piece that is constantly changing. Ten to Fifteen of these pillars will be on display in the Nine Rubies window. We hope you stop by to support a local artist and see these gorgeous creations in person! The artist’s reception will be from 6-8pm on Saturday night, but if you are really dying to get the first glimpse, the installation will be up on October 5th, and will stick around until October 19th. The artworks will also be available for sale. We will have the artist’s contact information at the store if you are interested.
October 1st, 2011
We posted a bit ago about the yarn bombing movement, and how we are having the author spend an evening with us at the store. Well, October 8th is nearly here, and we are starting to get excited! Leanne Prain will be giving a yarn bombing talk and book-signing of Yarnbombing: The Book from 6pm to 8pm. The author has just published a new book called Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery, and she will be speaking a little about this, as well. Both books will be available for purchase at the store.
To honor Leanne’s arrival, we have started a little flower project: customers and staff have been knitting or crocheting flowers and leaves, which we will put together into a beautiful collage! We will either be using this art piece to yarnbomb San Mateo’s own Central Park, or we will at least display it for all to see at the store! We need your help ASAP to make this into a beautiful piece overfilling with colorful flowers! There is a bunch of donated yarn at the store, along with a slew of flower patterns, so stop by if you have the time and help us make this project special! Here are a list of flower patterns I pulled from the web for the first yarnbombing post:
Knitted Patterns:
Simple Knitted Flower (Ravelry)
Lots of Different Flowers (pdf)
Poinsetta Ornament
A Felted Flower
Pretty Rose
Crocheted Patterns:
Cute!
Multi-colored flowers
Roses
September 12th, 2011
Mark your calendars for Friday and Saturday, October 21st and 22nd, for two great workshops with Nora Bellows, the creator of Noni patterns. Friday’s class is Blocking and Finishing Your Noni Bag; Saturday’s is Embellishing with Flowers. Click to read more extended class descriptions and register online. If you’d like, join us for both classes and save!
Cinch Bag - image courtesy Noni Designs
In honor of our upcoming workshops, we are pleased to announce a Noni Knitalong (KAL)!
If you were considering taking either of our two workshops with Nora, but were unsure of what to do, we will have all the inspiration, help and support you’ll need to get your bag knitted or crocheted and ready for expert finishing and embellishment. Stop by the shop and we will help you select the right yarn, pattern, and needles for success. We’ll help you read the patterns and discuss tips and tricks for successful felting. We’re also ordering lots of new hardware to go with the bags.
Bedouin Bag - image courtesy Noni Designs
The details:
Join us Thursday evenings in September from 5-7pm, beginning September 1st. This is a drop-in KAL, not a formal class, so you don’t have to come every week if that suits your schedule. You are not obligated to sign up for the Nora Bellows workshops to attend this KAL (but of course we’d love to have you!).
Escher's Oriental Poppy Cowl - image courtesy Noni Designs
What can I make?
We have lots of new patterns from Nora. We especially love the Bettie Boop bag (Sudha has already finished one and you can see it here in the shop) with its floral embellishment, but the Bedouin Bag and the Cinch are also great, fresh-looking designs. There is even a crocheted version of the Adventure Bag. If you love flowers you’ll love the Evening Bag with Camellias or one of the Felted Carpet Bags. Check our our full collection of bag patterns online for even more inspiration.
Veronica and Saloni are looking forward to trying out Escher’s Oriental Poppy Cowl with its big bold ruffled flowers.
If felting doesn’t sound like fun, did you know that Nora has a great new pattern for a knit and embellished evening bag? Les Tuileries is the sophisticated handbag for you.
So come on by – we’re looking forward to seeing you Thursday evening!
Les Tuileries Bag - image courtesy Noni Designs
August 29th, 2011
You may have heard this buzz word in the knitting world over the past months, or even years. In case you don’t know already, “yarn bombing” is the term given to the act of using knitting or crocheting as a medium for public art.
Magda Sayeg (aka Knitta Please) is the storied inventor of this art form. In 2005, she decided to knit a cover for a doorknob, and the rest is history. There’s now even an International Yarn Bombing Day! June 11th this year was the first one!
To me, the rise of yarn bombing connotes female empowerment. As knitters and crocheters are mostly women (although, of course, there are male stitchers AND male yarn bombers), it’s a way to bring women into the public art game. It’s also less destructive than painted or pasted graffiti, as it doesn’t do any damage to the item on which it’s placed. I mean, what could possibly be harmful about crocheting a colorful sweater for the Wall Street Bull*?
The exciting part about all of this is that Nine Rubies has convinced one of the authors of the bible of yarn bombing to come pay a visit to our store! Leanne Prain will be spending an evening with us on October 8th from 6-8pm. Her book, Yarnbombing: the Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti is so much fun to read through – we had it in our store, but promptly sold out (give us a call if you’d like us to hold one for you when the shipment comes in).
We are planning to (YARN!) bomb San Mateo’s Central Park. Saloni loved this idea from a Norwegian artist:
Will you help us, please? We have a small stash of yarn at the store that anyone is welcome to use for this project. If you ever have a moment, stop on by, take a seat, some yarn and needles and whip out a flower or two! Below are some simple crocheted and knitted flower patterns, but feel free to create your own. Don’t be confined to knitting and crocheting, either! Sew some togther, weave them(!), whatever floats your boat.
After the installaion in the park is complete, we will be moving it to the store to put on permanent display. We hope you all can join us (and I do mean ALL)!
Knitted Patterns:
Simple Knitted Flower (Ravelry)
Lots of Different Flowers (pdf)
Poinsetta Ornament
A Felted Flower
Pretty Rose
Crocheted Patterns:
Cute!
Multi-colored flowers
Roses
__
*Woops, the artist who clothed the bull “gets really upset” if you call her work an act of yarn bombing.
-Written by Samantha
July 8th, 2011
Look Ma! No Hands!
The Nine Rubies staff is jumping up and down with excitement at the newest addition to the store: an electric ball winder! Our biceps are thanking us for no longer having to hand-wind skein upon skein of lace-weight yarn!
In order to honor this momentous occation, we are throwing a party! An all-day yarn winding party! On Wednesday, July 20th, bring in your unwound skeins of yarn – it doesn’t matter where you bought it – and we will wind it for you for free!
For every skein of yarn wound that day, Nine Rubies will donate $1 to Samaritan House, a San Mateo County charity that provides for the needs of low-income families in the area.
We will have some drinks and snacks for you to munch on while browsing our shelves and waiting for your yarn to wind. The party lasts from 10:00am until 8:30pm, when we close (Wednesday is Knit Night, so we stay open extra late). We hope to see you there.
July 6th, 2011
We are so excited because, for the first time, a knitting show is coming to San Mateo!
The Interweave Knitting Lab will be setting up shop at the Marriott San Mateo from November 3rd through the 6th. The event will include day-long classes, a knitter’s market, and lectures. Some knitting LEGENDS will be appearing at the Interweave Labs – Barbara Walker, Alice Starmore, and Meg Swansen all in one place!
Barbara Walker, Legend
Nine Rubies will be setting up a booth at the market, hopefully selling a great knitting kit (we are throwing ideas around at the moment). We will let you know which booth we will be in when we get more details!
If you will be visiting from out of town, we would be happy to offer our recommendations for the area, and we welcome a discussion in the comments section of the best places to eat and hang out in San Mateo!
-Samantha
June 20th, 2011
We are proud and happy to announce that Julie Turjoman, the author of the fabulous new book “Brave New Knits” will be at Nine Rubies on Sunday, October 10th, 2010 from 3 pm to 6 pm.
If you have not seen the book, the book is a very interesting look at the world of knitting on the internet – with projects from major designers who have come to prominence on the internet. Many of the personalities are local to the Bay Area – Hilary Smith Callis is in San Francisco, Joan McGowan Michael is in Sacramento, Julie Weisenberger is in Oakland, and Jordana Paige is in Santa Cruz – Julie herself is also from the Bay Area. The photography is by Jared Flood and this book has quickly become a staff favorite – I am looking forward to profiling many of the patterns on the blog and our facebook page. We have plenty of the books in stock right now at the store – come by and see them or order them from our website (you can pick up your copy at the store if you want). It’s a great read in addition to having an excellent collection of patterns.
Julie will also be giving a talk on “Internet Resources for Knitters” – if you’ve been wondering how to get the best results from the time you spend on the Internet looking for knitting resources - this is something to definitely come listen to. She will cover Ravelry and how to get the biggest bang for your buck out of this. We will start the talk at 5 pm, if you need to time your arrival.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the event!
October 1st, 2010
