Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise Jacket is a tiny knitted wonder. You decrease, you increase, you knit a little more here, you pick up a few stitches there, you bind off, you fold and – surprise! – this strange little piece of knitting become a jacket.

Knit with finer yarn and get a smaller jacket or use thicker yarn for a larger one. Knit in one solid color or use several colors to make stripes; see what happens with patterned sock yarn or try using only leftovers from finished socks. There are so many ways to approach this little jacket that you can – and many do – knit it again and again each time a new baby arrives.

Unfortunately, some people are confused by Elizabeth Zimmerman’s pattern writing style. It’s not unusual for knitters to start a Baby Surprise Jacket, and then stop out of frustration. So if that’s you, or if you read the pattern and didn’t even attempt it, our Baby Surprise Jacket class might be the solution. We’re starting this Sunday, July 5 and will meet a total of 3 times, taking you from the first row to the shoulder seams. The cost of the class is $54 and includes the pattern.

Join us and make the Baby Surprise Jacket a part of your knitting repertoire!

To get your summer knitting going, we’re having our Summer Sale. You’ll find select summer yarns – cotton, by itself, or blended with silk, cashmere, or soy – on sale at 25% off their regular price.

Textured Lacy Pullover in Cotton Classic yarn

Two great things about summer knitting are the wonderful light fibers and the easy-to-knit and fun-to-wear tanks, tops, and tees. Designers from Sublime, Tahki, and Loop-d-Loop have given us lots of beautiful warm weather garments to choose from.

Handkerchief Top in Quartz yarn

The sale includes old favorites like Mission Falls 1824 Cotton and Tahki Cotton Classic, both regularly $6, now $4.50 a ball and hot new yarns like Loop-d-Loop Quartz, a linen and viscose blend, regularly $9, now $6.75.

Hurry, the sale ends Sunday, July 5! (We’ll be closed on Saturday, July 4, and open on Sunday, July 5.)

I finished the socks I was knitting with the Koigu that Rhichard dyed for me in time to wear them to the yarn market earlier this month. I was glad to be able to wear them to the market on Saturday to show Rhichard and Taiu.

The pattern is from Wendy D. Johnson’s new book, Socks from the Toe Up. I really like knitting the gusset heel. And it fits perfectly.

The toe was done with Judy’s Magic Cast On. It’s so satisfying to do and I love the way it looks.

When Wendy is here next month, she’ll teach these and other toe and heel techniques in her classes. I hope you’ll join us!

Spud & Chloë is a new line of luxe yarns from the makers of Blue Sky Alpacas. I’ve been excited about Spud & Chloë since I first heard about it in January at the winter yarn market. Actually, all the folks at Blue Sky Alpacas would tell me was that there was something new; they wouldn’t tell me anything about it, not even the name, no matter how many times I asked. I knew it was going to be good, though, from the smiles on their faces and because everything Blue Sky Alpacas does is wonderful.

I learned more about Spud & Chloë little by little over the last 6 months. I’ve felt like a kid waiting for summer vacation to begin. And last week it arrived! Three yarns, 19 patterns, and lots of inspiration.

Spud & Chloë Fine is the first yarn in the collection. A fingering weight blend of superwash wool and silk, Fine comes in 68 gram hanks with 248 yards each. There are six designs for Fine including a scarf, gloves, socks, and a pullover.

Spud & Chloë Sweater is the worsted weight yarn of the collection. Sweater is a blend of superwash wool and organic cotton available in 13 colors. Each 100 gram hank contains 160 yards of yarn.

The Spud & Chloë collection is completed with Outer, a bulky blend of superwash wool and organic cotton. Available in five colors, Outer is packaged in 100 gram hanks with 60 yards of yarn.

The 19 patterns in the Spud & Chloë collection give us something for everyone. There are hats and sweaters for babies and children, scarves, hats, sweaters and coats for women, and a great zippered cardigan for men. Check them out and see which one calls to you!

Wendy D. Johnson – knitter, blogger, sock designer – will visit us again on July 24 and 25! Her new book, Socks from the Toe Up, is a must-have for anyone who enjoys knitting socks.

Wendy will join us at Stitch Party on Friday, July 24 from 5 to 8 pm. She’ll be happy to sign your copy of her book (bring it if you already own it, or purchase one here) and to discuss her designs.

On Saturday, Wendy will teach 2 classes –

Toe Techniques for Toe-up Socks
$45, Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 12 noon

This workshop is geared towards knitters who have perhaps made top-down socks (but experience with top-down socks is not required) and are interested in learning how to turn their sock knitting upside-down and go toe-up! Several different cast-ons will be covered for creating toe-up socks: Turkish cast-on, Judy’s Magic cast-on, short-row toe and others as time allows. The only skills required are the ability to knit and purl.

Prerequisite:
You should be comfortable knitting in the round (either on two circular needles, using the magic loop technique, or on dpns). No homework before class is required.

Materials:
Smooth, light-colored yarn in sport or worsted weight (100 or 200 yards)
2 circular needles 16″ or 24″ long in the same needle size (the size should be appropriate for your yarn.) You need circulars to do a couple of the cast-ons, but if you are more comfortable knitting in the round on dpns, bring them along as well. Crochet hook in the appropriate size for your yarn.

Heel Techniques for Toe-up Socks
$45, Saturday, July 25 from 1 to 3 pm

Different heels for toe-up socks will be covered: Wendy’s slip-stitch heel, gusset heel, and short-row heel. The only skills required are the ability to knit and purl.

Prerequisite:
Students should be comfortable knitting in the round (either on two circular needles, using the magic loop technique, or on dpns). No homework before class is required.

Materials:
Smooth, light-colored yarn in sport or worsted weight (100 or 200 yards)
2 circular needles 16″ or 24″ long (or 1 long circular if you are a magic looper) in the same needle size (the size should be appropriate for your yarn.)

Registration is now open, so call (215 893 9939) or stop in to get your space today! Full payment is required to reserve your space. We will be unable to issue refunds for these workshops unless they are canceled.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of knitting’s best! I hope you’ll join us!

At tonight’s Stitch Party we’re kicking-off our new charity knitting effort for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House services families with seriously ill, hospitalized children in the oncology and cardiac units. They provide families with a home away from home, a space to gather as a family, to eat a meal together, do their laundry, or just spend time together.

They are in need of knitted and crocheted items such as fun hats, scarves, and lap blankets. Lap blankets are especially needed for the children in the cool hallways as they are transported in their wagons or wheelchairs, or even just to be out of bed. The children range in age from newborn infants to teenagers. This is a great way to use yarn you have left over from other projects or yarn you’ve bought but haven’t used.

All of us at Loop will be making items for the Family Rooms from now through the end of the year. We invite you to join us in our effort. Come knit and crochet with us on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 pm or drop off your contributions and we’ll get them to the Ronald McDonald House.

Several new colors of Koigu KPPPM yarn have arrived. It’s always a thrill to unpack the box and remove the yarn from the bags. We ooh-ed and aah-ed over each one!

This time my favorite is P342-88. It’s a warm gray with shots of green, turquoise, gold and red. Ever since I made a Koigu Garter Stitch Scarf for a friend, I’ve been wanting a Koigu scarf for myself. I don’t know if I’ll use garter stitch again or something different, but this would be a great colorway for me.

In the meantime, I’m still working on my P163 Socks. I’m ready to turn the heel on the second sock and then it’s a straight shot up to the cuff. Maybe I’ll have time this week.

We’re switching to summer hours today. With the nice weather, we’ve all been feeling the call of the outdoors. So the new hours are:

Wednesday thru Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm
Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm
Monday and Tuesday, closed

We’ll return to our regular hours after Labor Day.

Hope you enjoy the Memorial Day holiday!

For Vivienne’s latest knitted garment, Marnie chose the Dress with Eyelets from Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss and a beautiful shade of purple Koigu yarn. She knit the 9 to 12 month size, which used 3 hanks of yarn.

Vivienne looks so beautiful and the dress fits perfectly! Marnie said that she’s already worn the dress three times, which is great, considering how fast they grow at this age (Vivienne’s now 14 months).

The pattern called for Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn. It’s a fantastic merino blend that comes in lovely colors and it’s machine washable. We like to recommend Koigu as a hand dyed alternative when patterns call for a sportweight yarn or a gauge of 6 stitches per inch. People often think of Koigu just for knitting socks, but it knits beautifully at a larger gauge. And even though the Koigu labels says hand wash, I’ve had good results machine washing it in cold water and on gentle.

Thank you so much for sharing the photo with us, Marnie! It’s so nice to see Vivienne as she grows!

Helena is a very pretty sweater designed by Alison Green Will and published in Knitty. It’s knit from the top-down, which I love, but even better, it’s sized from 3 months to 4 years. I really appreciate when designers give a range of sizes.

Kathy H. knit this one for the shop in Cotton Classic yarn. Cotton Classic comes in a large range of colors, all with the beautiful sheen of the mercerized cotton. It can be worn year-round, so you’ll get plenty of use of your garments.

Cotton Classic has great stitch definition too. The lace pattern and the picot edge show up beautifully. Helena in Cotton Classic makes a wonderful gift for the little girl in your life!