ReBelle Girls

Last Minute Gift Classes

noreply@blogger.com (ReBellegirls) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

To help you with your last minute gift making, we are offering 3 classes with quick gifts to make for your family and friends. Both felting classes are beginner level so no experience is needed and the cabled hat class is an introduction to cables so you just need to know how to knit, purl, and k2tog.

Needle Felted Scarf
First, from 12-2pm learn to make a beautiful needle felted scarf. You start with a silk scarf and needle felt some fun roving onto it. It takes about 4 hours to do the entire 14" x 72" scarf, so this class should have you well on your way. We are offering this class at a really great price, only $15. All your materials are included, but you do need to buy or bring some felting needles and a felting mat (brush style or sponge style) both of which can be purchased in the shop.

Needle Felted Wallet
Next, from 2-4 learn the basics of needle felting designs by making a needle felted wallet. Start with a blank 4" x 6" wallet and felt directly onto it. The designs can be as simple or complex as you desire. One wallet is included with the class and additional wallets can be purchased for $5 each. The class costs $15 and also includes as much roving as you need to finish the wallets you are working on during the class. Bring or buy your own felting needles.

Warm Winter Cabled Hat
Finally, from 4-6 learn to knit cables! We will be knitting a basic cabled hat with chunky yarn on size 15 needles. The hat is knit flat and the only skills you need are knitting, purling, decreasing and seaming. Robyn can knit one in 2 hours, it may take you a bit longer. This is a great new skill for beginners to add. Impress others with your knitting! The class costs $35 and comes with the yarn and needles you need to make the hat.

Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping
In addition to the classes, this Saturday from 2-5pm, Katherine Howe will be offering her lovely gift wrapping services in the shop. All of her papers and supplies are eco-friendly and recyclable and best of all her wrapping prices range from $2-5 with most packages costing around $4 with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Lexington Humane Society. As an added bonus, for every ReBelle bought gift that you have wrapped, we will donate an additional $1 to the Humane Society. This means that for a little more than the price of a gift bag you can support a good cause and avoid the hassle of wrapping your own gifts.

Star Illusion Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Looking for a baby blanket pattern that is simple, interesting and practical? How about the Star Illusion Blanket. In illusion knitting when you look straight on, it just looks like stripes, but if you look at it from the side the pattern is revealed. It only uses knit and purl, and only one color at a time, so it is simple enough for a beginner. The Star Illusion Blanket is a free pattern on Ravelry and I made it using 6 skeins of Cascade Sierra. Sierra is a cotton/wool blend that is soft and washable, making it a great choice for baby things.

Mermaid Tail Cowl

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:16:00 +0000

This is knit using just one skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino. It's really soft and it's a great way to keep your neck warm in this cold weather. It also makes a great gift!

Hoot Water Bottle Cozy

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:07:00 +0000

I came up with this cozy idea a few weeks ago when the cold weather really started to set in. I love the idea of portable heat sources that use little energy and allow me to roam freely around my cold house (I generally keep the thermostat at 60 degrees all winter.) The owl cable came from an old Leisure Arts vest pattern I was given a few years ago. This cozy will dress up any standard 2 liter hot water bottle and it will keep it warmer longer. The pattern uses 2 strands of EcoWool held together and is available free in the shop, or you can find it here.

(S)mock Cable Neck Warmer

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:33:00 +0000

This pattern is made with a luxurious baby llama silk blend yarn. It is worked in the round and is meant to fit close to your neck, the one and two color versions also work quite nicely as a headband or ear warmer. It is available in one, two or three color versions and is free in the shop with yarn purchase. If you don't live near ReBelle you can get it as a Ravelry Download. It is a quick luxurious knit that makes a great gift!

Slingshot 2010 Organizers are in!

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Come and get them, we have the large and the pocket size! We can mail them to you, just call or e-mail us rebellegirl@gmail.com

For you hands

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Mittens, gloves, handwarmers, and armwarmers are great gifts for almost anyone. The sizing is fairly adjustable so there is no reason to measure the recipients and the projects are portable so you can work on them almost anywhere. Here are a few ReBelle and customer favorite patterns to get you started.

Squirrel and Oak Mittens-I love the Norwegian-style mittens and this pair is a personal favorite of mine. These would be great knitted with the new Brown Sheep Lanaloft Sport. There is also a Pirate Mitten design, also by Adrian Bizillia.

Bella's Mittens- Many of you have already made these mittens, but with another Twilight movie on its way I thought they would be worth mentioning. There is no more Cascade 109, but these mittens would be lovely and very luxurious knitted out of the Baby Alpaca Chunky.

Snowball's Chance in Hell- A local design that would look great knitted with the Brown Sheep Lanaloft sport.

Fetching and Dashing- these great female and male fingerless mitts use less than a skein of Cascade 220, and are a sophisticated gift idea for a couple in your life.

Urban Necessity Glove- Are they mittens or gloves? These convertible mitts offer the best of both worlds.

Mini Mitten Ornaments- Okay, these aren't technically for your hands, but these ornaments are a great way to use up yarn scraps and make a lovely addition to any tree.

Toast- Simple armwarmers that can be made with or without a thumb gusset.

Easy Mittens- Knit with Lamb's Pride, if you are looking for a basic no-fuss mitten pattern, look no further.

Not your basic scarf ideas

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:33:00 +0000

For those of you who love to knit scarves, here are a few ideas beyond your basic garter stitch scarf.

Noro Striped Scarf- While this scarf looks amazing using Noro yarn, the technique can be used with any two contrasting variegate yarns. Different yarns will give you different effects.

My So Called Scarf- We recommend this pattern to many of our beginning knitters. It's a two row repeat so you can put it down and know exactly where you are when you pick it up. The stitch techique sounds a little weird as written, but there is a great video on youtube that better illustrates what you are supposed to do.

Drop Stitch Scarf- I like this pattern because it looks really interesting and because of the dropped stitches it knits up pretty quickly.

Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf- This is a personal favorite of mine because it uses up lots of yarn scraps and if you leave tails at the ends for fringe, there are no ends to weave in.

Quickie Cowl- A super quick project that can be made with a single skein of our new luscious Baby Alpaca Chunky.

Instant Gratification Scarf- Another scarf that uses a dropped stitch pattern with a chunky yarn to give you a super quick knit. Uses 1-2 skeins of Malabrigo Aquarella.

Entrelac Scarf- For those of you looking for a bit of a challenge, this is the project for you. Depending on the yarn used, this scarf can be masculine or femine.

Also, don't forget about the free shop patterns when planning you holiday knitting.

Great patterns for our crocheters

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:20:00 +0000

We are going to focus on the crocheters this week. Here are some free crochet patterns we love to make you holiday gift making a little easier.

Scarves
the Wavelength- A sideways openwork scarf that works up fairly quickly and would look amazing in Noro Silk Garden Sock or Zaunderball.

Tea Scarf- feminine without being lacy. This scarf can be made with one skein of Malabrigo Worsted.

Mossy Cowl- This cowl crocheted using an L hook and cobweb yarn comes out fluffy and warm with Cascade Kid Seta.

Hats
Swirls Cap- This cute little cap would be great in Brown Sheep worsted, you'll even have enough left over for some matching fingerless mitts.

Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat- A quick openwork project that can be finished in an evening. We suggest a ball of Malabrigo worsted to really make this project pop.

Hands
Feminine Wrist Warmers- these lovely little warmers add a nice detail to your winter coat and would be amazing knit out of Noro Silk Garden.

Fingerless or Not- This basic glove pattern is perfect for those seeking a little simplicity.

Feet
Mary Jane Slippers- these simple slippers can be dressed up with flowers and fancy buttons or kept plain with a contrasting edging, either way they make a great gift.

Christmas Slippers- Who doesn't want some Santa slippers?

Other
Little Acorn Project Bag- The perfect gift for the sock knitter in your life.

Mollie Flowers- These cute little flowers can be made with scrap yarn and made into anything from barrettes to pins to scarves.

Birds of a Feather- Pictured above, these little guys are a favorite of ReBelle customers. Another quick and easy project that uses about any worsted weight yarn you have laying around.

Gumball the kitten- Another great amigurumi pattern, this little guy would look great sitting atop any gift under the tree.

Paca Peds HT

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:02:00 +0000

We just received a shipment of our newest sock yarn, Paca Peds HT a 65% wool, 20% alpaca, 15% nylon blend. The exciting thing about the Paca Peds HT is that each 100g variegated skein comes with a bonus 25g skein of a cordinating handdyed solid for the heels and toes!! We love this yarn and know you will too.

Great sock knitting ideas

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Every Friday for the next few months, we are going to provide a little inspiration for your holiday gift craft by featuring free patterns and yarn ideas. In honor of Soctoberfest, here are a few of our favorite sock patterns.

Hat-heel sock- from the current issue of Knitty. If you are looking for a new adventure in sock knitting, look no further. This sock is knit starting at the heel by making what looks a bit like and earflap hat and then stitches are picked up to knit the foot and the cuff.

Clandestine sock- also from the new knitty. We love this Cookie A. pattern as well as the yarn that goes with it. These socks combine several techniques in one pattern so they will keep you interested from start to finish.

Jaywalker- a favorite sock pattern by Grumperina. The repeat is easy to memorize and the pattern really jumps out when knit with self-striping yarns such as Zauberball or Trekking.

Cable Twist Socks- we recommend these worsted-weight socks for first-time sock knitters looking for something a little more interesting than plain stockinette stitch. They are great knit with Cascade 220SW.

Knee Socks
The October KAL theme is knee socks so here are a few of our favorite knee sock patterns.

Knee socks- This basic knee sock pattern is perfect for the knitter who doesn't want to do the measurements and calculations required for a custom sock.

Clessidra- These beautiful cabled stockings are perfect to wear with your favorite skirt on those cold Fall mornings.

Lacy Cables Knee Socks- One of our favorite knee sock patterns (though it is more of a formula than a pattern.)

Customer Favorites
Here are a few patterns suggested by ReBelle friends and customers.

Froot Loops
Zombie Socks
Pomatomus
Hedgerows
Seaweed Socks
Charade

Feather and Fan Cowl

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:43:00 +0000

The yarn of the month for the month of October is di'Ve Autunno. We love knitting with this yarn and to give you an incentive to try it out we are offering 10% off all Autunno in October as well as a free shop pattern for this feather and fan cowl that uses two skeins of this fabulous yarn.

The perfect bag for knitting

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:53:00 +0000

New in the shop today are several bags from Namaste. In the bags we have the Laguna and the Zuma, both large enough to hold almost any knitting project with lots and lots of pockets. We also have matching and coordinating mini clutches to hold your smaller items like crochet hooks or credit cards. For the simpler folks, we have the Oh Snap project bags in five sizes to keep your yarn, projects and needles all together. Finally, for your notions we have the Catalina zipper pouch and the Buddy Case with magnetized sides that will keep your darning needles in place.

Denise does crochet

noreply@blogger.com (ReBellegirls) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

After over a year of waiting and speculation, the new Denise Interchangeable Crochet sets are here. The set includes 12 hooks ranging in size from F to 19 and 7 cords ranging from 3-16", perfect for Tunisian crochet, tapestry crochet and normal crochet. Another great thing about these hook tips is that they are compatible with the knitting kits so they can be used for quick bind offs and tricky stitched. We also think crocheters learning to knit would have an easier time with a crochet hook replacing the right-hand needle.

New Noni kits

noreply@blogger.com (ReBellegirls) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:52:00 +0000

Hot off the presses, we have two Noni towel patterns for the toddler or young child in your life. Both patterns include bonus items (a scrubby puppet with the frog and a pajama bag with the cat) and both are sold as kits that include the pattern and all of the yarn you need for the small towel and one accessory (expansion kits are also available if you want to do the larger size).

Affordable Luxury

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Adagio is the most luxurious yarn I have ever knit with. It is 70% baby llama and 30% silk. It's soft as can be and has a lovely light sheen. At 110yds/50g it would be perfect for almost any garment. We have eight incredibly rich colors at a price perfect for those who aren't. Adagio typically sells for $10.95 per skein, but you can get it at ReBelle for only $8.50!

Claudia Handpainted

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:29:00 +0000

We just got a shipment of Claudia Handpainted Yarns! It's fingering weight 175yds/50g 100% superwash merino. This yarn is lovely and the colors are fantastic, perfect for socks or lace!

Kid's Owl Vest

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Looking for a quick project? Check out this Owl Vest. It's knit mostly in the round and only takes 2 skeins of Cascade Sierra. There are some simple cables, fine for a first cable project if you have never tried it before!

The February Baby Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:24:00 +0000

I just finished knitting a February Baby Sweater for the shop. For those of you who don't know, this is an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern from the Knitter's Almanac and in typical EZ fashion was very simple construction. The sweater is meant to be done on two needles with a seam up both sleeves so if you don't like knitting in the round you can do it that way. On the other hand, if you would rather avoid the seaming you can pick up stitches and knit the sleeves in the round. Either way, knitted with less than two skeins of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool this sweater makes a very inexpensive and elegant baby gift for any baby on your list.

S. Limestone Construction Updates

noreply@blogger.com (ReBellegirls) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:35:00 +0000

For those of you who don't know, and even for those who do, S. Limestone St will be undergoing some major construction between the Avenue of Champions and Vine St over the course of the next year starting on July 22. The street will be open to one lane of traffic at certain points in the process, but there won't be any street parking in the front so to better help you get to us below are instructions for accessing us during the first phase of the construction. We will post updates as we know them. Thank you for your support during this difficult time, it really means a lot to us.

Update: The intersection at S. Limestone and the Avenue of Champions is now open so if you are coming from Nicholasville Rd or Euclid you can take Winslow to Jersey St.

North Lexington (including I-64 & I-75): Take Broadway or Upper St, turn left on Pine St (immediately after Maxwell), right on Jersey St and our parking lot is on the left side immediately after the McDonald's.

South Lexington: Take Broadway, turn right on Pine St, right on Jersey St and our parking lot is on the left side immediately after the McDonald's.

East Lexington: Take Main or High Street, turn left onto S. Upper, left on Pine St (immediately after Maxwell), right on Jersey St and our parking lot is on the left side immediately after the McDonald's.

West Lexington: Take Vine St, turn right onto S. Upper, left on Pine St (immediately after Maxwell), right on Jersey St and our parking lot is on the left side immediately after the McDonald's.

Additional Parking: In addition to our parking lot, there are metered spaces on Pine and Jersey St. and on the weekends the UK Jersey St lot is open to the public.

This is the map of the construction area (in red) and the official detour in yellow. For most of the construction you will be able to take S. Lime to the Ave of Champions, turn left and then take a right on Jersey St which will take you to our parking lot.

For the first month of this project the intersection at Ave of Champions will be closed. For this time period you will have to access Jersey St from the West which means via Pine or Maxwell which can both be accessed via Upper and Broadway.

The city has also put together a site complete with business and parking maps.

Sarah Dyed New Colors!

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Here are 5 new Sarah Dyed colors. A sport weight superwash/seacell blend it's great for socks, scarves or shawls. Locally hand dyed and exclusive to ReBelle. From left to right: Posy Purls, Deep Rainbow, Fall on the Bluegrass Parkway, Poppy Dreams and Bluesy Blues.

We have Zauberball

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Zauberball is a very popular fingering weight yarn. It is 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon 420yds/100g. It is a single ply yarn with slow color changes. Many people use this yarn for socks, but it has also been used for shawls, scarves and mittens. Need some inspiration? Check out the 561 stunning projects on Ravelry.

Knitted Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:30:00 +0000

The latest book from Interweave Press is here. It is Knitted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give by Ann Budd. It contains 37 projects perfect for gifts from babies to great-uncles. Projects include: napkin rings, toy blocks, oven mitts, coasters, pillows and a hobby horse as well as the more standard hats, scarves and mittens. Pick up this book and get a jump start on your Christmas knitting today!

For the Malabrigo lovers

noreply@blogger.com (robyn) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +0000

More Malabrigo Sock!

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Eight new colors of Malabrigo Sock Yarn has just arrived. Malabrigo sock is 100% superwash wool 440yds/100g and it is perfect for socks or lace.
The new colors are: Abril, Ochre, Archangel, Persia, Rayon Vert, Solis, Tizano Red and Caribeno.