We felt so lucky to be able to host Lucinda Guy on our second day being open after hurricane Sandy.  She flew in all the way from the UK to teach a class in decorative Estonian cast-ons and sign her new book, “Northern Knits Gifts”.

When Lucinda designs she focuses on balancing pattern and color. She loves doing cultural research and has traveled to Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faro Islands to learn about traditional knitting designs and techniques. Many Scandinavian designs use small needles with fairly thick yarn, which is then lightly felted for a sturdy, thick warm fabric. Her new book includes garments for adults and children, accessories and toys that utilize some of her favorite techniques that she discovered during her travels.

For knitters who have never tried a technique like this before she offers a variety of toys for you to get started with. Toys are a wonderful way to play with knitting, changes of yarn can make a big difference in the effect of the finished object and gauge is less of an issue. The accessories and children’s garments are also a great way to learn the technique.

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Yarn Tip: Lucinda advises that you always start with the yarn when planning projects. She highly recommends pure wool, it has been used for centuries and there is nothing else like it. Wool can range from very soft to quite wiry, and she advises knitters to let the wool indicate the project rather than the other way around. She also always washes the wool to reveal it’s true personality.

We suggest you try Martha Stewart Crafts^TM/MC Merino, Alpine Wool, or LB Collection^® Organic Wool!