Unboxing the Schacht Cricket Loom

It's no secret that we're Schacht fans. Charlie was interested in trying out one of their spinning wheels at TNNA and she brought me along to their booth, remembering my idle interest in weaving. I tried the Cricket loom and fell in love instantly, but I thought of the limited space in my house as well as the lengthy knitting queue I have, so I reluctantly pulled myself away from the booth. Fast forward several months. Denise from Schacht was visiting family in Fresno and she stopped by to visit us. I was floored when she brought along a loom! It was so thoughtful; I was so excited!

I was also a little nervous. It's one thing to do a couple of passes while an expert weaver is standing behind you; it's quite another to warp and weave a project from start to finish on your own. Weaving has its own elaborate language that I am going to have to learn. And that was before I really thought about... I'm going to have to put this thing together.

My skills with assembly are so-so. I wouldn't say I'm completely inept at it, but the door on my nightstand doesn't open, and assembling a piece of flat-pack furniture with my husband once really took our marriage bond to the limit. So I looked at the loom, unopened, for a couple of weeks before deciding to jump in. 

With some trepidation, I popped the box open. I think I was still hoping that Schacht had developed space-bending technology to make the inside of the box big enough for the assembled loom, TARDIS-style.

I had so many ideas for woven projects, though, I had to press on and start assembling the loom.

First I set out all of the pieces to make sure I had them all. They easily fit on a card table, as you can see in the photo. The only item not included in the box that you will need is a Phillips-head screwdriver. I have also read others' suggestions to use a power tool to screw the loom together, but I managed just fine with my standard screwdriver. 

I took a deep breath, read through the instructions, and started assembling. I was amazed at how quickly it came together. All of the pieces fit really well together - none of the holes were drilled crookedly, or anything like that. All of my worries were for nothing.

The only step that gave me a little pause was how to attach the apron cords. Thankfully I was able to find help on YouTube and was able to very quickly get back to assembly.

I was able to assemble the loom, warp it, and start weaving my first project in a single evening. Two more sessions of weaving later, and I had completed my first scarf. 

My reasons for not getting a Cricket earlier proved unfounded. The Cricket takes up very little room - I was able to make a place for it on a (deep) shelf. And although it might not do much to shorten my knitting queue, it will definitely be quickly reducing both my stash and my gift queue! 

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my weaving adventure with you. Are you a weaver? Visit our Ravelry group to share your projects and thoughts about weaving with Anzula!

Charlie's Anniversary Gift

Charlie is my first manager and I knew I wanted to do something special for her two year anniversary. 

Slipped Stitch Studios does a bag of the month club and Laura came to us a while ago and asked us if we could do a special colorway for one of her bags, specifically inspired by the Fourth Doctor's scarf.

I thought it would be fun to include the team in creating the colorway. Many of us at the factory, including Charlie, are Doctor Who fans. I chose the colors and invited everyone to paint their own version of the scarf on yarn. We then voted on our favorite skeins and sent the top three off to Laura to let her pick her favorite. And guess what, she chose Charlie's!

The Slipped Stitch Studios Bag of the Month collection for that month.

So when thinking about what I wanted to do for Charlie, I knew I wanted to express to her how much I appreciate everything she does and what better way than to wrap her in a yarnie hug. I started with the Doctor Who skein and pulled For Better or Worsted skeins in colorways that complimented the skein without distracting from the colors. I chose two skeins each of Petals, Au Natural, Toffee, Clay and Curry, and one skein of Chipmunk. 

I worked on it steadily for a few weeks, then got distracted with life and other projects, as you do. I carried it with me all over the country and even to concerts and the beach. As Charlie's anniversary got closer, I carried it with me everywhere, knitting in what ever moments I could capture. Being a log cabin blanket, I could have called it good after finishing any section, but I had a goal.

Charlie's anniversary came, and I took the team out for dinner. I hadn't finished her blanket, to my standards, there were ends everywhere and I was even in the middle of knitting a section. Yes, I was furiously knitting all the way up to the dinner. Just before I would be late to the dinner, I wrapped it up and presented it to her. She joked that she was going to have to weave in her own ends. She tends to do that for me, bless her. No way, I promised, I was finishing this without her help.

And, well, she didn't help me, but when I was at Stitches West, Miriam Felton was taking a load off in our lounge and we shared this story with her. Well, lo, Miriam also loves to weave in ends, and before I could say anything, she had her darning needle out and my ends were woven in. I still had a few more blocks to go, so I kept on knitting, again in my spare moments. Fast forward a few more months, I know!, and I finally cast on the last section.

I just need to finish weaving in my ends, hush. Then I will present Charlie with her hug, hoping she can feel all the love and gratitude for all she does in each of the stitches as she wraps up in it. Yes, it is the middle of summer, and we are in the middle of 100 degree heat, but maybe she will go to Alaska and need a warm hug.

Three New Yarns!

At TNNA in Indianapolis last month, we introduced three new yarns. We kept all of the information about them, from the blends to the weights to the names, a secret until their reveal at our Sample It! booth. 

Meg and Charlie do one last quality control check on the yarn before packing it for Sample It!

To join Breeze and Wash My Lace, we have a new lace weight yarn that we've named Meridian. It is composed of 55% Tencel, 35% Alpaca, and 10% Nylon. With a skein of Meridian, you have approximately 812 yards of shine with which to create beautiful, delicate projects. 

Sample It! kits contained one skein of each of the new yarns, all in the same colorway.

If you are a Breeze fan, you'll love Vera. A sport-weight yarn, Vera is spun from the same 65% Silk and 35% Linen blend as Breeze. A skein of Vera measures approximately 365 yards. We are sure that this will become a favorite sweater yarn!

Our models, shown in Fiona. Clockwise from top: Meridian, Vera, Cole.

Cole is our first Aran-weight yarn. Its 70% Silk and 30% Camel blend is the same blend as our sport-weight Oasis, and a skein measures approximately 180 yards. This yarn is going to be great for knitting up quick accessories projects!

As always, if your LYS carries Anzula but not the yarn or colorway you are looking for, they can place a special order for as few or as many skeins as you need. Find a shop here or shop online here.