Shop Spotlight: Knitique, Elk Grove, CA

Sabrina and Logan are on the road again! This weekend they are visiting Knitique in Elk Grove, CA for two RSVP only events - Friday night from 5 - 7 pm and Saturday afternoon from 12 - 3 pm. Be sure to call (916) 714-7719 right away to reserve your spot, and read on for more about Knitique!

When was the shop founded?

Knitique was founded in June 2005. After Danielle's husband's military deployment in 2003, where a local yarn boutique saved her sanity, she decided when she moved back home she was going to open her own yarn boutique.

Tell us about you and your employees!

Danielle is the owner of Knitique and a Knitter Extraordinaire! This girl can knit anything! She travels the world keeping up with all the latest trends, yarns, and products, and brings them to the shop.

You can meet all of the Knitique girls on the website - scroll down!

Tell us about your shop in five words or phrases!

Fabulous yarn, Friendly Service, Fun Classes, Large selection of yarns made in the USA, and Our own line of patterns.

Who shops with you?

We are lucky to help people that participate in all different crafts. Knitters, both hand and machine (flat bed and vintage sock machine), Crocheters, Weavers. Spinning isn't my expertise but luckily Susan, one of the Knitique Girls, offers private lessons in this craft.

Do you offer classes or other programs?

We are the largest teaching shop in our area, usually teaching 2-3 classes each day. We love hosting events. This year along with amazing trunk shows we have Laura Nelkin coming to teach at Knitique. Yarnover Truck will be coming up from Los Angeles and will be parked in front of the store. We do lots of knitalongs and other special events, too. This year, Danielle has planned a year long event for the Chinese New Year, "The Year of the Sheep." An original design will be available, along with yarns dyed in the USA. Prizes will be given out each month and one lucky participant will win a sweater's worth of yarn.

How long have you carried Anzula? What made you pick us up?

We've carried Anzula for as long as I can remember. We have quite a loyal following and it tends to sell rather quickly. I picked up the line because of Sabrina. I love her vivacious personality and wanted to help support a business that is woman-run, American, and even California-based!

What lines do you carry?

We carry For Better Or Worsted, Nebula, Wash My Lace and Squishy. The yarn sells fast so if we don't have what you need, we would love to special order any base, any color and any quantity.

Do you sell online? Does your shop use social media?

We don't technically have an online store, but we sell and ship daily to all around the country. If you see something you like on our Facebook page, webpage, or one of our emails, just give us a call at (916) 714-7719 and we will pop it in the mail for you. 

We love social media; you can find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Ravelry, and we've just started up Instagram!

So if you haven't RSVP-ed for one of the Anzula events at Knitique yet, hop on your phone and give the Knitique Girls a call! They will be taking special orders all weekend. Can't be in Elk Grove? Tour the shop online and call your special order in!

Meet the Yarn: Squishy

Meet Squishy, our most popular sock yarn. It's spun from a blend of Superwash Merino, Cashmere, and Nylon - the same blend that we use for Cloud, Cricket, and For Better or Worsted. While we refer to it as a fingering-weight yarn, it's definitely on the heavier side of the fingering spectrum. 

Gansey Wristers by Kalliopi Aronis, shown in Madam.

As a knitter, when I want to feed my stash, I pick up fingering-weight yarn. It's so versatile - I don't worry about being able to find the right pattern because there are so many available that use just one skein. With one skein, I can make a pair of socks, a shawlette, or gloves and a hat. With a couple of skeins I can make a big shawl. And with 3 - 4 skeins I can make a sweater or a baby blanket. 

Bond Street by Kirsten Kapur, shown in Denim and Arizona.

If the longer knit time has caused you to shy away from knitting garments in a fingering weight, consider the lighter weight of the resulting fabric. A Squishy sweater may suit your winter layering better than a thicker sweater. It's not comfortable to feel like that kid from A Christmas Story who can't put his arms down!

Tressage by Vera Sanon, shown in Navy.

Squishy takes our dyes true, so you can expect rich, expressive colorways from a skein of this yarn. And with over 100 colorways, you are bound to find the perfect combination for your project! 

Lerro by Lee Meredith, shown in 1 Red Shoe and Clay.

Or keep it simple with just one. 

Little Cable Knee Highs by Purl Soho, shown in Seaside.

You can find Squishy at your local LYS, or online. Your favorite shop doesn't carry Squishy? They can place a special order for anything we create, for one skein or a hundred.

Pattern Highlights: December

With all of the activities that come along with the holiday season, you may not have had the time to keep up with all of the delightful patterns that were released in December. Here's a rundown of just some of our favorites!

The Granny Square Blanket from Miriam Felton can help you knock off a number of your New Year's Resolutions - using up stash, learning to knit or crochet (you'll need both!), and working on your color play!

© Miriam Felton

The Geometry Shawl by Nina Machlin Dayton uses just a bit of worsted yarn to add a striking line of contrast to a fingering-weight shawl. 

© Nina Machlin Dayton

Taiga Hilliard has released several patterns this month, all in Cricket! They would also be fabulous in For Better or Worsted. Shown below: Ellie Shawlette (in Curry), Camille Shawlette (in Hyacinth), and Alana (in Fiona).

© Taiga Hilliard Designs

This diaphanous Nimbus shawl was created by ArtQualia Designs. Knit in Milky Way, the shawl has glittering beads worked into the lace, representing the raindrops that accompany Nimbus clouds. 

And last, but not least, the incredible Meeks Bay shawl that Romi Hill released as part of her Pins & Lace Club. Club members received Meridian in Romi's exclusive colorway, Keep Tahoe Blue.

If you don't use Ravelry yet, you should! It's a great way to keep up on all of the awesome new patterns that are being released every day. You can also keep up with us in our Ravelry group.