Hanalei Nautilus Scarf

HANALEI Hand Dyed yarn, 100% Superwash Merino in the color Kalalau.

Pattern submitted by and knitted by our very good friend, Alanna Bodenstab.

Hanalei Nautilus Scarf

Materials:

300-350 yards of worsted or double sock yarn….

# 10 needles (or can go smaller)

Stitch Pattern: Garter

CO 20

Row 1 & 2: Knit 8, turn work and knit same 8 stitches back

(Knitting a short row)

Row 3 & 4: Knit 6, turn and knit 6 back

Row 5 & 6: Knit 4, turn and knit 4 back

Row 7: Knit 20 across

Repeat above 7 rows to end.

Sew point ends together, if desired.

For a clean edge, Slip the first stitch at the beginning of a row except when reversing the Short row.

Great in a springy merino and also nice in a bamboo tape.

Alpaca tends to be too limp unless mixed with something else.

Mongato Creations!

WOW! Local artist, Nancy Mongato has created unique shawl pins JUST FOR Hanalei Strings!! They come in Brass, Copper and Silver fill and are hammered metal in the shapes of G clefts and Ukuleles!

Look for them, plus her other unique designs on our website…coming soon! or contact us here with inquiries!

MONGATO UKULELE SHAWL PIN…Hanalei Exclusive!

MONGATO G CLEF SHAWL PIN…Hanalei Exclusive!

MONGATO SWIRL SHAWL PIN

MONGATO SQUIGGLE SHAWL PIN

MONGATO SEA BEAN SHAWL PIN

AND….

Nancy has created the greatest buttons from sea beans picked up on the beaches of Kauai! So awesome. These too will be on the website soon!

This is a neck collar knitted with Hanalei Hand Dyed Organic Cotton in Red Dirt/Hibiscus colorway. Nancy’s sea buttons grace the front. Pattern to be posted soon!

Here is our beloved Nancy wearing a sweater she knit from our Hanalei Hand Dyed Pima cotton in the color Sunrise.

Notice the back detail!!! Sea Bean Buttons!

If you find yourself on Kauai…come and visit us!

Aloha.

Chevron Scarf in shop

Here is the pattern for the Chevron Scarf we have in the shop made out of Hanalei Hand Dyed Bamboo Silk!

100 gram of Hanalei Hand Dyed Bamboo Silk

Size 7 US knitting needles

Caste of 34

Knit 1st 2 rows in garter…then begin the pattern of row 1 and row 2.

Row 1 (RS): Knit 2 *K2tog, K5, YO, K1, YO, K5, Sl1, K1, psso* repeat instructions between * 1 time, knit 2

Row 2: Knit 1, Purl to last 2 stitches, knit 1

Repeat these 2 rows for pattern to end

knit last 2 rows in garter. Caste off loosley

Triangle Lace Shawl in Hanalei Hand Dyed Bamboo/Merino Yarn

Hanalei Hand Dyed Bamboo Merino Fingerling

Materials:

1 skein Hanalei Hand Dyed Bamboo Merino Fingerling Yarn

US 6 26″ circular needle

Caste on 400 with a size 6 circular needle (24″ or 29″ cord).

8 row repeat:

1st row: Knit 3 tog, knit to last 3 stitches, knit 3 tog.

2nd row: Purl across

3rd row: Knit 3 tog, k1, *k3 tog, knit into the front, back and front of the next stitch*,repeat to last 4 stitches, k1, k3tog.

4th row: Purl across

5th row: knit 3 tog, knit to last 3 stitches, knit 3 tog.

6th row: Purl across

7th row: *Knit 3 tog, Knit into the front, back and front of the next stitch*, repeat to end of row, ending with k3 tog.

8th row: Purl across

Repeat row 1 – 8 until 3 stitches left Last row, K3 tog.

Pima Cotton Blanket with Hanalei Hand Dyed Yarn

Hi All!

Here is the pattern for the Red (Heliconia color) Pima Cotton Blanket in the shop. I’ll add a photo on Tuesday!

 

Pima Cotton Blanket

Material: 8 skiens of Hanalei Hand Dyed Pima Cotton

US 9 Circular 24″ needles

 

Caste on 150 stitches on a US 9 circular needle.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Knit 2,* YO, k2TOG*, repeat between * to last two stitches, knit 2

Row 3, 4 and 5:  Knit entire row

Row 6: Knit 5, Purl to end of row, Knit 5

Row 7: Knit 2, YO, k2TOG,  Knit to last 4 stitches. Knit 2TOG, YO, knit 2

Row 8: Knit 5, Purl to end of row, Knit 5

 

Repeat row 7 and 8 until desired length. Be sure you retain enough yarn to knit last 5 rows in garter.

 

Last 5 rows:

Row 1: knit row

Row 2: Knit 2, Yo, K2tog, Knit to last 4 stitches, Knit 2tog, yo, knit 2

Row 3: knit 5 purl to end of row, knit 5

Row 4: knit 2 “yo, K2tog” repeat between * to last two stitches, knit 2

Row 5: Knit row

Bind off VERY loosely.

 

Be sure to check your gauge!

 

Some knitters knit very loosely and some knit very tightly. For something like this, check yoru gauge to make it the correct width. The caste on edge is the longer side. Be sure you caste on a number divisible by 2!

 

YO : Yarn Over (bring yarn from back to front while knitting creating a stitch.)

K2TOG: Knit 2 stitches together

 

 

Mohair Shawl!

We have a lovely mohair shawl in the shop… I’ll get right to it and post a picture!

and this…

 

This Shawl, shown in orange and blue, has been very popular. It’s so easy to do you’ll be pleasantly surprised! The orange shawl uses the yarn double stranded and is thicker and warmer, though still light and buoyant. The blue version is a single strand and is light as air! Both are knitted as follows:

Mohair Shawl Pattern:

Materials:

Thicker version:  Two skeins of Hanalei Hand Dyed Mohair Yarn, held together as a double strand.

Lighter version: One skein of Hanalei Hand Dyed Mohair Yarn, knitted with one strand only.

Hanalei Hand Dyed Mohair Yarn: 86% Kid Mohair, 14% Nylon, 100gr, 436 yards

Needles: US13

Caste on 50 stitches. Knit in Garter stitch for 24 rows.

Row 25: knit 4, purl to last four stitches, knit 4

Row 26: Knit entire row

Continue repeating row 25 and row 26 until desired length. Be sure to save enough yarn to finish with 24 rows of garter stitch. Bind off loosely.

That’s it!

We do not have all the colors on the website right now, but if you desire to order, you can go on-line and order two of one of the colors available and indicate in the comment field which color you desire. Best to give a second choice, just in case we are out. We will contact you before shipping with availability. Or, you can just e-mail us before hand to be sure what we have in stock.

Right now the colors are:

Turquoise, baby chicken yella’ (thanks Alicia), Monk robe orange, brown, dark blue, hibiscus pink, and chartreuse.

Aloha, Karen

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget brother Will’s Goodbye party!

This Sat. 6:00 pm in shop. Come by and say Goodbye, Aloha, Ciao, Sayanara and Alvederzane! Karlos’ Hanalei Pizza Pizza, Milly’s Chocolate Chip Cookies and Kirk and Eli tearing it up. Come say goodbye to the embodiment of Aloha, Will Winneguth!

New Yarn in Shop this Week AND Forgiveness is the Key!

Come and check out our new Cashmere 65/Silk 35 yarn! It’s so soft you won’t believe it. I’m knitting a hat out of it right now. Luxury isn’t cheap, however, especially cashmere, but Oh WELL! It’s lovely!

Just come in and put your hands on it. WOW!

Well, beginning next week, I’m back in the shop most days. I’m really excited. I’ve had a wonderful break, Had a chance to dye up a lot of yarn, playing with colors and combinations and fibers. We got the web site up and working – though it is a challenge to keep it current because of my artistic whimsy – and I had a chance to imagine how I would redesign my role in the shop. Armed with all of that, I must say, I am ready!

I have mentioned before that what really inspires me about yarn and knitting are the colors and fibers. I’m not as product oriented as so many of the amazing knitters I see coming through the shop, though I admire those that are. I’ll get one pattern going and I like to knit it over and over in different fibers and colors. My color-ways vary however, as every time I dye, I find myself lost in the Kauai colors that I am seeing in the moment  - and my inspiration is just never the same.

I’m thinking of developing a yarn of the month, or more accurately, colors of the month. Could I do that? – Create just what I love in the moment. Force everyone to enjoy my sense of artistic whimsy?  Resist the idea of doing the same color over and over? Well, we’ll see! Give me your feedback!

I had an interesting life experience recently. My much loved “shop dog” ‘lil Puddin’ became gravely ill. She very nearly died in my arms at one point and her path back to health has been long. The good news is that she is much better now and once again beginning to thrive. When she was so sick I found myself feeling desperate to save her. I went to great lengths medically to do so. At some point, when it seemed foolish to continue, I asked myself why I was doing this. The answer surprised me… Yes I love her and that was a big part of it, but the real, deep seated reason, was because I felt to blame for her sickness. She had been slowly declining for some time and I had just not really noticed it. Or maybe I should say I just accepted it as if it were normal. I was busy. Once I realized that it was my own self judgement that was causing me to try so hard to save her, I was able to see how this runs many areas of my life. My desire to do good, do the right thing, never feel wrong was somewhat compulsive. I think I am not alone in this. An amazing thing happened when I realized this however. First I cried. Cried for all the times I have tried so hard to make things outside of my control work out “right”. Next I released it. Forgave myself and accepted that she too had a role in what was happening to her. Then I found a lovely peace and an ability to have better clarity about what she needed and a better acceptance about what might come.

Well, surprise, she healed. I did not expect this to happen. She healed and amazingly, I healed. Some childish sadness and self judgement melted away that day. I have been able to forgive myself over many situations in my life that seemed did not work out “right”. And suddenly I realized everything had worked out “right”. For I had reached a deeper level of self love – and made myself available to love others more deeply.

Here is my beloved Puddin’ with her rascally brother Rudy enjoying a sunbath.

Puddy is on the upper step.

I’ll close with a wish for all to find self-forgiveness. It is the greatest tonic to the soul and by doing so you create the path for others to find forgiveness as well.

Love and Aloha, Karen

Good Morning Kauai and Let’s Knit again!

I am rediscovering mornings!

This is the almost still full moon setting this morning. Thanks to a friend who motivated me to begin slow, slooww, s l o w w w jogging in the morning, I’m discovering dawn again. I’ve also taken to jumping in the cold pond on my sa-low jog back home. What a wonderful way to wake up. I am enjoying this new year more then I can describe. Plagued with unspecific anxiety that even knitting wouldn’t resolve for most of 2011, I have been blissfully free this 2012.

It did take a lot of work. A lot of sitting in the anxiety, trying to pin it on one disappointment or another. If I could resolve this, if I could resolve that…then it will go away. I finally found my way to the realization that my anxiety didn’t have to do with what was happening in my life. It had to do with what I believed about what was happening. I learned some great ways to unravel my old, programmed ways of thinking. And you know what they say… change your mind and you will change your life.

And I do not seem to be alone in this change of thinking. It’s all over the internet, it’s on the tip of lots of tongues in our little shop in Hanalei, could it be we are beginning collectively to wake up? It seems to me that many are choosing to be happy. Choosing to see beauty. Choosing to be loving. What could be more powerful then a collective group of people deciding to feel good. We’ve all seen it, trends…how they catch on. Many of us have read books like The Tipping Point detailing how trends spread. Let’s jump on this train of  ”rising vibrations” and be the happiness we want to experience and bring it into our homes and work and play…and just see!

Maybe it will be as catching as a yawn!

Oh, yes and on to knitting!

We’re thinking of resuming our sip ‘n knit (thanks June) on Friday evenings around 6ish. Let me know if you’re interested!

Someone posted this picture on my facebook page and I wish I knew who to credit. But I am sharing it because I think it is so special. Aloha!

It’s Party Time!

Okay, we have a date.

The official GOODBYE WILL Party will be

January 21, Saturday from 6 til we don’t know when.

Please if you are a friend or fan of the shop, a friend or fan of Will’s,  come say goodbye to an icon in the surf world and surf world photography… and Ching Young Village.

Will Winneguth, here at Hanalei Strings since 2001, (actually before as he worked for the previous owner and trained me!),  is leaving this month to relocate to Santa Barbara. Will is heading off on a new adventure and will be surely missed, but never forgotten! Come listen to Kirk and Eli jam, eat Karlo’s Hanalei Pizza and if Geoff cooperates drink a few beers to Will.

OHHHH! SHHHHH! It’s a surprise!  (Ha, Ha. As if ANYTHING is kept secret in Hanalei…but let’s try… (it’s okay, Will doesn’t read blogs….He’s still low tech!)