I think I felt Autumn in the air this week! Well… at least I had a chance to turn off the air and open the windows for a day or two. As we move into the cooler seasons, we’ve begun bulking up our stock so be on the lookout for new yarns, colors, books, and great accessories.
You know, sock yarn isn’t just for socks. At the shop we’ve been knitting shawls, scarves, and Maureen’s Sock Yarn Cowl has been very popular. We really pumped up our sock yarn section with several color ways of Plymouth Happy Feet, Plymouth Zino, Cascade Heritage and Heritage Paints and Berroco Comfort Sock. We’ve heard that the Wisdom Poems Sock Yarn has been shipped! Come in and check it out. We’ll help you find a fun project so you can indulge yourself a little.
Our Berroco order arrived and we’ve all been ooohing and aaaahing over the new Borealis, a super cozy, ultra cuddly multicolored yarn that features fabulous color combinations. This acrylic/wool blend, made in Italy, knits at 3 stitches to the inch, so your projects will fly. We also have the pattern booklet Berroco #300 Borealis which includes great garments and accessories that show off the beauty of Borealis.
Our Berroco Vintage Wool section has been restocked. “Vintage Wool” is actually a machine-washable wool blend that is incredibly soft and we carry a lovely range of colors. How about something for the baby? This yarn is incredibly soft feel, and a fiber blend that makes laundering a breeze.
Come in and see our samples made out of the Berroco Remix. We fell in LOVE with this yarn at market. Made in France, Remix is a wonderfully soft, non-wool tweed made from 5 recycled fibers! Not only is this a great tweed option for those who can’t use, or prefer not to use wool, this beauty is machine washable! We have pattern booklet Berroco #303 Remix if you need ideas.
We know have Plymouth Jeanee DK accompanied by cute patterns for seasonal cardigans for babies and matching Mother/Daughter pullovers. This yarn is perfect for knitting the dresses in our new pattern booklet Carnival Party. This booklet includes 5 of the cutest little dresses you’ve ever seen and are written for sizes 2-6. These dresses are fun and colorful and there isn’t a girlie girl around who wouldn’t love one of them in her closet.
The Jojoland Medley Superwash arrived and has been flying off the shelves. Have no fear, we are ordering more! We also have patterns featuring this beautiful fingering weight yarn that showcase the gentle color shifts. Have you seen the popular Swirl Shawl? Maureen has conquered the pattern and will share her tips in a Jojoland Swirl Shawl Workshop. The class will be offered two times: Wednesday, September 15 from 1 – 3 pm and Saturday, October 2 from 11 – 1 pm. Come in and see the sample and sign up for this informative class. The cost of this technique class $20, plus supplies.
The Cascade order has been shipped and includes new colors of Cascade 220 Wool, 128 Tweed, 200 Superwash, 200 Superwash Paints, Venezia Chunky, and Venezia Worsted. If you haven’t purchased a copy of 60 Quick Knits featuring 60 hat, mitten, and scarf patterns all made from Cascade 220, it is a must for your Christmas gift knitting. Every store employee has a copy of their own – which really says something.
The Malabrigo is coming!! If you haven’t already tried Malabrigo’s worsted merino, you should! This incredibly soft single-ply merino wool is hand-dyed in Uruguay by a women’s cooperative. With 216 yards per skein, Malabrigo is a great choice for luxurious but affordable scarves, hats, shrugs, and even sweaters! We also ordered Malabrigo sock yarn – could we ask for anything more? It’s soft, gorgeous, and yes, it’s superwash. One skein makes a pair of average-sized adult socks. Don’t forget lace yarn, we’ll have that too! AND (drum roll please), we ordered the complete line of Rios, Malabrigo’s new superwash merino wool. To die for…really.
For gift giving we are now carrying a nice selection of Shawl Sticks, the perfect accessory for a wonderful shawl, scarf or open-front jacket. They are so affordable; you might start by giving one to yourself!
On September 15, Jane and Maureen will travel to Muncie to share their ideas on Prayer Shawls with a local group. This promises to be a fun night. If you have a group that would like to visit the shop for a special evening just call us and we’ll see what fun we can set up.
Never not knitting, Mary has made a beautiful sample of Ishbel by the young Scottish designer Ysolda Teague out of Alpaca & Silk by Blue Sky Aalpaca. Wouldn’t it be lovely out of Malabrigo Sock or Lace? We have the pattern, as well as Ysolda’a Liesl. Liesl is a round yoked cardigan worked from the neck down in a simple allover feather and fan lace pattern. Different effects can be achieved by using a variety of yarns in worsted to chunky weights and lots of options are given so that you can make Liesl your own by varying the neckline depth, body and sleeve lengths and cast off method. Mary has started a sample using Kudo.
While we are on new patterns, we now have the Classic Elite yarns booklet Alley which contains among a handful of great patterns, Jared Flood’s Cinder. Cinder is a gorgeous reversible cable scarf. Jared says,” …this scarf is much, much simpler to knit than it might first appear — which is always nice when trying to impress your non-knitting friends, isn’t it?” Love it!
Mary’s Baby Surprise Jacket Class has filled up, but we have a waiting list. The dates are September 2, 9, 16 from 1 pm – 3pm. The cost of the class is $45 plus supplies. We’ll be getting in Knitcol from the Adriafil Collection and it will be perfect for this pattern.
Like everyone else, we’ve fallen in love with the French Press Felted Slippers. Word is the Yarn Harlot’s mention caused technical difficulties over at French Press Knits. Let’s start our own slipper knitting revolution! Sign up for Mary’s class, September 23, 30 from 1 – 3 pm. The class tuition is $30 plus the cost of pattern and supplies. You’ll want to make several pairs of these slippers for Christmas gifts. ‘Tis the season.
Do you open a knitting pattern, see a stitch chart, and immediately think the pattern is 
too hard for you? Join Maureen for her Chart Workshop and learn to read and knit from charts, and you’ll make beautiful lace gauntlets in the process! To make the most of the workshop, it is necessary that you be familiar with the following techniques: Yarn Over (YO), Knit 2 Together (K2tog), and Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK) before tackling the gauntlets. The class meets Wednesdays, September 29 and October 6 from 1 – 3 pm. Tuition is $30 plus supplies which includes purchasing the book 60 Quick Knits.
Our Beginners and Beyond—Knitting classes continue this fall. New knitters will learn to cast on, to work the knit stitch and the purl stitch, to bind off, and complete your first project. Along the way you will learn to read and understand knitters’ terminology and directions. Knitters beyond the basics can come for help with a specific problem or for guidance as you work on your project. Be prepared to make knitting progress and new friends too. We have 3 time options: Tuesday with Jane, 11 am – 1 pm; Tuesday evening with Maureen, 6 – 8 pm; and Wednesday with Maureen, 10 am – 12 noon. Each 2 hour session is $10 plus the cost of supplies.
Want to learn to crochet? Beginners and Beyond – Crochet is held on Friday from 3 – 5 pm. Come learn the basics of Crochet with Jessi. The cost is $10 plus supplies.
Wrap up for Winter is our theme for September’s Knitters’ Knite Out on Thursday the 23rd from 6:30 – 9 pm. We will be featuring Scarves and Stoles using the same-named pattern from Designs by Judith. Bring your needles; purchase the pattern and your favorite yarn, and join us for the fun. You must register for this event, space is limited. This is not a class, just knitting together. Bring your own beverage and/or snack.
I am afraid I need to stop here. We have yarn to unpack! Come in and visit us, and bring your projects. We love to see what you are working on! If you don’t have a project, let us help you find one. Knitting season is upon us!
