Inspiration

I love flipping through new pattern booklets, and we have some of my favorites in the shop. Some have been out for a little bit, and others are fresh and new. Making is full of knitting, sewing, cooking, and baking. I am so impressed with this publication.

I have been head over heels for Laine since I first laid eyes on it. I am powerless to resist their classic Nordic style. In addition to gorgeous classic knitting patterns, this magazine also includes cooking and baking and other fun non-knitting stuff.

The newest Pom Pom Quarterly is so cool for summer. It's all stripes, my friends. And stripes are amazing.

Finally, the Uniform books sort of flew under my radar for awhile, but here they are! This project is a collaboration between Carrie Bostick Hoge of Madder and Jen Beeman of Grainline Studios. Each book contains knitting and sewing patterns so you can create your perfect daily uniform. Uniform Little is pretty special, too. You can make a uniform for the little people in your life as well.

There is nothing like spending some time with a beautiful book to get your inspiration jump started. Pop in and take a look at these!

Eye Candy

We don't have many pure silk options in the shop, so it's nice to have the Tussah Tweed from BC Garn. It's a pure silk in a light fingering weight, just right for those floaty wraps or fine-knit sweaters. I love the nubbly texture and the rich colors. I feel like we might be waiting on a few more shades, but the ones we have now are lovely!

Summer IK

Y'all, the summer Interweave Knits is really cool. Take a look.

It seems like the design mags often miss the mark for me, especially in the summer. But I am loving the designs in this issue! Anyone else finding inspiration here? What are you thinking about making?

Cumulus

This new yarn is so unexpectedly soft and fluffy, I think I actually gasped a little when I picked it up. 

Cumulus from Juniper Moon Farm is a cotton yarn with a tiny bit of nylon, and it feels like squishy marshmallows. I expected this to feel snaggy and nylony based on my past experiences with yarns that look like this, but I clearly need to let go of by biases about this kind of yarn. This stuff is amazing!

We have a sample of the Rif Mountains Stole in the shop, so we can all truly appreciate how well this yarn knits up. We have hard copies of this pattern and the Riad Blanket.

I love the springy colors and the variegated shades that we have in the shop now. If you need to knit for a baby any time soon, pop in and take a look at this beautiful Cumulus!

Eye Candy

We have the newest yarn in the Knitted Wit Herstory line. I can't figure out what the name is referencing, but it's a really cool shade. Does anyone know? We only have a handful of skeins available!

FlexiFlips!

Um...what are these?

Three not exactly double-pointed and not exactly circulars? But you can still knit in a tiny circle with them? My mind is blown!

These FlexiFlips from Addi are designed to work in place of the double-pointed needles we often use for cuffs, socks, sleeves, small hats...anything smaller than the 16" circular. Your yarn stays on two needles as you use the third to knit. This means you only have two needle changes per round. It really works!

Each needle has two different tip styles to meet all of you needle tip needs. Stop in and see for yourself. We will have this little sample out for you to give them a try!

Pima Rino

We have a great new yarn with a fun name from Plymouth Yarns!

Pima Rino is a blend of 70% pima cotton and 30% merino wool, which I think are two of the loveliest and softest fibers you can find. So, you can't really go wrong here.

This would be great for baby and kid sweaters and hats. I think it would make an amazing and weighty blanket if that's your thing. But mostly, I'm dreaming of thick cotton sweaters for me. Maybe a fisherman's rib or shaker rib cardigan in the stone or navy blue. Something modern like Flaum, maybe?

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Or perhaps a thick textured cabled sweater to wear all year-round. I'm envisioning that one in white. Heidi Kirrmaier's Catch of the Day sweater seems like the right thing here.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

I always wish I had a nice cozy cotton sweater for our chilly evenings, and I think this yarn could be the perfect place to start.

Eye Candy

Check out Emily in her Carbeth-in-progress! She will be teaching a class on this sweater over the summer. Give us a call or stop in if you're interested in signing up!

Hello Lino

This beautiful linen has landed in the shop.

Lino is a 100% linen yarn in some gorgeous colors! Each 50g ball is 164 yards, and it really does knit up at almost any gauge you like. It's suggested at 6 to 8 stitches per inch, so that's sport to lace weight essentially. You could easily knit it up more loosely for a shawl or wrap.

If you've never worked with linen before, this is a great place to start! This would be perfect for summer tops, lightweight cardigans, a breezy scarf, or a set of face cloths. 

If you have never used a linen face cloth, you are missing out. They are so lovely on the skin, make great gifts, and they get softer with each wash and dry. I found a few good ones for you on Ravelry, but you can really just try out any fun stitch with something like this. It's linen season!

Eye Candy

Have you all seen the classes we have available for this spring and summer? Take a look over on the right sidebar for the whole big ol' list!

We have beginning crochet and knitting options, a pick-your-project class (including a sweater-based option), a Carbeth sweater class, the ongoing blanket class...so much to offer! We even have a really nice flexible summer series for two of our classes.

Our classes are really fun and our instructors are wonderful. Give us a ring or pop in the shop with any question or to sign up for classes.

Laine, Pompom, and Amirisu (and Making)

These are happening...Laine, Pompom Quarterly, and Amirisu. I love these booklets, and I'm so excited to see them in the shop. I have word that Making might be on it's way, too.

I have been collecting Laine since its first issue, and that scarf on the cover of Amirisu is making my heart pitter-patter. (Kits from the the hand-dyer are on their way.) Pompom is always full of cute stuff, and that cover sweater is worked up in Genmou, which we have in the shop now! (More on that next week.) Stop in to see these beautiful books!

Adorable Notions

Adorable Japanese notions? Yes please! We have cute point protectors (hats and tulips), lovely tapestry needles,

tulip-shaped split ring markers,

 and heart shaped stitch markers! 

How sweet for yourself or a gift (mother's day, perhaps)! These little cuties will not last long, so stop in soon to spruce up your notions bag.