Brown Sheep Yarns and a Free Cowl Pattern

We are cramming yarn in every nook and cranny we can find. We have restocked the much-loved Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky and Worsted in a wide range of colors. These yarns are great for pretty much everything from hats and sweaters to felted slippers and bags. May the holiday stocking knitting commence.

New to Close Knit, Brown Sheep Burly Spun, a pure wool single ply in some fabulous colors. Looking for a quick knit? How about 2.5 stitches per inch on a US13 needle? It practically knits itself.
Sally created this beautiful seed stitch cowl using one skein of the Burly Spun. It is very warm and cozy. Tuck one of these into your rain coat, and you'll stay nice and warm when those bone-chilling winds pick up. Enjoy the pattern and stay warm!

Close Knit Seed Stitch Cowl
By Sally Palin

Yarn: 1 skein Brown Sheep Burly Spun or Cascade Magnum
Needles: US17 24" circular
Finished Size: 10" high by about 32" around
Gauge: about 8 stitches over 4" in seed stitch

Seed stitch in the round:
Round 1: *K1, P1* until 1 stitch remains. K1.
Round 2: *P1, K1* until 1 stitch remains. P1.
Basically, after round 1, you will simply knit your purls and purl your knits, so it's not crucial to know what row you are on.

Instructions:
Cast on 65 stitches.
Twist once, place marker, and join for knitting in the round. (This twist is what you usually try to avoid when joining to knit in the round. You could also join normally to create a non-twisted cowl if you prefer, but the drape is not as nice.)
Seed stitch your heart out for about 10".
Bind off and enjoy!

Unpacking

We are happily welcoming more and more yarn into the shop. Here's what's rolling in.

We restocked our selection of yarns from Manos del Uruguay. One whole corner of the shop is now devoted to Manos yarns. We have much more Wool Clasica, a favorite for so many projects from blankets to hats to felted bags.

I used the Wool Clasica Naturals shown above to make this cool Destroyed Cowl, which I have donned every time the weather has warranted a scarf so far this fall.
We also have more of the Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply. This yarn keeps trying to come home with me, especially the red one. We have this in variegated and somewhat solid colorways. I told you about it back in March, and I still think it's a winner.

A nice new selection of the Silk Blend arrived, as well. It is ideal for sweaters, scarves, hats, and these welted fingerless gloves that Ann will teach you to make at Modern Domestic. The pattern was written for Silk Blend, and they turn out just right.
We just received Maxima, the newest yarn from Manos. It's softer than the Wool Clasica, and the colors are just as fabulous. With 218 yards per skein, it is great for all kinds of projects, including those satisfying one-skeiners.


Misti Alpaca also arrived this week. This yarn is soft and squishy and knits up so fast. We have the Misti Alpaca Chunky and Hand Paint Chunky, which a lot of knitters love for hats (one skein) and scarves (only two skeins).
Misti Super Chunky (the 3-ply shown above) is now only available in variegated colorways, which are new to the shop and quite pretty. If you love the solids, come on down while we have some left.


Last but not least, we have all of our Rowan. The fall big book, Rowan 48 is here.
We are stocked up on Kidsilk Haze, Kidsilk Aura, and Felted Tweed, as well as Amy Bulter's Belle Organic Aran and DK, which I wrote about last week.

We have a few pretty samples from Rowan: Lochalsh from Rowan 46, Lombard from Rowan 44, and Bourne from Rowan 46.

If you like to sew, too, you might be interested in the big sale happening next door at Bolt Neighborhood Fabrics. Come spend part of your rainy weekend on our corner.

Because Handmade is Best...

We have a full stock of Lamb's Pride yarn in both bulky and worsted weight. Lamb's Pride is soft (85% wool and 15% mohair) and economical, which makes it perfect for your last-minute Valentine crafting. Think pompoms, felting or embellishments on your Valentines and Valentine gifts. Stop by Bolt next door to pick up felt squares, buttons or fabric, and together with Lamb's Pride, you've got a fabulous handmade card or gift. Take a look at these saturated Valentine colors:

And, if you're not making Valentine gifts this year, we've got plenty of colors for you, too.