Eye Candy

You know how much I love a good marled yarn! Tahki Vermont is just the thing for all of your cozy sock monkey dreams. (Check out these awesome fingerless mitts.) It's a 50/50 alpaca/Merino blend, and the natural shades are all beautiful. This one won't last long, friends!

Ripple-tastic

Seems like Ripple Fever is sweeping the shop.  A few of us are participating in a very low-key and highly unorganized knit-a-long using Tahki Ripple.  We were all going to make the same sweater, but that just isn't going to happen, so we are instead focusing on the yarn.

The pretty khaki piece in the background is Sally's work.  She is making the Myrtle Pullover.  

The sweater is knit on US7s, creating a fabric with lots of textural interest, even though it is all stockinette (knit one side and purl the other).  Your friends and neighbors will be amazed.

The kelpy green piece that vaguely resembles a fishing net belongs to me.  I am working on Anna from Cocoknits on a US11.  What a completely different look.  This pullover/coverup has an asymmetrical hem and is worked from cuff to cuff.  I had a little trouble with the sleeves in the round on US11 double-points, so I am knitting the sleeves flat, and I will seam them up later.  I'll give you full details when I am finished.  The first three sizes (up to a 44" bust) only require 4 balls of Ripple!

The last little bit up there is Ann's Summer Wisp scarf from last year.  This sample was knit on US10.5, but there are rows of dropped stitches, too, adding to the airy feel.

We will give you the pattern for free with the purchase of just one little ball of Ripple.  We have some great colors right now.  Here are the brights, including a very on-trend neon green/yellow.  I love that orange, too.

And the earth tones, including my green and Sally's khaki.  If Jenni decides to play along, she has the dark grey squirreled away for her Ripple project.  We have a nice backstock of the black, too.

The Urban Renewal book from Tahki has several great designs using Ripple, including Sally's piece above, the Clinton Vest, the Warren 2-Way Jacket, and the Remsen Twist-Front Top.  Collage has some pretties, as well, including a few flowy cardigans.  I showed you a few back in April.

Anyone out there want to join us in a Ripple-a-long?  If you're making a project with Ripple, we'd love to share it with the blog.  Just leave a comment and let me know what you're working on.  If you are finished, please load a photo onto our Flickr page or share it with our Ravelry group.  We love to inspire each other!

Unrelated

We have more Ripple from Tahki. I keep thinking that this would be perfect for a Skif sweater...maybe Martha? We have a good stock of these colors, but this stuff flies off the shelves.
Completely unrelated, Sock Knitting Master Class by Ann Budd also arrived this week. I don't even knit socks very often, but this reference book seems like a must-have. Check out this table of contents:

This book includes great information on pretty much everything you'd need to know about sock knitting. Ann explains magic loop and knitting in the round on two circular needles. She covers so many kinds of toes and heels that your head will spin. In addition to all of this, there are more than a dozen designs demonstrating the techniques.

Asymmetrical Cables by Cookie A

Bulgarian Blooms in Priscilla Gibson-Roberts

Happy-Go-Lucky Boot Socks by Veronik Avery

Crazy cool cotton yarn and a comprehensive sock book. Completely unrelated, but still good.

Here Comes the Cotton Yarn

The cotton yarn is starting to roll in. Although the hail and snow in the forecast would suggest otherwise, it will be warming up soon. It's time to start thinking about what you'd like to have for those chilly summer evenings.

A rainbow of Tahki Cotton Classic has arrived. Bright colors, lustrous finish, and only $6.50 per skein. We have some nice samples knit with Cotton Classic, including this cool Side-to-Side Garter Stitch Vest, which is free when you buy the yarn. It's knit with a double strand, so it should come together pretty quickly. I might have to queue that one.

We also received the newest pattern books for Cotton Classic, Kaleidoscope #5, which includes these pretty little things, among others.

Green with Envy Cropped Cardigan

Blue Streak Henley

New to Close Knit, Ripple from Tahki. Ripple is a worsted weight 100% cotton with a thick-and-thin slubby texture. It's a bit of a departure from our other cottons, but it is really interesting yarn.

We have black on the shelves right now, with more colors on the way. The unusual texture would make the simplest cardigan or pullover really dramatic. The pattern book for Ripple, Urban Renewal, (shown above) has a few really nice choices, too.

Warren 2-Way Jacket

Myrtle

I know it feels like January again, but soon it will be time to tuck the heavy wool sweaters away. Wouldn't it be nice to have a fabulous cotton layer ready to go when the sun finally comes out for good?

Thanks, Jenni, for the Cotton Classic photos!

The Sparkle Fairy

The Sparkle Fairy has been busy at Close Knit.

Flicker, new from Berroco, is an alpaca blend chainette yarn with a super soft thread of tinsel running through it. The texture of the yarn reminds me of Rowan Lima, and each skein is as light as a cloud. I like that the gold or silver metallic bits are coordinated to the shade, too. At this moment we have all six earth-toned colorways, but they are going to go fast.

Luna from Tahki Stacy Charles is a mohair/silk blend with tiny little sparkles. This is our replacement for Rowan Kidsilk Night, which, sadly, has been discontinued. This is great for lacy shawls, simple shrugs, lightweight tops...anything that you might make with Kidsilk Haze would be beautiful with Luna.

Kollage Glisten, an alpaca/silk blend, knits up with a pretty halo. We have several rich jewel tones right now. Perfect for hats, scarves, cowls, and sweaters.

If you like the big stuff, try the Plymouth Grande Glow, which is the ever-popular Baby Alpaca Grande with a little glimmer. Nancy's Venessa Headband or her Tristan Scarf would be really cool with this.

If you loved the Plymouth Baby Llama Glow the first time around, you will be happy to see more on the shelves again.

Come and claim your favorites while they last. Who knows how long until the Sparkle Fairy makes her (his?) way back to our little shop.