Oh no...

Oh no. My yarn stash has been busting at the seams for some time now, and I fear it's about to get a little more strained. What am I supposed to do when Sally brings in these gorgeous shades of Arranmore Light from The Fibre Co?

This DK marled tweed it pretty much all of my favorite things. And think about how nicely all of those shades of blue would play together. I'm envisioning an ombre sort of pullover or maybe a huge wrap using one of each.

I'm also in love with williesmom's January Gansey and tdickey's Cranberry Gose. Go take a peek to see what I mean. I'm thinking I might need to make Amy Christoffer's Ryder Pullover...love that funnel neck and sophisticated fit.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Okay. At least four skeins of this classic yarn might just need to come home with me this week. I'm sure we will make room.

Streets of LA

Hello sweet bag! We don't have nearly enough crochet samples in the shop, so I was happy to see this beauty.

The Streets of LA bag uses three colors of The Fibre Co. Cumbria and some basic sewing skills to create this lovely structured purse. I love the graphic pop of the sample, and I think it would be really pretty in some more muted shades, too. Maybe a range of neutrals or three shades of the same color? There are so many options!

If you want to give crochet a go but are feeling a little uneasy, keep your eyes on the blog for our next round of crochet workshops. I'll let you know as soon as the next class is available for sign ups!

Lore

I can't say too much about this pretty new yarn from The Fibre Co. quite yet.

But it is really beautiful, and I think I need some. Especially after handling the sweater Sally started.

Stay tuned for more details soon...

Eye Candy

Check out this pretty little Vidro hat in The Fibre Co Cumbria Fingering. So calm and soothing. It'll be in the shop this weekend for the Yarn Crawl if you want a better look!

Arranmore Light

Hello, beautiful Arranmore Light from The Fibre Company. These hanks contain 328 yards of merino, cashmere, silk in a perfectly crisp DK weight yarn. Just the thing for a tweedy sweater, a drapey shawl, or cozy scarf. The Bibbe pullover looks fabulous! In fact, the whole Pop Collection from Kelbourne Woolens looks really cool. They do a great job of taking a classic yarn and making in modern with some really great designs.

Bough

How about another hat?

The gorgeous Bough uses just one skein of Cumbria from The Fibre Co. We have a nice batch of pretty colors, but the grellow is certainly a shop favorite. The pattern is available on Ravelry, but we are happy to help you buy it in the shop. A little cabling, a nice pom pom,a gorgeous yarn...can't go wrong!

Eye Candy Monday

The gorgeous colors of Cumbria Worsted and Fingering caught my eye and imagination this morning, and I wanted to share. And with color names like Buttermere, Scafell Pike, and Hadrian's Wall, who could resist? Enjoy the beautiful day!

Road to China Lace and Cumbria

A few lovely yarns from The Fibre Company have arrived: Road to China Lace and Cumbria.

The Fibre Company yarns are always something special. The blends of fibers, the colors, the quality...all really exceptional. We have carried several of their yarns in the past, and these new additions are stunning as well. Road to China Lace is an alpaca/silk/camel/cashmere blend with over 650 yards per skein. 

I love that these folks are providing such wonderful pattern support for their yarns as well. We currently have Stillwell, Summit, and Clearview in the shop. Stillwell is a beautiful lace shawl in two sizes, using either one or two skeins of yarn. Summit is a long ombre scarf using three colors of Lace. Cleaview (my favorite) uses two colors to create an interesting striped cowl, but the pattern only requires half a skein of each color.

I am also excited to see Cumbria in the shop. The colors of this yarn really grabbed me when I walked in, particularly this yellow, which we have adopted as the shop color.

This is a gorgeous wool/mohair blend (only 10% mohair) in a worsted weight. I'm pretty sure I need a new winter cap, and this yarn works up beautifully in cables and textures. A handknit hat in Cumbria would be an amazing treat for yourself or someone special, if you're into that knitting-for-others sort of thing.

If you love Fibre Company yarns, then you already know how good these are going to be. If you don't love them yet, you will!

Knit With Us!

We are ready for our Meadow Knit-a-long! Are you?

So many knitters have trouble finding the perfect summer project. Never fear! We have found it for you. We will be knitting the Augustine Shawlette over the course of the summer. The project uses just one skein of the beautiful Fibre Company Meadow, a perfectly airy blend of merino, baby llama, silk, and linen.

Ann has been working away on a sample for us. The shawl is knit side to side with dropped stitches, creating an light and lofty finished product.The knitting is pretty simple, so it's a great project for beginners or for those of us looking for a nice mindless project. The piece seems like it will be small until you start dropping stitches...very satisfying. 

Adrienne is kicking things off on Wednesday night at Open Knit Night. The pattern is available on Ravelry, and you can purchase it on your own or through our shop. Come on in and choose your favorite shade of this beautiful yarn. If we all start now, we can have the perfect thing to wrap around our shoulders when this heat finally breaks!

Fibre Company Meadow and an Invitation to Knit-A-Long

I feel a little late to the party. I am usually pretty up to date on the popular new yarns and patterns, but Meadow from The Fibre Company snuck up on me. I went to have a look at the Ravelry projects using Meadow, and I found well over a thousand. Why didn't any of you tell me about this gorgeous yarn? Maybe because we have just started carrying it.

The Fibre Company is known for the unusual combinations of fibers in their yarns, and Meadow is no exception. Meadow is a merino/llama/silk/linen laceweight, with almost 500 yards in each skein. The yarn is soft and lofty, and the colors are really interesting.

 

Grace Anna Farrow, a very popular shawl and wrap designer, has used Meadow to create some stunning designs. We are carrying Twinleaf, Roseum, Ursa, and Cepa.

 

 

I have not had a chance to knit with Meadow yet, but I am eager to try. There are rumblings of a little summer knit-a-long using this lovely yarn. I'm not usually a joiner, but I think I will jump on the bandwagon this time. We are thinking a nice, airy, floaty shawl or wrap...just the thing for the chilly Oregon summer evenings. Think about it, and I'll let you know which pattern Adrienne decides to use. Looking forward to it!

Malabrigo, Fibre Company, and Liberty Wool

Some new goodies have arrived at the shop recently.  We received a few boxes from Malabrigo with some old favorites and a new beauty.

Malabrigo Arroyo is brand new and so pretty.  They call it a sport weight, but the label says 20-22 stitches over 4 inches on a US4 to 6.  I think you could knit it up at a range of gauges, so I highly recommend swatching before you get started.  Each lovely skein contains 335 pretty yards.

This one is called Glitter and it's my favorite.  Arroyo seems like a lighter version of Rios, which we also restocked in this shipment.  Plus, Arroyo is machine washable just like Rios.  If you guys like it, we will likely get more, so let us know.  We also restocked some Malabrigo Worsted and Rasta.  

Last, but not least, Malabrigo Sock!  This is some addicting yarn.  

We have nine or ten pretty colors, and these are my favorites.  This yarn is great for socks and shawls, but it gets used often for sweaters, too.  Check out all of the cardigans and pullovers on Ravelry.

We also restocked a few yarns from The Fibre Company.  We have more Road to China Light and Organik, and we have a pretty little Ishbel knit up for you to enjoy the beauty of Road to China Light.

I know some of you have been waiting for the Classic Elite Liberty Wool, and it's back!

We even have the colorway we used in for our little sample hats, which has been very hard to get in stock.

Come and get yours while we still have it on the shelves.  See you soon!

Classes and Coastal Knits

I promised you all a run-down on Coastal Knits, but I want to remind you about our classes first.  We have some great ones starting this week, with so many options depending on what you'd like to learn.

Knitting: Beginning and Beyond starts on Thursday night with Adrienne.  Even if you know how to knit, this class might still be for you.  Want to learn knitting in the round?  Increasing and decreasing?  I know many of you are sort of stranded at the garter stitch scarf phase, so take advantage of this opportunity to push your knitting to the next level.  Class is Thursday night 6:30-8:30 on November 3, 10, and 17.

Judy's Knitted Toys and Skills Class begins on Tuesday night.  Judy will show you how to make any of these adorable guys while honing your knitting skills.  There are so many techniques involved in creating little toys like these, and it's nice to learn on a small project.  Class is from 6:30-8:30 on November 1, 8, and 15.

Ann has several offerings starting next week, including a Learn to Crochet Workshop on Monday, November 7, her Learn to Knit Workshop on Tuesday, November 8, and her always-popular Beginning Sock Class beginning on Tuesday, November 15.  Ann's celebrating her birthday this week, and I know she would love to see your shining faces in her classes next week!

Okay, now for Coastal Knits.  This book is a self-published beauty from Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting and Hannah Fettig of Knitbot.  These gals live on opposite sides of the country, and their designs draw inspiration from the California and Maine coasts.

The book itself is beautiful, with photographs, project sketches, and line drawings that really play up the beachy coastal feel of the designs, which are also really stunning.  Here is a smattering of what you'll find in the book.

Gnarled Oak in Tosh Merino DK (which is on the way to the shop!)

Rocky Coast (my favorite) in Fibre Company Organik

Water's Edge

Panoramic Stole in Fibre Company Canopy Fingering

Pretty short row shaping

Cambrian Cowl, try Misti Alpaca Chunky

Sand and Sea

Judy will also teach a Knit Your First Sweater Class beginning on Monday, November 14.  If one of these gorgeous Coastal Knits sweaters strike your fancy, Judy can help you make it happen.

We received a box from Interweave on Friday with a nice pile of Weekend Hats, which you all seemed to love.  I love it, too...check out my preview from earlier this month.

We also received the LAST copies of knit.wear that we will be able to get our hands on.  This magazine has flown off the shelves (for good reason), and Interweave will not be printing any more.  They would only let us order 15 of the last 100 in stock, so come and get yours.

Let me know if there are any other classes that seem interesting to you.  We've been discussing a colorwork class, maybe some cables, and perhaps a kid's beginning knitting class.  Please leave a comment if you have thoughts or feelings about the classes.  Okay, I'll be back soon with more updates!  

Watchamakin, Sally?

Want to see what Sally is making right now?

The Sockhead Hat, a free pattern from bohoknits. Sally is using Dream in Color Starry, but any sock yarn will do. This is a nice little project to stuff in your bag for a summer car ride, a moment of lunchbreak knitting, a trip to the park, or just a long line at the bank.

Also a nice little hat, Norie from The Shetland Trader. Sally's using The Fibre Company Savannah. This yarn is beautiful...a little cotton, a little soy, a little linen, a little wool. Such a nice texture and a sunny yellow, too.


And the cowls. Sally is working up her own version of the Burberry Inspired Cowl. The Cascade Eco Duo she's using is so nice to work with that she can't stop. It will be a nice long wrap-around length when Sally's finished knitting. I'll tell you about her modifications when she's done.

Finally, Snood, a huge randomly cabled cowl from Debbie Bliss's Glen pattern book. Glen is such an interesting yarn. The shades change very subtly over the entire ball of yarn, so you are left with these gradual fades from light to dark. The only trick is making sure you start a new ball in the right place to avoid a stark change.

That's what Sally is making these days. Anything fabulous in your knitting bag that you'd like to share?