Lang Carina

Oh, lovely Carina. This alpaca blend is so soft and fluffy, and the colors are amazing! 

We have this funny sample rectangle in the shop to show off some of the colors of the yarn. It's another slow fade kind of yarn, and the project gallery on Ravelry really demonstrates what it can do.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

Look at this lovely Adama Cowl using two balls of the pink/grey/brown, and this rich purple Buckshot pullover is so vibrant in the purple.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

If you love rich colors and fluffy alpaca, you might want to come by and check out this new yarn!

Eye Candy

We have a fresh batch of Lang Cashmere Light on the counter, and it's the perfect thing for making a squishy and cozy ribbed cowl using this easy pattern.

Sadly, our sweet blue sample has disappeared from the shop! While we hope it is doing someone good out there on these chilly days, we are sad that it is gone.

Good thing we have so many new shades to choose from for a new one! These do make fabulous and easy gifts. Maybe someone you love needs a warm neck this winter...

Lang Bloom

Hello sunshine! Lang Bloom is a cotton/viscose/linen blend with some fun shimmery bits incorporated. It also does a lovely ombre thing over the course of the cake, which can give even the simplest projects some extra oomph.

I found this cool asymmetrical scarf published for free by the folks at Stitch Central yarn shop in PA.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

The Lafayette Scarf uses every inch of the yarn and really shows off the cool color changes. I would love to see what you all make with this unusual summer yarn!

Eye Candy

I don't have as much time as I would like to make things right now, but I am still collecting publications like these for inspiration and serenity. When my brain needs a five minute break, I find I am so much happier flipping the pages of these lovely publications than I am staring at my phone. 

I am gathering my materials to make Apricite from the cover of Laine Magazine Issue 7. The orange Rowan Felted Tweed is from a frogged project (we have this in stock at the shop though), and this stormy blue Lang Lace is what Melissa and I decided would be the perfect thing to hold along with it. I can't wait to get started after I graduate next month!

Cashmere!

Brrr! We are back to chilly weather here in Portland! How about a cozy cashmere cowl? This Lang Cashmere Light is warm and knits up into a dense and buttery-soft fabric, and I love the pretty earthy-tones.

Here's the easy-peasy free pattern for the cowl. Enjoy!

Awesome Sock Yarn

So, I have become a sock knitter in recent years, and I mostly blame cool self-patterning sock yarns like these. The Super Soxx from Lang are super fun! Take a closer look at the wacky stripe pattern. It's all zigzaged on top of a lovely color fade.

I am also a sucker for stripes of any kind, so the gorgeous gradient stripes of the Twin Soxx are calling to me. This one in particular is amazing...I mean, it's a pastel rainbow gradient self-striping sock yarn.

It's no wonder I was sucked onto the sock bandwagon. These are too awesome to pass up!

Eye Candy...I Mean Soul Food?

We have this new line of yarn and design books from Lang Yarns called Wool Addicts. The designs are really cool and modern and the yarns are beautiful. But, they don't want to be called eye candy apparently. More on the yarns soon...

Socks for Summer

The voice on the radio this morning told me that the weather is going to start warming up next week. Now, I know a lot of you tend to set your knitting aside for the summer. I would love to talk to you about some little projects that are perfect for the warm days to come. Let's start with socks.

I am not a huge sock knitter. I confess. But sometimes a certain sock yarn just begs to be knit. Sally seems to know the way to my heart and feet this season. She is stocking (heh, stocking) up on this awesome big striped Jawoll stuff from Lang. We currently have these two colors in the shop, the the rest are on their way. Sneak peek at the whole family here.

I am equally excited about these marled sock yarns, also Jawoll from Lang. I am imagining solid toes and heels with a marled body. These are just a few of the color combinations that I'm considering.

Plus, these cute little skeins come with reinforcement yarn. You just carry this nylon thread along with your yarn as you work the heels and toes, and it helps extend the life of your socks by making the reinforced areas more durable and more resistant to holes.

No reason to stop knitting in the summer! Imagine how nice it will feel to have a few pairs of handknit socks waiting for you when the rain and chill return in the fall. Your cold toes will thank you.