Raspberry Ripple

Way back in March during the Rose City Yarn Crawl, we received these sweet little kits for the Raspberry Ripple Shawlette. The kit uses two skeins of Indochine, a pure silk yarn form Lantern Moon. We had a lovely sample in the shop during the crawl, but once it went back to Lantern Moon, it was hard to show off this yarn. So I made a sample!

The Indochine was really nice to work with...it almost felt cool in my hands, perfect for summer knitting. The pattern was pretty straight-forward, and I really like the textured stitch pattern in the middle. I had some yarn left over, and I might have kept going, but a few folks on Ravelry mentioned that they did not quite make it through a full additional repeat. Since it was a shop sample, I knit it to the pattern specifications. If I were making it for myself, I would have used up every last yard!

We had several folks trying to buy the super cool recycled paper bowls from the kits. Now that you can see what's the bowls, it's time to go grab yours!

Sunny Friday

It's a beautiful sunny day in Portland.  I hope have all had a chance to take advantage of the lovely weather.  Don't forget that Close Knit is participating in Little Boxes today, along with dozens of other local Portland shops.  We will be open until 8 PM tonight, so please come by to see us!

We have received lots of new stuff this week.  Here's the rundown.  From Malabrigo: Rasta, Worsted, and Rios.

 

The Worsted is the same good stuff you all know and love, but the Rios is new to Close Knit.  It's a plied worsted weight, and it is machine washable!  Come see it...I think you'll love it.

I used one skein of Rasta (and about two hours of my life) to make the lovely little shawlette, Ovate.  She has a larger version using two skeins, as well, and the pattern is available on Ravelry.

 

We have also loaded up on Cascade Magnum, as you can see above, and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, DK, and Baby Cashmerino.

We also received a few new books from Debbie Bliss: Simply Glen, Time for Tweed, and The Charleston Collection.  I'm loving this Two-Tone Sweater from Simply Glen.

They released new Glen colors, as well.  Check out that dark bottle green.

We have a few new colors of Twinkle Soft Chunky, including the gorgeous cranberry that many of you nabbed up the first time around.

We loved Cascade Eco Cloud so much that we order the dyed version, too, Cloud.  Love that squishy chained texture and those deep colors.

Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaints are back, too, with some of the best variegated colorways for you.

Last but not least, a whole slew of beautiful bags from Lantern Moon...perfect gift ideas.  Drop a few hints at home, and we'll make sure they get you a good one.

Have a great weekend!

Five Years! and Mondays!

Close Knit opened five years ago, and we want to celebrate with a sale for all of our wonderful customers. From Monday, November 29th through Sunday, December 5, enjoy 10% off all yarn in the shop.* Thank you so much for making Close Knit such a wonderful place to knit, shop, and work. Treat yourself to something special next week!

We will also be open on Mondays from 10-5 starting November 29th through December 20th. Hopefully, this will give you a little extra time to come in and get what you need for all of your handknit gifts. Don't forget that we are open until 10 PM every Wednesday, too.

Sally just hand-picked some lovely knitterly gifts from one of our favorite Portland companies, Lantern Moon. We have silk notion bags, the best rice baskets, brocade project boxes, silk needle cases, and much more. Perhaps treat a fellow knitter...perhaps just drop a few hints to your family and friends when you conveniently wander past the yarn store after breakfast...

*This one week sale is only on yarn, and please do not combine this offer with other discounts. Thanks!