YARN! YARN! YARN!

A lot of Cascade 220

We have new yarn!  Some big boxes of yarn arrived from Cascade, Classic Elite, and several other friendly companies.  The shop is feeling very full, with inspiration everywhere you look.  If you had a special order on the books, you should have received a call.  If you were just waiting to see what arrived, get your self down here!

Cascade Magnum

Some old friends have arrived to get you going on your fall knitting.  Magnum is a big single-ply in beautiful heathered shades.  We have a few sample sweaters knit up in this, but I prefer it for scarves, cowls, and hats.

Eco and Eco+

Eco and Eco+ are some of the best values in the shop...in any shop, for that matter.  One of these big skeins contains 478 yards for just $20.  This is a popular choice for blankets and sweaters, and it looks like some of you have already started shopping from the look of the shelf.

A fresh batch of Twinkle Soft Chunky arrived from Classic Elite.  This stuff is one of the softest big yarns there is.  I love that red and the steely gray.  Many if you used it for Sally's Seed Stitch Cowl last winter, and it's also popular for Laura Irwin's Fawn Earflap Hat from Boutique Knits.  Just one skein for the hat and two for Sally's cowl.

New from Twinkle, Baby Chunky, a slightly smaller version of Soft Chunky.  There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about the actual gauge of this yarn.  The Soft Chunky is about 1.5 to 2 stitches/inch on a US17-19, and I've seen Baby Chunky listed at about 2.5 stitches/inch on a US13.  Someone check it out and let me know.  We have some beautiful earthy colors of this one, too.

Baby Chunky on the shelf

Eco Cloud

New to the shop, Eco Cloud from Cascade.  This is another chained yarn, similar to Berroco Flicker and Rowan Lima, so the yarn actually looks a little bit like knitted i-cord.  This makes it really bouncy, sproingy, and very light.  Eco Cloud is pure alpaca, so it's also soft as a cloud.  This is the yarn used in The Purl Bee's Half Log Cabin Ombre Blanket.  I was going to make this blanket anyway, and now I have the good stuff on hand.

We received fresh copies of The Shetland Trader and Westknits Book Two.  Our beautiful sample of the Shoormal Scarf is back out for you to enjoy.  Just three balls of Rowan Cocoon to make this lovely scarf.

Ships & Seaside from Tiny Owls Knits arrived, too.  Stephanie Dosen has such a sweet wee woodland sense of style, and I think many of you will really like her stuff.  Her gorgeous oversized cowl uses Rowan Kid Classic, a wool and mohair blend that is lofty and cozy.  This is a great chance to play around with colors you might not normally choose and see if you surprise yourself.

There is more new stuff, but I don't want to give it all away at once!  Come visit us and see what else you can find.

Some Very Collectible Pattern Books

New pattern books at the shop. These are the kinds of books that are so nice to have on the shelf, whether you buy them for yourself or your favorite knitter. Aside from the beautiful designs, they are very inspiring. Published by independent designers (which is also pretty cool), they styling and photography are really something to see.

Whimsical Little Knits 1 and 2 from Ysolda Teauge.

Peaks Island Hood from WLK2, which would be gorgeous in Rowan Kid Classic.

Veyla from WLK2 in The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering. We have a nice stock of this right now.
Smith, the knitted hedgehog, also from WLK2. The same pattern done up at three different gauges yields this little family. I feel these must be knit in tweed yarn in order for true hedgehoginess to be achieved.


Westknits Book Two from Stephen West. (We also have Book One.) So many cool accessories: hats, gloves, shawls, scarves, and other items that fit into several categories. The designs will give you lots of opportunities to play with color in whatever way makes you happiest.

(I'm linking to Ravelry for these because there are no details or photos on the designer's website yet.)

Bandwidth in Tosh Vintage.

Filbert, perfect in Debbie Bliss Glen or Rowan Purelife Renew.

Honegart, perfect for Spud & Chloe Sweater.

Transatlantic in Tosh Pashmina. We plan to restock this as soon as we can, but in the meantime, I'd suggest Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight pure alpaca.

Loxley would be great in Kathmandu Aran, perhaps the softest tweed I've ever used.

The Shetland Trader from Gudrun Johnston. So beautiful. Here are a few of the designs.

Norie in The Fibre Company Savannah DK, which we have in some pretty blues and a sunny yellow.
Shoormal, Shalder, and Solan.


I have several books in my collection that just make me happy, including the two St-Denis books, anything from Helga Isager, the Mason-Dixon Knitting books, Jared Flood's Made in Brooklyn, and the Last Minute Knitted Gifts books. I plan to make a few items from these collections, but I very often pull them out and flip through if I am in need of a little creative injection.

It seems like these new arrivals might have to find a place on the happy shelf, too. What knitting books do you turn to again and again to keep you inspired?

Projects Bags, Magazines, Books, and more Firefly

We have so much new stuff in the shop this week.

The fully lined project bags from Knit Purl Sew What? are pretty fabulous. Sally chose the fabric at Bolt, the bags are made here in Portland, and we have them for you at Close Knit. Good local happiness.



The Shetland Trader Book One from Gudrun Johnston. We have a few individual patterns, too, including the Moch Cardi and Hansel, a traditional hap shawl.

Whimsical Little Knits 1 and 2 from Ysolda Teauge.

WestKnits Books One and Two. (Ravelry link with photos and details here.) There is discussion that the second might be even better than the first. Thoughts?

The brand new Interweave Knit & Spin. Details on this soon.

Interweave Summer 2011. More from that soon, too.

You people love the Firefly! We have increased our stock so everyone can make the Firefly Bias Scarf. I'm so glad you all like it.


A shelf full of Cascade Ultra Pima. So lustrous and soft.

If spring is going to keep us waiting, maybe we should knit some sunshine.

I'll be back soon with details about the books and magazines. Also dates for a beginner sock class to prepare you for the advanced stuff you all want to learn at Sock Summit. And perhaps a little surprise announcement this week? You'll have to stay posted...

Ysolda Teauge and Stephen West

I've been waiting for these new books. Ysolda Teauge is a very popular designer right now. Her collections, Whimsical Little Knits 1 and 2, contain shawls, mitts, berets, caps, booties, dolls, and critters, all with her signature style. We have a few of her patterns as individuals, too, including the Snapdragon flip-tops, Ishbel, and Damson. Stephen West designs accessories with unique and thoughtful details. I think his shawls are unlike anything out there right now. Westknits Book 1 has many shawls, scarves, slouchy hats, and beanies. I love the way the increases on Pogona are shaped to hug your shoulders. Ever since seeing this one on Ravelry, I have been wanting to knit it up in a pure silk. (Louisa Harding Mulberry would be really beautiful for this.)
We also have several of his individual patterns: Herbivore, Clockwork, Botanic Hat, and Daybreak. His shawl patterns really show off variegated yarns, so if you love sock yarn but not sock knitting, perhaps a lovely new shawl is in order.
We also have a fresh batch of needles, and we are expecting more soon. Our ball winder is back, too, so bring your yarn in if you'd like to have it wound. Stay tuned for more updates on our new goodies!