It's Here!

We have at last received a much anticipated new yarn from Garnstudio in Norway. I, for one, have really been looking forward to seeing it in real life after reading about it on the Garnstudio website. Silke Alpaca is a blend of 20% Silk and 80% Baby Alpaca and is everything I had hoped for. As expected the colours are beautiful. It can be handwashed and knits to a gauge of 17 stitches and 22 rows to 10 cms (4 inches) on a 5 mm needle. The 50 gram ball contains 60 metres. The yarn is so new that Garnstudio/Drops Design have not yet published patterns specifically for Silke Alpaca, however, all their patterns that call for either Alaska or Paris are compatible. Check out the hundreds of patterns available free on www.garnstudio.com. Silke Alpaca knits up beautifully to a soft sheen and a wonderful "hand" - just remember you will need an extra ball or so as there is less yardage than either Alaska or Paris.

Hat in Woolly Bully by Estelle

Alison and I have been madly knitting ear-flap hats in a great yarn from Estelle. A wool blend, it is beautifully soft, comes in great colours and knits up quickly on 10 mm needles. Our hats can be knitted up in an evening. Really!!!!

The pattern is available in the store or we can mail it out with the yarn. All our "made in store" patterns are free with the purchase of yarn.

Click on the picture to take a closer look.

New colours in Ethno by Zitron

A yarn from Germany that has been around for a little while, Ethno is a luxurious wool blend (85% new wool and 15 % nylon). It is hand dyed so the colour variegations are quite subtle. A 50 gram ball contains 90 metres and knits to a gauge of 14 stitches and 18 rows to 10 centimetres (4 inches) on 5 - 6 mm needles. The yarn has a slight boucle which makes for a very cozy sweater. The new colours are wonderful and the yarn lovely and soft, so whether you want to knit a scarf or a sweater, you can be sure of a successful project. For a closer look at the yarn and patterns click on the picture.

News from the "Web Master's" desk!

A lot of effort is being put into the development of our web site - especially for yarn customers.
First off: if you want to see what's "IN" in New York this winter, click on this link! Read this and other links.

Secondly: we want to make your online shopping experience more comfortable. On the way to a "real" on-line shop, I added nearly all of the shadecards to our about 200 differnt types of yarn! This makes it easier to select the right yarn and colours for your knitting project. Just klick on the yarn names in the yarn page. More information (prices, availability and which yarns are on SALE) are in the works.

Expect some more changes to happen in the next couple of days and check the web site often.

Also, now with the gift giving season upon us, I have added new product information on gift items to the different department pages. One is this this brand new Pullover Knitting Kit from Zitron for $133 - georgeous colours and great yarn quality. The kit is good for sizes up to men's size.

Have a great knitting season!
Jurgen

For the team of the Needle & Arts Centre