New from Berroco - it feels like Christmas

Christmas is close now and this is why I am late to post the arrival of these wonderful new Berroco yarns:

Ultra Alpaca - We love alpaca, and we are pleased to add this wonderful worsted weight yarn to our ever growing family. It's 50% wool and 50% alpaca blend makes it light but warm, and it works up nicely into sweaters, hats, scarves and accessories. It felts nicely, too! The 100g skein has 215 yds, making it a great buy at $10.25; free patterns for Ultra Alpaca are accessible through the shade card or Berroco's web site. See the detail photo of the Ursa sweater from pattern book #279 to the right.

Comfort - This acrylic/nylon blend has been popular with our customers in the sock and double knitting weights, and we predict it will be equally welcomed in this worsted weight. We have it in nine beautiful variegated shades. Perfect for Afghans, sweaters, kidswear and more! The 100g ball has over 200 yds and retails for $6.95.

Cuzco - Similar to Ultra Alpaca, Cuzco is a slightly heavier chunky weight version. We immediately fell in love with the sample jacket (Cosima, the cover sweater from pattern book #281, see picture), and have had more than one customer do the same. It's a perfect blend of 50% superfine alpaca and 50% Peruvian wool, and retails for $10.75 for the 100g skein (130 yds). See shade card. Great for sewaters, blankets and accessories. Yummy!

Berroco Sox Metallic - A great new sock yarn with a bit of "bling". This is the same weight and fiber content as regular Berroco Sox, but has an added metallic strand that gives a glint of glitter. Fun for socks with a bit of glam to them, also for other accessories such as wristers, hats or scarves. Make a cute shell for under your favourite jacket for an upcoming special occasion! The 100g skein has 380 yds and retails for $18.95. See shade card.

Knit a pair of Wristers now!

We just got this new yarn from Lana Grossa in, and the first thing Inge did with it is to knit a pair of Wristers (aka fingerless gloves) as a gift for one of our daughters in law. email us for a free pattern!

Chiara is an incredibly soft mohair blend that knits up to a sport weight. The rayon gives this yarn a sheen and adds to the slight halo effect of the mohair, and you've got a blend that is perfect for hats, scarves and other delicious accessories.

The wristers Inge is working on right now is a "must have" accessory for this season and a fast little gift.
The 50g ball of Chiara has 190 meters and retails for $14.25. See the shade card.

"This is it!!" will it ever end??

This is what Alison said when she gave me the list of the latest yarns which we got in. Let's see if these were the last for this year. Enough for all these fall and winter projects and again, beautiful and timeless colours! Click on photo to enlarge!

From Classic Elite: Fresco - A lovely, sport weight blend of wool, baby alpaca and angora. A yummy yarn for baby knits, accessories and sweaters. The 50g skein has 164 yds and retails for $10.95. Here is the shade card.

From Classic Elite: Silky Alpaca Lace - Lace knitters rejoice, as we have many new and exciting yarns for you, including this fingering weight alpaca & silk blend. Lovely for shawls, scarves, baby knits, even socks! The 50g ball has 460 yards and retails for $10.50. Check the shade card.

From Schachenmayr: Manifesto - A terrific new self-striping yarn that knits up to a chunky weight. It's an easy care blend of superwash wool; acrylic and viscose make it perfect for children's wear, sweaters and accessories. The 50g ball has 72 metres & retails for $6.95. Beautiful shades.

Gift Ideas for Christmas

Inge is producing a series of attractive knitted hats. A hat every night, that makes ?? till Christmas - as samples for the store and eventually they'll become gifts for "the kids" - maybe I get one, too.

The hat with decorative earflaps is knit in Vero Tweed, also the diagonally knit scarf. Ask her for the pattern.

The other two with cables and more are knit after free patterns from Estelle. The grey/brown one in Granite and the grey/pink one in Nimbus, both wonderfully soft.

Top Yarn Designs by Kaffe Fassett

NEW from Regia:

These beautiful new colour worlds "out of this world" are perfect for socks, but also for sweaters and more. See the new Regia pattern books which come with them.

Galaxy "Saturn" - for a true "out of this world sock knitting experience we recommend this new yarn. A unique yarn with a self-striping pattern that evokes the shape of ovals, arrows and spirals. Each of the twelve colorways is named after rings of the Saturn system and make it a "stellar" yarn sock. The 100g ball retails for $17.25 and at 420 metres is enough for the average pair of adult socks.

Kaffe Fassett Design Line - Designer Kaffe Fassett created the "Mirage", "Landscape" and Exotic color inspirations exclusively for Regia."It was quite a challenge for me to create a new self-striping yarn for Regia. It was a wonderful experience in my career. I hope all knitting enthusiasts will have fun knitting and experiencing my color inspirations" says Kaffe Fassett.

Check the shade cards for all our new Regia sock yarns: the Design Line, Design Line Color and Exotic Color. Some of the yarns are 4-ply and some 6-ply. All come on 50g balls and retail for $8.50.

Last not least: We already had Regia Softy sock yarn in our store since February, now Regia added lush variegated colours as Softy Color for the same price of $9.95. Here is the updated shade card.

Check some of the new Regia design books here!

NEW Brand in Store: Classic Elite

One of our main suppliers has now taken over distribution of the Classic Elite yarns which you find featured in all knitting magazines. This means that we could virtually supply you with all their yarn lines. We started with this one:

Lush - Oooooh so soft! A divine combination of wool and Angora made in Peru, that knits up to a chunky weight. Sweaters, hats, scarves, even kid's knits ... Lush would be lovely for any and all of them. Surprisingly affordable for an angora blend too, Lush retails for $12.95 for the 124 yds, 50 g skein. See the shades here.

There are two quality Fall knitting books from Classic Elite available which offer patterns for Lush and other yarns, and which you can find in our store or in the web site.

NEW Yarns from Alpaca With A Twist!

In case you haven't heard, we love Alpaca, and if you give it a try, you'll love it, too (and the very special and affectionate Alpaca creatures as well)!

Socrates - is a new sock yarn made from a blend of baby alpaca, merino wool, bamboo and a touch of nylon for added strength. This lovely yarn isn't just for socks, though; try it for your lace work, baby knits or any other design that vcalls for fingering weight yarn. The 100g skein has great yardage with 400 yds and retails for $18.95. Check out the shades.

Mojito - A great new variegated 100% baby alpaca yarn that knits up to an aran weight. Perfect for hats, scarves, sweaters and accessories. The 100g skein has 145 yds and retails for $24.95. We love the colours!

Temptation - The name says it all with this one! A dreamy blend of alpaca and silk makes this worsted weight yarn a great choice for warm winter sweaters, shawls and accessories. The 50g, 109 yard skein retails for $10.95. Check out the shade card.

A Bunch of NEW Yarns from Estelle

Estelle is one of our suppliers, with yarns under their own brand name and they also distribute other brands with good names. This is what we got in October:

Meilenweit Sunset from Lana Grossa - A new member of the popular Meilenweit sock yarn family. Sunset comes in gorgeous variegated colour combinations with longer lengths of colour, giving your sock a lovely striped effect, as you see in the shade card. The 100g ball retails for $16.95.

Cloud Cotton from Estelle - We already enjoyed the Cloud Cotton Eco yarn in natural colours and now brought in more shades of the dyed version. We also got several free patterns for this yarn in store (see picture)!

Big Value Baby 4 Ply from King Cole - In response to customer requests for a fingering weight 100% acrylic yarn for baby knits, we have brought in this yarn in several baby-friendly colours. This yarn knits up to a gauge of 28 sts over 10cm, so use it for your older Patons or Pinquoin patterns, or with newer patterns that call for this weight. Each 100g ball retails for $7.25 and offers 400m. See the shades.

Pastaza from Cascade Yarns - A luscious blend of 50% Llama/50% Wool made in Peru that knits up to a chunky weight. This yarn's next-to-skin softness makes it perfect for sweaters, hats, scarves and accessories. Nice for felting, too! Each 100g skein has 132 yards and retails for $9.25 - here is the shade card.

Introducing Coulourscape Chunky by Kaffe Fassett

He made it again: Renowned British designer Kaffe Fassett lends his remarkable ability to combine colours to this beautiful line of handdyed 100% lambswool yarn.

Colourscape Chunky by Rowan - It has a longer colour repeat, so it changes more gradually as you knit. Colourscape Chunky is put up on 100g skeins, offering 160 meters for $27.95. This is the shade card. As the name suggests, it knits up to a chunky weight, so it works up quickly. This yarn truly has to be seen to be appreciated.

While you are in store, be sure to check the stunning designs offered in "The Colourscape Chunky Collection". You find this book also in our web site. Inge has knit up the "Valour" pattern from this book (photo) and you can see it here.

NEW from Misti Alpaca

I'm not at the finish line yet with all our new fall yarns and just love the colours! I have in hand a soft and colourful skein of

Hand Paint Sock Yarn Fingering - "dyed to the stitch" they say: A lovely alpaca blend, also done in a handpainted style. If you haven't tried knitting socks with alpaca yarn, we would recommend you try it. Many of our customers who have, say they are warmer and more comfortable than those made from traditional wool sock yarn. This one also features added silk and nylon for strength and durability. The 100g skein has 400 (!) meters, enough for a pair of average adult sized socks, and retails for $19.95. See the swatch shade card and also the swatch to the right!

NEW from Marks & Kattens

ECO Ull and ECO Multi Ull - A new 100% wool, with minimum 20% Merino, that is "eco friendly". It knits to a chunky weight and comes in 7 natural plus several variegated colours. It has a put up of 80 meters per 50g skein. A great "organic" look with a soft touch!

The plain version (shade card) sells for $6.50, and the variegated "multi" version (shade card) retails for $6.75. We have in stock several patterns for this yarn as well.

NEW from Zitron

Nimbus Multi - A beautiful, hand dyed 100% organic Merino that knits to an aran weight. Nimbus is the successor of our Loft yarn, except that it's certified organic now. Lovely for sweaters, scarves and accessories. A 50g ball offers 100 meters for $15.50. Check the shade card. Inge is just knitting a touque and loves the yarn.

NEW from Kertzer and Stylecraft

Northern Chunky - A new heavier version of Kertzer's popular Northern Worsted. This 100% acrylic yarn comes in great variegated shades and will work with any chunky pattern. Perfect for sweaters, afghans, kidswear and accessories. The big 200g ball (!) boasts 300 meters and retails for only $9.95! Check the shade card.

Accent Worsted - An acrylic and wool blend in a worsted weight with an impressive price! We're not naming names, but this 75% acrylic/25%wool blend yarn is a great choice for any "decor". Perfect for sweaters, afghans and accessories. The 110g ball comes in several solid and heathered shades and has 200 meters. It retails for $4.95. Here is the shade card.

Pure Luxury Merino - The luxury of merino wool at an affordable price. The next-to-the-skin softness of this DK weight yarn makes it perfect for baby and children's wear. The 50 g ball has 119yds and retails for $8.25. Beautiful shades and the Stylecraft book #602 presents a stylish baby collection of contemporary designs for babies from birth to 24 months ($11.95).

NEW from Misti Alpaca

Hand Paint Worsted - A new hand painted version of Misti's popular alpaca yarn, this time in worsted weight. It's perfect for sweaters, baby items and accessories. Each 100g skein has 200 meters and sells for $22.50; the shade card doesn't give you the exact colours.

Alison tried this yarn with an easy lace pattern that works nicely into a scarf. Ask us for the pattern!

NEW Baby yarns from Shepherd Yarns

We extended our large selection of baby yarns by these two fine products from New Zealand:

Baby Wool 4 Ply - A new fingering weight pure wool baby yarn that is mashine washable. This is a great yarn substitute for some of the older Penguin and Paton's children's designs that call for a fingering weight yarn. Each 50g ball offers 165 meters and retails for $6.95 - check the shade card.

Baby Velvet DK - A fun, double knitting yarn that looks like a cross between a chenille and bouclee. This is a wool.nylon blend that is machine washable, making it perfect for baby and kid's wear. Each 50g skein has 117 meters and retails for $6.95. Here is the shade card.

We have in stock several lovely patterns for this yarn as well, as for example this Moss Stitch Sweater with Crew Neck. Ask for the pattern ($6.25).

NEW Alpaca Yarn from SandnesGarn

Mini Alpakka - This is a lighter weight version of our popular Alpakka yarn which knits up to a light sports weight (about 27 sts to 10cm on 3mm needles). 100% alpaca yarns such as this are a great choice for almost any person, even those who have trouble with other natural fibers like wool and mohair. As a result it's a wonderful yarn for sweaters, accessories and children's knits. Each 50g skein has 150 m and retails for $7.50. Here you see the shade card.

Look in our store for SandnesGarn book #0806, which offers 15 patterns for this yarn!

NEW from Nashua Handknits

Geologie - A yummy blend of mohair, wool and acrylic that knits up quickly in a chunky weight. It's colour changes subtly as you work with it, giving you a beautiful handdyed look that is perfect for scarves, shawls and other accessories. It would work beautifully as a bolero or cardigan, too. Each 50g skein offers an impressive 130 meters and retails for $11.45. Here are the shades.

Granite - A tweedy wool and acrylic blend that knits to chunky weight. The subtle colour variances in this yarn reminds us of the colour of the rockface as we drive the Sea to Sky Highway (in BC). A lovely yarn for sweaters, vests and other cool weather knits. The 50 g skein has 75 meters and reteils for $9.95. Check the shade card! See the Granite sweater to the right, which you can see in our store. It's a Raglan Cardigan with Tie and the book is available in the store or in our web site.

Creative Focus Brushed Alpaca - Love the look and feel of mohair, but have trouble with the "itch" factor? This may be the yarn for you. This gorgeous 100% Alpaca yarn has been brushed to give it the look of mohair while still retaining the "next to skin" softness of Alpaca. It knits to a chunky weight and is a great buy, with 173 meters per 50g ball. It retails for $9.95 and has these wonderful shades.

We also have several new patern books with design support for these new yarns.

Bestseller!

We sold Sally Melville's knitting books for quite a while but only after Pam knit the Einstein Coat for herself and the Baby Albert Coat for her grand child, and displayed them in our store, we had to reorder the books a couple of times!

These patterns are both in Book 1: The Knitting Stitch. You find all three books (newly adjusted prices!) in our web site/book page. As Pam says: even a very experienced knitter finds interesting knitting tips in these excellent books.

The Einstein Coat was knit in Alafoss Lopi and the Baby Albert Coat (which actually can be more colourful as well) in Smart Superwash. There is also a pattern for the very colourful Baby Albert Bunting in this book, which Inge knit for our new born baby girl.

Fall is here - NEW from Trendsetter

Though we hate to admit it, we are inmidst of fall. One of the beauties of this season is the world being painted in a new set of colours. Many of the new yarns we get in are contributing to this colour variety which will help us get through the darker part of the year. This one is new to our store, although successfully around for a while.

Dune - A mohair blend from Trendsetter. This chunky weight yarn is a beautiful variegated blend of mohair, wool and viscose, which gives it some added sheen. We can't wait to try it in a scarf! Perfect for accessories such as shawls, hats and gloves as well. The 50g skein retails for $18.50. Here is the large selection of shades.

NEW from Schulana

Merino Superlight - A soft merino blend yarn with a unique cable construction, a featherlight icord wool. This beautiful yarn will knit up with the speed of a chunky weight without the bulk. Perfect for sweaters, hats, scarves and accessories. It retails for $12.95 for a 50g ball (90m). Here is the shade card.

Schulana's latest magazine, Créalana No.23 features several designs for this and other Schulana yarns we carry.

NEW Yarn from Naturally

Loyal - a new machine washable, DK weight wool for those knitters and crocheters who prefer the beauty of pure wool, but like the easy care of superwash, making it perfect for children and babies wear. Each 50g ball retails for $5.25, here are the shades.

We wind your skeins for you!

A Swift and Ball Winder is now available for our valued customers. We are happy to wind skeins into centre pull balls for you - or you do it yourself!

OOOOOOOOOOH! Great Andirondack Yarn

We got exciting new yarns in from The Great Andirondack Yarn Co. in Amsterdam, New York. As Alison says: This yarn has the "ooooh" factor built into it, and has to be seen and felt to be appreciated. Each skein is hand dyed in a variety of colours (we started with four) and fibers (three so far).

Sierra - a chunky 100% Alpaca yarn that comes in 600 yard skeins (about 230g) which retail for $58.95; see our four shades.
Clouds - a beautiful "cloudy" mohair blend with metallic fibre spun into it for scarf knitters. See the available shades.
Bella - has some nylon, rayon and metallic fibers added to kid mohair for a really luxurious mix. See shades in the picture to the left.
This yarn must be seen to be appreciated, so stop by!

NEW from Harrisville Designs

New England Highland - We recently brought in several Harrisville Designs (aran knitters take note!) and their aran to worsted weight yarn: New England Highland. Available in many heathered shades, this 100% wool is perfect for aran sweaters or designs calling for a worsted weight yarn.

We ordered it in seven beautiful shades and can't wait to try it out. This yarn gives a great value for your dollar, as each 200 yard skein retails for $10.00. Here are the seven shades.

We also received several lovely designs that complement this yarn. Make this classic "Village Raglan", pattern #738, for as little as $60,00!

NEW from Classic Elite Yarns / Jil Eaton

MinnowMerino - Anyone who has knit for young children is probably familiar with Jil Eaton's line, MinnowKnits.

We are pleased to now carry several of her patterns, plus her new yarn line, MinnowMerino. It's an aran weight superwash merino wool in bright, friendly colours. Each 50g skein has 77 yards/77m and retails for $10.50; see the MinnowMerino shade card. Pictured to the right is pattern #206 "Block and Roll"

It's Stella!

A couple of months ago we were all hype about our first grand child to arrive, and believe me, Inge and our staff and friends were knitting A LOT. Especially after Stella was born mid of August and the colours were easier to decide on. Here is our precious little addition to our family.

Inge is going to visit her in Edmonton this week and the last two projects she will have in her suitcase are these soft little somethings. The purple "ribbed jacket" is taken from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss, see our book list. The pattern for the white/pink combination is available on request. Both are knit in Drops Silke Alpaca, Funny yarn added to the latter.

NEW from Berroco

Peruvia and Peruvia Colors - A beautiful aran weight yarn made from 100% Peruvian Highland Wool for next to the skin softness. Peruvia is dyed in solid shades with a slight heathered effect, and Peruvia Colors is dyed in gorgeous variegated shades. Click the shade cards for Peruvia and Peruvia Colors!

Both come in generous 100g skeins with 160m/174 yds. A great price too, at only $8.50 a skein for the solids and $10.50 for the colours. We also have in stock many of the new Berroco pattern books for fall, including #276 Geode & Jasper, #277 Peruvia (see right), #278 Comfort Home, #279 Ultra Alpaca, #280 Sockcetera and #281 Cuzco & Peruvia

NEW from James C.Brett/Kertzer

Marble Chunky - The DK version of this yarn, Marble, has proven so popular, that the manufacturers have come up with a chunky version. Like the original, this wonderful yarn has the look and feel of wool with the easycare of acrylic, and comes in a number of colourways in a marbled effect. Check the shade card.

It's a great value too, as each 200g ball has 312 m and retails for only $12.25. We have a great children's pattern book with several nice designs that only use 2 balls! (SRK415, $ 4.25 - see left)

Check out the free earflap hat pattern available in store or on the Kertzer web site.

New in Store, from Nancy's Knitknacks

We got this at the beginning of Summer 2008 and our customers just love these knitting helpers:

Color Wheel and Color Palettes Book: Take the guesswork out of choosing colour combinations with this handy tool developed by Nancy Shroyer. Use the wheel and accompanying book to find colour combinations for your knitting and other fiber arts projevts. Retails for $18 only.

Double Point WiP Tubes - Keeps your works in progress (WiP) protected with these ingenious telescopic protector tubes. Socks stay secure and on your needles every time! A set of two tubes retails for $9.00

Double Point Needle Tube - Protect and store your double point needles with these telescopic tubes. Each tupe can hold five needles up to 10 inches in length. A set of four tubes retails for $6.50

Project Kards - Keep track of your projects with these handy information cards. Each card includes space for you to record who the project was for, yarn used, he pattern and more. A great way to record your finished knitted and crocheted items. A bag of ten cards retails for $5.00

Circular Needles ID Tags - A great way to identify your circulars! Each bag includes 29 ID tags, and comes in two sizes: small (2-4.25 mm) and large (4.5 - 19 mm). Retails for $8.00 per bag.

New from Berroco

Bonsai - Enjoy the beauty and versatility of bamboo with this lovely worsted weight yarn. Bonsai is a ribbon yarn with a binder that adds a beautiful sheen, making it ideal for sweaters and accessories. It retails for $6.50 for a 50g skein. Berroco also sent us two pattern books, bonsai #255 (right) and #271, filled with lightweight designs for our upcoming summer season. Here is the shade card.

Comfort Sock - For those who love handknit socks but have trouble wearing wool, we are pleased to now have available an all nylon and acrylic blend yarn in sock weight . Great colours, and a great price too - each 100g ball retails for only $7.95! Check the shade card here.

DROPS Big Fabel

This is our our exciting thick sock yarn in 100g balls, 75% wool superwash / 25% polyamide.

Due to popular demand, and stemming from the the success of our Fabel sock yarn all over the world, we are now introducing DROPS Big Fabel. Big Fabel is produced in the same fine quality as the ever popular DROPS Fabel, but is spun thicker and with 4 threads. Big Fabel is spun with thick winter socks in mind, but is a very versatile, all-round yarn and will be used for gloves, hats, bags, and accessories, as well as for Jackets and Sweaters. Check the shade card!
DROPS Big Fabel has a popular gauge with a lot of pattern support. All patterns in Alaska, Silke-Alpaca and Paris can be used.The picture to the right is not knitted with Big Fabel, but shows a typical design for this yarn.

Boy or Girl?

Our grand child is expected in August and all we know so far is that "it's a baby". That doesn't stop Inge from going through our baby pattern books and picking her projects. Lovely little pieces have already been created and the expecting mom who visited us a week ago is happy and thrilled.

Inge knit this beautifully simple Raglan Sweater with soft, rolling edges and fully fashioned detailing on the raglan shaping, from Debbie Bliss "the baby knits book", with our perfect Debbie Bliss substitute Rowan Classic Yarns: Cashsoft Aran. The cashmere content of the yarn makes it wonderfully soft against a baby's skin. Inge added the cute little sheeps and needle felted their bodies to make the sweater look more baby like... Check the yarn's shade card! You may order book and yarn from www.needlenart.com/id20.html !

Alison did this sharp little Polo Pullover "Kieran" by Holli Yeoh (Bee's Knees Pattern) with 3 balls of Stella yarn from Naturally (100% Bamboo) as main colour and 2 balls of Regia Silk Color (self patterning sock yarn with silk), which creates a Fair Isle effect on the collar and sleeves. Needles: 2.0 and 2.5. The size fits 1-2 years and it's really warm and cosy for a spring or fall day! Find the shade cards here: Stella and Regia Silk Color, and order pattern and yarn from us!

Put a little sparkle in your life..

Put a little sparkle in your life - with Lumina, the lovely new DK weight yarn from renowned Australian designer Jo Sharp.

Jo Sharp's new glamorous slinky 'Lumina' yarn is a luxurious blend of cotton and viscose, with an explosion of lustrous sequins, like stars in the night, stranded into the yarn. It's perfect for bags, scarves, shawls or evening wear. Check the shade card!

We also have in stock Jo Sharp's magazine, "knit" Issue 4, which includes several designs for Lumina.

New: Bee's Knees Knits

We are pleased to now carry the children's line of Canadian knitting patterns "Bee's Knees Knits" by designer Holli Yeoh.

Her innovative designs combine the magic of self-striping sock yarns with solid colors to create distinctive knits for the little ones in your life. Visit her web site at http://www.beeskneesknits.ca/ and order the patterns from us!

This is a photo of the "Avery" pattern: this playful pullover has blocks of colour on the front that coordinate with the Fair Isls-like patterned sleeves. Corrugated ribbing ties it all together.

How do you like this "Elephant Foot"?

Is this knitting fun, or what?

Felting projects are still well "en vogue", and with so many beautiful wool around and creative knitters inventing new patterns and creations all the time, the possibilities seem endless.

We got a number of NONI patterns in and Inge tried out this "Dr. Seuss-ish Elephant Foot". These bags are worked in the round, in one piece, knitted from top down. It looked harmless at first, then turned out to be more of a sleeping bag, but in the end after felting the result was a well sized and eye catching shoulder bag!

A nice change in between baby projects...

Grandma -- HELP!

Over time we come across so many useful conversion tables, terms and abreviation lists, gadgets etc that we decided to put them all together in one handy Help/Support page. Try the link!

And if you have more or better tools than offered here, please let me know at support@needlenart.com. Thank You! Jurgen

Baby talk - Baby knit

Inge always has at least five knitting projects on the go. Lately, after learning that our oldest son and his wife will have a baby in August, she light heartedly and fully excited added a couple of baby projects on top. And - miracles happen, she will beat me for this - this little "Kids Color Block Cardigan" and Baby Hat (bottom on the photo) are finished and just wait for the baby (to be a year old).

Pam did the same pattern from the book "OneSkein - 30 quick projects to knit and crochet" by Leigh Radford. Pam used Schoeller + Stahl Wonderwool (51% wool and 49% acrylic) on 6 mm needles, whereas Inge used our Trendsetter Tonalita (52% wool and 48% acrylic) on 5 mm needles.

It started quite a hype here and more customers and friends started this easy and cute, colourful asymetric pattern.

Book ($19.95) and yarns (see shadecards Wonderwool and Tonalita) can be bought/ordered in our store.

just briefly

I don't want to bother you with too many new yarns and rather write about our in-store projects - which will follow today.

We just got in from Alpaca with a Twist: Punch!

Alison writes: Add some "Punch" to your knitting with this lovely new yarn. An alpaca/nylon blend, Punch works up to a sport weight and would work well in sweaters, scarves and accessories. It's exceptional softness makes it perfect for babies as well. Each 50g ball retails for $8.25 and boasts 127 yards. See the shade card here.

And - I nearly "forgot" these 2 exceptional sock yarns: On Your Toes 4-ply and On Your Toes Bamboo. The latter one is our only (soft!!!!) sock yarn from Bamboo and nylon. Click on the names for the shade cards.

New: Online Waist Shaping Calculator

This came today from KnittingDaily, for curvy Waist Shaping:

This little wonder widget takes you through the steps of Waist Shaping and does the math for you! It asks you for all the pertinent information: stitch and row gauge, hip/waist/bust measurements, desired ease, and the necessary vertical measurements, then gives you stitch counts, row counts, and fills in the blanks for such things as "work decrease row every X row Y times."

Click below and get also more information about using this calculator.

Knit'n Bitch groups - an update

Dear knitters, here comes an update regarding our Knit'n Bitch times and workshops.
First off, the Knit'n Bitch dates are now set to:

• second Thursday of the month, 2-4 pm, knitting and socializing
• third Thursday of the month, 2-4 pm, for knitting club plus workshops
• last Friday of the month, 6:30-9 pm, knitting and socializing.

We had a great feedback for the evening as well for the afternoon sessions. Also, Pam's first workshop on "Finishing Techniques" went over very well. Now, Pam came up with a series of more workshops for the upcoming months, and we already got first members signed up (fee to Pam is $10). Here comes a selection of workshops:

• Knitting socks on 2 circular needles
• Lace Knitting
• Handed Fair Isle in the Round
• Moebius Scarf
• Socks on 4/5 needles
• Felting
• Cables.

Attention: Knitting Club members who are coming for the Knit'n Bitch part only and don't want to participate in the workshop are welcome. They don't pay the workshop fee and don't get the hand-out. Please sign up for the workshops as the number of participants is limited. See you at the next Knit'n Bitch!!

Remember: Our knitting groups require no membership fee, and during group sessions participants get a 15% discount on yarn and knitting accessories!

ROWAN, Cascade and Shepherd

After a number of new yarns from Berroco and Regia, we got several new brands in to round up our large selection of yarns for hand knitting and crocheting:

from Shepherd Yarns in Australia: Shepherd Classic 100% Wool - a versatile 100% wool yarn that will knit to either a DK or worsted weight. A great choice for sweaters, accessories, and perfect for felting. We just received a shipment with over thirty colours, so come check it out or check the shade card. Each 100g ball boasts 200 meters and retails for only $6.95. This yarn is an affordable replacement for our Patons Classic Merino line.

from Cascade Yarns: Cascade 220 Heathers and Cascade 220 Hand Paints, made in Peru - a long time favorite for felters, we are pleased to now stock this lovely, worsted weight 100% Peruvian Highland wool in a range of heathered and variegated colours. Not just for felting, this yarn also works well for sweaters, hats and other wearables. Each 100g skein boasts an impressive 200 meters (220 yards) and retails for $7.95 (heathers) and $9.25 (hand paints). Cascade is perfect for the range of Noni felted bags we now carry as well.

from ROWAN Classic Yarns: Cashsoft Aran - a luxurious aran weight blend of wool and cashmere that is a pleasure to knit and wear. The 50g ball has 87 meters and retails for $8.50. See the shade card.

from ROWAN: kidsilk haze - a versatile mix of 70% Super Kid Mohair and 30%Silk which can be cleverly adapted to create a lustrous, cobweb like finish of knitted double to create a fabric with more substance. The 25 g ball boasts 210 meters and retails for $14.95. See shade card.