Our First Yarn Tasting was a Success!

A couple of weeks ago, we had our first very well received Yarn Tasting of several but not all of the new Fall/Winter yarns. On November 6 we'll have the second Yarn Tasting. Please let us know which ones you'd like to check out in our store!

The first Yarn Tasting was well attended by 13 customers. They tested/tasted (fuzzy!) 13 yarns, some of them had been already stocked in the store for a while but were widely unnoticed. Some customers found yarns by trying, which they were always looking for. The participants knitted swatches for each yarn, which they passed around, together with an evaluation sheet.

Here is the list of tasted yarns:

• Alpaca Silk ; Baby Alpaca and Silk; silky, yummy, good yardage, firm and soft
• Evviva Colour ; Wool and Acrylic; fluffy, colourful, busy, fairly high priced
• Schulana Pacolana ; Wool, Alpaca and Microfibre; spongy soft, very cozy, good yardage
• Maggi's Linen ; Cotton and Linen; earthy, very fine, a bit rough
• Eskimo ; 100% Wool; spongy, soft, well priced, warm, good for felting
• Cincilla ; Wool, acrylic, polyamide; fuzzy, cuddly, elegant
• Polo ; Cotton, Acrylic; love it, excellent, smooth, fairly priced
• Tara Tweed ; Wool and Nylon; light, nice to knit, cozy
• Mosco ; Viscose, Mohair and Nylon; shiny, silky soft, pretty, a bit expensive
• Aran Tweed ; Merino and Wool; tweedy, soft, rustic, soft and firm
• Riana Big Color ; Wool, Acrylic and Viscose; fluffy, plush, tweedy, easy, earth tones
• Remix ; recycled Nylon, Cotton, Acrylic, Silk, Linen; tweedy, very soft, gorgeous earth tones
• Baby Merino ; extra fine wool superwash; lovely soft, creamy, luxurious, good value

Don't forget the next yarn tasting on November 6 at 1:30 pm!

New Fall Yarns 2010 - Overview!

Glad to be back, it's been a while since our last posting.

In the meantime, the new Fall yarns have arrived, which is a clear indication that Summer has come to a close. New colourful yarns will brighten up the darker months ahead of us and their incredible softness will keep us cozy, while the new fancy ones will lift our spirits.

All together we've got - can you believe it - 25 new yarn lines ... Alison did great write-ups for all of them which gives the best overview in one document ... Read More!

Iced for cool Summer days

Alison found this FREE pattern in the knitty web site and since the "Iced Beauty" cardigan is knit in our Garnstudio Drops "Ice" (55% cotton, 45% acrylic), she liked me to post this information. Download or print the pattern, pick a shade from our Ice shade card, and order the yarn from us!

This is meant to be a not too warm cardigan for cooler days ahead of us, and sitting in this heat wave right now we can only dream of these days.... But we wanted the summer to finally kick in. Enjoy weather and knit on!

Our babies will appreciate this!

Over the last couple of weeks we got new baby yarns and patterns. Wonderful colours sitting on my desk, see photo. After having experienced our newly born grand daughter Chloe for a week beginning of May, even a guy's heart can warm up for cute kids patterns.

Jill Eaton Cottontail

New yarn fron Classic Elite: famed knitwear designer Jil Eaton (Minnowknits) has expanded her own yarn line with the addition of this aran weight cotton. The perfect choice for baby and children's knits, Cottontail is easy care, machine wash and dry, plus comes in a stunning array of bright colours. Use it in any of Jill's patterns that call for aran weight yarn. 90 yards per 50g ball, Cottontail sells for $9.25.

It's great for Sassy Skein patterns, too.

Filatura Di Crosa Baby: Bubble and Bubble Print

This is a novelty yarn at its fines in this fun new chunky weight yarn. A blend of superwash Merino and Polyamid, Bubble features a ladder stitch with evenly spaced tufts of yarn which add interest to your project. Add some fun to your baby and children's knits, or try it alone in a scarf or hat. Available in both solid or variegated colours, the 50g skein has 95 meters and retails for $11.95 (solids) or $12.95 (variegated).

The sun is shining...

Here's Alison's newest:
"The sun is shining,
so it seems fitting,
to sit on your deck
and do some spring and summer knitting!"

She also writes this: It's a sure sign of spring when the new colourful yarns are arriving. Here some great ones to get excited about:

From Schulana: Sierra
A double knitting cotton blend, dyed to give the effect of your favourite sock yarn. Sierra is a cotton/silk blend for softness and strength. We can see it working up as a great summer tank top, baby hat, or even a perfect pair of summer socks. Pamper yourself! The 50g ball has 110 meters and retails for $9.95. See shade card.

From Filatura di Crosa: Lovely Jeans
Get the look and feel of your favourite pair of jeans with this fabulous new cotton. The label says it works as chunky weight, but we suspect it would be great knit as an aran weight, too. Great colours and the comfort of cotton make this yarn a great choice for children's wear and spring/summer wearables. The 50g ball has 85 meters and retails for $9.95. Check the shade card. Be sure to check out the patterns designed for this yarn in two new publications: Filatura di Crosa "Cute Kids" and "Lovely Jeans". See this Chain Stitch Pullover from the book Lovely Jeans!

Other new pattern books from Filatura di Crosa, both for Spring 2010, are the "Classics" and "Fancy" Collections. See our book page. We are pleased to see that both books feature several crochet patterns in addition to their knitted ones.

From Schoppel Wolle: In-Silk
The luxury of silk is combined perfectly with the softness of Merino Wool in this gorgeous aran weight yarn that is a dream to work with. We see it as a hat and fingerless glove set, or in a shawl or sweater. A lady sweater size S requires 500g. Silk touches the wool while felting. It's an evenly smooth yarn in bright colours. The 100g skein is made up of 75% wirgin merino wool and 25% silk, and has an impressive 200 meters. In-Silk retails for $23.95 - see the beautiful shades.

From Riverstone Yarns: Mohair
We are pleased to see that mohair is making a comeback, and we are in love with this new worsted weight yarn that is made in South Africa and hand-dyed in Creston, British Columbia. Exceptionally soft, this yarn features a touch of wool and nylon for strength. The 2 ounce skein has 110 yards and retails for $16.25, the colour and texture has to be seen to be appreciated! There is no shade card yet, so come visit us to see this and all the other yarns, in parson.

Baby Snug and Hat

Alison found this pattern: Snug, An (Almost) Seamless Baby Hoodie, on Ravelry. It's a great pattern for an almost seamless baby hoodie knit out of less than one ball of a great new yarn, Cascade Eco Wool: http://www.needlenart.com/Shadecards/EcoWool.html
The front and back of the sweater are knit in one piece sideways, then the front lapel and hood are picked up and knit as one piece. Ingenious use of scrap yarns allows the sleeves to be knit right on to the body as well. It's a fun and fast knit, and teaches you some neat techniques too.

You must be a member of Ravelry to download the pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/. Ravelry is a free site for knitters and crocheters, and one of the most comprehensive sites online. If you're not a member already, please join, and visit our store group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/needle--arts-centre
You can find the pattern on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/snug-9
If you have trouble accessing the pattern, please email us.

The accompanying hat was designed by Alison, and is a very easy knit. The pattern is available in store, or email us for it.

Alison made both the snug and the hat from one skein of Cascade Eco Wool, for just Can$16.95!

That's GRANDE: one ball, one night, one hat

We offer these little bags containing one ball of Schulana Grande and a pattern flyer with 4 Beanie patterns. One ball of this soft bulky yarn (100g = 55m, 100% Virgin Wool), knit on a set of double pointed needles size 10mm (US15) makes one cable beanie in just one evening!

The yarn comes in a rainbow of bright colours - just right to bring some light into these darker winter days! Price: $21.95 Can.

New products from REGIA

With all the new books and yarns (click to get the lists of the new products) in September, I nearly forgot to announce two handy dandy products from Regia.

Regia ABS Latex - You can now create your own non-slip socks with this Latex product which comes in three colours, red, blue and black and is without Ammoniak.

Anyone who has tried wearing socks or slippers on hardwood flooring knows the importance of a good grip. Now you can add it to the bottom of any sock or slipper. The latex boes on like glue (it comes with a handy template collection), then quickly dries, creating a rubber-like surface with excellent grip. The 100ml bottle will do several pairs and retails for $13.25.

Regia 4-ply Color Sock Yarn "Flusi the Sock Monster"

This fun sock yarn comes with a little kids booklet by Bine Braendle, which also includes basic sock knitting instructions and a size table for children's socks.

The Regia "Flusi" sock yarn has shorter repeats especially for children's socks. Come see our samples. The 50g ball (210m) retails for $8.45; the yarn is made from 75% wool and 25% Polyamide and is machine washable. Here is the funniest shade card!

New Books - New Baby Yarn

Knitting More Circles around Socks - Author Antje Gillingham shows you step-by-step how to knit two socks at a time on circular needles. Great pattern support too, with directions on making several designs in either the toe up or cuff down method, Retails for $31.95

The Easy "Learn to Knit" in Just One Day - Want a quick and easy way to learn to knit? This may just be the book for you. Great diagrams combined with easy to follow instructions make getting started a breze. It also includes several great patterns that any beginner knitter would enjoy as a first project. Retails for $20.25.

New from Filature di Crosa:

Zarine Baby Print - Filatura di Crosa recently revamped the popular DK version of this yarn, Zara, and we are now pleased to also carry this lighter sportweight version. Zarina is a 100% extra fine merino wool, with the added feature of being superwash, meaning it can be machine washed! Zarina Baby Print (click for shade card) comes in variegated shades, making it the perfect choice for baby and children's wear. It comes in 50g balls, for $9.95, and has 165 metres.

Come Summer, Come Fall

New Yarns!! means already Fall yarns these days which we enjoy as our first real sunny and summer days we badly waited for. We always get excited with each new "arrival" and have to share the good news with you. This time our friends from Skacel shipped us new yarns from Zitron and Schulana:

Mosco by Schulana is a dreamy blend of mohair, viscose & Nylon that knits up to a fingering weight. The mohair gives it a nice halo effect, making it the perfect choice for wraps, scarves and other accessories. The 25g ball has 125m and retails for $10.25 - see the shade card!

Fundus by Zitron - Merino wool is known for its next-to-the-skin softness, and this lovely chunky weight yarn is no exception. Made of 100% new wool, Fundus comes in striking variegated shades and would be stnning in a sweater, scarf or hat. Felts great, too! The 50g skein has 10m and retails for $11.25 0 this is the shade card.
Also new is the Schulana Nr.24 magazine, which features a stunning ladies cardigan done in Mosco (design #9). See our book page in http://www.needlenart.com/.

Trekking 6ply by Zitron - A new sock yarn from a company well-known to most sock knitters, this new weight works up at a double knitting/sports weight other than the traditional fingering weight of other sock yarns.
Thicker socks are good for hiking or work. This 6ply sock yarn has the same superwash wool and nylon as other sock yarns, so wears and washes equally well. The 150g ball has 390m and will make a pair of average adult socks. It etails for $27.95 and has a good colour mix. Ask us for a free sock pattern for this yarn weight once you are in the store.
This yarn is a grat choice for sweaters and accessories too - just use any DK weigt pattern.

Also from Zitron is Opus 1 - more variegated merino goodness, this time in a worsted weight. Opus truly has to be seen and felt to be appreciated, as the colours in the photos not do it justice. 100% Merino means that it can be worn next to the skin, making it ideal for hats, scarves, sweaters and even children's wear. This yarn is infused with Aloe Vera and Jooba oils which both guarantee an ultra touch of softness. The 100g skein has a generous 190m and retails for $26.50. See shade card.

lost in transport

Nearly lost - one box of yarn from Kertzer finally arrived 5 weeks later, with this new yarn:

Trenton Worsted - A new superwash merino yarn that works up to a worsted weight. Warm, washable and soft, this is the perfect yarn for hats, sweaters, mitts and blankets. The variegated colours make it fun to knit with as well. Retails for $9.95 for the 100g skein, which has 200 metres.

Indulge your feet!

New from Lang Yarns:

Jawoll Silk - Add a touch of luxury to your next pairs of socks! A blend of 20% silk added to the superwash wool and nylon blend of this sock yarn makes it extra enticing. Great colour effects make for a great looking as well. The 100g ball sells for $17.95, and is enough to make an average pair of adult socks. Check the shade card!
A small spool of reinforcement thread makes it easy to strengthen heels and toes as well (included).

Inge's Prayer Shawl

I wrote about our Prayer Shawl experience in our last Newsletter:

Inge was inspired to knit this filigrane white prayer shawl, when our youngest son was heading off to his four month trip through South America and started a month ago in Venezuela, a place which would scare all parents. He made it safely through to Ecuador so far.

The pattern is from the book "The Prayer Shawl Companion" and Inge wanted to add that she used a mix of Drops Symphony, some Gedifra Amara, some white ribbon yarn leftover and white Funny yarn.

Affordable Baby yarn - great toddler patterns

I was so sure that I had already shared this great pattern book "just for tots" for our best buy baby yarn Comfort DK (from Berroco, just $3.95 for the 50g ball!) - but I couldn't find a posting. So here it is, with the front cover to the left and the same garment of the front cover in our store.

This is what Alison wrote: As always, baby and children's knits are a favourite at our store. Caleb is a toddler's pullover made from Berroco's Comfort DK. This great little design ranges in size from 9 months to 6 years. Side neck buttons make it easy to get over the little heads, and the easy-care blend of the yarn makes it washer friendly. Featured in Berroco book #274, it requires between 4 and 6 balls of yarn (that is only Canadian $16-$24).

Possum!? Awesome!

It's April 1st today, but this is true!

Rimu from Zealana Yarns - Our friends at Nordic Yarn Imports bring us this lovely DK blend of Merino and Possum wool from New Zealand. Yes, you heard right. Possum fibre is well-known for its unique qualities of softness, lightness and warmth. The addition of merino wool adds to these qualities, creating a yarn that's beautiful to the eye and touch. It's also durable, machine washable, and resists pilling. Learn more in our shade card with some more information on possums, which are considered a pest in New Zealand.

Rimu has 140 yds in the 50g ball and retails for $12.95.

Summer is coming closer!

Wonderful Summer yarns and "tons" of pattern books arrived. Check below and in our book page.

New from Berroco
Pure Pima - Pima cotton is one of the softest cottons around, making this new DK weight yarn a great choice for Summer projects. Pure Pima is 100% cotton, which means it breathes and wears well. Great for Summer tops, childrens wear and baby projects like sweaters, hats and blankets. Berroco sent us this lovely sample sweater done in Pure Pima - you have to check it out. It is the cover sweater from Norah Gaughan's Collection Volume 4. There are several other Summer projects in this volume as well, which you may order from us for $19.75.

Pure Pima retails for $6.25 for the 50g skein with 115 yards. Check the shade card!

Comfort Chunky - Due to overwhelming response to the Sock, DK and Worsted versions of this yarn, Berroco has come out with a chunky version of Comfort. A silky, smooth combination of nylon and acrylic makes this an easy-care choice for blankets, sweaters, kidswaer and accessories. Great colour choices, and an excellent buy at $7.75 for the 100g and 150yd skein. Here is the shade card.

New from Lana Grossa
Secondo - Secondo is a beautiful blend of silk, cotton and polyamide that knits up to a sports weight. It's slinky feel suggests that it would be perfect for a short sleeve top, wrap or a beautiful cardigan. The 50g ball has 125 metres and retails for $14.25. Check the beautiful Summer shades!

Biosoja - This wonderful worsted weight yarn is part of Lana Grossa's "Linea Pura" line. Biosoja is an organic blend of soy, cotton, and bamboo that subtly changes hues as you work with it. Perfect for a Summer top or twin set. The 50g ball has 110 metres and retails for $13.25 - check the shade card.

There are several designs for Biosoja in the new Linea Pura book Vol.1, which we have in stock - check our book page!

New from Classic Elite Yarns

Solstice - is part of Classic Elite's Verde Collection, which was designed with nature in mind. Solstice is a beautiful blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% wool. Very soft and subtle, Solstice knits up to a worsted weight, and would be gorgeous as a sweater, hat, shawl, even for fingerless gloves for the cool Spring nights ahead.

We also received several copies of the Johns Bay pattern book, which features 10 designs for Solstice and other CE Yarns. Check our book list. Solstice retails for $8.25 for the 50g skein with 100 yds. Here is the shade card.

New from Tahki Yarns

Sierra - An aran weight silk and linen blend that has a wonderful flecked tweed look. Great for Summer tops, jackets, even a skirt. The 50g skein has 135 yds and retails for $10.25, here are the shades. We also received a pattern book with several designs for Sierra, see under "Sierra" in our book list.

New from Stylecraft
Life Aran - Part of Stylecraft's Life series, Aran combines the beauty of wool with the easy care of acrylic in soft and sumptuous yarn. As the name suggests, this yarn works up to a classic aran gauge of 18 sts/4inches, and is a great choice for sweaters, blankets, accessories and kidswear. It's very economical too, at $6.95 for the 100gram, 198 metre skein. We have it in a range of solid and tweed colors.


New from Schachenmayr/Kertzer
Catania - A lovely new Summer yarn, Catania is a sports weight mercerized cotton that comes in a wide range of stunning colours. 100% cotton for comfort and easycare, mercerization for a light sheen. Kertzer has published two great books with patterns for fantastic baby and children's wear done in Catania. It retails for $4.95 for the 50g/125m skein, see shade card.

The great little Kertzer books #420 and 421 with four patterns each sell for $4.25 each (see below).

Daylily arrived a bit later

from Nashua Handknits: You might have noticed the mentioning of the Daylily pattern booklet in the last blog posting, we found it so pretty that we were ahead of the actual yarn shipment.

Daylily - Add a touch of glamour to your Spring and Summer wardrobe with a shell made out of this lovely new aran weight yarn. This cotton blend has a nylon binder that gives it some sheen.

We also have in stock copies of Nashua's Daylily pattern collection (see last blog posting), which features several ladies sweater designs for this yarn. It retails for $9.25 for the 50g skein. Here is the shade card.

New Yarns and Patterns Galore!

Please read on, I want to put all the latest new Spring arrivals in this one blog. We are not only very happy with our new yarns, but more so about the number and quality of all the new pattern books coming with the yarns, including some free patterns. Check our web site for the new books and free patterns! This is what Alison has to tell you (not all shade cards are ready yet):

New from Nashua Handknits:
Creative Focus Silk - Nothing compares to the look and feel of 100% silk, and we think Nashua has found a winner with this worsted weight yarn. This is perfect for a Spring shawl, tank top, even a sweater set. Beautiful colours, and a great buy at $9.95 for the 120 yards ball. We also received an attractive book, Creative Focus Silk ($13.95) with several great patterns specifically for this yarn.

Desert Flower - This worsted weight yarn offers up a stunning array of variegated shades and is the perfect summer blend of cotton and linen, with a touch of nylon to help it retain its shape. It's an ideal choice for a Summer tank top or a shell underneath your favourite jacket. The 50g skein offers 112 yds for $9.95. Look for the great Mitered tank top, featured on the cover of Style: Easy Breezy, done in Desert Flower. The book retails for $10.95, and we have several copies in stock.

Other new books from Nashua include: Style: Natural Style ($10.95), which features designs in ecologically friendly yarns, such as Natural Focus Ecologie Cotton, which we brought in last season and will continue to feature this year. Also look for Daylily ($13.95), a book featuring women's designs done in variegated yarns.

New from Regia:
Cotton Weekend Color - A sock weight yarn with added cotton for Summer socks. This yarn comes in several bright colorways and retails for $17.50 for the 100g skein. It has 400m, enough for an average adult pair of socks. The colours would be great for chidren and baby wear as well, and we have several great patterns in stock which feature this weight, including those by Knees Bees Designs. We just received Regia Magazine #114, which is devoted to baby and toddlers designs done in this sock weight yarn and several other Regia yarns we carry, including Pompon, Silk Color and Softy. This magazine retails for $15.95.

New from Gedifra:
Amara - A yummy, silky blend of cotton and polyamide, done up in a worsted weight yarn that is calling us to knit it up into a shawl or evening top. The added sheen makes it perfect for a dressy design for a Summer wedding or family gathering - check the shade card. The 50g skein has 100m and retails for $10.50. There are several designs for this yarn in Gedifra Highlights 091 which is also in stock.

New from Cascade Yarns:
Egological Wool - We are pleased to now stock this Eco Wool by Cascade. This chunky weight wool is not only an exceptional value at $16.95 for the 250g/437m skein, it's also environmentally friendly. Available in several natural, undyed shades, it's a great choice for outdoor sweaters, hats and accessories, even felting. The Cascade website offers free sweater patterns for this yarn which you find in our web site.

A new book from Lana Grossa: Linea Pura No.1, their latest collection, featuring designs done in environmentally friendly yarns. It retails for $16.95.

New from King Cole:
Baby Big Value DK - We brought this yarn in last year in a fingering weight, and it has proven to be popular, so we are adding the double knitting weight. This 100% acrylic baby yarn is an excellent value at $5.25 for the 100g ball - see the shade card here.

New from Kertzer:
Peter Pan Cupcake - Knit something sweet for your little sweetie! Cupcake is a worsted weight blend of nylon and acrylic that's buttery soft to the touch. It combines a chenille strand with a shiny strand to create a vibrant, one of a kind yarn. Great colour and pattern choices make it perfect for baby and kids knits. It retails for $6.95 for the 50g ball.

Wendy Origin - Get back to basics with this great bouclé. Origin is an easy care blend of wool and acrylic, and works up to a chunky weight. It comes in a nice array of marled colours and we received several patterns to go along with it. The 100g ball has 125m and retails for $13.95.

New from Lang:
Jawoll Color Aktion - A great new sock yarn that combines gorgeous color shades into a terrific jaquard pattern. Great for men's socks, but ladies will love it, too. Each skein also comes with a spool of reinforcement yarn for heel and toe! The 100g skein has plenty of yarn for a pair of adult socks (420m) and sells for $15.50. For each shade we have a sample pair of men's socks in our store! see picture to the right and click to enlarge.

Alison's Spring Poem

We got some dream lines from a completely new manufacturer, an established yarn mill in Uruguay, many lines are hand painted, for sensational prices. When Alison put these new arrivals in the shelves, she got inspired by all the colour mixes:

• The weather is grand,
• so we think it's fittin'
• to introduce new yarns
• for Spring crochet and knittin'

Well done, Alison. Here you go! This is what she summarized:

Punta Yarns brings exciting and beautiful new lines of merino and mohair yarns from Uruguay. There are some solid shades, but we are particularly excited by the wonderful range of hand painted shades. Here is a peek:

Merisoft - is a 100% merino yarn with fantastic yardage. The label states it knits to chunky weight, but we suspect it's closer to an aran weight. It is available in 100g skeins which boast 197 yds, and comes in three ranges:
Solid, which retails for $10.95 (see shade card);
Space Dyed, which is a variegated skein, done in various colour ranges (i.e. rusts, blues, ..). It retails for $11.95 (see shade card);
Hand Painted, another variegated with a wider colour range. The hand painted retails for only $13.95 for 100g, which is an excellent price for a merino of this quality and colour variation. Here is the shade card.

If you like the look of hand painted yarns but want something that's a bit more easy care, try the
Lava Hand Painted - this is about the same weight as the Merisoft, but is a blend of 30% wool and 70% acrylic. It has the look and feel of pure wool and is an excellent value at $9.25 for the 100g/230yd skein, Check the shade card.

We would recommend both the Merisoft and Lava as a great choice for sweaters, children's wear and accessories. Both are exceptionally soft and can be worn next to the skin.

We had been saddened by the recent discontinuation of two of our favorite mohairs: Whisper by Estelle and Memoirs by Berocco - so we are very pleased to now carry
Kid Mohair Hand Painted - also by Punta Yarns. This is a blend of Kid Mohair and nylon and works up to a DK weight. It comes in a gorgeous range of handpainted colours and works beautifully into a scarf, shawl or the ever-popular fingerless mittens. The 50g skein has 246 yards and retails for $12.95. See shade card.

NEW Yarn for Shadow and Domino Knitting!

After Miriam's workshops on Shadow Knitting and Domino Knitting in January (see our earlier blog posting and also our book list) we ordered the perfect yarn for these techniques, which gained a lot of interest from our customers!

Harrisville Designs:

New England Shetland - We have had a similar yarn in worsted weight before and now are pleased to offer it in a finer sportsweight (6.5 stitches per inch). This yarn is the one which comes with the Vivian Hoxbro kits. This Shetland yarn is perfect for lighter weight summer sweaters, hats, gloves and even socks. It's 100% pure wool that wears well, and comes in a nice range of heathered colours (we didn't bring them all in but can order them). See our shade card of available colours. The 50g skein has 217 yards and retails for $9.25.