Thinking Spring... Already!

contributed by Barb

Last Wednesday, I spent most of the morning on Skype with Jill and one of our sales reps looking at new spring yarns. It hasn't even turned into winter here, but we're already looking at spring yarns.

When I came out of the meeting I was sent to the basement. I thought I was being punished for being in the meeting for so long (these sales meetings can be up to 3 hours long) but as I went down the stairs into the basement I realized it was no punishment. It was a gift.

There were three huge boxes from Berroco waiting for me. These boxes contained some new spring yarns and then new colors of existing yarns. It's always so fun unloading new things, and to think Jill and I had just ordered these a little over a week ago. All of the new yarns and new colors of existing yarns will be online this week.

When the Berroco Trunk Show was at the shop, I tried on some garments in the summer yarns from last year. I decided to make a couple of them, but Andra said I may want to wait for new colors for Spring 2013 to be available. That seemed like it would be months, but now just one short month later I can start choosing colors from the new ones and get some projects on my needles.

One of the first items I will be making is the Seabrook Vest – a free pattern from Berroco knit in Captiva. 

I love the new colors we got, but I am having a hard time choosing just one. Help!

Then maybe I'll start a multi-colored scarf/shawl in Weekend.  I love to wear a scarf or shawl during the day, but I get a little over-heated in wool. 

I like the weight of a worsted shawl, and the acrylic and cotton blend of Weekend will keep me from overheating.

Big Kids, Little Kids is a Winner!

Berroco Book #320 Big Kids/Little Kids is packed with TWENTY SEVEN (27) patterns for kids ages 2 to 12. When I first saw the designs in this booklet a couple of months ago I figured it would be at least twice the price of a normal Berroco booklet, but it's not. It's $8 for 27 patterns... so 30 cents a pattern! And there are so many great designs in this booklet, that you're bound to make a number of them.

These designs are in 5 great easy care yarns: Comfort, Vintage, Weekend, Remix and the new Berroco Circus.    

There are always great patterns available for girls, but customers sometimes feel that boys get left out... good designs for young gentlemen can be really hard to find. Book #320 is a good choice for those of you who have boys in this age group (2-12) who need some good hand-knits!

Felix sweater: Rambunctious colors and contrasting sleeves add pep to a color-work pullover with a v-neck

Denison Sweater - With sporty details reminiscent of a varsity jacket, this zip-up hoodie works up quickly in chunky-weight yarn.

Westcott Sweater - A timeless crew-neck pullover with a handsome twisted cable pattern and classic ribbed edgings.

Nestor Sweater - Crisp-looking stripes run across the body and sleeves of a simple drop shoulder pullover with a relaxed rolled neck.

Lyman Sweater - Convenient flap pockets make this half-zip hooded pullover the perfect garment for any outdoor adventure.

Kent Sweater - The cozy knitted version of a classic athletic sweatshirt, this pullover hoodie is worked in a perfectly speckled shade.

The girls' patterns don't disappoint either:

Tolmie Skirt - Cheerful stripes of stranded color-work and texture are topped with a stretchy ribbed waistband, while crocheted scallops trim the bottom.

Rosaria Sweater - Knitted flowers are sprinkled across the front of a sweet long-sleeved cardigan with garter stitch detailing around the yoke.

Marymere Poncho - Four pompoms add a playful touch to the front of a short poncho, while an extra big pompom tops off the hood.

Kendall Vest - Knitted flowers and a matching textured edging are the perfect finishing touches for a stylish open vest.

Josette Sweater - A charmingly over-sized bow adorns the front of a crew-neck pullover with contrasting sleeves and edgings.

Brook Poncho - a whimsical poncho made from alternating stripes of easy Fair Isle stitching and stockinette

Bristol Sweater - A long hooded cardigan with short sleeves looks effortlessly cool knit in an easy textural stitch pattern.

Blake Sweater - Ladylike pleats along the neck and clean-looking fold-over hems are elegant finishing touches for a long-sleeved cardigan.

 

 

This is just 14 of the 27 patterns... the other 13 are just as good. Check them out!

Dresses for the little girls in your life

It's always fun to knit little dresses. I know I've made many in my knitting career, and by looking at our sales reports for dress patterns, it's clear to me that you all have made many as well! Some of the best selling dress patterns for babies/little girls are by Minnowknits. The Brittany Jumper # 130 has always been one of my favorites. I made two of these - one for Helen and one for Sophie - when they were about a year old.

The Sunflower Dress #186 is adorable too. It has a little more coverage above from the waist up, and the fun buttons on the front, as well as the stitch patterning, give it that little something special.

The Cotton Candy Dress #218 is precious. It has sweet little sleeves and a lovely diamond pattern on the skirt and bodice.

The Pinafore Dress #230 was the hit of the year last spring. It was featured in several ad campaigns in knitting magazines, and is probably one of our top selling patterns, ever. It's actually one of Minnowknits' most simple dresses, and works well in both solid and variegated yarns.

And the most recent Minnowknits Dress, the Daisy Dress #238 is what I took to Florida last week for my vacation knitting. It is a simple hemmed dress with gorgeous I-cord flowers attached at the bottom of the skirt. I used Berroco Weekend and made several modifications to this pattern (see my changes in tomorrow's post). I'm thrilled, as it came out beautifully!
All of these patterns can be made in Jil Eaton Minnow Merino and Jil Eaton CottonTail yarns. Of course Berroco Comfort and Berroco Weekend are also wonderful options!

Manic-In Monday

This week's outfit is a quick vest done in a bulky cotton and acrylic blend. The bold cable at the front adds interest to this otherwise simple piece. It's got fun front pockets, which are optional if you're not a pocket fan! And since cowls are a "must have" wardrobe staple these days, we've got one of those too. When the vest is worn like this, it's more casual: But belting it kicks it up a notch:
Vest: Pesapallo Vest knit in Berroco Weekend Chunky yarn. Pattern is found in Berroco Book #309.
Cowl: Alice Cowl knit in Fibre Company Road to China Light yarn

Afghans for Knitters

Our trunk show from the Berroco Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans book is only at the shop through Monday of next week! These samples have been so inspiring that many customers have added an afghan (or two) into their queues this week. I already highlighted the crochet ones in a previous post, so this one is all about knitted ones.

This one is perhaps the most popular afghan of all: the Autumn Haze, shown here in Comfort. It's a celebration of the New England countryside in autumn:Hexagons fit together like the cells of a honeycomb in this baby blanket, Swirl, knit in Comfort. Think big though, this can easily be made larger!Basic, two-over cables combine to form a lattice of intricate knots in this classic textured afghan called Textured Knots, shown in Vintage:Bright Star, knit in Comfort, is composed mostly of mitered garter stitch squares:Cabled squares and ribbed squares alternate to look like a woven fabric in Weave, knit in Comfort:Cables, ribs and bobbles come together to form stylized flowers in Floret, knit in Weekend:And finally, cables twist and weave together to form an elaborate motif in Aran, knit in Weekend: So if you haven't seen them in person, this is the last call!

Afghans for Crocheters

Here are some great samples of crocheted afghans from the Berroco Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans book. If you're a knitter only, these samples may just turn you into a hooker! Seriously, they are THAT awesome. The trunk show is here through Monday of next week, so come on in and check it out!
Here's Ribbon, worked up in happy shade of Vintage. I love the columns of broomstick lace. But am I a little scared to try it? Yep! Practice your single and half double crochet in the Bi-Color Chevron, made up in Weekend. It looks gorgeous with these two similar shades, but I think it would also be stunning in 2 more contrasting colors as well.Maine, shown here in Comfort Worsted, is worked in pieces and then put together at the end. These color really do remind me of my camp in Maine! But imagine it worked up in very similar shades... beautiful!The Dots afghan, shown here in Comfort Worsted, is one of my favorites. Barb is making one of these for herself and I can't wait for her to finish it. I just love the colors of Greenway, shown here in Comfort Worsted. This pattern is included in the book, but was also made free on the Berroco website. So if you don't have the book, you can still try this one! Remember, with the code AFGHAN, you can save 20% off these yarns and the book! Today is the last day for this.

Coming up next, the knitted samples! Stay tuned...