It's Coming Up Tulips!

We are very ready for spring weather here in Vermont and Michele decided to try and hurry it along a bit. Don't the colors remind you of spring? Green grass, bright blue sky, and tulips in shades of yellow, peach and red!

This is the Tulip Sweater kit from Dream In Color. The sweater pattern comes with the kit and can be made in two sizes, 6-9 months or 12-18 months. Each kit has a different selection of 8 colors of Classy yarn included. The yarn is 100% superwash merino in hand-dyed vibrant colors to inspire spring blooms. 

All of the staff have admired the kits and Jill knit us a sample for the shop since it is so difficult to resist the yarn and the colors! Note the different edging techniques that they chose:

We have a selection of these kits available in the shop so come on in and check them out. This is a fun project and perfect for all those baby showers that happen at this time of the year!

Spring is on the way!

contributed by Shawn

And we know what that means...Baby Showers!

I absolutely couldn't resist the My First Regia yarn when it arrived and before we even had the pattern booklet I took one of the little Easter Egg like skeins home. I made these teeny booties (Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn):

They are so stinkin' cute that we've kept them on the counter for a couple of days just to watch the reactions of our customers. 

I'm thinking you can guess the reactions!

Elephants on Parade

Michele brought these in last week to share with us!

What a perfect gift set for a new baby!

This is Elijah the Elephant, and the Roo Designs Elephant Pullover (pdf pattern) knit to match using sport/dk weight yarns. She used Sublime Extrafine Merino Wool DK. It comes in a great selection of colors and is machine washable for friendly projects for little ones.

Suprise Baby!

How many of you have made the Baby Surprise Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann? I've just finished my second, and it's one of the easiest (and most confusing!) sweaters I've ever made.

Don't get scared off by me saying it was confusing. Because it's not the directions that are confusing, it's the shape of what you are making that is confusing. You are knitting back and forth and working increases or decreases, and following a really well written, line by line pattern... so that's the simple part. But at any time during the knitting, if you try to LOOK at what you are doing, and imagine that it's going to turn out looking anything remotely like a sweater, that's when you get confused.

My only advice is to set worry aside and just follow the pattern. In the end, you will have a light bulb moment and it will all just make sense. It's a really great pattern and fun to make in sock yarn since now there are so many wonderful sock yarn choices.

This shop sample is in the new Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20. LOVE the color. Can't wait to pick out the buttons!

Don't Forget... Sock Yarn is Great for Baby Sweaters, Too!

It's funny how many customers look at sock yarns and think (just) "socks". 

Fingering weight sock yarns come in a great range of fibers and many of these are machine washable. They're also soft, and if they're soft enough to put on your precious piggies, they're soft enough to put on baby! And finally, these yarns are lightweight, yet warm. Perfect for wee ones who like to stay cozy without so much bulk.

There are many great patterns for fingering weight baby sweaters. One of my favorites is one I just finished - it's in the Regia Journal #004 pattern booklet, and has a hat and booties to match.

This yarn (Regia Angora Merino) is a blend of superwash merino wool, polyamid and angora. It's so incredibly soft and wonderful to knit with. I just love the pattern stitch - a 4 row repeat that's simple, and addictive!

My sweater, blocking

Other yarn choices for this sweater would be Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock or Shibui Knits Sock Yarn.

Another cute fingering weight sweater is the Knitting Pure & Simple Baby Layette.

This pattern is well written and also has instructions for a hat, sweater and booties. I'd choose Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock or Jojoland Melody Superwash for this one.

And we can't forget the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Sweater.

This one looks good in both self-striping and variegated sock yarns. This pattern is sized from baby up to adult. We love the baby version in striping sock yarns - it's so cute! Regia Garden Effects or Kaffe Fassett Ombre would be fun on this sweater. And we now have a NO-wool option: Plymouth Diversity.

Because we know you like choice, here's yet another sweater option for fingering weight sock yarns. The Lachlann Baby Set by Figheadh Yarnworks is a classic, with set-in sleeves, stripes and cables on the sweater, and matching pants. 

Dale of Norway Baby Ull, Spud & Chloe Fine or Fibre Company Canopy Fingering would all be great yarns for this set.

Simple & Sweet Baby Sweaters

Each day we see customers in the shop searching for sweater patterns for newborn babies. It's no wonder - don't you always get the urge to knit a little sweater for a close friend or family member when you hear she's expecting? I know I do!

And as yarn shop employees, we've handled this many, many times, so we're always prepared to recommend a good assortment of patterns.

Like the Wee One Welcome Set from Knitting at Knoon.

This pattern is simply adorable. It calls for 400 yards of DK weight yarn. In our shop sample (above) we chose Sirdar Snuggle Crofter DK that knits up with a fair isle striping effect. This yarn is reasonably priced (it costs just $21 to make the set), comes in really sweet colors and is soft and machine washable.

We've got other great DK weight yarns that work really well for this little set. Berroco Comfort DK now has really fun variegated colors, and Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend is also a popular choice.

The Puerperium Baby Cardigan is precious! And it's easy and fun to make. This sweater is pretty hard to resist, once you see the (and feel!) the shop sample (shown below). We used Misti Alpaca Pima Silk and this yarn is just the perfect choice for a newborn. The color choice is spectacular, and it's heavenly to knit.

Another pattern that's been getting a lot of attention is brand new from Yankee Knitter. The Baby Sweaters, Hats & Blankets Pattern #31 is a great addition to the Yankee Knitter offering. The sweaters and hats are sized from preemie to 6-12 months and the blanket is a generous 33"x35". And they knit up quickly in heavy worsted weight.

Our top recommendations for this pattern are Plymouth Encore, Berroco Comfort Worsted, Berroco Vintage and if you'd like a soft wool, then Dream in Color Classy or Classic Elite Liberty Print.

And finally, one last recommendation for a great newborn sweater. We came across this one a few months ago and thought it was beautiful in its simplicity. It is more suited for little girls, but it's a top choice on our list for newborns.

In Threes: A Baby Cardigan is a pattern that's available on Ravelry. We also sell it in the shop through Ravelry. It's the sweetest little sweater. All worked from the top down, in one piece. It's absolutely precious!

We had some Putty colored Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece laying around and I knew it would be perfect for this sweater. It just needs buttons now, but the best part about using such a neutral color is that you can really be creative with your button selection!

Beautiful yoke detail

Angora Merino

Regia's Angora Merino is one of my favorite new yarns! I have just one word for it: SOFT. This yarn - a blend of superwash merino wool, polyamid and angora - is just unbelievably soft. And the color palette? Again, SOFT.

I loved the yarn when my sales rep first let me "pet" it, and I loved it even more when I saw it had its own dedicated pattern booklet for it (Regia Journal #004).

And the patterns are all great, not just one or two of them.

There are hats and scarves

and socks

and baby blankets

and baby booties!

There's a really beautiful shawl

that we made as a shop sample. Come on in to the shop and try it on!

We love experimenting with all the ways to wrap it.

I fell in love with this adorable baby set. I've started knitting the sweater and can't put it down. The pattern stitch is simple and so sweet!

Baby Shower Gift

So many of our customers have made our Baby Blocks pattern that we thought we'd share them here.

This is a fun project to knit, and a great gift to give!

We no longer sell the yarn we used to make these (pictured) but we're not getting rid of this sample, because any worsted weight in fun colors will do!

Try Berroco Vintage, Plymouth Encore, or brand new Hikoo Simpliworsted!

Nail Biter Knitting

Have you ever been in the middle of a knitting (or crocheting) project and realized that you just might not have enough yarn? And you check your knitting bag 50 times to be sure there's not another ball in there? And you check your purse, because sometimes you throw your knitting in your purse? And you check underneath the passenger seat in your car, because you were knitting while your husband was driving last weekend? And you check under the pillows on the couch, because sometimes at night you are tired and lazy and don't put all of your knitting back in the bag? And you check all the cats' favorite hiding spots, because you know how they LOVE to mess with you and steal things from your knitting bag?

Well this... all of this... was what I did last week as I was knitting the Double Breasted Baby Cardigan in Classic Elite Liberty Wool yarn. 

The Kyarns staff had recently sent me some new projects and I dove right into this one as soon as I received my package. I think the sweater is SO cute and I just love the seed stitch double breasted front! It's in the new Liberty Wool Baby Pattern Booklet:

So when I started to suspect I'd be short on yarn I was devastated! Especially because if I needed another ball, I can't just run over to the shop and grab one. I'm all the way in Finland and I'd have to wait for another shipment. I kept thinking, "I HAD to have misplaced some yarn!" But I didn't.

Liberty Wool color: Art Deco

In the end, I was lucky and had enough yarn to complete the sweater. But this is all I had left!

Not enough for my liking! 

This sweater is really cute, and I definitely recommend it for anyone needing an adorable baby gift. I just recommend purchasing that extra ball... for insurance purposes! (Note: I made the 18 month size. The 6-12 month size should be fine with the 3 balls called for!)

Customer Project - Crocheted Blankets

contributed by Barb

We caught up with customer Sue B. recently and she showed us two blankets she had just finished.  One for a boy:

And one for a girl:

They are made with Plymouth Encore and Plymouth Encore Tweed and are worked in a crocheted ripple stitch pattern. What a perfect blanket for when you are watching TV!

We think they're beautiful and the colors she chose are delicious. It really makes me want to make something like this. Thanks for sharing Sue!

Customer Project - Baby Blanket and Sweater

contributed by Barb

Linda H. stopped in to the shop recently to show us one of her latest FOs. This is an adorable baby set! Unfortunately the pattern no longer exists (at least we could not locate it as it dates back to probably the 1970’s or 80’s). 

What a great shower gift and best of all the yarn (Plymouth Dreambaby DK yarn) is machine washable. That helps those new moms who are a bit tired (and also those new dads who help our with the laundry!)

Great job Linda!

We have a similar blanket pattern here, and similar sweater patterns here and here.

Fuzzy Mitten Lamb

We just love to make knitted toys!  Do you need a small gift for a child? (This one can even be used on top of a baby shower gift, instead of a bow!) Or do you just need a quick & fun project?

Sometimes you have a pattern you want to make, but you can't find the perfect yarn... we understand!

Here's a project where the pattern and the yarn are perfect for each other!

The loveable Fuzzy Mitten Lamb (waiting to great you at our checkout counter) is a great example of a project where the pattern and the yarn were made for each other! 

Rowan Alpaca Cotton is soft and fuzzy and comes in perfect colors for this little lamb! It's even washable. (Of course if you are making this for a small child you will want to embroider the eyes rather than using buttons.)

The pattern is free on Ravelry, get it here!