Brights are in!

If any of you have been shopping for clothing recently, you've noticed the trend toward bright colors and neons. These colors have also been making an appearance in yarns & other knitting & crochet products, and opening each box here at the shop is definitely awakening our senses after as we head into summer!

Examples? Here's a bunch of the new Manos del Uruguay Alegria sock yarn. They've got a lovely mix of bright & neutral colors. Boy, do those bright ones make a splash!

These Berroco brights arrived the same day as our new Hadaki bags. What a feast for the senses!

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (back), Berroco Vintage (middle) and Hadaki Multitasker Bags

The Hadaki bags are new for us, and they're so much fun! The fabrics are all bright & peppy and are coated so they're water resistant and easy to clean. This is the Hadaki Hanging Roll - perfect for storing all your notions:

This is the Hadaki Multi Tasker - a great project bag:

And the Hadaki Hannah's Tote works as a large project bag, a gym bag, a beach bag, a weekend bag, you name it:

Cezanne Bags

The other day we received our shipment of Cezanne knitting bags from Jordana Paige. We got all four beautiful colors - Stone Gray, Mediterranean Teal, Bordeaux and Poppy:

Poppy was the crowd favorite because we sold 2 the very day we took them down into the shop. Sorry! But the other 3 colors are gorgeous, too, and the Poppy will be back in stock after the holiday.

Sleek Back View with One Large Pocket

This bag looks like leather but is actually synthetic, which is easier on the wallet than leather, and a bonus for those of you who don't like to use leather products. It's got a ton of useful pockets and compartments, including a row of 7 pockets for tools and needles and two small interior zippered pockets.

3 Front Pockets

In case you wanted more internal features in this bag, there's also a key loop, three credit card slots, a removable zipper pouch, two circlets™ to prevent your yarn from tangling, a yarn pocket below each circlet™, two small outside pockets, and one large outside pocket at front and back. The bag closes neatly and securely with a metal turn clasp closure, and the adjustable shoulder strap is removable, just in case you want to carry it like a briefcase.

Pockets, pockets, pockets!

If you're ordering this and must have it for the holidays, please remember to choose an expedited shipping method for guaranteed delivery. And if you're local, come on in and grab one before they go.

Of course we've been selling a ton of gift certificates for our local customers, so you can always come in and grab one from our next shipment, after the holidays.

Temptations, temptations, temptations…

contributed by Emily

It is really unfair that whenever we get new stuff in the shop I am forced to unpack it, price it, and put it out for sale on the shelves. How on Earth am I supposed to exercise any self-restraint! The worst offender this summer has been, hands down, the new Jordana Paige knitting bags.

LJ Kaelms Knitting Bag

Rio Bag

There is so much to love with these new bags –

• The faux leather is super-supple and the colors are just gorgeous (I’m eyeing the green one!)
• The straps are the perfect length – long enough to throw over your shoulder, but short enough that you can carry the bag in your hand.
• The pockets – THE POCKETS!! – how do I describe the awesomeness of these pockets without sounding like a fawning sycophant? I can’t. I am a fawning sycophant! These pockets were obviously designed by a knitter.

Little pockets for your needles

Zip cases for your notions

Yarn sleeves with an elasticized top to keep your ball in place

 

And a sleeve for your iPad or knitting magazines!!

Have I mentioned my weak willpower? This bag is sorely testing me…

Red Hot!

Our most popular knitting bag is now available in a new color - RED! The LJ Kaelms Bag by Jordana Paige sold out in teal, and we were sad to find out that the color is no longer available :(

But don't fret! We still have Lucky Green and the Red just arrived, so things are looking up.

More new goodies!

contributed by Barb

We just love when the UPS truck arrives at the shop every day.  It's natural for us to ask our delivery man "Oooh, what did we get!?" but I don't know why we keep doing this. He has NO idea what's in those boxes!

As soon as we see the shipping label we know immediately what's inside each box. We're always eagerly awaiting our reorders of existing yarns, and our NEW yarn orders.

On Friday we got a lot of boxes, and 3 of them were full of new items.

A few weeks ago we ordered mesh bags from Walker Bags. We've sold so many of the yarn cases and we love the quality and durability of these. The colors are beautiful, but because they are mesh, you can still see what's inside. We've got two styles - a basic mesh bag and then one with a beefier handle and gusseted base with pockets. They're in the shop now and will be online this week.

Manic-In Monday

The countdown is on! We're under the 5 day mark now, and it's been crazy here in the shop. People are rushing in, frantically buying little gifties for stockings and even picking up some quick projects that can actually be finished in the next few days. Our online customers are also frantic - as we can tell from all the expedited shipping that people are paying for. (Remember - at this point it's only Overnight and Second Day Air that are guaranteed to arrive!)

And this week, kids are finishing up at school, and adults are finishing up at work before the break. There are still a few holiday parties crammed here and there - and our gal still has a few good sweaters in her closet from which to choose. This week she broke out a gorgeous short sleeved number, in a soft and slightly sparkly yarn. It's just perfect for the holiday cocktail party she's attending tomorrow night. She grabbed a small bag - really a notions case, but it's black (elegant) and whimsical (sheep-y) and it will hold her cell phone, lip balm and car key just perfectly. For an extra bit of glitz, she's got some sparkle around her neck.
Pattern: Dionne Sweater from Tahki Stacy Charles Round Midnight Fall - Winter 2010. Knit with Stacy Charles Luna Yarn

Bag: Frabjous Fibers Mama Black Sheep Bag

Necklace: Berroco Lumina yarn

She's baaaaack! Manic-In Monday

It's been a long summer for our gal. She took quite a bit of time off. Next year she's going to have to get it approved from management - I didn't realize we were handing out such long vacations around here!

Anyway, she's back, and she's certainly making a statement in this vest. This was by far the favorite sample from our recent Berroco Sample Night at the shop. By seeing everyone try it on, we realized that it looks great on everyone. And, it can be worn open, with a shawl pin and even belted. So two thumbs up for versatility! Our mannequin opted to wear it with a stick pin. (If you haven't seen our redesigned shawl pin and stick pin pages online, check out! We have some great new choices for this fall and winter!) Her bag is a fun one - it's a new drawstring pouch from Lantern Moon that's coming in limited edition fabrics.

Pattern: Dickens Vest, in Berroco Book #298 Blackstone Tweed & Blackstone Tweed Chunky
Yarn: Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky in color Ancient Mariner - #6603
Stick Pin: Crown Tip Rosewood Pin - just $8!
Bag: Lantern Moon Swing Bucket Bag in Blue

Here's another image from Berroco - this time belted.

One FO, lots of dirty dishes and the promise of a new project tonight

So I brought home a new project yesterday, which I really wanted to swatch last night. But I told myself I had to finish those last two pesky squares of my afghan made with Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica yarn. And I did! Stayed up a too bit late doing it but they are now ready to be blocked. I would have blocked them, but the other squares - already blocked - are at the yarn shop. And I can't remember the dimensions I ended up blocking them to, so it will have to be done there tomorrow. Then the seaming later in the week - which should be cake to do.

Today it was really gray out. Kind of humid actually - I went on a very long run this morning with a friend and boy were we dripping! When you have already sweated through your shirt on mile 1.5 of a 10 mile run, you know it ain't gonna be pretty. But next week is the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon in Waterbury and I'll be there! I've done my training - more or less - and am really hoping for some nice weather. I don't want pouring rain like two years ago, and I'd love to NOT have this humidity that we've been having recently. A nice day with some sun and clouds, a bit of a breeze, no humidity and temps in the low to mid 60's would be lovely. I don't think I'm asking THAT much, do you?

After my run I really just wanted to sit down and start swatching for my next project. I worked yesterday, and in the afternoon I was able to come up with my next sweater project... for me, not for the shop. It's stylish, has a nice stitch pattern, and I'm sure I will feel like a DIVA in it. Get it? That's right... Stitch Diva. I've chosen the Stitch Diva "Number 6" pattern which is brand new:So new that it's not on our site yet - will be tomorrow though. I am using Pure Merino DK yarn:I LOVE the worsted weight version, but I think this will be a better weight for me. But I am going to make this one with quite a bit of negative ease. The Pure Merino has such a great amount of elasticity, so making it smaller will be a good choice.

Unfortunately, the swatching I wanted to do had to wait. I had a huge number of things in my CSA this past week that needed to be used up! I had cilantro, onions, garlic, leeks, tomatillos, hot peppers, butternut squash, and more. So what did I do? I dirtied just about every dish/pan/mixer in my kitchen. First I made banana chocolate chip muffins:Bananas were not in the CSA, but were past their prime and the girls are low on snacks for their lunches - so it was a necessity. Then I made Butternut Squash soup:It's my absolute favorite soup.

Then I made a nice big batch of tomatillo salsa:Nobody eats it in my house except for me, so I hope everyone at work will share it tomorrow. I'll bring in some blue chips!

And finally, some quinoa with carmelized leeks:This is a good one. It called for water, chicken broth or beer to cook the quinoa in, so I pulled an Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter out of the fridge. Man, was that the right choice! It's amazing.

Luckily the girls let me cook in peace. Sophie had a poster to do for homework:And Helen curled up with a good book: And now once the kitchen is cleaned, the laundry is changed, folded and put away, the kids fed, and my knitting corner cleaned:(that's pretty bad isn't it?) I plan to sit down - after a LONG, HARD day out pounding the pavement (literally) and slaving away in the kitchen - and knitting my swatch. Can't wait!

By the way, notice how many knitting bags I have in this picture. In the back, a Bagsmith project bag, then a Lexie Barnes "Lady B", then a Della Q Stripe Tote (discontinued), and up front, the Namaste Laguna Bag. All full of projects... UFOs... of course.

Just another manic Monday

I used to love that song by the Bangles... way back, we're talkin. And all Mondays at Kaleidoscope Yarns are pretty "manic" - as in frenzied. We got in a bunch of boxes from UPS and so were able to fill some backorders on Plymouth yarns, Tilli Tomas yarns and some Inox Pearl Gray knitting needles. And Mondays are always busy for us in shipping - people like to sit at home on Sundays and order yarn... at least that's always been true for us.

Today I got a phone call from an internet customer of ours who had just received one of our knitting kits - the cabled neck wrap, which uses the oh-so-soft Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky yarn. The customer was confused with the cable directions. It turns out she had never cabled before, and was confused about how to do it. A cable is easy, once you've done it. But sometimes it's hard to understand many knitting directions without a bit of a visual aid. I tried to explain it several different ways, and realized that no matter how hard I tried, this poor customer needed a visual explanation. She didn't have a yarn shop near her, and I really wanted to help her. So I asked her to Google "how to knit a cable" and VOILA! There's a great little video that comes up as the number one search result. She watched the video and was thrilled that I had helped her. Well, okay, I didn't actually help her, since she couldn't understand my several explanations... but I did help her to realize that you can find great online help if you are in a pinch. So that counts!

We will actually be adding some video clips to the site in the next few months. I'm not sure how many we'll add, as it is our busy season now... but we're going to start with a few "how-to's". It should be fun.

Speaking of new things on the website, today I added the Ozark Handspun yarn,

the Ozark Handspun Opulent yarn (this has more mohair), and some great new Della Q knitting bags... the Molly Messenger Bag,the Isadora Tote Bag and the Chloe Tote Bag.

What's coming for fall

We're back. What a whirlwind trip. We left Burlington on Friday morning and landed in a sea of fog, clouds, low ceiling, etc. in La Guardia. All sorts of delays getting into and out of La Guardia. The joys of summer travel, when it's 90 degrees (plus!) outside, and the threat of major thunderstorms can really screw up your trip! We were lucky to only be delayed by about an hour or so, and when we landed in Columbus and stepped outside to grab a cab, it was like being smacked in the face with a really WET, really HEAVY, wool blanket. Heat and humidity like I don't care to experience again. (But hey, now it's in Burlington!)

Going into the show at 8am on Saturday, I was really hoping I'd be WOWed by something. And I wasn't disappointed! We had a private early (pre-show) meeting with Nadine from Be Sweet. I had seen Be Sweet yarns before, but I was thrilled to get the opportunity to sit down with Nadine for an hour, one on one. In addition to having some really wonderful and unique products, her company has a BIG warm fuzzy behind it - and we love the warm fuzzies. Be Sweet brings stylish, environmentally friendly yarns and accessories to socially aware consumers. They support job-creation programs in South Africa that help empower female artisans and villagers by giving them the means to support themselves. Some of the yarns we already stock, like Manos del Uruguay and Frog Tree, have these social missions as well. And when you combine a great product with a great story, you have a great addition to your product offering.

In the past few years, our customers have been asking more questions about yarns. Not only regarding content and gauge, but where is it made? Who makes it? Does the company do anything to give back? Or are they just in it to make money? We have found that people are interested in the story behind the yarn, and that's a good thing. I ordered several of Be Sweet's yarns - and I'm so excited to get them! We will have the Magic Ball (my favorite!), the Ribbon Ball, the Boucle Mohair and the Knobby Ball. Plus some really great patterns and some super fun Ostrich Feather tips - to attach to fringes. I'm sure you can't even BEGIN to imagine it just from reading this, but Nadine's yarns were the most fun and gorgeous (for me!) at the show, and I'm so psyched for when they arrive.

I also bought some other really great things, that will be a wonderful addition to what we already carry. So here's a preview of just a FEW of the things I ordered. They'll be arriving this summer, for fall:

• Lorna's Wool Needle Felting kits (this will be a class) - so fun for kids and adults. GREAT gift ideas.
• Awesome new Stitch Diva patterns (these are always top sellers!)
• Eastport Alpaca - this one is really fun, and comes from nearby Maine, and some beautiful Maine alpacas. And it's US made all the way, and we like that, too!
• Jil Eaton MinnowMerino - 100% merino, super wash in great colors for kids! Really nice book and patterns too.
• NAMASTE - Yep, I'm SO excited for this. Two bags - the Newport bag and the Laguna bag, and the SO hip Cali Clutch. I think my personal bag collection (already huge) is about to get bigger.
• Loop-d-Loop Moss - a really fun blend of extrafine merino and nylon. Technically a sport weight (on the label anyway!) but Teva Durham uses it on larger needles and the result is fantastic.
• Tahki Donegal Tweed - an old classic, and one that you folks have been asking for, so we're bringing it in!
• Tahki Montana - a 100% pure new wool in all natural colors. Some great patterns for this yarn!
• Filatura di Crosa Superior - a heavenly blend of cashmere and silk - amazing sweaters and scarves and more are made with this yarn.

There are more, but I'm going on and on and really have to get some work done!

We came away with some neat pattern ideas too, and we'll start working on those in the next few weeks. I think I'll be doing a lot of knitting in the near future!

Tilli Triangle Totes!

We just received the Tilli Tomas Triangle Bags which are awesome. I love the colors and the feel of the cotton, just in time for warmer temps! As I was unpacking them in the shop yesterday, one of our customers spotted the Hot Pink one, and she had to have it. So, GONE for now! Until we get our next shipment, that is!

It’s a great size, perfect for knitting, or an every day purse/bag. I may just have to get my hands on one of these too!

New Lexie Barnes Fabrics... and one new bag!

It sure was fun opening the Lexie Barnes box this morning. We love the new fabrics - they're perfect for spring... and didn't that start yesterday? You wouldn't know it with the 15 degree temperatures and whipping wind this morning, but at least we can pretend it's spring by staying indoors and surrounding ourselves with all things bright!


So we got the Lady B in all three new fabrics, as well as the Betty and Kitty needlecases. We also got a bunch of the Jinx bags... This is a brand new design and they're calling it a "hobo" bag. I would call it more of an "over the shoulder messenger bag" but whatever you call it, it's really cute. AND IT'S REVERSIBLE!!! So if you're feeling in less of an in-your-face mood, and want to blend in a bit more, just turn it inside out and you've got a great looking solid bag.

Fabrics (top to bottom): Utopia, Diablo, Pacifica.

New Offhand Designs Fabrics!

We received a heavy box from Offhand Designs today - full of bags and needle cases made with their great new Spring 2008 fabrics!

We were completely sold out of the Deluxe Needle Clutch and the Circular Needle Clutch, but these are both back in stock now in all 6 awesome new fabrics!




We also received a few Zhivago Weekenders - the largest bag in their line and our BEST selling bag:
and a few Zelda Grandes - our next best selling one:They are gorgeous. Come on in and see!