Customer Project - PEACE Blanket

Sydney, the 9 year old daughter of our customer Claudine, arrived home one day with a colored pillowcase and said "Mom, I want a blanket with these colors, and I want the peace symbol on it".  So Claudine got out her graph paper and started designing. Then she came into the shop and picked out some beautiful colors of Berroco Comfort Worsted.

Berroco Comfort Worsted

When all the squares were completed, Claudine came back in to get some help putting everything together. We love to show people how to seam properly!  And then, because she wanted the blanket just a bit larger, she decided to crochet around the edges. But she didn't crochet! So we taught her.

It was great learning opportunity for her, and she certainly knows how to do it now! And the blanket it amazing. (We're sure Sydney agrees!)

Claudine's Peace Sign Blanket for Sydney. LOVE IT!

Five superb colors, 20 squares (and no two squares alike!), an amazing job finishing and a HUGE amount of crochet for a first time crocheter! 

GREAT job Claudine! 

We love to see unique, hand designed success stories like this one. Do you have one to share with us?

What to knit when it is hot

contributed by Emily

This time of year it can be a little hard to stay motivated when it comes to knitting. I know I look at my blankets and sweaters in progress and I sigh, knowing that there is absolutely no way I am going to be able to knit on them until September or October, at least!

But I can’t not knit. It is just not within the realm of possibility for me. So I usually take the opportunity of these hot months to restock my supply of market bags! I love the Fruit and Vegetable market bag made in different color combinations of Tahki Cotton Classic. 

Yarndance Fruit & Vegetable Bags

And I recently took home a few skeins of the Rowan Revive to make the Everlasting Bagstopper. This is a free pattern from Knitty Summer 2007.

Great new colors of Comfort Worsted

Our new fall Berroco yarns have arrived, and so have the awesome new colors of existing yarns. We just received 5 really fun new shades of Comfort Worsted. They're all prints, and as you can see, they're perfect additions to the already huge color offering of this yarn.

Any of these would be great as a baby blanket. But which pattern you ask? I'd recommend either the simple Building Blocks Baby Blanket pattern 

or the Ann Norling Crib Blanket II pattern.

They'd also be great for baby sweaters. How about the Cottage Creations Lillie's Little Sweater?

Or the Cabin Fever Tasia's Cardigan?

Need more ideas? Stop in to the shop or drop us a line!

Graduation!

Lots of people are attending graduation ceremonies today and here in Vermont it's going to be a gorgeous day! The temperatures are going to be in the upper 70s, but in order to get a good seat, you may have to show up to the ceremony a bit early, when it's still a bit cooler. A little shawl is a perfect addition to any dress. Don't forget yours!

This one is the Be Sweet Capelette, and it looks perfect over any dress.

New Yarn from Pagewood Farm

We were thrilled that our customers liked the super bulky wools we brought in from Pagewood Farm this past fall and winter. The Bouquet is fun because it has little wool flower "bouquets" tied around the yarn. You can slide them along as you go to force them to be in one particular part of your knitting, or you can let them "bloom" naturally.

Bouquet

Glitterati really packed a punch! This wool has got it all: ribbons, beads AND sequins. We saw some crazy cool scarves made with this yarn this winter. It's currently out of stock but we will be bringing it back for fall.

Glitterati

The Plumes was also a favorite. Our one skein skinny scarf in the shop was an attention grabber. This scarf was easy and quick to make and people just loved the feathers. Each time I wore my scarf people would stop me and ask me about it. 

Plumes

We just brought in the Brissa which is adorned with ostrich feathers. In fact, it's got SO many little ostrich feathers that completely removing the background in Photoshop was too difficult!

Brissa

It is amazing. It's got these teeny, soft ostrich feathers that just love a little breeze! Imagine how lovely this would feel (and look!) with a gorgeous winter coat.

Outfit Ideas

When customers walk into our shop, they always comment on the number of knitted and crocheted samples we have. They say it's really inspiring to see sweaters, scarves, shawls, blankets, etc all finished and on display. There's just no comparison to seeing something in a picture and then seeing it made up. 

They love to touch and feel the samples--no doubt to check out the yarn we've used--and trying a sample on certainly helps them decide whether or not it will work for them. 

Do you ever make a new sweater and then find you don't wear it because you don't know what to pair it with? Don't be afraid to be bold with your outfits. Sometimes putting a hand-knit together with something that seems wrong, can be really RIGHT.

Here's a great example of a top and a sweater that you might not normally put together:

The gold sequined top is a bit fancier than the sweater, for sure. But the color and shimmer pick up on the yellow and brown tones in the Noro Silk Garden yarn, and then the perfect bronze necklace brings it all together. Just because you're wearing a gold sequined top doesn't mean you're going out on the town! Many stores are now selling tops like this for everyday wear, so don't be afraid of mixing it up.

Top: Cropped Cardigan from the Jenny Watson Designer Mini Knits book
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden

We love it!

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.

Della Q Items: Back in Stock

We carried Della Q bags and needle cases a number of years ago and now we've got 4 our favorite new Della Q products back in the shop.

First up is "The Que". This is a great circular needle case that's available in two fun fabrics. We chose the cotton prints, because we think they're gorgeous and durable. 

The pockets that hold each needle are actually large enough to hold more than one set - which we all know is important, since who just has one of each size? Also, there's a great little flap on each pocket. This flap is actually sized perfectly to tuck into each pocket, holding the needles securely inside. If you've ever picked up your needle case and it was upside down, and all of your circulars spilled out all over the floor, you'll appreciate this tiny - yet super smart - detail.

We also carry two interchangeable kits (by Denise) in gorgeous Della Q silk cases. There's a knitting needle set and a crochet hook set, and these were both really popular gift items this winter. It's so smart that these two companies teamed up together with their incredible products!

Denise Crochet Hook Interchangeable Set in a Della Q case

And just last week we received some really fun Della Q project bags. These are perfect for small knitting or crochet projects, and make great gifts - they're under $10!

These bags come in assorted colors and you can choose from three funny sayings. SO much better than a plastic baggie for your project!

Don't miss this preview of FALL 2012!

It's here! The most anticipated day of the year - when we announce that the new Berroco Fall and Winter yarns and pattern booklets are available for pre-order on our website!

Word is we'll be receiving these items to ship to you in just a couple of weeks, so now is the time to check them out and start planning your upcoming knitting and crochet projects. 

SEVEN incredible new pattern booklets!

There are 7 new pattern booklets, and 4 new yarns for this season, and we're digging each one! Last year you loved Boboli, a soft and shimmering wool blend with beautifully shifting colors. Well it's gotten at least THREE times better! Boboli Quick is three strands of Boboli that are plied together for fast and satisfying projects!

Here are a few fun projects in Boboli Quick:

Keeler Scarf, Ruble Hat and Hillside Sweater from Book #324

Next up, one of my personal favorites! Berroco Cirrus has a really cool construction. It's a nylon core that holds the merino and super kid mohair fibers. In just 25 grams you've got an amazing 114 yards. Garments made in Cirrus will be so lightweight and airy!

A few items on my MUST MAKE list are:

Vergoose Sweater, Denslow Shawl, Samber Fingerless Gloves from Book #323

and of course I can't leave out this vest which I know I will be living in come fall:

Germane Vest from Norah Gaughan Collection, Volume #11

Berroco Lodge has beautiful color transitions and vibrant tweed flecks. It's perfect for chunky blankets, sweaters and accessories.

I think our knitters will love these quick projects:

Hinge Hat, Acey Sweater and Peel Hat from Book #322

and there are two beautiful projects for our crocheters too!

Dosado Sweater and Sashay Scarf from Book #322 - both crocheted!

The final new yarn from Berroco for fall is Berroco Elements. I can't even describe this one - you've just GOT to check it out for yourself. Wool fibers are blown into a shimmering nylon mesh. It's just gorgeous and so are the designs for it!

I love all of the designs in this yarn. Narrowing it down to just 6 to share here was torture!

Capricia Sweater from Book #321, Twin and Likewise Sweaters from Norah Gaughan Vol #11

Aquari Sweater, Tauri Shawl and Pegasi Sweater from Book #321

Want to sample these yarns? Just pre-order any 3 of the 7 new Berroco pattern booklets, we'll give you a swatch pack for free.

Knitted Jewelry

We've got a lot of customers who like to be creative with yarns we sell. Some knit and crochet fun fibers into necklaces or earrings, and we've even got several folks who just combine interesting fibers together to make mixed fiber neckalces... no needles or hooks required!

This winter we came across a few free patterns online for some necklaces and we made up some samples for the shop. They became quite the rage over the past couple of months and we really enjoyed seeing people wear them in.

The Three Circles Necklace was popular, and we love our version in Berroco Captiva:

The Braided Cable Necklace was also a fun one to make: 

We now have two incredible knitted jewelry kits in the shop. They're both from Nelkin Designs, and they come with everything you need, except the knitting needle, and a bit of sew thread. These are quick and easy projects - and a great introduction to bead knitting.

The Butin Necklace is gorgeous. I love how the beads form a "swag" at the neck!

And the Ribband is an easy project that can be worn either as a necklace or a multi-looped bracelet.

These started selling in the shop the other day before we'd fully unpacked them. And we don't even have a sample made up yet!

Stay tuned, we'll be having a class on these.

June Knitting Classes

School is almost out for the year and that means it's summertime! We do slow down our class offering in the summer, as most of our local customers are hard at work in their gardens, having fun hiking in the beautiful mountains, or relaxing by the lake. But, we have two fun classes coming up that you won't want to miss.

How's your seaming? Many of our customers have already taken one of our 2 hour seaming workshops. When they arrive for the class, they're all in agreement about one thing... they hate finishing, and they definitely don't do it well. 

After the 2 hour class, the "finishing light bulb" goes off in each person's head. They finally GET IT! They learn how easy it is to complete a beautiful seam. And they no longer hate finishing, because it's what takes each hand knit garment to the next level. So please, if you haven't taken this class - join us. It's quick, easy and totally painless! Class meets Thursday, June 14th from 2-4pm.

Sign up for out ballet flats class and make yourself a beautiful pair of machine washable slippers to wear around the house.

This project is quick and fun and you will learn how to pick up stitches properly, work in the round with 2 circular needles, and work short rows. This is a great gift idea! The class meets Thursday, June 28th from 2-4pm.

If you missed our crochet basket class last week, we're sorry! Stay tuned as we will be scheduling similar crochet classes shortly.

Both of these classes have a small amount of pre-class work, so don't delay in signing up. You can sign up online or call the shop at 802-288-9200 x4.

Elfin Tweed - NEW yarn!

Sometimes when we are looking at new items to bring into the shop, we get a really special feeling about a certain yarn. That's the way it was when we saw the Elfin Tweed by Knit One Crochet Too. I don't know if it was the feel of the yarn, the look of the yarn, the blend of the yarn or the colors it was available in, but I knew immediately that we needed to have this yarn. 

It's a gorgeous blend of merino wool, llama, bamboo and donegal. We don't currently have any llama yarns in the shop, and we do occasionally have people ask, so I knew that it would be a good fiber mix to have.

When I picked up the skein I just loved the hand of this yarn. It's so soft, and just a bit tweedy - not too much, not too little. I've always been a sucker for tweeds! I could picture a beautiful lacy shawl in this yarn.

Three skeins would make the Buttonwillow Shawl:

Or the Maia Shoulderette:

And five skeins would make the Ivy Wrap:

And the colors are just beautiful. Don't you agree?

Lagoon, Berry Heather, Seafoam, Russet, Olive, Garnet (top to bottom)

How sharp are you? (Or rather how sharp are your needles?)

There are so many types of knitting needles these days, and if you ask any knitter what the best needle is, you're bound to get a very opinionated answer. Ask 2 knitters, you'll get at least 2 different answers; 10 knitters, at least 10 different answers. Why? Well there really isn't any one answer, as it's all a matter of personal preference.

Luckily, we carry about a million needles. Well, not a million, but some days, when we are trying to explain the differences to customers, it FEELS like we carry a million. The bad thing about this? We have more details to remember! The good thing? It means a better selection for you.

Do you like wood, plastic or metal? Straight, double pointed or circular? More rounded tips or sharp, pointy tips? No matter what your preference, we've got it.

And speaking of sharper tips, our Hiya Hiya enthusiasts should take note! We've got the Interchangeable Kits with the sharp tips on order. They're available for pre-order and you can expect to see them here in the next month.

Oh My these colors are great!

Plymouth Oh My! Yarn has been one of our favorite baby yarns for years now. It's a 100% fuzzy nylon that is amazingly soft to knit with, and amazingly soft to wear!

When customers see the cute green jacket we've got made up in the shop, it's usually the first thing they want to make with this yarn.

The pattern is great because it has options for a little baby jacket with our without a hood, plus directions for a cute hat, in sizes 6 months up to 3T.

Plymouth Pattern 630

And while choosing the pattern may be simple, choosing the color you'll want to use could be a bit more difficult! In addition to the traditional pastel baby colors:

there are 2 multi colors:

and 5 fun brighter colors, including a great new blue and orange:

Options, options!