LYS Day crept up on me this year! We have three bang-up awesome specials for this year's weekend celebration of all thing LYS (Local Yarn Store): Double the Stitches, Berroco and KFI. Read on for details, then let's go shopping this weekend!
Again this year lovely designer, Jessica Ays of Double The Stitches (and Head LYS Cheerleader) dreamed up this little beauty:Trust Fall Shawl by Jessica always does fantastic pattern to support all us little ole yarn shops. This year it's a peach! She (like us) loves Jody Long Yarns and this one uses just 2 balls of Alba. (Yes, Jessica is to blame that I've cast on yet another new project.....)
*Buy this project yarn, get free pattern and you can enter KFI Lykke Lotto too!*
A pefect wrap for year-round, but especially for Spring flip flopping weather. I have absolutely NO business casting on anything for the next decade..... But....yep,,,,,this baby going on the needles tonight! I love working with Alba so its a no-brainer.
Come into shop to grab some Alba and get your LYS Day Promo Code for the free pattern (via Ravelry). Pattern available to download starting Apr 26th.
The pattern codes will only be redeemable for a limited time only: Friday 4/26 8:00 AM ET until they expire on Sunday 4/28 at 11:59 PM ET.
Our Thursday Shop Group needs a new KAL too. This is perfect! Hoping to entice my compatriots in casting-on to whipped this one up next! Join me on Thursdays 12-2pm at our Drop-In Group. I'll be working on this shawl (along with many other projects).
Jessica will meet on May 4th 7pm EDT on Zoom. Grab your yarn and needles. She'll show you the ropes, walk you through the stitches used and answer questions. Perfect if you feel stuck or just want to have company as you knit. Note: Cast-On Party will be recorded so you can watch later. Pre-register here (scroll down to bottom for sign ups).
Berroco Seeing Double Cowls
Once again like last year it's a Berroco 2-fer-Cowl patterns! This year they are busting out the color! Byte (Crochet) and Pixel (Knit) versions. These cowls are exclusively available through our stores and will not be available to download on Ravelry or Berroco.com. Patterns Byte and Pixel free with each yarn purchase in our shop this weekend.
We don't stock Vintage (worsted) but do have Ultra Wool, Remix and the new Bozzolo-all perfect subs. Washable Wool, Recycled and Super Soft Cottony Goodness!
Bozzolo would be particularly awesome: amazingly soft to touch, lovely colors and gorgeous multi colorways. Using a solid with a multi could be so interesting! (Someone needs to try this...because I SERIOUSLY CAN'T CAST ON ANOTHER PROJECT...... lol!)
Knitting Fever Brands Lykke Lotto!
Always wanted a gorgeous set of Lykke Knitting or Crochet Sets? They're running drawing- 1 name for every 20 entries. Here's what you do: Make a purchase with us this weekend, email your receipt to socialmedia@knittingfever.com. It's that easy! (Be sure to have us email your receipt!)
I'm in love! It's the squishiest, softest yarn to work with. Immediately cast on a striped scarf with all the colors! Tube scarf to make it even easier to finish. It's going to be a big long, warm, colorful tube to wear all winter. It's a chainette style yarn which creates a bouncy hand, but got to say....a bugger to rip back. But I love it so much...all's forgiven!
Last spring at our rep appt this yarn sucked me in right away. Rep Betsy had sweater on the needles and I couldn't stop squishing it, delighted with how cozy it works up. I'm dreaming of lovely cardigans and pullovers I can live in all winter.
Color palette is just lovely. Hence my decision to use ALL the colors in a super stripe scarf! I couldn't decide which to use....so they all get used!
Okay...enough gushing. Here's the skinny: "Talara is a delightfully lush and charming mid-weight yarn made of 100% llama. It’s soft to the touch and easy to work with, has a bouncy texture, and creates a fabric that has next-to-skin comfort." Pattern booklet #446 Talara features lovely designs. Especially handy are Maitake and Porcini, two hat-mitten sets; one knit and other crochet! Perfect for gifting.
Maitake (knit)
Porcini (crochet)
Cremini, a lace cardigan and Morel Vest both wardrobe building sweaters. Tartufo wins hands-down for cuddliest weekend sweater.
All Berroco patterns available here online. We also print out single patterns if you prefer. Just contact us (email is best) or pop into the shop. Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of my latest WIP!
Join us for our Jody Long Verdi KAL starting April 28th. Verdi was the most popular pattern during Jody's recent US LYS Tour and proved same for our customers. Hence the KAL!
Meet-ups are during our regular Friday sessions12-2pm. Come pick out yarn, get your pattern, choose size etc. Then cast on your swatch (yes....swatching a must!), knit up your sweater and (hopefully) you'll be wearing it by June! Join us when you can make it, or need help...or encouragement...or as an excuse to just sit and knit for a few hours. Weather finally turning warmer so patio table ready and waiting for us to work away at on our Verdi sweaters! Might try to get a zoom session with Jody to show off our finished sweaters if his schedule allows.
Verdi uses a new yarn Lino Moda, a perfect DK linen/cotton blend. The strength of linen pairs beautifully with soft cotton for a yarn that holds it shape and wears well over time. Great for all things baby, kids and garments.
Colors are delightfully tonal. This is achieved since each fiber takes the dye differently. Creates a tonal marl effect. This imparts a rich depth to finished items, be they garments, baby blankets, tote bags, crochet projects..... all are wonderful. It's a great
KAL are great way to work collectively with others on same pattern. It helps to have others in same boat, as we all work our way to the finish line. We can help each other with the tricky bits, offer tips and tricks along the way, and provide encouragement when the knitting gets boring! Kim's got swatches made and will help initiate you to the joys of swatching! Can't avoid that crucial step when making garments. Our Lino Moda order arrived and already a reorder on it's way (few colors sold out fast!). Come by the shop to see pattern and yarns to see if you're up for the challenge.
Join us for the Spring Sweater KAL
starting April 28th from 12-2pm!
Jody Long Event Recap
Our Jody event in March was a blast and super informative. We learned all about Jody's personal background, his attention to tailoring details of his patterns (thanks to his Grandmother....a Royal Tailor to Queen Elizabeth!) and his love of designing flattering garments with little modern touches. How he'd skip school to knit in the woods by his house. His career trajectory and shocking ability to crank out a finished sweater in just a few days.
Grateful for our lovely model, Brig! She's now ready to tour the world with Jodi as his fit model. Our handsome sales rep Joseph happily played dress up as well, in addition to escorting Jody around on the tour.
Having piles of Jody's hand knit garments to see and try on was awesome. Makes a huge difference. As a result of this event we brought in Coastline, an aran weight cotton blend we hadn't brought into shop before. After seeing how great it works up, we said "yep! we need this yarn too!"
Another important fact: Jody prefers to sweaters in pieces, not top down. This allows for a better constructed garment that is more flattering to wear. I know...I hear the groans of "I hate seaming," but if you're wanting sweaters to fit and flatter....rethink avoiding seams. He's not totally averse to in the round patterns....but only when the fit of the final garment is enhanced by this method. Think of knitting in round like a pole, with the rounds slanted up as you go. When put on a body there's a subtle twist to the garment that can be less than flattering. Hence his preference for pieces vs. "tubes".
We also learned Jody is one of world's fastest knitters! He clocks in just behind the official world champion. We hear they're going to have knit off one of these days and he hopes to become #1! It was mesmerizing watching how fast his fingers fly! No wonder he can design so many patterns each year. He can finish a sweater in 3 days or so, a shawl in 2 nights. Truly impressive!
Despite the very stormy, windy, blustery, wet, wild day.....we have perfect turn out. About 20ish total. Thank you everyone for braving the elements! Jody loved it! His future plans next year's tour involve classes and workshops! Thank you Mom for making your awesome Clam Chowder and tons of cookies!
Most importantly we learned he never uses this typical pattern writing shortcut "just reverse shaping" when it's time to make the right or left fronts. Instead he writes all the parts of his pattern out so it's easy to follow!! That "just reverse shaping" is one of our pet bugaboos (Jody's too) and a real PITA. Now we foresee many Jody Long sweater patterns being knit at maisieblue in the future! Yippee!....Kim can cast on more sweaters!!! But don't hold your breath she'll finish them any time soon..... LOL
Okay.... I exaggerate. It's just one Brit and he's awesome.
Come meet Designer Jody LongMar 14th from 12-3pm. He's traveling cross-country with a big ole trunk show of his designs and yarns. It's a unique to have a designer do events....but he's also a yarn line designer!
We're looking forward to insight into the "create a brand new yarn" process. Seriously...how the heck does he have time to twice a year create new yarns and design new patterns (290 patterns in his portfolio)?
Jody arrives with a big trunk show (probably not all 290, but as much as he can pack into the car!). We will hear about his long 20+ year career as a designer and how he got his start as a LYS shop owner many years ago. We plan to ask him to demo his 3 tops invaluable tips or techniques too. There's a specially designed secret USA Tour Shawl pattern just for his event attendees. It's in Alba and it's gorgeous!
So Save the Date! Then head to our shop Mar 14th at High Noon, your projects in tow and questions at the ready! Come for nibbles, freebies, discounts and lots of handmade garments! We love Jody's lines and are thrilled he's winding his way up to the foothills just to see us! We're building our inventory up in anticipation of Jody's arrival (and Kim's casting on new projects of course....).
Read on for highlights of his latest new Fall/Winter collection.
Airspun
This new yarn features merino, blown through a polyamide core to create a soft, fuzzy yarn with a delicate halo effect. This construction will give you a durable, light-weight fabric ideal for cool weather garments and accessories. It's heavenly!
Airspun has 9 colors in a gentle gradient effect in very generous 365 yds (75gm) ball. Hard to capture the subtle, elegant ombre colorways. Need to see them in person to appreciate. It's a DK (#3) and gauge ranges: knit 21-24st on #US 5-7; crochet 12-17 sc = 4" on a F - H hook.
Kim has two Airspun wips on the needles (yeah.....she has a cast-on problem) and finds the yarn has a very flexible gauge range. It's more worsted gauge in a Broken Seed Stitch on an #8. For a lace patterns you could go up or down needle size. It's a very forgiving yarn and delightful to work with. Would make a fantastic lap blanket.
There's a pattern booklet called Autumn Hues(patterns shown in collage below). We have a shop sample of the lovely Grace cardigan (bottom left).
The shop sample is a small.....but Kim can, if wearing a t-shirt, squeeze into it! Its beautiful. Light, lofty and warm. The vertical cable neckbands super slimming and the peplum style is flattering. Our sample is in the dusty Rosette #002 color way.
Rovesoft is a easy-care blend of Peruvian Alpaca and Highland Wool with super-fine acrylic to create a super wash, soft to the touch workhorse yarn. It's worsted weight (#4) with gauges: knit = 16.5 st on 4" on a US 9; crochet = 11-14 sc over 4" on US I. Jody designed yarn to be long-lasting, hard-wearing yet easy care. Lovely blend of alpaca and acrylic. Would make a fantastic cabled hat and scarf set. (Kim's not cast on with this yet....but the day is young so bound to happen at some point! )
As always, Jody has awesome range of versatile, wearable garments to show off his yarn. Winter Vibes has several classic shaped sweaters designed to be wardrobe staples.
August (then September.....and now October) was/is crazy hectic for our family and thus the shop. Hopefully our crises are managed, the big looming life events successfully embraced and life at our shop can chug along (with the help of our lovely helpers!) One boon: Autumn arrived! We left to take my son to college in triple digits and two days later it was 70 and cold! Then awesome rain. Even the weather was doing it's best to ease my transition into Empty Nest!
Exciting to get Malabrigo back into the shop! They've consistently chugged along all these years with lovely hand-dyed yarns with still affordable prices. The new Ultimate Sock here and a perfect blend of their hand-dye palette with a superwash wool sock yarn, now with touch of nylon! This adds great durability to items....especially toes and heels. Perfect for hats, garments too. Hanks are 100g (420yds) with gauge of 30-32 sts 4" on #1-3 needle. In our shop and online.
Mohair projects such fun. Having classic malabrigo colorways a huge boon! Read details on website. Ready to preorder. Order due to arrive in the shop/ready to ship after Oct 18th. It's literally brand-spanking new so will probably still smell.
TIP:We love double stranding mohair with another yarn to create unique blends. Plus it bumps up the gauge too. Great way to use up stash and/or cotton blends to make them cool weather friendly.
You'll probably recognize this company's name. Dream in Color is a well-known and beloved yarn line. Savvy is a new super bulky superwash extra fine merino hand-dyed (say that 5x fast!), It's SO SOFT AND SNUGGLY! Great for fast gifts as we move towards gift-giving season. And yes I said "superwash"!
Addi fans rejoice! The newest needle line, Ewenicorn has arrived. Designed with subtle ridges spiraling up to the lovely pointy lace needle tip. These ridges create subtle ergonomic effect (grip it less as needle doesn't slip in fingers). The special pink cords are the SOS lifeline style for an added feature.
Similar to the Rocket Squared needles in performance but with the bonus SOS-style cord. Currently available 24" - 40" lengths at the moment. For 16" circulars we suggest the Rockets Squared. Gradually getting our products online so have a gander at what's up there. Don't see something? Just ask us to special order!
On The Bookshelf
Latest Ruth Galloway in hardcover #14 Locked Rooms. New paperback of #13 Night Hawks. I adore this series and Ruth...but confess a reluctance to crack open the hardcover of newest installment. It's set during the covid lockdown and just not ready to read about it....yet.
In meantime I've nearly finished wither her Magic Men Mystery Series. Heartily endorse! Once again lovely characters, lots of murders, plenty of local color (post-war Brighton). Will be sad once last book finished.
Beautiful New Miss Marples!
Happy to stock these new gorgeous paperback editions of all the Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie. Recently found this newly published version with stunning covers. Published to coincide with the release of this hardcover (hopefully sitting in a book delivery dropped by UPS today):
Marple: 12 New Miss Marple Mysteries written by 12 contemporary mystery writers as their homage to Miss Marple's influence upon their careers. This should be a fun red! Elly Griffiths contributed too. It's how I discovered this new book and beautiful new editions of my hero Miss Marple!
EVIL IN SMALL PLACES by Lucy Foley
THE SECOND MURDER AT THE VICARAGE by Val McDermid
MISS MARPLE TAKES MANHATTAN by Alyssa Cole
THE UNRAVELLING by Natalie Haynes
MISS MARPLE’S CHRISTMAS by Ruth Ware
THE OPEN MIND by Naomi Alderman
THE JADE EMPRESS by Jean Kwok
A DEADLY WEDDING DAY by Dreda Say Mitchel
MURDER AT THE VILLA ROSA by Elly Griffiths
THE MURDERING SORT by Karen M. McManus
THE MYSTERY OF THE ACID SOIL by Kate Mosse
THE DISAPPEARANCE by Leigh Bardugo
Pssst...... I have a secret. I've watched all the various tv version multiple times (Joan Hickson my favorite!) but I've never read one! I know!! Maybe now there's pretty covers I'll get around to them!
Meet Tilly - Maisie's cousin
She finally arrived! Her fashion style tends to "eclectic" and "throw everything on".... But she loves to model and show off our shop samples. Nice to have an in-house model, even if she's a bit of a forgetful nudist sometimes! We had a serious chat when she was caught topless few weeks back. LOL
Her current ensemble pictured on the Right. She's modeling Berroco Modern Cotton Skirt with a stylish cropped card in a new summer yarn Vivo. She accessorized with perfect warm weather scarf, Delphine in Modern Cotton DK. And we're happy she's put her top on today! Somedays she channels her inner Amazonian Queen.....
Whew..... this newsletter took months to finally send! Quick heads up to mark calendars:
Noro Night
Oct 27th 4-6pm
More details in next week's newsletter....but wanted Noro Nuts to save the date for a fun night with our hilarious Noro Rep, Gilda. She's knows Noro inside and out, has tons of great pattern ideas and always makes us laugh way too much! We plan to raise a glass to the memory of the amazing Eisaku Noro, creator and visionary behind this favorite brand. Bring along your Noro stash, projects, wips and help us celebrate the uniquely wonderful Noro yarns.
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