Summer is for Kids!
Made with Super 10!
Sassy Skein Patterns are sooooooo cute and so easy to knit in wonderful Super 10!
These patterns are now on sale — 25% off through June 30. Choose a few now; in stock only.
If you find one of these patterns and want the kit with Super 10 Cotton, just email us and we will put it together for you!
These are just a few quick Amigurumi I put
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So give it a try — I bet you’ll love it!
And then there’s Versa another very different yarn. This yarn is two tapes, each variegated, then joined together for an incredible color statement. The colors are vivid and yet when they’re knit, there’s the overall visual effect of very subtle changes.
One technique that would be fantastic for this yarn is Hairpin Lace (many Stitch Diva Patterns). Of course most tape yarns are good for this, but the colors of Versa are spectacular. You can see our patterns for Hairpin Lace here. This yarn will also be great for crochet, because the color constantly changes.
Versa — You will love it and the style book too!
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From Berroco: Lago
a gorgeous, very drapey, textured yarn with a bit of shine. Beautiful vibrant colors and easy to knit, with a very nice booklet.
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And then there’s Versa
another very different yarn. This one is two tapes, each variegated, then joined together for an incredible color statement. You will love it and the style book too!
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Regia Design Line Garden Effects by Kristin Nicholas! Six great colorways guaranteed to remind you of the wonderful gardens to come this summer. What fun! These newly designed colorways were a great favorite at Stitches West, and since then also with our customers. So give it a whirl!
We got here safely Tues and were able to start setting up first thing Wednesday. We usually complain about being stuck in the back of the market floor, but since we are very close to the loading dock it made things easier. For this show we bought a lot of new display hardware, and we’re really grateful that our son Evan and his friend Tina were there to help us figure it out for the first time.
We had been told that this was the biggest Stitches show, and everything we had heard was correct. It’s true, and if you are anywhere west of the Rockies you absolutely MUST go to this show.
Best sellers Thursday evening and today: Super 10 Cotton (that’s no big surprise), Trendsetter Bodega novelty yarn, Improv, and KA exchangeable needle sets. But we have sold some of just about everything. Tonight was the fashion show; we have 5 garments. We’ll see if they create some excitement for tomorrow!!
Another update plus pics coming
Stitches West Ho!!
We left Sunday about noon from Jackson, and wouldn’t you know it? We had a spectacular animal encounter almost immediately. This is what we saw about 25 miles south of home:
These mountain goats are always a welcome sight. They’re very impressive animals, very calm and very big.
They’re also cute– see the face on the juvenile in the photo on the right?
Anyway, we had off and on snow until we got to Salt Lake, but managed to make it across the salt flats to Wendover before stopping for the night. The entire trip has been filled with gorgeous scenery.
Yesterday, we drove to Sparks NV, where we picked up some new display for our booths. On a whim, I checked the customer list and found we have one customer in Sparks! So we decided to do our best imitation of Publisher’s Clearinghouse, and we showed up on the doorstep of Mary F., and presented her with a little gift! You should have seen the look on her face. It was fun.
So we have made it here to Santa Clara a little while ago, and checked into the hotel, and are anticipating getting a good start on the set-up tomorrow. It was an easy drive broken into 3 days. Stay tuned for more updates from Stitches West!
Some great but yet-to-be-appreciated yarns
This season there have been a lot of changes in the yarns available for knitters. There have been a lot of yarns discontinued, and a lot of new introductions. In times of economic uncertainty, it’s no surprise that crocheters and knitters return to their favorites. But there are some that I have tried, and deserve a closer look.
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Mohair is coming back into style, but not the ultra big fuzz-ball look. What is important now is a light halo and a soft hand. Enter Aiko. This yarn is incredibly soft, but it takes up a lot of space. The yarn itself it made up from a tiny boucle of the fibers stitched into a small tape. When it is knit, there isn’t a lot of surface halo (fuzz), but it knits to a bigger gauge than it looks. The Aiko styles in the Lang books are mostly used for snuggly knits, but I think it would also make a great yarn for openwork styles–a lacy scarf or wrap would be very sophisticated in this yarn.
Make a gigantic impact with Color
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| Fassett’s Patchwork Designs |
It’s easier than ever before with Regia’s Design Line by Kaffe Fassett
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Rowan’s Master Colorist, Kaffe Fassett, has created beautiful combinations for Regia Yarns. Those of us familiar with his work can spot a Fassett design a mile away, and love them all. But of course the knitting patterns were so daunting–combinations of fair isle and intarsia, with complex color changes using often dozens of colors and yarns in one project!
Now Fassett revisits some of his favorite shapes and patterns using combinations of these variegated yarns with each other and solids. Get fabulous results with simplified technique!
The great color combinations
of Regia Design Line
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| Kaffe Fassett’s colorways |