Knitting Green And Thinking Spring!

Chunky in 01 Blue Corn

As we venture further into the 21st century, environmentally friendly or "green" products are becoming more and more common. This of course applies to yarn as well. While there are an increasing number of organic, all natural and recycled fibers out there, it can be difficult to find the right combination of sumptuous texture and color selection in a yarn you actually want to make something out of. Enter Misti Alpacas new Best Of Nature Worsted and Chunky yarns! You can't beat the certified organic 100% alpaca for softness and warmth, and each splendiferous color is dyed using the most environmentally responsible pigmentation processes!

Worsted in 04 Colorado

Each color is derived from the naturally occurring hues of plants and minerals. Both the chunky and worsted weight yarns are dyed using Misti Alpacas's signature hand painting process which results in subtly variegated solid colorways that bring out the highs and lows of each understated hue. My favorite part? Well, aside from the fact that I am seriously in love with the finger-pleasing softness of anything Misti Alpaca, I find it fascinating that the colors can vary based on when and where the naturally occurring dye bases are collected. For instance, blue corn from July could result in a slightly different blue than blue corn harvested at the end of September. Colors will basically stay true to what you see on our website or in person, but as with any hand dyed yarn there will be small variations between dye lots. Isn't that just the coolest?!

6580 Tanzanile

Also new to our ever-growing stock of most excellent yarn is Regia Lace! Soft and easy to care for, Regia Lace is available in a myriad of bright, self-striping colorways. Perfect for sophisticated shawls and sheer, trendy apparel, this wool and polyamide blend is soft and fun to work with. At just $15 per 100g ball (that's over 650 yards of eye-catching yumminess!) Regia Lace is an affordable way to get your lacework fix as the weather slowly warms up!

"Leanne! Crochet me!"

Speaking of warm weather, we could really use some here in Reno right now! I woke up to snowy rain this morning instead of sunshine. :( Thankfully we have the Spring 2011 issue of Interweave Crochet to inspire summery thoughts of the sunny days to come! Page after page of lacy shawls and tops in cheery pastels make this collection of timeless crochet designs the perfect place to get started with next season's projects! My crochet hook is telling me I should really think about abandoning my cirulars and start working on the Chamomile Cardigan.

Mmm, interchangeables!

Unfortunately I might just have to ignore my crochet hook because I have had an eye on the Clover Takumi Interchangeable Circular Set ever since they arrived. I am a big fan of bamboo needles, not only because they are lightweight and a little softer to hold than metal needles, but the tend to grip yarn a little better than metal. I have a propensity to drop stitches so I am often thankful for that minuscule bit of extra friction! Clovers are always my go-to needles for anything, and as my circular collection is continually expanding now seems like a great time go invest in a quality set of interchangeables. The Takumi set includes 12 finely crafted tip sizes US 3 through 15 and five of the most popular cord lengths! Tips and cords also come in a luxury case for easy organization and portability. The transition between tip and cord is smooth and snag-free with a snug connection that won't unexpectedly detach! Sorry crochet hook, things aren't looking so good for you...

Happy crocheting and knitting!

Leanne :)