"Kerchief" Hi folks!  I have an abundance of new projects to share with you all today for FO Friday so let's get right down to it, shall we? :) Sandy finished a gorgeous shawlette this week (and by "this week" I mean she was binding off on Monday and wore it to work the very next day)! The pattern is "Kerchief" by Kieran Foley.  This shawl is so unique--I just love it!  Sandy used Zauberball Crazy yarn in the "Flussbett" color with Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool for the colorwork section.  It's really beautiful and Sandy did such a phenomenal job! "Barb's Koigu Ruffle" Sandy's good friend Barbara just finished this awesome "Barb's Koigu Ruffle" Scarf by Churchmouse Designs.  She was kind enough to loan it to us for a few days and it's been on display in the shop....

addthis_pub = 'laurazander'; addthis_brand = 'Jimmy Beans Wool'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/images/headerlogoSmall.gif'; addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, email, google, myspace, facebook, reddit, newsvine, live, more'; Always one to paint (or dye) outside the lines, Noro offers a mesmerizing mix of classic fibers and original yarns for your knitting pleasure this spring, summer and beyond! 18 Purples, Green, Blues My favorite fab fiber this season has to be Nobori by Noro. A creative combo of colorful single ply cotton twisted with a white nylon tape, this yarn may weigh in as a heavy worsted, but it feels as lightweight as a light worsted or DK! The breezy, breathable nature of cotton is mostly responsible for Nobori's lofty, cloud-like feel while the...

        ?We WEaddthis_pub = 'laurazander'; addthis_brand = 'Jimmy Beans Wool'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/images/headerlogoSmall.gif'; addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, email, google, myspace, facebook, reddit, newsvine, live, more'; We had a filming day last Monday and, boy, was it fun! We reviewed tons of new products, recorded great instructional videos, and started to work on our little bean bios (so you can get to know all of us a bit better). I can tell you that recording the bios got really, really silly! You are going to see a lot of new faces on camera, which makes me super happy since I've been pestering everyone to join in the fun for a long time now! Well, they finally jumped in and, sure enough, they found out how...

Hello everyone!  I hope you've all been well these past few weeks!  You may have noticed the absence of FO Fridays and WIP Weekends for the past two weeks, and no, I haven't been shirking my blog responsibilities.  I have a really good reason.  I swear! Yep, definitely broken. April 1st was my birthday...Happy Birthday to me!  I made plans with some friends that included my favorite pizza place in Reno followed by roller skating in fabulous 90's attire.  All was going well that evening until I decided to take a spill on the rink.  I blame it on the rental skates. Yeah, that's it, the skates! I broke my wrist.  To the tune of needing surgery (a metal plate and 9 screws) to fix!  Yikes! Here's me in the ER looking awesome in my shiny Blue...

addthis_pub = 'laurazander'; addthis_brand = 'Jimmy Beans Wool'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/images/headerlogoSmall.gif'; addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, email, google, myspace, facebook, reddit, newsvine, live, more'; Spring seems to be more serious about sticking around lately and I have been soaking up as much sun as I can! Soon it will be time to switch gears and start knitting up lightweight summery things instead of thick scarves and woolen sweaters... I am sooooo ready! To kick off the season, Rowan has introduced two spectacular new yarns with a heaping pile of pattern support. Panama 308 Jacaranda Panama has already begun to fly off our shelves and it is pretty easy to understand why. This sock weight cotton, linen and viscose blend is ideal...

My sweet smelling Freesia!           We Spring is being a bit stubborn here in Reno but this knitter is being stubborn right back...take that, lousy weather! We had four yards of wonderful planting mix delivered to our house and we have placed almost all of it in our new front yard. My daughter and her beau (Rory) came out last weekend to lend a hand and we got so much done, thanks you two! We dug, moved, shared cuttings, cleaned, planted and just generally made serious headway on the garden. I want to incorporate edible plants in amongst my wonderful flowers and have to figure out exactly what to put where. My front yard can be a very shady spot so I need plants that don't require full sun to thrive and ones that are able to tolerate the...

Gasp! Breath-taking! addthis_pub = 'laurazander'; addthis_brand = 'Jimmy Beans Wool'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/images/headerlogoSmall.gif'; addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, email, google, myspace, facebook, reddit, newsvine, live, more'; If you haven't heard about it already, be sure to check out the latest Color Commentary hue from Lorna's Laces! Designed by none other than Jared Flood, Grand Street Ink, is available in Shepherd Sock, Sport, Worsted, Lion and Lamb, Honor and Helen's Lace. A rich purple with chocolate and indigo undertones, this sumptuous shade was inspired by graffiti art on Grand Street in Brooklyn. Knit it! You know you want to! To accompany his breathtaking color, Jared also designed a stunning shawl pattern, Rock Island, which...

Well, it's official! The new name for my design company is (drum roll, please....) 'Battle Born Knits'!!!! I LOVE, LOVE it!!! Thank you so much, Flossie, for the name and be sure to call our shop with your information. Congratulations on your win. Thanks soooooooooo much to everyone for all of your wonderful input. It was really difficult to narrow all the great choices for the poll! Stay tuned for my new blog and there will be, of course, a new pattern in the works too. :-) Also, I haven't gotten information from the 4 other choices for the poll...please let me know your pattern choices and how I can get them to you! Thanks again! Leaving the dock at Seattle Now, on to my trip to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound. All I can say is....*SIGH*, what a great trip! Churchmouse Yarns and Teas...

Royal Wedding in Baby Me Boo addthis_pub = 'laurazander'; addthis_brand = 'Jimmy Beans Wool'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/images/headerlogoSmall.gif'; addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, email, google, myspace, facebook, reddit, newsvine, live, more'; You may have noticed that we do not currently have much of this month's Limited Edition Color, Royal Wedding, left in stock. Contrary to the popular hypothesis currently brewing, we did not try to pull the mother of all April Fool's jokes. This fresh medley of vibrant blues just proved to be ridiculously popular! I am having Eclipse (LLE color of July 2010) flashbacks since this color is flying out the door just as fast! If you haven't been able to nab a hank of your favorite Lorna's base in Royal Wedding yet,...