It was love at first sight when we first received Never Not Knitting patterns by Alana Dakos several years ago!  Her thoughtfully designed, classic styles for women & children are elegant and universally appealing. The printed patterns are lovely to look at and well written.  We've had Coastal knits trunk shows in the past but this is the first time we've had a Never Not Knitting trunk show!

 Stop by the shop if you can and take a look!  And yes, they are as soft to touch as they look!

 Katlyn looks so sunny and warm in this Cedar Leaf Shawlette!  This one is knit up in Malabrigo Silky Merino in color 405 - Sand.







Erika & JenA are snug and warm in these lofty hats, Winter Trails in Malabrigo Worsted and Cloudy Days in Blue Sky Alpaca Sportweight!

Jenny just loves the Cream & Sugar Cowl in Malabrigo Sock and the Plum Tree Slouch hat.  She will stay plenty warm out in the warehouse in this pair!


Terry has had the Shawl Collared Cowl pattern and the Misti Alpaca Chunky in her stash for a while now and thinks she needs to get on the ball and get it worked up!

This adorable little girl's sweater is called Sheepish! Wouldn't it make a wonderful gift for that special little someone?


Last but not least is this adorable little shrug called Chloe knit up in Spud & Chloe Sweater


The other trunk show currently in the shop is Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection. We have so many wonderful garments in the shop you're sure to find lots of ideas for all those babies that have been cropping up everywhere! The sizes range from newborn to 24 months.



 The entire Kelbourne Baby Collections is knit up in yarns from The Fibre Company!  So soft!!!

These adorable vests are Harold (on the left) knit up in Tundra and Mildred (on the right) worked in Terra

This is Colette knit up in Road to China Light!

 Clarence are fun little hand warmers and Florence is a pretty set of hat and booties both knit up in Canopy (which we don't currently carry).

Cecile knit up in Terra & Beatrix in Acadia are two of the most adorable sweaters!

That lovely blanket in the back ground is Basil in Canopy.  The diaper covers are called Darling and the onesie is Nellie.

We hope to see you in the shop but if you can't make it in just let us know any questions you have.

The Retail Team - Gus, JenA, Jill, & Terry




 

As the winter weather moves into full swing, the retail store will be hosting tons of fabulous trunk shows to keep you warm and inspired! We can't wait to share all of the pretty things we'll be getting in with you! Trunk shows are a wonderful way to see how yarns perform in various garments and the ideas they give us will keep our hooks, needles & looms flying all winter!

First show up, is Tundra from The Fibre Company, just in time for frigid weather!  Tundra is a lofty, bulky, 2-ply blend of baby alpaca, merino wool and silk, making it sumptuously soft and giving it a surprisingly nice drape for a thicker yarn. On loan to the shop right now are eight garments, including cowls, hats, gloves, and a shawl. Stop by if you can to check them out and give them a pet, they will be here until November 14th.



 Check out the colors of Tundra Yarn here.

Terry was immediately drawn to the Tallin done in the color Larch, since she loves both autumnal colors and the textures of the cables & moss stitches.  Jen A went straight for the Copenhagen Hood in Scotia Sea.
Jill grabbed the Auckland Hat to try on...yes, mostly because she loves the color, Boreal!  But the all over plaited cable pattern gives it just the right amount of texture, too.

Sam tried on the Permafrost cowl in Taiga, and after some debate on styling, decided she liked it best to the side.  Leslie tried on the Fairbanks in Lingonberry, a simple infinity scarf that would be a great project for beginning knitters!

Diana was all bundled up in the warehouse, but was happy to trade out her cold weather gear to try on the warm & soft  Harbin cowl in Glacier with an i-cord edging in Taiga.


Monika got to try on the Svalbard hat and gloves set, which was one of the first patterns to sell out when we got in the samples!  But we'll have more on the way, so you can get it from us or from Ravelry! ( And we know you'll ask, but the sweater was from Orvis, it wasn't one of her handmade tops!)


The Retail Team - Gus, JenA, Jill, Matt & Terry





 

When I was asked by the gals at Kelbourne Woolens to review their latest book: Kelbourne Woolens Vol. 1, I absolutely jumped at the chance! Not only do I love their patterns, but the yarn that they distribute from The Fibre Company is simply stunning and a delight to work with. (I even used Terra for my latest Free Pattern on the Jimmy Beans Wool site: Ruby Crest Hat and Mitts.)

What was also neat about this blog tour is that all of the participants were asked to pick our favorite item from the book and create a couple of different outfits or "looks" with it using Polyvore. I love that this format was something new and different for us so we jumped at the opportunity!

Now, it seems particularly fitting that I ended up with the Springtime Bandit pattern. Not only is it one of my favorites but I've knit it twice myself. I'd do it again too. I love the pattern!

A while back (a little over a year ago) I led a KAL at Jimmy Beans for the Springtime Bandit. We had just received the Fibre Co. Terra yarn and I was dying for a chance to work with it. It turned out to be one of the most fun knits I've done to date. Since then, several of the gals at JBW have gone on to knit the pattern as well. You can view our projects on the JBW Project Log.

Kelbourne Woolens Vol. 1 is a brilliant collection of designs from Courtney Kelly and Kate Gagnon Osborn (the gals behind Kellbourne Woolens). Some are older designs while others are much newer and in a sense, it's a greatest hits collection. Vol. 1 brings together 11 of their most popular designs in a fully edited and beautifully photographed book. (It's gorgeous! I got to see it in person at TNNA.)

Look #1

I love the re-worked version of the Springtime Bandit which is in a vibrant shade of magenta. I think it works really well with the outfits I've put together for you on Polyvore. If you are on Polyvore, feel free to check these out in my sets.

The first is a work-day style with a gorgeous belted tunic-length top, dark skinny jeans or leggings, and boots (yes, I am lucky enough to be able to wear jeans to work, but you could swap them for nicer slim pants.) I totally wish I had a leather jacket like this. I have tons of knitted accessories that would look awesome with it!

Look #2

My second "look" is a bit more casual. I pretty much live in jeans, t-shirts, and Toms in the springtime. These cute Toms ballet flats with a striped top, cardigan, a cute hat and of course bandit are a winning weekend look!

Ok, so in full disclosure, I am in love with Polyvore now! It's pretty fun to put together outfits and save items you like for later like those cute boots or that leather jacket for example. It's definitely a new source for me to find fun things to pin on Pinterest. :)

Thanks so much to the Kate and Courtney for allowing us to be a part of their blog tour, it's been fun! Jimmy Beans Wool will be getting Kelbourne Woolens Vol. 1 very soon but in the meantime, you can check out all of the patterns on the Ravelry page. Also, be sure to check out the next stop on the tour tomorrow (2/22) with Rohn Strong.

Happy knitting everyone!
Kristen