Currently in the retail shop is an awesome trunk show featuring amazing garments knit in wonderful yarns from Debbie Bliss, Elsebeth Lavold, Louisa Harding and Araucania!



 The Paloma Scarf featured in Debbie Bliss magazine, Fall/Winter 2013 alternates slip stitch and moss stitch to give it this stand out texture and design.  Though we no longer have the solid colors of Paloma, their new Tweed version would be perfect for fall!



Marilyn very excited to see all the Araucania knits that arrived so she could see how the colors pool.  She tried on the Huasco Lace Top by Jenny Watson, which is a free pattern from Knitting Fever!  It feels as good as it looks: Huasco uses an extrafine Merino wool!  We currently carry their solid/tonals, but can order in the multi colored yarns upon request!



 Sam wrapped up in the Lace Triangular Wrap also by Jenny Watson knitted in Araucania Nuble, color #20.  The pattern can be purchased on Ravelry.

 Yumbrel is a lace weight cotton yarn, hand painted in Chile! Jenny Watson designed this gorgeous lightweight, V-neck Top which is perfect for layering as the seasons change!




Wow...! Several of us thought that lacy tops weren't our 'thing'... until we saw this lovely, sophisticated top, knit in Hempathy and featured in the pattern book Lazy Days Collection.  This not only sold us on wearing lace tops, but on Hempathy too!  It knits beautifully and really softens up, only getting softer with each washing and wearing!




This adorable child's dress is knit in Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool and can be found in her Come Closer book, which also includes an optional coordinating shrug!



This furry fun piece is the Blanche Cape from the Luzia book.  We can special order the book by request, but the Luzia yarn is one we won't be carrying much longer.  Which means less selection, but great sale prices! 


We ordered in Knits From an English Rose book after a customer requested it, and its full of fabulous vintage-style accessory patterns.  This is the Loretta collar, knit in Grace Hand Beaded yarn, which we don't currently stock, but a lovely alternative would be Artyarns Beaded Silk Light or beads added to your favorite yarn!

Be sure to stop by and take a look if your in town or let us know if we can answer any question for you while we have this trunk show!

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



 

Happy 2011! I'm going to echo Jeanne in saying I hope you had a spectacular New Years celebration and that the next twelve months are full of wonderful moments... fiber-related and otherwise :) As you can imagine, a new year brings plenty of new products, and even though we are only 5 days into '11, stuff just keeps rolling in our doors!

Naturwolle Silk Blend in Aqua

Bulky Shrug

If my fingers could speak, they would tell me to knit only with the Naturwolle Silk Blend from Blackforest, and my eyes would agree. Of course my wallet would chime in that I can't afford to knit everything with the ultimate in luxury yarn, but since this hypothetical situation is governed by the rules of democracy, my fingers and eyes would win by an overwhelming majority. What I'm saying here is that this yarn is a-maz-ing... words cannot describe the unparalleled softness and stunning multicolor hues. Similar to its cousin, the original Naturwolle, this dreamy single-ply wool and silk blend combines the ultra soft warmth of wool with the luster of silk that adds an extra dimension to the inspiring colorways. Use one skein for a elegant cowl (such as the Shawl Collared Cowl from Never Not Knitting) or 2-3 hanks for something more substantial like the sophisticated Bulky Shrug from Knitting Pure And Simple.

Ready to invade your stash!

If you're looking for a unique yarn of a finer weight, switch gears and consider Flying Saucer Sock Yarn from Schoppel Wolle. Ok, so this isn't NEW new (we've been carrying it for several months), but this yarn is so "out of this world" I can't help but marvel and share it with you. For starters the injection-dyed colorways create an unearthly self-patterning fabric perfect for lovers of singular socks, but my favorite part is how easy it is to knit a matching pair of Flying Saucer socks. Two strands of this soft, machine washable yarn are wound around a spool then dyed so that the strands are virtually identical making it as easy as casting on to knit twin socks! If knitting a pair of cosmically awesome socks is in your future, be sure to check out this fabulous fiber!

Of course, like Jeanne, stash-busting might be on your list of New Year's resolutions, in which case you may be searching for the perfect pattern to start off 2011. While all of the Madelinetosh Patterns rank high on my favorites list, the Creature Comforts Cardi is in a league all its own. This pattern calls for Tosh Vintage, but any worsted weight yarn works beautifully for this cozy cardi. I'm particularly drawn to Creature Comforts not only for the classic, relaxed fit and casual elegance, but for the customizability built right into the pattern itself. Add pockets or cable details and play with the sizing to personalize this timeless cardigan to fit your definition of comfortable!

Hoping to augment your knitting skills? Then Knitting In The Details by knitwear guru Louisa Harding is a must-add to your library. This book is overflowing with tips, tricks and techniques that will add a professional flare to your finished projects. Easy to follow instructions and 16 quick-to-knit projects provides all the tools you need to take your knitting to the next level!

Happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne :)

Well I hope you all are having a great week and here we are at Friday, YEAH! The Traveling Sweater didn't get to travel much this week since have we have been really busy!! So maybe I should change the name to the stay at home sweater?? Ha ha!!

I wanted to take the sweater to visit the famous Reno arch, but just couldn't find the time. Imagine the sweater being held up there at the base of the arch and waving at you!

I am born and raised here in Reno and a native Nevadan is considered to be a rare bird for sure. Nevada is full of people from everywhere else, but here I am a rare bird indeed in more ways than one; just ask any of the little beans ha ha.

So we were piled to the ceiling with boxes most of this last week and I even got into the organization in the back, phew!! We have added a whole bunch of new Berroco yarns to our inventory and we haven't even had a chance to get them up on the site, so you know things are nuts! Stay tuned on that one, as you know I will keep you posted! It will certainly be worth the wait!

This is how we were living for quite a while and we had to turn sideways to get through that little space, wow!


Here Sandy is looking like her cute sassy self in one of the isles that was so packed it was every little bean for themselves moving around in that area. Laura and Sandy got after this area the other day and it is so nice now! Boy you two are organizing devils!

So on top of all this craziness we did some filming yesterday and I reviewed the Legacy Lace by Brown Sheep, yummy! I can't wait to work with this yarn!

I also reviewed some books (2 of which I bought after getting a good look imagine) one was Louisa Harding's Queen of Hearts and Knitter's Magazine Think Outside the Sox. I spent last night in reading heaven and am thrilled that I decided to add these 2 books to my library!

You all keep me so busy that sometimes the only time I really get to stop and take a good look is when we are filming, so yeah for filming! I had glanced at both of the books in passing, but once I dove into them I just had to have them.

Well that is it for now and as always I wish you happy knitting and crocheting!

Jeanne

For students at UNR it is finally Spring Break! I, being one of those students, have been looking forward to this glorious classes-free week since Winter Break. Many students like to travel, catch up on homework, or do nothing and relax from the riggers of their studies. Personally, I love Spring Break because I can knit for a week straight instead of spending the day on campus or reading that pile of books next to my bed. During the semester I have to be careful with my knitting addiction, because once I start a project, chances are I will not get any schoolwork done until I finish it. When it comes to knitting, I have no self-control :)

My goal for this break is to finish a pair of fingerless gloves as a present for my roommate whose birthday is fast approaching. A few weeks ago, while procrastinating an assignment for my economics class, I found the perfect (free) pattern on Ravelry called Suzie's Reading Mits by Janelle Masters. These simple and stylish foves (fingerless gloves) knit up quickly in DK or sport weight yarn and keep your hands super toasty. I managed to finish most of the first one in the airport waiting for my flight to Boise (I did a little bit of traveling as well this break and visited the fam for a few days), and am almost done with the second! I chose to work with Louisa Harding’s DK weight yarn Grace, a 50% silk, 50% merino wool blend for its subtle sheen and heavenly feel. This luscious yarn knits up into a fabric the texture of clouds –or at least how I imaging clouds feel—it is absolutely delightful and I am contemplating giving my roommate something else instead ;)

With only a few days remaining, I am hoping to finish these foves tonight so that I have the last 72 hours of Spring Break to stick my nose back to the grindstone. I plan on powering through the next 8 weeks of the semester with the promise of a summer full of knitting waiting for me after finals!

Happy knitting and/or crocheting!

-Leanne

Well I love birthdays especially when they are mine and yesterday was my birthday! ALL the little beans came to surprise me and feed me pizza, cake and shower me with gifts, WOW! THANKS YOU FABULOUS Beans and Amber for organizing the whole thing and Sandy for the yummy, yummy cake! They got me a pedicure too and now my tootsies are smooth and pretty! I even wore my birthday crown all day!! Thanks really it was so neat to have you all go to such trouble for me, blush, blush!

Ok, ok enough mush onto more important things like yarn, knitting and getting ready for Stitches West! Yep, you read that right we are going to be at Stitches West in full force and we are all getting very excited with all the planning.

We will be taking so much neat stuff and will also have new stuff too, like the Noro Aya yarn which is absolutely amazing! I am particularly in love with color 09 and am trying to figure out what to work up with it.

Of course we are adding some of Louisa Harding's yarns to our line up and she is one of my favorite designers. Her charming designs are feminine and creative.

Of course her yarns go right along with that idea of softness and elegance. Like her Thistle yarn which is so soft and rich, with 2 fabulously soft fibers; merino wool and suri alpaca! It doesn't get a whole lot better than this.

I am a green girl and the color Bracken, 06 is one of my favorites.

So I could just go on and on about all this yummy stuff, but I better stop or as usual I am going to swoon, phew.

As always happy knitting & crocheting! Jeanne