It's no secret that we are one big heart eye emoji for Joji Locatelli! Her designs are simply to dye for (pun intended), and she seems like the kind of gal that we'd want to be BKFFs with. That stands for Best Knitting Friends Forever... we totally just made that up, so we don't blame you if you didn't yet know what it meant, hehe!

Joji lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but love for her design work spreads far across the globe! With over 200 designs available in her Ravelry Store, there's something for everyone! Joji's style: draped fabrics, simple lines, and lots of little details here and there. Our style: anything Joji!

With over 25,000 projects, Joji's design that's led to the most projects on Ravelry is the 3 Color Cashmere Cowl. We'd pair this cozy cowl with Malabrigo Mechita!



With over 30,000 favorites, Joji's most favorited design on Ravelry is the Boxy pullover. We'd pair this adorable pullover with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light!






What's your favorite Joji Locatelli design?! We'd love to know!

Top: Monika's Deep Sea Shrug/Wrap; Bottom: Diagonal Drop Stitch Shawl, Drop Stitch TShirt, Drop Stitch Scarf

We've been dropping stitches left and right lately...and loving it!

No, we haven't lost our minds. Not THAT kind of dropped stitch - we mean "drop stitches" - the kind you drop on purpose for an artistic effect!

It's like lace...with a little cheat. Kind of like how when I'm reading a book that I hate, I speed-read to finish it faster, and my husband calls it "cheating at reading".

But you didn't really need to know that. :)

Drop stitches create an open, airy fabric that's great for shawls, scarves, and even sweaters that can be worn over tank tops. So drop some stitches and let that breeze flow through!

But where to start? Well, here's a place:

The Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-along has officially begun! Kristen posted the first clue on Ravelry on May 3rd, and Ravelers grabbed their needles and cast on for this bulky-weight mystery project inspired by Tyrion Lannister. Using Lorna's Laces Cloudgate in our April 2015 Limited Edition color, Casterly Rock, the first clue flew by and we soon had the beginning of something special on the needles! Take a look at some of the progress Ravelers have made:

Jennilynn's Mystery Project in Casterly Rock

Hmmm...is that eyelet lace I spy in there? It's making that hand-dyed yarn look great!

moonrevel's Game of Thrones Mystery project is looking nice!

We've got cabin fever.

No, we don't all live in cabins, silly! It may be the High Sierra, but we're not the Donner Party!

That may have been tasteless. I apologize. (And no pun intended, by the way...I just can't help myself!)

No, what I meant was, we're ready for Spring!

Spring...hello, Spring...where are you? You can officially arrive any. time. now.

We've had a few days of warm sun, but real warm weather isn't quiiiite here yet. But that doesn't mean we can't prepare by planning our Spring knitting projects! Here are a few that have caught our eye:

Dragneficient by Penny Schumers (bottom right, above)

Morning Dove Shawlette by Pam Jemelian (top right, above) - in Tosh Merino Light (fave!)

Striped Spring Shirt from Purl Soho (left, above)


Lake Effect Cardigan by Amy Miller (swoooooon!)


Or how about a shawl to use up some of that stashed sock yarn?

Whew - do you feel that? The temperature's rising! Not just outside, but in our living rooms as we greedily soak in the newest episodes of our favorite show on Starz!

Ahem. I'm gonna need a second.

Handsome Jamie isn't the only thing that's got us excited: Rachel's Mystery Knit-Along is up and running, and the results are just gorgeous so far! The yarn is just beautiful, too - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Rachel's specially-created Craigh na Dun colorway reminds us of Scottish moors covered in forget-me-not flowers!

Just take a look at some of the progress Ravelers have made on the first two clues:

ArcticWoolies' Craigh na Dun is looking fab!

CakersKnits even used her special Spark Stitch Markers!

clrowe01 is cabling up a storm!

And that's not all - many of you have taken matters into your own hands and tried your own yarn colors and modifications, as well!

shand302 used The Verdant Gryphon Bugga! in Persephone (how apropos!)

tbears99 is loving it in TML in Ginger

TerryRoss was wooed by Wollmeise in Patina (and she's planning to add beads!)

How is your MKAL project coming along? Share some photos and notes with us on the MKAL 2015 chat boards! (Beware of spoilers!)

Want to read more? Check out Rachel's blog!

We can't wait to see the finished shawl - we'll be checking back in with more progress as the MKAL unfolds!

And psst...here's my own little attempt...in Tosh Merino Light, color Plaid Blanket, with some eyelet lace in the garter section to disguise any gauge discrepancies! (And because I thought it might look good with the upcoming border...*wink!) I love this pattern so much, I'm staying up too late knitting. Oh, the sacrifices we knitters make for our craft!

I love it!

Happy Knitting!

- Heather

As each year comes to a close, it has become a tradition for all sorts of "best of" lists to be compiled.  Well we have one for you! Classic Elite Yarns book, 'Best of Liberty Wool (So Far...)'! This book is a compilation of some of the more popular patterns Classic Elite has produced since Liberty Wool was introduced 4 years ago. The book includes hats, mittens, sweaters, vests, scarves, and shawls in both knitting and crochet ... all worked up in this vibrant, super soft, machine washable, light worsted weight yarn!  We are lucky enough to be hosting their trunk show featuring 11 of these fabulous patterns through the end of November. (Be sure to check out all the great kits we've put together for you!)



When we went to snap some pictures of the garments modeled by some of our staff, we told everyone to just have fun with the yarn!  And boy did they! It is such a fun yarn!

Taylor tried on the Easy Crocheted Hat, done in color 7860 Berry Brambles, which is a variation on the granny square. Jeanne grabbed up the Easy Striped Hat worked up in colors 7873 Rosy Delight & 7823 Deep Tropical Sea. The possible color combinations using two colorways of this striping yarn are nearly endless - making each hat a unique creation!
 
Olivia chose the Maxime Crocheted Pullover (color 7823 Deep Tropical Sea) to try on and while it was fun on the hanger, it is so much cuter on! This pattern is for experienced crocheters, but the yarn does all the fantastic color changing for you!  The juggling should also be left to those with experience...


Gus volunteered to try out the Sawtooth Edge Scarf, which uses one ball of solid Liberty Wool (7805 Magenta) and one of Liberty Wool Print (7838 Sunset Frost). This uniquely constructed scarf is worked in two lengthwise pieces and joined up the center using a three needle bind off, just enough to push your skills but it is still considered an easy level pattern. The fun spiky look definitely makes this scarf a stand out!


Denise wore the Simple Sweater with Pockets, which can be made as either a pullover (as seen here) or as a cardigan.  This version was done in color 7834 Lilac Dream.  She decided to accessorize her look with some Liberty Wool earrings...though they might work out better knitted up! 


Mikayla was going to see if she could muster any hacky sack skills, but it was trickier than it looked!  She's wearing the Deep Rib Cardigan in 7873 Rosy Delight. 


Bethany tried out her balancing skills while showing off another version of the Easy Striped Hat as well as the Molly scarf.  This hat is done with the same two balls of yarn as the one Jeanne wore but because of the color changing nature of the yarn, they end up with different color combinations, so each hat really is totally unique! The Molly Scarf has been featured in a few Classic Elite publications and so has built up a lot of Ravelry love, where you can see it done up in tons of different colorways!



Kristen is charming the yarn balls, wearing the Garter Stitch Wrap in color 7883 Smokey Bonfire.  The color changes and scalloped edges give personality to this simple, triangular shawl!


We've all called yarns 'yummy' or 'delicious' but Leanne might be taking it a step too far!  She was wearing the three quarter sleeve Sylvan Shadow Pullover done in color 7832 Sylvan Shadow.


Terry did just fine with her balancing act until we started making her laugh.  She made a beeline for the Chromatic pullover, done in 7893 Rainforest.  The intermediate pattern does require seaming to give it its dynamic vertical and horizontal striping combo!

 Want to see more about the individual patterns? Ravelry has them all for sale individually!

Currently we carry Liberty Wool Print, Liberty Wool Light and Liberty Wool Light Print. Don't forget easy care Liberty Wool is great for kids and baby things too!

Stop by to see, feel and touch these lovely garments & yarns, or let us know by phone or email if we can answer any questions for you! 

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