Last week, I briefly mentioned that Lorna's Laces is running a contest.  To fill you in more on this fantastic opportunity to win free yarn I thought I would tell you a bit more.  First off, let me congratulate Lorna's Laces for having a gorgeous sweater designed by Deborah Newton and knit up in their new Haymarket yarn make to the cover of the new Fall 2013 Vogue Knitting!!!


Isn't it just stunning!!!

This colorway is 51n Island Blue and that magnificent interlaced cable up the front is applied.  So all kinds of new fun with this project! Also, we just ordered the Island Blue color (it should be here shortly) AND we've created a kit for this sweater as well so you can get started right away!!!

There are two chances to win so here's the specifics in their own words right from the Lorna's Laces blog:

"I'll give the  first person who sends me a photo of their finished Applied Cable Fisherman's Rib Top  (that's a mouthful) up to a sweater's worth of yarn for their next project. And the first person who comes up to me at Rhinebeck wearing one will get the same." 

So get those needles moving!  Rhinebeck (aka New York State Sheep & Wool Festival and it's held in Rhinebeck NY, but most attendees just call it Rhinebeck) is only 2 months from now!!!

Speaking of Haymarket, this gives me a great opportunity to start talking about some of the wool fibers commonly found in yarn shops!  What is Haymarket?  It is the latest yarn base from Lorna's Laces.  It is a single spun strand of 100% Bluefaced Leicester wool, 215 yd/100g, dyed up in the wonderful Lorna's colorways!  Now, this one is NOT superwash so handwash and lay flat to dry or dry clean.

You've probably started to see a number of yarns that are made from Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) and are wondering what a Bluefaced Leicester is!  Well it is a breed of sheep, originally from Northumberland County, England.  This is in the far north, on the Scottish border.  It is a large, handsome sheep with no wool on it's face and neck and a very roman nose.  The skin under the short hairs of the face is blue, this is where the blue faced part comes in.  It is a multipurpose breed in what growers call the Longwool breed category.  Multipurpose means it is an animal used for food, fiber, and for it's crossbreeding suitability to maintain hybrid vigor in the offspring.

The fleece of the Bluefaced Leicester has a staple length of 3- 6” (staple length means the length of the wool), a fleece weight of 3 to 6 lbs., and a fiber diameter of 56s – 60s count, or 24-28 microns, creating high quality lustrous yarns with beautiful drape. (I'll go into spinning counts and microns in a future post.)  Suffice it say at this point that this wool is not quite as fine and soft as merino wool but still soft enough for sweaters, hats and scarves.  It will also be slightly more resistant to felting than merino wool but should still felt beautifully. The fiber also take dye very well giving some very vibrant tones. As a spinning fiber it is an excellent choice for a beginner.  If you want to find out more about this breed of sheep you can go to the Bluefaced Leicesters Breeder Association for more details.


Haymarket would be another excellent yarn to use for your Great American Aran Afghan too! Don't forget, we're starting our first square next week and everyone online or local is welcome to join!  Feel free to begin posting in the Ravelry thread for this KAL too. 

Here is the info for the first square again: we will start with the square on page 22 of the book, designed by Carol Adams.

Supplies need will be:

-The Great American Aran Afghan book
-1 hank of worsted weight yarn
-Size US 6 (4mm) straight or 24" circular needle
-Cable needle
-stitch markers are helpful but not required


Gauge for all squares will average 19 st to 4" (10 cm) over stockinette on size US 7 (4.5 mm) needles.

When the owners of Cascade yarns were visiting us last week we realized that Cascade Cloud would also be an awesome choice for this project.  These chain construction of this wool & alpaca yarn will give fantastic stitch definition!  I've decided I'll do mine from the new Cascade Longwood!

Sunday, August 25th will be the first class in the local shop but I'm available by email whenever you need help or get stuck.  Just send an email to askTerry (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com.

It's cable mania time!!! ;D
Terry

 

Have you ever wanted to learn to knit how to knit cables, bobbles, twists and knots?  Intimidated to knit a whole afghan? Feeling left out of chances to win a whole sweaters worth of Lorna's Laces yarn by being the first to send Lorna's a photo of your finished applied cable sweater from the cover of the new Fall Vogue Knitting?  I have just the solution for you!  The Great American Aran Afghan Knit-a-long!  This is the perfect project for learning Aran stitches with out committing to large, complicated sweater patterns. Knit all the patterns or just the ones you like!

We will be using the The Great American Aran Afghan book which includes instructions for 24 uniquely designed 12" squares, 20 squares are used for the afghan and 4 are used to make two throw pillows. The plan is to start two squares each month over the next year but of course you are welcome to work at your own pace. Squares will be chosen so that the simpler patterns are done first to build skills and then we'll move on to the more difficult squares. To help those who are learning, we will be offering 2 classes each month in our retail shop to get each square started or for help with problems.  The first class is scheduled for Sunday August 24th from 1:30 - 3:30. Then keep a watch on our classes page for future class dates.

If there is interest we can plan some group knitting times in our shop as well.

One of the best things about working a project like this is that you don't have to buy all the yarn at once!  Each square will utilize about 200 yds of worsted weight yarn so you can purchase 1 or 2 hanks/skeins at a time.  Traditionally, Aran garments are made from unbleached white wool but you may choose any colors or fibers you like.  Dark colors are not recommended as it's too hard to see the cable patterns.  The yarn called for in the book is Plymouth Encore which is a good, budget friendly, gently machine washable 75% acrylic, 25% wool yarn.  I'm going to be recommending Cascade 220, Cascade 220 Superwash and Cascade Longwood for those who want 100% wools.  Other great yarns that could be used are Universal Deluxe Worsted & Deluxe Worsted Superwash, Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash.

The first square we will do is the one on page 22 of the book, designed by Carol Adams. 

Supplies need will be:

The Great American Aran Afghan book
1 hank of worsted weight yarn
Size US 6 (4mm) straight or 24" circular needle
Cable needle
stitch markers are helpful but not required

The book has instruction in both written format and charts so this will also be a great way to learn to read charts!

I hope you'll join us!

(I'm just back from a lovely vacation so next week I'll return to my ongoing discussing on protein fibers)

Terry

Hello knitters and crocheters!

Last year we had over 3,000 applicants for 2010-2011 awards. There were so many amazing applicants we couldn't wait to get started with our 2012-2013 Beans for Brains Scholarship program. And we can't do it without you!!

This year, we have 10 major sponsors that will be matching public donations to the Beans for Brains scholarship fund. For the month of November, Jimmy Beans Wool will be accepting donations online and in our retail store with the targeted goal of raising $10,000 from all of YOU! Each of our sponsors will match the amount raised up to $1,000 for a grand total of $20,000 combined.

Plenty of new thing just keep on rollin' through our doors -I can hardly keep up! This week we've got everything from the latest in novelty knitting to a glimpse at the styles to come in 2011!

How big a glimpse, you ask? Well, between Norah Gaughan's pattern booklet Volume 8 and the latest issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine, I'd say a fairly large glimpse :) I am always in awe of Norah's simple yet intricate geometric designs, and her latest collection is particularly stunning. Lacy, open stitch patterns are a common motif in Vol. 8, creating wistful, artistic garments knit in lightweight cotton and linen blends. The airy nature of this collection is picture perfect in pastels and features the purely divine Pure Pima and summery soft Linsey. Linsey is one of Berroco's new yarns this year and will be available on our website soon! I wish I could give you some tantalizing tidbits regarding Linsey, but I have yet to see it for myself.

The Winter 2010/11 issue of Vogue Knitting, however, is no mystery! Page after page of hip, urban designs and classic, form-fitting styles, this Vogue has something for every wintry activity! Over-sized cabled scarves such as the Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Hand Dyes Scarf for those long weekends on the slopes and the asymmetrical Draped Cardigan for staying warm at the office without putting a crimp in your savvy fashion-sense are just a few of the fabulous patterns in this issue as well as an enticing preview of the trends ahead!

If you prefer the simplicity of everyday styles to high-fashion runway knits, consider some of the free patterns available from the Stitch Nation website. Founded by Debbie Stoller, author of the famed Stitch 'N Bitch series, Stitch Nation features a stellar line of affordable, all natural yarns as well as a continually growing collection of excellent free patterns for a wide range of ability levels. Recently posted is one of my favorites, the Beloved Shawl, available as a kit on our website! This classic shawl is knit in silky soft Bamboo Ewe, a worsted weight blend of bamboo and wool. The leaf-like lace pattern and a delicate swallow-tailed edge gains a fresh modern look from the luscious, vibrant hues of Bamboo Ewe.

Looking for something a little more... unique? Try knitting with Flounce! Much like Trendsetter's Flamenco, this new novelty yarn from Katia has an open, net-like construction that can be transformed into bouncy flouncy ruffles by knitting along one edge.  The self-striping colorways of Flounce add extra flare to the texture and depth of this particular fiber, making it perfect for scarves, accessories, accents and more! For a super easy yet striking neck warmer, use 2 balls of Flounce for the Flounce Scarf! Available as a kit, this scarf knits up in no time on size US 11 needles and the pattern, which includes detailed pictures describing how to knit with this yarn, is free on the KFI website!

Have a splendiferous week and happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne

Should we start by announcing the winners or by telling you all about our TNNA trip?

Bungalow!

One of our latest, greatest and favorite-est knitting/crocheting accessories has a name that says it all: the Handi Tool! This handy dandy notion from Susan Bates is a combination knitting needle on one end and crochet hook on the other. The Handi Tool is perfect for picking up dropped stitches, adding fringe, fixing mistakes, and anything else you can think to use it for... self defense, roasting marshmallows, toothpick, just to name a few possibilities :) It also makes a great stocking stuffer for the fiber artist who already has everything!