Berroco Spring Yarn Tasting THIS Friday, MORE Opal, Scanfil Mending Wool, Malabrigo Restock. Whew!

March 05, 2024

First up: last call for the Berroco yarn tasting event scheduled for THIS Friday, March 8th, from 4-6pm. In addition to the opportunity to sample four new yarns, plus two existing favorites in new colors, we'll have the design lookbooks on hand, and we'll be drawing for a nice door prize provided by Berroco from the tasting party attendees. Sign up here. There's also an at-home option, where the tasting kits are shipped to your home. You can order those here.

Also: here are some fantastic completed and in progress pictures from the Scandi Makealong! Clockwise from top left: Betsy's Bloman Faroe Sweater, modified to tunic length, Debbie's Lumme, Diane's Storm Sweater, Lynn's Excavation Sweater (modified for future steeking), and Martha's self-designed Seahawk Scandi Cardi. Aren't they wonderful?

…mark your calendars

Social Stitching

Every Saturday, 2-4pm

A reminder--if you're feeling poorly, please join us again as soon as you're feeling better!

Berroco Spring 24 Yarn Tasting

March 8, 4-6p

We'll be sampling Berroco's new spring yarns, and there will be a door prize drawing for a project made from them. Register here.

Weather Delay

In support of Groundhog Phil's prediction for an early spring, we're shortening this to a TL;DR version: if the weather seems extra-annoying, check social media and Google for possible weather-related updates.

…new in the shop

Lots of you loved the Opal Sock Yarn we brought in in December, and last week we received the Laubgeflüster collection. Opal's color collections are themed, and they are also limited editions, so once a color is sold through, it's no longer available. Laubgeflüster translates to "leaf whispering," and the color names all nod to pleasures of the forest. Don't forget, if you enjoy a thicker sock, we also have the Opal 6-Ply, and it comes in 150g balls, so you'll have enough for a full pair in a single ball.

Another happy addition to our products is Scanfil Mending Wool (and a little bit of cotton). These cards of mending wool contain 16 yards of a wool/nylon blend, and are perfect for mending (visible or more discreet) all manner of knits, and they are also an option for wool embroidery. There are 28 colors of the wool, and four of the cotton.

And not least, we restocked customer-favorite Malabrigo Rios, refreshed the Malabrigo Arroyo, including new colors, and filled in Rasta. Those brief moments when the Malabrigo wall is completely filled in delight me--but it never stays that way for long!

…to inspire

Easter is early this year, and if you're the sort of stitcher who might tuck a hand-knit or crocheted bunny into an Easter basket, it's time to get busy! Here is a Ravelry bundle of a few cute bunnies to consider. Jami Lyn Art's Small Bunny Peep is pictured above, crocheted with one ball of Nilli Nilli (would probably be enough for two bunnies) and a 3mm crochet hook.

...currently stitching

I wove in the ends of Autumn Alpine just before starting this weekly blog post. I didn't quite finish by the end of Leap Day, but pretty close! (I bound off the hem on Saturday, and blocked the sweater so it would be dry on Monday. I normally weave in the ends before blocking (but trim them after the project is dry), but I didn't quite have it in me to stay any later!

Now, perhaps I could have finished the sweater if I hadn't been determined to cast on a Leap Day project. But I was determined to do that. Behold one (of many more to come) Mystical Lantern, for Jane Crowfoot's Mystical Lanterns Blanket. The individual tessellated shapes are a modified granny square construction, and I'm using a mix of washable DK weight yarns--Berroco Vintage Baby, Scheepjes Stone Washed, and West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep. I've only made one lantern shape so far, but it was fun, and there are instructions for connecting them as you go, so as not to have an intimidating amount of sewing up to do when I finish this project in 2028 or so.