While I love knitting shawls and hats, they don’t always provide the satisfaction of making a sweater. I love the process of sweater making: browsing Ravelry to find the perfect design, dreaming about yarn choices, becoming acquainted with the yarn during the swatching stage, watching the garment magically appear with each row of knitting, and the final victory of wearing it. The possibilities are in my hands, and I can tweak the process to make the sweater uniquely “me.”

Shadow - take the Cabled Pullover class!

I try to always have a sweater on the needles, because I love having a project that I can work on over several weeks (or months!). It presents a challenge of discipline, but there really is nothing more comforting than wearing something you made stitch by stitch. Another benefit to knitting yourself a sweater (besides the creative challenge) is that you can modify it to fit exactly as you want it to. It will be your favorite garment.

If this sounds like too much of a challenge, or you want to pick up new tricks or need moral support, take a look at the sweater classes we are offering this semester. From beginner to advanced, we have chosen some of our favorite new classics in user-friendly gauges (no fingering weight sweaters here!) Our classes provide the instruction and support to get you in a handknit sweater!

Big dreams start small in the Top-down Baby Sweater class. With just two skeins of Spud & Chloë yarn, you can build your sweater making confidence! You’ll learn how to pick up stitches, make buttonholes, and more!

Cecily's Silk Cardigan — take this class!

Ready to treat yourself to the cosiness of a handknit sweater? The Basic Top-Down Sweater class makes the process easier than you think, and you’ll have your sweater complete faster than you can say “backwards loop cast on.” Well, maybe not that fast, but it’s knitted in bulky weight so you’ll finish pretty quickly!

Make the Levenwick cardigan from the Brooklyn Tweed Wool People collection in our Lace Edged Cardigan class. Having made this sweater, I can tell you that it’s my favorite knit of the moment. I’m still on the hunt for perfect buttons, so I wear it open and draped in the front. And in Brooklyn Tweed SHELTER, it is so breathable and light that I never want to take it off.

For lace lovers, the Peabody cardigan from Brooklyn Tweed is an elegant crewneck you can learn to knit in the Lace Pullover class. The intricate design across the front and the feminine lace detailing on the sleeves are what make this sweater unique.

No matter what your experience level is, you will learn new skills in any of these classes. Each of these designs has been chosen because of the variety of “tricks” necessary to complete. It’s a wonderful way to get in the sweater making spirit!

As knitters and crocheters, we are privileged to have an abundance of inspiration. The latest volume of Wool People from Brooklyn Tweed floods us with even more designs to covet and dream about.

View the lookbook here.

A few of my favorites from the collection…

Guston by Ann Budd

Guston is the kind of pullover I’m always looking for—enough textural interest to make the knitting fun, while setting it apart as a handmade garment. The basic shape fits men and women equally well, and the seamless construction makes it a perfect sweater project for a newer knitter.

Trace by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

The perfect excuse to score some Brooklyn Tweed LOFT, this colorwork vest adds modern flair to your winter wardrobe. The graphic pattern in Trace is worked in the round with steeks, so you can knit it entirely in stockinette bliss!

The love of Connie Chang Chinchio’s patterns is hardly a secret here at fibre space. We hosted the Austin Hoodie knit-a-long in 2010, and Danielle has knit the Metro Cardigan, Henley Perfected, and the Geodesic Cardigan since the store opened. These sweaters get more wear then probably any of the others in her wardrobe! It should then be no surprise that we were ecstatic when we heard that Connie was writing a book, and even more thrilled when it showed up on our doorstep!

Textured Stitches is an amazing resource that stays true to all that we love about Connie’s designs; beautiful patterns and elegant details that lend to a more polished finished garment. There is also a wealth of information on how different stitch patterns can affect your gauge, how to choose the right yarn for the right pattern, and some special cast ons and bind offs that give your garments a more tailored appearance.

Naturally, we want to make everything in this book, but here are a few of our favorite designs!

Tulip Henley, photo by Joe Hancock

Henley sweaters are infinitely wearable, and the Tulip Henley is no different. The tulip stitch pattern is adorable, and would look great with jeans or dressed up for the office. It would look great in Berroco Pure Pima, and could be finished before it warms up outside!

Raindrop Cardigan, photo by Joe Hancock

Everyone needs a new cardigan this time of year, and the Raindrop cardigan could not be more perfect. The front is simple and elegant, but the back is just gorgeous. The stitch definition from Miss Babs Northumbria DK is absolutely ideal for this project.

Most of the shawls that we knit are lace, so it’s awesome to see a shawl with some texture to show off the wonderful sock yarns that we hoarde stockpile away until we find the perfect pattern. The Olivia Shawl is delicate and guaranteed to keep you warm in the colder months. We have so many sock yarns in, it’s hard to choose, but Skein Top Draw Sock or Merino Cashmere fingering would be the perfect complement to this pattern.

Albero Cowl Jacket, photo by Joe Hancock

It will be getting colder and colder over the next few weeks, so knitting a jacket is more and more tempting. The Albero Cowl Jacket has an amazing textured collar that will keep you warm when it’s not quite cold enough for a coat, but too warm for a sweater. I’d be tempted to make this extra-luxurious in the Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes, or even Swan’s Island.

Intagliata Henley, photo by Joe Hancock

It seems that a book from Connie would not be complete with just one Henley, so she’s given us two to choose from! The Intagliata Henley is my personal favorite. It uses a stunning combination of stitches and cables to create a sweater that you will want to wear every day. It seems almost planned that our shipment of Mad Tosh Light arrived just before this book did. There are still plenty of colors to choose from for this top…

Cecily Pullover, photo by Joe Hancock

Last but not least, who can resist a sweater with pockets! The Cecily pullover has simple knit/purl patterns, accentuated by perfect little pockets in just the right spot. We have such a great selection of tweeds in the shop right now, it’s almost hard to chose the best one. SHELTER, Tara Tweed, and Donegal Tweed would each give this pattern a slightly different, but equally awesome look. This would also be stunning in a hand dye, like Dragonfly Fibers Bluefaced Worsted.

Which one will you knit first?

Loft makes incredible lace projects - lightweight but warm

We are delighted to introduce the second member of the Brooklyn Tweed American-made yarn family: LOFT. It is now here at fibre space!!

The cousin to Brooklyn Tweed’s original worsted line – SHELTER – LOFT is an exciting new addition to our fingering weight yarn offerings.

LOFT is a soft-spun 2-ply fingering weight yarn, made from Wyoming-grown Targhee-Columbia fleece. Just like SHELTER, LOFT is spun in the woolen mills of historic Harrisville, New Hampshire – where woolen yarns for knitting and weaving have been created since 1794.

LOFT was conceived and designed as an ideal yarn for handknitters, with a focus on lace and colorwork fabrics. The yarn’s gently-spun construction mimics the lightness and loft of handspun yarns and creates stunning lightweight fabrics that retain their warmth. The woolen-spinning process also yields a highly versatile yarn that can shift into multiple gauges with ease, from dense colorwork at 10 stitches per inch (perfect for warm, stranded mittens) on up to a luscious, lofty sport weight gauge of 6 stitches per inch, without losing fabric integrity.

LOFT is available in a stunning 32-color palette! The yarn’s variety of heathered blends are developed from only 11 solid colors, giving them an incredible cross-range coherence. This underlying color harmony allows for gorgeous (and often unexpected) combinations.

Farthing scarf by Jared Flood - available at the shop

Brooklyn Tweed LOFT is being launched along with an entirely new pattern line! The line features delicate lace, dazzling colorwork and rich textures. Select from cowls, scarves, mittens, shawls and sweaters. The printed patterns are not quite ready from Brooklyn Tweed yet but we do have digital copies that we can print for you (and then we will just give you a buzz when your nice card stock final copy is available). And you can always purchase and download patterns directly from Ravelry or Brooklyn Tweed!

Edie Sweater by Michele Wang - available at the shop

I cast on Edie by Michele Wang on Sunday, in the hopes that I could get most of it done before today. I have half of it done already, and I am in love. The pattern is straightforward yet has sweet details like the hems and soft cables. But it has just enough stockinette stitch to keep me happy.

If you are anything like me, you are subscribed to approximately 102 different email newsletters from different stores and businesses. For me, it’s the best way to stay up on all the new seasonal trends and to make sure I never miss a sale. Over the last couple of weeks, every single store that I follow has sent a reminder that fall is here and it’s time for cables! As a knitter, I got stupidly excited. It is our season! We are in style! And then I immediately spend hours searching Ravelry for cabled amazingness.

Bonnie Sweater Photo by Caroline Bergeron

Bonnie has been a favorite sweater of mine since I first saw it. It was probably the pattern that caused me to fall in love with Twist Collective on first sight. It’s the perfect sweater to throw on and curl up with a book (or, let’s be honest, some yarn, needles, and my iPad), or to explore fun fall activities like Octoberfest and haunted pumpkin patches. Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool would be a perfect option for this one. This yarn is soft and well plied, so your cables will pop. Not to mention, there are over 40 colors to choose from!

Aidez Cardigan Photo by Cirila Rose/Berroco.com

I have been dying to make the Aidez cardigan since it was released. It’s the perfect cozy, cabled cardigan for cold days in the office (which are every day at my daytime office).  I have only become more excited about this design since the Peruvia Quick arrived at the store. Such pretty colors, I can’t decide. I have finding it hard to resist the blue, but I have so many blue sweaters…I hope to cast this one on as soon as plaid fest is over, and maybe have it finished in time for Cirilia’s visit in November. It’s a nice bulky yarn and will knit up in no time!

Cables are not just for sweaters though!  Hannah is an adorable brimmed hat, perfect for chilly autumn days. It’s been in my queue for probably a year now, it might be time to get it on the needles too. We have some great colors of Northumbria DK that Babs brought us last month that would be ideal for this project, plus a brand new shipment of Viola Silky DK, which appears to be dyed with a magical substance making it irresistible to all knitters…

Dryad Wrap Photo by BrooklynTweed

Jared Flood’s Dryad wrap is truly a cabled masterpiece, that I don’t think any machine knit item would be able to replicate. If you want to stop non-knitters in their tracks and have them ask where you bought your wrap, this is the pattern for you. It’s stunning in Shelter, but would also look great in either the Tara Tweed or the Donegal Tweed.

Gramps Cardigan Photo by Sara Parker Photography

Don’t forget that little ones need warmth and cables too! My new favorite pattern for babies this season is the Gramps cardigan, knit in O-Wool Balance. It’s always hard to find cute patterns for little boys, and this cardigan is adorable. Since the O-Wool Balance comes in such great colors and is washable, it’s the perfect yarn for babies.

If you are under a gift-giving time crunch, the Pembroke vest (no sleeves!) is a super cute alternative. I have to knit a baby gift soon, and I am leaning towards this pattern in Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Worsted. The cables will pop like magic and I’ll only need one skein, which is very exciting.

Cabled Tam class - Fenimore pattern by Brooklyn Tweed

If you are looking to venture into cables with a little guidance, we have some amazing class options at the shop. Jared Flood’s Fenimore hat is ideal for this time of year, and I cannot think of another yarn that cables as well as Shelter. We still have space in upcoming classes for this hat!

If you are newer to cables or a  scarf is more your speed, Cinder is a great option. This scarf knits up in a bulky weight yarn so it will work up quickly to keep you warm in the coming colder months. It looks so squishy and spectacular in the Sublime Chunky Merino Tweed. Come in and join some fellow knitters for this class.

See you in Space!

I have no idea why my head looks so huge in this picture.

So we have this sparkly yarn – Sublime Lustrous Merino DK…you know me. I don’t do sparkle. It isn’t my thing. But this yarn has me obsessed lately. We desperately needed a shop sample, so I started looking for patterns and Kel suggested making a striped hat with the grey and yellow color – classically hipster. Since the yarn is also sparkly, we are calling it “ironic hipster hat.” The pattern that I chose is a Kelbourne Woolens pattern done originally in the Fibre Co Acadia (which we also have at the shop).  It worked up in only a night and took two balls of the main color and one in the contrasting color. I am thinking of making a bunch of them as holiday gifts for the baristas at Misha’s, where I get my iced decaf whole milk mochas with whipped cream..ya know, since I drive them nuts every day.

me, being ironic but sadly unhipster

Yesterday was a long long day. I didn’t realize how long it was until I added three to the time in Seattle and came to the realization that I had been traveling for nine hours. Seattle is really really far away…in case you weren’t aware. I definitely wasn’t aware until now. Also, for more math fun, subtract 30 from the temperature in DC right now and that is the temperature here. I am actually freezing here. I should be in sweaters, hats and pants. Instead I am walking around like a confused tourist in flip flops and a t-shirt…shivering.

Swatch for Shadow pattern from Wool People / Brooklyn Tweed done in SHELTER Pumpernickel

Anyways, our first flight was at 6 am so there was not much knitting happening at that hour. By the time we endured a two hour layover in O’Hare, I had almost completed my swatch for the Shadow Sweater, which is ultimately what I decided to knit while I was gone.  I also took along my Albers Cowl project, which hasn’t been touched since I returned from Mexico. So anyways, after we reached the second plane and finally got to our seat, I needed to block my swatch and was anxious to do so. The didn’t want to lose my momentum on the sweater and really wanted to cast on right away. I asked my husband to please let me out so that I could ask for a cup of water to block my swatch.  (the plane wasn’t going anywhere for awhile and were just sitting there waiting for everyone else to board.) He was horrified. Really. Quite horrified. He told me that we “aren’t flying on fibre space air” that the plane was “not my personal yarn shop” and that there wasn’t “a swift and ball winder in the cockpit for me to use either.” He absolutely insisted that I could not leave my seat to go get a cup of water to block a swatch. He acted like I was insane for even asking. I found this to be rather unreasonable so I tried to flatten the swatch by smothering it with my hot sweaty hands…which didn’t work at all but did keep me from getting violent on an airplane with my husband in order to get him to move out of the way. So I just got frustrated and put the project away and worked on the Albers cowl. Silly husbands and their unreasonable expectations. Don’t they know that knitters are nuts?

First of three squares for the Albers Cowl

The cherry blossoms aren’t in bloom yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from looking for new spring knitting projects! Thankfully, the latest issue of Interweave Knits, is full of spring inspiration!

En Pointe Pullover Photo by Interweave Knits

The En Pointe Pullover by Alice Tang is loosely knit to keep your shoulders just warm enough, and has a unique twist in the front. The simplicity of the pattern calls for a yarn with some personality, such as Neighborhood Fiber Company Loft, a soft mohair with a shimmering silk core.

Gathered Front Tank Photo by Interweave Knits

For something unique to pull over a tee, the Gathered Front Tank by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark is a great project. Show off the gently gathered front with Berroco Linsey, a cotton and linen blend that will show off your stitches and drape nicely!

I’m always on the lookout for the perfect “wear-to-work” cardigan for when they turn the AC up too high in, and the V-Yoke Cardigan is a great spring candidate. It’s simple and can go with anything! We have some great new colors of Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in the shop that would be perfect. The emerald green is just amazing.

Garden Plot Dress Photo by Interweave Knits

While I would never consider knitting myself a dress, the Garden Plot Dress by Victoria Myers is an adorable dress for little girls. Our newest cotton and wool yarn, Louisa Harding Ianthe, would be an excellent choice and will look gorgeous in this pattern. It is so soft and comes in a lovely spring palette!

Rose Lace Stole Photo by Interweave Knits

You can’t really discuss spring knitting without a nice lacy shawl, and the Rose Lace Stole by Susanna IC is a glorious design that would knit up beautifully in Miss Babs Yasmin. I can’t help but besucked in by Susanna’s patterns, they are all so delicate and wearable, with the additional challenge of learning new lace stitches.

Hexagon Petal Tee Photo by Interweave Knits

If you are looking for a knitting challenge, there is a collection of patterns in this issue that are knit using a modular construction. My favorite is the Hexagon Petal Tee by Maria Leigh. It would look great in any of the new spring DK yarns, but both the Mirisol Lachiwa or Berroco Pure Pima would be ideal choices.

What are you knitting this spring?

Where you wear your heart?

I don’t care if it’s totally cliche. If there’s any time to pull together a collection of heart patterns, it’s now. Knit and crochet designers – if not knitters and crocheters themselves – apparently love patterns with hearts, because there’s approximately a zillion of them on Ravelry. Lesley and I teamed up to bring you a few favorites, new and old, from some of our closest valentines and other cool designers we admire.

So where do you wear your heart? Here we go, from head to toe….

Right on top is Kate Gagnon Osborn’s Setesdal Love Hat, published in the Winter/Spring 2011 issue of Knitscene. By now you know I have a major soft spot for colorwork, but I’ve held my enthusiasm down to one project. This is it! Knit in the Fibre Company Canopy Fingering, it will be warm and soft.

image courtesy Interweave Knits

The La-La-Love-You Cowl, a free download from Popknits, is a subtle way to get a little love and snuggly warmth in. This neckwarmer is a quick knit in Malabrigo Worsted.

image courtesy Popknits

Susan and Sally, the Rainey Sisters, have posted their Sweetheart Glovelets pattern again. It’s a free and easy fingerless glove pattern with a heart motif on the back, perfect for something soft and luxurious, perhaps Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Sport?

Finally, there’s Wendy Johnson’s Heart to Heart Socks, from the book Toe Up Socks for Every Body. Did you follow my advice and get a skein of honeysuckle pink sock yarn last week, and now don’t know what to do with it, and are secretly cursing me?  I’m sure it will work great here.

Heart to Heart socks courtesy Wendy Johnson

Or perhaps you’d rather carry your heart. These wee cuties from Anna Hrachovec at Mochimochi Land (home of all things adorable – seriously, go look) are just the thing if you’d like to give away a tiny heart at the last moment. Great to use up leftovers!

"Hearts" courtesy Mochimochi Land

For more Valentine’s Day cuteness from Anna, you must look at her Coo and Coy lovebirds pattern. She even made up free valentines that you can download and print (one of them says “I want to knit you things” … awww!)

Too cutesy for you? I suppose you could be a bit more anatomically minded. Then the Heart pattern by Kristin Ledgett, published in Knitty, is for you. Science!

"Heart" image courtesy knitty.com

And, finally, Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. Becky sent me an adorable Valentine in the mail, which was so nice! Have a good one and don’t eat too many conversation hearts.

PS. I’ve been working on a little lovey something myself… stay tuned for more!

Here in northern California, everyone’s excited about Stitches West. People at my knitting group are carefully planning out when to go to beat the crowds, which booths to visit first, and trying to calculate just how much yarn they can take home from the show.

We’re lucky – Stitches is so close, less than ten miles from my house. Talk about an easy visit – or rather, an easy commute.

Our favorite hand-dyer, Miss Babs, and her crew will be there, and I’ll be lending a helping hand in her triple booth. They fly in later today. They were looking forward to beautiful warm sunny weather, but unfortunately it’s supposed to rain all week. In any case we’ll be spending most of our time inside the convention center, so I guess the weather doesn’t matter that much.

I have been busy getting a sample or three ready for the booth. A few days ago I finished a Featherweight Cardigan in her new Northumbria BFL sock yarn (the color is Aubergine). I love knitting with it! It’s silky-soft but has a great strength to it – it won’t completely self-destruct in three wears like knitting it out of Malabrigo Lace would. (Yes, I love Malabrigo Lace… but I’m kind of hard on my things.)

And surprisingly, this cardigan didn’t take as long as I’d feared. It’s still a lot of knitting on #5 or #6 needles, but two weeks ago this wasn’t even wound yet.

I’ve actually never been to a Stitches show before, so I’m excited. We’ll be able to go to the Ravelry happy hour on Thursday night, and I’m sure I’ll find some time to sneak a look at pretty yarn in the other booths.

What are you looking forward to this week?

One Sleeve

I hear some people don’t like knitting sleeves. I’ve heard of sweater projects languishing, armless (or worse – with only one sleeve), for months or years. Let’s be honest, I’ve done it too. My February Lady Sweater sat without sleeves for months when I could have been wearing it instead.

Sleeves are just boring. Maybe it’s the fact that you have to knit two of them, exactly the same. I don’t know about you, but I hate to knit the same thing twice.

Two sleeve

[The grey sleeves are from the Tangled Yoke Cardigan - for me]

Red Sleeve...

My trick to stave off boredom and actually finish the project? Knit them both at the same time. Two balls of yarn, same circular needle. This means that all the shaping you have to do will match – and they’ll be knit at the same gauge. No more ending up with a sweater with one short sleeve and one long sleeve. Working both sleeves at the same time makes it feel as if you’re done faster, too.

The same trick works for cardigan fronts, especially when you reach the dreaded instruction, common in older patterns: “Left front: work as for right front, reversing all shaping.” If you do them both at the same time, no need to try and remember how you did the right front!

Blue Sleeve!

The only thing you have to worry about is knitting from one sleeve on to the next with the same ball of yarn… then you get some kind of mega-sleeve monstrosity and have to rip back. No fun.

[The red sleeves are from the Balloon Sleeve Jacket, sans balloons, for Danielle]

Hmmm, maybe the endless lineup of sleeves is why I haven’t finished anything in a while.

Also, now the word “sleeve” looks really funny after I’ve typed it and read it a bunch of times. Does this happen to you?

[Shhh, the blue one's a secret - except for the pretty yarn, Miss Babs Yowza in Forever]

Veronica here. Remember me? I miss you guys!

FYI, the Pacific is FREEZING!

Even though I am far, far away in California (where I’ll try to refrain from telling you how nice and warm and sunny and green it is right now), I can still be with you here, thanks to the wonders of the Internet and Danielle inviting me back onto the blog. We’ll be writing back and forth about all the usual yarny goodness.

First of all: I miss you all! fibre space was my second home in Alexandria. I might miss the shop more than my apartment. Sometimes I forget a little and imagine that soon I’ll walk right back in the front door.

Moving to California has been a little crazy. Thankfully corporate moves are much, much easier than packing all your own stuff. However, it was still nearly two months between moving out of our Old Town apartment and into our new home here in Mountain View. That is a long time to be without your stash, especially when you thought you’d have three more weeks to knit those stashed Christmas presents! Whoops. But now we’re all moved in and settled.

We also had to buy a car. We never had a car before but now we’re the proud owners of a little Prius. I like that it makes the superfuturistic Jetsons whirring noise.

Thanks to Ravelry I’ve found a local knitting group and met some new people. They’re good people and good knitters, and it’s fun to sit and have coffee with them.

In February I’ll be joining Miss Babs again at Stitches West in Santa Clara, less than ten miles from my house. I worked with her at last year’s Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and it was a blast. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder in my life, and I am pretty sure I came home with heat exhaustion, but it was still a great time. I’m looking forward to seeing Babs and Jen again and seeing lots of new faces at Stitches.

I’m looking forward to keeping up with what’s going on in Old Town, fibre space, and everyone there. And yes, of course I’m keeping busy knitting. More to come!

And there was a line before we got the doors open:

And there seemed to be a frenzy around the Yowza table:

Two new Louisa Harding pattern books just landed!  They are full of flirty, feminine knits featuring her scrumptious Kashmir and Thistle yarns.  Here are a few ideas that would be perfect for the coming fall:

from Violet Sky

Pansy hat and Mirabilis scarf/wrap photo courtesy of Louisa Harding

Made with either Thistle or Kashmir Aran, Mirabilis is the autumnal version of the popular scarf/wrap pattern Osprey (from Belle, knit with Mulberry Silk).  It would be a great first cable project!

Top it off perfectly with the Pansy hat, a combo of ribbing and cables with a small knit rosette accent.  A glass button from Moving Mud would look gorgeous.

from Blue Monday

Tuesday tunic photo courtesy of Louisa Harding

Tuesday can be knit up as a tunic or dress in Kashmir DK.  The tunic version, shown above, is brightened up with beads.  Both versions feature lace panels with written instructions.

At the trade show last week we got to check out all the new patterns and yarns for the fall – so here’s my little fall fashion report for you!

Rich jewel tones (especially deep reds) with pops of coral, gold, green and warm greys are in – and of course we were inspired by this when we placed our fall orders.

One  vendor at the show even had cards printed out with the Pantone Fall 2010 colors on them so we could refer to them while we shopped. (Thanks, Tahki Stacy Charles!)

Another new color not shown above is Purl Gray (Pantone 18-4105) – it’s all about the knitters this fall. (Check out Vogue Knitting’s Early Fall issue for their “Purl Gray” article featuring knitting designers Lutz & Patmos.)

Cables are back for fall along with tweeds – this year with new textures, weights, and colors. Look for Campus, Sundae, Remix, and Blackstone Tweed yarns from Berroco that will be in the shop for fall.

Luxe shine is in too (think velvet, satin, and silk) –  silky, shimmery yarns from Fyberspates, Mirasol, Cascade, and more will be here soon, along with new colors of hand-dyed silk ribbon.

Colorful accessories like cowls, wristwarmers, and mittens are perfect for holiday gifts (it’s about time to start planning!) O-Wool Classic 2-Ply and the new fingering weight merino from Stonehedge Fiber Mill provide a palette of colorwork choices.

Laceweight yarns for scarves, shawls, and airy garments (perfect for layering) are on the way – look for hand dyed colors from Madeline Tosh, Neighborhood Fiber Company, etc.

Last but not least, luxury and exotic fibers are the perfect indulgence (kind of like all that ice cream we brought back with us, but with way less calories!) Our shopping rule for these was that picking up the yarn had to make us go weak in the knees – and we found some AMAZING yarns.  I’ll keep these a surprise for now, but I will tell you to look for boxes arriving from far off lands like Australia, New Zealand, England, and Canada… We’re super excited!