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!

Featured Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton

Callie Bib Knitalong

Join our next knitalong – the Callie bib tee! This is a supercute tee with an adorable bib & button detail – make it in Skinny Cotton for warmer weather or try it in wool over a blouse for the winter.

Did you ever have one of those days? Maybe one of those weeks? Here’s something that will pick you up and set you right again. And when you’re done, there’s a delicious cherry waiting for you in the bottom of the glass.

(The name comes from the old days of serious drinking, when one of these would have been the morning hangover cure. Yes, morning! We can’t recommend it until happy hour, though.)

The Corpse Reviver (no. 2)

Ingredients:
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Cointreau
1 drop absinthe or pastis

Procedure:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker; fill with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Our knitters were our this Thursday to show off their Lilas Cardigans. Most have reached the bottom of the arms and are working on the body of the sweater.

Kel's Lilas Cardi

Nikki's Lilas Cardi

Some notes on the project – there appears to be a typo in the body section of the cardigan. the pattern states:

Maintaining the pattern as set over the border sts and working the body in St st, work for 9 rows, starting with a RS row.
Next row (RS), work to 3 sts before 2nd marker, k2tog, k1, sm, ssk, work to 2 sts before next marker, k2tog, sm, k1, ssk, work to end. 4 sts decreased.
Repeat the last 10 rows one more time.

The problem is that if you start the first of nine rows with the RS, row nine will also be a RS row, which means that row ten (the decrease row) can not also be a RS row. What I did was simply work ten rows, instead of nine, work the decrease row and then work nine more rows and then the decrease row again. As long as your decrease rows have 9 rows in between them, it will work. Also be sure to work the decrease row on a RS row.

Other possibly adjustments: I worked my sleeves flat instead of picking up stitches and working in the round. This will add more structure and reinforcement to the armpit area, which tends to be a stress point for the fabric. If you do this, plan to cast on two extra stitches, work flat and then seam up the sleeve and the armpit (a “t” shaped area to seam). If you want to do your sleeves flat, just ask us how!

Stop in this Thursday to finish up your cardigan or check in our yours and other folks progress. We can talk about seaming and blocking and weaving in tails.

We’re starting to see tons of beautiful, delicious strawberries at the farmer’s markets. While you can just add sliced berries to sparkling wine, here’s another way to enjoy their juicy sweetness.

Strawberry Smash

3 strawberries, hulled and washed
6 mint leaves (or try basil!)
muddle these in a shaker, then add:

1 oz. gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup

Shake and strain into a flute, then fill with sparkling wine and garnish with another strawberry.

Strawberry Booties

If you are looking for the ultimate in Spring accessories for baby, it doesn’t get any more adorable than these strawberry booties. The booties are worked in fingering weight yarn on US#1 needles. The pattern is by Kathy Popadin and is a paid download. Try these in O-Wool 2-ply for an all organic and sustainable option!

Photo by Shake Your Booties