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Save 20% off all Crystal Palace yarns!

Two weeks only! January 10 - 24, 2012 at midnight ET.

Susan Druding discusses Crystal Palace yarns with one of her suppliers.

1971 was a year of change throughout the world. In the United States, the ground-breaking comedy All In The Family pushed the boundaries of sit-com humor. Britain adopted the decimal system for its currency, ending the use of shillings that had been in circulation since Anglo-Saxon times. And Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau changed protocol in the House of Commons by mouthing his infamous "fuddle duddle." (Or did he?)

1971 was also the year Susan Druding's life changed forever with the opening of Straw Into Gold, a 500 square foot retail shop in Oakland, CA that catered to spinners and dyers. Now, 40 years later, that little store has morphed into Crystal Palace and Susan heads up the massively successful company that distributes yarns and needles that delight knitters and crocheters throughout the world.

With an M.A. in Textile Design from UC Berkeley, membership in the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), and experience as a teacher of spinning, dyeing and color development, Susan is ideally skilled to run CPY. The nine-person organization has a family atmosphere in which everyone has an integral, and appreciated, role.

JoAnn McMahon keeps the office humming with many shops calling, faxing, and e-mailing their orders to her. Andrea Gaeta handles incoming orders, manages shop promotion requests, and tracks designer’s needs for magazine and book projects in Crystal Palace Yarns. Cathy Campbell, who wears many hats, has contributed to the success of the business since 1999. She organizes promotions and sales rep samples. She also creates designs for CPY, works with Indie designers, and edits the company’s two newsletters: Knitting Nuggets, the wholesale newsletter and Purls from the Palace, for yarn consumers. Mouang Chao and Meuy Chao keep the packages of yarn and needles flowing to shops.

Andy MacEwan, Susan’s partner in life as well as business, joined her in the late 1970s to help with the company after serving his community as a math teacher. Loring Jones, Susan’s son, has always been part of CPY, from modeling for the original pattern line when he was a boy to his current role managing the warehouse and helping with sales.

Of course, the core of the company is the brilliant and hard-working Susan, who is an expert in art quilting and color theory. From her imagination springs the inspirational array of colors and color combinations we adore — from the brilliant dyed-in-the-wool Mochi yarns to the interesting double-dyed fiber combinations of bamboo and wool.

Cathy Campbell examines the colors of yarn samples.

CPY's yarn development began in the 1980s when yarns were bought as-is from manufacturers in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. At the same time, Susan began to find mills that would allow her to choose her own colors and design her own yarns. One early group of silk yarns, from a mill in Northern Italy, developed a unique collection that was sold with the Crystal Palace Yarns label. From that time, CPY has continued to add interesting fiber combinations and colors that knitters and crocheters adore.

This season, several unique new yarns have already found tremendous acceptance. Moonshine is a gorgeous mixture of softness, fluffiness and shimmer at an affordable price. This 73% nylon, 10% kid mohair, 9% wool and 8% metallic yarn is spun as a versatile worsted-weight making it ideal for scarves, shawls, tops, sweaters and jacket projects.

Monaco yarn is a supersoft entry that’s superbly crafted of 44% rayon, 34% bamboo, 11% nylon and 11% acrylic. It features a single-ply variegated base entwined in a contrasting solid-hued mini-boucle thread. The end result is a lovely fiber blend that's velvety soft with a lustrous sheen.

Crystal Palace Tutu is a self-ruffling ribbon yarn that’s knit with larger needles to create ruffles. Two skeins make a gorgeous scarf, or it can be used to create trim to dress up clothing or accessories.

The new Mendocino yarn is spun as a 2-ply wool blend where each ply is a different variegated color. It’s a fabulous self-striper made of 80% machine wash merino wool and 20% snap-back nylon, so it’s great for hats, sweaters…an immense variety of garments.

One thing all these new yarns share is the imaginative and tantalizing color palette for which Susan has become famous. Asked if she obediently follows “color trends” when designing for a future season, Susan says, "Just a little, but there are colors that always are popular, even if the fashion world doesn't mention them. My late mother was a ‘purple lover’ and half of her clothes were purple. We always have purples in our range."

Sometimes Susan thinks of a color story and develops from that. For example, one spring-summer season saw an assortment of camping theme colors in Panda Cotton: Pup Tent, Rainbow Trout, Lake Trail, S'Mores, and such. CPY customers say they love the unusual names that reflect the character of the color itself.

Rows of yarns line the shelves of the massive Crystal Palace warehouse.

When asked which of the yarns are most popular, Susan tells us, "It’s difficult to say, as most are doing well. The Mochi series continues as a leading seller. Sausalito and TuTu are very popular. Moonshine is doing very well; our customers like the metallic accent and dressy nature of the yarn. Mendocino is gaining popularity after it had a late start for fall 2011. It has beautiful color ways, and we’ll be adding more for Fall 2012."

For Spring 2012, she says, "We recently introduced Aria and Cuddles, which have had an enthusiastic response."

Year after year, Crystal Palace develops new, unique fiber combinations in colors designed to coordinate across the collection. Today, most of their yarns come from the mills in Taiwan with whom Susan works to develop yarns specifically for the Crystal Palace collection. With her keen sense of color and excellent understanding of her market, this skilled and visionary fiber artist always presents an extensive range of colors that her loyal, and delighted, customers enthusiastically embrace.

Win a Crystal Palace Gift Package Worth Over $200

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Chunky Mochi

What could be better than the gloriously brilliant Mochi yarn? The quick-to-knit version — Mochi Chunky! Crafted in the same self-striping 80% ultra-soft merino wool and 20% durable nylon, this machine washable yarn is fantastic for knitting and crochet. 19 color combinations.

Cotton Chenille

Some call it "knittable velvet" because its short, thick pile is so soft and luxurious. Whether you’re creating clothing or home décor items, Cotton Chenille is great for everything from basic stitches to textured cabling. We have this 100% mercerized cotton yarn in 31 colors.

Deco Ribbon

Ribbon yarns are enjoying renewed popularity in jewelry and accessories. This is why we know you'll adore Deco Ribbon, a 70% acrylic and 30% nylon ribbon that features exciting colors with contrasting pinstripes. We have 36 colors in stock plus the elegant Deco Stardust.

Fizz

Whether you use it alone or in combination with another fiber, you’re going to love the soft, fluttery look and feel of Fizz yarn by Crystal Palace. It’s a 100% polyester eyelash yarn that makes fabulous accessories or fashionable trim. We have this perennial favorite in 36 colors.

Kid Merino Solid

Looking for the perfect yarn for lacy shawls and scarves? You’ve found it with Kid Merino Solid. The lightweight blend of 44% nylon, 28% kid mohair and 28% merino wool can be knit singly as a laceweight or doubled for DK weight. Save now on this velvety soft yarn in 14 colors.

Little Flowers

Shimmering color with twinkling highlights. Little Flowers is another one of Crystal Palace’s imaginative novelty yarns that has captured the heart of knitters and crocheters who are looking for something different. 96% nylon and 4% metallic fiber glimmers in 26 beautiful colors.

Merino 5 Solid

If you haven’t yet created winter accessories with Merino 5 Solid, you’ll want to try it while the price is so low. We know you’ll fall in love with this worsted weight 100% wool created with soft Australian merino. We have 37 colors in stock now. For extra style, combine it with Merino 5 Print.

Mini Mochi

This yarn took the fiber world by storm when it was first introduced, and it’s still a big hit with knitters and crocheters. Mini Mochi is a fingering weight yarn that has a durable combination of 80% merino wool and 20% nylon. We have 31 vivid self-striping colorways at 20% off.

Mochi Plus

If you love the Mochi colors, you’ll want this worsted-weight, self-striping Mochi Plus. The soft 80% merino and 20% nylon fiber is fantastic for garments and accessories for winter wear. We have 29 colors in stock that range from bright rainbow hues to neutral combos and baby colors.

Musique

We love this unique thick and thin yarn for comfortable, colorful winter garments and accessories. Musique is a soft 45% acrylic, 40% wool and 15% cotton blend that makes comfy sweaters that will be treasured. We have this popular yarn in 20 glorious colors now at 20% off.

Panda Silk Solid

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly blend that creates velvety socks, lacy wraps and cozy baby items, you'll want to try Panda Silk Solid. This blend of 52% bamboo, 43% superwash merino and 5% combined silk yarn has magnificent softness, strength and sheen. Choose from 19 colors.

Party Print

Knit it as a bulky yarn or combine it with a more sedate yarn to add a touch of glamour to a garment or accessory. Party Print is a variegated ribbon yarn featuring a lustrous sheen and silky feel. Crafted of 100% nylon it will make a fabulous scarf, poncho or shawl. 33 glorious colors.

Poof

Everything you create from ultra-soft Poof will be fun to wear and cuddle! The ultra-soft eyelash yarn is made of 100% "supersoft" nylon. It's perfect for fleecy sweaters, hats, scarves, shawls, anything that touches the skin. We have 24 glorious colors now on sale at 20% off.

Splash

This is one of our favorite eyelash yarns to be used alone or in combination with another fiber. Scarves, hats, cowls and shawls look irresistibly touchable. It feels like feathers against your skin! Combine with Fizz to create a real treat for the senses. 100% polyester in 46 colors.

Squiggle Solid

This spaced eyelash is a great add-along yarn to mix with just about any yarn, but especially spectacular when combined with Fizz. Or use Squiggle alone for lacy effects on big needles. Made of 50% nylon and 50% polyester. We have 14 Solid colors and 21 Squiggle Prints.

Tutu

TuTu yarn is a self-ruffling wonder you knit on the edge with larger needles to create a gorgeous set of ruffles in no time at all! Use auto-ruffling TuTu yarn for a wonderful scarf that requires just 2 hanks or use the ruffles as trim on other feminine garments. 9 gorgeous colors.

Moonshine and Merino 5 Bejeweled Hat

Crystal Palace has had its finger on the pulse of the yarn market for many years now. They started with natural fiber yarns, then as tastes changed at the turn of the milennium, they transitioned to the popular novelty yarns. Little Flowers, Splash, Fizz and Squiggle were wildly successful and still remain popular today. When Susan saw that knitters were becoming more interested in sock knitting, she designed new sock yarns using bamboo, wool, cotton, nylon, silk.

Just a few years ago, the introduction of the Mochi type yarns created a long-lasting flurry of excitement. These dyed-in-the wool yarns (meaning that the fibers are dyed before spinning) were immediately embraced and now CPY offers several weights to choose from. A recent revival of novelty yarns has renewed interest in several CPY styles including Little Flowers and Party. And to further address the current novelty craze, Susan Druding and her team have introduced the new TuTu ruffle yarn, and they'll be adding metallic highlights to both TuTu and Party in a coming season.

Many new knitters say that they started off with a Crystal Palace novelty yarn — also referred to as a"fashion yarn" — because their mistakes weren’t quite so visible. Using these very forgiving fibers, they gained enough self-confidence to move on to bigger projects and to more creative stitches.

The foundation of any yarn’s success is always the quality and range of patterns available to support it. No one knows this better than Susan, whose imaginative fibers are always accompanied by equally intriguing designs. She says, "We develop a group of patterns to support a new yarn as soon as we have the yarn available."

Mini Mochi Jasmine Lace Scarf

Many of the Crystal Palace patterns available have been created by Susan or by multi-talented longtime staffer, Cathy Campbell. There is also a full stable of contributing designers that includes Gail Tanquary, Laura Andersson, Adrienne Fong and Sandy Rosner.

Gail has designed a variety of patterns for CPY including hats, vests, gloves, and children’s items. Among the most popular are her shawls that offer more than a scarf, but don’t involve a lot of difficult shaping. They’re a great way to show off a beautiful yarn or to play with new techniques, like mitered squares or fancy edgings. Gail’s versatility extends to crochet design, as well, which is ideal for Crystal Palace because crochet is becoming more and popular with their customers.

This season, Gail’s doll sweater sets have become very popular, too. She’s created the one featured in this Spotlight in Mochi Plus, and has four doll patterns currently available: two knit and two crochet. A knitted Little Girl and Doll matching set she has created in Merino 5 will soon be available, too.

Laura Andersson has also contributed many designs to Crystal Palace, including the adorable Chunky Mochi Lettuce Hat and Moonshine and Merino 5 Bejeweled Hat. The gorgeous Topsy Turvy Cowl in this newsletter was created by Laura, as was the CD-book, 50 Socks – 50 States.

Adrienne Fong, who regularly runs KAL’s through Ravelry and the Carefree KAL Web site, often features CPY projects and yarns. She designed the Mini Mochi Jasmine Fingerless Mitts and the Mini Mochi Jasmine Lace Scarf. She also sells several patterns through her own pattern line.

Sandy Rosner, who created the Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat and Mittens in this Spotlight, is a very talented designer who first met CPY at the shop she once owned in northern California. Sandy is a popular teacher of knitting at workshops and events all over the USA and sometimes develops "teaching patterns" using CPY yarns.

Susan says, "What we particularly love about Sandy is the way she uses unique techniques to highlight the properties of a particular yarn. For instance, the Fair Isle Hat and Mittens uses a clever technique of working one end of a ball of our slow-striping Mini Mochi as the main color and the other end as the contrast color. This creates a very cool effect that gives the fabric gorgeous depth of color."

Other examples of her work are the Mochi Plus Zig Zag Cowl and the Sausalito Sideways Mittens.

While Crystal Palace isn’t currently seeking new designers, they offer Web promotion and yarn support for independent designers who use CPY in their patterns.

"We see Indie Designers as an important part of reaching knitters with fresh ideas," says Susan. "We want to support their work and help them sell their patterns."

Sausalito Sideways Mittens

When asked what their most popular patterns are, our friends at Crystal Palace tell us that the ones with the greatest longevity are the baby and toddler patterns. You likely recognize Susan’s son and grandchildren in photos for some of these designs. You’ll also see other staff grandchildren in photos as well as occasional nieces, nephews and neighbor’s kids.

This family-run business, that has earned for itself an extended family throughout the world, will continue to develop new, unique yarns and patterns for legions of appreciative knitters and crocheters. It is thanks to Susan’s business acumen and the talented team she’s built to back her that so many of us happily wear our colourful Mochi garments and accessories, and we snuggle up in shawls and scarves in gloriously popular Crystal Palace yarns.

Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl

You'll look warm and pretty in this shawl that can be worn all year round. The romantic, antique-inspired piece is created with Panda Silk DK yarn, a bamboo, merino and silk blend that's soft and lightweight with a pretty sheen. It's a great project for cold winter days! Finished size is 24" x 58".

Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat

Fair Isle knitting is big news this year, and what could be better than Fair Isle using the brilliant colors of Mini Mochi yarn? The interplay between the subtly shifting colors give this simple hat and mitten set a richly complex look you’ll adore. This pretty set of hats and mittens requires 3 balls.

Teddy Bear Baby Blanket

Two complimentary shades of Merino 5 yarn are used to create a relief pattern of teddy bears on this blanket. Choose your own color combination: complimentary or contrasting. The timeless pattern means this blanket could easily become an heirloom piece. 32.5” x 28".

Mini Mochi Shawlette

Color yourself brilliant! This pretty v-shaped shoulder shawl is created with colorful Mini Mochi yarn. An eyelet border around the neck and bottom edges is worked in a simple lace pattern to create a frilly, feminine touch. This is a great way to brighten up dreary winter days. One size fits most.

Mini Mochi Springy Ring Mittens

Put a ring on it! These mittens, created with Mini Mochi yarn, ring your wrists with brilliant colors. The pattern is very simple so it's a great project for someone wanting to learn mittens. Instructions for both adult and children sizes, so everyone can have a pair! The pair requires two balls.

Golden Eyelet Cable Mitts

It’s not cold enough for gloves or mittens, but you want a little warmth. Here’s a pair of fingerless mitts crafted in Panda Silk yarn. They feature pretty cables and eyelets with thumb gussets that spring from the middle of cables. To make it easy, they can be worn on either hand.

Mochi Plus Zig Zag Cowl

Mochi Plus not only has fabulously brilliant shades, it’s also soft and cozy…perfect for a warm winter cowl. This versatile accessory is knitted with an easy zigzag garter stitch that creates a colorful tube to scrunch around your neck. Finished size is 23" around and 10" wide.

Ruffled Shawl

Isn’t this ruffled shawl beautifully feminine? It’s created with Merino 5 yarn worked in a textured ridge pattern, and finished off with a flouncy ruffle. It’s comfy enough for casual wear, but has enough drama for an evening out on the town. Finished size is 27” x 60".

Mochi Plus 18" Doll Sweater

If your little one has an 18” doll, like The American Girl or Madame Alexander, think how much she’ll love this sweater set crafted in Mochi Plus. Knit it up as a perfect birthday gift. It will take hardly any time at all and is sure to delight. Best of all, it takes only 2 balls of yarn for the set!

Cotton Chenille Raj Pillow

This sparkling pillow is crafted with lush, luxurious Cotton Chenille yarn which creates a marvelously textured backdrop for sewn-on beads. The beads are affixed in a floral and vine pattern after the front is complete. Choose silver and white as you see here or any color you like. 12" square.

Deco Ribbon Pixie Shrug

This funky little shrug is created with glistening Deco Ribbon yarn. With its open yarnovers and criss-crossed back, is combines elegance with a fun, quirky, flattering style. This pretty and versatile wardrobe addition is faster and easier than you might think to knit up. One size fits most.

Fizz Stardust Corkscrew Scarf

You can’t do better than this! The Corkscrew Scarf starts with a free Crystal Palace pattern and ends with a curly flourish. It’s easily made with just 2 balls of Fizz Stardust using an increase stitch throughout. You’ll love love wearing this long, zigzag-shaped scarf as attractive accent accessory.

Kid Merino Socks with Lace Cuff

Socks are such a fun and fulfilling project. They’re quick to make and are great for learning a new stitch. This pretty pair is in Kid Merino, a soft microfiber nylon that’s perfect for comfy, cozy socks. The lacy cuffs give them a feminine touch. If you’d like to learn lace, this might be the place.

Deco-Ribbon Crocheted Baby Blanket

Baby arriving in the spring? This crocheted blanket is created with Deco Ribbon yarn, a silky soft ribbon yarn that’s great for warm weather babies. A simple stripe pattern is used so you can choose any two colors and make a one-of-a-kind blanket. Makes a fabulous shower gift. 32” x 35".

Topsy Turvy Cowl in Mini Mochi

Cowls are a lovely accessory for almost anything you wear. Plus, they’re quick to make. This wavy lacy cowl, created with Mini Mochi yarn can be worn with either side up at the top. It makes a great sampler project since it has three different stitch pattern areas. Finished circumference is 17".

You could win a Crystal Palace Gift Collection worth over $200!

This fabulous prize package includes a great assortment of yarns to keep you busy this winter. You’ll get the supplies you need to create the Mini Mochi Lacy Leaves Tunic plus several other yarns for terrific accessories.

• Creative Knitting Magazine September 2010
• 6 Mini Mochi in 107 Autumn Rainbow
• Crystal Palace Straight Needles, 12” in Size 7 U.S.
• Locking Stitch Markers
• 5 Mochi Plus in 556 Strawberry-Limes Rainbow
• 5 Mochi Plus in 572 Jenny Lake
• 5 Chunky Mochi in 810 Jungle
• 2 Deco Stardust in 4436 Black/Gold

To enter, send an email with your answer to CrystalPalace@Yarnmarket.com. Make sure the subject is: Spotlight on Crystal Palace.

To enter, you must correctly answer this question: What’s the name of the new self-ruffling ribbon yarn from Crystal Palace?

One entry per person, please. We'll draw a winner from all the correct submissions received by midnight January 31, 2012 and announce it in our next issue of Spotlight.

Congratulations! The winner of our Berroco Spotlight gift package was Dottie Navin of Illinois.

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