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YARNMARKET.COM NEWS ISSUE #14 - April 2005
In This Issue:
Creating Your Own Spring & Summer Fashions | Scads of New Yarns, Books & Patterns | More Fun Projects! Projects! Projects! | Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day | Knitting “Purls” of Wisdom | Congratulations to Our Talented Customer for April | Knitting in the News | Customer Service
Well, we’re happy to see more and more yarn companies catching on to the reality that knitting and crocheting are activities folks enjoy year round! How do we know this? Is there a big news story we should all read for the details? We know because of the versatile, all-season yarns and patterns developed recently. You’ll be excited to discover there’s been an explosion of creative, delightful innovations specially geared to spring and summer knitwear. So let’s catch up with the news from some of your favorite yarn companies. Looks like cottons and cotton blends are the fibers of choice for our knitting gurus this year. As well-respected knitwear designer Debbie Bliss puts it in her Knitting Workbook, “Cotton yarn is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, making it an ideal all-seasons fiber.” We certainly agree when we see her Elise Sleeveless Shell, such a classic, lightweight design crafted of ultra-soft Cotton Angora and ideal to wear alone or with a jacket or cardigan all year long.
Now Rowan is building on the earlier successes and the work of an outstanding team of designers, and we’re excited about the recent release Beach Cool featuring designs for Cotton Braid and Linen Print and the new sensuously soft, cotton-acrylic blend Cotton Rope with its lovely spring/summer color choices and accompanying Cotton Rope Collection. You’ll love the stylish Kasbah Pom-Pom Vest, the Marakesh Shoulder Bag, the Kitty Halter Top, and the Cannes V-Neck Shell for all your warm weather outings.
So join us in celebrating the good news — you definitely don’t have to pack away your needles for the next few months because you have lots and lots of cotton choices for spring and summer. And just wait for next month’s feature showcasing even more warm weather, stylish knitwear for you to enjoy!
You know all those tantalizing new yarns we’ve been previewing for you the last month or two? Well, since the last newsletter we’ve introduced 2 new yarn companies, 19 new yarns, and numerous patterns and books, all for your knitting and crocheting pleasure! First off, a big Yarnmarket welcome to Needful Yarns of Canada and some wonderful designers. We’re introducing several of their warm weather yarns including the cotton/acrylic blend Kelly, just perfect for your tops, vests and accessories this spring and summer, and the wonderfully soft, eyelash yarn Portofino with its spectacular color combos. Then we’re thrilled to have Lorna’s Laces as a new Yarnmarket addition with lovely hand dyed color choices available in all 6 yarns we’re premiering. You’ll revel in the sheen and luxurious feel of the silk-wool blends Lion & Lamb Solid & Multi. Next check out Angel Solid & Multi for a superior, super-soft angora/wool blend and Shepherd Worsted Solid & Multi to make your next sweater, vest, poncho or jacket project truly sensational. Also be on the lookout for upcoming patterns from Lorna’s Laces because these folks put as much care into selecting their designers as developing their yarns.
Last but not least in the “What’s New” department are some fun new books to be sure & look over. Cat Bordhi of moebius design fame has released her Second Treasury of Magical Knitting with many fabulous projects and creative ideas. Also you can always count on knitwear guru Debbie Bliss for the classic approach with a modern twist, so you’ll want to check out 3 of her books we’ve added to the store — Simply Family featuring her cotton & cotton-blend yarns in projects for men, women & children; Special Knits for Babies with some of her most adorable designs yet; and the newly revised edition of her ever-popular Great Knits for Kids that gives you terrific variety in projects for all skill levels. Of course, we’ve added many more fabulous options for your knitting and crochet library, so go to the Books & Patterns section of the New Stuff department for the complete list!
We’ve already showcased many new projects for spring & summer in our feature article, but you know we’ve added even more this past month, don’t you? Starting with a free pattern for each, you’ll enjoy 3 projects from South West and Crystal Palace. Similar to the Twinkle wrap shown in last month’s fashion feature, the Mariposa Bamboo Shawl will be a spectacular addition to your accessories wardrobe. From your first glimpse of Nona’s Baby Jacket, you’ll be ready to knit up this adorable project for your favorite little ones out of the 100% soy silk, ribbon yarn Phoenix. Then from Crystal Palace you can add to your home décor with the velvety soft Cotton Chenille Washcloth.
For more spring & summer special fashions, you need to check out the Portofino Short Sleeve Top exclusively designed for Portofino, the new eyelash yarn by Needful Yarns. Also from Needful is the Dahlia Short Sleeve Pullover that makes excellent use of the auto-striping and texture of the variegated, cotton/acrylic blend Kelly. Then to add some fabulous glitz to your warm weather wardrobe, knit up the Mona Bling & Metallic Poncho combining Bling Bling and Metallic FX both from Berroco.
Mother’s Day is less than 5 weeks away, and we’ve been planning what gifts would please our moms best. We know you’re always interested in great ideas too, so here are some suggestions. Excellent gift ideas are kits for Mom, and we’ve added to our Kits department 2 new manufacturers ideal for knitters and crocheters. From Mango Moon, we now carry 3 kits combining their recycled silk with other novelty yarns — the Knit/Crochet Poncho Kit, the Stole/Shrug Kit and the Sweater/Poncho Kit. Each kit comes in various colors with 3 to 6 pattern options for completing the project. Then a few days ago we added the BagSmith to the store and have 6 purse kits Mom will love to make herself or have you make for her. Firecracker is a limited edition little number that’ll have you saying “ooh-la-la” immediately. The Little Black Bag, the Little Brown Bag, the Little Red Bag, and Purple Haze are all adorable and can be knitted or crocheted for totally different looks. One of our personal favorites is the Garden Party Bag available in 4 spring/summer colors and also to be knitted or crocheted.
Of course, you can go to our Project Ideas department and quickly and easily purchase everything needed for your own choice of an outstanding gift to suit Mom’s personal style and taste. Or choose a Yarnmarket.com Gift Certificate and let Mom pick out her own gift! As a follow up to last month’s article on adjusting pattern sizes (affectionately known as “Knitting Math Basics, Lesson 1”), we’ve noticed some other mathematical questions coming up in your phone calls and e-mails. OK, now contain your overwhelming excitement and get ready for Knitting Math Basics: Lessons 2-4. How to Convert Metric Lengths: One common math-related question is how to convert measurements quickly from the metric scale used in many European patterns and on yarn labels to the inches and yards many of you are more accustomed to using. You can choose to multiply or divide whichever your preference. For example, the Lana Grossa Preview Spring/Summer pamphlet with the pattern for the India Boat Neck Pullover says to continue in the basic pattern until your work measures 32 centimeters (cm) and then bind off for the armhole. You can convert the measurement to inches by either multiplying 32 by 0.394 or dividing it by 2.54. Either way you’ll get the 12.5 inches you need to work before binding off for the armhole. Then when you have the length of the ball listed in meters but you prefer it in yards, you can again either multiply or divide. For instance, when the label for GGH’s Amelie says 65 meters, you can convert to yards by multiplying the meters by 1.094 or dividing by 0.914. Either way you’ll get 71 yards as the equivalent. How to Convert Grams to Ounces: Another type of conversion needing just a bit of math is switching grams to ounces, another frequent question from our customers. Once again you can multiply or divide as you wish. Take the gram weight for the ball or skein, and multiply it by 0.035 to switch to ounces. Or divide the grams by 28.5 and you’ll get approximately the same conversion. As a quick example, the 100-gram skein of Crystal Palace’s Shag converts to 3.5 ounces using either method. How to Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit: For yarns manufactured in Europe, the laundering instructions for hand or machine washing often list only the Celsius temperature on the label. However, for those of you preferring the Fahrenheit equivalent, there’s once again an easy formula to use. Take the Celsius temperature listed, say 30 as given for Katia’s Rumba Mix and multiply it by 1.8. That gives you 54. Now add 32 for the Fahrenheit equivalent of 86 degrees. Now see, those math lessons were relatively painless, right? Better yet, you can now do these quick conversions and have the information you need at your fingertips!
Well, it seems as if our customers are enjoying making handbags lately because we’ve seen many beautiful examples in the “Showcase Your Talent” submissions. Congratulations for April go to Darlene Bruce of Charlottesville, VA, for her Fizz Handbag. Darlene combined two strands of any feltable wool “with one strand of Crystal Palace Fizz. I used teal and lime solid. I then felted the bag and added a coordinating fused grosgrain ribbon handle.” Darlene also designed the pattern herself so double congratulations!!!
Are you wishing you could be enjoying a gift certificate too? Well, you can be in the spotlight and enjoy deciding how you’re going to spend your $30. Just take a few minutes and e-mail us at photos@yarnmarket.com with the details of what yarn, pattern, etc. from Yarnmarket you used along with a clear digital photo of the finished project. Who knows? Your project could be the next one featured!
As a new monthly column, we’re highlighting several news stories we’ve found fun and intriguing, so check out the following links and Happy Reading: Learn how crochet is becoming the new darling of the haute couture crowd in Fashion designers hooked on crochet. Or get an up-close and personal view of the new trends in I’m hip, I’m young, I knit, Hip to Knit, and In your own backyard. Ever thought about knitting being non-discriminatory? See Knitting fad doesn’t discriminate for this angle. Discover how even the young use knitting for stress relief in A new twist on knitting and get involved in charitable projects as explained in Students learn of charity by knitting. Finish up your reading excursion with She’s a purl among women profiling master knitter Lily Chin. As you’ve come to expect at www.yarnmarket.com, we pride ourselves on our customer service and low error rate. Each order is carefully packed by Phyllis, Suzy, Kim or Tina. We have an occasional glitch, but if something does go wrong, we’ll do everything we can to make it right for you . . . right away! Just send us an e-mail at orders@yarnmarket.com or call us at 1-888-996-9276, and we’ll take care of it for you. Our customer service hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or you can leave us a message. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Passover and Earth Day with your family and friends. Also be sure to try out Yarndex.com, your new yarn reference resource and give us your feedback. And as always, Happy Knitting! |
