Keeping You & Yours Cool and in Style This Summer with Sleeveless Tops & Elegant Shawls
Following up on our spring & summer fashion reviews in the May and June newsletters, we're working hard to keep you in style with the latest fashion news. As usual, we're taking the trends from the runways of Paris, New York & Milan but transforming them into wearable, figure-flattering designs to suit your varying tastes & preferences for these upcoming "dog days of summer." We always want you to find terrific new creations in our Project Ideas department to inspire you, keep you fashionably dressed and give you plenty of gift ideas too.
Now our attention turns to the various ways to stay cool in these hot, humid days ahead, and one of the best ways to do that is with sleeveless shells, tanks & tops for all ages. The editors of More magazine are particularly emphasizing being comfortable yet fashionable during the hot weather and have featured a variety of feminine and classic top designs as has Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire. So we have added projects that reflect this emphasis and are featuring several of our favorites in this issue of the newsletter.
First off, we love Maggie Jackson's terrific Hoya Linen Top for its wonderful pizzazz & flair. Crafted around the lovely qualities of her ever-popular Maggi's Linen, this top has great shaping with optional, subtle beading you add easily during the finishing stage. This little sleeveless pullover is ideal for dressy or casual outings and also works well worn under your favorite jacket or cardi.
Another sensational sleeveless top is the modernized classic -- the Kim Cabled Tank -- featured recently in Vogue Knitting. Two simple front cable accents give a figure-flattering line to this sleeveless sweater, and it's definitely the type of garment you can dress up (as shown) or dress down for more casual wear. Other lovely tops recently added to the Project Ideas area are the Za Za Camisole from S. Charles and Prism's one-of-a-kind Stuff Cabled Tee for the discerning knitter.
Then when you're indoors enjoying the air conditioning but get a little chilly or when you're on vacation and out for the evening, the fashion gurus advise you to have a variety of attractive wraps, shawls & stoles in your accessories wardrobe ready to go. One such gorgeous shawl is a simple design from BagSmith Yarn beautifully crafted of their 100% silk yarn. The Berry Cobbler Shoulder Shawl takes just 3 of the 82-yard spools of the Sumptuous Silk Ribbon Dessert Collection or of the Sumptuous Silk Ribbon Gemstone Collection in your favorite color combo. It's also a quick knit on large needles that starts with a free pattern too and makes an outstanding gift for a special friend or relative.
We also love the way Kollage Yarn founder Susan Moraca has combined 2 of our favorite yarns in My Best Friend's Wrap. Just choose your favorite color of Passion along with a contrasting or complementary hue of Radiance, and you'll have this lovely garment knitted up before you know it!
And we have many more shawl & wrap ideas for you to check out in the Shawls, Stoles & Wraps area (currently over 60 projects available). Then due to the extreme interest last month in the new Ceramic yarn from Needful, we have 2 new projects that will literally keep you cool & protect you from the sun's harmful rays year round: The stylish Ceramic Long Sleeve Tunic Top and the Ceramic Short Sleeve Top.
Then last but certainly not least, we've added some fun projects to keep your favorite little girls and preteens current with the latest trends. We love the texture & colors of Katia's terrific Margarita and have 2 new projects crafted of it. The Margarita Sleeveless Top is right in line with womenswear styles with its gentle shaping, rolled mock turtleneck & easy dropped stitch pattern down the front. Second, we have the Margarita Bolero, a wonderful multi-seasonal gem that's great for back to school too. In addition, we recommend you look through the great options featured in our Children's Tops collection for a variety of other choices & designs.
And throughout the summer, keep in mind the advice of the editors of In Style magazine: "Hot colors like orange and pink are always flattering when your skin is golden. Let the color be the star and your tan the stage." Then they quote fashion guru Diane Von Furstenberg as predicting, "The coolest colors for this summer are white, turquoise and tangerine -- in any combination." But remember to choose what looks best on you and makes you feel spectacular!
All About Socks -- Exciting News About Sock Clubs Plus New Impressionist Collection Partner
Last month when we introduced South West Trading Company's sensational Tofutsies Sock Club, we were overwhelmed by your enthusiastic response and quickly sold out of the June & August options. So in our efforts to always serve you, we went back to South West and asked for more yarn. Luckily we were definitely able to order more of the later months (October 2007 through April 2008) and we even have in stock a little more of the June colorway. However, we don't know about August at this time, so here's our best advice to you sock lovers: If you didn't get the June colorway, order it immediately, and if you're interested in the August option, give us a call or send us an email to get on the waiting list. We'll keep track of what we receive & let you know if we have additional yarn available. Of course, the later months are going fast too, so we strongly suggest you pre-order those also and avoid being disappointed later on.
Then we found another sock club opportunity from the premier sock yarn company in Europe -- Lang Yarn of Switzerland -- and were in time to join this sock initiative too. Lang has developed 30 exclusive, limited edition, never-to-be-repeated color combos & pattern sequencings and is offering the collection as the Jawoll Aktion Sock Club 2007. They have given us images of each option knitted into an actual sock so that you can see for yourself just how spectacular these selections are. Also this yarn is the same high-quality machine washable fiber in our other "Jawoll" offerings, but the sock club series comes in 100-grame ball so that each ball makes 1 pair of socks. And of course, each ball comes with a spool of matching reinforcement thread so that you can reinforce the toes & heels of both socks. Again we recommend that you sign up for this initiative immediately and pre-order the months to come to avoid disappointment when the colors you love are no longer available.
Then we are continuing to partner with some of the greatest fiber artists and hand-dyers in the industry to develop our Impressionist Collection colorways. Thank you for your enthusiastic response last month to our offerings from Artyarns. Then this month we're excited to add the unique perspectives and special hand-dyeing techniques of Lorna's Laces. We're launching the Lorna's Laces Impressionist Collection with one of the most popular, hand-dyed American sock yarns -- Shepherd Sock. Available in 8 spectacular color combinations exclusive to Yarnmarket, "Shepherd Sock" is a wondrously soft, superwashed wool/nylon blend that's terrific for sturdy socks, comfy baby knits & lacy shawls.
And also remember that we've made it easy to identify these lovely, Yarnmarket-only colorways on any yarn's product page because we're displaying them at the beginning of each list and also labeling them with an "exclusive" banner. Just watch for the banner & you'll be assured of getting high-quality fiber in one-of-a-kind colorways.
Yarnmarket Welcomes Fiesta Yarns & Their Sensational Pattern Collection
We've listened to your feedback concerning your favorite brands and yarns you want us to add to our fiber collection, and we're thrilled to welcome Fiesta Yarns to the Yarnmarket family this month. Known for sophisticated, inspiring colorways available in a variety of premier fibers, over the past 25 years Fiesta has become a premium American brand. We especially love their radiant hues reflecting the unique landscape of the American Southwest in each hand dyed skein and the way the combination of several hues merge to form rich secondary shades & nuances.
Now, of course, when you mentioned Fiesta to us, you recommended their "signature yarn" La Boheme. With its outstanding 2-strand construction, this luxurious blend offers you lovely textures and vivid shadings with both matte & sheen highlighting the features. This terrific juxtaposition of diverse elements creates a truly sensational fabric in all your worsted-weight knitting & crochet projects.
Then as a marvelous complement to multi-hued "La Boheme," we've selected Insignia La Boheme with its coordinating solid shades. Just think of all of the superb garments you can create by blending the solids with the multis in your shawls, sweaters, jackets, vests, scarves, wraps & more.
Next, for luscious socks & lightweight tops & baby knits, check out one of Fiesta's newest developments -- Ballet. By mixing luxurious, superfine alpaca with supersoft yet durable Tencel, the Fiesta yarn gurus give you a sensational addition to your yarn collection. Perfect for premium socks, superb shawls, lightweight sweaters, really all DK-weight garments that call for high quality.
Of course, you can count on your Yarnmarket staff to have in stock for you lots of terrific patterns too featuring these spectacular fibers, and here are just a few of our top picks from the 32 available in the new Fiesta Patterns area:
Jester Cardigan (#3538)
Ruffled Vest (#3475)
Triangle Shawl (#3499)
Linen Stitch Jacket (#3448)
Sandal Socks (#3698)
Broken Rib Shawl (#3533)
Malibu Bolero (#3500 and
Lacy Crocheted Stole (#3447)
More New Yarns with That Modern Edge You Crave for Year-Round Style from Maggi Knits
We're also excited this month to be bringing you lovely new fiber options from one of your favorite yarn gurus & designers, Maggie Jackson. To her popular Maggi Knits yarn collection, she's enhanced her Irish linen line with a variegated version and she's expanded her ribbon color choices. First off, check out Maggi's Linen Multi, a terrific complement to her oh-so-popular Maggi's Linen. For the multi-hued option, Maggie has taken some of our favorite solids & set up marvelous combos for lots of coordinating options. Just imagine what fabulous tops, shawls, scarves & wraps you can knit & crochet by mixing the solids & the multis!
We are also thrilled to add Maggie's modern, versatile Maggi's Rag in a variety of colors. This classic fabric ribbon yarn is transformed to the unconventional & modern by the subtle fringing on one side. An ideal cotton/synthetic blend for year-round comfort & style and beautifully crafted in ireland of 44% cotton, 44% acrylic & 12% nylon.
One last Maggi Knits note -- be sure to take a peek at her 2 latest spring/summer design collections recently added to our Maggi Knits pattern collection:
MaggiKnits #14: The Nautical Look contains the "Hoya Linen Top" featured at the start of this newsletter along with 13 other lovely creations for warm weather.
MaggiKnits #15: The Gathered Look offers a variety of feminine styles including tops, shawls, dresses, cardis & boleros.
Enjoy Our Major Expansion of the Free Patterns Department Throughout the Month of July
We know that you are frequently browsing through our Free Patterns collection, and we're working hard to bring you even more freebies than usual during the month of July. First off, two more companies have joined us in this special initiative for you and we're pleased to welcome them as partners. The BagSmith has developed for us 3 patterns to make available free to you including the "Berry Cobbler Shoulder Shawl" already featured as fashion-forward.
Also enjoy the elegant, rectangular lovely called the Silver Dressy Stole and the super easy yet beautiful Silky Snake Scarf even beginners will excel at. Each of these projects starts with the free pattern and is designed exclusively for the Sumptuous Silk Ribbon Dessert Collection or the Sumptuous Silk Ribbon Gemstone Collection.
We also welcome Kollage Yarn to our Free Patterns area, and Kollage founder Susan Moraca has designed 4 free patterns for us to make available to you. Susan's design philosophy is "Simple Stitches, Fabulous Yarns," and she guarantees that her patterns are understandable& straightforward.
From her fun collection, choose various types of projects including:
Cornucopia Socks crafted of supersoft Cornucopia yarn in 2 shades;
My Best Friend's Wrap that combines luscious Passion with shimmering Radiance; and
Two handbag patterns -- the Passion Purse & the Crocheted Passion Purse.
And, of course, we're continuing to expand our largest free pattern collection through the generous support of Susan Druding, founder of Crystal Palace Yarn. With over 65 free patterns now available from Crystal Palace, you're bound to find some goodies you want to knit or crochet. Our favorite new pattern is the Fjord Felted Eyeglass Case, and several of us are planning to make these cases for our relatives & friends this December. felting is just as hot now as it's ever been, so we know many of you will want to join us in this creation!
Start Planning for the December Gift-Giving Season with Great Project Ideas to Create Now
It's so hard to believe that it's already July and that there are only 4 & 1/2 months left before the major December holidays will be upon us. Yikes! We don't mean to bring up a touchy subject and we know that like us some of you prefer to wait until closer to the season to get your creative juices flowing. But for those who plan ahead, we have some suggestions about what you can work on now to avoid the last-minute crunch time that can make the holidays less enjoyable.
First off, consider one of our many choices in the Kits department because you can make up the item with what's included in the one purchase (usually you just need to add the needles & accessories). Besides lovely selections from some of your favorite yarn companies like Needful, BagSmith, Hanz On Creativity and Knit One, Crochet Too, look over the holiday-related options like the adorable Christmas Stocking Kits. Children & adults alike will love a hand-crafted stocking made especially for them.
Or if you want to have everything you need included in your shipment, look through the over 1000 suggestions in our Project Ideas area. We have small to large projects, economical to luxurious, knitting to crochet, all organized into easy-to-search categories for your convenience. Several that can definitely put you into the holiday mood are Holiday Items, Baby & Kid's Stuff and Glitz & Glamour.
We also rely heavily on our favorite yarn companies to inspire us with new fashions and design tips, and we just got in the fall pattern collection from Berroco. The latest 7 booklets are stupendous as usual and include:
Berroco: Norah Gaughan Volume 1, the beginning of a hip new series aimed at the younger & young-at-heart knitters and as a follow-up to her Knitting Nature hardback;
Berroco #268: Something About Stripes with its 7 modular designs crafted of Foliage and Keltic;
Berroco #267: Uptown Girl with stylish fashions designed exclusively for Trilogy and Peruvia;
Berroco #266: Jasper featuring a new fall/winter yarn due to arrive next month;
Berroco #265: Everything Felted with terrific new felting projects including the sensational tote on the cover; and
Berroco #264: Peruvia, a collection of a variety of garments & accessories featuring new fall/winter yarn Peruvia.
How about that list for lots of inspiration, hmm?
Customer Service
You know that we the staff of www.yarnmarket.com pride ourselves on our customer service. Each order is packed with pride by Tina, Alma, Amy or Lisa–- and we’re happy to say that although we have the occasional glitch, we have an almost 99% accuracy rate. 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 the problem. Our customer service hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
Also we're available to help you be sure you have all of the knitting & crochet supplies you need to keep you inspired on your next trip -- you know you don't want to be sitting in the airplane or riding in the car without your next project in hand. Just let us know how we can help out & we'll be sure we get your package to you by whatever expedited delivery you choose.
Thanks for reading, and we wish you all great vacations and times with your family over the next month.
Also take care to stay safe when at the pool, the beach, hiking in the woods -- wherever your summer travels take you!
And as always,
Happy Knitting & Crocheting!
Your Yarnmarket Knitting Store Staff
Yarnmarket, BargainYARNS and Yarndex are subsidiaries of Yarnmarket, LLC. Yarnmarket is an online yarn retailer with over 500 quality brands from 50 leading manufacturers, plus patterns, books and accessories. BargainYARNS provides discounts on fashionable yarns and accessories. Yarndex is a free online yarn directory offering detailed information about specific yarns from leading manufacturers.
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