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YARNMARKET.COM NEWS ISSUE #68
In This Issue:
Fall Fashion Trends: Sparkle with Glitz & Glamour This Holiday Season | Louisa Harding Introduces Two Innovative Yarns Plus Dedicated Book | Tahki Brings You Terrific New Fiber Blends in Modern Romance | Enjoy High-Quality Baby Yarns & Designs in Major Expansion of Filatura Baby Collection | Knitting & Crocheting for a Better World, Part 4: Still Time to Support Worthy Causes | Knitting in the News: Back by Popular Demand | Get Up-to-the-Minute Yarnmarket News by Following Us on Twitter & Facebook | Customer Service Reminders
Of course, there are still a multitude of other trends from which to choose, so in this issue of the newsletter and for several months to come, we will be featuring other major trends for fall & winter and showcasing gorgeous selections from our Project Ideas department to enhance all aspects of your wardrobe. This month we're exploring two primary trends seen around the world as the hot picks for Fall 2009 and Winter 2010, and many of these ideas may also influence what you choose to create for those special folks on your gift list.
One of the most prevalent influences for the fall & winter is the revival of glitz and glamour, especially for the upcoming holidays and all those special occasions. We've see a strong return to the styles of the 1980s with several trends in the spotlight. When viewing the dramatic styling and bold colors of the Marc Jacobs collection, we feel as if we have time warped back to the heyday of Disco Fever and the times when Studio 54 was the hot spot for the In Crowd. From the slinky metallics of Ralph Lauren and Dolce & Gabbana to the highlighter neon pinks of Michael Kors, the 1980s are reigning supreme with lots of drapey, interesting features in a variety of wardrobe pieces.
For the ultimate in French ooh-la-la sophistication, we all know we count on the designers at Anny Blatt for one-of-a-kind garments and accessories. The Anny Blatt Corneille Halter is simply stunning in that distinctive Anny Blatt style is a year-round investment in your wardrobe. With its wondrous combinations of two Anny Blatt yarns in multiple coordinating and contrasting hues, this glamorous top will wow your friends and relatives on New Year's Eve as well as next year in warmer weather when you wear it for a night out on the town.
In addition to glitzy jackets, cardis and other garments, you can also jazz up your wardrobe with sparkling accessories. Scarves, shawls, bags and more can adorn any outfit and transform it to a dressier version. For example, Alchemy founder Gina Wilde has created much more than just a shawl with her exquisite Haiku Month of Sundays Shawl. From its lacy, repeating patterning to its generous sizing, this accessory is worthy of any special occasion. Then Yarnmarket designer Barbara Rottman has crafted a lovely piece of neckwear from the spectacular Beaded Ensemble & Sequins yarn available from Artyarns. The Beaded Ensemble & Sequins Scarf is a magnificent way to dress up any outfit and stun your friends and family with your knitting prowess.
And our wee ones have to be in style too for the holidays so we can keep their wardrobes up to date with these fashion trends also by going feminine and adorable. Just take a peek at the precious Organic Cotton Molly Matinee Coat from Rowan, and we think you'll understand our definition of glitzy for children -- substitute the word "dressy" instead and you'll find age-appropriate examples throughout our Baby & Kid's Stuff department. The Luxury Tweed Bell Sleeve Coat from Debbie Bliss is another wonderful demonstration of playing "dress up" with your best girl and so is the special-occasion, exquisite Crocheted Christening Set.
First up comes a superb multi-seasonal, multi-textured, multi-fiber option, Willow Tweed yarn. With her love of textiles, Louisa has blended and dyed together the softness of merino with the lightweight fluffiness of alpaca. Then for enhanced texture & visual appeal, she's added a nubby strand of undyed raw silk to the mix. The result is a gorgeous concoction with the feel of a cottony silk tweed yet with the velvety touch and warmth of wool & alpaca. Beautifully crafted in Peru of 40% alpaca, 40% merino wool & 20% silk, this marvelous yarn show up to perfection in Louisa's sensational projects including: Louisa's second new yarn for fall and winter gives you buttery softness in a durable wool blend. Superbly crafted in Peru of 60% merino & 40% baby suri alpaca, 2-ply Thistle yarn is well named after airy, silky thistledown. Combine the warmth & sturdiness of wool with the lightness of alpaca, give the blend a gentle twist, and you have a versatile worsted-weight choice for all your knitted & crocheted cardis, scarves, hats, jackets, pullovers, tops, shawls and other accessories. We particularly recommend the Thistle garments in Louisa's new book Little Cake #22:
Then the other new Tahki yarn for the fall -- Truffles -- is just as versatile and even more multi-seasonal. Argentinean artisans have beautifully spun cotton, rayon, angora & nylon together and dyed it in a lovely color palette of single hues. You'll enjoy knitting & crocheting gorgeous shawls, tops, sweaters, cardis, jackets, scarves & other accessories, and relish wearing them all year round. And the book Modern Romance gives you a wide range of "Truffles" projects such as :
Such cute unisex outfits as the Zara Squares & Stripes Pullover or ultra-feminine designs as the Zarina Raspberry Swirl Cardigan with its matching cap -- the Zarina Raspberry Swirl Beret -- all show the wonders of this versatile, 100% merino yarn family. In addition to the spectacular "Zara" baby yarns, the yarn mavens at Filatura now have available two unusual fiber gems to add color and texture to your baby and children's projects. Bubble Print yarn will give you oodles of funky fun & texture in your baby garments and accessories. Constructed as a railroad-style, woven tape yarn, "Bubble Print" is just full of surprises. Every 10 inches or so, this unusual fiber gem "pops" with a chenille slub or bubble on each side of the base strand. The end result is an amazingly soft ribbon yarn that definitely stands out from the rest. Sensationally crafted in Italy of 60% superwash extrafine merino wool & 40% nylon, "Bubble Print" yarn is terrific for knitted & crocheted blankets, sweaters, hats, booties, jackets and the rest of your worsted-weight baby projects. Just take a peek at the well designed, colorful Bubble Print Pinwheel Blanket, and you'll see exactly what we mean.
Then when you're ready to knit and crochet heirloom-quality items that will be passed down from one generation to the next, we highly recommend variegated Prestige Baby Print yarn and its solid-hued counterpart Prestige Baby yarn. Designed specifically to knit and crochet treasured garments & accessories, both "Prestige Baby" and "Prestige Baby Print" are constructed as a textural delight -- a woven chainette where each strand is spun with fine Italian craftsmanship from luxurious cashmere and extrafine merino wool. Enjoy the superb softness of these DK/sport-weight lovelies. The delights of the Prestige Checkered Blanket is just one example of how superbly these yarns work up in your favorite design. We do so love the coordinating Prestige Chicklette Cardigan with its matching Chicklette Cardigan Hat so that you can see a modern take on a classic colorblock pattern. We also appreciate that the Filatura design team led by knitwear designer extraordinaire Margery Winter has made it easy for us to find adorable pattern support for these two new yarns plus the rest of the Filatura baby line by compiling them into one of their yarn-specific booklets. Filatura Di Crosa: Modern Baby features 16 beautiful projects to keep you right in style all fall & winter. From pullovers to jackets and from a quick-to-knit wrap to several great layering pieces, you're sure to find inspiration in this collection.
As we introduced in the August newsletter, we're devoting attention to our annual feature of highlighting worthy causes in need of your handcrafted items. In the September newsletter, we featured three terrific organizations -- Project Linus, Socks for Soldiers and the Snuggles Project also called "Hugs for Homeless Animals" -- and in October, Tender Loving Care Ministries, Soldiers' Angels and Knits for Kids were in the spotlight. Now here are additional charitable organizations that would appreciate your support and news stories about what even small, local groups can accomplish: One outstanding group recommended by Lorraine B. concentrates on providing "a dignified burial for abandoned and unidentified children who have died in San Diego County." Garden of Innocence is a not-for-profit organization founded by Elissa Davey that needs your gifts of handmade baby blankets. The need is growing even greater as Elissa helps other communities start their own chapters of Garden of Innocence. Recently San Francisco joined the initiative and chapters are starting up in Seattle and Montreal, Canada, soon. For more information on how you can help, please email the volunteer coordinator Birgit Rutz.
Other projects focusing on helping children by donating handcrafted items are the Magic Hugs Squares program where crafty people donate handmade blankies to wrap up Beanie Babies for sick children and the Baby Love Squares initiative where middle school children are knitting & crocheting squares to be used in neonatal units. Mothers who can't visit their premies as often as they would like wear a square until their scent is transferred to it, and then their baby is given the square to cuddle. Both of these can serve as excellent models that any of us could start in our local area. Because we believe so strongly in this type of charitable giving, we'll keep highlighting other such groups and organizations especially through December to remind us that those in need can benefit greatly from our beloved crafts. There's still time to suggest a non-profit, charitable group for us to feature by just e-mailing the newsletter editor and sharing your suggestion. Please provide any details you have including the website address, contact person's name, e-mail address, etc. Then watch future issues of this newsletter for updates at least through next month.
Several years ago in every newsletter we had a special feature calling your attention to interesting tidbits in the news concerning our favorite crafty hobbies. Well, back by popular demand is the Knitting in the News column and if you have any news leads, please let us know. Here are several recent articles and blog comments for reading enjoyment and inspiration:
Then Yarnmarket is also using Twitter to post news tidbits. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to a simple question. Join the Twitter network soon so that you don't miss any of our upcoming Yarnmarket "tweets." You know that we the staff of Yarnmarket.com pride ourselves on our customer service. Each order is packed with pride by Amy, Tina, Lisa, Julie or Emily –- 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 as we come ever closer to the major gift-giving season of the year, remember that our staff knitters will be glad to help you choose the right project for your favorite someone or advise you on what yarn to substitute if you already have an oldie but goodie pattern and now need a yarn update. And with the family get-togethers coming up and all those hours in route, be sure you have a variety of projects lined up to enjoy and keep you entertained as you wait in airports for your flight to be called or you travel by car from place to place. Thanks for reading, and in the U.S. & Canada please remember our veterans next Tuesday on Veterans' Day (Remembrance Day in Canada). Also enjoy your time with family and friends at Thanksgiving celebrations on the 26th. But don't let those holiday decorations and greeting cards showing up at your favorite retailers get you stressed out because you know we're here to help you have a successful, fashionable holiday season.
And as always,
Happy Knitting & Crocheting!
Your Yarnmarket Knitting Store Staff
Yarnmarket.com, BargainYARNS.com, Yarndex.com, Shear Bagatelle and KnitchMagazine.com are subsidiaries of Yarnmarket, LLC. Yarnmarket is an online yarn retailer with over 700 quality brands from over 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 more than 4500 yarns from leading manufacturers. Shear Bagatelle is the Yarnmarket blog, an inside view of all the happenings behind the scenes at Yarnmarket. Knitch Magazine is an online publication showcasing knitting and crochet fashions for yarn lovers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
