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YARNMARKET.COM NEWS ISSUE #83
In This Issue:
Jazz Up Your Winter Wardrobe with Advice from Your Favorite Knitwear Gurus | Two New Traditional Wools from Classic Elite Are Easy Care & Affordable | Laura Bryant of Prism Yarns Applies Her Color Artistry to Multi-Seasonal Beauties | Elsebeth Lavold Launches Major Expansion of Her Silky Wool Collection with New Version | Iris Schreier Goes Ultra Bulky with Great Quick-To-Create, Hand-Dyed Fiber Gem | February's Flower of the Month from Fiesta Showcases that Breath of Spring -- The Iris | Check Out the New Pattern Contest and You Could Win a $500 Yarnmarket Gift Certificate for Your Design | Customer Service Reminders
So when we turn to our favorite knitwear sources for new classic projects, we start with that fashion guidebook -- Vogue Knitting. The Winter 2010/2011 issue has in the spotlight such "classic knits you'll wear again and again" as the figure-enhancing Cascade Cabled Topper by designer Michele Wang. This scoop-necked vest is a wardrobe must with its trellis-inspired design that branches out from a twist-stitch pattern.
Then the Highland Alpaca Colorblock Scarf is a new project from Gedifra's Creative Director Karola Gottwald and is a great way to try your hand at knitting with different colors of the same yarn without intricate stitches. Big enough to wear as a scarf or a stole, this piece is created with five shades knit in a combination of blocks and stripes using stockinette, reverse stockinette, ribs, seed stitch and double moss stitch for a knitting smorgasbord in one simple project. What a great way to learn new designs and practice at the same time!
Tip #3: The Best Way to Add Style to an Outfit Is with Accessories as Accents. We all have learned over the years how to jazz up our favorite jacket or coat with a lovely winter scarf and to add a bit of spice with colorful socks peeking out from under our jeans. So here are some ways that accessories can transform our winter collection. We adore the funkiness and clever shaping of the Manos Clasica Axiomatic Mitts and marvel at such a spectacular way to keep our arms warm. Also the feminine, flirty Fresco Gwynedd Hat is the ideal way to keep your head and ears warm yet make your own personal fashion statement at the same time. And last but certainly not least, we have great examples too of how you can enhance your wee one's wardrobe with these trends too. For example, the adorable, snuggly Zara Bye-Byes Bunting is a wonderful cocoon to protect that precious newborn. It's even decorated with hearts in honor of the season! Then the Rialto Aran Pea Coat is a terrific, unisex classic from Debbie Bliss. And if you want to have the look of multiple colors without the added labor, discover the wonders of the Big Baby Jacket featuring superchunky, quick-to-create Big Baby yarn from Muench Yarns.
Then for those who prefer working with single hued yarns, Classic Elite has available Liberty Wool Solid yarn, a fabulous go-to fall/winter yarn. Add that it's velvety soft with a balanced twist that gives your knitting & crocheting superb stitch definition, and you have the perfect yarn for adult, children's & baby projects. These lovely solid shades are great used along, blended together in colorwork or color coordinated with its variegated cousin "Liberty Wool Print." And, of course, the designers for Classic Elite have excellent pattern support for "Liberty Wool " and have created the pattern collection Liberty Wool (#9114). The Liberty Wool projects include everything from accessories to sweaters and jackets, and here are our favorites:
Then for an easy, quick way to add a touch of glitz to any outfit, Laura Bryant gives you the perfect option -- quick-to-create Galaxy yarn. Superbly crafted of 95% nylon & 5% metallic polyester, "Galaxy" is spun as a super wide, super chunky ribbon yarn -- it's almost 3/4" wide! Of course, the beauty of "Galaxy" is gorgeous in Laura's marvelous hand-dyed color combos you so love. It is also enhanced with intermittent patches of gold or silver sparkle for added panache & glamour. And we bet you'll love how versatile "Galaxy" is whether knitted or crocheted by itself in decorative scarves, shawls and capelets or used as amazing accent & trim for other Prism garments. Take a peek at the Dots & Dashes Jacket and the Plaited Stitch Jacket for several ideas for garments. And even a simple garter stitch scarf created on large needles or hooks will be a real standout in any crowd when created in "Galaxy."
When a knitwear designer has created such a world-wide favorite as Silky Wool, she might be tempted to rest on her laurels. But Elsebeth has created lovely Silky Wool XL yarn at an innovative gauge to accommodate needles from size 7 U.S. to size 10. Developing "Silky Wool XL" as an all-natural fiber option, Elsebeth gives us this heavy-worsted version with the same subtly tweedy, slightly nubby appearance & texture. "Silky Wool XL" is wonderful to knit and crochet with since it can transform classic garter and stockinette stitches as well as showcase Elsebeth's well-loved cable patterns. Spun by the same Italian mill that beautifully crafts "Silky Wool," "Silky Wool XL" yarn is constructed of 80% wool & 20% silk. Just imagine what sensational sweaters, shawls, hats, gloves, scarves, vests and more you can knit and crochet with such a superb yarn. Just as a few examples of "Silky Wool XL" projects, we highly recommend as stunning illustrations of this terrific fiber gem and Elsebeth's approach to design:
Ultrabulky yarn is her latest creation for your knitting & crocheting pleasure. Spun as a velvety chunky-weight yarn, "Ultrabulky" gets much of its softness and exquisite feel from its lovely construction. Constructed by tightly twisting together 12 strands of ultrafine merino, "Ultrabulky" is a fabulous wool that's not itchy or susceptible to pilling. Also it's beautifully crafted and hand-dyed in the USA from 100% merino wool, so you know you're getting excellent quality. Add that "Ultrabulky" is wound in 100-gram hanks for your convenience and so that you'll have less finishing work with your projects and you have a marvelous choice for your chunky projects. We know that you probably have your own favorite chunky-weight patterns you have in mind for "Ultrabulky," but as a little added inspiration, here are some suggestions from Iris herself:
The love of and interest in irises we see today can be traced back to the early Greeks and its name coming from the goddess Iris, messenger of the gods and personification of the Rainbow now represented by the beautiful array of hues available in today's marketplace. But other heavenly associations have showcased the iris as rising above other floral options. The kings of France used the silhouette of the iris to develop their symbol of the fleur-de-lis and the iris became the emblem also of Florence, Italy, because of the significant role it played in the perfume industry. Today the iris is the state flower of Tennessee, and the fleur-de-lis is the symbol of New Orleans, Louisiana, echoing the city's French origins. As inn past months, sometimes the yarns in the series are Fiesta yarns we already carry, but usually they are new Fiesta yarns for us. In all cases, the flower colorway is featured in a pattern collection free with your yarn purchase and the owner of Fiesta Yarns has decided that any purchase of FOM yarn -- even 1 hank -- will qualify you to receive the FOM pattern booklet of your choice so long as we still have it in stock. Then the latest color combo will be retired after its designated month, and that means you'll need to order your Iris yarn faves right away so that we can fill your order and re-order the yarn in time.
Also we have three terrific new projects for you featuring the spectacular "Iris" colorway for February, one each in the three gorgeous Fiesta yarns for the month. But please keep in mind that the yarns have different gauges & yardage so cannot be substituted in the featured projects. And remember that with the purchase of the yarn for any of these Flower of the Month projects, you'll receive the pattern booklet absolutely free. Start off with your favorite and then check out the other two from the booklet so that you'll have time to order more right away before the "Iris" colorway is retired on February 25th:
Members Contest: Any current member of TKGA is eligible to participate, and you don't have to submit the pattern unless you'd like your work to be considered for publication by Yarnmarket. Masters Contest: Open only to current TKGA members who have passed Level Two or Level Three of the Master Hand Knitting Program. These entries require the written pattern to be submitted along with a photo of your creation (must be your original unpublished design). Also you'll need to review the General Rules for Both Contests before submitting your entries. All entries must be received by TKGA by April 27, 2011 to be considered by the judges. And now you may be thinking "What's in it for me besides the satisfaction of seeing my work published on the Yarnmarket website?" We will award three prizes in each contest (1st, 2nd & 3rd) with Yarnmarket Gift Certificates ranging from $500 to $200 (see the rules for descriptions of the prizes). You know that we the staff of Yarnmarket.com pride ourselves on our customer service. Each order is packed with pride by Lynn, Amy, Tina, Lisa, Julie or Janice –- 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 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Also these next several months are the major time of the year when knitters & crocheters take the time to make things for themselves, so remember that our staff will be glad to help you choose the right project or advise you on the perfect tool, bag or accessory to suit your tastes and needs. Also with colder weather and unpredictable outdoor conditions on their way, be sure you have a variety of projects lined up to enjoy & keep you entertained so that you can avoid cabin fever. Thanks for reading, and take time to enjoy the upcoming holidays of Groundhog Day tomorrow, Chinese New Year starting this Thursday (it's the year of the rabbit for those inquiring minds out there!), Valentine's Day in two weeks and President's Day the Monday after that (hope you have that Monday off from work so that you can go shopping). And as always,
Happy Knitting & Crocheting!
Your Yarnmarket Knitting Store Staff Be sure to keep up with the latest Yarnmarket & Yarndex news as it's happening! Contests, promotions, new yarns and behind-the-scenes fun can be found on:
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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
