May 2009 Newsletter

Using 1 hank of LL Shepherd Sport in Chocolate, Jeanne from 2 Askew Designs designed this infant sock pattern for Baby Zander (due to arrive in just a week or two...). The pair that you see here are the first ones ever knit for him, so they will always hold a special place in our heart. Since we won't be releasing his name until after birth, the girls around the shop called him "the rock" - hence "Rock's Socks" as the name of the pattern!

I have to say, i love the way the hand-dyed "nearly-solids" knit up for projects like this... so much fun. But I think i might knit a pair up for my neighbor's 3 month old in the Baby Cashmerino I have leftover from the hat i made him. What a great way to work through sportweight stash yarn!

I love Sprout! I can't put my finger on the attraction, but it's there... maybe it's my fondness for quick knits - or maybe my affinity for supersoft yarns - or maybe it's just that i can't stop staring at color 4355 (sassafras tea - it's a summery rust). Whatever the reason, it's certainly become one of my favorites this season... and this pattern is the one that i'm leaning towards knitting. At this point, i need a project that will knit up quickly (instant gratification!), require little to no concentration, and yield stunning results. Bingo!

Um, this yarn is $5.95 a hank.... and it's made with 50% Llama!! If you've ever knit with Cascade Pastaza (a llama/wool blend) before, you'll understand why it's so popular. It's self-haloing for your felted projects and wonderfully soft for garments (especially cuddly sweaters and warm caps). I don't know about you, but our very own Victoria is a HUGE fan (and already has an order in the system). Grab these discounted colors while you can - we didn't get much, so they'll go fast.

For more than a year now, Sandy has been begging me to order this yarn. A lace fanatic (given the fact that she is constantly working on a lace project, I think we can safely consider her a fanatic), she's told me on more than one occasion that she'll be my best friend if we carry the Misti Lace. Not one to give up the opportunity for best-friendship, but also not one to do anything too quickly, we've finally ordered 16 of her favorite colors - and even got a great deal because they are in hanks instead of balls. We're extending that deal to you, but will continue to carry this gorgeous yarn in the future (in skeins and at regular price). Note: We're expecting a 2nd shipment to arrive around the end of May. If you notice that we are out of a color, it's highly likely that we'll be getting more - feel free to call, email, or live chat us and we can add some to your order.

Talk about clever!!! These 1.5" x 1.25" lightweight gauges are as beautiful as they are accurate. Made of light-weight anodized aluminum and in 9 eye-catching colors (plus Pink for Breast Cancer Research), wear the pendant on a chain or attach it to the zipper of your knitting bag--you'll never be stuck guessing your needle size again! Gauges US sizes, 0-17.

Ok, I really need a few of these Fiberspheres... they would make most of my projects soooo much easier and manageable (especially since i tend to be constantly moving projects from one location to another - destroying the neatly wound balls of yarn in the process). These are definitely the ultimate in fiber protection! Brilliantly designed, these plastic yarn spheres have a snag-free opening where the two halves join. Protect your yarn from dogs, cats, airline floors and more without a hitch. Knitting with two colors at once? Try putting two Fiberspheres together (one whole sphere as the top, snapped to one hole sphere as the bottom) to make two attached spheres. Note: Fibersphere will donate 5% of each pink Fibersphere sold to breast cancer charities.

1 Sock is done! After reading and formatting Jeanne's free sock pattern The Rock's Socks, I just couldn't stop myself from knitting up a pair myself! Of course, as usual, I've knit up one sock - and don't know if i'll ever get around to the 2nd one. Haha. I still had some yarn leftover from Reid's Hat, so i just used that for these adorable socks...

Jeanne's beautiful Shoalwater Shawl in Silk Garden Sock - airy and lightweight for summer evenings! It looks like it's almost done! I simply can't get over how beautiful this color (#245) has turned out. Of course, I've always loved brown, but the teal in this is simply striking.

One of our favorite customers, Sandy H, made this adorable bear and sweater for Baby Z!

A gift for baby Z from Kristen - these cute little booties and hat are sure to keep him toasty warm! Knit from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.

This cute sweater is perfect for the little guy when he is small and when he outgrows it, his bear friend will love wearing it too! Sandy used the Stella yarn from Debbie Bliss. This is a standard worsted weight yarn, and could be substituted with many alternatives such as Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton, Classic Elite Sprout etc.

Our friend Sally knit up this beautiful blanket and hat - perfect for a day at the lake! She used 3 balls of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Seaside.

One last thing to mention before you start shopping... there are still a number of you out there that haven't used your Jimmy Beans Bucks. We're really glad to see many of you have already used your Jimmy Beans Bucks to make exciting new purchases. These rewards dollars are in your accounts and ready to be used.

If you didn't earn a reward or aren't familiar with Jimmy Beans Bucks, you can read about this incredible FREE YARN program here. In a nutshell, if you have a JBW account and made purchases last quarter (January 1st - March 31st), you received an account credit equal to 5% of those purchases (with a few rules, of course). The Bucks expire around the end of this month, so make sure to use them while you can... you've earned them!

Remember, all of your purchases made during this current quarter (April 1st - June 30th) are eligible to become Jimmy Beans Bucks on July 1st!