September 2009 Limited Edition Newsletter

This is a handsome scarf, great with a dress overcoat, and conservative enough for a 'Dad'. For a longer 'wrap and dump' scarf, cast on the smaller number of stitches and work until you run out of yarn. 2-3 hanks of the Purple Mojito Shepherd Sport or Swirl DK should make a scarf just the right size for almost anyone! (Of course, you could also use the Lion and Lamb and larger needles for this scarf... it will just be a bit bigger, but certainly beautiful.)

Speaking of Lion and Lamb, can you envision the Purple Mojito knit up in this classy capelet? You'll need about 3 hanks, but the drape and luxury will be surely be worth it!

This new warm, fluffy, highly textured sweater with raglan-style sleeves from Mac and Me would be perfect for the Purple Mojito Shepherd Worsted (5-7 hanks) ... or 1 Shepherd Sport and 1 Shepherd Sock held together (maybe 1 strand of Purple Mojito and 1 strand of Blackberry or Sage? Combining a solid and a variegated is one of my favorite tricks with Lorna's Laces... you create a unique colorway that's likely to never be seen anywhere else! And it sure would make a pretty sweater... :)).

The new issue is here! At just $7.95, this has to be one of the best deals going... it's got loads of patterns using loads of Debbie Bliss Yarns, many of which we now carry (we just added Fez, Alpaca Silk Aran, Como, and Rialto Dk to our website - as well as new colors in many of her other yarns). If you're looking for a source for inspirational patterns, this is the magazine to buy. I love it!!

OK, so I have a sheep collection on my desk. And I was purely tickled when I figured out how to make a sheep emoticon. And...well, you get the picture. Somewhere along the line, working with all of this gorgeous wool, I've become a bit fixated on sheep. So naturally, I was ecstatic to see Knitwit Momma's handmade stitch markers featured in this fall's issue of Vogue Knitting. These ceramic sheep are of course my favorite, but her line includes pewter cats, dogs, monkeys, fruit, gardening, tea, wine, knitting, aaaaand pewter sheep-themed sets as well as these little cuties. At $24 for a set of six markers (handmade in the US!) that fit up to a size 10.5 needle, they make a great gift for the knitter who (you thought) had everything. Or, why not add a little whimsy to your knitting and treat yourself to a set in your favorite theme? And did we mention that the pewter compliments the colors of Purple Mojito quite well?

Calling all sock knitters! Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock Solids are on sale 40% off until we run out! I love the Supersock Solids because they show off the beauty of more intricate stitch patterns that might otherwise get lost in variegated colors (I'm finding I can't stand to just knit in stockinette--even if that means I can't totally zone out while knitting!). Plus, the Supersock is great because it is 100% superwash merino wool--no nylon is necessary because of Cherry Tree Hill's signature high-twist (generally, a higher twist makes for stronger yarn). The colors are gorgeous and vibrant, and at 6.5 stitches/inch on a US 3, it's a bit more quick knitting than a lot of the sock yarns out there--and more versatile, too (think little lacy things and baby knits!).

Save big on Cascade's Cotton Club (originally $5.75 a ball, now just $3.75!), a 60% cotton, 40% acrylic worsted weight yarn that wears like iron--definitely an upside to synthetic blends. We've used Cotton Club in the Election Hats as an alternative yarn for the wool-shy among us, plus it makes great summer tops, baby blankets for warm-weather babies, and more! Some days, I just can't stand to do anything with my hair, so I think I'll whip out one of my Treasury of Knitting Patterns books by Barbara G. Walker and knit up a quick headband or two in one of these colors: