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August 2012: Koigu Grab Bags, Free Patterns, Flannel Fabric Sale!
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Tiny Owl Knits - Beekeeper's Quilt
We've been bursting at the seams over Tiny Owl Knits for the last few months! We can't help but think that Stephanie Dosen, the mastermind behind T.O.K, uses magical fairy dust to create these irresistible patterns. One of which, in particular, has created quite the buzz at Jimmy Beans Wool...
With over 4,135 Beekeeper Quilts started (according to Ravelry), we knew this quilt was going to be the quintessential stash bustin, on-the-go project. In fact, one of our retail Beans, Cherie, knits a fair amount of her hexapuffs (a.k.a honeycombs) during her lunch break! Each hexapuff is made from about 15 yards of KPPPM and you'll need about 384 hexapuffs to make a quilt that is three feet by four feet.
To keep the Beekeeper craze buzzing, we've partnered with Koigu to get thousands of skeinettes to put into grab bags (remember those?) so you can start your very own Beekeeper's Quilt while having several different colors to use! For $25 you can get 20 skeinlettes! We've even put together kits for this very special occasion! You can purchase all the materials for your quilt (32 skeins of Koigu) in one fell swoop, or you can purchase it in quarters (8 skeins of Koigu) which are grouped together by color. Either way, we expect to hear from many knitters who are knee deep in honeycombs!
Beekeeper's Quilt aside, Tiny Owl Knits has some absolutely adorable patterns we think you'll love. Check them out!
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With the increasing popularity of the Tiny Owl Knits Beekeeper's Quilt, I decided to create a helpful how-to video demonstrating how to do the cast on and increase called for in the pattern. I also demonstrate some alternate techniques you might choose to use such as:
- How to cast on for your hexipuffs using the magic loop or 2 circular needles methods
- Alternative cast ons
- How to avoid loose "ladders" between your needles
- Alternative increases
Hopefully you find this video useful in getting started with your Beekeeper's Quilt! Also, be sure to keep checking the instructional video page for an upcoming video demonstrating how to do the 3-needle crochet bind-off also used in the pattern!
If you have any project or fiber related questions, please remember you now have a place to turn! Send your questions to support@JimmyBeansWool.com.
I will be happy to help you!
Happy Knitting!
Terry
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The fall is getting closer and do you know what that means? New yarns! Berroco's fall collection is already in stock and awaiting your needles! Take a look at all the new goodies we have...
Berroco's Elements was the first newbie to catch our eye - its construction is completely unique! The wool is encased by a metallic nylon chain that makes the soft color of this new line pop through the shiny casing! Cirrus is another cuddly new kid on the block at Berroco and really holds its own in a variety of projects. True to Berroco (and one of the many things we love about them), Cirrus has its own pattern booklet to show off the wide range of patterns perfect for Cirrus!
Lodge pulls us in with its mesmerizing color transitions, punctuated by tweed flecks. This self-striping wool blend is perfect for the beginning knitter. I think we'll start Huck early, we're sure he could start knitting miles of garter stitch with this colorful yarn! Another quick knit, perfect for yarn stashes, is Boboli Quick. That's right, Boboli is back and revamped! Now in a bulky weight, Boboli Quick is exactly what the name says...quick!
Of course, what's new Berroco yarn without a Norah Gaughan pattern book to accompany the season? Volume 11 should really be called "Norah Gaughan Women". It is a wonderful collection of fall knits for women: delicate, shape flattering, trendy knits that you can easily dress up or down! As a huge fan of the belted waist, Norah's patterns appeal to me greatly. I also love open front cardigans...so many projects, so little time! Here's just a few of our favorite kits from the book, as well as the needles we love using to knit them up...
Be sure check the Wool Watcher on Monday, August 27th for amazing deals on these new Berroco Yarns! |
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This month's free pattern inspired by my years of working in customer service here at Jimmy Beans! At least once a week I would get same question: "Can you recommend a basic hat pattern with sizes for everyone in my family?" Each time I would find myself suggesting two different patterns, one for kids and another with adult sizes. Strangely enough, I could never seem to find one, all-inclusive pattern -not even through copious amounts of searching on Ravelry!
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So, when I started designing for Jimmy Beans about six months ago, I told Jimmy, "This is a super-basic idea, but I really want to write a pattern that includes hat sizes for the whole family!" She said, "Great! Can you make it for both knitting and crocheting?!" Of course I said yes and immediately picked out some gorgeous Swans Island Worsted yarn in both the Natural Colors and Pure Blends, and went to town making these Hats for the Whole Family. What fun it was using such gorgeous and soft yarn and having a pirate-loving 3 year old as my muse! |
The great thing about this pattern is that it includes all of the sizes you need for just about everyone in your family, plus instructions on ways to customize your hats. "Hats for the Whole Family" includes tips on making your hat slouchy, doing different stitch patterns, adding stripes, etc. Think of it as a recipe- you might use it as a guideline, but substitute some of the ingredients for things you like better like 2x2 ribbing for 1x1 ribbing, stockinette stitch for seed stitch, etc.
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The best part is all you need is this one pattern and you can knit one for everyone on your holiday gift list or to support your favorite sports team! If you need a place to get started, Cascade 220 yarn is easy to work with and has a fabulous range of colors to choose from. I hope you have fun creating these custom hats for all of your loved ones and as always, happy knitting and crocheting! -Kristen |
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We have so many wonderful yarns are sale, but here are just a few of our favorites...
Lorna's Laces Black Sheep: 50% Off!
Lorna's Laces' Black Sheep, a worsted weight wool and viscose blend, features one strand of black yarn that is plied with some of your favorite Lorna's dyed yarn! Here are some of the colors we've received in this week...
Madelinetosh Onesies: Up to 15% Off!
That's right - they're back again! This week, we have Prairie, Tosh Lace, Tosh Merino Light, Pashmina, and Tosh DK!
Multiple Yarns from Skacel, Schoeller Stahl, Schulana and Zitron: All 50% Off!
Whew! We have so much fantastic sale yarn from Skackel, our distributor of Addi needles and other top German products like Schulana and Schoeller Stahl yarns! In the mix are the luscious 100% Angora, the self-striping 100% Superwash wool Limbo Color, the multi-colored felting wool Loft, variegated Lace, and the self-striping fairisle print Limbo Mexico Country Color.
Flannel and Corduroy Fabric On Sale Up to 58%Off!
My, my, my - how our shop has been buzzing away with talk of flannel and corduroy! About every Bean here just had to buy up some of this fabric...it's just too cute and too good of a deal not to. Many of us are planning to make some PJs and them have a PJ party here at work!
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Cherie's Hexipuffs | Cherie has been busting through her yarn stash to make hexipuffs for The Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits. Currently, she has made over 100 hexipuffs and is making them whenever she gets a chance. She is so excited to have so many so far and is always looking for some sock stash yarn! Suffice to say, she's pretty excited about the Koigu skeinettes!
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Casey's Springtime Bandit Shawl | Casey loved the Springtime Bandit pattern from The Fibre Company! Casey has had her eyes on this shawl for quite some time, so she was really excited when it was finished. She found the lace pattern to be a lot fun, but make sure to pay attention at the end as yarn overs, ssk's, and k2tog's are everywhere - keeps things interesting that's for sure! The Terra yarn is SO soft and squishy, but it has a tendency to fuzz all over (not a deal breaker for me.)
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Sarah's Simple Slouch Hats | These hats are for Sarah's nephews (Sarah's niece wanted a handmade hat too, but Sarah couldn't make her neice one without making her nephews hats as well!) Sarah loved the texture of the Graham pattern by Jennifer Adams (which is free on Ravelry!) However, the decreases didn't work well for her, so she changed them up a bit to get the shape she wanted. |
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 | Can you believe it's been ten years??? Neither can we! Although our website had humble beginnings where we were lucky to get one order a day, we've gradually grown into the business that you know today (and hopefully love!) - thanks to our amazingly loyal customers! What many of you might not know is that our website development team was a one-man show up until about 9 months ago (and now it's only just a two-man show)! |
That's right, for almost ten years, Doug (co-owner and hubby to Laura, a.k.a. Jimmy, and Dad to Huck) built and maintained the Jimmy Beans Wool website, as well as all of our internal inventory and ordering systems from the ground-up (in between skiing breaks, of course)! How amazing is that?!?!
Late last year, Chris joined our team to help Doug with the never-ending list of projects and improvements that we have for the site. Now with our two-man team, the Jimmy Beans Wool site is growing faster than ever! To honor our tech team, we polled our Facebook followers to see what their favorite website features were. Here are the top ten:
1) Wool Watcher- Added to the site in 2009, Wool Watcher quickly became the most popular feature on the site! Updating multiple times daily, it features awesome deals on all kinds of knitting and crochet products!
2) "Notify Me" Button - This feature was added just last year and allows customers to sign up to be notified when a yarn is back in stock! In fact, one of our Facebook friends, Kimberly, said, "Doug is the unsung hero of JBW. He does such a great job and I think we take what he does for granted. My favorites are the "Notify Me" feature and the video reviews. Both are super helpful when I'm wanting my knitting fix and b/c I'm a visual person. Thanks Doug! You rock!"
3) Video Reviews- These reviews, starring Jimmy Beans Wool employees, delve a little more into the details of each product and hopefully help you decide whether or not it's right for you! Plus, we often get a little silly on camera and you might catch us singing, giggling, and just having a good time. We hope you all enjoy watching these little inside peeks at JBW!
4) Knitting Calculator- This feature calculates how much yarn you would need for any given project, even if you don't have an exact project in mind, based on yarn weight and size!
5) Advanced Search- This search function allows you to narrow down your options by all kinds of specific details like fiber content, weight, price, etc. One customer on Facebook said: "My most favorite feature is the suggestions for other yarns in different price points and colors, but of similar weight, care and fiber content. I've never seen such a great matching program on a yarn site."
6) Instructional Videos: One of our long-time customer turned employees, Kristen, loves the Instructional Videos. She said,"I can't say how many times I've needed a refresher on a knitting technique and I've turned to these videos to help me out!"
7) Photography: Even though some of our other beans have taken over photography so that Doug could focus on web-related tasks, he was our main photographer for years and is exceptional at making the yarn look even prettier! He is responsible for many of the photos you see on the site today!
8) Wishlist: It's the best way to remember items you might want to order at a later time! Just hit "Add to Wishlist" and it will save it in your account's Wishlist. Best part is, you can even leave it open for your significant other to "accidentally" see near the holidays (trust me, it works!)
9) Customer Reviews: Good or bad, these reviews are a HUGE asset to our site! They are reviews from all of you out there of the products we carry. These reviews are super helpful for future customers when making their shopping decisions! One Facebook pal wrote: "I also like the reviews from other shoppers. When not sure about a purchase, I read them and can make decisions based from what other knitters have had to say."
10) On our Needles: These humble projects from Jimmy Beans employees are a fun way for us to show off all of the things we knit, in one place! Plus, it's a great way for us to show you what many of our favorite yarns look like knit up! |
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 | We figured with the 10 year anniversary of the Jimmy Beans Website, this was the perfect time to introduce you to the family behind the wool-the Zanders! Laura and Doug met at work when Laura landed her first Software Development job after working on her PhD. After a few years, and in need of a change from the fast pace of life in Silicon Valley, they moved to the mountains and began freelance designing websites for small companies (in between ski runs of course.) |
One of these companies happened to be Lorna's Laces, back when it was still owned by Lorna Miser! Lorna encouraged Laura, who had been knitting for a few years and loved it, to open a yarn shop in Truckee.
So, in 2002 Doug and Laura took the gamble and opened a little shop (complete with an espresso cart, hence the "Beans") in downtown Truckee, CA. Just a few months later, the Jimmy Beans Wool website went live, and Laura began shipping orders in the evenings. Laura loves to recall those first few orders where she actually licked the stamps and handwrote each address! Now, it's hard to imagine what that would be like...Yuck! |  |
 | In 2009, after the entire JBW operation had moved just over the mountain to Reno, NV, Huck was born and it's been a wild ride ever since! He's always keeping Laura and Doug (and us Beans) on our toes with his abundant energy and imagination. |
His favorite game is "Pirates" and he loves to ski- which of course makes dad super happy! And we can't forget Buddy (who lost his best pal Wiley earlier this year) who is regularly seen around the shop sniffing for treats and looking for pets.
Laura and Doug are truly some of the nicest people around and are unbelievably wonderful to work for! All of us "Beans" count ourselves lucky to a part of the JBW family!
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There are many ways to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at Jimmy Beans Wool!
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Please let us know what you think of our newsletter or if you have problems reading it! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email support@jimmybeanswool.com
And please don't forget to support your LYS. In addition to being an online outlet, we also have a retail location and therefore understand how important it is to be supported by our locals.
We only send the newsletter to people who have requested they be added to the list.
Feel free to update your notification options on our site.
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Jimmy Beans Wool
891 Trademark Drive
Reno, NV 89521
Toll Free in U.S. and Canada (877)JBW-KNIT (529-5648)
Phone (775)827-9276
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