March 2013 Yarn Newsletter

When the Get A Clue With Nancy Drew collection arrived, we found each print to be a delightful throwback to childhood memories of reading about Nancy's super sleuth skills. The vintage appeal and utter uniqueness of these fabrics are hard to ignore! When Barbara (our wonderful friend at Denise who helps with the creation of each Limited Edition Denise2Go) proposed a Nancy Drew2Go last month, we knew there was only one option for March.

The Girl Detective is a daring case paired with bright yellow cords (to match all those yellow hard-cover volumes of our youth) that easily fits in any knitting bag, project bag, pocket or purse. Ideal for knitting on the go, Denise2Go sets include the 6 most popular needle tip sizes, 3 different cord lengths, end buttons and extender, plus a crochet hook. All that knitting potential rolls up to fit in the palm of your hand! Be sure to grab one of these limited edition sets while you can - once they're gone, they are gone for good!

And, if you are still working on your Downton Abbey KAL project, you'll be delighted to know that the pattern for Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets is now available as a FREE PDF on our website! If you are still working on your Gauntlets or haven't even begun yet, be sure to download your copy for the complete pattern with photos, charts, and written instructions. Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL - it was such a blast and we hope you'll all join us again for future KALs!

We love Shibui for their ingenious patterns, but even more for their unique and luxurious yarns! Now we have one more to fawn over: Shibui Cima, a sumptuous blend of "superbaby" alpaca and fine merino in a plied lace weight. This delicious creation is spun from the finest natural fibers available, and the quality shows in its springy but delicate hand and dreamy-soft feel. It is perfect for shawls, lightweight but warm accessories, and weightless spring sweaters. Not to mention the colors are just gorgeous - exactly what you'd expect from Shibui!

Speaking of colors, one of Shibui's best attributes is their ability to match colors across yarn lines, meaning that a particular color in Shibui Silk Cloud will be nearly identical in Shibui Linen. It's a feat that is not only nearly impossible to achieve with natural fibers, but also incredibly useful! It allows you to combine vastly different yarn types in the same project to achieve myriad textures and stunning effects. Shibui capitalized on this yarn-matching feature with their Shibui Mix line of patterns: each pattern utilizes a combination of yarns to create a garment with a one-of-a-kind look and feel. Take Shibui Mix No. 16, for example: alpaca-rich Cima and haloed Silk Cloud are carried together in this subtly color-blocked cardigan to make a rich, buttery-soft fabric you'll never want to stop touching! Mix No. 17 also uses Cima, but to a totally different effect: combined with Linen, this deep V-neck pullover has an incredible texture and beautiful drape. Pick your favorite Shibui color (ours is UV!) and get to knitting!

To make it, you need just three skeins of Classic Elite Toboggan in three different colors. The cozy, chunky Toboggan yarn is the perfect blend of softness and warmth - making this easily one of my all-time favorite knits. And as a bonus, you'll have just enough yarn left over to make a matching hat! Be sure to check out the Hold Steady Cowl on Ravelry as well and add it to your queue!

There are several methods for working short rows, but I believe the wrap and turn is the most common. What is a short row? This is perhaps the most boggling part when a knitter first encounters the term. Short rows are methods of knitting part of the stitches in a row. Why do this? To create edges that are wider than the center (think potato chip scarf) or to create a curve in our knitting (like darts in sewing).

To create a wrap and turn short row:
1. Knit the designated number of stitches in your pattern
2. Bring the yarn to the front of your work
3. Slip the next stitch from your left needle to the right needle
4. Take the yarn to the back of your work
5. Return the slipped stitch to the left needle
6. Turn.

The order in which you perform steps 4-6 is not as important. The main thing is to make sure that the slipped stitch is wrapped around its base by the working yarn, and has returned to a proper position from which to knit.

That is all there is too making a wrap and turn! Next time, I'll talk about how to pick up the wraps when you work across the wrapped stitches.

For more help, you can send an email to support@JimmyBeansWool.com.

Happy Knitting!
Terry

We have so many wonderful yarns are sale, but here are just a few of our favorites...

Lorna's Laces Black Sheep: 50% Off! This hard-wearing wool and viscose blend is a Jimmy Beans exclusive, dyed especially for us by Lorna's Laces in some of your favorite colorways. This unique yarn has a subtle thick-thin texture and features 2 plies, one solid black, the other colorfully dyed for a sharp contrast of colors that works up into a one-of-a-kind fabric of depth and distinction. Use Black Sheep for hats, cardigans, mitts or a simple cowl! We love it for Knitting Pure and Simple's Trapeze Pullover, or the Churchmouse Ferryboat Mitts.

Filatura di Crosa Fiocchetto and Tahki Boulder: 50% Off! It's a party for your needles! Filatura di Crosa's Fiocchetto yarn has spunk and character, not to mention it's plain old fun to work with! Fiocchetto boasts a creative construction that knits up quickly on US 10 needles. Surprisingly lightweight, this yarn is great for stylish tanks, summery scarves or adding pizzazz to knitted accessories and decor. Looking for something a little chunkier? Well, if it is still winter where you are, Boulder is the way to go. This soft, thick yarn from Tahki comes in 5 dark marled colorways in 200 gram balls of 77 yards. Boulder is super bulky and knits up on US 36 needles - perfect for instant gratification projects or quick gifts. Also great for finger-knitting!

Filatura di Crosa Moda, Moda Lame and Moda Lame Long Print: Starting at 25% Off! Get your ruffle on, the coveted Moda ruffle yarns from Filatura di Crosa are now on sale! Two skeins of Moda or Moda Lame - or just one skein of Moda Lame Long Print - are all you need for a stylishly flouncy scarf. If you haven't yet given ruffle yarns a try, now is a great time (and a great price). Whether you prefer the glitz and glam of the Lame, splashes of color, or elegant solids to go with your everyday attire, there is a Moda ruffle yarn for you!

Louisa Harding Merletto and Sirdar Smiley Stripes: Starting at 43% Off! Start getting ready for summer with these lightweight yarns from Louisa Harding and Sirdar! Merletto is a dual texture yarn that combines the sleek shine of viscose with the softness of linen; it gets softer the more you wear it. A DK weight yarn that knits up on US 5 needles, Merletto makes beautiful shawls and wraps, lacy tanks and swishy skirts. For those who would like a bigger splash of color, Smiley Stripes will do the trick. These lively print colorways are ideal for kids' clothes and accessories. Machine washable and easy to care for, this bamboo and wool blend is as fun to knit with as it is to wear!

Emily's Melofors Tam

Emily, one of our newest Beans who works on our programming team and helps maintain our website, came to work wearing this little gem last week and we had to snap a pic right away! The pattern is FREE on Ravelry--the Melofors Tam by Susan James, and it's absolutely adorable! Emily used Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Sauterne, a super bright and sunny yellow which is perfect for this design. Nice work, Emily!

Marilyn's Kleio Shawlette

Marilyn knit this amazing shawl last spring, and we finally were able to snag a photo! It's a simply stunning, knit in Hand Maiden Casbah colors Pewter and Straw. We also love that this pattern is a Romi Hill design, from her 7 Small Shawls Year Two collection :The Muses, which is available for purchase on Ravelry as a download. The pattern name is Kleio. Happy knitting!

Bethany's Simple Baby Hat for Penne

This cute hat was knit by Bethany for her darling daughter Penelope, aka Penne. She knit this hat loosely based off of our knit version of Swans Island Hats for the Whole Family , with a few modifications. We really love that she used Black Sheep, our exclusive yarn from Lorna's Laces. Bethany enjoyed the slightly thick-thin texture and found this yarn looks like it has more black in it when in hanks than it does when knit.

Jenny's Romance Shawlette

We are so glad Jenny shared her latest FO, this little graceful shawlette is super pretty! The pattern is called Romance by Susanna IC and can be found on Ravelry. Jenny used just one skein of Madelinetosh Merino Light for her version, and we think it's just gorgeous!

Jeanne's Downton Abbey Mystery KAL Mitts

Jeanne had to jump in and participate in the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL! She went stash diving and found two skeins of Lorna's Laces Sport in the Huron Color (one we don't carry any longer) and decided it would be perfect! The KAL called for Sportmate (1 skein), but the Sport works just fine, too! We think they turned out so cool!

When she's not at Jimmy Beans, Erika is practicing to be a mad scientist...well, not really, but she is studying to be a pharmacist! You can often catch her poring over a textbook on her lunch hour (she and Chemistry are BFFs) or puzzling over homework that looks like secret code. After school, she'd like to work in Psychiatric or Nuclear Pharmacy at a hospital, or do research.

Erika's other main focus is her adorable dog, Fiona, an almost 2-year old West Highland Terrier. Like her mom, Fiona has a penchant for pretty yarn - but unlike Erika, who makes gorgeous shawls with it, Fiona likes to eat it! And it's hard to keep it away from her when she's somehow able to scale counters, tables, the TV stand - you name it, Fiona can get on top of it, giving some truth to the rumor that Westies can fly... She likes to burn off some of that energy at the dog park, where she can run around while Erika works on yet another beautiful creation out of her favorite Tosh Merino Light yarn.