As makers, we have tended to gravitate toward one type of project more often than the others. There are shawl people, sweater people, scarf people, and of course, sock people. We try our best to be as open to all sorts of projects as we can, but let's face it, we're totally sock people! No matter the season, if you ask any of the Beans what they have on their needles, there's always at least two of us that have socks in the bag!

This is why we just couldn't resist picking up these gorgeous, hand-dyed sock blanks from SweetGeorgia - talk about, well, sweet! Each sock blank is double-stranded, which yields two identical socks - no more searching for skeins that look "close enough" to use for your projects!

Unravel the blank and knit two at a time, or unravel completely and wind into two matching balls so you can focus on one-at-a-time knitting, it's up to you how you sock it to your project bag!

Each SweetGeorgia Sock Blank is available in gorgeous colorways ranging from clean gradients to funky splatters and speckles for something a little more whimsical and fun for your feet! Intimidated by the concept of sock blanks? That's okay, a few of us Beans were too! We have a YouTube video tutorial to walk you through the basics of unraveling, winding, and knitting from your sock blank!

Living in the desert definitely has its boons and drawbacks, and one of those drawbacks is just how hot it's been recently! It feels like we skipped over spring completely and are now enjoying (or lamenting for some) soaring temperatures that make us long for the pool or for the ice cream truck to come zooming around the corner. We've made peace with this weather (as it's going to be around for a while) and have decided to adjust the projects we're making - switching to light, airy shawls and accessories - which means we're lookin' for a double-scoop of our favorite Hedgehog Fibres yarns!

Lookin' for something with a smooth and silky sheen to it? Look no further than Hedgehog Fibres Kidsilk Lace yarn! Each skein boasts 459 yards of airy strings that are ideal for holding with another yarn or even by itself for something delicate and drapey! Hedgehog Fibres Kidsilk Lace is offered in the same gorgeous colorways as its sister bases, ranging from neutrals with bursts of neon to deep tonal shades. Perfect for adding a halo to your accessories, this hand-dyed yarn shines through its one-of-a-kindness.

Hedgehog Fibres Alpaca Boucle is a light and lofty yarn without the mohair, cooling down your project bags and WIPs with something fine and fluffy. Each skein holds an incredible 678 yards of fuzzy fiber to play with, making this a no-brainer for your next lace-weight design! The textured stitches that come out of this yarn pair well with other offerings, as well as being a strong stand-alone option for shawls, pullovers, and so much more! Due to the hand-dyed nature of this yarn, each skein is unique and has the added benefit of not being prone to shedding!

Pour Me a Vintage!

We've taken a quick look into our wine cellar to find an amazingly large collection of fine vintage flavors down here! We've recently gotten in a shipment of yarn that would make our stashes blush! The Jimmy Beans Wool cellar is filled to the brim with yummy colorways in our brilliant Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage base! Perfect for crafting up things from shawls to sweaters and beyond, this is the ideal yarn for all of your crafting needs!

Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage is a 100% Superwash Merino wool that holds a generous 200 yards per skein! This worsted-weight yarn is ideal for all projects big and small, lending itself well to hard-wearing projects and accessories with its plied nature making it felt-resistant! Each squishy soft skein is hand-dyed in small dye lots and is machine-washable!

Gotta Collect 'Em All!

One of our favorite things about working in a yarn warehouse is that we get the first look at all of the yarn and various goodies that come in - and that includes all of the limited edition stuff such as the Koigu Collector's Club colors. We only get around 20 skeins of each color that they come out with, making them as rare as they are beautiful!

Koigu Collector's Club yarn is where inspiration shines! Taking notes from nature, human-made creations, and everything in between, these exclusive shades are only available for a limited time.

The latest colorway was inspired by rainbow reefs in the ocean, tinted teal with the sea's water and light filtering through. This color strikes us as especially summery, making us yearn for the ocean - maybe we could knit and crochet with it on the beach?!

Check out our previous Collector's Club offerings, some of which grab colors influenced by the light pinks and oranges of various flora! And the best part? A limited amount of our selections include sparkle!

Sock It To Me!

Spring is officially in full swing with windy weather, soaring temps, and drizzling rain here in Reno! That means we've been putting away our larger projects and have been opting for small accessories like socks! Socks are one of our most favoritest things to make because they're fun, fast, and ultra-customizable!

We're huge fans of Laine Magazine's eye for gorgeous designs and interesting aesthetics in their books. We're bringing back an oldie but a goodie, the fabled 52 Weeks of Socks book!

This edition of the 52 Weeks books is like a sock knitter's dream! In this book comes 52 patterns accompanied by breathtaking photography and easy-to-follow instructions, rounding out to 256 pages of pure sock goodness by designers such as Caitlin Hunter, Isabell Kraemer, Joji Locatelli, Andrea Mowry, and so much more!

When you come into our retail shop, we strive to put smiles on your faces (with a little bit of awe at our displays, hehe) and chat you up about all things yarn. But if you've been to our retail location, you may recognize a familiar face starting back with us next month!

That's right, our Bean, Gus, is making his grand return, and he's so excited to be able to see you all again! We know how special he is to you all, so we couldn't just keep him to ourselves forever! We decided to do a little Q&A with him to get the excitement going and to introduce him to those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting him just yet!

Q: How long have you worked at Jimmy Beans Wool?
A: I am amazed I have worked for 7 years - it would have been 8, but COVID-19 happened.

Q: What's your favorite part about working in retail?
A: I love how happy folks get when they walk in the store, and we can find amazing colors and the right yarn for their project.

Q: What is your favorite Madelinetosh yarn to use in your projects?
A: I love and use Tosh Merino Light the most.

Q: How long have you been weaving?
A: I have been weaving for 5 years.

Q: Lastly, what is your official date coming back?
A: I will be back on June 6th.

Gus will be working primarily on Sundays and Mondays to start out, so please come stop by and say hi! We all would love to see you!

Adrienne's Springhill Sweater

Designed by Bobbi Intveld and knit up by our stellar Bean, Adrienne, we can safely say spring has sprung with the Springhill Sweater! Living in the desert, you would assume it's all heat all the time, but our nights get super chilly! To act as the perfect transitional piece from morning to night, Adrienne found this beautiful sweater and just HAD to make it. And the best part? It's made out of Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton, so she won't break a sweat when the temperatures start to soar!

This project is also available as a kit on our site!