As we see the temperatures begin to dip and the leaves begin to change shades, we have to take a step back and examine our project queue - do we continue with our summer knits, or do we completely shift into fall and winter garments? We don't really want to give up the light, airy yarns just yet, but we can't exactly change the weather to match that mood. If only there were a yarn that was both cozy and lightweight. If only...

Luckily for us, the future is lookin' Woolstok bright with this new yarn base from Blue Sky Fibers! From the masterminds behind the fan-favorite Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok yarn comes the adorable and just as cozy little sister yarn, Woolstok Light! This delightful fingering-weight yarn comes with 218 yards to play with, making it a heavy hitter despite its lightweight texture. Made from 100% highland wool, you can bet this yarn keeps you warm and comfortable, being soft to boot! This yarn is ideal for all sorts of garments and accessories, lending itself well to colorwork especially (as seen in some of the newest designs provided by Blue Sky Fibers). Make your next favorite hat, sweater, cowl, or shawl out of these sumptuous strings.

And the best part? Just like its sister yarn, Woolstok, Woolstok Light comes in an array of sophisticated shades such as 2314 Deep Velvet and 2306 Wild Thyme. Mix and match or stick to a single shade, making use of the slightly heathered appearance.

As makers, we can't help but embark on a journey looking for that perfect project, and perfect yarn to go with said perfect project. The amount of care that goes into uncovering that perfection is admirable, and we all deserve something nice for spending our time doing so (and that something nice may just be more yarn, hehe)!

Perfection is hard to come by - some say it's near impossible, but our dye team at Tosh says otherwise! The same care you take to find a color that speaks to you does into our dye pots - kind of like cooking, the secret ingredient to make it so good is love!

Each skein of Madelinetosh yarn is hand-dyed, making each batch unique with its own kind of flair, meaning there are infinite possibilities for you to find that perfect yarn for your project - one that speaks to you and just screams, well, you!

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light is a single-ply fingering-weight yarn crafted out of 100% Superwash Merino wool, making it not only cozy and lightweight, but machine washable too (we recommend any handmade goods are treated delicately in cool water)! Each skein boasts a generous 420 yards of fibery fun to craft with, making one skein enough for a pair of socks and two skeins effortlessly creating a large shawl! Wonderful to use alone or as a carry-along with another yarn (our fav to pair with Tosh Merino Light is Impression for that fluffy halo) for depth and added comfort!

Cozy Up with Craftvent!

Last year, we asked you guys on social media what you would like to see for hand coverings this year - fingerless mitts or all-encompassing mittens, and you guys surprised us with a landslide victory for fingerless mitts! Though, maybe we can't be all that surprised, because the reasoning we saw the most was that y'all still like to be able to work on your handmade garments and accessories while you keep your hands warm. We can't blame you - having the best of both worlds in keeping cozy and still being able to use your hands for making sounds like a pretty good deal to us!

That's why this year, we're excited to announce that we slipped in a secondary smaller project for our annual Craftvent Calendar! This year, you have the option of knitting or crocheting a beautiful shawl, fingerless mitts, or both! The reception to these sweet mitts has been incredible, and we're so happy you guys seem to love them as much as we do - we've even completely sold out of our blue colorway! Mind. Blown.

The 'Tis the Season Mitts, designed by Amy Gunderson, showcase stripes of different techniques that result in something not only beautiful but comfortable to wear as well - the cold won't bother us in these mitts anyway!

Available in a candy cane inspired colorway, the pinks in these mitts flow together in a gorgeous, eye-catching way, utilizing pastels and vibrant variations of one of our favorite colors!

Please note: This kit does not come with the needles or hook necessary to complete it. You will need a US 4 (3.5mm) DPNs or an E (3.5 mm) hook.

How Ya Doin', Hedgehog!?

We're not sure if we've made it obvious or not, but we love fingering-weight yarns. Seriously, they're probably our favorite to work with! Fingering weight is just so versatile, lending its gorgeous blends of fibers and colorways to everything from lightweight shawls to socks and sweaters. You can even hold it double or carry it along with another weight of yarn - the possibilities with this type of yarn are seriously endless, meaning there's a project or design floating out there that would suit your needs perfectly!

Speaking of versatility, we would be remiss not to mention how much we love Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles yarn! We weren't kidding when we said this yarn is like the candy of the yarn world. Deliciously soft, satisfying our craving for 100% Merino wool, and available in a delightful array of hand-dyed colorways, it's like the world's eighth wonder! Lovingly spun, this yarn has a great squish and is non-scratchy, giving a great next-to-the-skin feel! And the best part? Each skein comes with 400 yards of yarn to tangle up in, making your next shawl, sweater, or pair of socks a breeze!

New Book Smell!

One of our favorite things about working in a yarn store isn't what you would immediately expect! Sure, we love running around squishing the yarn and admiring the beautiful colorways some of our friends come up with, but one of the smaller things we find joy in is the new book smell! Seeing as how we carry pattern books and magazines, we get the fresh-off-the-press smell of them all, which always makes us feel a little nostalgic for some reason!

Not only do we get to experience the new book smell, but we get to share it with you guys! The Vogue Ultimate Knitting Book is a behemoth of a book with plenty of pages to give off that wondrous scent! Updated and revised to perfection including new material throughout, this big book has more than 1,600 photos and hand-drawn step-by-step illustrations!

From beginners needing to learn the very basics to seasoned knitters needing a refresher on a complex technique, this book acts as an encyclopedia of sorts, containing all of the info and easy-to-follow directions you need!

We always thought there was a difference in magazine smell and book smell, but we love 'em all, so we couldn't choose just one to feature! Below, we have some of our recent faves in the book department, ranging from magazines to small books, all of which contain beautiful imagery and instructions for making!

It seems like as soon as the seasons begin to change is when MAL (Make-Along) season starts up. From our friends at Scheepjes and Cascade, there's a make-along out there for everyone, including knitters and crocheters (Not to mention our own Craftvent and Fright Club kits)!

Blankets, shawls, and mitts, oh my! No matter what kind of maker you are and what you like to make, there's a MAL for you, so we went on a mission to compile a list of some of the most eye-catching MALs we've seen around lately and where you can find them on our website. Check out our official blog post detailing each one we've encountered this season!

For each MAL, different colorways are supplied, making the checkout process easy as pie! Some of those colorways were created by the makers of the MAL while others were brainstormed and put together by the Beans themselves, can you guess which ones?!

Alex's Henrico Hat

We're always on the edge of our seats when we hear that our Bean, Alex, is knitting up something new. So, naturally, we got excited when she picked up a skein of Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok Light. We sneakily took peeks of her project when it was just a WIP, spying cables and ribbing, becoming more and more excited as she continued! It wasn't long before she proudly showed off her work - the Henrico Hat! With beautiful, modern cables, it's hard to not fall in love with this hat!

Good news! The Henrico Hat is available as a kit on our site!