Deep in the heart of the golden west, home means Nevada to the Beans!

A year ago, we introduced you to the soft strands of our first-ever truly local yarn, Reno Rafter 7! If you are new around here, this yarn is sheared from the Rafter 7 sheep developed by the University of Nevada, Reno in Eureka, Nevada, spun and hanked at Mountain Meadow Wool in Wyoming, and then sent to Texas to be hand-dyed by our sister company, Madelinetosh! Now in 2023, we are delighted to expand our collection to include four new patterns and some new colors to bolster and brighten up the palette!

In our last collection, it was hard not to fall in love with MarinJaKnits' unique and colorful Quinn's Quilt. Which makes us delighted to share a mini-version that makes a great handmade addition to a baby nursery or a way to add color to your living room! Ready to go all-in on the traditional quilt look that reminds us of staying in a cabin in Lake Tahoe?! Our Beans are in agreement that we want to fill our houses with about a dozen of Marin's matching Quinn's Pillow! This project is a great way to dip your needles into the Intarsia knitting technique.

At first look, Krista Ann's Vortex Cowl was bumped to the top of our list to get in our project bags!

This log cabin-inspired piece blends the most scrumptious hues of Reno Rafter 7 together to create a go-to accessory to complete any cold weather look perfect for walks along the Truckee River coursing through downtown Reno!

One of the best parts of living in the wide-open state of Nevada is that you can always find a new experience to be had!

Amy Gunderson took the spirit of exploring the wild west to design a brioche beanie pattern you can make your own! Cast on with your favorite Reno Rafter 7 colors and get to knitting your very own Choose Your Adventure Brioche Beanie!

As a special treat for our second collection and to celebrate buying locally-made yarns, we lowered the price of Reno Rafter 7 to $34.50!

Want to score some skeins of Reno Rafter 7?! When you buy a raffle ticket to support the Nevada Storm Women's Football tackle team, you are instantly entered to win a della Q Maker's Canvas Tote filled with your choice of Reno Rafter 7 colors to make Quinn's Mini Quilt and Pillow! Ticket sales for the raffle ends on February 28, so make sure to get them while you can!

Now that we've turned the pages of our calendars to February, it means one thing... a new Madelinetosh Hue of the Moment has arrived at our warehouse! Last week, our Beans quickly gathered around a large box to get a first peek at this month's color. None of us were disappointed with these gorgeous green hues twisted into delicious hanks of Tosh DK and Tosh Merino Light!

The herbaceous hue, Kodama, takes inspiration from the winsome tree spirit from the anime masterwork, "Princess Mononoke" and Japanese folklore. The legend of these spirits is that they inhabit old branches and maintain the natural balance of the forest!

To capture the essence of Kodama, the color curators at Tosh blended an assortment of greens together in these variegated skeins that makes us feel like we are navigating our way through the woods when this colorway is on our needles!

If you are looking to bring harmony with an additional hue, we recommend pairing Kodama with Dirty Panther, Translation, or Tern!

Did Someone Say New Pencil Boxes?!

What is better than one skein of Koigu yarn?! 10 demi skeins packed together to create the most stunning palettes! For years our Beans have been OBSESSED with Koigu Pencil Boxes and all the creative possibilities they bring to our needles and hooks! So when we got word of three new sets entering the warehouse, our gears started turning on all the projects we could use to create with them.

Alternifolia transitions from cool grays to beautiful berries like winter into spring. Eremophila is Aternafolia's warm-toned sister with bright pinks fading into cozy tans and browns like the first buds blooming in a garden. Mitchellii matches vibrant greens with moody navy hues and stunning teals and blues in between. These curated sets carry about 820 yards per kit of 100% Merino wool fingering-weight yarn, which is enough for most small-to-medium size knit projects!

Need a little inspiration on what you can do with your brand new Pencil Box? For the month of February you will receive a FREE pattern for the Effortless Shawl with any Pencil Box purchase!

To get your PDF pattern, please email [email protected] with your order number.

Landmark Beanies!

Have you been daydreaming of your next adventure? Maybe hiking through Yosemite? Taking in the views of Bryce Canyon? Vacation season may not be here quite yet, but taking your needles on a little scenic trip is still an option with the Knitting The National Parks Book!

Nancy Bates, an avid knitter and outdoor enthusiast, designed 63 original beanie patterns that capture the most extraordinary natural treasures the United States has to offer!

From the regal cliffs of El Capitan to the geysers of Yellowstone, these patterns range from simple beanie construction to more challenging charts.

To get you started on your journey through these landmarks, our Beans voted on our favorites of these patterns to kit up for you! Whether you're using the hand-dyed strands of Tosh Vintage or the scrumptious Malabrigo Washted, there's nothing like packing up your needles and project bags and heading out on a new knitting quest!

Ginny Mei's Winter Pillow Pullover

A few weeks ago we had a customer, Ginny Mei, come into our store wearing the coziest-looking pullover! When our Beans asked what yarn it was made from Reno Rafter 7, we all squealed in delight. Our team was even more impressed when she told us that she actually used the charts from a pillow pattern to create this piece! The detail we love the most is that the entire sweater, including the buttons from Great Basin Pottery, is made from items (and a knitter!) originating from Nevada!