New Yarns and Other Goodies!

Well, lots of lovely things have been coming in from our various companies. Let me highlight just a few:

Superior, $24.95 for 330 yards, 70% cashmere, 30% silk - Everyone who has touched this yarn goes "OHHHH!" It's that soft and lovely. Now, it seems rather expensive, but one ball will get you a lovely scarf, 3-4 an entire woman's sweater! This can also be a great substitute for any fine mohair (think Kid Silk Haze) for those who deserve the best. We've only brought in a tasting of the colors, let us know if we need more.

Aisling Yarns, $19.00 for 670 yards of lace weight or 460 yards of fingering 100% SW Merino - This lovely hand dyer names the colors after movies. Come check out your favorite!

Tahki Cotton Classic, $6.00 for 108 yards, 100% Mercerized Cotton - We've had this yarn but now we have more colors. There is NO substitute for those looking to make cotton sweaters with multiple colors. Since they recently raised the price, any old stock still has the old price, once we reorder they will be going up!

Marble Chunky, $12 for 341 yards, 100% Acrylic - This yarn and Duo (Same yarn, different company) are probably two of the best bargains in the shop. 3-4 will make most women's sweaters!

Culinary Colors from K1C2 - These kits will dye LOTS of yarn and are kitchen safe. We also have the Spiral Sock kit where you over dye a sock yarn for some neat effects.

Interweave Knitscene, Crochet, and Spin-Off - I had to order more of all of the current issues so come get them while you can!

And more yarns, Lantern Moon baskets, and books from various places to fill in the holes.

Oh yes! Please don't forget the Summer of Socks and Lace! The contest has really been heating up with three people in each category vying for first place. Remember, everyone who lists at least one project by August 15th will get a small surprise and there will be prizes for other "categories". And I'm so sneaky, I'm not telling what they are!

Never Say Never!

Anyone who knows me has heard me say many times how much I hate double pointed needles. I called them Blair Witch Sticks. I was very vocal about my love of using 2 circular needles over those hated double points. Well--never say never. *giggle*

This weekend I have been working on some very small projects. Projects done in the round. For no good reason that I can think of I decided to try those hated double points that I haven't used for anything but I-Cord for years. Yep -- you guessed it. They worked great and gave me the feeling that I was knitting much faster than I would have been with my beloved 2 circular needles.

I guess what I am trying to say here is that tastes change. Circumstances change. Don't dismiss something out-of-hand just because you tried it years ago and didn't care for it. Give cabling a try even if you hated it the last time you tried it. Or try a small piece of knitting in the round on circular needles (or double points) even though you have used straight needles and knit "in the flat" forever. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think (see-never say never) that I will ever go over to the dark side and knit my socks on double pointed needles, but I do think I won't be quite so dead set against double points for small, circular projects any more.

CarlaK

Martha here, I challenge everyone to "Never Say Never!" If you think something is out of your reach "Oh, I could never do that.", think again and give yourself another chance. Take a class, find a good book, ask a friend, or look around on the net (Ravelry is an EXCELLENT source of information, as is You Tube.)

Reviews by the fabulous Rachel A.
Want to write your own review? Submit it to: newsletter@naturalstitches.com

Smooshy Sock by Dream in Color, $22.00, 450 yards, 100% SW Merino - When I hear the words "this yarn will not pool/flash/stripe" about a variegated sock yarn, I assume that the speaker resides in a glorious fantasy land where everyone always gets gauge and skeins of cashmere grow so plentifully that they are picked like summer tomatoes. 
I expect, then, that you will think the same of me when I explain that Smooshy does not, as a fact, do any of those above things.  Not only will it not pool, flash or stripe, but I'm not even sure that it can.  Dream in Color's veil-dyeing technique (which I assume is industry jargon for "dye yarn so it comes out super-awesome," although there might be a technical meaning as well) is such that the color repeats are remarkably short and staggered.  The knit fabric is difficult to capture in a word, but I believe that dappled comes at least reasonably close. 
That said, however, it isn't the dye technique that makes Smooshy so outrageously appealing (and if you saw my stash you'd know how outrageously appealing I think it is), but the colorways.  Colors range from simple shaded solids to more adventurous combinations. My favorite is Flamingo Pie, which can only be described as a dangerous cross of flamingo and berry pie.  Even if you don't pick this one up, you can enjoy both the smell and the squoosh from the comfort of the shop, but I wouldn't do either too long, I'm pretty sure a skein will end up coming home with you!

Invernal by Aslan Trends, $13.00, 295 yards, 50% Angora, 25% Merino, 25% Nylon - Sometimes the first siren song of a new yarn is the price.  A whole lot of yardage and a little bit of cash and many knitters find themselves hard pressed to say no.  I had this experience with Invernal, Aslan Trends' merino angora blend.  With such an incredible yardage at a surprisingly low cost, I absolutely couldn't resist and promptly bought a sweater's worth. 
Of course sometimes the knitter goes home with her new yarn only to realize that perhaps the quality justifies the price, but thankfully, that was not my experience.  I find this yarn to be a joy to knit with and the fabric to be almost like having a new furry friend once you've got a big enough swath of cloth. 
Yes, being angora, it does shed, but the shedding is well worth it for what a dream it is to wear next to the skin.  The only drawback I've experienced with the yarn is that I continually stop knitting to pet my work.  The colorways tend towards the muted, but they're perfect for a 50s ‘sweater girl' sweater or a lovely twinset.  Invernal is an excellent cold-weather staple yarn, soft on the skin and the wallet.

Power Knitting Socks

Next to Beginning Knitting, my sock knitting classes are the most popular ones we offer. So I've decided to add another one that I have had many requests for: Power Knitting Socks. This class will teach you to knit 2 socks at a time on either 2 circular needles or by the Magic Loop method. Here are more details:

Been knitting one sock at a time and battling “Second Sock Syndrome”? Then this class is for you. In this class you will learn to make 2 socks at a time on either 2 circular needles or with the Magic Loop method. We will also work them top down and toe up. This way when you are finished, you're done with the pair and don't have to start all over again to make the other sock. Bye-bye Second Sock Syndrome! We will also discuss alternate heel and toe methods.

*Please note:* This is not a ‘Learn to Knit Socks' class. It is for those who have knit at least 2 pairs of socks already and want to move onto more advanced ways to knit socks.

Head on over to the web site and you can get all the info you need to sign up for this the class. Believe me-this is not as hard as it looks!

CarlaK

Moving Beyond the Basics into Spinning Fancy Yarns

Remember that lumpy bumpy yarn you made the first time you tried spinning? Remember how hard you tried and the many hours of practice you put in learning to make a fine, evenly spun yarn? And now you want to go back to making that bumpy yarn, and maybe adding some other elements, but where do you start?

The art yarns that are so popular the past few years are great fun to make and to use, but there are certain base principles that you need to know so you produce a good stable yarn that won't fall apart when you stitch with it. At Natural Stitches we've been offering classes in spinning colored yarns and textured yarns during the summer, and will be adding classes in slub yarns, spiral and striped yarn, beaded yarn and boucle yarn as we move into the fall. While these classes do not specifically cover the construction of art yarns, they will teach you the basics you need to dream up your own unusual yarns. In addition to the photos here, I've done up some sample skeins of each type of yarn and we've mounted them back in the classroom area so you can see examples of each type.

Once you learn the construction basics for these yarns, who knows where you'll find yourself? What happens when you combine one or more of these spinning techniques, or use different fibers for effects, or throw glitter into the mix, or clean out your “stuff drawer” and find cool things to add to your yarn?

Come join us for some fun and spinning inspiration.

Neon Lace, a variegated bouillon yarn	Carnivale, a variegated slub yarn
Grapes & Blueberries	Peaches & Raspberries
Textured and handpainted yarns

From the entire staff of Natural Stitches, we wish you happy knits, creative crochets and splendid spinnings. And, as always, if there's anything we can do to help, just let us know!

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