In This Edition: The Winners in our 4th Annual Summer of Socks and Lace What's New Monica Reviews Dream in Color Classy Nora Spotlights Spinning Beaded Art Yarn

The Winners! You’ve been on the edge of your seat and now we can announce the winners of our 4th Annual Summer of Socks and Lace contest! In the Lace category: Emily H., with 8,685 yards! In the Double Threat category: Sarah L., with 9,497 yards! In the Spinning category: Sarah R., with 96 ounces spun! (That’s 6 pounds of fiber!) As for the Socks category, while people signed up to compete in that category, we received no qualifying entries and therefore, we have no winner. Employee winters were Monica in the Lace category, Yvonne in the Double Threat category and Anna in the Socks category. Congratulations to all the winners! The staff of Natural Stitches would like to thank everyone for participating and are looking forward to next year’s competition. We would also like to remind you that if you signed up to compete and submitted a project, there is special a gift waiting for you at the shop! One Last Hurrah It’s so much fun to see the projects that come through our doors during the Summer of Socks and Lace contest. Here’s one last peek at some of our favorites: Nora's Herbivore Shawl One of many yarns that Spinning Winner Sarah R. submitted. She spun this one from a lovely Romney fiber. Lace Winner Emily's Kouyou shawl Double Threat Winner Sarah L.'s Lilac Leaf shawl Annie V. submitted this pretty purple pair of socks to the Double Threat category.

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What's New We are very proud to welcome Columbia and Tracie yarns from Imperial Stock Ranch to Natural Stitches! Located in Shaniko, Oregon, Imperial Stock Ranch has been using sustainable practices since 1871. Come in and see their amazing colors! We have new and gorgeous colors in several yarns, including Tosh DK, Tosh Sock, Mini Mochi and Mochi +. Just in time for cooler temperatures, we have new fall magazines, including Interweave Crochet, Knitter's Magazine, Spin-Off and Interweave Knits Holiday. We hate to point it out, but the holidays will be here before you know it! Stop in and see some of our new books to get inspired for holiday crafting or to find the perfect gift for the fiber artist on your list. Our new books include 20 Crocheted Bears, Knitting Socks Around the World, Contemporary Irish Knits, Tasty Cute: 25 Amigurumi Gourmet Treats, Huggable Crochet, More Knitwits: 20 More Fun Projects and How to Use, Adapt, and Design Knitting Patterns. Congratulations to Karen L., winner of the August BYOB drawing! Have you seen our new look? We have brand new chairs and we've rearranged the living room area and the Cascade wall. Stop by the shop and check it out! The new Living Room look LOTS of colors!

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Yarn Review: Keep it Classy, Pittsburgh... Dream in Color Classy, that is! by Monica When I first started working at Natural Stitches three years ago, I was introduced to many new yarns that I had not been familiar with in the past. Hand-dyed yarns, wools particularly, have always been a weakness of mine. The rich, kettle-dyed hues and softness of the Malabrigo, the gorgeous colors of the Pagewood Farms…but then, I saw it: Dream in Color Classy. Aside from the beautiful shades that the Classy has to offer, it has one attribute which makes it especially appealing. That would be the machine-washability of a superwash wool. This makes it excellent for garments, baby blankets... anything, really. Jenn’s Angostura, in November Muse David’s Baby Chalice Blanket, in Scorched Lime Anna's February Lady Sweater, in In Vino Veritas My Fibonacci Cardigan... obviously, I had a hard time deciding on any one color. I used Cocoa Kiss, In Vino Veritas, Happy Forest, Night Watch and Visual Purple. As you can see, we employees here at Natural Stitches love working with the Classy. It has excellent stitch definition and a great, soft hand. Another positive is the generous yardage, at 250 yards per skein, which is a very nice amount for a worsted weight in a hand painted yarn.

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Class Spotlight: Spinning Beaded Art Yarn by Nora I like beaded yarns that are feminine and add romantic touches to my knitting, such as in lace shawls, on cuffs or collars, or as an accent to draw the eye. The beading techniques are highly transferable to other spinning goals. For example: You can use the beaded yarn class as an off-shoot for oddities, instead of beads to yarns, including your funky and chunky, thick and thin, or core spun yarns. Whatever your style preference and spinning goals, the beaded art yarn class can expand your skills and give you a new direction in creating yarn. Why make beaded art yarn? Personally, I decided upwards of $30 for less than 100 yards of beaded yarn was a ridiculously high price to pay for a yarn, especially if I wanted to have a large volume to add to my knitted pieces. Spinning my own seemed to be the answer. My approach was a combination of research and active experimentation. The options are varied; however there are two core approaches that are the foundation for the various techniques: adding beads as you spin your fiber or pre-stringing beads on a spun yarn, thread or core. To make a beaded art yarn, you will need to be a spinner who can spin a fairly fine yarn and very comfortable with starting and stopping your spinning wheel or spindle to incorporate the beads where you want them to be placed. Generally, advanced intermediate to experienced spinners have these skills and would enjoy the Beaded Art Yarn class. This class will be offered at Natural Stitches on Saturday, September 24th from 1 to 3 PM. Stop in to the shop or call (412) 441-4410 to register!

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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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