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What's New? It's that time of year again. We're cleaning out the shelves and rearranging the store! We're refining our organizational system and making room for the new goodies Martha and Kelli are planning to order at TNNA, the annual trade show, in June. What that means for all of you – other than excusing our mess for the next few weeks – is even better prices on some great yarns. We've put new yarns on clearance, including Rowan Felted Tweed, Classic Elite Wool BamBoo, Classic Elite Portland Tweed, and Araucania Ranco sock yarns. We've received a bunch of new individual patterns, including the often-requested felted bag pattern, "My Constant Companion." This is the bag that Carla brings to class, and you can see Melissa's here. We also have the much-anticipated "A-B-C Surprise Jacket" pattern from Schoolhouse Press. This updated pattern offers Elizabeth Zimmermann's Adult and Baby Surprise Jackets, plus a child-sized version for your medium folks. New Yarns: O-Wool Classic 4-Ply, a terrific heavy worsted Trekking Maxima, a throwback yarn to the original Trekking sock yarn spin and colorways The latest from Lorna's Laces Color Commentary series, Wendy Knits Sunrise, in Shepherd's Sock. We also have Wendy's book, Socks from the Toe Up. Double the colors of Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift for all you Fair Isle Fanatics. We're continuing our journey into the 21st century with Facebook! Click here to join. Finally, have you seen the new landscape of East Liberty? The last high-rise in Penn Circle has been imploded and Melissa captured all the excitement. Check out her pictures on our blog!

Better than a Tie! We all love the Father's in our lives By Anna For this month's color basket, I chose muted grays, browns, blues, and greens in honor of Father's Day. It wasn't surprising that most of the yarns I chose are sock yarns; knitters automatically make socks the way other people buy ties for Father's Day. Tired of the same old boring man sock patterns? We came up with some new ideas for you. Earl Grey by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot!) enhances an otherwise good plain sock with a bit of manly flair You're Putting Me On socks can be adjusted for every size and are worked toe-up so you can be sure of having enough yarn House Socks from Charmed Knits adds a manly dash of color to a basic sock pattern The Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Vintage Knits adds sophistication with a variation on ribbing Sensational Knitted Socks offers valuable information on sizing patterns for men's feet and estimating yardage. The garter rib pattern provides just the right amount of brainless knitting that isn't plain stockinette. Remember that men's socks make excellent entries for our Summer of Socks and Lace contest. Think of all the yardage points you'll be able to rack up knitting for a men's size 12!     Gentlemen's Fancy Sock knit in Trekking Pro Natura

Yarn Review: Araucania Ruca Multy By Teri Araucania Ruca Multy 263 yards Needle Size: 4 to 5 US Gauge: 22 stitches in 4" DK weight 100% sugar cane $14.00 per skein at Natural Stitches A fringe benefit of working at a yarn shop is the unexpected project that occasionally lands in your lap. Last week I bemoaned the fact I took a break from a large seed stitch project with a small seed stitch project, which wasn't a break at all. The next thing I knew, Martha tossed out names of yarns as possible samples and poof! Carla waved the options at me. Ruca Multy took the lead and then it came down to color choices. Upon seeing the bronze/gold/silver colorway, I cautioned that I'd just keep it, which of course meant it had to be done. Ruca Multy is soft, silky and has great "hand". The finished scarf has an incredible drape and sheen, not to mention the "pet-able" factor. I used US size 5 Addi Turbo needles and got a loose, flowing fabric. Most of the color choices are muted, soft pastels and neutrals, perfect looks for spring and early summer. We also have a sample sent by the manufacturer, and it provides great contrast to the scarf I made. Tighter stitches are done in stockinette and the color run presents as more "speckly" vs. the "puddled" look I got. Initially, Ruca Multy did remind me of the Aslan Trends Class, which was a little worrisome. As a precaution, when winding the Ruca, we tied off the ends and put the ball in a plastic bag. While knitting, the yarn did split about a half dozen times throughout the skein, but since I was able to feel each incident immediately, I was able to correct them right away. Happily that was as "bad" as it got. I would suggest, because the yarn is so slick, (unless you are die-hard Addi Turbo a fan) that bamboo is probably a better choice for this yarn. My cat was able to hook a paw on the cable and with a light pull, drop stitches. And yes, he's still alive! Would I knit with this yarn again? Absolutely!

Spotlight on Crochet Classes By Charissa Hey, crochet fans! Are you as excited about the Summer of Socks and Lace as I am? My Intro to Lace Crochet is a really popular class in the summer and the project from that class counts if it's finished during the competition dates. If you are thinking about taking crochet lace, make sure you sign up soon. There are only 3 spots left in the June session of that class (Saturday, June 6th 12:30-2:30pm and Thursday, July 2nd, 6:30-8:30pm). If you're not into lace, don't let the knitters make you think they have the sock market cornered! That's right, it's possible to crochet socks and on Monday, July 20th from 6:30-8:30, I'll be debuting a new crochet sock class. We'll be creating adorable, functional baby booties while learning the basics of sock construction in crochet. After all, baby booties are just tiny socks! There are alot of yarns you can choose from for this class, including Baby Ull, Starry and Comfort DK. The pattern we're working from is versatile and easily adapted to larger children's and adults' socks. Students should feel confident in their ability to tackle other crochet sock patterns after this class. Students enrolling in the class should first be confident in their ability to: chain, single crochet, double crochet, finish off, and work in the round. If you need to brush up on the basics, there are beginner crochet classes weekly and good classes for working in the round are Granny Square Crochet or the Crochet Beanie, both of which are offered regularly. If you have any questions about the class itself, please feel free to email me at charissa@naturalstitches.com. If you'd like to enroll or have questions about class policies, please call the shop at 412.441.4410.

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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