After an unusually hot June, July turned out to be cooler than normal, which is actually quite good for the obsessive knitter. I've been spending the month testing out new yarns and planning our fall schedule. Where do I begin...
147 Knitting Days until Christmas
Michaelmas Mitts from Knitscene Fall 2008
Time to plan your gifts!
Do you plan on knitting or crocheting your gifts for the holidays? Now is the time
to start planning your holiday knitting schedule. Scarfs? Hats? Felted Bags? Sweaters? At this time of year it's ALL doable. The shop is loaded with yarns in all weights, fibers, and colors to make your gift making possible. Take, for example, the lovely Michaelmas Mitts by Cecily Glowik (pictured above), appearing in the current issue of Knitscene Magazine. I've just completed a sample worked up in Invernal, a luscious blend of angora, merino and nylon. Both the magazine and yarn are currently available - and the mitts are fun to make! Invernal sells for $17.50 and only one skein is required to make a pair of mitts.
Summer Knitting - the Market Bag
Are you in Holiday Denial mode? Still want a warm-weather project? We have just the thing - a quick-to-knit market bag that can hold all your farmers market purchases.
Worked up in a cotton or cotton blend, this 1-2 skein project is super easy and can be completed in a day or two. It requires large needles (size 13) and untilizes an attractive net stitch to create a simple bag (you choose one of three sizes). The pattern is free with purchase of yarn.
New Products in Stock Now
The new Fall 2008 issue of Vogue Knitting just arrived and I must say I'm impressed. There is something for everyone in this issue - yep, garments for REAL people, not just talking sticks.
Also just in: a great collection of needle felted scarf kits from Pagewood Farm. Each kit contains a hand-dyed 50 inch felt scarf "blank" plus a bag of poofy stuff - wool & mohair fiber plus a little metallic bling. Armed with a needle felting tool (sold separately), you mindlessly punch the heck out of the scarf, laying bits of fluff here and there, creating an abstract work of art. Come in to check out the scarf-in-progress! Extremely easy to do, quick to make, and a bargain at $37.
Acquerello is the sock yarn. Whisper is the lace yarn. Frederikka is the hand dyer. After her visit a few weeks ago, Frederikka left a bunch of beautiful hand dyed yarn in her wake. I still have many shades of both the sock and lace weight yarn left for your consumption. Unlike many hand dyers, Frederikka's color sense is quite subtle and sophisticated... mysterious is the best way to describe her work.
As always, thanks for reading. Don't forget, when you're thinking of yarn locally, shop at Marin Fiber Arts first. When thinking of buying yarn online, turn to us yet again; our website at http://marinfiberarts.com/shop/catalog is continually updated with goodies, including yarns and colors not available in-store!
