Out of Control and Loving It !

Ever get stuck in a rut with a stitch? I did. And I love it! This is a scarf I crocheted in a silk blend. Loved it so much I sampled it in a tonal acrylic yarn, then in a Alpaca & Merino Blend, and finally in a Mohair Silk Lace (my personal favorite!) This pattern will be included in my next newsletter. If you aren't signed up to receive my newsletter, sign up here: http://yarn-store.com/yarn-store-newsletter-blog.html (Blue: http://www.yarn-store.com/lornas-laces-lion-lamb-yarn.html) (Green: http://www.yarn-store.com/universal-uptown-dk-yarn.html) (Brown Heather: http://www.yarn-store.com/cascade-highland-duo-yarn.html) (White: http://www.yarn-store.com/rowan-kidsilk-haze-mohair-yarn.html)

New yarns continue to arrive. Seda Rustica is only about a year old and from one of the nicest yarn companies around, Knit One, Crochet Too. I debated for a year, and finally gave in. It was selling out of the freight box before we even found a home on a shelf for it. A softer than velvet yarn with a rustic look. Seda Rustica just begs to be cuddled and squeezed and never disappoints with a composition of silk and baby llama. The colors are antique and mix with each other very well. Composition: 70% Silk, 30% Baby Llama Yardage: 218 yards Weight: Medium (4) STS: 16-17 sts = 4" on US#7 or #8 needle

Ready to Browse Some Mohair? Just enough mohair to shake a needle (or hook) at on our newly created Mohair Magic web page. There's always something to be said about mohair. This fiber has its ups and downs but the finished product should always be luxurious and warm. Most of our mohair is made from kid seta (aquired from younger goats) so the "hairs" are much softer and are less likely cause discomfort when right next to the skin. Mohair can be knit on larger needles to create a drapey, open garment that knits up fast yet is just as warm because the yarn's halo will close in the gaps. Mohair works great with other yarns as well. Many of our lines are spun with wool or silk to create extra warmth or sheen but any knitter can knit a strand of mohair with another, complimenting yarn. For example, Angelika knit a strand of mohair with a strand of alpaca to use on a hat's brim!

I just want to say . . . Angel, one of our very enthusiastic customers, knits for friends, family and herself. Yesterday Angel came in with this super neon fingerless cable mitts. One strand of Universal's Uptown Worsted in Neon Pink and Neon Orange, double stranded and some fun, playful cables are super cute!!

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New Fall Inventory: OOC "Out Of Control"

This fall I was out of control! Bought wayyyy too many new yarns. This is the 3rd week of boxes of boxes of boxes of new yarn, new colors and new inspiration. Henry and I have spent hours at the key board and at our needles.

My week spot is glitz and glam. Tahki Stacy Charles's new holiday sparkle is Adele. In the sunlight or in the evening lights, this yarn lights up with an unearthly glow! My favorite is the antique gold. oh MY!!

Everyone who knows me, knows I have a real weak spot when it comes to mohair. I love the softness, I love it in lace, or in a simple stockinet stitch. This mohair, Sandnes Silk Mohair, from Sweden knits up fast and fluffy on a US#9! Not to mention the generous 309 yards on every ball. Order now and be ready before the cold sets in. But realistically it won't take long to make up a scarf, hat or cardi out of this heavy worsted size yarn.

We've been looking for an sweetly priced 100% bamboo and we found it in Feza Nirvana 100% Bamboo. This super soft sport/DK weight yarn is soft and very drape-able. So soft, how about a small receiving blanket for the newborn? It is sure to be a favorite with Mom. Allergic to wool? but prefer natural fibers? This is your answer!

I could not help myself when I saw this. Wish such a demand for neon, this crazy scarf project is sure to be a hit. It's called Rozetti Spectra Nouveau Neon. Bright and cheery....perfect for a boa .... Halloween costume, or just a bright splash of color over our otherwise dreary winter coats .... it all works!!  Whatever your knitting needs are, Henry and I here for you !

New Fall Lines at Angelika's

It's been a busy 4 weeks since I last posted.  Weather in the Pacific NW turned beautiful and everyone is enjoying it!  In the store, we are getting in our new fall yarns.

I mentioned this yarn in my last blog post, but it deserves mentioning again.  This is Rowan's Kidsilk Haze Trio. Kidsilk Haze Triois three ends of Rowan's  Kidsilk hace spun together to make this worsed weight, super soft yarn.  It knits like a worsted but feels as light as a feather.

DooLallies Christmas Kits Easy-to-knit Christmas stocking kits include instructions for the toe to point left or right. Kits include Nature Spun 100% wool yarn, a full-color chart to use while knitting the design, and an alphabet. All embellishments are included. Size: Approximately 6.5" wide by 21" long All you need is your Size 5 straight knitting needles. These kits can also be knit on circular needles. Some Christmas stockings may need a bit of fabric glue and some may also need a beading needle, a tapestry needle and the knitting could be easier with the use of bobbins. Finished Stockings are, on the average, 23-34 inches long. Length is affected by your knitting gauge and some stockings' patterns are just a bit longer. But they normally average 23-24" long. This is a new line from Elegant Heirlooms.  A simpler project.  See their Googleheim selection of Christmas Stockings.

Rowan Fine Lace This beautiful lace weight yarn is made in a blend of the softest baby suri alpaca and the finest merino wool. This gorgeous, luxurious yarn has soft chalky shades and is perfect for creating delicate hand knitted and crochet lace. Composition: 80% Baby Suri Alpaca, 20% Merino Fine Wool. Yardage: 437yds (50g) Weight: lace 20-39 sts per 4"  Recommended Needle: US0-6 (2-4mm)

What's great about sock knitting? You generally only need 1 hank! So, here's a page listing all our sock yarns! http://www.yarn-store.com/yarn-store-sock-central.html

Rowan Kidsilk Creation A net, tubular construction made from the best selling yarn Kidsilk Haze. Comes with instructions on how to knit! Composition: 70% Super Kid Mohair, 30% Silk Yardage: 10 yards (50g) Weight: Novelty STS: Recommended Needle: 8

Universal Classic Shades BIG TIME Composition: 70% Acrylic, 30% Wool Yardage: 85 yards (77 meters/150grams/5.29oz) Weight: Super Chunky STS: 8 sts per 4 inches Crochet STS: 6 sc per 4 inches Recommended Needle: US17 Recommended Hook: Q-19 Big time is super soft, and knits up super fast.  I predict that this will be a "big time" seller this season!!

Light up someone's life with neon!  Universal's Uptown Worsted now comes in shades of neon. Just in time for winter hats and children's cardie's. Just a touch goes a long way!! We've waited a long time for neon to come back in style. There was a whole generation of children who didn't have it. and now they are telling their Mom's and G-Mom's that's their favorite color! If you can't stand the brightness, it is ideal for small amounts of fairisle, thin stripes and trim. It is 100% acrylic, but its not the same as it was years ago. It is actually quite soft and softens with wear. We have a cabled vest out of Uptown Worsted (and another in Uptown DK) hanging in the store. And yes, I have worn them! Very comfortable!

Rowan Yarns & New colors from Lorna's Laces

Angelika's Yarn Store now stocks some of Rowan's tops selling lines.  Rowan's high end luxurious yarns are heaven to work with.  Last summer we brought you some budget conscious yarns from Cascade such as Pacific Worsted, Pacific Chunky, as well as the new Cherub lines of Cherub Baby, Cherub DK and Cherub Aran.  This summer we flipped over to some beautiful blends from Rowan.    

Rowan Big Wool

This is what happens when Angelika leaves Henry for a week; he goes crazy and builds yarn pyramids! When he came to his senses he quickly got to work on that Rowan web page so you can build your own pyramid with BIG WOOL! Knits up fast. Knits up big. 

More details here!

http://yarn-store.com/rowan-big-wool-chunky-yarn.html

Rowan Kidsilk Haze Trio

Balls of mohair are like fuzzy little kittens and we've kittens in boxes that need good homes! These particular fluffy puffs are a brand new yarn from Rowan called Kidsilk Haze Trio. It's 3 strands of their favored Kidsilk spun into one to create a shimmering, worsted weight and airy yarn.

More details here!

http://www.yarn-store.com/rowan-kidsilk-haze-trio-mohair-yarn.html 

Rowan Felted Tweed DK

Quirky yet sensible, this DK weight tweed from Rowan is flexible enough for colorwork, a tasty vintage throwback for the young crowd, and the perfect amount of subtle for the refined taste.

More details here!

http://www.yarn-store.com/rowan-felted-tweed-dk-yarn.html

Lorna's Laces new Summer 2012 Colors 

 Lorna's Laces has their 2012 Summer Shades out. These 6 colors are romantically named after gentlemen's frippery. We are stocking them in Shepherd Sock,  Shepherd Sport,   Shepherd Worsted,  Shepherd Bulky 
and  Helen's Lace

Ruffles & Color

Ruffle Yarns:  Beyond the ScarfUniversal has this great ebook on Ruffly lacey yarn, such as Spectra!http://yarn-store.com/pdf/Universal/RufflingYarn.pdf 

Just thought I'd share!

And this adorable young lady's outfit can be see on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ruffle-butt-dog-sweater-dress.  It is a crochet pattern by Sara Sach.  OMG!!
We sell 3 different ruffle yarns....
http://www.yarn-store.com/universal-rozetti-spectra.html  Rozetti Spectra
http://www.yarn-store.com/universal-marina-ribbon-yarn.html  Rozetti Marina
http://www.yarn-store.com/schachenmayr-argentina-ruffle-yarn.html  Schachenmayr Argentina 

This arrived this past week   Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in a new color called Cummerbund. A rich persimmon shade. A mix of red oranges, and tomato reds. Nearly a nearly solid! 
http://www.yarn-store.com/lornas-laces-shepherd-sock-yarn.html 

Take care, keep on knitting and crochet and we will visit again soon!

LK150 knitting machine video and projects for the holiday season to come!

Want to see what is included with the Silver Reed LK150 Knitting Machine?
This machine is a great machine that is perfect for new machine knitters, and advanced machine knitters.  The simplicity of it makes it a real joy to work with.  Enjoy!  (and yes, that is me!)


Here are two really great ideas for the gift giving season coming up soon!  We carry Cascade's Magnum and soon to arrive is Rowan's Big Wool.  Both pages will be up on line soon, but feel free to email us and we can get your order put together for you.  The Child's Super Bulky Top Down Coat and the Snowboarder Hats for the whole family are super fast knit projects!!

Another adorable gift giving project is our child's hooded vest.  Done in the bulky yarn Marble Chunky, the two smallest sizes take only 1 ball, and the other 4 larger sizes take only 2 balls.

And for your best friend, a  frilly adornment to her holiday jacket will make her eyes sparkle.  We have three different lines to choose from.  Schachenmayr's Argentina, Universal's Rozetti Spectra and Universal's Marina all offer a large selection of fun colors to choose from.

It's a hot day in Portland today.  We hit 102 degrees and set a new record.  But that didn't slow down visitors to Angelika's Yarn Store.  Where there is a will, there will be a way!  I'm working on a crochet swim suit cover from the Summer/August 2012 issue of Interweave Crochet. It's fast, it's light and it's easy.  The one in the magazine was done in Cascade's Cotton Rich, but I'm doing mine in Cascade's Ultra Pima.  And mine will be much prettier!!!  LOL 

(ps: the Ultra Pima page is slated for a massive face lift.  If you see a color on Cascade's Ultra Pima page, but not on ours, email me to place your order!!)

Take care and we'll talk again soon!

Sheep, Cascade 220 & Christmas Stockings!

Herd your herd of DPs with sheep!

 

These soft and rubbery sheep are here to help you corral your double points. No more rolling around to the bottom of your bag or mingling with confusing similar sizes. These point protectors will keep 'em straight and safe.  Two sizes that cover 2mm through 3.75mm needles (US#0-5 usually), and 4mm through 6.5mm (US#6-10.5 usually) double point needles. 

If those mm sizes confuse you, check out how we manage our web page:  http://www.yarn-store.com/double-point-knitting-needles.html    Our pages are laid out by mm sizes and US needles sizes.  Not all US companies agree on what makes a US size number.  When in doubt check that mm size on the needle!!

400 shades of Cascade 220, and we've let them loose to play!  In the past, I've kept them in their bags to keep them organized so pulling from shipping is fast!  But now the shelves are clearly marked and we've removed them from their bags.  Sheer color intoxication!  But not only is the store getting a face lift, Henry is continuing the long task of revamping web site pages.  It's just Henry and I, and I'm SUPER appreciative of your patience and kindness in the restyling of our web pages.....Henry has released part of the Cascade 220 web page with the new layout.  The old still exists, but this page of the SOLIDS ONLY is done and looks amazing!!  
http://yarn-store.com/cascade-220-wool-felting-yarn.html The Heathers, Quatros and Paints are next in line.

Elegant Heirlooms has released a small, simpler Christmas stocking kit, called Doolallies.  This cute stocking is about 21" long, uses DK weight yarn and US#5 needles.  The designs are  simple single designs.  I know, I know....it's mid July, it's hot, the kids are driving you nuts . . . . but these just came through the door!  Time to plan ahead and have them on hand when you are ready to start!    http://www.yarn-store.com/doolallies-christmas-stocking-kits.html


Knitting and Crochet, both, are one of those "all season" crafts.  Knitting and Crochet is very popular in the winter, but in recent years it is a very popular social engagement.  Groups meet in yarn stores, homes, community centers, parks and even coffee houses and pubs.  Winter is traditionally the crafting season, but summer is perfect for those outdoor gatherings and perfect for light weight sock, baby, Christmas stocking and lace work.  Knitting and Crochet is perfect for when traveling by car, train or plane!!  
In the years since 1987, when we opened our doors we tend to have a slight slow down in the spring.  I'm assuming crafters are working their gardens, or perhaps beginning their spring walking routine.  But by July, its is obvious they are looking back to their knitting and crochet projects.  

Plan your projects, by either cleaning up older unfinished projects or looking ahead to the gift giving holidays and keep on designing string into art!