Yarn Gallery Blog

We’re back in the 90′s – whoo, I hope it’s the last heat wave of this year. Susan Groene, who lives in North Carolina (my old and beloved stomping grounds), was visiting here last week and said “If you think you had it bad…” which only goes to show that there’s always someplace that’s worse.  Still, it’s hard to work on the seed stitch vest that I’m making out of Brown Sheep’s Burly Spun Handpaint when it’s a sweltering 95 outside and, since I’m trying to be conscious of energy use and so on, it’s a balmy 80 in here.   It’s going to be pretty, though.

Their colors have improved one thousand percent since they introduced handpaints some years ago, and the vest is quick to make with no finishing  – and I mean NO seams, and NO weaving in if you spit-splice, always a good thing with a big fat yarn like this.  Just sew on three of our fabulous big buttons and off you go.  It’s a very nice house pattern, free when you buy the yarn to make it.

Along with Burly Spun, we received a new supply of Lamb’s Pride Worsted, such a delight to knit with – makes beautiful warm sweaters and felts wonderfully, too – and Nature Spun Sport, a lovely wool for Fair Isle or other lightweight knits.  We have a good array of colors, both basics and accents, and I think Donna Guthrie might be thinking of working up this set, from Knitscene, Fall 2010:

Speaking of Donna, she just finished making this little shrug/cardigan for Pat Burkhart, who is modeling it for me:

I wish I had Pat’s figure – she looks fabulous in fitted cropped sweaters, darn her anyway.

Here’s a sweet little top that Deb Hawk made from (I think) last year’s Vogue Holiday issue.  It look a little misshapen when it’s not on a body, but drapes just beautifully and is perfectly knitted.

Deb’s been in a little knitting slump for a while, but recently has finished several projects that have been languishing – we all have those times!

Patty Golembiewski came in with her second felted tote – she has a great eye for embellishment.  These beads came pre-strung, she said, and were absolutely perfect accents for her bag:

We got a huge shipment from Plymouth the other day (yes, once again, I have gone overboard.  Would it be fall if Trish didn’t become frantic about where to put all the freakin’ yarn she bought?)  I bought a lot of Encore this year because they added so many lovely and subtle heathers and tweeds that I couldn’t resist.  As so many of you know, Encore is a perfect yarn for afghans and sweaters that need to be tough and easy-care.

Now is the time to choose your project – our stock is at its max.  And if you’re looking for a little more luxury, we also have full shelves of Baby Alpaca Grande – still the softest yarn ever, in ever more lovely colors and hand-dyes.

Okay, enough!  You know I could talk about yarn for the rest of the day, but really, I must get some knitting done today (not the seed stitch vest, but another adorable vest with lots of cables and in Rowan’s Lima – yum, yum, yummy!)  Then I must pick out some sock yarn for my big-footed nephew, whose birthday (Oh, God, he’ll be 40 – that means I must be 60 – eek!) is coming up very soon.

Remember we’ll be closed this coming Sunday for the Labor Day weekend, let’s all hope for reasonable weather – no hurricanes and no 90′s.

Have a great holiday, dear friends!  See you soon.

Trish