May is a great time to stock up on yarns for future holiday gifts. I know, I know! It’s not even summer yet and I’m raising the spectre of holiday knitting. Some of you will think I’m crazy but I actually like to get lots of quick and easy projects done in the summertime to fill the “bin of potential gifts”. This is a little storage bin where I place finished knit and crochet items that don’t have a particular recipient yet, maybe one of my girls’ teachers, or my husband’s boss, or the secret snowflake exchange at work. I get lots of little things done over the summer and then I always have an extra gift or two come holiday time! This year I am particularly enamoured of bulky and chunky yarns, and there are SO many great ones to choose from in the May portion of our Anniversary Sale!

Encore Mega, is a super versatile yarn  in 25 colors that is perfect for the person in your life who needs an easy care gift. With a blend of 75% Acrylic and 25% Wool you don’t have to worry about them felting that special gift! The Lodge Pole Cowl is not only a quick, yet interesting pattern, but it’s Free! Double strand your yarn for a super squishy and cozy cowl, keep it all in one color or use 2 colors for a marled look, and the 4 skeins of Encore Mega that you need will only cost $16.76 during the sale!

A yarn with fantastic texture and beautiful colors is Bamboo Bloom Handpaints. This blend of bamboo based Rayon, Wool, and Acrylic has a thick and thin texture with large slubs of fluffy wool and sections of tightly spun rayon with incredible shine. Finished knits have amazing texture, like the Corners Scarf, another FREE pattern. At less than $8 per hank for Bamboo Bloom Handpaints during the sale, you could make a whole pile of these one skein scarves and still have plenty of cash left in your holiday budget!

Another yarn with great texture is Rosa from Tahki Yarns. This 100% Cotton yarn is fantastic for summertime garments and accessories. Right now I’m kind of crushing on the Textures Cardigan by Rosemary Drysdale. My daughter loves a good summer dress and would happily wear them in December, so a little cotton cardi is perfect for letting her fashion sense rule while making me feel better about her staying warm! With Rosa being a bulky yarn this sweater will knit up super quick, and during the sale it costs less than I would have paid for one at her favorite department store.

So what do you have planned for your “bin of potential gifts”? Give some of these great bulky yarns a try and help to fill it up over the summer!

I have to tell you, even I was surprised by the luxury fibers in this year’s sale! We have 6 yarns with cashmere!

If you’re looking for a workhorse yarn for incredible garments that has just a little extra oomph we’ve got two choices for you.  Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is a classic,  a machine washable blend of 55% Merino Wool/33% Microfibre/12% Cashmere in over 3 dozen saturated solids is perfect for trend defying garments and accessories that you’ll wear for years. And if tweed is your thing then Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed couldn’t be better. A softly plied and lofty blend of wool, silk and cashmere in tonal tweeds for classically rustic garments, and shawls you want to wrap up in all year long.

DK is a versatile weight equally suited to adult and children’s garments and accessories and there’s no reason to shy away from a little bit of luxury there. Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK is a touchably soft blend of merino wool, silk and cashmere for a yarn with lots of bounce and shine! With over 30 colors to choose from it’s ideal for colorwork projects. And if you want a little hand dyed color in your cashmere stash, pick up a few skeins of Mrs. Crosby Hat Box. the color wizards at Lorna’s Laces have dreamed up all new colorways reminiscent of exoctic locales and travels.

On the finer side, if you’re a lace or shawl person Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere is another gorgeous hand-dyed yarn with a superwash merino, cashmere and nylon blend that would be gorgeous for shawls and durable enough for incredible socks! But my favorite of the cashmere yarns in this sale has to be the Greylock from Valley Yarns. This beauty is 100% cashmere, lightly spun and plied for an airy yarn with the slightest halo. It’s soft and squishy with an incredibly generous 300 yds in each ball.

That Greylock is honestly calling my name, and the JoSharp has my wheels turning. Which yarns will you be adding to your stash?

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This week Kathy talks with first time guest Lars Rains new book, Modern Lopi, a collection full of classic techniques with modern colors  and stories.

Lars grew up in Manitoba and his first knitting project was a Lopi cardigan! After learning the basics of sweater construction he began to modernize the color choices and motifs in sweaters for himself and was encouraged by friends in the industry to publish his work. Check out the fair isle inspired colors and motifs in the Hildur Pullover.

Steve’s Yarn Picks of the week: