It’s down to the wire now–Valentine’s day is right around the corner and you’d love to give your boy- or girlfriend a handmade gift. But you procrastinated, and then you didn’t know what to knit, and then the Super Bowl happened…and now you have only a day or two to make a gift to warm a loved one’s heart. What to do? Fingerless Mitts to the rescue.

A quick trip around our website offers myriad possibilities, and not one of these patterns will take you more than a day or two. (Secret: you don’t have to block them if you completely run out of steam!)  My personal favorite is by one of my go-to pattern designers, ChickenBetty. Her Birthstone mitts have a beautiful 2-stitch cable motif that goes down the back of each mitt. And the garnet colorway that you see in the pattern would be a lovely offbeat choice for a Valentine.

Spud and Chloe’s Venus Mitts are made in a lovely worsted weight yarn that will keep hands and wrists toasty and stylish. Plus, “Venus.” It screams Valentine. They take only one skein of Spud and Chloe Sweater, a superwash yarn, and would be nice for either a man or a woman, depending on what color you choose.

Finally, the Swan’s Island Cafe Mitts are the simplest ever in a lovely 2-stripe sequence. Best of all, there are 3 different lengths you can make–so if you’re trying to git’er done on a lunch hour, make the shortest one! How about white and red stripes? Or, if you’re going manly, gray and blue look very nice together.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Make it a crafty one!

It seems like every time I leave my desk to walk through the store, a new,  delicious yarn announces itself to me, and because I’m an enabler with a giant stash, I want to share this love with you, dear reader. I hope that you’ll love these yarns as well, and knit the things I want to knit but never have time for. In this post, I will share not one but two new Fall yarns, designed to make your heart beat a little faster.

Swan’s Island is a real place in Maine, although Swan’s Island Yarns isn’t located there anymore. The fact that it is in Maine it integral to the spirit of these yarns, however, and that’s what counts. I’ve adored both the fingering and worsted weight Swan’s Island yarns, and now there’s a new one to love: Swan’s Island DK. The most beautiful, rich colorways, and also — SUPERWASH. How great is that? The gauge is a very useful 5 1/4 sts to 1″ on a US size 6 needle (or size you’ll need to get that gauge–I’m a notoriously loose knitter and often have to go down a size or two). But what I like even more is the ethos of the owner’s of Swan’s Island Yarns to hand-make all their products with local and organic materials and to keep as much of their business based in the US as possible. You’ll love making a baby sweater for a cherished child or a comfy fall cardi for yourself in any of the rich hues of this yarn.

My other favorite yarn (this week) is Classic Elite’s Mohawk Wool. Made in a beautifully halo’d 60% merino, 30% Romney wool, 10% nylon, this undyed natural fiber is just begging to be knit into a luxuriously cabled Aran sweater, or lovingly crafted into a throw or blanket for snuggling under when November rain turns into December snow. Classic Elite’s pattern support is legendary and you’ll find plenty to make out of this workhorse yarn, also in a DK/Sport weight. I love this textured hat, which would be a fairly quick project with a lot of bang for your knitting buck.

Enjoy!

This week, The Buzz at WEBS highlights our fabulous store staff! Our store staffers are on the floor with customers all day; working hands on with our products and getting great feed back from our customers too.  Here’s what the store staff is buzzing about this week…

Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage has been a favorite of mine since it came out. I still had a few skeins from my Christmas knitting, so I decided to use it for these sweaters for twins that are due soon. Knitting for newborns is fun but usually the sweater only lasts a few weeks and then is put away, so I put the sweater on a bear that hopefully will be a blessing for years to come. The pattern is Manda Ruth by Jane Richmond. > Lise G.

One of my favorite podcasts is Knitting Pipeline. I needed a simple project to work on while watching my grand kids and traveling in the car and this worked beautifully. The pattern is Piper’s Journey by  Paula Emons-Fuessle. This pattern works beautifully in any gauge but I  had a cone of our wonderful closeout 2/8 wool so I wound it into 4 pies and had a beautiful shawl to wear on the back deck instead of the Beauty and the Beast comforter I usually grab!! > Lise G.

An ode to Swans Island Worsted: When my Mom suggested I make my brother a gift for his graduation, I knew it would have to be made from a very special yarn. I decided to make him the Laredo sweater vest because every English major worth their salt needs a sweater vest! Plus I wouldn’t have to knit sleeves! After much agonizing, I settled on Swans Island Worsted in Indigo and I was so pleased with my choice. The organic merino fiber is so soft and lofty, the hand dyed color deep and right knitting it was an absolute joy. There is one pit fall to knitting with this yarn, many of the colors have an indigo based dye which caused some (unavoidable) dye rub-off on my hands. However, the dye is not toxic and washes off easily. As you can see, the finished product is so beautiful that it was well worth that small inconvenience. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I am already planning to knit The Sullivan Street Cardigan for myself! > Greta S.

Wearwithall: Knits for Your Life – This brand new volume, a collaboration by several knitwear designers, will please adventurous beginners and those with lots of knitting experience. There are a variety of stylish and timeless garments and accessories for home and family: many would make beautiful gifts. The patterns appear to be clearly written, and, many use yarns we carry (Rowan Kidsilk Haze, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Cascade 220 and Louet Euroflax among others. This book is a keeper! > Stephanie G.

When I needed to match a top to a jacket, I brought it to WEBS and found Juniper Moon Farm Findley Dappled in color 104. The yarn is wonderful to work with and I love the final product to be worn to my 50th Nursing School reunion. > Marion H.

I have wanted to knit the Wingspan scarf that’s been in the “top 10 patterns” list on Ravelry, and I finally cast on! Plymouth Gina seems to be made for this pattern. The gradual changes of the colors are wonderful! The yarn is really nice to work with too. > Danielle D.

Circular Knitting Workshop by Margaret Radcliffe – There is lots and lots and lots of useful information in this book! Excellent and colorful pictures highlight text and techniques. Lots of patterns (including converting flat to circular) that work for beginners and more experienced knitters. The format is clean and nicely done too! > Nancy B.

This week the staff at WEBS is buzzing about…

1. Knit Local by Tanis Gray – There’s a lot to love about this book – gorgeous photography, over 30 patterns, and all of the yarns used in the book are grown, spun, and dyed in the U.S. It is broken into Northeast, South, Midwest, and West and includes 28 profiles of U.S. yarn companies. There’s also a handy list of fiber-y events and festivals across the country, so you’re sure to find one nearby. Not only will you find great pictures of the garments (fantastic mittens, hats, sweaters, and more), you’ll also spot pictures of farms and, of course, adorable sheep, including one that’s sporting a handknit cowl! > Mary K.-H.

2. Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe Colours by Kaffe Fassett – If you love Kidsilk Haze you may enjoy playing with the color repeats in the new Kaffe Fassett colorways. I’d love to see what this yarn would look like knit up into a Modern Quilt Wrap (free download) with its modular squares. Or what kind of effect would you get combining this yarn and solid Kidsilk Haze colors knit in the Earth Stripe Wrap (now available in Rowan’s Greatest Knits book). Or you could try a simple project like the Cocoknits Everyday Wrap (free pattern) which would use just one ball! > Dena C.

3. Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig – I’ve been a big fan of Never Not Knitting and Knitbot patterns. So I was very excited for the release of their new book which includes 10 designs inspired by the California and Maine coasts. Now that it has arrived, I’m even more thrilled. I can’t wait for their trunk show and book signing in December, to meet both of the designers and to see their wonderful designs up close. > Dena C.

4. The Anna Cowl – This cowl is knit with Swans Island Worsted yarn. The Swans Island pattern is well written and easy to follow. The cowl is so soft! > Marion H.

5. Jojoland Rhythm Closeout – We just got in some new colors of Jojoland Rhythm on closeout and they’re great! I made the Autumn Shawl with this yarn and while the entrelac pattern was tricky, the yarn was so much fun to work with. Each square revealed a new color and gave the whole shawl a beautiful look. I’m sad to see this one on closeout but I’ll definitely be picking some up at this price. It’s sturdy, washes well, and you can’t beat those colors! > Grace H.

This week the staff at WEBS is buzzing about…

1. Craft Activism is a gorgeous book with fun projects representing the many different ways crafters are working to positively impact their environments, create community or support a cause!  The book is filled with interesting stories and colorful projects – I especially like the choose-your-own-chart colorwork mittens, and the tin can flowers are adorable. I can’t wait to see some of these projects in person at the Craft Activism event next week! > Tina M.

2. Cascade Yarns 220 Fingering – The notoriously reliable 220 line introduces another versatile basic in a fingering weight. Soft and lightly plied at 7.5 stitches per one inch on a US 2.  We are carrying a lovely range of 57 shades!! Visions of colorwork are dancing in my head! > Cara S.

3. Swans Island Fingering yarn is a magical combination of soft, sturdy, and sproing-y that you don’t see too often. I just knit up a sweater in it on size 6 needles, and the yarn not only held its own at the bigger gauge, but made an incredibly light, soft fabric – in fact, my boyfriend and roommate now make fun of me every time I pick it up because I’ve raved about it so much!

4. Knitter’s Pride Symfonie Rose Crochet Hook Set – I fell hard for this set of hooks when I first saw them. They are simply stunning and are embellished with Swarovski crystals! Sparkly crochet hooks that look and feel great – what more can a girl ask for? > Kathy

5. I am buzzing with excitement about the National Spinning and Weaving Week here at WEBS. We will be having a wide variety of activities including daily demonstrations, mini-workshops and more. Tuesday night will be a spinning open house and the store will be open until 9pm, with demonstrations of all our spinning wheels. Wednesday we will welcome weavers and spinners from near and far for a meetup day with raffles, goodies bags and more. > Leslie Ann B.

This week the staff is buzzing about…

1. Recently I was at Sock Summit. As crazy as it sounds, surrounded by an entire marketplace of gorgeous sock yarn, one skein kept calling out to me – and it was in our booth!  Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, in the colorway Kale, was too pretty to pass up that weekend, so I cast on for a hat to help keep my hands busy while we waited for dinner and on the trip home. Knit on size US 5 needles, I am so happy with the drape of the fabric and the crisp stitch definition in the cables.  I’m glad this yarn finally caught my eye. > Tina M.

2. A lot of the older issues of Interweave Crochet Magazine are now out-of-print. But The Best of Interweave Crochet includes some of my favorite patterns such as Northern Dream Pullover, Babette, and Luna Sweater. What a great collection! > Dena C.

3. Swans Island Worsted – This gorgeous certified organic merino yarn features all natural dyes. It is an exquisite merino that is worth considering for your next special project. > Kathy E. (Note: Patterns for this yarn coming soon.)

4. The Fibre Company’s completely awesome new yarn, Acadia, felt like knitting with a fluffier, bouncier version of my former favorite yarn of theirs, Terra! I love the rustic texture, gorgeously saturated color, and the sheen from the silk; the complexity of the yarn worked really well with the pattern, Kate Gagnon Osborn’s Avery Cowl, which is a free Ravelry download. I was so sad to give this up, I think I’ll probably be buying enough of this for a sweater sometime in the near future! > Elisabeth P.

5. I have been scoping out my next weaving project for several months. And every time I walk by the weaving samples the Blue & White Striped Dishtowels catch my eye! I just love the feel of the Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton Linen and the absorbancy it has is incredible. It has been a while since I have woven some towels for myself, I think it is high time for a fresh new set! > Karen M.