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This week Kathy talks with returning guest Laura Bryant, founder and Creative Director of Prism Yarns. Laura talks about her journey from college textile student to yarn rep to 30 years as a hand dyer.

Laura will be here at WEBS on June 6th from 2:30 – 4:30 for a Prism Yarns trunk show or join us for her book signing on June 7th from 3:30 – 4:30. These Events are free but please register!

Laura is also teaching 2 classes that weekend, The Holistic Sweater Experience and Introduction to Color. Register now or contact Customer Service to be put on the waitlist.

Steve’s Yarn Picks :

• Opal Love Story
• Koigu Lace Merino – BRAND NEW YARN!
• Cascade Heritage 150 Paints
• Katia Peru
• Katia Oxford

Anniversary Sale through May 31st:

• Knitters Pride Dreamz Deluxe Circular Set
• Blackthorn Needles
• Valley Yarns Charlemont
• Valley Superwash DK
• Noro Silk Garden Lite
• Cascade 220 Sport
• Ella Rae Seasons

Reminder!:

Tent Sale  is in JUST TWO WEEKS! May 17^th and 18^th, Fleece Market on the 17^th with food trucks The Bistro Bus, Laughing Tomato and Sugar Bakers cupcakes!

  

We are excited to kick off our Fall 2012 events season with a celebration of all that is new for Valley Yarns on September 20th at 6pm!

Join us as we hear from some of the people who knit the garment samples you see in the catalog,

as well as from some of the designers of this year’s line!

We’ll have all of the fall garments to try on (and maybe even a little sneak peek at the garments from the upcoming holiday catalog.)

We’ll also be debuting our newest yarns, with a chance to try them out for yourself!

Join us for an informal evening of fun, snacks and yarn while finding out more about what goes into putting together a line of fun things to knit, crochet and wear.  The event is free, but we do ask that you register here.

All through the summer we have been hosting some lovely trunk shows here at the store!  And our latest one is from the pattern company C2Knits.  I was very excited to get this pattern line when our representative showed them to me.  What caught my eye was a couple of things.  One being that the pattern names are named after dogs, she had me at named after dogs!  Which they so kindly put a picture of the dog on the back of the pattern.  The other being that they take the time to list many different yarn options for those of us that may be unsure what to use.  And to top all of that, for those that prefer top down knits, these will be right up your alley!

Everytime we get a trunk show in, we have so much fun opening up the box and seeing what goodies await us inside.  And we of course are more than happy to try a few on!

So here are a couple we chose to share with you!  First up is the pattern “Greta” and we just had to have sales associate “Greta” be the one to model it for us.  The pleating around the neck and around the buttons that are on the sleeves are quite a nice touch as well as the bottom half waist!

Next up we have Heidi, and Grace both modeling “Bella Hoodie” .  This sweater is so cozy!  I love the zipper for a closure.

And here is Lindsey our photographer, it took some persuading to get her on the other side of the lens!  Thanks Lindsey for indulging us!  This fun little top is “Gidget”

And with it being Friday, who better to model  “Sedona“, than our Friday gal, Dori!  This vest looks great on her!

So, if you are in our area over the next week, why not stop by to see what else we have in this trunk show!  We will have it in the store through August 6th.  These patterns are available in the store and as a pdf purchase on our website!  Enjoy!

WEBS is lucky enough to host a trunk show from Polly Macc designs through the end of next week.  We just wanted to send you a little sneak preview and let you know what all the customers have been excited about!

Baby knits seem to be on everyone’s mind. The most sought after pattern is the Brother/Sister Infant sweaters. These tiny sweaters are knit in a sock weight yarn. In an ideal world I would use Prism Merino Mia Layers, in a practical world I would use Berroco Sox.

Next is the Children’s size Brother/Sister sweaters. I would knit this DK weight sweater in either Dream in Color Everlasting 12 ply DK (fancy) or Plymouth Happy Feet DK (practical).

While we’re on the subject of babies I couldn’t resist adding the teeny-tiny Soft Preemie hats. These little guys are knit in two colors of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, which I fully support. How adorable!

But don’t take my word for it, come take a look at these yourself!

Cara

Employees at WEBS have long been enamored with Fibre company. Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn are fabulous at what they do, as yarn company owners and as independent designers. I’ve been known to gasp when I see a new design emerge from them, so I was beside myself when their new book Vintage Modern Knits came in.

We’ve been scheming to decide the best garments to knit for the store and who gets to touch the pretty yarn while doing it and which colors. So much pressure! To make things easier we requested a trunk show and they shipped it out to us immediately! So, if you are local get your tuchas over here and touch the pretty garments, because we have them alllll! I still have yet to paw through the whole box, because there is a great deal in there and I had to whip up a little something to let you know it was here!

Karen, our store manager, has found her favorite in the pile: the green Brigid Jacket in Terra; a short, versatile jacket in iridescent olive leaf, with large wooden button accents. It’s all the things you could want in a sweater: a nice basic shape, in a yarn that lends textural interest, with cable panels that infuse personality onto the garment. (Karen pictured on the left, Marion on the right).

There are also tons of accessories. The one we made for the store is the Bramble Beret in Canopy Worsted. It takes two skeins to make this rich beret and the yarn is a joy to touch. Bobbles may be a trying, if rewarding, technique but the yarn made it all worth it! (Store hat pictured in obsidian).

Another project we’ve been planning for the store is the Cady twisted-stitch mittens in Canopy Fingering. Not only is it the namesake of our assistant store manager Leslie Ann’s daughter, but an elegant knitted accessory. With two skeins you can make a functional and fashionable winter staple. I just love the tiny button accents!

Like those before me I’ve been tempted by the Road to China Light. It’s just not fair how nice this yarn is, I have to have it! And this book provides the ideal project for this in-between weather: the Margarethe Lace Shawl. (Oh lets be honest I’ll wear this even when its hot, there’s always an over-airconditioned room somewhere). This shawl will be a shotgun cast-on for at least a few of us this week, and we may even get a store project out of the debacle. This must-have takes 5-7 skeins, depending on size. (Greta pictured on left, Cara on right).

The trunk show will be featured in the store until Friday, May 20^th. Make it a priority to stop by the store and see these lovely pieces before their gone!!

Happy Knitting!

Cara