It’s National Crochet Month and we’re excited to share some of our favorite crochet techniques and trends happening in 2013. This week we’re focusing on crocheting with luxury fibers.

Being able to work with luxury fibers is something every crocheter looks forward to. Thankfully you don’t have to win the lottery to indulge in a little high-end crochet. One skein and a simple project can keep the cost down but allow you to add a little something to your wardrobe to makes you feel extra special. And when everyone ask you about it you get to say it’s silk or cashmere or even mink!

Start with a nice small project like this simple Crochet Necklace by Creativeyarn but go luxury by using Artyarns Beaded Pearl and Sequins yarn.

Try something a little larger like the Julie Cuff from Robyn Chachula‘s wonderful book Blueprint Crochet but work it in a skein of Mimi by Lotus Yarns which is 100% Mink!

If you’re ready for a slightly bigger project why not go for Julia Vaconsin‘s gorgeous Phoenix Mitts and work them up in the luminous Ensemble Light from Artyarns, an amazing blend of silk and cashmere!

When you’re ready for a bigger project with lots of impact visually, but not on your wallet, try a scarf or wrap like our Crocus Lace Stole. A single skein of the Silk Cashmere from Jade Sapphire would feel amazing around your shoulders and neck, and since this is an easy 1 row pattern you can just keep working till you run out of yarn.

Have you worked with any luxury fibers? What’s been your favorite?

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Guest: Kathy talks with Valley Yarns Design Manager, Kirsten Hipsky about the new Valley Yarns patterns featured in our Spring 2013 Catalog.

Best sellers at Stitches West were:

Blue Mist Cardigan in Southwick

looks more complicated than it

is and it’s a great standard wardrobe

piece.

Burning Branch Shawl in BFL Fingering

Has an easy repeat, looks much more

complicated than it is and works with a

range of yardages.

Hidden Hills Pullover in Northampton Sport has a great neckline with classic, simple colorwork and the Pelagic Shawl, using 6 color of Northampton Sport, is a wonderful update to our Jambalaya Shawl.

There’s also lots of crochet love in this catalog with the Molly Socks, The Michel Vest in Longmeadow and the  Meyer T-shirt in Goshen.

If you haven’t gotten a catalog yet, you can request one on the website, here.

Steve’s Yarn Picks 

• Juniper Moon Farms Moonshine
• Mirasol Illaris
• Mirasol Hachito
• Mondial Trilly
• Circulo Tecido Rendado Trico
• Queensland Collection Leche Closeout
• Queensland Collection Dream Closeout
• Mirasol Sawya Closeout
• Mirasol Asikita Closeout

June Hemmons Hiatt, author of The Principles of Knitting, will join our Tuesday morning Drop-in THIS WEEK on March 19th for a book signing and chat. Don’t miss out, register now!

Our 39th Anniversary Sale Starts April 1! and don’t forget about the Tent Sale in May!

Join us at  Stitches South! in the Renaissance Waverly Hotel & Cobb Galleria Centre April 11-14th in Atlanta, GA.

 

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Guest: Kathy talks with Rhonda Fargnoli of Coastal Colors Yarns about launching a new yarn company.

Rhonda and her partner Charlie have been teaching art for over 35 years and have applied their love of color to their new line of yarns. They use botanical extracts and many of the plants from their own yard to dye the yarn.

BFL, Superwash Merino, Flax for the Spring, are all yarn bases that they use but they keep their selection small and they buy their yarn locally. Coastal Colors yarns are currently available in 8 stores and online soon at Colorful Stitches in Lenox, MA.

Rhonda also works at RISD – The Rhode Island School of Design in their Continuing Education department as an adviser the Hand Knitting Design program.

Thanks to the Berroco Team for a wonderful Event this past Thursday night. Norah and the gang, as well as our customers, braved some typical New England late-Winter weather to be here with us.

Steve’s Yarn Picks 

• Plymouth Jelli Beanz 50g ball Closeout
• Plymouth Galway Nep Closeout
• Plymouth Baby Alpaca DK Closeout
• Plymouth Baby Alpaca Chunky Closeout
• Plymouth Alpaca Prima Closeout
• Knitting Fever Luxury Mohair Closeout
• Louisa Harding Albero Closeout
• Louisa Harding Millais Closeout

We’re happy to announce that WEBS is going to to Stitches South! We’ll be there with 6 booths at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel & Cobb Galleria Centre April 11-14th in Atlanta, GA.

Thanks to everyone who commented, Over 1,200 responses! You had some great ideas for this beautiful yarn.

The following people have won a copy of the Trinity Scarf pattern and one skein of the Perfectly Posh Sport yarn pictured above:

1 - Suzanne, who said, Very Lovely Yarn and Pattern. I would love to make that for my daughters teacher, it would suite her to a T.

2 - Gayle H., who said, Beautiful yarn, would make a lovely cowl or lacy shawlette

3 – Maryellen C., who said, I would make as many ornaments and crafts as I could get out of the skein to sell at our Christmas fundraiser to raise money for Rays of Hope and Cancer Connection

4 – Stephanie O., who said, The scarf is beautiful.

5 - Christine L., who said, Interesting, but simple enough to work on while watching TV or at knitting group…Amanda Keep’s Voyage Scarf. I made one last Christmas and the recipient loved it. Definitely looks harder than it is!

6 - Barb L., who said, Spring colors, misty mountains, Perfectly Posh is perfectly beautiful! I can think of many things to try!

7 - Melissa H., who said, I’d like to make a headband!

8 - Sabrina who said, This yarn is SO pretty! Not sure what I would chose to do with it, but a simple garter stitch cowl sometimes the perfect project for a variegated yarn.

9 - Kitty C., who said, I’d like to make a cover for my e-reader with a snazzy yarn like this! I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

10 - Sue K., who said, Love the colors! Great yarn.

Congratulations to our winners!

It is time once again to have another giveaway with one of Dream in Color’s lovely hand dyed yarns along with a stylish scarf pattern. This month’s yarn is called Perfectly Posh Sport, and the colors are reminiscent of early spring flowers; think crocus, pansy and violet!

The fiber is 70% wool/10% cashmere/10% silk/10% mohair, and has shades of deep, earthy greens, rich purples and pale pinks, with hints of the blue-grey of Spring skies peeking through. With 320 yds per skein you have plenty of yardage for Kay Dahlquist’s Trinity Scarf.

I love finding the perfect little project to use up one skein of gorgeous yarn. This scarf has the most clever little feature, a built in French loop to keep your scarf perfectly in place. As an added bonus your gauge swatch IS the the first section of your edging!

Do you have a perfect one-skein project or a favorite scarf pattern? Do you already have ideas for what you’d do with a skein of Perfectly Posh Sport if you won?

Leave a comment below by 3/07/13, 11:59 pm EST to be entered into the March drawing for one skein of Dream in Color Perfectly Posh Sport along with the Trinity Scarf pattern. There will be 10 lucky winners! Be sure to check the blog on Friday March 8th to see if your name was picked.

Best of Luck!

The new yarns keep rolling in and the Rowans yarns are one of the highlights.

Rowan Softknit Cotton is a worsted weight blend of 92% cotton/8% polyamide. It’s light and airy chainette construction is perfect for durable warm weather garments and accessories . With 8 patterns available in Rowan Simple Shapes Handknit Cotton and 16 more in Rowan Softknit collection you’ll be able to take advantage of all 14 available colors.

All Seasons Cotton, a worsted weight avaiable in 15 colors, has a machine washable blend of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic/microfiber. This yarn works up into a light springy fabric, perfect for sweaters, tops, and baby things. Rowan Summer Textures and Rowan Magazine 51 offer over 20 patterns that showcase this Rowan classic.

Rowan’s All Seasons Chunky is a bulky-weight version of the popular All Seasons Cotton. With the same tightly twisted multi-ply construction but larger stitch gauge, projects will fly off the needles (or hook!), and despite gauge it produces beautiful stitch definition. Rowan All Seasons Chunky Collection is a pattern book dedicated to this yarn alone and features 12 designs.

Classic Elite has two great new yarns for Spring 2013!

Classic Elite Yarns Mesa is a worsted weight, 100% cotton, machine washable yarn. WEBS carries all 14 colors dyed in subtle tonal shades that lend depth and interest to your finished garments. This yarn is perfect for casual summer tops and baby items.  Classic Elite also offers a 4 pattern collection that takes advantage of the tonal color shifts of Mesa: Classic Elite 9212 – Mesa

Classic Elite Yarns Canyon is a DK weight, 85% Pima Cotton/15% Alpaca blend that is also machine washable. Canyon is a summertime addition to Classic Elite’s Mountain Top collection of naturally hued yarns. The fiber blend gives this yarn beautiful drape and movement that make it perfect for 3 season garments. Classic Elite 3211 – Canyon offers 4 patterns that take advantage of the natural colors and unique fiber blend of Canyon to produce beautiful lace and crisp stitch definition.

Moth is a four letter word in the fiber community, and keeping them away from our precious yarn and finished projects should be a high priority. Working for months on a sweater only to have it ruined is heartbreaking. Preventing these little critters from getting into your stash isn’t too difficult. Removing them once they’re there can be harder, so some preventative measures are the best way to go. We asked our staff for their favorite ways to prevent yarn disaster.

I keep anything I bring into my house separate from the rest of my yarn for a little while just to make sure, and then it goes in plastic bins. – Mary K.

Lavender is a natural moth repellent, so using lavender sachets (which are easy as a DIY project with some fabric and dried lavender) is a good combination with an airtight container. (See image below)  - Michael W. and Sara D.

Within my storage bins, I group my yarns by weight and brand and keep each in a separate seal-able bag. For example, if I have 6 skeins of Cascade 220 I will put those into a zip-top bag, and put my 5 balls of Valley Superwash into another bag, even though they are both worsted weight yarns. That way, if moths happened to come home with me when I bought the Cascade 220, they will likely only destroy what was in that bag.  The Superwash is likely to be safe even though they were all in my worsted weight yarn container.  - Tina

Plastic storage bins with latching lids have been the best solution I’ve found. Some say that the original eucalyptus and lavender scents of Eucalan also discourage moths – they certainly can’t hurt! In the end, though, if your stash is more than a few years old, you’re going to have to know when to freeze it (if you suspect moth contamination, noticing a granular, sand-like “dust” on the yarn or find some adult moths on or near it, a few days in the freezer or outside in a bin in winter should kill moth eggs) and when to toss it. If you notice frayed ends sticking out of the yarn, you know there are even more within, and it’s time to let it go. But natural, undyed fibers DO make good compost – just saying!  - Kirsten H.

I know a lot of you have been waiting for tips on how to organize your yarn stash. You’ve been looking for ideas on how to sort your yarn, but also how to store it. Last week we did a lot of work going through our yarn stashes and whipping them back into shape. Now comes the fun part of sorting our stash and putting it all away.

As my yarn stash has grown and changed over the years, so has the system for storing my yarn. Now I like to keep some of my yarn out in the open. I might not use it for awhile, but I can still enjoy it until I do. Yarn is beautiful, with all of its textures and colors. I don’t have pets or small children anymore, so I can have a bowl of yarn on a shelf and not worry about it becoming a cat plaything. Even though some of my yarn is not on display, it is stored in a way that is still accessible for me. This system works for me, but it may not work for you. The key is to find a solution for your yarn stash.

Let’s look at a some ways that people sort their yarn and different ideas on how to store yarn.

How to Sort Yarn

People who know me know I love sorting. It brings me pleasure. How I sort my yarn as changed a lot as my yarn stash has changed. 75% of my yarn stash is stored in the hutch above my desk now. I sort my yarn partially by type of project, fiber content, and weight. But I also have a couple of special categories such as fancy yarn, keepsake yarn, and teaching yarn.

If you have your yarn spread out in front of you, you’ll start to see some natural categories that make sense to you. Here are some categories to help you start sorting.

• Color – Are you the type of person who walks into a yarn store organized by color and feel a sense of calm? When you are searching for a yarn to use, is color the most important attribute?
• Weight – If you know the pattern that you want to make before you decide on the yarn, sort your yarn by weight. It’ll be easier to find what you need when there’s a new project you want to knit or crochet.
• Fiber – Do you only knit with certain types of fibers depending on the season, alpaca in the winter, cotton in the summer. Try sorting yarn by fiber content.
• Project – Some people buy yarn for a particular project. Sort these yarns by project type. Consider even storing the pattern with the yarn.
• Care – If you like to knit or crochet things for babies and children and machine washability is important to you, keep the easy care yarns separate from the hand wash yarns.
• Keepsake Yarn – Some yarn you may never intend to use. It’s more of a keepsake. Don’t hide these yarns in a box. Display them in a bowl so you can enjoy them daily.
• Yarn Scraps – Don’t throw away your yarn scraps. Keep them in an accessible location to be used for waste yarn, practicing new techniques, even stuffing your latest amigurumi.

Containers for Yarn Storage

There are so many ways you can store your yarn stash. Just Google “yarn storage” and check out all of the image results for some inspiration. Also searching for yarn storage on Pinterest will bring up even more ideas of how to organize your yarn. Here are some examples of how others store their yarn.

• Plastic boxes and totes with lids – These can be inexpensive, stackable, and available in many sizes.
• Plastic bags – Shopping bags can help sort yarn in large totes. Clear zippered bags that bedding comes in works great for yarn storage. Oversized ziploc bags are similarly good. Small ziploc bags are great for partially used skeins to keep the yarn and ball band together. They’re also nice for storing slippery yarns like ribbon yarn or bamboo that might get tangled in a large bin.
• Open baskets  - These work great on shelves and are good for yarns you want quick access to.
• Shelves and bookcases – Shelving with lots of cubbies are popular with many crafters.
• Closet organizers – Hanging shoe and sweater storage can be perfect for organizing yarn too.
• Reusing food containers – Large oatmeal boxes and large clear bulk food containers are good options if you’re on a tight budget or would rather spend money on yarn than storage.
• Cabinets and cupboards – Behind doors but easily accesible, there could be some empty cabinets just waiting to be filled with yarn.
• Drawers or dressers – These work great for yarns that don’t stack well such as yarn balls. Also easily accesible, but out of the way from pets.
• Decorative containers - Bowls and glass vases can be great for showcasing some of your favorite yarns.

Preparing Yarn for Storage

The best way to store yarn is either the way it came, or in hank form. If you want to store your yarn wound in a ball, be sure to wind it loosely. If it’s too tight, the yarn may lose some of its elasticity while being stored. If you have a ball winder, winding your yarn is quick work and creates beautiful little cakes of yarn that are stackable. To avoid winding your yarn too tightly, wind it twice. When winding a ball from a ball, it will be looser than when you wound it the first time from a yarn swift.

Tomorrow, Grace will be posting some tips on how to keep critters such as the dreaded moth away from your yarn while in storage.

Hopefully some of these ideas have given you a little inspiration for organizing your yarn stash. Please share your favorite yarn storage idea in the comments.

- Dena

Did you find any mystery yarn when you went through your yarn stash last week? If you were updating notes on your yarn stash, how did you deal with the unknown yarns? Mystery yarn can be yarn that you handspun, yarn that lost its ball band, or yarn that was leftover from a long ago finished project. Before tucking this yarn away with the rest of your stash, find out some information of it and jot down your findings and store it with the yarn.

What Is The Fiber?

If you’re not sure of what the fiber content of your yarn is, do a little detective work by doing a burn test. Cut off a bit of your mystery yarn and bring a flame to it. But please, do it in a safe place. Check out this handy flowchart for doing a fiber burn test that will help you narrow down what kind of yarn you have. If you think you have a complicated blend of different fibers, it might be difficult to figure out exactly what kind of yarn you have.

What’s the Yarn Weight and Gauge?

A good way to estimate the weight or gauge of your mystery yarn is to determine its wraps per inch (WPI). In other words, how many times can you wrap the yarn around a tool to cover an inch. Nancy’s Knit Knacks has a WPI Tool with pre-marked increments. You can also wrap the yarn around something with a consistent circumference like a pencil. I like using a ruler since it has measurements marked on it already. When wrapping the yarn around your tool, don’t wrap the yarn too tightly. Make sure the wraps don’t overlap and don’t have any gaps between them. If you have a yarn that has an even diameter, wrapping an inch worth is enough to calculate the WPI. But if you have yarn that is not consistent such as a thick and thin yarn or a handspun yarn, wrapping over a larger width will help you calculate a more accurate number.

Once you’ve calculated the WPI, you’ll want to compare the number you calculated to a WPI chart to find out the corresponding yarn weight.

Lace – WPI > 35; > 8.5 sts/inch
Fingering – WPI 19-22; 7-8 sts/inch
Sport – WPI 15-18;  5.75-6.5 sts/inch
DK – WPI 12-14; 5.5-6 sts/inch
Worsted – WPI 9-11; 4-5 sts/inch
Bulky – WPI 7-8; 3-3.75 sts/inch
Super Bulky – WPI < 6; 1.5-3 sts/inch

My friend had some handspun that we calculated it to have 26 wraps over 2 inches. Dividing that number by 2 gave us 13 WPI, a DK weight yarn.

How Much Yarn Do I Have?

Finding out how much yarn you have by weight is one of the easier things to figure out about mystery yarn. Grab your kitchen scale and weight it. Some patterns do give you yardage requirements by weight rather than yards.

It’s really useful to know how many yards you have of your mystery yarn to help you from running out of yarn in your project. I quite accurate way to determine the number of yards in a ball of yarn is to run your yarn through a yarn meter. Another option is winding the mystery yarn onto a yarn swift. Measure the circumference around the swift and multiply by the number of strands in the hank of yarn you wound. This will be the total length of your mystery yarn. A niddy noddy can also do the trick, and they’re fun to use. If you don’t have a yarn swift or niddy noddy, you could use this method by wrapping the yarn around the back of a chair too.

What kind of mystery yarn did you discover in your stash?

- Dena