Festive Yarns

Moonlight  Mohair by Lion Brand Yarns - 57% Acrylic, 28% Mohair, 9% cotton, 6% metallic polyester - Bulky/Chunky

Lazer FX by Berroco - 100% polyester - various weight

Beaded Ensemble and Sequins Yarn by Artyarns - Silk blend - worsted

Pattern and Yarn Giveaway at kpixie

Do you like pretty scarves and pink yarn? Enter the new giveaway at kpixie.com! All you have to do is purchase from the website.

Message from the kpixie e-newsletter:

"We love the new Quartz color of Alpaca Silk so much that we decided a giveaway was in order. To enter, be one of the first 25 ORDERS, starting at the time this newsletter was launched. We will pick one customer at random to receive the Mac and Me pattern #077 and 5 skeins of Alpaca Silk in the Quartz color shown below... GOOD LUCK!"

This yarn is made of 50% alpaca fiber and 50% silk. It must be hand washed or dry cleaned.

The newsletter was sent out 19 hours ago at the time of this post. :)

Beautiful New Free Patterns at Berroco

"Drift" cardigan pattern, knit with Vintage yarn. Vintage yarn is an acrylic, wool, nylon blend. You can either view the pattern online, or download it as a .pdf file. I like the colors "Fennel" and "Sloe Berry".

"Tarte" tank knitted in Mica yarn, which is a cotton, silk, nylon, linen blend. This yarn is sturdy and has a nice sheen to it for added dimension. I like the colors Vivianite and Abalone, in this particular yarn.

Please note that these patterns are not intended for beginner knitters. They are both at the intermediate level.

New Feed - Knitter's Review

Hello knitting and fashion enthusiasts,

I have added a new feed on the right side bar titled Knitter's Review. The Knitter's Review is a website with reviews on yarns, and almost anything you can think of that has to do with knitting and fibers. "It is also the only weekly publication that focuses on fiber, yarns, and the online yarn-shopping experience." Here is an excerpt from their about page:

"Our mission is to provide quality product information to help knitters make informed purchasing decisions and, ultimately, have a more fulfilling lifelong knitting experience."

You can even have your product reviewed on their website.

To learn more about the Knitter's Review, please refer to the website.

Attention New York, New York Residents: Debbie Bliss Sale at Knit New York, Dec. 5th-7th

This note was taken from the Knit New York e-newsletter. If you haven't signed up for it, please do so to recieve their updates.


Debbie Bliss kicks off 3-day "Super GET FREE YARN Event"

In honor of Debbie's visit we are offering 15% off all Debbie Bliss yarns and books Friday December 5 through Sunday December 7.

Plus we are giving away five signed copies of some of Debbie's bestsellers when you attend the event on Friday...don't forget to stop by from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm Dec 5 (She will talk about her yarns, her patterns, and show garments made from her newest books. She'll be available to sign books and talk about some special techniques.)

Better yet when you make a purchase the ENTIRE yarn inventory is 10% off all three days...Everything from Peruvian wools to Italian cashmeres and special hand dyed yarns.

Better still during the three day event 6 lucky people will be chosen at random to get their ENTIRE PURCHASE FOR FREE.

* this sale is not to be combined with frequent knitter card offer andalready marked down sale items

Knit New York
307 E 14th St
New York, New York
10003212-387-0707
212.387.0707

Soft, Smooth and Soothing Yarn

Image source: IgnorantBliss on Flickr

"The yarn aficionados at Austermann certainly took a huge step forward when they developed their "Step" family of yarns. Not only is the original "Step" yarn a fabulous self-striper that's available in color combos both women & men will enjoy, but it has the added benefit of being infused with aloe vera & jojoba oil. These two enhancements guard against skin dryness & inflammation through at least 40 washings. So both your hands as you knit & your feet as you wear the finished socks will benefit, all without any greasy film or residue. Spectacularly crafted of 75% wool & 25% nylon."source

"They were very soft, after washing, they got even softer." Paula, on her experience with Austermann "Step" yarn.

Pitti Filati 2008

Image source: Foamy-GFX

Thanks to Berroco KnitBits newsletter, I was able to view fantastic images of this year's Pitti Filati in Florence, Italy. How I wish I could have visited this exhibition to view these amazing designs. The theme was nature inspired: here is a short video of some amazing knitted sea creatures. Have you ever been inspired by sea life? Did you ever wonder what a knitted jelly fish actually looks like? Now you can, and you can create it too, for free! Thank you Norah Gaughan! This is spectacular and strange in the best ways.

Designer Valentina Tomirotti - Pepitosa

Pepitosa is a new Italian brand created by artist and journalist Valentina Tomirotti. Art of knots, and a varity of refined components: glass, crystal, and resins from the thousand facets and opalescences, chains, charms. She uses heterogeneous materials combined in a fanciful mix, united with sought after yarns such as cotton, hemp, tapes and wools. This is a unique production that is becoming the must have look of every woman. The idea is: surprising shine! The crystals and the glass from the thousand facets play with the light to melt together and give off twinkling effects of different colors. Her creations are original, in which the yarns are the most sophisticated scenography for an unusual show.

Indian Yarn Art

The Huichol have been creating these amazing yarn art tiles for hundreds of years. They interpret their visions and experiences while visiting the spirit world using colorful yarn which they glue to the wooden tiles using a paste made from bees' wax. First the artist makes a very rough sketch onto the wood and then meticulously goes about applying the yarn, each tiny strand one by one, creating the image you see before you. It is not uncommon for a tile this size to take in upwards of 20 hours to complete! On the reverse of each tile, the artist writes in his native tongue (a tribal spanish) a description of what the image means or what he was trying to capture. We have included a loose translation with each tile. This particular tile captures the high priest asking the moon for good rains and abundant crops. Measurements: 12" square

There is a picture of one at Indian Sun