StitchCraft - yarn

What's New?

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:23:27-0700

Well, we are loaded with bags, cases and pouches! Here's Frost with what's new...

From Namaste handbags, we have the Hip Holster. Put your ball of sock yarn inside, hang it over your shoulder and knit and walk at the same time! And, we have their lovely circular needle cases with an accordion-style organizing system (because we know you have more than 10 circular needles).

In addition, there are Spud and Chloe reversible totes, little Namaste notions pouches, Blue Sky Pretty "Cheep" project bags and a variety of other handbags.

Here are the covers of the latest Rowan Magazines and Fall Vogue Knitting.

If you're a quilter or sewist, you'll love Amy Butler's new yarns and knitwear patterns. The yarn has a beautiful hand and comes in her cheerful colors. Here's the stats on the yarn:

Belle Organic DK
50% organic wool, 50% organic cotton
50grams/131 yards

What's New In The Shop?

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:24:27-0700

Oh, this is going to be a long post! We are stocking up on new items for your fall knitting and crochet enjoyment. The holidays are coming sooner than you think, so you must get going on those projects so you don't get carpal tunnel in December!

First, we've got the infamous and limited edition of the Spud and Chloe project sacks. They're reversible and have the cute logo printed on them. Come and get one while the supply lasts.

We have new yarn!!! It's Cascade 128 Superwash. Sooooooo soft and squishy and in Cascades's most popular colors.

The Stats:
128 yards, 100g
100% merino wool
100% machine wash

We've got some new books too!!!

And, we decided the shop needed to be freshened up a bit. Here's the new arrangement.

Fall is coming....

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:26:13-0700

Blue Sky Alpacas and Spud and Chloe new for fall items are here!!!

We have new colors in Brushed Suri, Melange, Suri Merino, Worsted Cotton, Sweater, Outer and Fine. Here are some pics of the beautiful yarns.

And here are pictures of the new fall patterns from Blue Sky and Spud and Chloe:

Above left to right are: Pack O' Puppies, Flower Power Throw, Lucky Number Pullover, Uplander Pullover and Buck Hill Pullover.

Above left to right are: Brushed Suri Wrap, Peruvian Cabled Scarf, Brushed Suri Tunic, Olga's Mitts and Market Tote.

New Stuff and Customer Creations

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:15:46-0700

Well, there's a new yarn in the shop. It's Brown Sheep Company's Lanaloft Bulky. If you love making those felted clogs for Christmas, I'll bet they'll look great in Lana Loft. It's 100% wool, 3 stitches per inch on US 10.5 needles, 7 oz, 160 yards. We have all the handpaint colors in stock. This would also make a great Juliet sweater. We're doing the Juliet sweater in knit-along fashion August/September. See the class schedule if you want to join the knit-along.

And we have more colors of the Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Worsted in semi-solid colorways. They all knit up pretty.

New sock yarn in the shop. It's Online Candy Color self-patterning yarns. They're beautiful!!!

There are some new shawl pins in the shop. They're all handmade of hard woods. There are diamond stick shawl pins and shaped pins.

Maya J. stopped in to show us her beautiful fingerless gloves. She designed them herself and they're called Twilight (not sure if there's a movie/book reference or not to the name). She made them in three layers...

Oh Claudia, How do we love thee?

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:56:22-0700

Let me count the colors..1, 2, 3...45!

Baby stuff? Hats? Fingerless Mitts? Oh, the possibilities...

Potpourri

Tue, 11 May 2010 09:32:59-0700

Well, a few things to mention in this blog. First, there are two classes that still have openings and they're both classes on baby booties. Do you know a little baby with cold feet? These will warm them up! For more information on classes, please go here.

Crochet Baby Booties
Friday, May 14th
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Prerequisites: Beginning crochet skills, chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet.
Instructor: Christa Kangas
Fee: $30

Double Knit Baby Booties
Wednesday, May 19th
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Prerequisites: Cast on, bind off, knit stitch, purl stitch, knitting in the round experience a plus.
Instructor: Nicholette Hoyer
Fee: $35

Second, our sale is still going on until all this stuff is gone!!! We need to make room for new Fall items to be delivered starting in July. Here are some pics of the HUGE sale baskets.

Lastly, our Farmhouse yarns are re-stocked. More Lumpy Bumpy, Trixie's Mohair and Cotton Blossom. We've got new colors too!

Mountain Colors and Customer Creations

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:25:51-0700

These socks were done in Zauberball Crazy by Bonnie B. The pattern is called Maizy Lace and is a free pattern here. I just love the gradations of color in this yarn; like watercolors.

This baby blanket in Cotton Blossom by Farmhouse Yarns was made by Kim B. It's a simple pinwheel blanket that starts in the center and increased evenly to give the pinwheel effect. Click here for a free pattern link.

Below are the sock yarns of Mountain Colors. We have both of their sock weight yarns. There's Barefoot, a soft blend of merino, mohair and nylon for durability. And their new sock yarn is Crazyfoot comprised of merino and nylon. Both of these yarns are machine washable. I'm going to knit a cover for my I-Pod Nano with the Crazy foot using this pattern. I just love their deep, rich colors.

Let's Talk About Lace, Shall We?

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 10:54:23-0700

Well...I've wondered what the next knitting "craze" was going to be and it's looking a lot like lace! The spring issue of Twist Collective has seven patterns for lace shawls. Here are some of my favorites from the issue:

We have a special section of the shop devoted to lace weight yarns...There's Lacy Lamb, Lace Ball, Winter Lace, Ultra, Panda Silk, Bonnie's Bamboo, Tili Thomas silk, Alpaca Lace, Mericash Thousand Color and Mericash Lace. Not-to-mention all the other fingering weight yarns we carry, which works up in lace beautifully.

And here are some new lace yarns from Mountain Colors. It's called Winter Lace and it's 50% merino/50% silk. 600 yards per hank. The lace balls below are Skacel's new Lace Ball. It's 75% merino/25% nylon at 800 meters per ball.

Betsy McCarthy is teaching a lace workshop here on Sunday, April 25. You learn three lace patterns and come away with tips and tricks for making lace knitting easier. You will also learn to read lace charts and leave with ideas to design your own shawl or scarf pattern. The class is $60 and there are five spaces left. The class is from 9am - 4pm with a break for lunch. Here's a picture of Betsy with one of the queens of lace, Evelyn Clark.

Zauberball, The Next Generation and Lace Ball

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:59:28-0700

We just love the Zauberball yarns. Here's the latest - a sport weight ball called Starke 6. What fun socks to make!

And here is the new Lace Ball by Skacel. 800 yards of lacey goodness.

St. Patrick's Day Special and What's New

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:58:54-0700

On Wednesday, March 17th, all our solid green yarns and embroidery threads are 10% off. We're open St. Patrick's day from 10am - 6:30pm.

Right before the yarn crawl, this was the scene at the shop. Lots and lots of new arrivals. Below is a Manos del Uruguay order. We added many more colors. And, Manos has two fabulous throw books Shadows & Reflections and Geometry. You'll see one of the throws below come to life over the spring months. Two of our favorite throws are shown below.

One of our new favorites yarns in the shop is Mountain Meadow Wool. It's a soft-spun merino grown by sheep ranchers in Wyoming. You can trace each hank back to the sheep from which it came. 10% of all sales of this yarn goes back to the rancher. And, it's dyed in environmentally friendly dyes. It feels JUST LIKE hand spun. Even Carol, our old spinning instructor, couldn't tell it wasn't handspun. We have it in sport weight and in every color they make.

Portland (and Vancouver) Yarn Crawl March 5, 6, 7

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:32:58-0700

Just a note to tell you about the specials we're running during the Portland Yarn Crawl, if you're a crawl registrant. To read all about the crawl, visit the crawl's website; www.portlandyarncrawl.com. I've provided a link for you.

The crawl dates are March 5th, 6th and 7th. There is a scavenger hunt, and raffle baskets put together by major yarn companies and needle companies. StitchCraft has three separate raffles going on that weekend, one for each day. Here are more details of what we're providing people that register at our door during the crawl.

10% ONE TIME ONLY discount on your purchase of yarn.
Free ice cream to the first 40 yarn crawl registrants at Ice Cream Renaissance.
Three raffles, one each day of the crawl, for Blue Sky Alpacas fingerless gloves (pattern, yarn, project bag); Spud and Chloe socks (pattern, yarn); and StitchJones Child's Sock Kit.
Trunk shows on display by Blue Sky Alpacas and Spud and Chloe.
Cross Stitch Demos.

Click here for a link to the map of participating shops.

Our Hours during the crawl are:
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

StitchCraft
2110 Main St.
Vancouver, WA 98660
www.stitchcraft.us

Customer Creations and New Items

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:02:23-0700

This stunning hat is the creation of Maya J. She designed the hat based on the colors she sees on her morning walks with her dog. I especially love the tassels representing lichen, pine cones and pine needles. Fair Isle is beautiful isn't it?

Next, a couple of hats by Kathy B. She calls them "hats for the family". They're done in Spud and Chloe sweater. I love the color combination.

And, there is a lot of new colors, patterns and new yarns from Blue Sky Alpaca and Spud and Chloe.

Above left, we're restocked with Blue Sky Bulky. Above left, new to the shop, Blue Sky Melange. Below left are new colors in Blue Sky Dyed Cotton and below right is Blue Sky Multi Cotton - a new yarn.

New colors came in Spud and Chloe Fine - how about a bright pair of socks for spring? And, new colors in Blue Sky Skinny Dyed Cotton.

These are the latest, special edition travel patterns from Blue Sky Alpacas. We received all the latest patterns for spring by Blue Sky and Spud and Chloe. So come on in and check them out.

Lastly, a new yarn by Knit One Crochet Too. It's Ty Dy Dots. It's just begging to become a baby sweater. It's 100% cotton and in ice cream colors.

Valentines Day Special

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:43:47-0700

Starting this Friday, February 12th through Sunday, February 14th, you'll receive 10% off on:

All solid color yarns or embroidery threads of pink, white or red.
Any Valentine's Day knitting and crochet patterns.
Any Valentine's Day cross-stitch patterns or kits. Happy Valentine's Day!

This blog will be neglected for a few days. I'm at Madrona on a wee vacation....peace out!

Customer Creations and Lace Fingerless Gloves

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:54:19-0700

Candy P. Made this beautiful chapeau from Louisa Harding's new book Little Cake. The hat uses Thistle; a luscious blend of merino wool and baby suri alpaca.

And, Leah has more spaces available for her Lace Fingerless Glove class. You'll learn how to knit lace in the round and make these lovely gloves for spring.

Details:

Tuesdays 2/9, 2/16
6:30pm - 8:30pm
$45
Prerequisites: Know how to knit, purl, cast on, bind off.

Groundhog Day Sale!!!

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:55:02-0700

Punxatawney Phil is THE weather prediction animal. Will he see his shadow? If he does, you will receive 15% off your entire purchase on Groundhog Day, Tuesday, February 2nd. If he does not see his shadow you get 10% off your entire purchase for the day. Why this reasoning? Well, if he sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter, which then means we'll be inside knitting, crocheting and stitching more. If he doesn't see his shadow, it's a prediction of early spring and we'll be out gardening and hiking, enjoying the weather. When he's made his prediction, we'll post the result here on the blog along with your discount for the day.

Click here for a link to the most Frequently Asked Questions about Phil.