Live Stitch @ Little Knits

I just came to the realization that we have been collecting a number of closeouts with a Spring & Summer focus and I better get on the stick and start listing them.  So here is the first one.

 Velour by GGH is almost exactly like it sounds, a velour-like or a suede look-alike yarn that knits up to make lighter garments.  This yarn is the perfect substitute for Berocco’s Suede.

 There is also pattern support as provided in several Rebecca Magazines.  I have listed a selection of Velour patterns with the yarn.  If you like any of these patterns and would like to purchase, please note that the price is for the whole Rebecca Magazine not just for one pattern (you will be getting at least 40 patterns if not more).

 Finally, did I mention that Velour is on sale between 50-70% off – some colors are priced lower as we have overstocked them.

Hope you are all well and knitting with a smile.

Fulay (aka Sue)

I  have been digging myself out of a HUGE shipment of Fleece Artist & Hand Maiden yarns including Sea Wool – not a painful task, I assure you.  

 I do have a couple of new favorite colors including the one showing here called Blackberry and the other being Jester.  They just look extra pretty to my Spring/Summer eyes. 

 A quick reminder, Sea Wool comes with a free sock pattern called Bordello Socks – pattern printed on sock label (extra wide and printed on card stock, which will keep and it not flimsy). 

And, here is a quick feedback from Kersten, a customer and a friend of mine – thank you Kersten!  If you read our blog regularly you would remember Kersten’s Peru Luxury DK review.  Here is what Kersten had to say:

Anything named, See Wool, oops…Sea Wool is right up my alley. Not that I need the subliminal suggestion, thank you very much.  I love the pair of Jaywalkers I made with the sister yarn, Fleece Artist Merino, so I had high hopes for this one.  

Sea Wool is just a tad heavier than the Fleece Artist 100% merino.  A blend of 70% merino and 30% Seacell, it has a hint of shine and knits a garment that is ever so slightly silky.  Perfect for a pair of machine washable socks.

 The pattern I used is one I tailored.  The construction is based on Widdershins, Knitty.com Summer 2006, and the pattern is a 3×1 rib. 

 I knit my pair on #2 DPNs, which created a fabric that was neither too stiff nor too flimsy.  While knitting I noticed the rare slub of undyed fiber.  As the yarn is a variegated, it really was not noticeable in the finished product.  The slubs did remove quite easily with the flick of a needle.  The variegation was executed perfectly!  No color pooling at all. The label claims there are 385 yards to a skein.  I had plenty of yarn to make nearly-knee-high socks for my size 10 feet. That’s what I call a skein!KerstenPlease feel free to use all info and pictures.  

I have quite a few things cooking (over 40 new yarns lines, sales, etc.), and I am also trying to knit on the side and record a couple of video-casts.  Here is a quick peak at a few things that are almost ready for view.

 We received 20 boxes of Fleece Artist and Hand Maiden yarns filled with new colors and new lines.  This photograph shows a new color line, Amethyst, in Sea Silk.  I really like Amethyst as a semi-precious stone but I would be willing to give it up for a life time supply of Sea Silk in this color line.

 We also have a new sock line from Fleece Artist, Nova Socks.  It is similar to Fleece Artist’s regular merino sock line with a softer hand and slightly (very slightly), thicker weight – difference would be less than 1/8 of a stitch per inch.  This new yarn takes color beautifully and will come with free sock patterns.

 Araucania Nature Wool is back at our store and will be listed on sale at 45% off.  This is a worsted weight 100% wool yarn that knits and felts beautifully, which comes in kettle-dyed color-on-color hue variations.

 And, finally, I finished the night with kicking my heels up (literally), to share with you a basic pair of socks I knit with On Line Beach Color (Color #943 – Gerber Daisies).  The cotton wool blend of this yarn is ideal for socks that can be worn in Seattle’s ever so changing summer weather (we had high 70s a few weeks ago and lately we have been in the mid-60s).  The lighting is really bad with my feet up to the ceiling, the flash clashing with the luminescent lights so the colors did not come out well.  Please imagine these socks with pastel pink, peach, lilac, blue and apple green and feel free to laugh at the image of me lying on the floor with feet up in the air trying to get a good shot of my socks.

Hope you are all well and knitting with a smile.

Fulay (aka Sue)

 Have you ever knitted with a 100% cashmere yarn?  If yes, then you know the hand, the feel and the satisfaction of seeing a garment finalized with the ultimate yarn experience.  Now lets add to the equation the colors of Jade Sapphire, which results in Jade Sapphire Special Edition Cashmere, a 100% cashmere 2-ply yarn (lace to light fingering), that comes in BIG 90 gram skeins with 640 yards.

 When the nice folks at Jade Sapphire offered this limited edition yarn to us I jumped with a smile on my face.  Then we sat down and decided how to divide the limited amount of skeins they had into a good color spectrum – I hope you like our color selection.

 Second was the patterns with which to pair this lovely yarn which is when we decided on Fiddlesticks Knitting, Heart Strings and Fiber Trends patterns.  Of course, we should not forget Bad Cat Designs.

 Then came the pricing.  The standard 55 gram skeins of cashmere 2-ply by Jade Sapphire is regularly sold at $38-$40 (with 400 yards/skein), making the approximate price of SE $64 (Special Edition comes in 90 gram skeins with 640 yards).  We then compared SE to Classic Elite’s Embrace, a 250 gram 100% cashmere yarn (worsted weight), that retails at $280 a hank – if we were to price Special Edition based on this product, per skein price for SE would be $100.  We hope you like our price better.

 Finally, if you purchase 2 skeins of SE you can have your order shipped free (US orders only), OR have a free pattern, OR have a free set of Addi circular needles (Turbo or Lace).  Simply purchase 2 skeins of SE and indicate which free offer you would like in the additional information window and we will take care of the rest.  The order repeats for each two skeins ordered.  So if you order 4 skeins you can have a free set of Addis and free shipping, etc.

Hope you like Jade Sapphire Special Edition Cashmere.  We have fallen in love with this scrumptious cashmere yarn.

Fulay (aka Sue)