Great Yarn Company Blog » Yarns and knitting

Modern Quilt Wrap Kits are here!!

Sue — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:42:25 +0000

You asked for them, and taa-daa – they’re here!!

We’ve put together Modern Quilt Wrap Yarn Kits, so now you can knit this lovely project without breaking the bank!

We introduced these kits at a recent tradeshow, and they were hugely popular, so we’re very pleased that we can now offer them online as well!

Our yarn kits include just the right amount of nine colors of Rowan Kidsilk Haze, a luxurious silk and mohair yarn. And you can download the Modern Quilt Wrap pattern FREE at KnittingDaily.com.

Happy knitting!

A little something unexpected

Sue — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:13:32 +0000

Don’t you love seeing something familiar in a new and different context, a little unexpected twist?

Bet you’d expect to see Rowan Kidsilk Haze used in scarves and shawls, but how about a sheer tank top with color work? Is it unexpected? Yep. Does it work? Yes indeed.

This is the Hydrangea Tank on Knitty.com – soft, silky and sheer, colorful – I don’t think I would have come up with this idea on my own, but I love it! Hmmm, I’m thinking that if knitted a few inches longer, it might make a pretty little sweet nothing… as in “Wait right here while I slip into something more comfortable…”

On the home front, we’re going into week two of no dishwasher. Something inside it gave out, and water was seeping into the cabinet next to the dishwasher. Fortunately, DH is handy, so he’s going to fix it… someday… Meanwhile, I’ve rediscovered the zen-like pleasure of hand-washing dishes. Ah, modern life.

Still getting ready for the International Quilt Festival and trying, without much success, to squeeze in a bit of knitting time to unwind. I finished my Malabrigo Crofter’s Cowl this evening, but I want to block it before I photograph it again.

Glad it finally stopped raining and longing for some cool fall days,
Sue

My dinosaur pal

Sue — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:08:16 +0000

This little guy’s my new buddy! He’s the Stegosaurus in the Prehistoric Pals pattern by Knitting at Knoon. I still have to knit his legs and attach the spikes along his spine, so he’s about half finished. He’s knitted in Noro Kureyon – gotta love the bright colors!

I’ve also finished another Noro Striped Scarf in Silk Garden, just for me. I made DH one a couple years ago, in husbandy colors, but mine’s a lot more colorful – a riot of aqua, pink, green, blue – definitely my colors. I’ve seen this scarf done in many color combinations, from subtle to shout-out-loud, and each one has looked great!

The International Quilt Festival in Houston is coming up fast – this year, it’s October 14-18, two weeks earlier than usual. The Quilt show is total nirvana for quilters, and lots of fun for non-quilters too, as there are zillions of booths to explore. Great Yarn Company will be there again this year, so if you plan to attend the show, please come visit our booth. We’ll have lots of yarns and patterns, and some fun new items that would be perfect gifts for you or someone on your gift list. (Can you believe it? Time to start thinking about gifts again!)

Also coming up, and very exciting (at least for us!) – we’re getting a new logo and redesigning our website! As we get closer to unveiling the new website, I’ll give you some sneak peaks!

Rarrrr – uh-oh, that’s my not-quite-finished dinosaur calling me!
Sue

Yarn like butta

Sue — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:44:55 +0000

Well, I’ve fallen head over heels for a new love. I was smitten the first time I laid eyes on it, and after I cast on, there was no turning back — it was like butta on the needles. My new love is Malabrigo Worsted yarn — what a wonderful yarn!

This is my first project with Malabrigo, and it’s immediately apparent why this yarn is so popular. It’s incredibly cushy and feels amazingly soft in your hands. I’m using the color Lettuce, a semi-solid with all the subtle variations of color that are characteristic of hand-dyed yarns. And I’m completely in love. Maybe even enough to challenge my well-known affection for Noro Silk Garden. (But don’t worry, Silk Garden – you’ll always be special to me!)

The neckwarmer pattern I’m using is a freebie on Ravelry called Crofter’s Cowl, and I plan to cheat – I’m going to keep knitting repeats until I like the length, instead of knitting it in two pieces and Kitchenering it together. Quicker, and I think it will be just as lovely. (Are you on Ravelry? Come join our Ravelry group “GreatYarnCompany”!)

You can see this neckwarmer and lots more next month at our booth at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, October 14-18, 2009. We made many new friends there last year, so don’t be shy, come visit us in our booth again this year!

I’ve just added several new yarns to our website, so hop on over and check out cotton blend Rowan Calmer, fun Regia Kaffe Fasset sock yarns, and a sweet fluffy baby yarn from On Line called Paloma Soft (Linie 252).

Knitting happy,
Sue