Free Pattern and Reviews on KnitchMagazine.com

We've just added a fabulous free pattern plus several yarn reviews to our online fashion magazine for knitters, KnitchMagazine.

The free baby blanket pattern from AslanTrends is made with Pima Clasico and coordinating Tweed Cotton Clasico.

Yarn expert, Barbara Rottman provides a detailed review of a new super bulky weight Andina baby alpaca yarn by the Swiss manufacturer, Lang. She also reviews Crofter DK,a new space-dyed entry by Sirdar that knits up to look like the complicated Fair Isle patterns that are so popular today. And she takes another look at the ever-popular Aurora 8 by Karabella.

Check out these new yarn reviews on KnitchMagazine today and be sure to sign up for our upcoming issue that will feature great new fashions for spring, interesting interviews with industry dignitaries, more yarn reviews plus patterns and projects for a variety of warm weather fashions.

Handarbeit + Hobby

I haven't been online for a while because Alex and I were in Germany for the annual Handarbeit + Hobby show. It's where the major European manufacturers present their upcoming lines. I'll be writing about it over the next few days, and telling you about the different yarns that we drooled over...and all the great friends from the States we saw while we were there -- Iris Schreier of Artyarns, Kirstin from Muench, and Linda Pratt from Westminster.

I won't mention, however, the grueling climb I made up 509 stairs to reach the top of the Cathedral in Cologne which, as I suspected, is the tallest cathedral on this planet. Sure, Alex has talked me into climbing up Notre Dame in Paris and the Dom in Florence. But nothing had prepared me for this! By the time I was halfway up, I grew concerned that I'd already died and my body was ascending to heaven the hard way. The only thing that convinced me otherwise was the number of people happily moving in the opposite direction.

I must say the view from the top was utterly fantastic. But when I now say the Cologne Cathedral is breathtaking, I'm not referring to its beauty!

TKGA and Yarnmarket Contest Entries are Fabulous!

Today we saw the entries to the Yarnmarket and TKGA Knitting Pattern Design Contest and we were really blown away by the quality and creativity of the designs. I can't believe how many talented knitters participated in the contest!

Some of the designs were absolutely breathtaking, and some really made us laugh because they were so brilliantly clever. There are a couple I'll have to post once the judging is complete because you'll get a real kick out of them.

We really appreciate how hard everyone worked to create their designs for the contest. We'll be narrowing down the finalists, letting the entrants know, and then when we receive the actual garments, we'll get busy with the final judging and announcements. Some of the entries will be featured in the fashion show at the Knit & Crochet Show in Portland, Oregon.

Thanks to all of you who entered. We were really delighted with the wonderfully original designs we received.

When the turkeys come home to roost

Look closely at this photo. Do you see what's looking in the window? Turkeys. Great, big turkeys. Wild ones from the forests of Caledon Hills.

My Mom sent me this photo last night, informing me that a few unexpected dinner guests had showed up at her back door. I don't know about you, but if a bunch of wild turkeys walked up to my back window and started staring at me in my kitchen, I'd wonder if maybe I were beginning to look like...well, whatever it is that would attract a bunch of turkeys to come to my window to stare at me.

My Mom says that they peeked through her window at Christmas time because they enjoyed looking like her tree. Maybe they were hoping she'd put up some Easter decorations.

Noro Chirimen and Furisode are here!

Everyone loves the rich, gorgeous colors of Noro yarns. So we're delighted to announce we've got some new ones in stock. Yarn guru Eisaku Noro has created a gorgeous warm weather yarn that blends cotton with a touch of silk and a bit of wool. This gives Chirimen softness and lightness for spring and summer, and the colors remind us a bit of auto-striping "Silk Garden." This bright, beautiful yarn woudl be perfect for pullovers, tops, boleros, cardigans, bags, and shawls.




Eisaku Noro has created Furisode yarn using the bright colors of the Japanese furisode, the kimono worn by unmarried women for formal occasions. Noro combines raw silk with cotton and a touch of wool for a heavy worsted wonder. This self-striping yarn is a marvelous choice for your knitting and crocheted tops, cardis, scarves, shawls & bags during the warm weather.

Be sure to shop Yarnmarket.com for all your Noro yarns. We've got lots in stock and ready to ship for fast delivery!

New BargainYARNS Alert! features more yarn sale items.

This week we launched a new, improved BargainYARNS Alert to mark the beginning of a new direction for BargainYARNS...and new savings opportunities for you.

The introduction of N.Y. Yarns on BargainYARNS is the start of a new direction for us, and new savings opportunities for you. N.Y. Yarns delivers the color, style and creative kick of big-city fashion, but without the big-city price tag. BargainYARNS will now offer N.Y. Yarns at everyday low prices. This will be the first of many new value-priced yarns that we plan to add in the coming months. Of course, we'll also continue to bring you select discounted yarns on a regular basis, so your chances to knit more and pay less are growing with BargainYARNS.

Action yarn is a chunky wool-acrylic blend that features the skillful twisting of two multicolor strands of yarn to create lovely muted color patterns. Action works up quickly to make unique garments, accessories and even afghans. Best of all, Action is machine washable in cool water. Action Pattern Booklet #NY-037 features three stylish patterns including a tunic length vest, chunky rib hat and cabled scarf, and a turtle neck with ribbed yoke. A second booklet, Action #NY-031 features a beautiful afghan, a man's pullover, vest & hat, denim cap & bag, and a stylish cowl.

Another N.Y. Yarn we've added is Grande, a light and lofty super-bulky wool blend that's perfect for creating chunky accessories and outerwear. Grande pattern booklet #NY-036 features for great projects: a textured outer-vest, a deep-rib beret and seed stitch scarf, a cabled caplet and chunky hat, and a cropped V-neck cardigan.
For a limited time, you'll save 20% off any purchase of any N.Y. Yarns pattern book or yarn. This special introductory offer ends on March 31st.

We've added all sorts of new value-priced products as well as sale items chosen from Yarnmarket.com. So visit our shop soon to find your bargain yarn. And while you're there be sure to sign up for the BargainYARNS Alert! so you'll be among the first to know about special prices and great new deals.Now, we'll not only carry ends-of-lines and other special buys, we're also adding a full array of value-priced yarns for those who are seeking good quality at great savings.

Rozetti Cocoon Yarn has FREE Scarf Pattern with every purchase!

Take a look at this plush, gorgeous yarn. It's something new at Yarnmarket.com and we think you're going to love it. It's got huge cocoon-shaped puffs that are as soft as anything you've ever cuddled. They're bound together on a strand of washable polyester, and in the prettiest colors and multis you can imagine.

Rozetti Cocoon is great to knit or crochet fluffy scarves, plush wraps, nubby sweaters for cold weather or year-round use. Better yet, "Cocoon" is super chunky, so you can knit something up really quickly whether you're a beginner just getting started or a more experienced knitter or crocheter needing fast results.

Right now, we're offering a free scarf pattern with easy-to-follow instructions when you purchase just one ball of this gorgeously soft and comfy yarn. Be sure to visit Yarnmarket.com to see the variety of colors for this yarn and to check out the pattern for a fashion that's become very popular in Europe.

Knit 'n Style features Artyarns Impressionist Collection by Yarnmarket

Isn't this great? Penelope Taylor and the wonderful folks over at Knit 'n Style selected an Iris Schreier original for the cover of the June 2009. And it's a pattern developed for Yarnmarket's Impressionist Collection Yarn in Regal Silk and Beaded Silk.

We're really excited because the entire Impressionist Collection line is exclusive to Yarnmarket.com. We selected paintings from some of the world's most renowned Impressionist artists and then asked many of the most skilled yarn dyers in America to interpret them in a variety of fibers. Iris Schreier and Artyarns were the very first to launch an Impressionist Collection yarn.






The color shown here is Paris Rain based on Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day. If you'd like to buy the entire project, you'll find everything you need here. You can also check out our site for more of our gorgeous Impressionist Collection yarns developed by the fantastically talented Iris Schrier. And don't forget to pick up your latest copy of Knit 'n Style.

Verena Spring Issue has Arrived.

There are lots of fantastic patterns you'll want to make for your spring wardrobe. If you're looking for yarns for the Verena patterns, Yarnmarket has a lot of them in-stock and ready for immediate shipping.

I've created a list of the patterns that use Yarnmarket.com yarns:

#4 - New Growth uses Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton
#5 - Field of dreams uses Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton
#6 - Texture & contract uses Rowan Cotton Glace
#9 - Romatica uses Gedifra Mayra
#10 - On the Road uses Lang Lyra
#12 - Penelope uses Rowan Cotton Glace
#18 - Fashionista uses Lang Lyra
#24 - Roundabout uses Rowan Milk Cotton
#35 - Relax uses Gedifra Ayala
#37 - Date uses Gedifra Rubens
#45 - Green Grass Dress uses Gedifra Mayra
#46 - Milkshake Sweater uses Rowan Milk Cotton
#47 - Blocks uses Rowan Cotton Glace
#48 - Blossoms uses Rowan Milk Cotton
#49 - Patches uses Berroco Pure Pima

We have all these yarns in-stock for shipping within 24 hours, and we provide free shipping on US orders over $100.

We're delighted to have so many of the fabulous yarns that are featuring in this issue of Verena!

Just Added! Colinette Yarns are at Yarnmarket

We've just added two wonderful Colinette yarns to Yarnmarket.com and we couldn't be happier.

Giotta is a glimmering blend of rayon with soft cotton plus a bit of nylon. This multi-seasonal ribbon yarn features subtle contrasts built around the sheen and matte features of the fibers. Each hank is hand-painted by Welsh artisans and because the various fibers absorb the dyes differently you see subtle differences in the shades of each colorway. There are some gorgeous patterns for this yarn, so be sure to check them out.

Jitterbug by Colinette is made of soft merino spun as a traditional 4-ply, fingering-weight. I'm thinking of making some socks with this because one hank will make a pair that is wearable and durable socks. You might consider a lightweight sweater, scarf or shawl. Like the Giotta yarn, this hand painted. Each hank comes with a free sock pattern attached to the label.

Yarnmarket is continuing to add lots of great new yarns every week. Be sure to check out our site often -- and to sign up for our newsletters -- so you'll know what's new in stock.

Win a $1000 Yarnmarket Gift Certificate!

Have you designed something that you're really proud of? Do you want to show it off to the entire community of knitters? And would you like to see others also create your masterpiece? If so, you want to hurry up and enter the Yarnmarket and TKGA Knitting Pattern Design Contest.

We're offering a GRAND PRIZE of $1000 to spend at Yarnmarket. That's a heck of a lot of yarn...and enough money to knit yourself that heirloom Vicuna piece you've always wanted.

We have lots of different categories for the knitting design contest -- and three prizes per category -- so you've got a great chance to win. For all the details, visit the TKGA web site.

Be sure to enter soon because the deadline is almost here. We've extended it to March 20 to give a few folks the extra time they needed. No need to send the original garments. Photographs are fine for the first phase of judging.

The finalists will be announced and presented at the TKGA Knit and Crochet Show in Portland, Oregon in May.

Yarnmarket presents Lang Andina

Today we got in the most gorgeous yarn I've felt in a long time. It's Lang Andina and it's so luxuriously soft you'll want to knit something up for someone you love...and then keep it all to yourself!

It's a gorgeous chunky yarn made of 100% baby alpaca. Or, as it should be called, "alpacaaaaaah..."

The Lang pattern books that include styles for this yarn are absolutely fabulous. The styles are very modern and youthful. There's a really European feel. The best thing is that this is a gloriously warm yarn so these garments are great for even the coldest days of the year.

If you're looking for a quick-to-knit project for big needles, you'll want to check out the nine fantastic shades of Lang Andina that have just arrived at Yarnmarket.com.