April Newsletter Just Released - New Yarns and Patterns!

Jan has released her April Edition of the Yarnmarket Newsletter. In it, she presents the Spring Fashion Forecast for layers, feminine details and bright accent colors. Additionally, she welcomes to Yarnmarket Alchemy Yarns, an exciting new addition to our shop.

She also presents some marvelous new spring yarns and books from Berroco, two new cotton blends from Gedifra, and two gorgeous new Impressionist Collection patterns.

Be sure to subscribe to the Yarnmarket Newsletter so you'll receive our newsletters, bulletins and special alerts.

Knitting is good for you!

A recent study from the Mayo Clinic confirms that knitting can not only help keep your brain active, it also has great physiological benefits such as stress reduction, pain management and improvement of your immune system!


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UPDATE - Today I feel goofy enough to give away yarn.

The winner of the yarn, and the 27th email, came from Esther in Germany! I also gave away a couple of other gift certificates...just because I felt like it.

The first person to respond got one just for being so quick. And then a lady in Toronto won one for being the first Canadian Raveler to respond.

I was surprised to see entries from Europe and Scandanavia...which is great because it shows how truly global Ravelry has become.

Thanks so much to all of you who participated. Keep your eye out for more spur-of-the-moment giveaways.



Okay, Ravelers...here's your big chance to win a skein of gorgeous Alchemy yarns. The 27th person to send me an email at deborah@yarnmarket.com will win a gift certificate for $35. That should cover the cost of a single skein plus shipping.

Why 27, you ask? Because that's how many years I've been married to Alex.

So stop whatever it is you're doing and send me an email. I'm sitting here all alone at my computer...and I just love to receive mail!

Oh...I almost forgot. One entry each, please.

Quake Victim Spent 30 Hours Knitting

I just read this on TimesOnline from the UK. A lady who was trapped by the earthquake in Italy spent her time knitting!

Another of those rescued today was Maria D’Antuono, 98, who said that she had spent 30 hours knitting as she waited to be freed from her ruined home.

"I worked, I knitted," said Mrs D'Antuono, from the village of Tempera, close to L'Aquila. The redoubtable nonagenarian told rescuers that she was in good health when she was found this morning, according to Sky TG24.

We're going to try to find that incredible lady. And when we do, we're sending her some yarn!

Alchemy has arrived at Yarnmarket!

We're really excited about the addition of Alchemy Yarns. For years, we've lusted after their gorgeous fibers and colors, and we're elated to finally be able to offer them to our customers.

Alchemy Yarns of Transformation are truly luxurious hand-painted and dyed yarns for knitting, crocheting and weaving. The colors are positively glorious -- they look particularly stunning in the patterns designed by the company's owner, Gina Wilde. We're now also offering wonderful Alchemy books and patterns, too!

The lines we've just added online are Silken Straw, Silk Purse and Haiku.

Alchemy Silken Straw is a pure silk ribbon that has a wondrous sheen and the fabulous color blends Alchemy Yarns are known for. We've got both Colorways and Elements and they're absolutely fabulous. This is a DK-weight that magically softens as you work with it and is even softer yet after the completed projects are worn and washed.

Alchemy Silk Purse is 100% slubbed silk with Colorways and Elements versions (representing earth, air, water, fire and metal). This brilliantly colored yarn has great texture, and it's super soft with a superb sheen. We recommend it for scarves, shawls, tops, sweaters & more.

Alchemy Haiku Colorways and Elements are superbly crafted of 60% mohair & 40% silk. The brushed mohair fiber blend has beautiful shimmer from the silk and terrific loft from the mohair. This yarn is a great choice for projects that are sumptuously soft against the skin.

Be sure to check out all our new Alchemy yarns. We're really excited to be adding them to our roster and we hope you enjoy knitting with these wonderful creations by Gena Wilde.

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!