big trends

Just when you think the tide is going to turn, knitters surprise you! After a few seasons of decline, we are seeing an uptick in interest in chunky gauge yarns. The yarn companies are responding by producing new chunky wools and excellent pattern support that includes more than the usual hats and scarves.

We have added 5 new chunky yarns (4 are brand new releases this season) and expanded our color selection on 2 of our current big yarns.

Gedifra Marachella is a super chunky yarn that knits at 1.5-2 stitches per inch on size US 15 or US 17 needles. It has the look of a looped boucle or ultra chunky tweed when knit. This yarn must be seen to be believed--it has a strand construction similar to the "railroad track" or "ladder" ribbon yarns that were released a few years ago, but the scale is much bigger! Come into the shop to see a knit swatch and look at the accompanying pattern book that contains fresh new hoodies, capes, vest, and sweaters.

Plymouth Expression is a thick and thin yarn that comes in rich marbled colors and knits at 2.5 stitches per inch. With Berroco discontinuing the very popular Foliage, we have been on a yarn hunt to find a suitable substitute. Like Foliage, this yarn is great for accessories and would knit into a fantastic quick afghan. Expression is a little thicker than its predecessor, but we have many patterns that can support this chunky gauge.


Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Tweed is a fun new addition to our chunky alpaca family. Last winter we could not keep the original Baby Alpaca Grande on our shelves. Holiday gift knitters were in love with the softness and beautiful colors of this luxury-on-a-budget yarn that knits up lightening fast. We have added Tweed to provide more options for those "subtle" folks we knit for--more neutral and masculine colors and style choices will give knitters more choices than the eternal black and dark grey for the gentlemen in their lives and the more color-conservative woman will find these colors appealing as well.

Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Hand Dye is the polar opposite of Tweed. It is more like its cousin Baby Alpaca Grande Paints which we added last season. Bold or rich colors on the soft alpaca fiber we all can't get enough of!Paints is a machine dyed variegated yarn, while Hand Dye is painted by individual human dyers, giving it a more natural and less uniform look similar to yarns like Ellyn Cooper, Great Adirondack, and Mountain Colors. The benefit of a large company like Plymouth throwing its hat in the ring of hand dyes is that you get more yardage for your dollar--And beautiful colors in a yarn that is already hard to resist!

Crystal Palace Kaya knits at 3-3.5 stitches per inch and comes in stria dyed colors that range from fun and funky to warm and masculine. i envision this yarn being perfect for quick gifts for men and women who like subtle yet interesting colors.

New colors have just arrived in Gedifra Lordana Boucle and the ever popular Rowan Big Wool. Stop in to visit these old favourites when you take in the new yarns!

happy socks!

Our sock yarns are a constantly revolving stock of delightful choices. We try new yarns regularly and rotate the companies and styles we offer to keep the selection fresh and dynamic. This fall we are happy to bring you a product that reflects one of the latest trends in sock knitting--pre-dyed blanks.

Plymouth Happy Choices is a sock yarn that comes to you knit into a flat piece of stockinette stitch fabric. You unravel the fabric and knit the sock off as you go. the pre-dyed pattern on the blank creates interesting color combinations down the length of your sock as you knit. Think of it as self-striping sock that is a surprise!

Another great feature of this yarn is portability. Socks are already a great "on the go" project, now with the yarn held as one piece of fabric that can be draped over your arm or around your neck, you never have to chase a yarn ball, making socks that much more practical for commuter knitters or anyone who tires of their ball running away or yarn tangling as it comes off the skein.

Finally, Happy Choices includes a free sock pattern, and the pre-dyed stockinette yarn can double as a scarf. Enjoy wearing the dyed blank before you knit it into a pair of socks!

changing shades

Self-striping yarn is a great tool to create projects that look more complex than they really are. Simple projects take on a whole new dimension when you let these fun yarns do the work--simply knit and they change colors as you work.

We have added 4 new colors to our most popular self-striping yarn--Trendsetter Tonalita. At 4.5 stitches per inch, it is ideal for many projects.

We are now adding a new self-striping yarn to our selections, this one in a finer gauge ideal for knitting sweaters and accessories--Berroco Geode.

Geode knits at 5 stitches per inch and comes in a variety of rich colors inspired by semi-precious stones. Come in a check out the patterns we have that are designed especially for this yarn!


project shown: G'Day in Berroco pattern booklet #276. come see the model of this sweater in the shop!

fall classes!

It is back to school time! We don't just mean for the kids, we mean for knitters too. our fall schedule of classes is now posted on our website.

Come join us for fun and informative sessions that will improve your knitting (or crochet!) Don't see the class you are interested in? Need a different time or day than we have offered? Come in and take a private lesson!

You can sign up for a class or lesson by calling the store at 301-652-8688 during regular business hours.

superwash!

We have been carrying two very popular superwash merino wools for several seasons. They have been the choice of knitters who want the softness and warmth of wool and the easy care of a washable yarn. We have decided to expand our range of superwash wools to better serve out customers' who desire all these qualities in a wool yarn and need greater flexability in pattern gauges.

We are also ading new colors to out old stand-bys, Berroco Pure Merino (4.5 stitches/inch) and Karabella Superwash Merino (4 stitches/inch).

Our new superwash merino yarns are Berroco Pure Merino DK (5.5 stitches/inch), Crystal Palace Merino 5 (5 stitches/inch), and Lang Merino 70 (3.5 stitches/inch).

Pure Merino DK and Merino 5 would make ideal baby garments, and the chunky warmth of Merino 70 would be a fantastic pair of mittens or bulky scarf. Any of our superwash yarns would make a fantastic afghan, and all of them have great stitch definition useful in cable and texture patterns. Stop in and see us for one of these great new wools.

pictured project: Berroco's Alexi Throw knit in Pure Merino.

out with the old

We are in the process of bringing the new yarns for Fall into the shop. That means some old friends are being phased out to make room for exciting new selections!

Currently our sale bin is overflowing with delicious yarns at 30% off. We have moved some Prism yarns, Frog Tree Merino, and large project quantities of Cascade's Dolly out into the hallway.

We still have some Manos Cotton Stria, Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, and Rowan Cotton Jeans in quantity.

Take advantage of this opportunity to get quality yarns at 30% 0ff the retail price while they last!

Next up.... this new fall yarn I speak of!

join the family

At Knit+Stitch we strive to be your favorite place to shop. Why not make us your favorite place to work? We are now hiring new part time members for our team. Current openings are for weekday shifts (11am-3pm, 3pm-6:30pm, potential for full days.) All weekday employees have the opportunity to work some weekends.

Working in a yarn shop can be fun and rewarding. No two days are exactly the same, and you get to meet many people who enjoy the same hobbies as you.

Duties

• Assisting customers in selecting appropriate projects for their skill level and taste.
• Assisting customers in finding the correct yarn for projects.
• Answering customer questions and helping to fix knitting mistakes.
• Ringing up sales using a computer base retail sales program. Also includes performing returns/exchanges, voids, and closing the register at the end of the day. (we train)
  
• Stocking and organizing inventory including yarn, books, loose leaf patterns, and notions.

Required Qualifications

• Knitting experience. You must have intermediate level knitting skills that qualify you to assist customers in identifying and fixing mistakes. You should be able to confidently cast on, knit, purl, bind off, work both increases and decreases, knit in the round, work basic repeating pattern stitches (i.e. ribbing, seed, basket weave, etc.) and read patterns.

• Yarn familiarity. You must be able to confidently substitute yarns for customers. If we do not already carry the specific yarn they are looking for, you should be able to help them find another choice that is the appropriate gauge, fiber content, and washability. You should also be able to help them match the correct needles size to the desired yarn.

• Customer service. A ready smile, eagerness to help, and a sense of humor are a must.

Other Qualifications... these are helpful but not required.

• “Other” knitting skills. Each of us in the shop has favorite types of projects and areas of expertise such as lace knitting, colorwork, sock knitting, and crochet. While these skills are not required, they are helpful.

• Teaching experience. Teaching opportunities are available to employees with appropriate knitting skills and experience instructing classes, groups, or individuals. We teach everything from beginner knitting in groups to one on one private lessons on a specific project.

• Finishing techniques. Employees with superior finishing skills have the opportunity to finish (including seaming, blocking, etc) customer projects. Compensation is determined by complexity of project.

Interested? Think you would be a good fit? Call the shop at 301-652-8688 to set up an appointment to meet with our owner, Lyn. She can also be reached by email at LynErmer@aol.com.

another yarn bites the dust

Summer is a time for planning. Here at the store, Lyn is deciding which yarns will go and which will stay. We also have some that get replaced by other similar products that we feel our customers may like better.

On the way out the door, they hit the sale bin. This week all of our Manos Cotton Stria (100% kettle dyed cotton) has been marked down to 30% off the original price. it now costs $6.97 per skein, marked down from $9.95.

We currently stock several textured cottons in this gauge, and we have decided to phase out some of them in favor of the Mission Falls 1824 Cotton. Come in and take advantage of this great deal on Manos Cotton!