You'll Want to See This!

Over the weekend, I popped into Yarn Cravin' to see what was new and I was glad that my trusty Nikon make the trip with me. You'll appreciate it too, I'm sure. I'll try to keep the verbage low, because there are many photos to show you all!

First up, Lotion Bars!!! These tins have a round, solid lotion bar inside. The solid lotion is great for knitters and other crafters because it is not greasy, and absorbs quickly, allowing you to get back to your fiber crafts quickly. These are also very portable and come in several yummy scents. Come and sniff!



Look at the adorable teddy bear and kitty cat tape measures! You've seen the sheep, and the round peppermint candy look-alike. Here are more critters to steal your hearts. Right behind them you'll see care labels for your knitted items made by SOAK. Attach a label to a knitted gift that tells the recipient just how to wash that special knitted item.



Just one hank of Berroco Jasper yarn made these three felted coasters! Buy two hanks and make a great house-warming gift, or send some off to college with your big kid. For that matter, make some for your own house! This is a quick and easy project. We can felt them at the shop if your washer at home won't do the trick. Just try to let us know ahead of time.



If you are a fan of Claudia Handpainted Yarns, check this out:



New colors have just arrived! Aren't they gorgeous? This is being sold as sock yarn, Fiber Friends, but I know you can think outside of the box and will figure out many other ways to use this beautiful yarn.

Are you looking for an eco-friendly yarn? Berroco Re-Mix just arrived (the photo below just shows a few colors!) and is made entirely of recycled fibers!!! It's a mix of several fibers - nylon cotton, linen, silk, but NO wool ... I'm probably forgetting something. I was amazed at how soft it felt, and each ball has 216 yards! This is a great yarn for those allergic to wool, or possibly for baby items.



Who is looking for something fun to knit for the holidays? Why not knit up a drawstring bag for someone special to carry during the winter? Or fill it with goodies and use it for your winter decorations. I find the little "coal" bag particularly amusing!



This item and the next really excited me. Many of you already have a needle gauge from Debra's Garden. Lo and behold, she's made one for sock and lace needles! This needle gauge goes down to size 000! If you know someone who has a love for knitting with teeny needles, this would make a great gift or stocking stuffer! There are several colors and they come in a matching drawstring pouch.



What really got me excited was this nifty gadget and I know a woman designed it. Look at this stitch counter! The inner circle goes up to stitches 1-9. The outer circle starts at 10... so stitch 11 would be 10 + 1. But wait, there's more!! If you look closely, at the very outer edge, at the bottom, you'll see a notch. At that spot, there's a blade, and that can be used to cut your yarn! Ingenious! These items are each individually hand made, so the price is a bit steep, but the quality on each one is high, and I think they will last for years. Send your significant others in to buy one for you! ;-)



You cannot have been in the shop recently and missed seeing all these little bundles of yarn being made or being passed around. Friday there was a whole basket full. See?



Bobbie and DaleAnn were sitting in the back making more of them as fast as they could and it's all because of this:



The shop is hosting a KAL (knit-a-long) for the 10-stitch blanket and if you haven't caught the mitred square madness, you probably will! In an ideal world, one would use sock yarn scraps. Being that not everyone is a sock knitter (what? some people don't knit socks?!), the lovely ladies at Yarn Cravin' are accommodating those knitters by making up bundles of "scraps" that are really new, for purchase. You can knit a blanket, a shawl, whatever your heart desires. The first official night for the KAL is August 18.

So, now that all of that is out of the way, please remember that your Summer Fair Projects are due at the yarn shop for "judging" before August 19. Your projects will be on display August 19-21 and voting is August 21. There will prizes in all categories!

The Fall/Winter class schedule will be out soon also. Keep your eyes open for that. If you saw something in these photos that caught your eye, hurry into the shop, or call and have someone hold it for you. Here today, gone tomorrow, you know. The early bird gets the worm.