We’ve been gushing about the Handmaiden Swiss Mountain Cashmere and Silk ever since it first arrived in our stores a couple of months ago. It’s a sumptuous mix of 65% cashmere and 35% silk. We often have customers do a ‘touch test’ of this yarn and it never disappoints. It’s simply divine. Knitters Review recently described this yarn as an ‘extraordinary cashmere’. And Clara Parkes has touched a lot of cashmere. Read the entire review right here. Here’s a hat pattern that uses just one skein of SMCS. The hat is on display in our Point Grey store.

Knitters Review also likes Lantern Moon’s new Sox Stix:

Here’s the review. Sox Stix are 5″ rosewood or ebony dp’s, sizes 2 to 3.75 mm, that are packaged in a cute organza fabric pouch. One of these sets would be a great ‘needle and notion’ bag to accompany your latest sock project. They’d also make a great gift for a fellow sock-knitter.

And if you’ve caught the pervasive sock-knitting bug, you should check out the Knitters Review top-four picks of the many recently published sock books. We have three of these books in our stores. The popular Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd, has a wonderful collection of tips and techniques for any sock-knitter, from beginner to experienced:

Amongst the many great sock patterns in this book is a versatile basic sock pattern that’s provided in 5 different yarn gauges and 5 different sizes.

Interweave’s Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs is a collection of nineteen of the best sock designs from past issues of Interweave and Spin Off magazines:

In addition to the wonderful patterns there are some very useful technique illustrations.

And then there’s Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Sock Book:

This book has some sock-knitting history, great technique descriptions and twenty-five beautiful patterns. A very handy feature of this book is the “sock calculator” that allows you to modify two basic sock patterns, one top-down and one toe-up, for 3 different yarn gauges and 10 different sizes. Casting all modesty aside, Vogue calls this book, “…the most complete guide to sock knitting ever published.” Check it out and see if you agree.

We’ve had a few brilliantly sunny days in Vancouver so it’s fitting that the first of our new Spring yarns arrived today. It’s the gorgeous Noro Taiyo, an aran weight yarn that’s 40% cotton, 30% silk, 15% wool and 15% nylon. A great addition to our Noro collection.

Speaking of Noro, I finished the Iro scarf last week. It’s Jared Flood’s “You’re My Iro“:

I have to say, I love this scarf. It’s quick to knit, the colours are superb and it’s a pleasure to wear. I used two skeins of Iro, no. 43. Just cast on 18 stitches with 7mm needles and knit until you’re done.

And now on to our special of the week which is Alessandra Gemma, on sale at 30% off. Gemma is a beautiful ribbon effect yarn that comes in gorgeous vibrant colours.

Check out all of our current and upcoming specials right here. There are some great bargains waiting for you.

We’ve added four new luxurious RYC yarns to our collection. First up is Baby Alpaca DK, a wonderfully soft pure alpaca. The Classic Alpaca Collection book features many designs for both men and women, all knit in this sumptuous yarn. Try knitting the stylish Linden Sweater:

Or the Cambridge Tank Top that’s available for both men and women:

Also have a look at the RYC Cashsoft Aran, a fantastic blend of wool and cashmere. We love the Sydney Cardigan from the Classic Travel Collection:

And be sure to check out the popular Cotton Jeans yarn that’s featured in one of our favourite RYC books, Classic Coast. The Hartland Jacket is a striking design with a ribbon tie and textured edging:

Last but not least is Cashcotton DK, a beautiful blend of cotton and cashmere. The Classic Cafe book has twelve Cashcotton DK designs, including the Empire Sweater, a contemporary fitted crew neck sweater with lovely cable and bead detailing:

We think you’ll enjoy these latest additions to our collection…

We were smitten with Kathy Merrick’s Babette Blanket when Kim Werker showed it off at our Crochet Me event last October. Here’s a photo of this stunning creation:

We’ve been pestering Kim for the pattern ever since and it’s finally available. You can download the pattern right here.

The blanket is crocheted with 17 different colours of Koigu KPM and we’ve added all of these colours to our pending Koigu order. Let us know if you’d like a phone call when it arrives.

As promised, we’ll offer a Babette Blanket crochet class sometime in the Spring. Let us know if you’re interested and we’ll call you when the class has been scheduled.

And please, don’t forget to send us photos when you’ve finished your blanket!

We love the Blue Sky Alpacas yarn and patterns. The yarn is to-die-for and the patterns are perfect. Look what Anina’s been knitting lately:

This is the gorgeous Scoop Neck Vest, knit with a sumptuous combination of Alpaca Silk and Brushed Suri. It looks even better on Anina. Our friend Cathy also knit this vest and I overheard her tell someone, “…it’s one of the nicest projects I’ve done in a long time. It turned out exactly the way it’s supposed to.” What more can you ask for?

Anina also knit the popular Armwarmers, with the luscious Melange:

She then moved on to the Worsted Hat, knit with the lovely Worsted Hand-Dyed yarn:

A classic, good-looking hat that’s comfy to wear. The pattern also has a matching scarf, it’s a great set.

We love the Blue Sky yarns so much that we keep adding new ones. This week we received the gorgeous Duotones:

It’s a stunning handpainted yarn that’s 50% alpaca, 50% wool. You could knit the adorable Bulky Baby Hat or the Fitted Jacket with this one.

We carry most of the Blue Sky line of yarns including Alpaca & Silk, Brushed Suri, Dyed Cotton, Melange, Organic Cotton, Royal, Sportweight, Suri Merino and Worsted Hand-Dyes. Look at them all hanging beautifully on our Blue Sky wall:

Watch for five bright new Spring colours of Alpaca Silk and the new yarn, Skinny Cotton, coming very soon.

We also carry most of the fantastic Blue Sky patterns for all kinds of garments and other beautiful things that you can make with these luxurious fibres.

Looking to indulge yourself? This would be a great place to start…

We’ve scheduled our new 2008 classes for Edgemont Village.

On Monday evening, February 4, we’ll run another Sock Boot Camp, with Sergeant Jackie Blackmore in command. Learn to knit a top-down training sock in just one day. Carol sent us an email after her Sock Boot Camp with Jackie this week. She wrote, “…I wanted to say thank you for a great class. I decided to come at the last minute and I’m glad I did. The directions were so clear when added to her patient demos that I feel I can continue on my own now. She’s really an excellent teacher!” Thanks for the kind words Carol, we’re glad you enjoyed the class.

On Wednesday evenings, join Donna LeClair for an Intermediate Knitting Class. If you’re ready to move beyond the basics, this class will help take you to the next level. Choose a challenging project and Donna will help you work through it from start to finish. This class will run on four consecutive Wednesdays, starting on February 6.

It’s not to late to join the Aran Block of the Month class with Sandra Dunkin on Thursday evenings. You’ll learn a new cable pattern each month, creating blocks for an incredible afghan. We’ll pro-rate your class cost if you join part-way through the session. The next class is on January 24.

Learn the basic knitting skills on Sunday afternoons with Donna LeClair and Nicholas Jacques. This beginner knitting class will run on four consecutive Sundays, starting on February 3.

Have a look at the entire Urban Yarns class schedule right here. Many of these classes will fill up very quickly so please sign up early to avoid disappointment. If you’re interested in another type of class, please talk to Becky in Edgemont or Kathleen in Point Grey and they’ll try to schedule or customize a class for you. Or grab a few friends and organize a class that fits into your schedule. We have lots of instructors who would love to teach you a new skill!

We sure hope you like all the new stuff we bought at the TNNA show because there’s a ton of it! Listed in random order, check out some of the great products that will soon be arriving in our stores. There’s a shortage of photos because cameras aren’t allowed at the show. Also, many of these products are so new that the photos aren’t yet shown on the companies’ websites. We’ll try to post photos as the products arrive.

From Art Yarns, we ordered the stunning Beaded Rhapsody yarn that’s 70% mohair, 30% silk, with glass beads. This photo doesn’t really capture the beauty of this yarn, you have to fondle it to fully appreciate it:

We’ll finally have some of the fantastic Louet yarns. We like to support our fellow Canadian companies whenever possible. There’s the Euroflax sportweight that’s 100% linen, machine washable and dryable. Also the Gems sportweight that’s 100% wool. Both of these yarns have a beautiful contemporary colour palette. There are some great patterns available on the Louet website, like Lacey, a lovely feather and fan stole that’s knit with Euroflax.

There’s a great new Skinny Organic Cotton from Blue Sky Alpacas, together with some superb new patterns for this yarn including the Lacy Wrap Sweater, Skinny Cardigan, Sleeveless Wrap Top and Tie Sweater. These products aren’t yet on the BSA website but they’ll show up sometime soon.

We re-stocked our Koigu yarn supply and added some of the beautiful Kersti yarn to our collection.

We also re-stocked our Alchemy yarn supply of Silken Straw, Haiku and Silk Purse, the yarns used in Alchemy’s new book, Destination Alchemy, with twenty of their best-selling designs. Coming soon.

The Spring Rowan Magazine 43 will be shipped to us this week and you’ll like the lower price tag. The stronger Canadian dollar is finally resulting in lower pricing for some of our products. We’ve ordered Rowan’s new organic cotton yarn, Purelife, together with the accompanying pattern book, The Organic Cotton Collection. We’ve also ordered the new pattern book for Rowan All Seasons Cotton, All Seasons at the Mill. And we’re finally able to order some of the Rowan books you’ve been requesting, like Classic Knits for Real Women and Knitting For Him. All coming very soon.

We’ve broken into the Nashua yarn line with a big order of their Creative Focus Cotton that’s 100% mercerized cotton. We think you’ll like this yarn and the accompanying kids’ pattern book.

And we ordered some of the gorgeous Misti Alpaca handpainted baby alpaca. This family company goes back four generations and remains linked to all stages of the alpaca industry in Peru, from raising alpacas to processing and marketing the alpaca yarn.

There are bunches of new kits on their way. From Bully Woolies, there’s the Three Blind Mice kit with enough yarn, bells and catnip to make five felted mice cat toys. Knitwhits has some very cute new Easter Egg kits. Make them with or without the basket:

From Pick Up Sticks, we’ll soon have the attractive new Ripple Tote Bag kit and we’ve re-stocked some of the popular Snugs kits. And we ordered the cutest new Happy Bunnies kits from Appalachian Baby Designs, with enough bright cotton yarn to knit either a sweater or a hat, mitts and booties. These kits are beautifully packaged in a gift box with a matching gift card.

We also ordered a few new pattern collections, including the adorable little dinosaur designs from the Knitting at KNoon collection:

And we’ll soon have the fantastic Circular Clutches and Zhivago Bags from Offhand Designs. Knitty called the Circular Clutch “..the best case I’ve found anywhere for storing circular needles, period.” Anina and I will each be taking home a Clutch and a Bag. A girl just can’t have too many bags.

All this (and much more) will be arriving over the next few weeks. Feel free to phone and reserve any items that you can’t live without. We’ll call you when they arrive.

Almost forgot to report on the fashion show which opened with a stunning crocheted evening dress from Blue Sky Alpacas. We’ve ordered the pattern for anyone who’d like to crochet a brand new gown for summer parties. Just shorten it up if you’d rather have a knee-length dress than a floor-length gown. There were three gorgeous wedding pieces from Vogue Knitting – a wedding section will be part of Vogue’s Spring issue. We also loved the striking crocheted top that’s featured on the cover of the new Gedifra Highlights book. Gedifra always has a few cutting-edge designs in it’s collection and this year is no exception. Crochet is definitely working it’s way into the mainstream thanks to the efforts of Kim Werker and others. There were almost 100 garments in total, very inspiring!

And one last thing, our special this week is Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran, at 30% off. Check out the Brooklyn Tweed blog for Jared Flood’s version of the Zeebee hat, knit with the discontinued Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran. Scottish Tweed Aran would be a great substitute. Here’s Schmeebot’s pattern for the Zeebee hat.

Wait til you see all these lovely new things. We think you’ll be very inspired…

We tried to bring back the California sun but had no such luck. Sometimes it seems like the rain never stops in Vancouver this time of year.

As usual, the show was a crazy whirlwind. All the new products and designs seemed fresh and exciting on the first day but by the end of the second day, after many miles of aisle-walking, we were bleary-eyed, blathering and exhausted.

Some highlights of the show included Kaffe Fassett telling us he’d love to visit Vancouver – stay tuned, we’re working on that one. His new book, Kaffe Knits Again, will be shipped to us this week:

We had a lovely chat with Louisa Harding and Jane Ellison and we’re hoping for a visit from them later this year. Louisa has an uber-cute new baby book out this Spring and Jane is excited to be involved with the Mirasol project. A new book of her designs for the Spring/Summer Mirasol yarns will arrive very soon.

We chatted by the pool with Debbie Stoller and Shannon Oakey and with Kim Werker on aisle 300. Saw Erika Knight at the Rowan booth and met Ken, Mr. Big of Westminster Fibers. You’re going to love the new products and pricing from Rowan, RYC and Nashua. More news on that subject later… We also met Russell, Mr. Big of Sirdar and Sublime. He told us that some great new products will be released this year but wouldn’t divulge any details, even after a couple of glasses of wine.

Gina and Austin Wilde of Alchemy yarns were as charming as ever. They’ve self-published a new book that will soon be in our stores. We’ll have an Alchemy trunk show sometime this Spring. Their booth is always stunning, with unbelievable colours, textures and edgy designs everywhere you look:

And most importantly, we ordered loads of new products. Details will follow….

Sunshine, knitting, the beach, the pool, a mojito… You get the idea. I have to confess, we haven’t seen much yarn yet, but we’ve had lots of sun.

Sadly, I lost the coin toss and it’s me in the bikini photo.

I’m knitting Jared Flood’s Iro Scarf and absolutely loving it. I cast on 18 stitches using 7mm needles, garter stitch all the way. Jared knit his scarf in only one day, I think mine will be done in two.

Anina just finished a pair of slippers using some ultra-soft yarn that she purchased on her travels at (gasp!) another yarn store. A luscious combo of french angora, tussah silk and fine wool. If we find it at the show we will buy some and share with you.

Now we’re off to the Fashion Show where manufacturers and designers display their latest beautiful creations. The best of show receives first prize and bragging rights for the rest of the weekend. Should be fun…

Today’s special is Rowan Scottish Tweed Chunky, on sale at 30% off. This is a beautiful tweed yarn with a 12 st gauge. Perfect for a nice chunky scarf for your guy or for Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Ribwarmer, from her book “Knitting Workshop”. Check out Jared Flood’s version of Ribwarmer, knit with Scottish Tweed Chunky, colour no. 17.

Now I know what’s going to happen, you’re going to want to buy “Knitting Workshop” and sadly, we don’t have it. We hate to send you to a big American behemoth like Amazon, but just this once, we’ll do it in case you really need to have this book.

By the way, don’t stop at Jared Flood’s Ribwarmer. When you have a bit of time, pour yourself a glass of wine or make a cup of tea, sit down and have a closer look at his Brooklyn Tweed blog. It’s a veritable hotbed of knitting inspiration. I am normally not a big follower but I have to say, I want to knit pretty much every project posted on this blog. Check out his Iro scarf. The perfect movie-watching project that couldn’t be simpler, yet the end result is absolutely stunning. For something a little more challenging, check out his Hemlock Ring Blanket that’s an updated doily. Yes, I said doily. Please have a look before passing judgment. It’s an awesome contemporary take on a classic project. And how about his cutest-ever Christmas sweater ornaments. I know, we’re way past Christmas but I’ve just started my Christmas knitting list for this year and the first item is one of these ornaments. What a fantastic idea, he builds up a little collection of sweater ornaments, one or two per year. Anyways, if you haven’t visited lately, go to his blog and have a look at his jaw-dropping projects. Talk about inspiration!

Anina and I are off to Long Beach, California tomorrow for the sun National Needleworks Association annual West Coast show. We’ll try to find some great new products for you. Let us know if there’s anything you’d love to see in our stores. Might post from the show if we don’t have too many martinis meetings. See you next week…