HOOVER'S HOLIDAY JUMPER

Happy New Year from our family to yours! Just as Hoover's book states, "Keep Calm and Carry On," we've had quite a year of ups and downs. It's no secret that life is full of that and often the media tends to amplify way more of the negative than positive. So my personal resolution for the new year is to take some time to relax, unplug, spend more time doing things I love to do rather than things I HAVE to do and lastly, look for the beauty in everything and everyone surrounding us. There's so much out there to be grateful for and I'm coming to the age where I choose to embrace that. Our world has become more complicated and hectic than ever and if I were to predict a trend for the upcoming year it would involve people choosing to participate in activities that calm them the heck down--knitting being one of them. After the frenzy of opening packages and preparing the Christmas meal, I trolled the internet, looking for an easy pattern. Let's hear it for the designers out there who choose to share their designs. Thank you to Ravelry for that and also Knitty, the online magazine, where I found this adorable doggie sweater pattern called Penny by the talented designer Corinne Niessner. I whipped up this adorable jumper for my baby pomeranian Hoover in just a few hours--truly bringing me peace and joy on the holiday. Best wishes everyone for a safe, happy and healthy new year! xo RT

FEATHER AND FAN SCARF or STOLE

As knitters, we love combining texture, color and technique. This super easy, tried and true pattern, the good-ole Feather and Fan, works up so beautifully when combining mohair with a delicate sock yarn. Colinette has been a favorite of ours for years and their Fabulous AbFab kits have been a popular choice for designer throws. This twist lets you get a glimpse of what you can create but on a smaller scale. Excellent gift idea for the holidays. MATERIALS 2 skeins RT Mohair (hold mohair doubled throughout pattern) 1 skein Colinette Jitterbug (carry this yarn single-stranded) Size 9 needles DIRECTIONS Cast on 38 stitches for scarf or (74)sts for stole with Jitterbug. Row 1: Knit. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: K1, *K2TOG 3 times, [YO, K1] 6 times, K2TOG 3 times, repeat from * 1 (3) times more, K1. Row 4: Knit. Rows 5-8: Cut Jitterbug and repeat Rows 1-4 with RT Mohair. Do not cut Mohair, but rather carry it up the side until needed again. This will save yarn and time weaving in ends. Rows 9-12: Repeat Rows 1-4 with Jitterbug. Rows 13-16: Repeat Rows 1-4 with Mohair. Repeat these 16 rows until your scarf or shawl reaches 60 inches or desired length. Work a final repeat of Rows 1-4 with Jitterbug. Bind off, weave in ends and block.

Great Balls of Yarn's J. Crew Inspired Blanket--FREE PATTERN DAY!

Autumn is in the air and that always makes us think of snuggling up with a loved one, especially in front of a crackling fire...This is a simple pattern that has a JCrew feel and an interesting design element to it. We recommend Berocco Vintage for this pattern but really, any worsted weight, washable yarn will work. The pattern is sized for a baby blanket, but the simple 12 stitch square pattern repeat makes it easily adaptable to any size. Soft, squishy and a classic knit. Have fun!

FINISHED SIZE: 30 by 24 inches GAUGE: 17 sts and 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch MATERIALS: 4 skeins Berocco Vintage and size 8 needles (we used a 24" circular) DIRECTIONS: CO 132 sts. ROWS 1-16: Knit. BEGIN SQUARE PATTERN: ROW 1 (RS): Knit. ROW 2 (WS): Knit 8, (Purl 8, Knit 4) 9 times, Purl 8, Knit 8. ROWS 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11: Repeat Row 1. ROWS 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12: Repeat Row 2. ROWS 13-18: Knit. Repeat pattern (Rows 1-18) 11 times more. Repeat Rows 1-12 once more. Knit 16 rows for border. Bind off, and weave loose ends to wrong side of work and block to size. We have a terrific selection of Vintage and Plymouth Encore in stores now. If you choose to make this pattern using a hand-dye, be sure to interchange two balls throughout the pattern to avoid color pooling and to meld dye lots.

GREAT BALLS OF YARN WELCOMES NEW NORO COLORS FOR FALL

Ahhhh, the smell of leaves in the air. Well, OK not so much here in South Florida. But we do love our fall knitting and getting ready for the holiday season as it will sneak up upon us quickly. Some yarns just speak to you and the colors of NORO really do that for us, especially during this time of year. NORO has been around for decades and has come in many forms but most notably, their Kuryeon collection of colors is far and away the most vibrant. With the introduction of the new NORO magazine, we are again inspired by the amazingly vibrant colors and designs that only the folks at NORO can offer. Here are two of my personal favorites--a cool easy swing caplet and this adorable checkerboard cap. We have our own in house stained glass pattern done up as a beret and of course we will give away our pattern with the purchase of the yarn. When using two different skeins in the checkerboard pattern it creates a magnificent effect.

We're also pleased to bring in another new attraction from NORO called FOSSA. A boucled little number, this yarn is a little more muted but features the long running colors through a soft moddled fiber. A really nice choice for scarves and items worn close to the body. Check it out!

RIC RAC'S THE RAGE!

This super easy scarf was knitted in less than an hour with a cool new yarn from Berocco called Ric Rac. We love it!! At a price point under $25, this yarn works up fast and makes a delightful holiday gift! We've also seen it done in a larger boa and most elegantly as a warm and cozy winter cowl. A fun new twist on the ruffle stuff! We have many colors in stock now to choose from and if self-ruffling yarns are what you crave choose from other new arrivals like Serpentine from Trendsetter or Bacopa--both easy to knit and crochet! Now that football season is on in full force it's a great time to work on all those holiday presents...

SAY HELLO TO LA FURLA and LUNA!

The folks at Trendsetter have done it again...say hello to La Furla, a long, lashy, super soft yarn that works up quickly into a gorgeous boa like this one pictured here. Or, choose to trim your favorite afghan, sweater, cape, hat--whatever--with it. We also have a hand-dyed version of it from Prism called Plume, pictured to the left. Same yarn, it's just one is machine dyed, the other dyed by the master artisans at Prism Arts. Your choice!

For those of you who are beginners, this lovely concoction works up quickly on a size 10 needle to make a bold scarf. We love it! Also new from Trendsetter is a sparkly, sequined nember called Luna. Boasting 350 yards in just one ball, Luna is a divine accent for most any special project. It comes in a variety of neutrals to give your projects a special touch.

NEW TUNISIAN CROCHET CLASSES JOIN LINE-UP FOR SPRING

With spring comes a re-birth and we've taken a whole new look at crochet this season. Tunisian crochet lends itself to a variety of uses. Because it's more flexible than your typical crochet stitch, Tunisian crochet yields a more wearable fabric that can used for shawls, kimonos, and even basic sweaters. It's woven appearance and gentle drape make it an exceptional choice for multi-textured or hand-painted yarns. We especially had fun making a gorgeous ponchetto in a variety of novelty yarns on a gynormous P hook! We trimmed it with Poppy, a self-ruffling yarn from Trendsetter and it came out so cool!

With the Tunisian crochet, you can either change your yarns each row, or make an interesting repeat. It's forgiving for newcomers to crochet and it's a great stash-buster too! Spring into something new this May and sign up for our Tunisian crochet class. You'll find it fun, fresh and an interesting new tool in your repertoire. Click on our class page for updates to this spring's class line-up!