Newsletter 893
The First Word about the Last Word
It's always exciting when we get a new sample finished and off the needles for use in the shop! Frequent Haus instructor Alison recently held a series of sessions that focused on a specific project: everyone in the class made designer Thea Colman's Last Word, a spectacular vest that features strong, flattering design lines contrasted with delicate open lace. We loved the end result so much, we slung it up on a mannequin right by the front door and are thrilled to tell you all about it so that you can make your very own.
Alison used Ultra Alpaca, the soft and sturdy workhorse yarn everyone loves. It's an ideal balance of luxurious super fine alpaca and Peruvian highland wool blended and spun together for perfectly round, light results. Haus stocks Ultra Alpaca in over forty colors (!). Alison used neutral Moonshadow for hers, but we think Last Word is a perfect candidate for Ultra Alpaca's more jewel-y tones! If you have trouble choosing, make multiple Last Words! Requiring between three and six skeins (depending on size; refer to chart above for guidance), this project is easy on the pocketbook.
Find the pattern for Last Word RIGHT HERE. Ultra Alpaca is RIGHT HERE.
Scare Up Some Spooky Socks!
We're ready to jump into all the spooky October feels sporting new socks! We've got five vibrant Halloween-themed colorways of Oink's Targhee Sock ready to work up into fantastic seasonally-inspired lil' foot costumes!
Targhee Sock is bouncy and fabulous, and its medium-long staple yarn has excellent strength, while still maintaining next-to-skin softness. It'll bloom beautifully with blocking. Grown, processed, and spun in the USA, this is an absolutely terrific option for sock knitting.
In addition to these boo-tiful colorways, we've got a healthy batch of Oink's little Piglet mini-skeins for contrasting heels and toes, if that's your thing!
Shop the Oink Pigments shelf HERE! A single skein will take care of a pair; we like Summer Lee's free I'm So Basic Socks pattern. Don't forget to take a look at those coordinating minis for contrast toes and heels!
Trick or Treat: More Halloween Goodies!
New to the Haus of Yarn's ever-expanding lineup of adorable silicone stitch stoppers: jack-o-lanterns! These fabulous needle point protectors come in a set of two and fit US 2 - US 15 knitting needles. They'll help ensure that your precious stitches stay on the needles when you aren't working on a project. And they cost about the same as a pumpkin spice latte!
You can find them RIGHT HERE - along with some other cute options that are not jack-o-lanterns.
We also called upon in-Haus bag-making savant Vicki to come up with one of her custom BlackCat Bags for us....in a Halloween motif. In this case, it's an adorable zip pouch perfect for holding knitting or sewing notions - or just about anything else. Each pouch is individually cut and sewn using a linen/cotton blend fabric (with a coordinating cotton lining) and measures 8"x5.5".
You can find the pouch RIGHT HERE. And there's always a shelf of her other BlackCat Bag format - a traditional dopp shape - in the "local" nook of the store (you can also find the current batch online RIGHT HERE). There's quite a range and they change with some frequency, so do check in often!
Restock News
This Week in the "Last Second Fiddly Bits At the Cash Register" Department: Twice Sheared Sheep's Sock Sizing Bracelet Ruler and Quick Gauge ruler have been restocked! Plus, ever-popular Cumulus Rainbow.
Sock Sizing Ruler
Always knit the correct sock size, no matter who the recipient is. Works for both top down or toe up socks; simply place the ruler with the arrow snug into the heel (or toe) of your sock and knit until you reach the line for your desired size. Then just begin working your toe (or your heel!). Accounts for a 2″ heel and toe. No math: just knit!
Quick Gauge Swatch Ruler
Quickly check the stitch gauge on your project in both knit and crochet. No counting needed! Simply slide the Quick Gauge ruler over your project until the stitches line up inside one of the gauge grids. The matching grid shows your stitch count per inch.
You can find all things Twice Sheared Sheep RIGHT HERE.
Cumulus Rainbow!
We've had Cumulus Rainbow from Juniper Moon Farm for a while now and maaan y'all love it! If you've never had this yarn in your hands before, it'll surely have you audibly exclaiming, "that is sooooo soft!" Cumulus Rainbow is a cloud-like worsted weight, chainette cotton yarn with a touch of nylon for durability.
Using two cakes of it, we worked up a car seat blanket. Begin from the outside of cake #1 and then work cake #2 from the center out, (which keeps the ombre color sequence seamless). Our blanket is 23" wide by 33" long - a perfect size for a car seat baby blanket (or, uh, a puppy throw). We'll include the pattern (it's an easy one!) for free when you buy two skeins of Rainbow Cumulus. You can find all of the available colors RIGHT HERE; ours is in Tropical Sunset.