Newsletter 953

Uneek Minis!

We're never really quite certain when full-on holiday knitting begins - or when we should start talking about it - but it definitely feeeeeels like time! 

One thing we love about these Uneek Sock kits from Urth Yarns is that they're perfect gifts, whether you make the socks and give them away to a cold-footed recipient or give the beautiful little boxed kit itself to a fellow knitter (the minis are priced just right for holiday knitting-group gifting).

These self-striping kits are based on Uneek's most popular adult-sized colorways...only scaled down to adorable-sized! There's a sock pattern included (it's a QR-code, so get out your phone) that'll have you working these up in no time.

These sock kits are also suited for lightweight self-striping accessories and garments for all age ranges; the self-striping will have different results.

The Uneek Minis are available in a half-dozen colorways. Find yours RIGHT HERE (and if you're on the hunt for adult socks, HEAD HERE).

We announced last week that we have an upcoming crochetalong class centered on making the April Trellis Shawl. There are still a few spaces, but we've also had some interest in it from folks who already have the skills. So here's some yipyap about that; maybe you just wanna make one on your own!

April Trellis - designed by our own Kendall Bock, crochet-whiz-extraordinaire - is a generously sized wrap-py shawl-y sort of deal that uses five skeins of everyone's favorite, Malabrigo Rios. Choose five of one color, or mix them up! It's a classic triangle worked top-down, alternating solid double crochet and double crochet, chain one mesh. It's a beginner level pattern..so you can do it!

You can find that pattern RIGHT HERE. Rios is RIGHT HERE; you'll need five skeins and a 5mm/H hook.

Dip into Inka for the Holidays

Inka is an unusual yarn that's done very well for us on its own, without a lot of yammering on our part. But now is definitely the time for us to pipe up and mention that it's a perfect yarn for holiday-adjacent knitting and crocheting. Its iridescent sheen lends it a little bit of sparkle when you want just a touch of oo-la-la but not full-on disco ball oo-la-la. Its shimmery quality can be tough to capture in a photograph, so definitely take a look at Inka if you make it into the shop.

We (of course) love it for a simple (wait for it) Sophie Scarf; its soft alpaca/viscose blend feels great snuggled up against your neck kerchief-style!

But it's also great for this spectacular airy Lacy Poncho. It. Is. Gorgeous. You simply knit two rectangles and then seam them together. This pattern is rated "easy" for a reason, but the results look anything but. You'll need three balls of Inka for the Lacy Poncho but it's close; if you're traditionally a little loosey-goosey with yarn, grab a fourth. You can find allll the shades of Inka RIGHT HERE. The pattern is HERE.

If the equally easy Sophie is more your jam, you need just a single Inka. Here's the pattern, if you haven't memorized it yet.

Akeboshi in Kanazawa: Here for a Second!

Super-quick update on The Thing That Everyone Wants: Akeboshi from Noro in the color called Kanazawa. It's back in stock! With even more on the way! It takes three balls to make the Spider Lily wrap that graces the cover of the most recent issue of Noro magazine. If this one was on your list, now is the time to clicky clicky.

Here's the yarn: Akeboshi (you need three in Kanazawa...or any other color). Here's the pattern: Spider Lily. Here's the magazine: Noro 29 Fall/Winter.

New Yarn Shop Alert: Slowly Now!

Even though she just got back from Rhinebeck, Meg played hooky on Thursday last week and took a little road trip about an hour south to Columbia to visit Slowly Now, a brand-spanking new yarn shop that's opened in The Row & Co. building in the Columbia Arts District. And y'all...you are in for a treat.

Slowly Now is a dreamy jewel box of a shop owned by Megan (it's a law now that everyone Meg meets is named some variation of "Meg"; we'll leave out the detail that there was yet anotherperson on the trip named Meg). It's carefully and beautifully stocked - it's clear Megan stocks yarns she loves. It's also got a warm, welcoming vibe; by the time (our) Meg left, she'd met three generations of the Slowly Now family! 

Slowly now is located at 206 Depot St in Columbia. You can find them on Instagram @slowlynowyarns. Make the trip and keep shopping small!

photos by @littmanwrites