Maxima--new colors and patterns

It's always a happy day here when a big box of yarn arrives from Manos del Uruguay. Most recently, we've received our fall shipment of Maxima. Take a look....

Mmm...Maxima.

It's easy to see why Maxima is one of our best-selling yarns. The hand-dyed colors are gorgeous! We have a nice mix of old favorites and new colorways in stock. And the softness and warmth of this 100% extrafine merino make it a great choice for cold weather accessories.

If you need pattern ideas, Manos del Uruguay has you covered! Here are some brand new patterns they've just released. All of these call for Maxima, and they're all available here at Sheepish through our Ravelry pattern service.

The Antuco cowl comes in three different sizes, calling for one, two, or three skeins of Maxima. Part rib, part basketweave, this would be a great simple project for the new knitter who wants to practice working in the round and combining knits and purls.

Tromen is a stylish cowl knit in a brioche stitch, using two skeins of a neutral color and one skein of a bright to achieve a dramatic look.

And here's Calbuco, a cabled earflap hat that's equally cute and cozy with the pom-pom (two skeins) or without (one skein).

Buy these patterns through us, and your purchase will count toward your Sheepish reward points!

Lucy Neatby double knitting patterns

Are you looking for a new challenge? Are you one of the many who became mesmerized by Carrie's Winter Games Challenge scarf? Then check out these recent additions to our pattern inventory!

Pretty cool, huh?

These are some scarves designed by Lucy Neatby that utilize the double knitting technique. On the top row are two different versions of the Paintbox Scarf, and on the bottom row the Bubbles Scarf and the Plaid Scarf.

With double knitting, you're creating two different fabrics at the same time. For example, on the Bubbles scarf shown above, one side appears as a white background with colored bubbles, while the reverse side shows a colorful background with white bubbles.

These patterns all call for Kauni Effektgarn yarn. We have a little bit of it in stock right now, and more skeins of the multi colorways, solid black, and solid white will be arriving in April. The patterns are all currently in stock.

Intrigued, but don't feel confident enough to try this technique by yourself? Carrie would love to teach you how! Call us at 404-377-6875 to set up a lesson.

Sheepish Winter Games Challenge starts tonight

Is everybody ready? Tonight's the night! (If you don't know what we're talking about, or need a refresher about how this works, read this.) NBC coverage of the Olympic opening ceremony starts at 7:30pm. Of course, the ceremony will actually already be over by then. The time difference makes it tricky, but just use your best judgment. This event is pretty much on the honor system. :)

What are you all doing for your challenge? Here's a look at what your friendly Sheepish staff will be working on.

Carrie plans to dive headfirst into this double-knit colorwork adventure: The Null Hypothesis by Katrina Elsaesser. The Ravelry description says, "A six-foot long double- knit scarf with a non-repeating Mad Science themed pattern - but you don’t have to be crazy to knit this (or do you…?)." Hmm...we'll refrain from answering that question for now!

Meanwhile, Stacy will be tackling a spinning project. She started spinning this wool circa 2008 (!), with the idea of using the resulting yarn to knit a cardigan. She didn't get very far before life got in the way and the project got pushed to the far back burner. It's time to get back to this longstanding UFO and finally make it happen.

Let us know what your Winter Games Challenge project is! You can show us your progress by posting photos on our Facebook page.

Dream Club: February 2014

This month marks the final installment of the 2013-14 Dream Club. We hope you all have enjoyed it as much as we have! The Club will start back up in the fall.

February's yarn is a pretty pinky red that will brighten up these drab winter days and carry you into spring. The base yarn is Perfectly Posh Single Ply, a luscious fingering weight blend of 70% Wool, 10% Mohair, 10% Silk, 10% Cashmere. 360-yd. hank/$30.

The pattern that accompanies this month's yarn is called iLuv Ruffles. It's a keyhole scarf by Jessica Correa, who frequently designs for Dream in Color.

This scarf has a unique in-the-round construction and would be a great opportunity for those of you who've been wanting to try the Magic Loop technique. A perfect Winter Games Challenge project, perhaps?

Dream Club: January 2014

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great holiday season and that you all have been keeping warm during the recent Polar Vortex (which, by the way, would be a great name for a big, wooly yarn--or a band).

After the frantic pace of the holidays, are you ready to kick back and relax with a new project? Take a look at the latest Dream Club offering from Dream In Color.

This month's yarn is really a set of two yarns. They're both Perfectly Posh Sport, but one is a 70g variegated skein, and one is a 30g semi-solid skein. Perfectly Posh Sport is a wonderfully soft blend of 70% domestic fine merino wool, 10% mohair, 10% silk, 10% cashmere. Price for the two-skein set (about 320 yards total) is $32.00.

 

The pattern included with purchase of this month's yarn is the Zumi Cowl by Kay Dahlquist. The construction of this cowl looks like it would be a fun knitting challenge!

Reminders: As always, Dream Club yarns are limited edition, so get yours while you can. And if you haven't yet, check out the Dream Club Ravelry group for knit-alongs, giveaways, and other fun stuff.

Dream Club: December 2013

Here's the latest offering from Dream in Color's Dream Club. Yes, it's another gorgeous one! (We know we say that every month--but it's always true.)

This month's yarn is a special base created just for the Dream Club. It's 100% domestic fine merino wool, which knits up at about 4.5 sts/in on a US 7 needle (210 yds/100g for $30). It's wonderfully squishy and, of course, the hand-dyed colors make these skeins really special.

The pattern that comes free with purchase of this month's yarn is actually two patterns. This set is called Poinsettia, designed by Jessica Correa. There is enough yardage in one skein to make both the headband and the fingerless mitts. As always, we only have ten skeins of this month's yarn, so be sure to get one soon!

Did you know that Dream in Color has a monthly contest in their Dream Club Ravelry group? They host a knit-along each month, and at the end of the month they award a high-end skein of yarn (retail value $30+) to two randomly chosen participants. They also award a bag of Smooshy to the LYS where the winners purchased the yarn. Visit the group for full details.

Sew an evening clutch with us

We had a great time at our first-ever Evening Sew last week. Big thanks to instructor Chrissy Weeks and everyone who participated in the workshop! In case you missed it, here are some photos.

This was such a success that we'll be doing it again! Chrissy will be back for another Evening Sew on December 10. This time, the project will be an elegant clutch purse.

Pretty, huh? Wouldn't that be a nice little something to carry to a party this holiday season?

The cost for this workshop will be $20. That includes pre-cut fabric, interfacing, and embellishments. You'll need to bring your own machine, scissors, pins, and thread. If you have your own fabric that would like to use, please feel free to bring it. To sign up, call us at 404-377-6875 or email Chrissy at c@chrissyweeks.com. Class size is limited to eight people, so be sure to reserve your spot ASAP.

Like last time, this workshop is happening on a Tuesday at 6:00 pm. Our usual Knit Night festivities won't be happening that night. Instead, please join us on Thursday, Dec. 12, for our holiday party/potluck/gift exchange!

We look forward to seeing you all on Dec. 10.

Magazines galore!

For some reason, we've had a really hard time getting some of our distributors to understand that we've moved. Despite giving them our new address repeatedly, some of our stuff has continued to get lost in the mail, even nine months after our move. So frustrating.

ANYWAY. Yesterday we finally received a backlog of magazines and now we're having tons of fun catching up on looking through them. If you need pattern inspiration, you're sure to find some here. Whether you're in the mood to make a modern update for your own wardrobe, or you just looked at the calendar and realized you need to knit a dozen gifts in the next seven weeks (!), these issues have something for everyone.

So...much...knitting!

Stop by and spend some time looking through these, and you'll have plenty of new project ideas in no time!

Dream Club: November 2013

Wow, Dream in Color has been really outdoing themselves with this season of their Dream Club. Just feast your eyes on their November installment:

Oh my....

That's Alpaca Silk Wool Lace (50% domestic wool, 25% silk, 25% alpaca). Each big, beautiful skein has a generous 640 yards and retails for $30.

Ornata shawl designed by Susanna IC

The pattern of the month (included with purchase of the yarn) is the lovely Ornata shawl. This project knits up with just one skein of the Alpaca Silk Wool Lace.

The colors on this yarn are just spectacular. They're kind of like a rainbow, but deeper and richer. Pinks, oranges, greens, blues, browns...this colorway will go with so many items in anyone's wardrobe!

As always with Dream Club yarns, this is an extremely limited edition colorway, and we only receive ten skeins. So if you like it, come and grab it while you can!

Trendspotting: laceweight neckwear

Lately we've noticed many more people getting interested in knitting with laceweight yarn. For years, we had a few customers who would knit shawls in elaborate lacy patterns. Everybody else seemed too intimated to try such complicated projects, or just hated the idea of knitting with anything so fine.

But things are shifting now, thanks to some great patterns that have been popping up calling for laceweight yarns. These designs look sleek and modern, and because many of them are knit at a (relatively) bigger gauge, they knit up faster than you might expect.

If you fall in love with a skein of luscious laceweight while you're shopping (or if you have one in your stash), but don't know what to do with it, take a look at some of these projects for inspiration.

Gradiente by Jocelyn Tunney is a stunning scarf that uses a US 8 needle and three strands of laceweight held together. It subtly blends three different colors, 440 yards each. We have a sample of this in the shop, and everyone who sees it goes crazy for it!

Citron Grand by Hilary Smith Callis features a simple ruching technique to create textural interest. Knitting the laceweight yarn on a size US 8 makes a wonderful drapey fabric. You can knit this wrap in a variety of sizes, using anywhere from 435 to 1445 yards.

Arnhem Loop by Silke K. is a bit more of a time commitment because it's knit on a US 2 needle, but the result is so chic, it's worth it! This cowl is knit flat on the bias and then joined at the ends to create a long, luxurious loop. It calls for about 880 yards of the main color and 440 yards of the contrast.

Melanie Berg has designed a trio of fabulous striped wraps using laceweight yarn and a size US 4 needle. Left to right: Assante (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC); Aviendha (450 yds MC, 300 yds CC); and Miara (650 yds MC, 325 yds CC). The patterns are available individually or you can get all three as an eBook called It's All About Stripes. Really.

You can buy all the patterns mentioned in this post through Ravelry. Better yet, let us download the PDF for you at the shop, so you can receive credit toward your next Sheepish Reward coupon!

Free pattern for Shop Hoppers

One of the most fun aspects of Shop Hop is that each participating shop gives away their own free, exclusive pattern to Shop Hoppers. It's always cool to see what everybody comes up with.

Here at Sheepish, we're very proud to carry a number of yarns that have been certified Fair Trade. Our free Shop Hop pattern for 2013 spotlights some of them.

The Fair Trade Cowl makes use of a simple slip stitch pattern to create a wonderful texture that's surprisingly easy to knit. The version shown here uses two colors of Manos del Uruguay Maxima, a super-soft worsted weight merino. The pattern also includes instructions for a bulky-weight version in a single color. Our shop sample of the bulky version (which you can try on for yourself when you stop by during Shop Hop) was knit in luxurious Misti Alpaca Chunky.

Shop Hop starts Saturday, Sept. 28, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 6. We look forward to seeing all of you!

More beauty from Manos

When we got our first fall shipment from Manos del Uruguay a few weeks ago, several of the colors we'd ordered weren't included because they were backordered. Today we received a wonderful box containing these colors:

This is Maxima in (top to bottom) Kermit, Foil and Tigerlily. The Kermit and Tigerlily are brand new colors from Manos this fall. Foil is featured in our Shop Hop pattern (more info on that coming soon!), so we needed to stock up on plenty of it for everyone who wants to make the pattern.

Next, here are two more colors of the extremely popular Silk Blend--Chartreuse and Black. Each of them is gorgeous, but we love them even more together! What do you think of this combo?

Also in this shipment, we have the Minas cowl pattern, designed by Angelia Robinson. This is a crochet pattern! It calls for three skeins of Silk Blend (two of the main color, one of the contrast) and a size H hook. Minas is a brand new design from the Manos Fall 2013 pattern collection.

We're constantly amazed at the beauty of everything we get from Manos del Uruguay. We hope you'll love all these new colors as much as we do!

Dream Club: September 2013

This month we're thrilled to be kicking off another great season of Dream In Color's Dream Club. Without further ado, let's take a look at September's installment from the club.

It's even more gorgeous in person!

Wow, they're really setting the bar high by starting the season with this yarn. It's one of Dream In Color's most popular yarns, Smooshy with Cashmere, dyed in an exclusive Club colorway that features all the rich tones of autumn. With 400 yards in a skein, this fingering weight blend of 70% superwash merino/20% cashmere/10% nylon is a real deal at only $30/skein.

With your purchase of this month's Club yarn, you'll also receive the pattern of the month. Dream in Color calls Menagerie "a unique accessory piece that can be worn in a variety of ways." Like all Dream Club patterns, this garment is designed to be knit with just one skein of the month's yarn.

Remember, we only get ten skeins of each month's yarn, so if you want one, come and get yours soon!

Shop Hop prize #1

The seventh annual Shop Hop is only three weeks away! Are you as excited as we are?

You probably know about the Shop Hop grand prize--one winner will receive $900 in gift certificates from the participating shops. But that's not the only opportunity Shop Hoppers have to win cool swag. Each shop also gives away three smaller prizes, and even if you only get your passport stamped at one shop, your name goes into the drawing for those.

Here's a sneak peek at one of the three prizes Sheepish will be giving away:

These goodies could be yours!

That's three skeins of super-soft Manos del Uruguay Maxima (100% merino) in the Cotton Candy colorway and a copy of Art Fiber Design's Challah Infinity Scarf pattern. This scarf, designed by Pam Powers, features ribbing, seed stitch, stockinette, and reverse stockinette, creating a medley of wonderfully squishy textures.The retail value of this prize package is $51.00.

Shop Hop starts Saturday, Sept. 28. Passports only cost a dollar and they're on sale now. Get yours today!

Kitts and mitts

First, a quick update to let you know that Ruby and Sapphire went to their forever home this week! We're thrilled that they got adopted together--those two little ladies had really bonded, despite not being actual littermates.

Bon voyage, munchkins!

So we're kitten-less for now, but we'll probably be fostering more babies in the future. In the meantime, if you would like to be an animal foster parent yourself, please contact Dekalb County Animal Services. There are so many critters in need, and fostering is a great way to help them without making a lifetime commitment.

Now for some knitting news! We've already told you how much we love Silk Blend from Manos del Uruguay, and judging by how well it's been selling so far, you love it, too. For those of you who haven't tried this yummy yarn yet, here's a little project to entice you.

Salto Mitts, designed by Christine Marie Chen

Stacy made the Salto fingerless mitts as a shop sample in the Briar colorway. This is a one-skein project and a rather simple one at that. If you've never knit lace before, these eyelets are a perfect introduction to lace knitting techniques. The eyelets also help the mitts expand to fit a range of arm sizes without having to resize the pattern. Clever!

This pattern is available through Ravelry's in-store pattern sales program. Let us download Salto for you at the shop, and your purchase will count toward your Sheepish Reward points. Get started on these mitts now, and you'll have a gorgeous new accessory ready to wear when the weather turns chilly.

Fall arrivals from Manos del Uruguay

Today we received our first shipment of fall yarn, and it's a beauty. Check this out:

Autumny goodness.

That's Manos del Uruguay's Silk Blend, a luscious DK-weight combo of 70% extrafine merino / 30% silk. Some colorways are space-dyed and some are semi-solid, and all come in 150-yard skeins. Space-dyed colorways are $15.00 and semi-solids are $14.50.

If you need some inspiration about what to make from this new-to-us yarn, here are some lovely accessory patterns to ease you into your fall knitting. These are in stock now!

Manyara beret and cowl set.

Salto fingerless mitts.

You need to experience this yarn in person so you can feel how fabulous it is and see the gorgeous hand-dyed colors for yourself. Photos just can't do them justice!

On The Needles: Garter stitch scarf in Frolicking Feet

Sometimes a yarn is so beautiful, you want to let it do all the talking. No fussy stitch patterns, no fancy shapes, just 100% hand-dyed gorgeousness.

This garter stitch scarf Rocio's making is a perfect example.

Stunning, right?

Rocio fell in love with this skein of Frolicking Feet in colorway 13, Southwest Gem. This sock yarn isn't just for socks, obviously! Rocio wanted to make a scarf, but not one that had to be saved for special occasions. With 29 stitches cast onto a size US 8 needle, Frolicking Feet makes a wonderfully drapey fabric for a scarf that will go with many kinds of outfits when the weather gets cool. Knitting every stitch lets the yarn be the star.

Felted soaps--now in more scents

We're glad to know so many of you love Regina DeMita's felted soap scrubbers as much as we do. These have been a big hit for us this spring and summer.

If you haven't tried them yet, or if you've already used up your first one, you're in luck. Regina dropped off a dozen more bars over the weekend and they're wonderful.

These ones have a new shape and cute new labels.

This batch includes a wide range of beautiful colors and many new fragrances: Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Cedar Saffron, Island Fresh Gain, OMG Olive, Lavender in Mango Butter, Piña Colada, Agave Lime, and Oatmeal Milk & Honey. We also still have a few bars of two scents, Apple and Lavender, left from the previous batch.

The new bars are a bit bigger (about 6 oz.) but are still only $8.00. What a great deal for a unique handmade item from a talented local artisan!

On The Needles: Ripples scarf in Alegria

Manos del Uruguay's sock yarn is brand new this spring, and we're very excited to be among the first shops to carry it. The yarn is called Alegria (which means "joy" in Spanish), and it truly is a joy to see, touch, and knit. The first three colors have arrived and more are on the way.

Top to bottom: Glicinas, Botanico, Ceibo.

Alegria is a wonderfully soft, fingering weight blend of 75% superwash merino / 25% polyamide in bright handpainted colorways. The generous yardage (445/hank) gives you plenty of yarn to make a large pair of socks...

...or maybe a scarf! Stacy's working on this one, called Ripples, in Alegria colorway #9741 Glicinas. This is a new pattern by Annelie Wallbom and it's very fun to knit. It's simple, but has just enough details like short rows and an eyelet border to keep you interested. Even better, if you download the pattern by June 19 and use the coupon code serialknitterslys2013, Ripples is available for FREE. (After June 19, you can buy it through Ravelry for $3.50.)

On The Needles: Folded Triangle Cowl in Liberty Wool

Sometimes, simplicity can be the best option. When a yarn has a lot going on, colorwise, some easy garter stitch and a bit of clever construction are all you need to create a project that looks fantastic. Rocio is working on the Folded Triangle Cowl in Liberty Wool colorway 7806, Reflecting Pond.

It's so much fun to watch the colors of Liberty Wool change as you knit.

The cowl is worked in good old garter stitch, increasing at each edge to form triangles. The sides of the triangles will then be folded in and joined in the center, and the cowl will be finished in a loop by sewing the CO and BO edges together.

Ta-da! A simple project that makes a great impact.

This is Rocio's first time knitting with Liberty Wool, and she says, "I love it. It's so pretty!"

We currently have 14 colorways of Liberty Wool prints ($9.50/ball) in stock. The Folded Triangle Cowl pattern ($3.00) takes two balls of Liberty Wool and is available from the shop as a PDF that will be sent straight to your email or Ravelry pattern library!