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!

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.

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!

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!

See us at Stitches South!

If you're heading to Stitches South this weekend, be sure to stop by and see us at the Atlanta Area Yarn Shops booths. Carrie and eight other LYS owners will be set up in the market in booths 133, 135, 137, 232, 234, and 236 (highlighted on the map below).

Click map to enlarge.

We'll have two beautiful kits for sale at Stitches. First up, this is the Crabapple Petals cowl. You might recognize it from here.

This kit comes with the pattern by Lesbian Housewyfe, approx. 250 yards of Serena (alpaca/cotton blend), and 15-20 grams of size 6 beads (via The Bead Shoppe). Seven different colors will be available, so shop early to make sure you get your favorite! (Sample shown in Glacier.) $30/kit.

Next, here's an exclusive pattern created especially for this event by local designer NellKnits. It's called the Sheepish Springtime Cowl and it'll be a great addition to your wardrobe, whether you wear it doubled around your neck or long and loose as shown here.

The Sheepish Springtime Cowl kit comes with the pattern and one skein (220 yds) of Ultra Pima (100% cotton). It will be available in at least eight colors, so again, shop early so you can get the one you want! (Sample shown in Deep Coral.) $15/kit.

The market hours at Stitches are: Friday, April 12, 10am-6pm; Saturday, April 13, 10am-6pm; Sunday, April 14, 10am-4pm.

If you aren't going to Stitches and/or you want first chance at one of these kits, stop by the shop before 6:00 today and you can get one before Carrie loads them into her car. :)

On The Needles: Crabapple Petals in Serena

This week's work in progress is a lacy little confection Carrie is test knitting for Ravelry designer Lesbian Housewyfe.

The pattern is called Crabapple Petals. It's a luxurious, drapey cowl that features a simple lace pattern and some beads to add a touch of shimmer. The yarn is Manos del Uruguay's Serena, a dreamy blend of baby alpaca and pima cotton, in color 2318 Glacier. We're expecting our spring shipment from Manos--including many gorgeous colors of Serena--any day now!

Carrie says, "I thought this pattern would be a great way to show off how soft and squishy Serena is. Stay tuned: Crabapple Petals will be available for purchase soon!"

By the way, these beautiful silver-lined beads came from our friends at The Bead Shoppe in Avondale Estates (in the same complex with Our Way Cafe). The Bead Shoppe is a magical wonderland of color and sparkle, so if you're a jewelry maker or just a bead lover, be sure to visit them for your bead needs.