Back In Business. . . . Sort of. . . . .

The photography in today's post is brought to you by J1's digital camera. Last year's b'day present. Given it was his 8th b'day, it's not what would be considered a "high quality" camera. Hopefully the pictures won't be too terrible.

I had planned to not post any pictures until my camera was replaced. I did accomplish that yesterday, but in the meantime, I had to go to the store on Sunday. After gathering the few things I needed I decided to take a quick run through the store to see what was new and how the reorganization of product was coming along. Well, the store looks great AND - there is so much new product!!! It was truly a bit overwhelming. I grabbed a WEBS bag and as the boys were yelling "can we go home now" I ran around the shop, shoving yarn into the bag like I was a contestant on one of those grocery store challenges where you have only so many minutes to throw as much food as possible into your cart.

What I'm showing you below barely scratches the surface of "New":

First up, is the new Jill Eaton yarn from Classic Elite called Minnow Merino. It's 100% Extra Fine Merino Wool, dyed in palette of gorgeous brights. Each 50 gram hank has 77 yards and it knits at 4.5 sts on a #8. Minnow Merino retails for $7.95 and it's machine washable! Here's a sampling of four of the 19 colors we are carrying:

Next up, I grabbed this:

This is Rio de la Plata Merino Sock. Not only is this a new yarn for us, Rio de la Plata is a new vendor. Steve and I felt this sock yarn was unique and beautiful. It's machine washable, which to me is important in a sock yarn and has 437 yards for $20.50. We currently have 11 colors which represent a nice balance between fun brights and more sophisticated darks/jewel tones.

This next yarn is not new in the marketplace, but it is new for us. Inca Alpaca is one of Classic Elite's staples and it's a yarn we've never carried before. Why?? Who knows. It happens sometimes. We're happy to have it in now. The colors are stunning and the yarn feels incredible. It's worsted weight and is $8.50/hank for 109 yards. The pattern support for this yarn is amazing!

At this point in my sprint through the store, I was stopped dead in my tracks by this:

This, my friends is Jade Sapphire 2-ply Silk/Cashmere (can you hear the harps?). This fingering weight beauty has 400 fabulous yards and is 55% silk/45% cashmere. At $33.00/hank it's not cheap, but it is so worth every penny.

It has been well documented here and on our podcast that I love sparkle and glitz. There's no doubt that Artyarns is among the best in our industry at luxurious fibers and over the past couple of seasons, they've brought sparkly yarns to a whole new level. While visiting Iris and Elliot in NY a few weeks back, we were totally smitten with these two yarns:

Yes, even Steve was loving them (how could he not!). The yarn on the right is Silk Pearl. It is 100% silk and it is among the most beautiful of silks I have ever seen. The twist on this yarn makes it virtually pill-proof. Each hank has 170 yards for $40.00. It knits at 5 sts on a #6.

It's sparkly friend is Beaded Pearl and Sequins. Yes, Iris took the gorgeous silk and added beads and sequins. For those of you who love beaded projects but cringe at the thought of stringing along the beads, this yarn is perfect! Although it knits at the same gauge as Silk Pearl, each hank has only 80 yards for $56.00. Yes, it's a splurge, but a little goes a long way.

Next up was a yarn that Karen mentioned in her post last week. It was also suppose to be the feature of my July 4th post (which never materialized due to previously discussed camera issues). This yarn has been in the works, in one iteration or another for a very, very, very long time. Steve and I have been wanting to offer a "Made in the USA" product, but have really struggled to find the right product, the right mill to work with, etc. As Dorothy said "happiness is sometimes right in your own backyard" (or something like that). Anyways, here is our newest Valley Yarn - Hadley:

Hadley is not only spun and dyed right here in the US, but right here in New England by our long-time friends at JaggerSpun, makers of Zephyr. It's a blend of 50% silk/50% wool. It knits at 5 sts on a #5 or #6 needle and each ball has 109 yards. We are so pleased with this yarn. The colors are not done justice by this photograph at all. The colors are gorgeous, vibrant, sophisticated. The wool and the silk take the dye slightly differently which creates just a breathtaking tonal-ish affect. Being that this is a US-made product, the costs involved in creating it are much higher than if we sourced it elsewhere in the world, but we think it's worth it and we hope you do as well. Hadley retails at $8.99/ball and comes in 18 yummy colors.

Whew! So much yarn, so little time. There's more, plus new accessories. But those will come in the following days, with photographs from my new camera!

Kathy