Berroco Yarns has a lovely line up for fall 2016.  We liked them in April when our rep, Mark, had only swatches, sample skeins, and color cards.  We liked the garments in the photographs.  At TNNA, however, we had a chance to see the yarns and the garments in person - SO nice.

You can tell a lot about a yarn from a swatch, and about a design from the photo, but there's nothing like seeing the actual garments.  In the Berroco booth we petted the yarn and tried on the garments.  Doesn't Mary look great in the Essex capelet!  

We really liked this garment.  It's easy to wear, flattering, and right on trend.  Worked in a Cotolana, a blend of equal parts cotton and wool, it's perfect for summer and will take you nicely into fall.  

Another fiber we loved is Ginkgo, a luxe blend of 52% silk and 48% wool. For this yarn, rather than the fibers being combed together prior to spinning, they are spun separately and plied gently so each fiber type is visible in the finished yarn.  The silk and wool take the dye differently, giving you a beautifully subtle monochromatic marled effect. 

Sound nice?  It is! They are both great yarns that work up beautifully. You'll have the chance to touch and and try on the garments we loved at TNNA.  Come see what all the fuss is about at the Berroco Cotolana and Ginkgo trunk show.  We'll have the yarns and dozens of knitted sweaters and accessories in these beautiful fibers in the shop starting July 8th.

Want an even more special experience with these fibers? Join us for a special yarn-tasting and show opening event Thursday evening, July 7th from 5:30-7.  Enjoy light refreshments, the best selection of yarns, and other surprises!  The event is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP to claim your spot

I look forward to seeing you at the yarn tasting and the trunk show - or just in the shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here.

Ellen

Back to 22 June 2016 Newsletter

Well, we've had a chance to catch our breath after TNNA.  So exciting -- what a great show!  Maybe the best ever.  We spent the first day working on our priority tasks.  

Ginni showed up for the weekend carrying her beautiful Atenti Overnighter

which reminded me how much I love this line of elegant bags.  We stopped at their booth and selected some stunning new bags that you want need this fall.  Hand crafted from European designer fabrics Atenti bags are a personal fashion statement. 

Then we headed off for our appointment at the Shibui booth.

Shibui Yarns are the essence of refined luxury.  Classic. Chic.  If Eileen Fisher designed for the hand-knitting market, she might approach what Shellie Anderson has done at Shibui. Here's Shellie with my favorite sweater, Trace.

We have some gorgeous yarns and patterns and events coming from Shibui next month, so stay tuned.  If Shibui looks like your kind of thing, let me know, and I'll add you to the Shibui preferred list so you'll be among the first to hear about it.

Next we stopped at Manos del Uruguay to check out their new yarn, Gloria.  

A gorgeous worsted weight merino Gloria has a plushy 3-ply construction - and did I mention it's superwash?  Oh yeah.  We ordered a boatload of that which will be arriving just in time for Sweaterfest September 16th and 17th  (mark your calendars to start the best sweater you ever knit!)

And then, to the Prism booth, dazzling as always. 

We made a quick pass to see the beautiful Prism Yarns.  Prism is the highlight of our December, so you'll want to mark your calendar for the Prism Trunk Show Friday December 2nd.  The shop will be filled with sparkling Stuff and silky Plume and gorgeous samples.

After all that, we had to fortify ourselves with crèpes.  I know, it is a hard job.  I'll tell you about the afternoon of our first day in the next post.

Whew!  It was a fun and exciting time at TNNA.  We came, we saw, and we conquered!  Truly, it's an overwhelming time, but we had a plan, and we got SO much great new stuff for you! Brand new yarn from companies we already love like Stacy Charles, Malabrigo, Berroco, Lang, Manos, and more.  We also ordered beautiful yarns from companies that are new to us - Shibui, Dancing Leaf, Ewe Ewe Yarns, and even Freia Yarns (bypassing the two-year waiting list for new accounts). 

We are on board with several trunk shows, and we have so many wonderful events planned. Just being at TNNA really inspires and energizes me!  I will have lots and lots of pictures to share with you as soon as we can pull them all together - we were all snapping shots at the same time - so much fun. 

In the mean time, we have tons of fun things happening right now that you don't want to miss.  Be sure to sign up for the mystery knitalong and choose your beautiful colors of Pima Kuri.  This is a fun fast project - don't miss out on the fun!

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table - you are always welcome here!

Back to 14 June 2016 Newsletter

The shop will be closed this weekend while Ginni, Mary, Antonella and I are at TNNA.  TNNA is the national trade show for all things yarn.  Distributors, manufacturers, and designers bring their new stuff to dazzle shop owners.  And dazzle us they do.  Each company's booth overflows with yarn, sample garments and more.  The larger companies have huge spaces some stretching across 8 or 10 booths. 

Their displays are like static fashion shows creating a particular mood and highlighting their fashion story for the season.  I always like to see what's glittering at Tahki Stacy Charles and Prism Yarns.  Smaller companies with single booths manage to create unique and inviting spaces with a carefully branded color scheme and tiny treats to lure us in.

At TNNA we get to talk with the industry professionals.  We can hear directly from Warren Wheelock at Berroco about a particular fiber blend, or from Louisa Harding about design inspirations.  Face to face, you can make a connection, and that's really important to me.  At TNNA I like to find ways to collaborate and make plans together - fun things for you like the visit to Stacy Charles' facility at our retreat this year!  We'll be on the lookout for other great opportunities to share with you. 

TNNA is also the place that we identify trends.  It's overwhelming to try and take in everything that everyone is offering, but it's also the way to see what's happening overall.  If all the vendors are showing a particular weight of yarn or color, or a particular style of garment, we take note.  Those trends would be much harder to spot by looking only at yarns and patterns from the reps I see in the shop.  Trend-spotting is more than just fun -- it's important to us as a shop, and to you as a customer.  My vision for Crazy for Ewe back in 2004 was to find the yarns, designs, and trends that you would see in much larger metropolitan areas, and bring them here to you.  So, remember that we're closed this Saturday, June 11, while we look for new things to thrill and delight you.  I can't wait to share with you what we find this weekend!   

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table - you are always welcome here!

Ellen

Back to 7 June 2016 Newsletter