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Open Special Hours: Anzula Trunk Show Monday, June 18!

POSTED: June 15, 2012 by Liz

Please join us next Monday, June 18 from 10am-1pm for a trunk show with Sabrina Famellos-Schmidt of Anzula.  Anzula specializes in handdyed yarn and fiber in luxury blends and offers unique patterns for crocheters and knitters.  My Sister Knits is a big fan of this yarn line. You may have already seen Anzula's yarns in the shop.  Sabrina will bring more than a trunk full of her special treats that will be avilable for sale. Some knitter's favorites include Squishy, a popular sock yarn in fingering weight made from a superwash Merino/cashmere/Nylon blend. Cricket is a sport-weight version of the same yarn (shown here in Grace Akhren's Seaweed Scarf.) Sabrina seeks out unusal fibers and blends for her yarns and fibers such as Sea Cell, silk, baby alpaca and more. This is a unique opportunity to meet with the maker.  

New Projects at MSK!

POSTED: June 15, 2012 by Katie

It may be pretty warm outside, but we are still knitting up a storm at MSK. Here is what we are working on and loving right now.

Julie recently made Purl Soho's Four Corners Baby Blanket out of Madeline Tosh Merino DK. We love Purl Soho around here. They always use the most beautiful yarns and colors and offer free patterns on their blog, Purl Bee. Julie used the colors Antler, Lettuce, and Grasshopper for this unique and squishy blanket. We recently received a large shipment of Merino DK, so we have many colors to choose from. If you have a little one in your life, this would be a great gift.

Even though it is the height of summer, Colorado evenings can get a little chilly. The Panoramic Stole from the new book Coastal Knits is perfect for nights like this. It is made of fingering weight wool for a bit of warmth, but the open and lacy stitch pattern keeps it light. We made it ours out of the yarn called for in the pattern, Swans Island Merino Fingering in Indigo. We love this book and this pattern is one of the best.

The Wonderful Wallaby pattern was the feature of our recent knit-alongs. It is a classic child’s pullover sweater and it comes with instructions for many sizes. The one that we kept at the shop is made with Rowan’s Purelife 100% organic wool. This yarn comes in many beautiful naturally dyed colors and knits up at a standards DK weight.

Recently, we were lucky enough to have Felicia from Sweet Georgia yarns come speak to us. She made this sweet little scarf out of one skein of Sweet Georgia’s CashSilk on a size 3 needle. It is from the Annis pattern, free on Ravelry!

We always have new stuff waiting for you at MSK, so come on by and check out what we are knitting.

Sunshine Yarn

POSTED: May 29, 2012 by Katie

The newest arrival at My Sister Knits... Sunshine Yarns.

Sunshine yarns is a small yarn company that is based out of Boulder, Colorado. There is nothing like buying local! They specialize in beautiful colors; in fact, the tagline to Sunshine Yarns is "Spread Color." Just this week, we got a huge shipment of sock yarn.

A lot of the appeal of the yarn is the fun names of the colors. There are pretty typical names like "Butter," "Bluebird," and "Silver." There are alos some really fun ones like "Pumpkin Chai" and "Love Potion," and some names based on books like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Some examples are "Katniss" and "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." You must come into the shop and see the colors for yourself. Check out their website at www.sunshineyarns.com

Relief Has Arrived!

POSTED: April 19, 2012 by Liz

Our most used and often neglected tool for making pretty stuff with yarn, is our hands. Just in are two new shipments from Bar-Maids and Windrift Hill. Both companies craft their products by hand for artisan results you can feel. Don't stop at just pampering your hands, these two companies each have lovely lines of bath and beauty products that will give you sweet relief. 

Windrift Hill is a small family run farm in Montana. They use milk from their herd of Nubian goats to craft a line of body products. (Pictured is a member of the herd, Stud Muffin.) Their goat's milk soap contains a minimum of one ounce of goat's milk and it won't leave soap film on your skin. Perfect for washing up before you sit down to knit. Also in are their body oil, body butter, and lip balm.

In addition to body products, Windrift Hill has a line of bath accessories. You will particularly love their woven Agave fiber wash cloths that gently exfoliate your skin. We also orderd a colorful assortment of crocheted wash cloths made by Windrifts Hill's resident granny!

Next up is Bar-Maids, with their line of Lo-Lo beauty products. Bar-Maids is based in Vancouver, Washington. They use only natural ingredients, eighty percent of them purchaced locally. We are particularly smitten with Lo-Lo's Face Pudding. With Emu oil as its stealth ingredient, it is rich in emollients without feeling greasy. You will love its less-than-there scent. Also in are Lo-Lo's Bars, O' For Feet Sake, and Lip Balm. 

Just so your yarn doesn't feel left out, we also got in a new shipment of Eucalan Wool Wash. Get on in here and check them out. Your hands (and knitting) will thank you for it.

Not your Grandmother's Lace...

POSTED: February 18, 2012 by Katie

Hello MSK community,

It seems that the big thing around the shop nowadays is lace! We have lots of new and beautiful lace weight yarns, as well as some old favorites, and some great patterns to go with them.

First, I want to tell you about Scrumptious Lace by Fiberspates Luxury Yarn.  It is 45% Silk and 55% Superwash Merino. The silk in it gives it just the right amount of shine, while the merino keeps it soft.  Even more amazing is the yardage you get from just one skein- over 1,000 yards! Recently, knitwear designer Ysolda Teague has released a new pattern book called Saturday Treat. It includes 6 accessory patterns, made to show off Scrumptious. She commented, “The colors practically glow with a rich depth so it was a delightful treat for me to put together an exclusive palette and accompanying designs.” If you love Ysolda, you have to come to the shop and check out this cute little book and the yarn to go with it.

http://www.fyberspates.co.uk/mall/Fyberspates/

http://ysolda.com/patterns/collections/saturday-treat/

MadelineTosh’s Prairie is another of our new favorites. It is hard to dislike anything that Madeline Tosh makes, though. Prairie is a single ply, 100% superwash merino wool yarn that is hand-dyed and machine washable. MadelineTosh’s colors are unlike anyone else’s, so if you are looking for some lace yarn for a special project, you need to check out the beautiful and different colorways that we have in Prairie.

http://madelinetosh.com/store/index.php/yarns/prairie.html

Lastly, an old favorite of ours has enjoyed some recent recognition around the shop. It seems that everyone is making Churchmouse’s Bias 'Before & After' Scarf out of Sweet Georgia’s Merino Silk Lace. It is a 50% fine merino wool/ 50% cultivated silk blend with 765 yards per skein. In combination with Churchmouse’s classic and elegant scarf pattern (with or without beads!), you will get a truly stunning finished product. We also carry Sweet Georgia’s CashSilk Lace, a 45% cashmere/ 55% silk blend that comes in 400 yard skeins. My favorite project to make out of the CashSilk is Purl Soho’s Simple Pleasures Hat. One skein is the perfect amount to make one very luxurious hat. If you love bright colors, you must try Sweet Georgia. We have more new colors on order as well.

http://www.churchmouseyarns.com/collections/churchmouse-classics-patterns/products/bias-before-after-scarf

http://www.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/

Happy Knitting,

Katie

Swans Island Yarn, Blankets, and Patterns

POSTED: January 31, 2012 by Katie

Hi MSK Community!

A few blog posts ago, I briefly got to tell you about one of our newest arrivals - Swans Island yarn. Since then, we have received new products from them and learned more about their company. I think that they deserve a whole post dedicated solely to them in order to give you a glimpse into their beautiful products.

Swans Island takes its name from Swans Island, Maine, where they first opened. These islands were traditionally used to raise sheep, so when the owners moved there in the early 1990’s, opening up a small weaving operation fit the location perfectly. Since their early days, they have expanded from just selling hand woven blankets to wraps, scarves, yarn, and patterns as well.

The people at Swans Island are true fiber artists. They have dedicated themselves to craftsmanship, timeless beauty, and sustainability. They use organic merino fiber that is spun in a certified organic mill, meaning they use less chemicals in the treatment of their fiber than other mills do. All of their dyes are produced from natural dyestuffs such as minerals and plants, so they beautifully represent the colors in the natural world. Swans Island describes their creative philosophy better than I ever could, so I’ll let them speak for themselves: “The Swans Island process is a labor of love and a meditation on the beauty and value of a handmade life. We approach our weaving and dyeing in a way that honors traditions of craft in order to create a more sustainable future. Each piece is created with techniques honed throughout centuries of fiber arts.”

At MSK, you will find Swans Island yarn, patterns, and blankets. We have their organic merino wool in worsted and fingering weights in many gorgeous colors. Since everyone at the shop is so excited about the yarn, we already have some finished articles to show you. The patterns that we have include mittens, scarves, hats, and shrugs. The projects reflect the simple and beautiful aesthetic that Swans Island embodies. We also have some of their hand-woven blankets, in both throw and queen sizes. They would be a perfect gift for someone you care about, even yourself!

Visit Swans Island's website to learn more about this unique company, if for no other reason than to remind yourself that a place like this really exists!

https://www.swansislandblankets.com/

Happy Knitting, Katie

New at MSK!

POSTED: January 2, 2012 by Katie

Hi MSK Fans,

I'm so excited to share the New Arrivals at My Sister Knits!

First up... Sweet Grass Wool and Wolf Creek Wools, hand-dyed Targhee wool from Montana. We have Mountain Silk (80% wool/ 20% Tussah silk) in an Aran weight and I guarantee that you haven’t felt any yarn like it before. It is very unique. We also have Bliss sock yarn (80% superwash Merino/10% Cashmere/ 10% Nylon) in beautiful colors. It would make a truly luxurious pair of socks! Check out their website --> http://www.sweetgrasswool.com

Next… Swan’s Island Yarn! Made from all organic fiber and natural dyes, this yarn is made by real fiber lovers, who put their knowledge and talent into everything that they make. Needless to say, all of us here at the shop are in love! We currently have worsted weight and we are anxiously awaiting fingering weight and BLANKETS as well! After you see their website, you won’t be able to resist either --> https://www.swansislandblankets.com

Last… some new stuff from some old favorites. We have some new yarns from Cascade: Pacific, Ultra Pima, Alpaca Lace, new colors in Eco Cloud, and Greenland- a 100% superwash merino with a very tight twist. We think it would be perfect for a pair of fingerless mitts!

We also got a ton of Anzula Cloud in gorgeous colors. It is an 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Nylon blend with 575 yards in each skein! The one-skein project possibilities are endless: socks, a lace scarf or a slouchy hat, just to name few!