Back from Vacation

Delightful surprises awaited me at every turn when I walked into My Sister Knits after being in England and Scotland and completely out of touch for three weeks!There are new samples, new enamel pins, new bags, and new classes among the delights!One of the first items that caught my eye was the Arika sample.We love this kerchief-shaped cowl designed by Jane Richmond for winter wear so much that we modified it for summer!  The original has yards of eye-catching fringe but we decided to leave it off of our summer version.  We also used linen to make it hot-weather friendly.  Quince & Co's aran weight Kestrel was our linen of choice.  This makes a fun accessory for a summer's day!When I went upstairs to see what was new, I immediately saw a group of items made with Hue Loco's Backyard Chicken sets.  Any of these projects answers the question, "What do I do with these fun sets of yarn?".There are two hats, one sweater, and a pair of socks for your inspiration!  Our supply of Backyard Chicken sets is limited but these sample show marvelous ways to use up some of your odds and ends of yarn that are in your stash waiting for 'just the right thing'!  Be sure to check them out when you're in the shop!  My personal favorite is the Flax Light sweater designed by tincanknits with the contrasting rib and garter ridge detail which are modifications we added.  I know a toddler who is going to get one this fall!With some more poking around the shop, I found several new bags and these in particular are noteworthy.  Ann found them when she went to Squam this past month.  Squam is a lake in New Hampshire; it's also a gathering of artists and makers.  We encourage you to check out the link!These are one-of-a-kind handmade, and sometimes hand stitched, bags created by Karen Stevens who lives in Connecticut.  We have both cross-body and tote styles.  Ann would love to talk to you about them in detail and about her glorious weekend at Squam!And this isn't all I found; there's also an Anzula trunk show with samples galore and some intriguing class offerings!It's fun to walk into My Sister Knits after being gone and discover what's new.  Be sure to allow yourself some browsing time if it's been a few weeks since you've been in!