Purl of the Week

Purl of the Week for Saturday June 28, 2008

This week’s Purl of the Week is the possibly the best idea ever for a knitted bag because it is elegant and functional. Many knitted bags need to be finished by sewing in a lining. This bag is unique because the only thing you need to knit is the body of the bag!





The lining/shell comes in beautiful vibrant colors and is made from 100% silk. An internal pocket is built into the inside of the lining for small objects and the top is a quilted design with a lovely drawstring closure.

To make up the bag you need 225 of a worsted weight yarn. Tilli Thomas Disco Lights would be the perfect yarn for making an evening trinket bag. The pattern is in stock here at the store to help you with your design.

Our sample is knitted with Noro yarn which would be a great choice because of the color changes. We have many colors available for the bag shell; and with the amazing range of yarns that would be appropriate for the gauge your imagination can run wild to create the perfect bag!

Question of the Week 6/12/08

Questions of the Week
6/12/08

What is superwash wool and what makes it different from regular wool?

Superwash wool is great to use if you like using natural fiber but don’t want to hand-wash the knitting object once it’s finished. Superwash is great for baby garments, as busy new parents don’t often have time for hand-washing and laying flat. Many people love superwash wool because they have inadvertently felted or shrunk their knits in the past.

To make a wool yarn superwash wool yarn, the yarn is dipped in an acid bath or coated with a polymer to make the tiny scales on the fiber come off so the fibers won’t wrap around each other and felt.

Many companies have superwash wool in their lines and we carry many different weights and colors of yarn. Come by the store and let us show off some of our superwash wools!

Question of the Week 6-12-08

Question of the Week
6/12/08

What is superwash wool and what makes it different from regular wool?

Superwash wool is great to use if you like using natural fiber but don’t want to hand-wash the knitting object once it’s finished. Superwash is great for baby garments, as busy new parents don’t often have time for hand-washing and laying flat. Many people love superwash wool because they have inadvertently felted or shrunk their knits in the past.

To make a wool yarn superwash wool yarn, the yarn is dipped in an acid bath or coated with a polymer to make the tiny scales on the fiber come off so the fibers won’t wrap around each other and felt.

Many companies have superwash wool in their lines and we carry many different weights and colors of yarn. Come by the store and let us show off some of our superwash wools!

Purl of the Week

This week's Purl of the Week is our Blue Sky Alpaca's Trunk Show! We are so pleased to have this trunk show in our store for the month of June. We love Blue Sky Alpacas yarn as well as their patterns and a trunk show is a great way to show off both. We have the patterns for the models in stock and have many colors of each of the featured yarns. Below are some pictures of the models we've got in the store now.

First is the Hooded Pullover in Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes in color 2002 Green.

Here's an image of the back and hood, this would make such a great weekend sweater and is so soft and wearable!

Next is the Empire Waist Sweater in Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes in 2006 Black.

The ribbon running through the sweater and tying in the back really makes this piece something special.

Our next model is the Fitted Tank in Blue Sky Dyed Cotton color 616. This tank would be perfect for wearing this Summer, cute and easy to make!

Next up is the beautiful Lace Up Shell. This crocheted number is something you must see in person because it is so cute! It is worked up in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk in color 116.

The back of this shell is what makes the garment so special. The ribbon lacing up the back is a great addition to what otherwise would be a cute but everyday shell. We have this garment modeled over a light cotton black dress that completely changes the look of the shell and the dress. They go great together!



Up next is a great vest pattern from Blue Sky the One Cable Vest. This was knit using Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes in color 2003 Ecru.





All of the models will be on display at the Cultured Purls until the end of June, stop by and see them in person!

Yarn of the Week 6/5/08

This week’s yarn of the week is Blue Sky Alpaca’s Alpaca Silk. This yarn is a blend of 50% Alpaca and 50% silk and has amazing drape and luxurious feel. It knits up at a sport weight gauge of 5-6 stitches per inch on a US 3-5 needle. The coloways for this yarn are stunning and Blue Sky has come out with some beautiful new colors for spring. We have many of the colors in stock here at the store and are more than willing to order any colors that we don’t currently carry.

We have several patterns available for this beautiful yarn, two for knitting, the Silk Shrug and the Ribbon Shell as well as for crochet, the Lace Up Shell. All three patterns are perfect for summer knitting. The two shells are great for when the weather is warm, don’t let the alpaca blend scare you away, these tops are not too warm for our summers here in Western Washington especially in an air-conditioned office! The Silk Shrug would be perfect to wear over a strappy dress in the cooler evening or if you are headed on a vacation this summer would dress up any outfit in a snap. For another look at a pattern featuring Alpaca Silk yarn, check out the beautiful Henley Perfected pattern by Connie Chang Chinchio in Interweave Knits Winter 2007.

To highlight Blue Sky Alpaca yarns this month we have models of the silk shrug and the lace up shell patterns featuring the Alpaca Silk yarn as well as others in the Blue Sky line in the store until the end of June! Come check them out and see how beautifully Blue Sky Yarns knit up.

Yarn of the Week for 5/27/08

This week’s yarn is Tahki Yarn’s Sky. Sky is % 100 biofil cotton. Biofil is organic cotton yarn that is grown with no generic alteration, no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers or defoliants and is dyed using an eco-friendly low-impact process. Sky is part of the Terra collection by Tahki Yarns all of which are eco-friendly yarns. Many people are using eco friendly yarns as a way of promoting a “green” lifestyle. If you are interested in being more eco-friendly in your life, this is a great yarn for you.

Sky is a worsted weight cotton with 92 yards per ball and would be perfect for a summer sweater, shell or child’s garment. It is incredibly soft and comes in seven beautiful colors, all of which we have in stock at the store.

We have a lovely sample of how this yarn behaves when knit up at the store, a lacy vest made from Sky in color #3 Cherry blossom which shows off the yarn’s great stitch definition and crisp look. It looks great over the black strappy dress at the store but would also look good with jeans over a white t-shirt or tank top. It’s a very versatile piece. The vest is from the Terra Collection by Tahki Yarns Spring/Summer 2008 Collection.

Come check it out for yourself!

Question of the Week 5-22-08

Question of the Week for May 22nd 2008

Let’s continue with our discussion of last week’s question:

“There are so many fibers like wool, cotton, and even bamboo as well as blends of fibers available in yarn, how do I choose the right one for my project?”

Last week we discussed bamboo fiber. This week we will discuss cotton yarn. Cotton fibers have been used in garments for many years and cotton yarns have a wide variety of manufacturers as well as uses.

Cotton yarn is great to use for summer and winter projects, especially if the wearer tends to run warm. A worsted or bulky weight cotton sweater will make a garment that will keep you warm in the spring and fall as well as cool summer nights, and a light worsted, DK, or sport weight yarn can make a garment that is perfect for keeping cool in the summer months. Another plus of cotton is it’s easy to care for; usually you can wash and dry it making it ideal for child and baby garments. Cotton is very absorbent and is perfect for making washcloths, bathmats and baby bibs. Cottons are also great for those who have wool sensitivities or allergies

Cotton’s cons: as we’ve said before, all fibers have their cons. Cotton can be inelastic to knit with and can show an imperfection in one’s knitting. Knitted cotton garments have been known to stretch so it’s important to keep that in mind when choosing a pattern. It’s a very good idea to wash your swatch when using a cotton yarn for a garment so you can see what’s going to happen. To lessen these “cons” consider a yarn that has a blend of fibers, manufacturers have been spinning cotton and other fibers together to make fabulous yarns. A great example is a 50% cotton 50% wool mix. The wool will keep the cotton from stretching and the cotton will help keep you from overheating!

Come on into the store so we can show you all of our cotton and cotton blend yarns!

See you soon!