Whew! With the brave (maybe crazy) group of gals we work with, Cultured Purls was only closed one day last week due to snow. We are lucky to have a great crew to work with and great customers who braved the snow to come in to see us.

Even while we were all muddling through the snow, UPS continued to rally forth and we have all kinds of fun, new things in the store for you. One that is sure to be a hit with sock knitters is Happy Choices by Plymouth yarns. Pre-knit and dyed fabrics are unraveled as you knit. We never know what they're going to look like until they're knit up; that is what makes them such fun! We have a variety of colors, some bright and splashy, some more muted earth and water tones. You have only to see them to see the possibilities!

The other really exciting new product is square knitting needles from Kollage Yarns. Our focus group told us they liked the even stitches that were generated. They also observed how soft and supple the cables are. Kollage says, "Yes, they really are easier on your hands... designed to be ergonomically suited... perfect for knitters who have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or stiffness of their hands and fingers." Our focus group knitters just liked them because they liked them! Come in and test drive them. See what you think.

Cabin Fever, BIG TIME!

Shannon here... checking in. Can you BELIEVE this snow?! I have been housebound since last Thursday. Thanks to Mara, Jennifer and Leslie we have been open to help meet those last minute shopping needs. Sandy and I are working remotely (thank goodness for computers).

They finally sanded our roads today here in the east side of Bellevue. The good news is that the time I had here at home was used wisely. I watched about 426 movies and I finished my daughter-in-law's "pirate hat" for Christmas; I hope she likes it. Still working out last minute food issues for the family feast on Thursday.

We'll have a more "official" update of the blog in a few days. My goodness, I DO hope this snow goes away soon. I am *really* loving rain these days!

Skacel Addi Click Set is here!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we are thankful the brand new Skacel addi Click set has arrived at Cultured Purls.

The addi Click System provides 10 different sizes of addi Turbo™ tips, even sizes from US 4 (3.5mm) through US 15 (10mm), three different lengths of extremely pliable blue cord, 24", 32" and 40", and one connector piece to help store stitches or combine your cords.

The Click tips require no tools to change; simply insert the cord deep into the tip, twist and release. The tips will remain secure until you change them. Here's a picture preview of the set:




Don't wait to check these out at the store, we have a limited quantity of these sets available and everyone is going to want them! See you soon!

Special Store hours 10 – 8 at Cultured Purls Thursday, November 20th!

Come hang out at Cultured Purls this Thursday, November 20th while we participate in Night Out with the Village People.

The event lasts from 5:00 – 7:45. The idea is simple, pick up a special card at any of the participating shops. Then visit each shop on the card, get it stamped, and head over Pelage Spa and Skin Center by 7:50 for a drawing. Each of the stores has provided fabulous gifts and prizes!You must be present to win.

You will also receive an additional raffle ticket for every $25 spent at participating store by showing your receipt at Pelage.....

Come join us on Thursday, November 20th!

Purl of the Week 11/08/08

Flat Feet yarn is back at Cultured Purls!

Did you miss out on Flat Feet when it was in our store over the summer? We had this great yarn in stock for under a week when it was grabbed up by happy customers! We immediately got more stock on order, but it was so popular around the country that it was back ordered for several months. It’s finally here – don’t miss it again!

This amazing yarn is machine knitted into sock blanks, then hand dyed with amazing colors in every which way you can imagine! You then knit directly from the fabric, unraveling as you go. No knots, no tangles, no fuss! This truly is a yarn that you have to see in the shop.

Flat Feet would be a great idea for a friend who’s a sock knitter or unique socks for a lucky recipient.

More information can be found here.

Yarn of the Week for 11/6/08

Fresco from Classic Elite yarns has arrived.

Fresco is a delightful blend of 60% wool, 30% baby alpaca, 10% angora. It has the right amount of fuzz and stitch deification to make your projects pop! The suggested gauge is 6½ sts/inch on US 5 needles. We have several beautiful colors in stock:

Fresco is the yarn called for in the beautiful Fresco Fair Isle Mitts featured in Interweave Knits Fall 08 issue – perfect for a holiday gift! Check out the pictures here:

http://www.interweaveknits.com/galleries/bonus/fall-2008/Fresco-Fair-Isle-Mitts.asp

Yarn of the Week 9-23-08

Each week we look around the store and decide on a yarn that we would like to highlight for the blog. We could blog for decades before we ran out of different yarns discuss! This week’s yarn we love is Lana D’Oro from Cascade Yarns.

This Peruvian made yarn is 50% Wool and 50% Superfine Alpaca. A wool and alpaca blend is ideal because the alpaca makes the yarn feel very soft while the wool keeps the alpaca from stretching out with wear. This is truly one of those yarns that you must feel to understand how soft it is.

Lana D’Oro is a light worsted weight yarn with 110 yards* and comes in 80 beautiful colors. This yarn would be great for a garment, scarf, or hat

Lana D’Oro Free Pattern Alert! As seen in Knitter’s Fall 2008!
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/W204_LanaDoro.pdf


*NOTE: Cultured Purls purchased this yarn when it was packaged with 110 yards, however as you will notice from the website, it is now packaged at 219 yards.

Question of the Week 9-18-09

Why are there so many different lengths of circular needles, and when do I use each one?

Circular needles are wonderful tools for knitting. Many people use only circular needles to knit all of their projects, even those projects that aren’t knit in a circle! Circular needles come in lengths from 9 inches long to over 60 inches long.

Usually your knitting pattern will tell you which length of needle to use with each project, but sometimes you are left to figure it out on your own. It is also hard to know which length to use if you are knitting a flat object on your circular needles. The length is based on how many stitches you are going to cast on for a particular project. Different manufactures of needles use different lengths, but if you give and inch or two using the guidelines spelled out below, you will be right on track.

Nine inch needles, such as the Hiya Hiya needles (which only come in US 0-3 in the 9” length), are a new way to knit garments such as socks and gloves. The next length is usually 12 inches which is a good length for a baby or child garment. Following 12 inches is a 16 inch which is usable for a hat, neckline, sleeve, or just for knitting a flat garment that has 30 or less stitches such as a scarf.

The next sizes such at 24 inch, 32 inch, and 47 inch are often used for knitting garments, afghans and other larger projects either flat or in the round. Circular needles with a cable that is more than 60 inches are especially great for an afghan project.

As was discussed last week, there are so many different knitting needles out there and if you haven’t tried knitting either circularly maybe start with an easy hat project or if you have never knit a flat project with circular needles, pick up a pair and cast on! You will be amazed at your results.

Happy Knitting!

Yarn of the Week 9-16-08

This week’s yarn of the week is Aurora 8 by Karabella Yarns. Aurora 8 is a worsted weight yarn that knits up at 4.5 stitches per inch. It is made of 100% extrafine merino wool and has excellent stitch definition. This yarn comes in over 100 colors, more than any other extrafine merino on the market; you would be hard pressed to find a color that you or Aurora 8 didn’t look good in. Here are some of the colors that we carry here at the store:

Worsted weight yarns work so well for sweaters, hats, and just about any other garment. We have a beautiful sweater sample worked up at the store in Aurora 8 in one of Karabella’s beautiful fashion forward designs.



If you haven’t yet knit a sweater from 100% wool yarn because you remember the itchy sweaters of your childhood – this yarn will blow you away!

Come on down to the store to check it out!

Happy Knitting!

Purl of the Week 9-13-08

This week's Purl of the Week are Monkey Socks!

We are putting together our Fall/Winter classes here at Cultured Purls, and one of our ideas is to step up your sock knitting with a new sock class! If you have taken our basic sock class or are already knitting socks on your own as we know many of you are, why not learn to make the most popular sock on the web -- the Monkey sock! With 6,663 projects and counting on Ravelry, this sock is the talk of the knitting world. If you haven’t yet checked out Ravelry, don’t wait, go now.

You can use any fingering weight sock yarn for this project, and you will learn several techniques in one project. You will learn how to follow a pattern chart as well as knitting lace techniques. If you have never done lace or followed a chart and are nervous, this is the project for you. Socks are portable and the Monkey stitch pattern is easy to memorize. You can use double pointed needles, two circular needles, or magic loop for this sock class, whichever style you prefer. The instructor will help you through the cast on, stitch pattern, heel turn and toe. This is an intermediate sock class, and we do recommend that you have knit at least one pair of socks before taking this class.

With a little help from one of our experienced teachers, we will have you knitting lace socks in no time at all!

Keep an eye out for our Fall/Winter Class Schedule coming soon, as well as our sample Monkey sock being knitted right now!

Yarn of the Week 9-11-08

Yarn of the Week

This week’s yarn of the week is Cascade’s sock yarn Heritage and Heritage Paints. This is one of the most popular sock yarns we stock here at the store, and our customers knit a lot of socks! The Heritage yarn is springy without splitting as you knit it. It has a smooth feel and comes in over 30 gorgeous colors, both solid and variegated.

Heritage is made up of 75% Superwash Merino Wool and 25% Nylon. Superwash Wool is perfect for socks and is amazingly soft. The Nylon is added to the wool to keep the integrity of the garment. Many people used to knit a strand of Nylon along with their wool for socks so that the sock wouldn’t wear out with continued use. Now many sock yarns are a wool and nylon mix so you don’t have to knit with two strands of yarn.

The gauge for this yarn is fingering 7-8 stitches per inch on a US 2-3, though they also knit up quite well on a US 1. Remember to swatch for your gauge when knitting socks so they don’t turn out way too big or too small.

The yardage for this yarn is an amazing 437 yards, and you will not believe the low price for this yarn; come into the store to check it out!

Look for upcoming articles about knitting socks, one of our favorite projects!

Also as a bonus for today’s article, be sure to take a look at the fiber and gauge search on Cascade Yarn’s website. It’s very helpful when looking to make a particular project with Cascade’s amazing product range!

Question of the Week

Question of the Week 9-9-08

What makes one type of knitting needle different from the other and why are there so many sizes?

This is a two part question that we will be answering in the next two weeks. This week we will discuss the different types of needles and what’s best to use with what fiber.

Knitting needles are made from many different kinds of wood, metal, plastic, glass and even resin. Using the right tool can make your knitting experience even better. Many people started knitting using aluminum or plastic knitting needles and graduated to bamboo and nickel plated brass. Aluminum needles are fine and usually inexpensive but can easily be bent and can have tips that erode over time. Plastic needles are also inexpensive but can have seems that are rough on the hands where the plastic was molded into shape.

Many knitters prefer to knit with wooden needles because they warm up in your hands as you knit. Many knitters choose to only knit with wood needles and wood needles are especially good to use if you are knitting with slippery fibers such as bamboo, silk, or chenille. We carry Addi Natura Bamboo circular needles, Brittany Birch straight needles, the aptly named Darn Pretty needles which are made from Vermont Hardwood and Destiny Circular needles beautifully made from Rosewood.

Some knitters prefer to knit with metal needles such as the Addi Turbo which is a brass plated nickel, and the new to Cultured Purls Hiya Hiya steel needles. Knitters like these metal needles because they are faster to knit with than bamboo or wood due to their slick surface. When you are knitting with 100% wool or a tweed yarn, sometimes the yarn fibers can sick together and metal needles help the knitting to move smoothly. If you like knitting with metal needles you should come in a check out the Hiya Hiya needles because they have a great price point and even come in 9” lengths in a US 0-3 for sock knitting.

Next week’s Question of the Week will highlight why different needle lengths are important for different projects.

Purl of the Week

Cultured Purl of the Week

We are so excited for the New Debbie Bliss Magazine that has come to our Store! The Magazine is full of the kind of patterns that Debbie Bliss fans have come to expect with beautiful, classic lines along with cables and lace.

There is also a very helpful question and answer section featuring those questions you always wanted ask such as “Why do you recommend slipping the first stitch when binding off the shoulder?” and several more along with great answers.

What we especially like about this issue of the magazine is that there are patterns for women, men, children and the home with great clear pictures and specific instruction. Come on down to the store to check it out and pre-view on line!

The blog is back!

The Blog is back!

As the summer months are comming to a close, we are gearing up for fall here at Cultured Purls.

Since it is Thursday and is Question of the week day, this week’s question is: “What are the best knitting related websites?”

There are so many knitting and crochet related websites, blogs and videos out there that it can be daunting to even search the web for the word “knitting.” Here at the shop we use http://www.ravelry.com/ most often. If you aren’t yet a member don’t wait, sign up! Ravlery.com can help you find a pattern that suits your yarn, and see other people’s projects for that pattern you want to make. There are also wonderful forums where you can ask questions and find other people that share your knitting and crocheting interests. There is so much going on at this site you will be wondering what you did without it before long.

Another great website is http://www.knitty.com/ where there are great free patterns and well written articles about knitting techniques. Knitty’s patterns are well written and wildly popular in the knitting world so you can search Ravlery or the internet in general to see what yarns and colors people have used for their patterns and get some inspiration for your own!

One of the best websites for help with your knitting technique is the aptly named http://www.knittinghelp.com/. If you are a new knitter there are so many videos that show you how to do those crazy abbreviations for increases and decreases that you find in your patterns. For those of you, who are a little more advanced, check out the advanced knitting techniques section. There’s a lot to learn from this site!

Happy knitting!

Purl of the Week 7-05-08

This week’s Purl of the Week is about our new Clear Clogs from Knitter's Dream.

Sock knitting is one of the current rages in the knitting world and many people want to show off their hard work – here’s a great way to do just that with clear clogs!



These clogs are comfortable and a great way to show off your hand knit socks! We are on our feet all day here at Cultured Purls and could wear these clogs throughout the day.

They come in a variety of sizes for both women and men. We carry them in Women’s sizes 6-10 but can order to your size, though only whole sizes.

Come in and try them on to show off your socks!

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!

Yarn of the week 5/20/08

This week’s yarn of the week is Classic Elite’s Soft Linen. This beautiful yarn is made up of 30% Baby Alpaca, 35% Wool, and 35% Linen.

Never worked with linen before? Soft Linen is a great introduction into knitting with linen fibers. Linen is strong, 2-3 times stronger than cotton. It has very little elasticity so it will not stretch. Adding wool and alpaca to the linen makes the fiber more elastic while the linen gives the fabric durability. The linen will get softer and softer the more it is washed making any garment made from this yarn very special. The mix of linen and wool is an especially good idea for knitting garments that work with our ever changeable weather here in the Pacific Northwest. The linen is able to breathe and keep your temperature down while the wool keeps you warm.

Clara over at Knitter’s Review highlighted the Soft Linen a few months ago and loved the yarn; check out what she has to say.

We are well stocked in seven of the rich colors this yarn is available in. This is one yarn you must see for yourself in the store; you will not be disappointed!

Purl of the Week for Saturday May 17, 2008

This week’s Purl is our Pattern Alteration Class

Have you ever finished a sweater or other garment and found that it didn’t fit you at all? Maybe the armholes were too small or big; maybe it was too tight across your chest or so big it made you gain 10 pounds when you put it on. Did you swear never to knit another sweater? Did you think that your knitting days were numbered? We’ve all been there. It takes practice to read a knitting pattern to discern what size the medium will actually turn out to be.

We here at Cultured Purls have not only struggled through the same problems you have with patterns but in our brilliance we have come up with solutions! The first is a Pattern Alteration class . It will take place Saturday June 6th and 28th from 3:00 -5:00. This class will be suitable for beginning to intermediate knitters with some experience knitting from a pattern. In order to get the most out of the class you must be able to knit and purl as well as increase and decrease.

The second solution to your knitting woes is our Project Central groups. In Project Central you get instructor help with whatever it is you are working on. So, you could get all of your questions answered, learn new techniques, see what other knitters are working on and make some new knitting friends! Project Central runs from 10-12 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Stop by or call us at the store for more information.

Hope to see you soon!

May 15th Question of the week

Question of the week

“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?”

Let’s start with Bamboo yarn since the yarn of the week was a bamboo blend. Bamboo is a relatively new fiber for the knitting world and we get a lot of questions about it in the store. One hundred percent bamboo fiber is very drapey and usually has a sheen which makes it a great choice for a project that will be worn in the summer or warm climate. It also has anti-bacterial properties that make it more breathable than cotton and it resists odor which makes it a great addition for socks and tops! If you are looking for environmental sustainability in your yarns, bamboo yarn is often milled from left over bamboo product such as chopsticks and the bamboo plant can be harvested without killing the plant.

Some of the potential ‘cons’ of bamboo (there are “cons” for every fiber, that’s why there are so many, something for everyone!) is that a garment made from 100% bamboo can stretch. One way to overcome this would be to knit the yarn at a slightly tighter gauge, allowing that the fabric will stretch.

A great way to get all of the positive effects of bamboo yarn and eliminate some of the negatives is to use a bamboo blend such as bamboo and wool or bamboo and cotton. The wool can keep the fabric from stretching and the bamboo makes the yarn drapey and moisture-wicking for the perfect summer or warm weather garment.

We will discuss other fibers in upcoming question of the week so stay tuned.

Yarn of the Week

On Tuesdays we are going to feature a yarn of the week. The chosen yarn may be something we have just received and want to highlight or a yarn that we have used and love and want you to love, too. We carry so many varieties that when you are in the store, it can be easy to overlook something amazing. We hope that the yarn of the week will be educational, informative and fun! Please leave comments with what you would like to see in yarn of the week or questions about the specific yarn in the post.

The yarn of the week this week is Debbie Bliss Prima. New for spring 2008 Prima is a wonderful blend of 80% Bamboo and 20% merino with a gauge of 5.5 stitches per inch on a US 6 needle and at 110 yards, it would be fabulous in your spring or summer DK weight project. This is also an easy care yarn. The label instructs you to machine wash cold and dry flat – no problem in the summer!

Prima has a slight sheen to it and will create a fabric that drapes without clinging and feels so soft next to your skin. The merino bamboo blend is perfect for a spring or summer garment, as the bamboo will keep you cool while the wool will help the garment keep its shape over time.

We also have the Debbie Bliss Prima Book in stock which has 12 beautiful patterns for women featuring Prima yarn. We have all 16 colors of Prima in stock right now for you to choose from. This yarn is a must see, come on in and ask us to tell you more about it!

Two Purls of the Week

The Purl of the Week will appear each Saturday highlighting something special we have to share with you in the store. This week’s purl is actually two. We received two great books this week, Knits So Fine and Cable Confidence and instead of choosing one over the other, you get to read about both!

Knit So Fine, published by Interweave Press and written by Lisa R. Meyers, Laura Grutzeck, and Carol Sulcoski, focuses beautifully on knits designed with lighter weights of yarn. Before you think to yourself that you would never, ever knit with anything less than a DK weight, check this book out. The authors have included twelve pages of information discussing why lighter weights of yarn drape more beautifully, show stitches such as lace patterns better, and are more flattering to the body.

Still not convinced, and in love with your size 10 needles and bulky weight yarns? Check out the pictures of a Barbie in two dresses, one with chunky yarn and one with a fine weight yarn. It was enough to make me take a second look at the book.

Connecting to our question of the week last week, there is a section on how to substitute yarns that provides more in-depth information about fiber content and drape rather than just gauge. Good reading as well as pretty patterns.

Cable Confidence is published by Martingale and Co. and is by Sara Louise Harper. This book has very handsome cabled sweaters for men, women and children, too. What's great about this book are the introductory pages that will make you confident in knitting a cabled sweater. These pages have very clear "how to" pictures for cables and well-written information on how to read charts. The techniques page has great pictures for seaming, binding off, and weaving in yarns that most books just assume you know.

The patterns themselves range from simple to intricate and has something for everyone. Definitely a must-see book.

Come by the store to check out both books! See you soon.

Cultured Question of the Week

From a Chinese Proverb: One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

We love questions here at Cultured Purls. Questions are what make us all better learners. With knitting there is always more to learn, therefore always more questions to be asked! On Thursdays we will be answering the most asked questions that we get in the store, over e-mail and hopefully from the blog comments. These questions could be about knitting technique, yarn, the world of knitting, and pattern reading. They will vary between beginning and advanced so stay tuned!

So here's today's question which we get a lot in the store:

"What's the difference between yarn weights?"

Good question! Here is a great link to the Yarn Standards and Guidelines for Knitting and Crochet. These are only guidelines of course, but provide practical use for you in your knitting or crochet life.

Here's an example. Let's say I want to knit from a pattern that calls for a gauge of 18 sts & 24 rows. I'm not sure I want to use the yarn the pattern calls for, so what now? Referring back to the Guidelines I see that 18 sts (sts is knit-glish for stitches) falls into the medium or worsted weight category of yarn. Therefore when I am ready to buy my yarn, I know that it needs to be a medium or worsted weight yarn. Yarn labels have suggested sts per inch on the label (though sometimes in metric) and for this particular project I would be looking for something in the range of 16-20 sts per inch on a US needles size 7-9 according the guidelines. It is a fantastic idea to download and print the guidelines for your personal use. Don't be afraid to bring them into the store for more detailed answers as well as examples. Remember, we were all newer knitters once!

You always (always, there is no getting around this if you want your project to turn out like the picture or example) need to make a swatch for your knitting or crochet project to make sure that it's the right size for your pattern. Try various sizes of needles to get the right sts per inch and rows per inch. We will address more about gauge swatching next week!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Cultured Purls Blog! We have been receiving so many new yarns as well as new books and needles this spring, we wanted to find a way to keep our customers updated as often as possible. We hope to use this blog to let you know about new yarns that have come into the store, answer your burning knitting questions and highlight some of the wonderful knitting being done by our customers and staff too!


Tuesdays will be Cultured Yarn of the week. We will highlight a new yarn we have received or a yarn that we may have received earlier in the season that we think is fantastic!


Thursdays will be Cultured Question of the week. We get so many questions both in the store and by e-mail that are smart and well thought-out and we want to share the answers. We will answer questions about yarn, technique, knit-glish (the language of knitting), and any of your other burning questions pertaining to the store, Gilman Village, Issaquah, and the world of knitting in general!


Saturdays will be the Purl of the week. This post will be about a new book that's come into the store, maybe a new website to check out, exciting news in the store or even customer FO's (finished objects)!


We are looking forward to sharing with you! Please feel free to ask questions in the comments area or just say hi! You can also send pictures of your knitting to our e-mail info@cultured-purls.com with blog in the subject line.