Green and growing things have made their appearance, and with them, our creative spirits have come to life! We knitters want a warm weather top or a delicate piece of lace to knit when the day of garden work is done, or some mindless sock knitting to enjoy on the front porch swing. We're all stocked up with our new spring yarns and some great new books to help you with your knitting goals.

Cascade Ultra Pima (shown left) in a myriad of bright summery colors, is smooth multi-ply soft cotton that knits up at 5.5 to 6 spi, yielding a fabric that is neither too thick nor too thin for a good shell or a cardi to throw over your shoulders after the sun goes down. The color masters at Noro have done it again, with Taiyo (top right), a Cotton/Silk/Wool/Nylon blend in vibrant hues. On the other end of the color spectrum, we have Rowan Creative Linen - a 50/50 Linen/Cotton blend in subdued earthy tones that knits at 5 spi.

Auracania Ruca (bottom right) is an intriguing organic yarn made from Viscose sourced from sugar cane! The resulting fiber is silky with a very drapey hand, and the colors are subtle solids with shifting tones. We've restocked Sublime's Tussah Silk DK, with it's shiny and matte strands, in the new spring colors, and we're very excited about Manos del Uruguay's Serena, an unusual blend of Pima Cotton and Baby Alpaca that is so touchably soft you'll want to rub it all over your neck! The Serena pattern book provides some really lovely seasonal patterns to knit up this wonderful yarn.

We've got the new Addi Lace Click Long Tip set in stock, with it's longer needle portion, it creates 24", 32", and 40" circular needles with the pointy tip you love in the Addi Lace Circulars, but with the slick nickel finish of the Addi Turbo in sizes from US 4 to 11. It also features the great new lifeline threader in the cords! Just bend the cord at the correct point and a slit opens so you can thread a string through your live stitches as you knit the next row!

NEW BOOKS & MAGAZINES

We're very excited to have the reprint of June Hemmons Hiatt's knitting opus The Principles of Knitting. Formerly only available for hundreds of dollars on ebay, this tome (now revised and updated) will become your go-to reference book for everything from how to measure gauge to intricate techniques like twined knitting.

And for the sock lover, we have Clara Parkes' Knitter's Book of Socks, the third in the series following Knitter's Book of Yarn and Knitter's Book of Wool, KBoS delves into sock construction, technique and patterns with the same fervor and intelligence as the other books in the series.

The new Knitting Traditions issue is here, and is packed with a vast expanse of cultural traditions as well as historical traditions from Islamic bags to Norwegian symbolism, and Civil War Socks to 1920s vintage knits.

In our quick and focused knit labs we share knowledge from that amazing world of generous knitters who came before us. An ideal way to progress as a knitter, pick the opportunities to expand your general knitting skill which fit best with your schedule. Miriam offers one hour technique knitting skills labs on Saturdays, including her ever popular Seaming. Our Sunday afghan group welcomes new members for studying lace knitting as does the Stranded Color group meeting the second Saturday of the month. Michelle is repeating Ethnic Folk Knit labs for cast ons and braids on Saturdays as well as hosting some new offerings. You will want to work from your favorite knitting chair at home while making an Estonian Scarf, but the Cascading Colors short row scarf is perfect for road trips this summer. Betsy can guide you through socks or a fun summer lace scarf and is always eager to help our beginners get off to a good start.

Sunday Afternoon Help & Social Knitting

Betsy Slayton is here to help you on Sundays from noon until 4:00 PM. We welcome you to come knit with us for some cherished knitting adventures. Betsy will answer your knitting questions and help you choose your next project. Our knitting guru, Michelle Poulin-Alfeld, is in from 2:00 to 4:00 PM to help you with your knitting questions and project crisis. Michelle's expertise is provided as a service for you at no charge. Do join us on Sunday afternoons.