More Colinette & Mountain Colors...Woohoo!

Howdy yarn pals!  Just wanted to give a heads up that we got in some more pretties!  This week we got a nice big Colinette order in.  We got some more Isis, a really pretty, soft chenille like yarn.  This one is very popular for scarves, and has no wool which is great for gifting to someone who is sensitive.

Here we have more Giotto, a gorgeous handpainted ribbon yarn, also great for scarves...

and over to the sock section we have one of my favs, Jitterbug, oooooh look at that wall!! It makes me happy :)  I have fallen in love with the "Jay" colorway, I have decided I can't live without it (harhar) I just love any shades of teal!   I'm thinking of knitting a "Herbivore" shawlette out of it.  If you are not familiar Herbivore, it is a Stephen West pattern.  Stephen West is one of my fav designers.  We carry quite a selection of his designs here at Monarch, or you can check them out on Ravelry.  Anyways, Jitterbug is a beautiful handpainted sock yarn - also fab for scarves, shawls, gloves, you name it.  We now have 24 eye popping colors! Yaayy!

Speaking of fab sock yarn....this week we got in more Mountain Colors Crazyfoot! Oh so perrrttyyy...hard to resisit! Ya know, you can never have enough sock yarn! haha!

Also, from Mountain Colors, we have some stunning new throw kits...

It comes with all the pretty, texturey, handpainted goodness you need to make 1 of 3 different throw patterns (2 knit, 1 crochet). Here Joan started one...its now become kind of a communal project, whenever we have a spare minute, we knit a row or two :) and the Lantern Moon Ebony Circulars are like the icing on the cake! This would make a very special gift, maybe a head start for Christmas? No, we are not really thinking of the holidays already...don't worry. A head start never hurts tho. The pictures just don't do the yarn justice. You just hafto come see!

Oh yea, yesterday I finally bound off my Cream & Sugar Cowl! Sorry I don't have a pic wearing it. Its still kinda wet from hand washing. I just LOVE this! I made it out of 1 skein of Madelinetosh Sock. We are supposed to get a bunch more Madelinetosh in the next month or two. We only have 2 colors left of the sock yarn, but as you know now we have plenty of others that would work perfectly. In fact, Diane like mine so much, she's gonna make one out of Jitterbug! The pattern is available here.

I really like those Never Not Knitting patterns! Very well written too. I think my next one will be the Seedling Hat out of Madelinetosh Merino DK. I love this pretty amber color!

Hey...I just finished 2 projects, so that means I can cast on 2 more right?!

New Goodies & Happy Campers!

Hey there yarn buddies! Last weekend Joan sent me off to knit camp at Big Sur Betty's and what a wonderful, relaxing experience! Located wayyy out in Big Sur off of highway 1, on to Nacimiento Road. and what a beautiful drive too. I rode with one of our happy campers Robin. I really enjoyed the breathtaking views of the ocean! Betty met us at the top of Nacimiento and lead us to her property on a dirt road (might be easier to have a car with 4 wheel drive). Betty lives on a breathtaking 40 acres of land! It is just so beautiful and peaceful out there its hard for me to describe! I do have some pictures here (thanks to Robin - you are awesome!) The camp is off of a huge green meadow. There is a small kitchen, a flushing toilet with a sink all right there in camp. There is a nice size fire pit and plenty of firewood (we pretty much had a campfire going the whole time). It was pretty sunny and warm the first day. We all lounged around the campfire knitting (and crocheting) and watched the dogs run around and play. Robin brought her sweet German Shepherd, Monroy, and Leah brought her Saint Bernard, Juno....what a big sweetheart! They all had a great time running around camp with Betty's dogs Dale, Vic, and of course, little Jasper :) That evening we had our potluck dinner, then smores with the biggest marshmellows I've ever seen! Thanks Leah!

Entrance into Betty's Property

Camp! :)

Juno, Monroy, and little Jasper

The next morning Betty had made us all coffee and put out a big tray of all kinds of goodies.... muffins, brownies, cinnamon bread, and some of her awesome homemade applesauce. After breakfast, and a little more lounging, Betty gave us a little tour of her property. She showed us her garden where she grows all kinds of things like broccoli, garlic, avocado, kiwi, apples, pretty much you name it, she grows it! She took us to her huge pond, which would be awesome for swimming, but that day it was a little too cold. Juno didn't mind so much tho, she jumped right in! There's even a rope swing :)

That afternoon Betty did a barbeque for us and made chicken, burgers, and hot dogs! There was definitely no shortage of food at Betty's! All in all I think knit camp was a success! We all had a great time, I look forward to visiting Betty on our next retreat in June! Betty was such a great hostess!! She is such an awesome lady, I really admire her way of living. She lives in such a beautiful place! Thanks again Betty :)

View from Betty's backyard Wow!

While I was off camping, we got a visit from Heather Bloom. She spins the coolest looking yarn! Here are some new fun ones. I love the ones with the little beehive looking things spun in. Each one is unique. Come and get 'em while we got 'em!

Also, while on my camping adventure, I finished my sparkley top. I really like how it came out. It looks great worn with the "V" in the front or back! This one only took 5 balls of Berroco Glint. The pattern is in the current Knitscene.

Diane finished this cute little kid's vest. Sooo cute!!!

This week we got in a fun, new yarn called Damasco. Its got some really pretty colors, and is very soft. Perfect for a scarf, and only $7.99 a ball. This yarn is limited edition.....so once its gone, its gone!

Thats all for now my fellow yarn junkies! As always, I'll keep you posted on all the new happenings here a Monarch :)

Knitting Retreat Anyone?

Hey all our knitting pals out there! Koryn here again to keep you updated on all the Monarch happenings! Does anyone out there need a couple of days to get away from it all? Well, next weekend (13th thru the 15th) I will be hosting a knitting camping retreat at Big Sur Betty's. That right, 2 nights and 3 days of knitting peace in a beautiful remote location in south Big Sur. Click here for more info. The cost is $75 per person and that includes 2 breakfasts, and 1 dinner. The first night everyone brings something to share for a potluck dinner. There is, of course, a bathroom with running water (and a toilet, whew!!), and a kitchen. There is also a large pond for swimming! I'm really excited! I can't wait!! You will want to bring a tent, sleeping bag, flashlights, and any other camping essentials you might need. When you sign up well give more details. Its gonna be so great just to lay back and admire nature with your knitting. It can't get much better than that! Won't you join me for our outdoor knitting adventure? Give us a call or come by our shop if you are interested. The more the merrier. :D

oooh new yarn!

Last week, we got in a couple of gorgeous new yarns from Frog Tree. The first is Meriboo. A dk weight Superwash Merino and Bamboo blend. This yarn is so soft, squishy, and shiny! We have it in 18 fab colors to choose from! This wonderful yarn is great for all kinds of projects. Every time we get a new pretty yarn in, I automatically want to knit a sweater out of it! It's kind of a curse haha. I thought that this "Moch Cardi" by the Shetland Trader would be just perfect! Must resist the urge and finish up some things first. Sigh. Anyways, come by and give it a squeeze and you'll know what I mean.

Another new yarn from Frog Tree is a pretty new sock yarn called Pediboo. Another Superwash Merino and bamboo blend in a soft n shiney fingering weight. The name makes me think of pedicures, so I thought, how appropriate to make some cute pedicure socks! There are some really cute ones on the cover of Knitted Socks East and West. There are also some really cute stripey ones in one of Joan's favorite sock books, The Joy of Sox ( heehehe the name of that book makes me giggle ;)  ). The Pediboo would be great for little shawlettes, gloves n hats too. There are lots of pretty colors too, 24 of them I think. For now, we only have 2 balls of each color, so come get your hands (or feet harhar) on some before its out.

Yesterday, we got in a few pretty things form Lantern Moon. Here are some cute little project bags made from silk. These are perfect for a small on the go project like socks or gloves. They are reversible too, which I thought was pretty neat.

Also some silk needle cases that fit your short straights, and circulars. These cases zip up, keep organized, and protect your precious Lantern Moon needles!

and more awesome Lantern Moon bags!

We also got in a few new buttons. Very nautical looking huh? I like 'em :)

Thats pretty much all for now with new stuff. We are always getting in something new, so keep checking back.

About a week ago Diane and I decided to challenge each other to a dual summer top race. Well, not really racing, its not like we are gonna win anything, except a new summer top for our wardrobes! haha We really loved all the fun summer things in the current Knitscene. I decided to knit Joule Top out of Berrocco Glint (oooh sparkley!). Diane is knitting the Sigma Tee out of Madelinetosh Merino DK. Looks like we are neck 'n neck...we'll see who finishes first! hehehe