monarchknitting

Just a Quick Update.....

2012-02-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to give you all a quick heads up on the Color Theory Class with Amy Hendrix of Madelinetosh. There has been a little change on date and time. The class will be held on March 10th from 10am to 1pm. The class fee is $25.00 per person. We do apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused. We hope you can join us for this great opportunity to meet Amy, owner and creator of Madelinetosh Yarns!! Here is a bit more information on the workshop.....

Class Description:

Color Theory / Color Design Workshop
By Amy Hendrix, President of Madelinetosh

What you will learn:

• General color theory and how light alters color perception
• The Albers color theory and the importance of understanding how colors
interact with one another
• What color pairings great artists have chosen historically to create
stunning palettes
• How to combine colors to generate complimentary pairings in your knitting
• How to select colors to pair with your hair, eyes and/or complexions.
• How to include bright colorways in your knitting in ways you will actually
wear
• Warm vs. cool color relationships, how to balance them and why
• The beauty of analogous color schemes, creating subtle color palettes
with depth and definition.
• How to create modern color palettes, and what modern artists practice
often but never say.

Class Summary:

This workshop will provide students with a fun and fascinating introduction to the
basic concepts of a range of theories regarding the use of color. Many have
thought color selection is intuitive and unable to be learned.  Yet, by combining
simple concepts, a smidge of history and a little fun with colored pencils everyone
can understand and apply both historical and modern color palettes and concepts
in their crafting projects.

Supplies:

Please bring a set of colored pencils or pastels and gridded paper as well as a pen/pencil for notes!

So exciting!!! There is a limited amount of space for this workshop so reserve your spot as soon as soon as you can!

New Yarns by Kaffe Fassett and Some Other New Goodies...

2012-02-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

The Kaffe Fassett yarns have arrived!! What fun self-stipey goodness! The first one is “Kid Silk Stripe”. Much like the ever-popular Rowan “Kid Silk Haze”, but with a beautiful, self-stiping effect in colors specifically designed by Kaffe himself! Check it out..

Diane has just started knitting a mohair bias loop out of this fab yarn. Not much of it is knit up just yet but you can see the pretty gradual striping coming out. We LOVE this! One ball is sufficiant to make a scarf. In fact, this yarn comes with a pattern for a really easy scarf on the inside of the label! I am dieing to knit with this, but alas....too many projects! Must try to resist ;)

There is a new sock yarn by Kaffe as well called “Ombre Stripe”. One ball makes some fun stripey socks or a fab pair of gloves. Available in 6 Kaffe Fassett inspired colors....

Nice colors! Also, for all you crazy sock knitters...a nice shipment of new colors of Crazy Zauberball

and straight from outer space (haha) more Flying Saucers!!

Flying Saucer Sock has two plys of yarn that are injection dyed, by hand, then put on a special spool so it can then be knitted into two identical socks at the same time! Joan is almost done with a pair..

Very cool idea, I think!

We got in more Rowan Siena too, back by popular demand....well I really demanded we get more haha! This yarn I do really love. It is a fingering weight, mercerized 100% cotton. We have some stunning new colors.

Two summers ago, I started knitting a really cute top from one of my favorite Kim Hargreaves books “Misty”.

I unfortunately had to keep putting this project on the back burner, but I really ejoyed the Siena! It knits up so beautifully....

I’m very hopeful on finishing this cute little top for THIS SUMMER!

Speaking of finishing things. Joan finished a super cute Debbie Bliss kid’s sweater! Check it out....

Look at all of that intarsia! She sure is good at it! If you recall, I shared just a few peices of it a couple of blog entries ago. Its made from Debbie Bliss Cotton DK. The Pattern and yarn are available here if you have a little girl in mind who must have this cute cardi. Don’t let the intarsia intimidate you, it’s easier than it looks.... really. We are always here to help you with your knitting adventures ;)

Finally, I have saved some exciting news for last! For all you Madelinetosh fans out there...Amy Hendrix, owner & creator of Madelinetosh yarns is coming to Monarch!! March 3rd from 10am to 12pm Amy will be giving a class on color theory and design right here in our shop! In this class you’ll get a fun and fascinating introdution to the basic concepts of color theory, and a bit of color history. You will learn how to combine colors to create complimentary pairings in your knitting. Also, how to select colors that are right for you, and much much more!! The class is $25 per person and spaces are limited so sign up while you can! I’ll have a bit more information on this next week or give us a call for more details. We are so thrilled to be able to have Amy here as not all yarn stores get such an opportunity!! Come get inspired by color with us! :)

Fun New Stuff For The New Year!

2012-01-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hellooo there everybody!! Boy! We have had such a busy week! Last friday we had our little launching party for Laura Nelkin's Kinetik Mystery KAL, which was a great turn out! We had quite a few people participating yaaay! Here's a few pics from that evening...

They sure do have the look of.....don't bother me I'm knitting!! Such determination! I love it :) I do admit, the KAL is not quite for the beginner knitter, but it is such a blast! We were all working on clue 1, which was the swatch. This was a great way to practice the stitches and decide yes please beads, or please no don't make me do beads. I am definitely gonna say YES BEADS!! Here is my little swatch, what do you think? ;)

This very fun challenge for all you daring knitters (you can do it!!). Laura's directions are very nicely written! Plus, if you get stuck she has links to videos where she takes you through all the techniques, which is very helpful. Of course, all of us here at monarch are participating in the KAL, so we are happy to help you along as well. Don't forget, this Saturday the 21st from 11-12pm there will be our KAL progress gathering, so come by and show it off or get some help if you need.

If you do come by check out these new bracelet/necklace kits we just got in by Laura Nelkin! It's called Ribband. The kit comes with a beautiful bit of alpaca/silk yarn, glass beads, czech crystal beads, clasp, and a dental floss threader. It's made on only 4 stitches! Super fast, super easy! This cute little accessory is very versatile, it can be worn like a bracelet or a necklace. Can't wait to make one! Gotta finish my KAL clue #2 first!

Right after our KAL launch party evening, we had our in store Big Annual Sale! We don't advertise too largely about it, but it's always Martin Luther King weekend every year on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So, keep that on your calendars! Lots of good deals, and making room for new goodies :) We all worked really hard that weekend! Sakura is a good example of how we feel after sale weekend....

hehehe! We are all very happy to be here tho! I hope you all had a chance to come check out the great deals. If not, keep it in mind for next year!! Now that the sale is over, we have lots of room for new stuff. We got in some new fibers by Louet this week. We received some beautiful new Eri "Peace Silks"! The Eri silk is created by an Eri worm. The Eri worm creates an open ended cocoon, which means they are allowed to emerge on their own and not harmed! Isn't that neat! In fact, this type of silk is much preferred by vegans and monks in India because they are "non-violent" silks.

We also got in a super soft Organic Wool Fiber, a beautiful Rayon, Merino, Bison, Cashmere blend fiber, and some new colors of Corriedale Top....

quite a nice new selection huh? We think so! :)

Today we got in the new issue of Knitscene!! yaaay! Come grab one before they go! This is a very cute issue...

I thought I would share this new Learn to Fair Isle Knit book we just got in. This one is perfect if you have never Fair Isle knitted before....great step by step instructions, with pictures, and quite a selection of fun projects like hats and cowls...

Speaking of cowls... I just finished one out of Alchemy Kosmos...

the pattern comes from Churchmouse Classics and is called "Annabella's Cowl". Super easy, suitable for the beginner! It came out so soft and warm! It's made extra long to pull up over your head if your ears get cold. I like to wear it folded over for extra warmth :) I've been wearing this one alot (it has been so cold here lately!)
Thats about it for this week yarn pals. Coming soon...... new yarns by Kaffe Fassett!

Welcoming the New Year!

2012-01-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday! We have been staying pretty busy through the holidays (thats why there hasn’t been much blogging). We are all really excited for the new year! Looking forward to new projects and new yarns!!

This first week we got in a new spring yarn by Debbie Bliss, Cotton DK. Its 100% cotton, super soft, and really nice knitted up! It has really nice stitch definition. Just perfect for baby or kids knits! Joan is making a darling little girls sweater out of it right now! Check it out...

This one is gonna be so cute! Can’t wait to see it all finished! The pattern comes from the book Debbie Bliss Baby and Toddler Knits. This book is full of the cutest little sweaters, jackets, booties, and more for little babies up to 5 & 6 year olds.

Great for us big babies too! :) Especially if you are senistive and can’t wear wool, this would be the yarn for you.

That’s the only new yarn this week, but there is always more to come! You know I will keep you updated!

There are a few new magazines this week too.....

and some new books....

Also don’t forget about the Kinetik Mystery KAL coming up next week! The day it starts - Jan. 13th - we will be having a launching party after closing that evening 5:30 - 7:00pm. It will be a fun get together, and even more fun to see what yarn everyone chose! I was orignally going to use some Ella Rae Lace Merino I had in my stash....but changed my mind when Joan dyed this for me!

Wow! That’s definetly my color! The yarn is Dye for Me Merino Silk & Cashmere. I love it!! Even better, its unique! Dyed special for me! Thanks Joan! :) Can’t wait to cast on! There is more information about the Mystery KAL on my last blog entry, or just give us a call or stop by.

We got a large shipment of spinning and weaving supplies for the new year from Schacht!!!

For all you spinners or wannabe spinners, we have the new Sidekick! The Sidekick is the wheel you can take with you where ever you go! Its super lightweight, only 13lbs. It quickly and easily folds up for transport. The sidekick is exceptionally smooth and comfortable to treadle, kinda like peddling a bicycle. It comes with 3 travel bobbins, 2 whorls, a threading hook, and adjustable carrying strap!

If you are a beginner spinner, and not quite sure you want to invest in a wheel quite yet, we do carry a fine selection of drop spindles as well.

This is a great way to start out spinning to see if it’s for you. We also sell a kit that comes with a drop spindle, a bit of fiber, and instructional DVD to get you started. We can do personal classes too if you need more hands on help. Just give us a call to schedule.

If weaving is your interest, we just got in a few looms!! The Cricket Rigid Heddle Loom is a great starting option. It comes with everything you need to start weaving! You get the loom (which takes very little assembly), an 8 dent reed, 2 table clamps, 2 stick shuttles, a warping peg, threading hook, and enough yarn to make 2 different projects!! Wow! Great for kids and adults. It’s small size takes up no space at all, and is perfect to make all kinds of scarves, table runners, placemats, and much more.

If you preffer something a bit larger for more weaving options, we also have the Schacht “Flip” Rigid Heddle looms in 2 sizes, 15” and 20”. The flip is designed for high performance,very sturdy, and folds up easily for storage or transport, and is quite a pleasure to weave on! The Flip Looms come with complete warping & weaving instructions, reed, warping peg, 2 shuttles, 2 clamps, and threading hook. You can also buy additional accessories for the flip like a Trestle Stand, carrying cases, additional reeds, etc.

The Schacht Inkle Loom is another fun weaving option. Its just perfect for weaving strips like belts, bands, leashes, collars, etc. This is a great beginner option as well because it takes little setup, and is very simple to use and understand.

Not only are we your one stop shopping for all your knitting/crocheting supplies, we have a pretty good selection for the spinner/weaver as well!! Keep checking back, we will be getting in some new spinning fibers very soon, among other fun things :)

A New Class Schedule for the New Year!

2011-12-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hello again! Everyone feverishly knitting and crocheting those last minute gifts!? I certainly am! In fact, I was up past midnight last night finishing one of those fun ruffley scarves. In just a couple of days it will be over and done! We will all hopefully go back to our normal knitting/crocheting schedules ;) Not that I don't love the holidays, it it my favorite time of year! I just don't enjoy deadline knitting....it makes me crazy!

We do have some fun things planned for the new year! Our new class schedule is out!! Of course, we always have our Beginning Knitting classes on saturdays. These classes are for beginners, but they can be tailor-made to suit the individual depending on what they would like to learn. I do only teach 2 people a at time in our beginning classes to ensure each student has all the help they need to succeed with their knitting or crocheting (yes I can teach crochet too!)
We also have our ever-popular Fixing Boo-boos class. Learn extremely useful techniques that will help you gain confidence in your knitting! Our Finishing class is also back on the schedule. This class will give you many helpful tips on seaming, blocking and other hints to make your projects come out looking professional!
There are 2 new classes on our schedule as well, taught by the famous June McKnight! The first is a Bead Embellishment class, where you learn many creative ways to use beads in many different projects, whether it be on your needlepoint, sewing, or knitting! I will be there to share 2 different ways you can add beads to your knitting.
The 2nd class is Silk Ribbon Embroidery. This one I am so excited for! I might need to sit in on this one ;) This class you will learn how easy it is to embellish your quilting, sewing, knitting, or crochet projects with little flowers, leaves, or other details using beautiful silk ribbons!
Speaking of beautiful silk ribbons....we have just what you need! It's by a company out of Canada called Treenway Silks. We already carry some of their beautiful hand dyed silk fibers for spinning/embellishment. The silk ribbon is hand dyed and sold in small amounts (little 5 yard cards) and are available in 7mm thickness, and 3.5mm thickness. Just look at the color selection.....

So pretty! I can't wait to play with it! I just imagine a pair of hand knitted gloves or a hat with little embroidered silk flowers on them!!

All of us here at Monarch are also participating in Laura Nelkin's Kinetic Mystery KAL (knit-a-long). This Mystery KAL uses approx. 420 yards of a fingering weight yarn. There is going to be a beaded option for this, either some beads or lots of beads (or no beads). There will be lace knitting involved. Thats about all we know......it is a mystery after all ;) To find out more information, or to download the pattern to participate, you can click here. It will start January 13th with the first clue! We will be having a launching party for the KAL that day from 5:30 to 7pm. We will also have process gatherings for anyone who needs help with this Jan. 21st, 28th, Feb 4th, and 25th at 11:00am. I myself have never done a mystery knit along....I've always been a bit of a control freak with my knitting. This will be very exciting!! Can't wait to start! All of the staff here at Monarch will be participating. We have already picked out our yarns & beads! This is what Diane, Joan, and I have picked....

Joan hand-dyed hers out of Dye For Me "Happy Feet", it's so gorgeous! (the one on the top right) Can't wait to see that knit up!!

There is a new kit we got in this week. Its a gorgeous, hand-painted kit by Blue Heron. The kit makes either a vest, short sleeved tee, or a shawl! You can choose to add beads to it as well. The beads are not included, but we do have a nice selection of beads to choose from. Here is what the vest looks like. I love the beaded version! It looks so pretty fastened with one of our shawl pins too!

The kit includes the all 3 pattern options, and 2 big beautiful skeins of yarn! One of the yarns is a Rayon Metallic, the other a fine wool. The 2 yarns are alternated throughout the project. Here are some of my favorite colorways this kit is available in...

Soooo pretty!!! Love it!

That's all I have to share for now. We have alot to look forward to in the new year! New classes, new projects, and MORE YARN!! From all of us at Monarch, we wish all of you Happy Holidays! :)

Last Minute Scarves!

2011-12-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hello again! I hope everyone is ready for the holidays 'cause here they come! This week we have some more last minute gift ideas for you...and some new yarns!! Are you all familiar with that really cool Triana yarn by Katia? The one that makes a quick, easy boa like scarf...

well this yarn has been such a hit around here, that we ordered some others like it by the same company (Katia). These new yarns are so, so awesome and different, I think you will like them just as much if not more! All of these fun, new yarns I'm about to share take only one ball to make a scarf! That is a beautiful thing :) The first one is called Ronda. It is an acrylic ribbon that has little rectangle boxes on the top of it. When you knit using just those little boxes, it gathers and makes a pretty ruffley scarf like this...

So cute! I made this in one evening, sitting in front of my fireplace while watching "A Christmas Carol". I was so happy how it knitted up and how speedy it was, so I'm making a few for gifts! Even me with my busy schedule can fit this project in!

The next new one is called "Ondas". It's a "mesh like" ribbon yarn, and when you knit into it poking along the top of the mesh, it ruffles up like this...

Also very cute! Diane made this in, yes, one evening!! The Ondas has many color choices, and some of them have sparkles in them. Anything shiny or glittery always attracts me, like a raccoon. This is very simple to knit, a beginner can do it! The end result make you look like a genius!

Next up is another called "Park Avenue". This yarn is a fluffy soft knitted mesh that you knit by poking into one of the edges. The end result is stunning, and very fashionable I must say!

Of course, it only takes 1 ball to make! You are only working with 3 stitches on your needle! Super fast, instant gratification ;) There are 8 colors to choose from! I have been wearing this one around the shop for 2 days. It's been a bit chilly in here! Not only is it fashionable, it is also very warm.

Those are our new scarf yarns! I hope you love them as much as we do. You still have time to make everyone on your list something special. We have many quick gift project ideas that will give you much bang for your buck!

Along with all those fun scarf yarns, we also got in some other pretties this week! For all you Noro lovers out there...we have new colors of Kureyon! Kureyon is 100% Wool that self stripes in many bright, stunning colors....

Ooooh nice full bin of yarn! This yarn is great for just about anything. It even felts up beautifully! Joan knitted a really cute hat out of one ball. I wish I has a pic, its not quite done yet. The pattern will be a free with purchase.

There is also a new yarn by Debbie Bliss. It's called "Party Angel". It is just like regular "Angel", a silk & Mohair blend laceweight.....but now with sparkles! Yup, gotta love those sparkles! I made a pattern by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas called "Mohair Bias Loop" that everyone has just gone crazy over!

Mohair Bias Loop!

I must make another....with sparkles!!!

Yesterday we got in a new yarn by Joseph Galler called "Asana". Its a bulky weight half alpaca, half peruvian wool. The fibers are plyed together into a super soft yummy to-die-for yarn! It kinda has a hand spun look to it, sort of thick and thin to make a very nice texture. The price is very good too for such a fab yarn! Only 11.99 per ball, with 140 yards per skien! I think this would make a really cozy scarf and/or hat!

That's about it for this week knitting pals! Always more to come :)

The Holidays Are Upon Us!

2011-11-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hey there yarn pals! I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. All of us here at Monarch are very thankful to be here to share our inspiration with all our wonderful customers! You are the reason we are still here and still successful! Thank you, thank you! Keep on knitting & crocheting, and we will keep providing you with the best yarn (and needle) selection on the peninsula ;)
Sorry, it has been a couple of weeks since my last blog entry. The holidays are here, and it has been busy, busy, busy! Everyone has Christmas knitting (and crocheting) on the brain, and we are getting down to the wire! I thought today would be a good day to share with you some of our favorite last minute knitted gifts that have been very hot during the holiday season. One of our most popular is this 1 ball chunky infinity scarf....

The pattern is free on Ravelry, it's called "Marion". We made it out of one ball Cascade Magnum. We have this wonderfully soft 'n chunky yarn in many color choices. This will take you no time at all! Knitted on size 19's, I was done with this in about 30 minutes...thats one TV show!! You can't get much faster than that!

Here is a good one to share! Kathy Lang, our newest addition to the Monarch staff (and we are so, so thrilled to have her!), knitted this gorgeous scarf out of 2 balls of Noro Tanabata. Its another free pattern on Ravelry called "Edelweiss Neckwarmer". The pattern is a very simple knit, and it's on size 10's so it makes up pretty fast. I just fell in love with it! You can sew a couple of pretty buttons for a closure, or use a fab shawl pin like we did. I think I'll be making one of these of sure!

This next one has been popular year, after year. Its these little fingerless gloves made out of one ball of Adriafil "Knit Col". This yarn is a 100% superwash merino wool that self stripes! There are some new colors this year to choose from. They are bright and cheery!

Love this yarn! The pattern come free with the purchase and they are super simple to make. This is a good, "I've never made gloves before" project. They are pretty fast too. I made them last year as gifts. It took me about one glove per evening. All my recipients were very happy :)

Oh yea! Don't forget about these Road to China Mitts too! I talked about these 2 blogs ago, they are super easy 'n fast, and the yarn is super luxurious. Everyone loves fingerless mitts for Christmas! The pattern is, of course, free with the purchase.

So, for all those picky guys in your life...some knitted beanies! I have got to say, I have the pickiest hubby, very sweet but very picky. He never wants knitted things, but he loves beanies! The patterns I have always used for him or any other guy I've knitted for, are the Ann Norling hat patterns. There is a basic ribbed pattern, and a cool spiral ribbed one. The Ann Norling patterns are so great because you are provided with many gauges, so you can use any yarn you want! There are many sizes provided as well. Here we used one ball of Manos Del Uruguay Clasica...

These are fast and picky-man approved!
For all you gals out there wanting those cool slouchy style hats, we have just the thing! There are these little booklets called Celebrity Slouchy Beanies, that have the cutest in-style hats! There is a Knit version of this book and a Crochet one! In the knit version, I made the pretty cabley one out of one ball Swans Island Worsted, a super soft organic wool that is naturally dyed. I think we have sold over 100 of these little booklets! I had lots left over I might make these cute little gloves by Swans Island...

So there are your Christmas knitting tips for this week...I hope we have inspired you! You still have time, there are 25 days left!!

You know we can't go a week without getting in some fun new stuff!! We have a few new yarns in you must come see! The first is 2 new yarns by Alchemy. There is Silken Straw, and it is exactly what its name is...100% Silk "Straw Like" hand dyed yarn, that knits up so silky & shiny! Joan made this really cool scarf out of 1 ball, our good friend, Fawn, is modeling for me...

So pretty! The pattern is yet another free one found on Ravelry.....good 'ol Ravelry always has great free patterns! It's called 7 Circle, click here for the pattern! Joan is in progress of making yet another, very cool scarf out of this yarn, but I'll need to show you when its done! So stay tuned for that :)

The next new Alchemy yarn is called Kozmos. Kozmos is a hand dyed silk, mohair, wool, and cotton blend. The colors are to dye for! haha get it?! I'm in progress of making yet another cowl out of this lovely yarn! The pattern is Annabella's Cowl by Churchmouse. Its knitting up pretty quickly on a size 9 and it's very, very easy! The yarn is knitting up so beautiful and soft! Can't wait to show you the end result!

We recently got in a shipment of everyone's favorite cashmere by Jade Sapphire!! Along with the 4 ply sport, we now have 2-ply lace available! It's amazingly soft and wonderful to knit! You can't get much better than cashmere :)

Last but not least on our list of new yarns is Swans Island! This beautiful organic, naturally dyed, merino wool, we now have available on a fingering weight! The fingering weight has a generous yardage of 525! Joan is so fond of this yarn she is in progress of making 2 samples! She is making the "Panoramic Shawl" from Coastal Knits. Also, some really pretty, cabled fingerless gloves I will share with you when they're done.

That is about all the time I have for sharing today. I seems like the days are just flying by so fast lately! Stay tuned for more...

Even More New Stuff!!

2011-11-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

We just love winter season here at Monarch! The weather gets colder, the holidays are drawing closer, everyone is in the mood for some good yarn. That's why every week we have something new and exciting to share...we gotta keep those creative juices flowing! In fact, I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with all these fun new things. Sometimes I feel I have knitting A.D.D. I get so distracted by the constant inspiration around here!

So, on with the sharing shall we? Let me start with some of the most luxurious yarn you will ever feast your eyes on! So luxurious in fact we charge you to even touch it.... haha no just kidding ;) It's called Arctic Dream. This beautiful laceweight is an amazing blend of 55% Qiviut (pronounced kiv-ee-ute), 30% Cashmere, and 15% Silk. It's by a small company out of North Pole, Alsaka called Arctic Qiviut. If you are wondering, what is this Qiviut you speak of? Qiviut is truly an amazing fiber. It is the delicate underwool of the Arctic Muskox. It is one of the most sought after fibers in the world because of it's rarity, softness, and warmth. Qiviut is softer than cashmere, as light as a feather, and eight times warmer than sheep's wool! Wild Muskox shed naturally in the springtime, so it is hand collected from the ground, or bushes they rub up against. Qiviut that comes from farmed Muskox is combed out in large sheets. It is then cleaned and spun into the most fabulous yarn you can put on your needles! Arctic Qiviut only uses the highest grade, finest quality Cashmere, and Bombay Silk. Due to the rarity and softness of the Qiviut, it commands a higher price...but it's worth every penny!

Oooooh look at those colors! The price for this little piece of heaven is normally $140 a skein but we are giving you all a great deal and only asking $120 a skien. Aren't we nice ;) Joan whipped up a shawl out of one skien, it is just to die for! Check it out...

The pattern is by The Shetland Trader, it's called "Wast Side Shawl". The pattern is available here as well. One skein will also make a beautiful lace scarf! Get this yarn for unique gift for yourself, or someone very special. I promise they (or you) will cherish it forever!

Last week, if you recall, we got in some gorgeous shawl kits by Art Yarns. The kit comes with some fab mohair and silk yarn with sparkles, and some silk yarn with beads and sequins attached. It comes with the pattern to make a knitted or crocheted shawl. Well, here are 2 new colors!!

Those colorways are even prettier than the first ones! Wow! We only have 1 red one left (I sold it as soon as it went on the shelf) just so ya know ;)

Speaking of kits, we have a new one for you! It's an Organic Wool Baby Soaker kit by Appalachian Baby Designs. The baby soakers are great for those sensitive baby bottoms. These natural wool soakers are worn over the diaper and offer extra leakage protection without irritating delicate skin. The lanolin that is naturally in the wool is also good for the skin. Perfect gift for a new mom and so cute!!

Oh boy! New needles! We got a nice shipment of Serendipity Needles. These needles are hand crafted by a family in Rhode Island. They are made from a nice, smooth birch wood. The tops are made from polymer clay - each set is unique! There is a wide variety to suit any personalty :) Perfect stocking stuffers!!

All you sock yarn lovers out there...we have new self striping sock yarn by Opal! 6 fun colors to choose from. 1 ball will make a pair. There's nothing like hand-knitted socks! They make and extra special gift for someone special on your Christmas list!

I just love sock yarn. I can't get enough of it. There is a ton of it in my stash. I just have the hardest time making 2 of anything (must be the knitting A.D.D.) Sock yarn does make great scarves and shawls too!

We got in a big selection of new books this week. Too many to talk about each one. Check it out....

Last but not least... some show 'n tell for ya! In case you weren't already aware, I LOVE to knit cowls! I think they are perfect for all climates, they don't dangle in your way, and they are very satisfying to make. This one although kind of boring, and took me wayyy too long, was worth it!!

It is a pattern by Tiny Owl Knits and it's called "Ships & Seaside". It started with a provisional (temporary) cast on, knitted in a big tube, then the ends are grafted into a inner tube. It makes a double thick, extra warm fabric. The yarn is Rowan Kid Classic, a lambs wool and mohair blend. It was a joy to knit with, soft 'n fuzzy. It is a yarn that often goes unnoticed, but it makes a wonderful, cozy fabric! Just perfect for all kinds of knitted garments and accessories. If you love it like I do, come on down, we have the pattern and many yarn choices! We can help you pick the perfect one ;)

Oh So Many New Things!!

2011-11-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone! What a busy week it has been! We have been getting in so many new fun things it hard to keep up! Not that it's a bad thing ;) I hope everyone got to come by and see (and pet) all the beautiful cashmere we had from our Jade Sapphire trunk show. What a joy it was to have in our shop... I wish we could have kept it here! Our wonderful Jade Sapphire representative, Jan, let us borrow 20 fabulous items....

We all enjoyed showing them off! There were quite a few items we fell in love with..

Oh boy...cowls! There was one in particular that caught my (and many others) eye..

It is called Dutch Cowl and is made from Jade Sapphire's 2 Ply Cashmere. Its so light weight yet so warm, and sooo luxurious! I love the color it was made in too. Gotta have it! In fact, enough people loved that 2 ply Cashmere, we have decided to order some. There will be some patterns coming as well, along with that Dutch Cowl. It should arrive in a couple of weeks. Anyone wanna have a Dutch Cowl knit along with me? We all need yet another project don't we?

Although we were sad to see the trunk show leave, we have got in lots of new things! Let me start out by showing you our new shawl kits. These kits are by company called Art Yarns, who are known for making luxurious hand dyed, beaded, and sequined yarns. These kits are just to die for! Look how they come so perfectly packaged...

Wow! This would make a great gift! The kit comes with all this..

and a pattern to make a knitted or crocheted little shawlette. Diane whipped up the knitted version in just a few days. It came out so pretty! Here I am being the model, lucky me ;)

I love it! It's like wearing jewelry. There are a couple more colorways coming in, a purpley one, and a red one. Can't wait to see those!

We are super excited because this week we FINALLY got in out Madelinetosh Merino Light!!! Woohoo! Merino Light is a fingering/sport weight single ply superwash wool. It has very generous yardage, 420! We have 14 colors to choose from. Come check it out soon...It's gonna go fast.

I fell in love with the colorway "Molly Ringwald". It's a really pretty shade of pink, plus it's named after my favorite 80's actress. I'm going to make an Austin Hoodie. I can't resist... must cast on now!

Now, on to the new needles! Lantern Moon came out with a new line of needles we just had to get. They are called Featherlights, and they are not kidding! These really are light as a feather! Featherlights are made from plantation grown woods that are organically treated to add density and hardness. These needles are environmentally friendly, free of formaldehyde and resin. You must come try these!! They are so lightweight, smooth, and easy on the hands. We have them available in 10" straights, 14" straights, and circular.

This week we got in 3 new magazines as well...

and a new book by my one of my fav designers Kim Hargreaves! I love all her books! I admit I'm a collector.

Last but not least some show n tell :) I made some really cute little fingerless mitts out of only 1 ball Fibre Company Road to China.

I have been admiring this yarn for a long time and just wanted to test it out. As I predicted, this yarn is a dream to knit! How can you go wrong with a yarn that has alpaca, camel, cashmere, and silk in it! I thought these would make great Christmas gifts. These are so speedy to knit, and a perfect little bit of luxury for your hands. I wrote a pattern up for them, free with purchase. Here are a few other yarns I thought would be great for these... only 1 ball will do it!

Thats all I have time for today! There will be more to share next week ;)

A Jade Sapphire Trunk Show!

2011-10-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! We got some cool, exciting news :) Next week starting on the 26th (wednesday) Monarch will be featuring a Jade Sapphire trunk show! A variety of garments and accessories will be on display, made from some of the most beautiful cashmere and cashmere blends you can put your hands on. Of course, we already carry a couple of Jade Sapphire's fabulous yarns - Moonlight, and Mongolian Cashmere 4 ply. The Moonlight is a combed mink fiber and cashmere hand spun together into an amazingly luxurious yarn! Wowza! Joan made a beautiful scarf out of 1 skein...

I know she already shared this a few blogs ago, but I feel it's worth sharing again ;) It's just so pretty! I made a cowl out of 1 skein of the Cashmere 4 ply. I enjoyed every stitch of this fine cashmere! So soft and luxurious running through your fingers. The fibers seem to bloom as you knit! After a hand wash and light blocking it came out amazing...

Love it!
The trunk show will be great! It will give us all a chance to admire and pet, pet, pet other fabulous fibers offered from Jade Sapphire. That beautiful cashmere I used is the 4 ply, which is like a sport/dk weight but it is also available in 4 other weights. 2 ply lace/fingering weight up to 12 ply chunky weight! I hear there is a silk and cashmere blend they offer that is just to die for! Also, if there is anything you see here at our trunk that we don't have in store, we can special order it for you! Nice! Here is a little sneaky peeky on what we have to look forward to in our trunk show...

Oh my! Isn't that gorgeous!! These yarns and designs will be a feast for they eyes, and just beg to be touched! Can't wait! The trunk show will be here Oct. 26th thru Nov. 1st. in our new luxury department. This will be a great opportunity to get some great gift ideas from someone really special no your Christmas list...someone who has been very, very good this year ;) Or just spoil yourself. Come on. You deserve it!

We all have that to look forward to next week. Meanwhile, this week we did get in some new stuff. There is a new beaded necklace kit by Nelkin Designs. It's called Rippled. It comes with a lovely little bit of cashmere & silk yarn, pretty beads, and the clasp. A nice bit of luxury around your neck...

This one is only 10 rows of knitting! It took me only one evening. These are not difficult to make. It's a perfect introduction to knitting with beads, and a great gift idea as well.
A new issue of KnitScene came in too. There are some really cute projects in here along with and article on making a bobble 5 different ways! Geeez... I didn't know there were that many! haha!

Here are a few new books too :)

Alright Needlepointer's out there...the Silk and Ivory has arrived! 100 colors to choose from!

Silk and Ivory is 50% Silk 50% Wool Needlepoint thread that is just stunning! I had a chance to work with it when I took a lesson from June Mcknight last Monday. Just lovely. My lesson went really well, June said I was a natural :) I can see yet another hobby in my future! Just need to find more time.

Now our little Needlepoint Nook is almost complete. We are just waiting on the ThreadworX overdye thread. I'll keep you posted.
That is all for now everyone. Be sure to come check out our trunk show. It is a must see!

Monarch Has Needlepoint!!

2011-10-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all you Needlepointer's out there good news! You will no longer hafto shop online or drive long distances to find your supplies. Since we lost out local Needlepoint shop Stitches by the bay :( Joan has decided, with the great advice of the lovely June McKnight, to carry some of your favorite threads!! Yaaay! So exciting! We have turned our sale area by the back door into a Needlepoint Nook just for you :) Don't worry the sale are just moved to the back of the shop in our Sock Department. Here is what we got so far...

100 colors of Vineyard Silk thread 100% Silk. Oh these colors are sooo amazing the picture doesn't do it justice. I had a blast hangin those babies up!

Then there is Splendor a 100% Strandable 12-Ply Silk in 50 colors...

We also carry Kreinik Metallics in two sizes #12 and #16 in 16 colors...

We are still waiting on a shipment of Silk and Ivory and ThreadworX over-dye floss. The shipment should be coming in next week. When it comes we will have 100 colors of Silk and Ivory, and 25 colors of ThreadworX. I will keep you posted!

Here at Monarch we will also have 2 resources that Stitches by June McKnight used for your expert finishing needs. This will be available after the new year.

June McKnight is giving private Needlepoint lessons here in our shop every Monday if you are needing some personal, expert help. I am taking a lesson with June this Monday I am so excited! I have never Needlepointed before I am thrilled I get to learn from Thee June McKnight! I'll let you all know how I did. If you want to make an appointment you can e-mail June at june@junemcknight.com and she will be happy to make plans with you. You can click here for June's website. We are so happy to be able meet some of your Needlepoint needs :)

This week we got in some new books. The first I have been really looking forward to. It's Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos (Never Not Knitting) and Hannah Fettig (Knitbot). Just as I suspected I would...I love everything in this book and gotta have it! Here are a few of my favorites...

Coastal Knits...how appropriate for us Knitters living here in the Monterey Bay!

Here are a few more new books...

There is Scarves from Around the World

and a new book finishing by Deborah Newton

oooh and a stitch library by Alice Starmore

and even a book on Crafting with Cat Hair! hahaha! With all the cat hair in my house I could craft a whole army of those little finger puppets! I think I'll pass on that one...but I know there is someone out there that wants to figure out a use for all the hair on the couch ;)

I also have some show n tell :) I finished these cute little gloves out of our new Louisa Harding yarns Grace Hand-Dyed and Grace Hand-Beaded...

The pattern comes from Louisa Harding's new book Three Graces. It's got really cute designs! Nice gloves, Hats, Scarves, and Sweaters! We have another new book from Louisa called Fade to Grey thats got some cute stuff too.

That's about it for now. More to come!!

Dreamz 'n Madtosh!

2011-10-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I’m back from my fun birthday weekend. I had a blast turning the big 30 this year! Woohoo! :) After my nice relaxing 3 day weekend (thank you Joan!!!) I’m back, refeshed, and ready for exciting new stuff to come in! Sure enough it has!!

This week is the week we have been waiting for...our HUGE Madelinetosh shipment arrived!!! Yaaaaay! All you Madtosh junkies out there...come and get it! The Tosh Merino Light I’m sorry to say is still backordered but meawhile there is a large selection. We have lots of Tosh DK, Vintage, Merino DK, and new colors of sock. It goes out the door pretty quickly so come in soon or give us a call! Here's a little teaser pic of some of the new colors....

and look how full the shelves are!!

Its a thing of beauty ain't it!? It makes us all swoon.

Along with all that Tosh we finally got in the new Knitter's Pride Dreamz needles. So, so exciting!! I have already treated myself to a Dreamz Deluxe Interchangeable Set...after all it WAS my birthday ;)

I am in LOVE with this set! The Deluxe set comes with needle sizes 4 - 11 along with 1 24", 2 32", and 1 40" cords. You also get a set of size markers, 8 end caps, 4 cord keys, and a case to put it all in. The cords are very nice and flexible and the joins are smooth. The needles are very fun, colorful and have a nice finish. Funny....I almost enjoy these colorful birch needles more than the yarn I'm working with! Right now I'm knitting a glove out of our new Louisa Harding Grace. Nice!

If you already own a set or want to give them a try there are a couple of starter interchangeable sets available. The smaller set comes with size 6, 9, and 10 needles. You also get 1 24", and 1 32" cords, 4 end caps, and 2 cord keys.

The larger starter set comes with needles 13, 15, 17, and the same cords and accessories as the smaller set.

You may also purchase additional cords and needle tips individually.

There are 6" double point sets for all you sock knitters...

These come with sizes 0, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3's! A case comes with.

A really nice 9" straight set too!

Great case too that comes with! Cool!

The Dreamz are also available for individual purchase in Straight, Double Pointed, and regular (non-interchangeable) circulars as well

The Rose Cubics are here too. They are made from birch, and laminated with a rosewood finish. These needles are cube-shaped for comfort on the hands, and help make more uniform stitches. These are available in interchangeable circular, regular circular, straights, and double pointed.

There are pretty cases you can purchase separately to keep your interchangeables and notions in too...

Whew! So many cool new things! I just had to show lots of pics!

The last thing I will share today (since I'm almost out of time) is a new magazine called KnitWear. It full of great designs, and there is a great article on grafting! Here is a few designs I thought were really cute...

I love the cabled cape on the cover!

That is all for now folks :) Stay tuned for more...

Fantastic Fall Begins

2011-09-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well hi folks, Koryn is on a well-deserved extra day off (birthday weekend!!) so instead of her lovely prose, you get the old news-hound writing from Joan the Janitor/President. Hope you make it through the muck.
But I really can't go wrong because I'm going to introduce you to our new luxury yarn wall!!

Yes! This fall we went in big for the luxury yarns because you know you want them! You can do a whole lot of fabulous knitting/gift-giving with just one skein of these babies!

We'll start with two incredible-feeling yarns from Jade Sapphire. Let me just start by saying these yarns are carefully sourced from Mongolia by the owners themselves. And hand-dyed.
Moonlight is half Cashmere and half Combed Mink (which means no animals were harmed for this product).

It's going to knit up nicely for me on a size 9 or 10 needle and I'll be making a super nice keyhole-style scarf out of it.
Then there's Cashmere 4 ply,
which Koryn has already knit up into a beautiful cowl from our friend, designer Audrey Knight. It's a Knitty pattern which you can find here. It's great that Koryn has already made this, because you can see how the ordinary skein turns magically into a cloud by running through the fingers while knitting. Truly amazing!

When you visit our new luxury department you'll also find some new yarns from Louisa Harding. This half Merino, half-silk yarn called Grace is a unique collaboration between Harding and the artisan dyers in Chile, at Arucunia. The colors are fantastic. Also you can see some that have been hand-beaded, although a production issue has delayed all but the 2 colors you see. Ah well, more colors will be along soon.

Now lest you think we've forgotten all of you folks out there who would rather not go with just a bit of luxury yarn, but would rather sink your teeth into some great, less expensive but no less interesting yarns, we have that, too!
Here's the latest from Debbie Bliss, called Paloma.

It's a bulky, lofty, soft yarn with a unique chain construction to keep it airy yet able to take a texture stitch.

As Debbie is wont to do, she's got a booklet out just for this yummy yarn, with some super projects inside.

Oh, and Koryn made a fantastic cowl from Paloma and the pattern comes with the yarn purchase.

And one more superb item, which fills a place in our hearts which was a bit wanting until now -- machine washable, merino, chunky, heathery -- that's the new Ella Ray Superwash Chunky. A boat load of great colors and we really think this is an ideal yarn if you're going to make a nice gift for your manly man this year. Did we say machine washable and chunky? Perfect!!

Well there are more things to talk about, but not enough time to do them justice, so keep checking back or better yet, come in and pet these new yarns!!! You'll be smiling!!

Some Fun New Yarn & Beads..

2011-09-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow yarnies! We Monarchs are so excited when fall/winter season comes around. Now every week there is something new to share!!
This week we have a couple new yarns in. The first is one we have had in the past. It is so pretty we just couldn't stand to not have it again! Its called Rayon Metallic by Blue Heron. This yarn has everything I just love...beautiful, hand painted colors, and sparkles! oooh anything with bling makes me happy :) This wonderful stuff is mostly rayon with, of course, metallic sparkles. Its really soft and drapey and has a massive 550 yards! Joan is in the process of making a really cool chevron lace scarf check it out...

Sooo purrty!! 1 ball is all you need! The pattern is free with the yarn. Its a very simple 2 row lace repeat. Here are a few more colors..

There is even more so come on down! Or give us a call :)
The next new one is appropriately called Autumn. Its a cotton, acrylic, polyester blend that has little leaves and wooden toggles in the yarn! We liked it because it was so fun and different. I started a simple little narrow scarf...

It is so fun to work with. The leaves and toggles aren't too hard. The only thing that drove me a tad nuts was the leaves were all coming out on one side. To fix this I simply took a crochet hook and pulled some through to the other side. I guess I'm a bit on the picky side huh?! There is a free pattern for this one too. Only 1 ball is needed and size 10's make it go super fast! Perfect little accessory for the fall.
We have also recently expanded our bead department. We have always had a good selection of size 6 seed beads for all that fun beaded knitting. Now we have a nice selection of size 8 seed beads. These are good for beaded knitting as well. Lace weight yarns would be appropriate. These smaller beads won't weigh your delicate lace down.

our bead department :)

new! size 8 seed beads

While Joan was ordering all these cool beads, we came across this fine gauge knitting wire and had to get some...

It comes in 30 or 32 gauge and some pretty colors. We thought it would make really cool knitted or crocheted jewelry. Then we remembered this book we have on crocheting jewelry with wire and beads...

I just love this! Gotta try it out!! There is a free pattern from knitty.com for knitted wire earrings with beads. Maybe I'll try this :)

That is all the new stuff for this week. We have a ton more stuff coming!!!! I just spoke to the gals over at Madelinetosh and all our Tosh Merino Light, Tosh Sock, Vintage, Merino Dk, and Tosh Dk should be coming in the next couple of weeks! Yaaayyy!! There is a HUGE amount coming. I will let you all know as soon as we get it.
We are also super excited about the new line of needles we are getting very soon! They are by a company called Knitter's Pride. You might have seen it advertised in Vogue Knitting magazine. We are getting Symfonie Dreamz and Rose Cubics!! The Dreamz needles are made from beautiful lightweight polished birch wood in 11 radiant colors! They will be available in straight, double pointed, and circular! There will also be interchangeable sets and interchangeables that can be purchased individually to create your own set or add to one! I have already signed myself up for a whole set :) They are so pretty and fun! The needles are very smooth, have a nice tapered point, as well as smooth snag proof joins. The cords are nice and flexible. The Rose Cubics are cuboid in shape, and are made from birch wood with a laminated rose wood finish. The cube like shape provides comfort to your hands and make for more uniform stitches. These will be available in single point, double point, circular, and interchangeable as well. Oh boy, oh boy! So exciting!! I so sorry I don't have a pic to show now. I will be posting many as soon as they come (in a week or two). Trust me... they are fab! Or take a second to look them up at knitterspride.com. Can't wait....

More From Lantern Moon & New Mags

2011-09-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I hope everyone enjoyed they're 3 day weekend. It was nice to se some sunny weather...finally! Today it's back to Pacific Grove fog...oh well at least it's good knitting weather. That's one of the great things about living here in P.G., always knitwear appropriate.
Well anyway, enough about the weather... lets get to the new goodies. Every week there seems to be something fun coming in! This week we got a new shipment from Lantern Moon. Here we have some new gadget bags...

Aren't those great! They only run around $20. Great gift idea too. The little gadgets are just for show (sorry folks not included) we do carry all these cool notions and more to fill these babies up if you so choose.

There are some new needle cases as well. These I think are especially cool. They are made from 100% silk the outside of the case is hand painted. It can carry your circulars, straights, crochet hooks, and notions.

Very pretty. Right now its available in 2 colors.
Then there are these pretty "fan" style cases for your circular needles, also made from silk. We did carry these in the past and they were pretty popular. These are new colors.

These are so worth it to protect your precious Lantern Moon needles!
These little silk bags I just insisted we must have. They are also handcrafted from silk and embroidered with little sheep! Perfect for a small project.

Oh geez! I'm a sucker for anything with sheep on it...come get one before I do. The orange one makes me think of our knitting pal Jana (she's the one who made that awesome Giants scarf) who must have everything orange. Hey Jana this one has your name on it!! haha
Thats all the new Lantern Moon for now. Come check it out! Just so you know if you see anything here that you want and you don't live here, give us a call we ship!

All you Rowan fans out there we finally got #50 Magazine. Before I could even blog about it, we have 1 left! Don't worry tho, we have more coming soon. This issue is really good. I hafto admit the last few issues haven't thrilled me like they used to, but I do like this one! There is a big cabled cape that had been on my mind..it's just fab! Here are some other designs in there that caught my eye....

There is a new issue of Interweave "Holiday Gifts" as well. I love the gloves on the cover. Lots of great gift ideas! These usually go fast so come grab a copy.

Spinners...we finally got the new Spin Off mag!! Yaaaay! There is a good section in here for beginner troubleshooting. There's even instructions on how to make you own orifice hook using a wine bottle cork and brass wire.

Thats about it for this week. Before I leave you I have some show 'n tell/sneak peek :) In a couple of weeks we are getting in a new yarn by Debbie Bliss called "Paloma". Its a Baby Alpaca/ Merino blend with a "cord like" construction. It is very similar to Rowan's Lima yarn but a bit thicker. I made a great big cabley cowl out of 6 skeins. Yes another cowl. It is so soft and warm. It is big enough for me to put around my shoulders. You can kinda see my newly colored in tiger, he's a bit sore right now. The pattern is from the book Vampire Knits. This pattern is also featured in this winter's Spool Magazine (which we have many copies) if you aren't into Vampire knitting books (I so am!)

I just love, love the cables and the yarn! I hope you do too. I will let you know when the yarn comes. Keep checking back!

New Kits & More Books!

2011-08-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow yarnaholics! More and more new exciting things are coming every week its hard to keep up! Not that I'm complaining :) The fun is just non stop around here!
First off, we are happy to say that we now have some great Knitpicks products available. Instead of going online, you can now come on down and check these fine products out in person!! We have the Harmony Interchangeable Set with the pretty multicolor birch wood. It comes with needle tips sizes 4 thru 11, 2 24" cords, and 2 32" cords, 8 end caps, 2 cable keys, and a zippered clear vinyl needle case all for $84.99! The needles are nice and smooth and the points are nicely tapered. The cords are nice and flexible and the join is smooth as well. This would be the perfect gift for any knitter, beginner or advanced! Or spoil yourself... come on you're worth it! We have they're Nickel Plated Sets coming too very soon if you favor a nice "slidey" needle. The Nickel Plated Set comes with all the same stuff as the Harmony Set, but the price is only $69.99! Whatta deal! I might consider a set myself :)

We also have they're foam puzzle piece blocking mat sets for only $19.99. I have a set at home. These are great for blocking just about anything! You can put them together in many different ways depending on what you are blocking. When you are done they come apart and store away nicely. We have Knitpicks ball winders as well for only $19.99!! Woohoo! Very affordable!

Here are some great gadgets every knitter must have as well. An emergency fix keychain (don't leave home without it!) and a Harmony Wood cable needle set...

This I think is especially cool. A Chart Keeper that keeps your pattern nice and neat, it is also magnetized and comes with little magnet strips to help keep your place. It folds up nice and small and fits in your knitting bag and it's only $14.99!

Some cute new kits came in as well from Appalacian Baby. My fav is the baby bathrobe set. It comes with a kit to make a baby spa robe - super cute with extra soft organic cotton, a already made washcloth (also organic cotton), and a unscented goat's milk soap. It all comes with a nice gift basket (also handmade) all for only $49.99! This is a perfect gift for a new mom that is a knitter, or knit it for an expected mom and be a hit at a babyshower!

There is a really sweet baby blanket kit too! All organic cotton as well, only $35.99!

There is also a already made Mother's Wrap. Great gift if you do not knit or needed something special at the last minute. It comes with a nice gift basket as well. Sorry no pattern available yet for this one.

Aren't those just extra special! We think so! :)

Oh yes! Even more books!! Can't get enough new books! Check 'em out...

Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy Johnson. Beautiful lace projects from shawls to socks...

Sasha Kagan's Classic Collection. Full of stunning knitwear with beautiful colorwork...

And a cute new book for baby to keep those little toes toasty warm...

Those are the new books of the week!

For all you Debbie Bliss fans out there the new issue of Debbie Bliss Magazine is here!

Love those fingerless gloves! Lots of pretty colorwork projects in this issue too. These usually go fast so come get one while you can! That is all for this week but more is still to come. Stay tuned knitting pals!!

Back by Popular Demand!

2011-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone :) Monarch is happy to announce that we have brought back a couple yarns that many, many of our wonderful customers (and us!) can't live without! The first we are most excited about. You have begged, and pleaded...here it is!

Woohoo! Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is back in stock in 16 marvelous colors... I (Koryn) picked 'em hope you all approve :) If you are not familiar (I'm sure most of you are) this yarn is a worsted weight Merino, Microfibre, and Cashmere blend that is also a superwash. This yarn is so wonderfully soft and great for knitting just about anything! Sweaters for all ages, blankets, hats, scarves, you name it! I admit I have a bunch in my stash from when we carried it in the past. I just love knitting with this...maybe its time to bring it on out and start something. There's this great cabled jacket I've been saving it for. This yarn has great stitch definition too, it shows cables, and stitch patterns very nicely. There are also several new colors Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino...

We now have more than 20 colors of this one!! Baby Cashmerino is also a Merino, Microfibre, and Cashmere blend superwash but in a sport weight. This yarn is just perfect for knitting sweet little baby things. We have several books for this yarn with the cutest patterns. Great for us big babies too :)

Yet another new yarn brought back by much pleading is that cool "train track" like ribbon yarn. There are two different kinds but they have the same yardage, cost, and have the same look. One is called Athena, the other Dazzle. There's 10 different colors to choose from. This makes a really pretty decorative scarf out of one ball with a bigger needle, like 11's or 13's, and cast on 15 stitches, and knit, knit, knit! A few balls would make a pretty shawl. Also, fun to use along with your wool when knitting and felting. At only $6.99 a ball too! What a deal! I started a scarf today...

There is a fab new luxury yarn too by Sandnes Garn called Kashmir Alpakka. Wow! You just hafto come fondle this yarn!! Its made from 84% Baby Alpaca and 16% Cashmere. It is sooooo soft and wonderful! I have not had the pleasure of trying it out yet, but I can tell is gonna be a dream to work with. There are a few cute patterns that came in with it...

Joan knit some really cute fingerless gloves with a little beading in it. She's making some kits up for it.

I'm gonna try to resist the urge to knit another cowl... this yarn would be perfect tho! So Luxurious!
Before I finish up my blogging for the day, you just got to see my show-n-tell. I made this great cabley bag out of a book called New England Knits. Its called Groveland Satchel. Its made from only 4 skeins of Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky. I wanted to knit this to show how wonderful this yarn is. Also, I love, love doing cables! This bag is fun to knit too, not too hard. Just enough challenge to keep you interested. After the bag is knitted and sewn up, it it "fulled" (slightly felted). In other words, I stuck it in hot water in my bathtub and agitated it with my hands (and feet when my arms got tired!) until I was happy with the size and look. The stitches are still visible and it only shrunk a tad lengthwise. After several days of waiting for it to dry, I handed it off to a wonderful friend, Fawn, who generously offered to line it just for me!! She even put pockets in it for me! Thanks again Fawn! The pattern does have good instructions to line the bag. I do not sew very well, and when a expert sewer/ friend offers to do it...I'm gladly accepting! The Luxury Tweed has a little bit of Angora in it and the fulling gave the bag a nice, soft, fuzzy halo. I just love this!! I'm hoping to use it after its been displayed in the shop for awhile :) If you want a wonderful bag like mine, we have lots of the yarn in many colors, and several copies of the book.

More New Patterns 'n Things!

2011-08-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Sorry we have missed a couple of weeks blogging :P We have been busy, busy little Monarchs! As we get into the fall season we have lots of fun new things to look forward to. Summer is over, kids are back in school, knitting season is in full effect. Winter is sneaking up on us...before you know it the holidays will be here! Time to start all those hand made gifts! Speaking of...we just got in the perfect little gift for that someone special (or yourself) that takes no time at all. Its a really pretty little beaded necklace kit by Nelkin Designs called "Butin Collar". The kit come with a little hunk of hand-dyed silk & wool blend (super soft), pattern, beads, and clasp for only $15.00!! Its easy to do (trust me it is..really) and only 8 rows of knitting. Joan made one in one evening. Here we have the lovely Diane modeling it....

We all love, love this kit! I'm pretty sure all Monarch employees have a kit at home :) This is a great introduction to bead knitting as well.
We have been getting in lots, and lots of new patterns too. Here are some new patterns by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas...

These are also great gift ideas! I love the Two-Way Ruffle Scarf. Its made out of one ball of laceweight mohair and silk. We have so many beautiful colors of Debbie Bliss Angel too! Hmmm I really like the Lace-Back Fingerless Gloves too. These are made from wonderful Manos Silk Blend. Its hard to resist all these new patterns! Its hard to keep up with them. I want them all!! Must. Knit. Faster!

The new Interweave Fall issue came in as well. There is a particular design in there that Diane had to stop everything for! Its called Dahlia Cardigan. She's knitting it out of Manos Silk Blend check it out...

So far so gorgeous Daine! There are some really great knits in this issue. I thought the coat was stunning. It would be just fab out of Debbie Bliss Como, don't you think? The knitted skirt is cute too out of Cascade 128.

Here are some new books as well. The little knitted and crocheted Christmas critters are sooo cute. Also, some great new sock books...

hehehe Snickie likes to help me take pictures. My cute little buddy :)

Along with all these great patterns, we got in some new colors of some popular yarns. Triana Lux has some awesome sparkley new colors...

1 ball makes a really cool ruffley scarf. We can barely keep this yarn in stock, it so popular. More Aloha colors came in too. The cool thing is you don't even need needles or experience to make a scarf from Aloha! I made a big crochet chain using just my hands. I call it the one minute scarf haha!

Last but not least...some new colors of Noro Silk Garden! oooooh boy! Aren't they pretty?!

Thats it for now, but more is coming. Check back soon my fellow yarnies :)

New Books & Patterns!

2011-07-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hello again fellow yarnies! Just wanted to share with you all some new books & patterns that just arrived here at Monarch! The first I'm very excited about. We have been waiting, and waiting for this one.....

Yaaaay! Ysolda's new book is finally here. Little Red in the City has the cutest patterns but it's got so much more than that. It's full of lots of useful information on customizing the fit of your sweaters for a garment that fits perfectly every time. Also some very good techniques too! I'm really looking forward to sitting down and really reading it more thoroughly. Come check it out!!

Here's a really cute new Noro book by Jenny Watson..

Its got some beautiful patterns and we carry most of the yarns used in here. Here is a jacket knitted from Nobori, we also have a model of it here so you can see it in person and try it on!

Here is a really cute capelet out of Tanabata

and I really like this one out of Aya....super cute!

This book is not new, but its new to us. I just wanted to share its got some great patterns using beautiful Fibre Company yarns! If you have not seen or felt they're yarns... you must! My favorite is Road to China, a worsted weight alpaca, cashmere, camel, and silk! Sooo nice!! Canopy is also wonderful...a fingering weight alpaca, merino, and bamboo blend. There are some really cute fingerless gloves and mittens in this book made out of this yarn...

Oh so gorgeous!!
Check out these new leaflet patterns too including "Spectra" a new pattern by Stephen West! I must knit this one! Also, some new cowl patterns...gotta have 'em!

I'm afraid thats all the time I have for now. There are more new books and patterns to feast your eyes on, so come on over and check them out! I hope everyone has a marvelous weekend :)

A Giant Tour de Force!!!

2011-07-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Okay kids, get ready to be mightily impressed with a jaw-dropping knitting accomplishment!! The very best knitter we know, Jana D., is also the most rabid Giants fan we know! In fact you can always spot her in a crowd -- just look for orange! Anyway, ever since the Giants won the World Series last year (YEAH!!) she's been knitting this awesome scarf -- and of course these pictures do NOT do it justice:

The most wonderful fan accessory in the known universe

Sakura was so impressed she had to go lie down

Now if you're a Giants fan yourself you can see that she has (fear the) beards on there, plus baseballs, Giants logos, numbers, writing, THE WORKS! Oh my GOSH!!! All on tiny needles. Way to go, Jana! Let's hope it gets on TV at the next game you attend! And thanks for getting the yarn from Monarch and bringing it in to show!!

Fun Fancy New Yarn!

2011-07-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Howdee everybodee! :)
We here at Monarch are having too much fun with all this new yarn! Fall is coming up sooner than we think...which means more new goodies! Also, a good time to start thinking of Christmas knitting....yea I said it - the big C word! Today we got in a couple new fab yarns that make up into great gifts. The first is called Aloha - a fun loopy yarn that makes up into a "lei like" scarf. Here's the best part....it only takes about a minute or two to make....no needles or hooks reqired! All you do is roll it into a ball, then make a slipknot on the end. Reach your hand into the slipknot grab the yarn, and pull another loop through. Then reach your hand into the new loop created, and pull another through. Continue in this manner until the yarn is gone, then take the end put it through the last loop and pull. That is it!! Easy peasy lemon squeezy :P Come check it out cause its goin fast!

The next one is wayyy cool. It's called Evita Merino. Its a thick and thin wool with little furry poof balls on it. I made a cowl out of it in about 30 minutes on size 19's! Yes...I know I make too many cowls, but they are so fun, easy, and satisfying. Plus, this one makes you look like a million bucks. It looks like something you would but in a designer shop in Hollywood for $200. Its super simple too - anyone can knit this fab accessory! Another great gift for someone special. I just love it, love it! It's nice and warm too. Free pattern with purchase.

Those are the fun new yarns for this week. For all you Triana lovers out there... we finally got in a big shipment! We have Triana in several colors...and some new ones with sparkles in it!! This "net" yarn has been super popular. One ball makes a cool "boa like" scarf. Come get it while you can....aside from it being so popular, it's kind of difficult to get. Apparently its popular all over the country!! Again, another quick easy project for a gift! We are happy to show you how :)

All you Madelinetosh lovers out there.....we got in a big shipment of Tosh DK, Tosh Merino Dk, Tosh Sock, and Vintage!! Its goin fast...come and get it! We are also excited to say in a couple of months we will be getting Madelinetosh Tosh Light. A one ply fingering weight with a generous 460 yards per ball, and only $18.50 a skein! Can't wait!

That's about all for today....we will be posting again very soon! We have more fun things coming. Here is a teaser sneak peek of our new line of vintage buttons available soon.....try not to drool!

just a few new things...

2011-07-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow knitters! We are having a busy day here at Monarch, which is a beautiful thing! Just wanted to quickly share a few new little things that came in since last week. Everyone just loved our fun scarf yarn Damasco.....its practically sold out!! It was a special yarn that was only available for a short period of time....what a tease!! We have since found a replacement that is pretty much the same and the colors are even better! Its called Punta Fancy just look at these colors!! I love that blue....

Two balls makes the perfect scarf! All you hafto do is knit and let the pretty yarn do the work!
In the Debbie Bliss department we received 6 new colors of Angel, a beautiful laceweight mohiar and silk blend. To knit it is like knitting with clouds! This is one of my personal fav yarns! I made a Churchmouse Mohair Bias Loop out of it a while ago. Here is a pic if you haven't seen and here are the new colors too....

Aren't those just to die for!! Those are the new yarns of the week. There will be more... don't you worry :)
We also have a new mag Interweave Weekend Knits....

I like that Cardi. but I don't think I could knit it in a weekend! :P My hat goes off to anyone that can knit an adult sweater on a size 6 needle in one weekend and still sleep and eat occasionally! hahaha!
Thats about all for now knitting pals! Before I go I would like to have some show 'n tell. One of our customers (and pal!), Robin, just finished knitting a Snuggie for her husband. Many, many balls of Cascade Superwash Chunky and months later....

Wow! That is devotion! Awesome job Robin and congrats, that is alot of knitting! What a lucky guy. I probably would have told my husband no way! He has asked me for knitted sweatpants....not gonna happen honey :P haha!

Firefly, Easy-Peasy & In Betweenies

2011-06-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well yes, folks, you're stuck with me this time because Koryn has a couple of well-deserved days off! I'll try to live up to her standards of fine blogging!!! But it won't be easy.
Let us start with a couple of finished projects. Drumroll please.

Here's the Easy Peasy Baby Jacket from Churchmouse Wee Ones leaflets.

Ridiculously Easy. And Peasy as well.

Every one of the patterns in this collection is easy and unbelievably cute. Plus most have multiple sizes as well as gauges.

Real nice photos by the famous Jared Flood

This one has a buttonhole option or the ties like you see on my version. I made it out of our new Super Soft Cotton from Jarbo Yarns, which really is super soft!
Let me take a moment here to reiterate one of our big tenets of business: if we like the people at the supplier, we buy from them! If they're jerks, we don't! Sounds simple but sometimes there's a lot of pressure to bring in a product that we know doesn't meet that requirement! We're super-happy to report that the family-owned business sending us Jarbo, Marks & Kattens, and other Scandanavian-based yarns is just the very nicest around! They're called Swedish Yarn Imports, and we love them. Wait until you see some of their new fall yarns, including a cashmere-alpaca blend that is like buttah I'm tellin' ya, like buttah!
Okay well now time to reveal the next completed project, made of Firefly from Classic Elite, which is a drapey, shiny dream-to-knit of rayon & linen.

Yech who's that dippy looking model?

Some of the many colors they offer are already gone for the season, but we're adding some other new colors, coming soon.
This pattern comes from the all-Firefly booklet called "Meadow."

And note the buttons, aren't they just perfect? They just leapt onto that sweater, from our favorite ceramic button artist, Donna at Buttoned-Up in Stockton.

Also notice the new Noro cowl from Koryn, using a new Ann Norling pattern

Aw geez could we get some focus here please?

I have some of Donna's larger buttons stationed strategically all over my house, for color inspiration! Really! They're everywhere! Thanks, Donna, keep up the great artistry!
And finally, in our never-ending attempt to carry every needle known to man (we can't, really, but you have to admit we have a monstrous selection!) we want to remind you that we now have a funny in-between Addi Turbo, a 20" circular. Shown here as the biggest one, with the 16" and the 12" for comparison.

One reason we added this length is that we noticed many patterns for the hot-hot-hot slouchy beanies call for this length. And it's great for some of the cowls we're all making, too. Anyway, just some info for you to file away, in case you find yourself in that knitting hinterland where your stitches are either too crowded or too stretched out on the needles you have. You do not have to live that way anymore. There is enlightenment here at Monarch.
Well that's it for me, but don't forget to mark your calendar for the next Big Sur Betty Camping Retreat, the last weekend of September (which spills into October). Betty's Camp You will love it!

Knitting in the Great Outdoors

2011-06-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody. I'm back from the great outdoors at Big Sur Betty's, and camp was another great success! The weather was just gorgeous out there! There was alot of lounging in the sun...and knitting. In fact, I enjoyed the sunbathing and knitting so much I got a sunburn on the tops of my hands! It was another small group, but still lots of fun and very relaxing. Thats the main goal of being out at betty's, lots of relaxing and knitting! What a beautiful, peaceful place! Even the pooches were into relaxing in the sunshine :)

Vic soakin it up!

Dale with his "can you pleeaassee throw the stick" look

Of course, there was no shortage of food! Betty cooked us chicken 'n potatoes, there was also burgers and sausages... yum! In the morning there's fresh coffee, fruit, and a number of yummy breads, and muffins waiting for you when you wake up. Betty likes to make sure everyone is a happy camper when you come to visit. We got a nice tour of Betty's garden the first day. She grows just about everything! There were many different types of fruit trees, apple, peach, pear, and avocado. Nice! We also took a short hike to her large pond. There's a rope swing and a small boat for anyone who wants to cool off on a hot day. There are also a number of koi living in the pond that I didn't notice before! Big yellow iris flowers are blooming all around. I just can't say enough how beautiful and peaceful Betty's place is. You all just hafto come see. Its just perfect for a short getaway. We had such a great time. Thanks again Betty! :)

Here are some more pics....

Happy campers!!

There's a mesh tent too if bugs are a bother

knitting in the sun

Betty and little Jasper :)

While on my little camping adventure at Betty's I made this really cute hat called "Seedling" its another Never Not Knitting pattern. The yarn is Madelinetosh Merino DK. 1 ball makes the hat. The Madelinetosh Tosh DK or Manos Silk Blend would also work nice. Here it is in progress at camp....

looks like fallen autumn leaves

Here it is all done! Soooo perrtyy...I love it!

When I came back from camping, I was happy to see some exciting new things have come in! The new Kim Hargreaves "Whisper" is now available!! If you don't already know by now...she is one of my absolute fav designers!! I just love her classic vintage fashion-forward style! Here are a few designs featured in her new book....

There is also a new issue of Spool Magazine full of fun little projects including knitting, sewing, needlepoint, and more!

Here are some new patterns by Tiny Owl Knits. If you are not familiar, Tiny Owl Knits is very popular on Ravelry. Her patterns are so different...very whimsical! They look like they came right out of a fairytale. Here are a few of them, we have more to look at here in the shop....

Joan made one of her "Fairy Castles". Its so cute!! They are actually double point or darning needle cases! Very clever.

sorry about the dark pic :P

Here it is all done.....

Cute little felted things!! Another good thing to do with your wool scraps.
Thats about all I have for now, but keep checking in for more fun or better yet, come on over and check it out! There's always something new popping up around here.

We got yarnbombed! Plus new stuff

2011-06-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

We've become the victim of International Yarn Bombing Day! Our tree out front has a little cowl on it now:

A Limb Warmer

We have a suspect in mind as to who bombed us Susan, but we have yet to make an arrest. However the authorities have been informed. Yes, the Yarn Police, Susan.
Actually it feels so special to have been bombed. Finally.
As many of you know I'm just back from a leetle vay-cay-shun, to Peru where the fiber arts are alive and well if you can get past all the acrylic souvenir crap to find the real stuff. My big purchase is a poncho woven from baby alpaca, from a farm/weaving/educational place called Awana Kancha. Now I want to try my hand at the pick-up weaving they do, so I had to quickly finish off my groovy shoe laces on the inkle loom:

Handmade shoelaces are oh so special

And then there's this: our friend Jean G. brought in a cashmere hat which she wants to make for her friend, in black. I brought some of our softest cashmere home to the Monarch Dyeing Studios (ha ha, that would be the kitchen) and got it as black as it gets in my world, which is more like a charcoal. With some of the space-dyed yarn of the same ilk I made a cabled hat and it's now available to you if you wish:

Cashmere cable hat

The yarn is superb, very high quality, and we have several colorways.

Monarch Hand-dyed Cashmere

As always the pattern is free with the purchase of the yarn!
Finally for today: Super Soft Cotton from Scandanavia - fantastic!

It really is Super Soft (from JarboYarns)

You have to feel this yarn to appreciate its softness. And it's a worsted weight! So I'll have the "Easy Peasy Baby Jacket" from Churchmouse Yarns & Teas done in a jiffy. There's "Soft": and "Super Soft" but both are really great. Check 'em out in the baby section.

Vibrant Colors in Soft Yarn from Jarbo

Koryn is off at Big Sur Betty's Knitting Camp this weekend! Hope she's having fun & staying warm! I'm sure we'll hear all about it! Stay tuned!

More Colinette & Mountain Colors...Woohoo!

2011-05-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-05-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-05-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

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

New stuff! Plus I'm Dyeing! And it's heaven! Haha

2011-04-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well kids, sorry about the time gap in posts. Didn't we all get so busy over the tax-and-Easter weeks! But now that's over.
We got in one of the yarns we've been expecting (3 more new ones on the way). Fuzzy eyelash yarns are back and so we brought in the full rainbow of colors, from our friends at Swedish Yarn Imports.

Yep it's all fuzzy. All of it.

This yarn is called "Tindra" from the Scandanavian company, Jarbo Garn. Some of it even has a little glitz in it.

Geez I coulda focussed! But you get the idea. Fuzzy.

We popularized this type of yarn by using it for edging on kids' sweaters, but it's also great for scarves and hats, for accents in felting, and even for the felted hedgehog that Koryn wants to make right now. Go for it, Koryn! Yeah! A freakin' hedgehog!

Of course I make fun, but I really can't talk because I'm in the process of weaving shoelaces on my inkle loom. Pictures to come. Yep, shoelaces.

Meanwhile, I promised to get to making an indigo dye pot once we got past tax time, and yes I did just that, earlier this week. It was easy and fun and here are some beautiful skeins from that effort:

Oh shoot you can't see the tiny sparkle in this baby llama yarn!

The indigo dye kit (which we carry) makes it practically idiot-proof, and you don't have to use nasty lye or anything (although you do wear a mask & gloves for the short process of mixing the indigo and the sodium hydrosulfite into the water in your 5-gallon bucket). Then you just dip the yarn several times until it gets a couple of shades darker than you eventually want.
I have to admit, the rinsing and rinsing was kind of a pain in the butt, and I hate using a lot of water for anything even though I used waste water (from having a bucket under the shower as the water warms up) but the results are great and I guess I can get loads of dyeing out of this one batch of dye.

Also, yes-s-s-s we have the new Kim Hargreaves book "Whisper" on order, and when our supplier gets it, we get it. We do appreciate all you patient gals who know you could jump the gun by a couple of weeks through on-line overseas sources, but instead choose to wait for ours to get here. We love you very much for that.

And you will love the new yarns coming in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out for updates.
Oh yeah! And don't forget about camping and knitting at Big Sur Betty's! May 13-15. We promise you will love it!! Koryn will be your charming hostess for that.
More later!

A few fun things to share....

2011-04-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hey there knitting pals! Koryn here to show off some fun things, and to talk a little bit about summer knitting :) Summertime is still a great time to knit! (of course, here in Monterey Bay its always sweater weather!) We have a vast selection of beautiful cottons, and linens, and many, many great patterns. Last week we got in the new Knitscene....I just love, love it! Lots of cute summery tops to knit!! One of the first ones in there is a really pretty little cardi made from Rowan Wool Cotton. I love the lacy stitch...looks really fun to do. This one would be great layered over a little camisole. We have lots of this pretty wool cotton too in lots of colors! I've always wanted to knit something out of it. The wool cotton has great stitch definition (shows off cables and lace very well), and nice and soft to wear against your skin.

Here is a cute little wrap around top. It has a tuxedo type back, and a I cord belt to tie around the waist. They call for a yarn we don't carry, but I thought Rowan Alpaca Cotton would be just perfect for this one. The gauge and the texture is very similar, and it comes in some great colors. This little cardi would be a great way to keep the chill off taking a stroll along beach (or wherever) ;

I just love this next one...A pullover knitted in a laceweight luxury yarn with a really nice gathered neck line. This one would be so lightweight and airy, like wearing a cloud, but keeping you warm too at the same time. Its knitted in one piece from the top down (yaaay!). The yarn called for is Louet Mooi, a laceweight bison, cashmere, and bamboo. Wow! That sounds fabulous! We do carry the Mooi. It is a bit on the pricey side ($49.99 a ball), I know. I thought the JaggerSpun Zephyr would be a great substitute. Zephyr is a beautiful merino, silk blend with a nice sheen to it. The price is just right too, $11.50 a ball with 560 yards! We do have a nice selection of colors in the Zephyr too.

Heres a few more cute little tops. I just picked out my favorite ones in the mag, but there are many more good projects in there. I also picked some nice summery yarns that are appropriate for the patterns as suggestions. Most of these are made on one piece with no seaming, I just love that! It's like, when you're done, you're done...on to the next project :D

Come on in and get a Knitscene before they're gone!

Ok... so my last blog I talked about some new patterns. One of those I just had to make now...the French Press Slippers! I went home and over my weekend I whipped those babies up! They came out sooooo cute!!! These were so fast. I knitted all the pieces Sunday evening, then felted them Monday morning. Heres a before (funny) and after below. When I felted them I put them in a pillowcase, tied it shut with a hair tie, and put it in the wash with a load of towels. It took me 5 agitation cycles before they came out the right size. I just kept checking on them every 5 mins. or so until they were just right. When they were done, I squeezed all the water out and put them on my foot to kind of shape them. Then I put them in the sun in my back yard to dry. I just love them! Very warm. I've been in fact wearing them to work for the past 3 days! (inside only tho) Beware... all your family and friends will want them! Now I'm making them for a good friend, my niece, and my momma! Good thing they take no time to make :)

Before felting

Also, over my weekend I finished and blocked my Scroll Lace Scarf. It came out really good! Here are some pics...

One more thing I wanted to share. I have been working on (in between many projects) Aidez Cardigan, its a free pattern on the Berroco website. Check it out here. This one has been super popular on Ravelry! It calls for Berroco Peruvia Quick, but I used one of my favorite yarns Cascade Eco Wool. We have this yarn in several colors. I can't wait to wear this! I was hoping to have it done for my vacation, but its coming up in a week and I still have to finish a front and the sleeves! Oh well. Highly suggested knit...very fun! I thought this would be a perfect casual sweater to just throw on and wear with just about anything. I'll share when its done :) Happy knitting!

The last "feed" kit, some new patterns, and show n tell

2011-04-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Its another beautiful day here at Monarch! We are looking forward to a sunny weekend! Here in Pacific Grove, every April, we have a really fun street fair called "Good Old Days". The whole main street, Lighthouse, is closed off for great food, music, and all kinds of booths with fun, unique gifts and things! I always look forward to all the good food!! Of course, we are all here in the shop knitting away this weekend so if you are coming this way, you can enjoy our fun street fair too!
Anyways...I thought I would just take a minute to share some fun new patterns, and some cools show n tell. If you all don't know by now, I'm a big, big Ysolda Teague fan. In fact I'm just 2 rows away from finishing her "Scroll Lace Scarf" out of Manos Silk Blend! Its coming out so pretty! That Manos is a dream to knit. I love this yarn!

We have a few more patterns available from Ysloda... Elijah the elephant, Otto the bear, and Sophie the rabbit. These are some fun toys to knit for the little one in your life. I thought these would be good as a cute, quick knits just in time for Easter! How perfect to put in an easter basket :) These adorable toys are all knit seamless too (woohoo no sewing!). I really wanna make Elijah. I have a good friend who has a thing for elephants. She collects all kinds of elephant things....I bet she doesn't have a knitted one! :)

Here is a really cute felted slipper pattern we just got in. These are called French Press Slippers. They are very popular on Ravelry! They're pretty simple and very quick to knit. I bet these could be whipped up and felted in a day! I'd love to try em out! I like this Nature Spun and these cute buttons hmmm.

Tomarrow we have the last "feed your creativity" kit. It's a cute market bag made from 100% corn! No...you can't eat it! This yarn is so soft and squishy! Here I am stuffing some yarn in it! ;) This market bag is knitted with a fun lace and cable design. We can show you how to do this stitch. There will be a demonstration tomarrow at 3pm. If you can't make it, no worries, we are always happy to help anytime. Here are some colorways that are gonna be available...

Also, we sill have quite a few of last month's feed kit, the French Quarter Scarf. This was a really fun lace scarf kit made from a yarn that has wool and milk protein in it! I really enjoyed knitting mine, I think you would too! The stitch isn't that hard. A great intro to lace knitting. This is also a great way to learn to read charts, which really can open up our knitting world!

Lastly, I just wanted to share what's on our needles! Of course we have many, many projects going at once, these are just the most current. Mine, I have already shared above (scroll lace scarf). Diane is knitting a little shawl called Maya. Its a free pattern at madelinetosh.com. She's using wonderful, beautiful, Tosh Merino DK in colorway Fragrant. Diane is now finishing up the bottom ruffle of the shawl...I think she has 600 ish stitches! Yikes! Thats what happens when you knit ruffles! They are so pretty, but always have a scary amount of stitches. I just don't bother counting anymore after about 400. Its gonna be so pretty tho!!

Joan has casted on the blanket from the book, Freddie's Blanket. It's made from 3 different colors of Serendipity Tweed. The blanket is knit using a simple slip stitch pattern. You only use 1 color per row. A beginner can easily do this one. The yarn is so soft and "summery looking" I really want to try some out! I was thinking about maybe a little summer top.

Well, thats all I can say for now. Joan 'n I will keep you posted on all the new happenings here as always. Happy Knitting!!

New Gadgets, What's On the Needles & More

2011-04-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

After a long and agonizing wait, we now have another Ebony exchangeable set from Lantern Moon!

Set: $299. Needles bought separately: $750!!

Oh OKAY! there were 2 in the box, but I just had to adopt one immediately. However I have generously agreed to leave most of the set on the counter for you to test-drive. The US 5's are on my latest project, see below.
Also from Lantern Moon, darling new Pig tape measures, and you don't want to be without their special little repair tool which sports a tiny crochet hook on one end. Ebony or Rosewood, of course. We love these people!

What a pig! And a cute hooker too.

Now on to what's on our needles. Before you know it I'll be done with a nice new springtime sweater out of our new Classic Elite yarn called Firefly: a lovely, drapey linen/rayon blend.

This is a fun knit from the top

The color I chose is a nice charcoal. "The new neutral." Or whatever. The color matches an extremely out-there scarf I wove (of which I admit I'm afraid to show a picture).

Well yeah it needs blocking! But just wait!

Of course, if I actually try to wear this sweater/scarf ensemble (instead of the usual tshirt/jeans), people will fall over in a swoon. We'll see if I dare wear this fare! Ha.

Koryn is working on a piece from designer -- can you guess? Guess! Yes! Ysolda Teague!!! A scarfy shawlette thing called Scroll Lace Scarf.

Ysolda is well loved here at Monarch!

She's having fun with it.

Ooooh, silk blend. Mmmmmm.

The yarn is Manos Silk Blend -- just 2 skeins. It's very blue. So-o-o pretty. Of course she can wear anything and no one will swoon.
And Diane just finished the most darling little t-shirt from Never Not Knitting, called Spring Garden Tee.

Ridiculously darling, no?

There's an adult version, too. As Koryn mentioned in an earlier entry, the yarn is from MadelineTosh.

And now for a cute picture from today's beginner knitting lessons, taught gently and sweetly (and efficiently!) by Sandy Martin. Here, she's helping Annalina, who caught on super-quickly.

It seems like everyone's a natural, but it's Sandy's teaching method!

Her students love her. She does not believe in smacking them on the head to get them going, like I do. No! I don't! I was kidding! Sheesh!

Finally, we just received a couple of colors of a yarn called "Flounce." We'll show you pictures of that stuff when we get a little more knit up. But it's the knit-through-the-top-of-the-ribbon type of yarn so popular right now.

And remember! Big Sur Betty's first camping/knitting weekend of 2011 is coming up: May 13-15!! Here's link to Betty's new website: Big Sur Betty's Knit/Camp
And yes, despite the problems with Highway 1, you can still easily get to Betty's, by using Nacimiento Road! All of your info is on her site. It's going to be super-fun!! We're limiting attendance to 150! Hahaha!!
All for now -- more later!

A little Triana lesson and some other stuff

2011-03-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Yaaay! 7 colors to choose from!

Hello knitting pals! Just wanted to let everyone know we finally got in more Katia Triana! We are so happy...we didn't think we would see this fun yarn again for a long time! When it was first released, the company who makes it didn't expect it to be so popular. It sold out nation wide!! If you are not familiar with the Triana its a net kind of yarn that you knit into the mesh and it comes out to be a cool boa scarf like I'm wearing here.....

cool "net-like" yarn

It is so easy to do. When you spread open the net, you can see that one edge of the net has a thick border, and the other edge has loops like this...

pointing at a "edge loop"

When you go to "cast on" you take your needle tip and poke into the first loop from from front to back

then the next loop from front to back

and the next, and so on until you have 8 stitches on your needle.

Then to knit you poke into the first stitch on the needle as if to knit...

then you grab the net, find the next edge loop...

lay it over your needle tip like this...

then bring it through. Repeat this across the row using the next edge loop to knit each stitch. You can tell which one is next 'cause its not attached to your knitting yet. It helps to spread the net as you knit to see the edge loops.

1 row completed

This is one row done. Thats basically it...you just keep knitting every row in this manner till you are almost out. Bind off just like you would anything else. I hope that makes some sense. If not come on in I can show you in 5 minutes! Oh, and I didn't mention it only takes 1 ball! At $13.99 what a killer deal for a last minute gift for someone special. It comes with the directions too. Come get some before we run out again!

Here I just wanted to share a cool hat I'm knitting for my sweet husband. Its a new Stephen West pattern we have called Botanic Hat. Its knitted in the round with 2 different yarns that are alternated each row. It also has a very simple slip stitch pattern so ya don't get bored just knitting every row. I used Manos Maxima and Debbie Bliss Fez. Its so soft and squishy! The hat is also reversible! I like the side that has the little slip stitch columns. I'm almost done. Just a few more rows (good thing too 'cause he's been bugging me for it!). If you have a picky man in your life this is a great hat to knit. Believe me, I speak from experience hahaha!

By the way....that Manos Maxima is just fabulous to work with! Look at all these colors too! Im hoarding several skeins at home :)

Maxima!

Wall 'o Silk Blend

I have also been admiring this long wall of Manos Silk Blend. I just can't ignore it I walk by it like 50 times a day! I've been trying to resist the urge to knit a sweater out of it (partly because I have 5 backs from 5 different sweaters done! yikes! I'm a bad girl) I found a pretty Ysolda Teague scarf pattern that only takes 2 skeins. Its called Scroll Lace Scarf. Isn't it cute! I picked this pretty sapphire blue. I'm gonna cast on as soon as the hubby's hat is done. I'll share when I'm done.

So many projects....so little time! Better get to knitting :)

Rizos,Manos & Me. Oh My. Ha

2011-03-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well didn't Koryn do just the finest job ever while I was away!! And she reports that no one beat her up. Thenk kew everyone for that.
Now on to bigger & better things: Thanks to Monarch's being a super-special retailer for Knitting Fever (which means we pay our bills) and thanks to KFI's extremely lovable rep Sergey, we NOW HAVE RIZOS!!! Oh yeah. Yeah yeah yeah.
Remember Rizos? It's the easy scarf ribbon where you knit 8 stitches through the top little windows, and you get this in no time!

Well we have more colors than ever before.

You can hardly see the green/blue or the copper/pewter ones

We got some new colors of Manos Silk Blend, too. Come on in and look at our dazzling array.

Update: Koryn finished her darling sweater made of the new Sprout organic cotton from Classic Elite.

The pattern comes from the booklet for that yarn, where there are other great items including a bag I must make.
I've been away at a weaving conference in the Marin headlands.

What a wonderful experience this year. There were about a dozen students, for 5 days. Here's a picture of 2 of my new friends (and weaving newbies) Audrey and Terry:

Plus, we could shop! Dangerous!!

It was a color workshop, so I came back with a color-study cloth to keep and look at forever.

Anyway I'm back now and happy to be with my hubby & dogs. In that order. Really. More later!

Woohoo! the new Noro is here!

2011-03-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Noro "Department"

We are so happy to see all the new Noro that finally arrived yesterday! Now our Noro "department" is full of new fun yarns and colors to choose from! The first new beauty.....Tanabata a bulky weight texture-y, boucle-y, cotton, nylon, rayon, wool, and silk (whew! theres alot of fun stuff in there). It's $11.99 a skien and has about 88 yards per ball. This one looks so fun! I really like the blueish shade. It makes me think of seaglass scattered across the sand at the beach :) I think this would make a really fun scarf, but it can also be fun in a little vest like the one below in the picture..... something to just throw on over a camisole for the summer. This one is from the new Noro booklet #29.

Next up....this one is really cool, Nobori. Nobori is another bulky weight with cotton, nylon, wool, and silk. It has a kindof bumpy texture with a tape yarn applied on it. Very unique looking, very bright fun colors. I took a picture up close too so you can see the texture because I don't think my description does it justice. Its also very soft and squishy. This would make a really warm scarf or cowl. I'm pretty sure you could get it out of one ball, it has good yardage approx. 181 yards! I also took a picture from the Noro #29 booklet of a sleeveless top and a little bag out of Nobori. Pretty cute. This yarn is $19.99 a ball.

For all you sock yarn lovers we now have Taiyo Sock! We've really been looking forward to this one! Its just like the regular Taiyo, it has cotton, wool, nylon, and silk, but in a fingering weight. Taiyo Sock is $18.99 a ball and has about 462 yards so there is plenty for a pair of socks. This would also be great for those fun little shawlettes! We have many Stephen West shawlette patterns like Clockwork, or Daybreak that would be perfect. Speaking of Stephen West, one of our long time customers, Patricia, just finished one of his patterns called Herbivore. She used 1 ball of Colinette Jitterbug...so gorgeous! Gotta love that Jitterbug! I just love to see show n tell. There are so many talented knitters out there. So inspiring :D. ooops! sorry....short attention span hahahaha that happens alot with me around all this yarn. I almost forgot to tell about the 4 new colors of worsted weight Taiyo. Here's a picture because they are too pretty to describe!

Taiyo Sock

New colors of Taiyo worsted

Pretty Herbivore Shawl!!

Last (but not least) in the New Noro we have Aya. This one is really pretty, kind of similar to Silk Garden as far as thickness and texture. It has a blend of cotton, wool, and silk. We have 5 beautiful vibrant colors to choose from! I like them all....sometimes with Noro the colors can be alittle crazy (I'm not a fan of that scary yellow they put in some of their yarns) but these are very pleasing to look at. I think it might be hard to choose a color! I included a picture below of a very stunning jacket out of Aya from Noro Flowers 2 book....Wow! That one is eye catching! Also, another cute vest with a pretty eyelet lace (from Noro booklet #29).

Well thats all our new stuff so be sure to come on down a check this out!! Wayyy better in person! All this new fun stuff has kept me busy which is a beautiful thing :) If I run out of things to do I start thinking of new projects....which can be dangerous! The other day I was staring at the Madelinetosh (yeah I know I'm taking about it again! haha) and this really pretty color of Tosh Sock called out to me (Copper Penny) I just cant stand it, its coming home with me. I NEED to make this Sugar n Cream Cowl by Never Not Knitting! I know, I know another cowl....but I love them! I just finished one out of Berroco Glitz too. I made it from 3 balls. Its like a piece of jewelry, so pretty and sparkley! It slightly tapers at the top so it hangs nice around your neck. I wrote a pattern for it too, it comes free with the yarn, and its super easy. Thats about all I can do today. I hope Joan is having a blast at her weaving class! I know she'll come back refreshed and full of more weaving knowledge ;)

before the knitting...

......after haha! wanna cast on now!

*Glint Cowl*

A hand-dye observation & that darling Phoebe Coat

2011-03-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone from your short-timer, Joan, who's heading out for a week of weaving tomorrow! Yee-haw!!

Speaking of weaving, our weaving demos are over now for this class session, but check us out next time. Rigid Heddle weaving is fast, easy, and a great stash buster, using small amounts of leftover knitting yarn for awesome scarves & such. Or, with some cotton, you could do something like this striped bag I just made:

Now back to knitting. Here's an observation: some hand-dyed yarns are really, um, odd on the skein. But they knit beautifully! (Plus I'm sure the opposite is true, but we don't think about that.) So how can you tell when an, ahem, color-challenged skein has great potential? You can't! Unless you knit it up! So sorry, too bad! I don't know of any other way.
That said, I believe there are those with the gift of seeing through a weird color job, and luckily for you, both Diane and Koryn have that gift!! Here's a new color of Madelinetosh:

And here's Diane's partly-done baby tee out if it!

Lovely, yes???
Finally, I finished the coat that goes on the little kid (matching the doll coat) from the Phoebe's Sweater book. Then just in time, a darling little girl came in and I forced her to model it! Isn't she cute???

All for now! Go easy on Koryn while I'm gone willya?????

New Feed Kit! Plus more dyestuffs

2011-03-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!
The new Feed Your Creativity Kits have arrived, and they'll go on sale first thing tomorrow morning.

"French Quarter Scarf" Kit

This kit, #6 in the series, is a really cute scarf made with a new-age luxury fiber: half milk and half wool. Koryn loved making hers!

Easier-than-it-looks lace pattern

The technique is a simple lace, so you can challenge yourself a little bit. We'll be demonstrating the pattern tomorrow at 3PM, free for any kit-buyers. It's a really fun project and we hope you find a color you love tomorrow.

Ooooh the colors

By the way, aren't Koryn's blog posts fun? I'm really enjoying them.

Also, we've replenished our stock of Jaquard Dyes (we have those for wool & protein fibers, and also have the Procion dye for cottons & plant fibers).

Colors-to-be

We're sure happy that dyeing fans have found our store for their supplies! We are running through dyes fairly quickly now, but try to always have a good stock on hand. Also, we have an easy Indigo dye kit, and I'm about to try that next. I have all the stuff -- just need the time! After my weaving workshop next week, I'll MAKE the time, and then show those of you who are interested how (or how not!) to do it.

Here's hoping everyone is having fun with their knitting! If not, get right in here so we can get you back on the fun track!! Bye fer now!

A couple new things & what's on the needles!

2011-03-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

oooh wow! a Schaefer Anne rainbow!

Hey all you knitting pals out there! Its a quiet kind of day today at Monarch (are you all knitting? heehee) Just wanted to share a few fun things today. First, a pretty rainbow of Schaefer "Anne" sock yarn. A beautiful handpainted sock blended with superwash merino wool, a bit of mohair, and nylon. The yardage is also very generous 560 yards! This yarn is great for socks but also wonderful for scarfs, shawls, etc. Along with the beautiful "Anne", we got in more new colors of "Heather". For all you "beaded scarf" fans out there, now is a great time to choose your colors and go of it! Of course, if anyone wants, if you get a few friends together, and give me a heads up, I can teach you this fun scarf! Its a good way to learn knitting with beads.

pretty Heather and that beaded scarf!

Next we got in some new bags from Lantern Moon. Joan and I found these at TNNA. I knew we had to have them. Very cute, very roomy bag. Here I am trying to decide if I NEED this bag! Better come get it before I do! haha!

Oh, and we finally got Rowan Magazine #49! If anyone has been waiting for this one come get it before its gone! There are some beautiful, unique looking designs in there.

Now.. alittle show and tell, and what's on our needles! Here we have Diane's newly cast on project. She's knitting a really cute little girl's top from Never Not Knitting called "Spring Garden Tee". Diane is completely obsessed with Madelinetosh (ok, ok I am too). So, when we got in a new spring color of Tosh DK, "Mansfield's Garden Party", she just had to cast on NOW! Plus, she just finished a gorgeous sweater out of Rowan Alpaca Cotton, so she had "empty needles" (haha yea right). If you love Diane's Alpaca cotton sweater, it is a download on Ravelry called "Mondo Cable Pulli" for $6.00, and of course, we have that wonderful Alpaca Cotton here :)

It came to my attention that one of our new wonderful yarns, "Sprout", a bulky organic cotton with a nice bumpy texture, was not getting noticed! I found a really cute top down pattern from the Sprout booklet made from only 4 skeins! So off I go! I admit I'm not a big cotton fan. I don't always enjoy knitting with cotton, but Sprout is really soft and really nice to knit! Surprisingly this bulky cotton is so light weight. It feels great next to your skin. Its also washable and dryable! This little cardi is gonna be so cute, I think I'll be wearing this one alot. Keep an eye out...its knitting up so fast I'll have it done in no time!

Some new mags & some ideas

2011-03-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hi kids!
If you like to browse knitting mags for ideas, we have a couple of new ones for ya. The winter '10 Knitter's is just out (which seems late, but they did have that 100th-issue one in between times). We do like the espresso-brown shawl collar wrap in there, among other things.

Also, the spring Vogue Knitting is here.

We know you've been waiting for ju-u-u-ust the right bikini to make with your own two hands, and here it is. Just don't try actually swimming in it! Unless you like ankle weights (that would be the bottoms) with your scissor-kicks. Yikes what an image, so so sorry. Actually, there's no law against anyone at all making a bikini --but there might be about wearing it in public! Haw haw.
Just a little progress report here: the Appalachian Baby sweater with lamb-ears hood is all done, machine washed and dried, oh-so-organic and soft.

Hand painted buttons come with the kit. The whole thing is way up there on the adorable scale I tellya.
And the sweater-coat that matches Phoebe the mouse's is getting there, too. Just a sleeve and oh yeah, that yarn-eating hood to go.

It really has gone quickly, and I must say the patterns in both the Phoebe and Freddie books are well-written and simple! Word is, there's a 3rd book in the works. And don't forget to watch for our trunk shows based on these books, coming in mid-summer.

Also, don't forget the next Feed Your Creativity kit! It's a really stunning scarf made of Half N Half -- 50% Milk & 50% Wool. Koryn finished the model, so come in and see it. If you're on our email list, you'll get a quick blast when the kits go on sale. If not, watch this space! As always, color choices are limited, so early arrivals get the biggest selection!

See you next time!

PS We still miss Charlie.
The place is eerily quiet.

Charlie Flies to Heaven

2011-02-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Just a quick, sad note today: Charlie the bird has passed away. He was old, almost 29 years (which means I've had him for over half my life) and as most of you know, filled the shop with his personality. We already miss him greatly. Bye, Charlie.

Bye bye Charlie we love you

Spring Showers Bring......More Yarn!

2011-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is what you see right when you walk in our store!

Hey there everyone! Koryn again :) If you wanna see a rainbow thru all this rain, all you gotta do is come on in! We got the rainbow and then some! Today is a perfect day for knitting. Kinda cold & wet. If you do find yourself out and about today, we just received some new Madelinetosh. We now carry Madelinetosh's new yarn Tosh Merino DK. Its a beautiful hand dyed one ply. Its so soft, kinda shiny, and even better machine washable. We have it in 10 stunning colors. Of course, I can't help myself, I had to pick some new colors of Tosh DK as well. We now have Iris, Earl Grey, Terrarium, Betty Draper's Blues, and Black Velvet. That makes a total of 26 different colors we have in store right now of Tosh DK! Its so hard when our rep Marge Oakley (aka Ann Norling) comes in with all the Madelinetosh and plops like 300 colors to pick from in front of me! I always welcome color suggestions too if there are any colors anyone thinks we must have. Oh, I just finished my Honey Cowl made from 2 balls of Tosh DK. I just love it, love it! You gotta come see in person and try it on (my cell phone doesn't take very good pics)

Tosh Merino DK

New colors of Tosh DK

Honey Cowl

Next we have some new fun sparkley new yarns from Berroco. Glint is a worsted weight cotton, nylon, and metallic blend that kinda has a corded look. It comes in 9 glittery fun colors. I had to cast on another cowl with this yarn! I don't know whats up with me and the cowls. I just love to make them! They are very practical around here, and they keep me warm without getting in my way. They are also much faster to knit than a regular scarf. Anyway, I'll whip this little cowl up and there will be a free pattern for it :) Flicker is another new Berroco yarn. Its a blend of Baby Alpaca, Acrylic, and Sparkles! Its so soft and squishy. Its very similar to Rowan Lima if you are familiar with that. It has kind of a corded construction and just a touch of shimmer. It comes in 6 natural tones from greys to browns, and a generous 189 yards!

I am also very excited to say we now have new fun patterns from Alana Dakos aka "Never Not Knitting". I just love all her patterns! There's really cute hats, cowls ( woohoo! ), shawlettes, and gloves. She also makes really, really cute little girl patterns! These have been very hot on Ravelry. I just know they will be popular here in our store too. So many new yarns and patterns! Wow! I wish I had more hours in the day or even extra days in the week. I feel like I cant knit fast enough haha! Thats about all for now. I hope everyone isn't too full of yarn from Stitches, come on, one more ball or two wont hurt... heehee ;)

Dummy Makeover, New Booklets, Camping!

2011-02-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

A little story about my childhood, growing up in the midwest where everyone has a basement. Ours had two really scary things in it, both super-tall (to a little kid) covered with sheets to make them totally ghostly: Dad's photo enlarger gizmo, and Mom's dress form. Regular cameo appearances in my nightmares I tellya.
Well for some reason that dress form has followed me right into this very day. She's the dummy who's always stood outside to let people see that we're open. Mom used to send "skirts" for her to wear, out of, ahem, quilt blocks that Didn't. Work. At. All.
Now that Mom's gone, the bad-blockswear creations have fallen to my sister, Carol. Here's the old one:

Seen better days

Here's the poor naked dummy:

Hey c'mon, she's about 80 years old! You should look so good

And now all freshened up!

Wow will ya look at those blocks

The poor lady has had to have her feet taped back on numerous times. The way she tilts, we think maybe she, uh, drinks.
Anyhoo, on to new stuff. Koryn did a fine job of showing you the latest yarns. Now, a couple of booklets, one from Noro & Jenny Watson called "Flowers 2" and a new Debbie Bliss using our organic cotton Eco yarns (2 weights) called "Eco Family." Lovely, both of them.

Also, just out of the box, West Knits Book Two!!!!!! Hurry in, we only have 12. Oops, 11, and once Koryin gets here tomorrow, 10... you get the idea. Fortunately, we now have a great ordering system and are trying to never run out of these things if we can stay ahead of the curve.
Now here's a new thing from my friend and awesome button artist, Donna:

Yes, both are elephants! And the colors are great, these pics don't show that too well. We'll be getting these in as soon as they come out of Donna's magical kiln.
Finally, don't forget to mark your calendars for Big Sur Betty's next camping/knitting retreat!!! This time it's 2 nights, 3 days (Friday-Sunday) and the $75 cost includes a dinner & 2 breakfasts, plus you get knitterly goodies and all the Big Sur ambience you can handle! May 13, 14 & 15. It's going to be super-fun. E-mail or stop in if you want a registration form. We have an attendance limit of 300. Har har.
Next time: More new stuff!!!

Another Rainy Day...

2011-02-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

View from our window, rainy... yuck!

Hello Koryn here again! Its a rainy day at Monarch, but a perfect day to snuggle up with some gorgeous yarn and knit, knit, knit!! Speaking of gorgeous yarn....we got some amazingly beautiful new yarn in today that Joan and I found at TNNA. We've been waiting and waiting and its finally here! Its called Mermaid by Anzula Luxury Fibers. Its a Laceweight yarn with a blend of 60% Sea Cell, and 40% Silk (so appropriate for us Monarchs by the sea, don't you think?). This stunning new yarn comes in 10 colors, and has a generous 700 yards! Thats enough for a good size shawl. For all you spinners out there, we also got in some beautiful Yak & Merino blend from Anzula too! Everyone should hurry down and pet, pet, pet....and maybe adopt ;) before its gone.

hmmm.. this cute shawl would be nice out of that new Mermaid!

There are also some fun new patterns in. A few more from my favie, Ysolda Teague. Also patterns from Stephen West (his 2nd book is coming soon!), Connie Chang, and the Shetland Trader. There's a new hat pattern too called the Weekender Beret, made from just 1 ball of Rowan Cocoon! Diane Whipped this one up in 2 hours!! Here you see Diane cut out a cardboard circle to block it. A small dinner plate works well too. It blocks out those Berets perfectly! Just a little tip :)

Oh I almost forgot. I am knitting this great cowl out of my fav, Tosh DK. Its called Honey cowl its a free pattern on Ravelry, or the Madelinetosh Website. There are 2 sizes. I'm making the larger size cowl with 2 balls. Its gonna come out about 44" around, and 12" wide so it can be double up around your neck. The smaller size is made from 1 ball and comes out to be 22" around and 12" wide. The pattern is knitted in the round with a Honeycomb stitch. Its very simple. I you can knit, and purl, you can do this :) I'll post pics when I'm done. Well thats all for now. Back to knitting and thinking about Stitches Convention this Sunday Woohoo!! ( Joan is there today :D ) Stay warm & dry everyone!

Honeycowl in progress....

New Spring Yarns!

2011-02-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

What a cold and rainy day. A day when everyone appreciates flannel sheets.

Snickers is not a fan of rain

And probably exactly the wrong day to think about pretty new spring yarns! But oh well, we were never known for impeccable timing!
Today we got our new Classic Elite spring yarns (with nice booklets to go with them), including a great new soft, bumpy cotton called Sprout.

Oh it's all organicky too

This yarn is like a heavy version of Mission Falls cotton (now might be the apropos time to mention that Mission Falls recently went out of business, without warning, so come and get it if you love it because it's all going fast). Anyway, we added Sprout to the baby section, but only because there were two glaringly gaping bins right there waiting to be filled. This is a great yarn for us big babies, too.

Ohhhh, I like the red!

Also in that shipment, more new entries from Classic Elite, including Firefly, a rayon/linen blend (fantastic drape!) and a lace weight alpaca which we couldn't resist because the colors are splendid.

A coupla classy ones

Anyhoo, thus begins the cascade of spring yarns, of which many more will grace our shelves really soon. Let's hope the weather cooperates a little more! Although yeah yeah, we know this is great knitting weather. Hurry up and finish that project, willya? The new spring yarns await!

BO Loosely Willya?

2011-02-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here's the most common problem we see here, even among the most experienced knitters to grace our doors: too-tight bind-offs. We admit we often have the same problem with our very own knitting. So here are a few pointers.
You may laugh at this, but your state of mind does matter. I try to choose a time to BO when I'm not in a hurry, not stressed about the bills, and definitely not mega-grouchy. Breathe in. Breathe out. OK, BO. Ha.

Here's the physical side to that same pointer: Relax your hands. Relax your head neck & shoulders. Relax your lips & cheeks well you get the idea.

Further physical looseness: Poke to the fat part of the needle - this is not the time to work on the tips. Drape (or pick) yarn loosely. Exaggerate your motions a bit. Hold yarn as loosely as you can. Imagine butterflies and gentle waves lapping on the shore.

A few more hints: before beginning your BO, check the approximate length of yarn you'll use for binding off because (I know from bitter experience) if you hit a knot, you must go back. The knot will always always show up later and it won't be pretty.
Bind off in pattern (that is, continue to rib or seed st or whatever you were doing before). Check after each couple of inches of BO that your tension's loose & even. Stretch it a little to see. It should not feel tight & stringy. Just un-pick to go back. You can do it. Yes you can.

Now for a look at how to avoid the jog when you bind off in the round. Finish the BO and cut about 4 inches of yarn, but don't pull it through that last st. Thread it through a darning needle.

With right side facing, draw darning needle from front to back through the first BO st.

Draw darning needle up through final BO loop.

Draw darning needle from front to back through first BO st again -- exactly the same as the first draw-through. This seems wrong, but it's not.

Adjust last BO st to be the same size as all other BO sts, then

secure BO with a knot on the wrong side & darn in end. Perfect!

Next: Wait til you see the new Lantern Moon stuff and the New yarns from Classic Elite!!

2011-02-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

Nothing like aerial coverage of the AT&T golf tourney on a spectacular weekend to remind me of what a gorgeous community we get to live in. Plus, maybe you've heard, the monarch butterflies are back this year in a big way:

The P.G. Monarchs are back by the thousands!

Before you gasp in disbelief at what a fabulous photographer I suddenly seem to be, nope, my hubby Ron took this (and other great) monarch picture at the sanctuary over the weekend. Here's one more, kinda intimate:

Don't forget, you can click on a pic to enlarge

Now on to a couple of new things: Here's a super-cute pair of fingerless gloves from that new sock yarn from Knitted Wit in Portland:

Fast, easy, and cu-u-u-ute as heck!!

The pattern is a freebie from Ravelry called Mitt Envy by weezalana, and takes one skein. But socks would be awesome, too and I will be doing those soon.
Also, after a two, count-em two year wait, we finally have the blocking kit again!

Knitter's Block Kit in a nice bag, $49.99

It's like a jigsaw puzzle so you can make your blocking board the shape you need, plus the kit comes with a blocking cloth and pins and some really good directions for making the most of your kit.

The kit's guts

Next time: another tutorial, this time on the most common problem we see here, even among our most experienced knitters. Stay tuned!

Dolly's Dolly & Indie Stuff

2011-02-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

We are just happy gals here. We've started our new semester of lessons and we like watching the steam shoot out of people's ears as they try to learn new things.

Meanwhile, our family here has increased by one. One itty bitty teensy tiny one. Our little Phoebe Mouse doll just got herself a new dolly.

Whew! -- the dolly's dolly took minutes and minutes to make

The dolly's dolly pattern (and dolly's dolly's dress) is free, just stop in.

And have you gotten the idea yet that we are all about indie dyers, women-owned businesses, fair trade and ecologically-minded, yada yada? Well we are. Here's more proof:

Knitted Wit "Sock it To Me"

This lively sock yarn comes from Knitted Wit in Oregon, and the owner, Lorajean, has all of the above attributes, plus a very young family to boot (no she doesn't boot them around but I'm sure she makes 'em socks!)
Besides her fun sock yarn, she has a beautiful yarn with real silver in it!

Knitted Wit "Bling"

Oh so sparkly in real life, you have to see.

And not to forget Lantern Moon, the granddaddy of fair trade. They're sending a brand new batch of bags and other goodies, but meanwhile here's a look at the last 2 swing bucket totes, very pocket-y, a touch of velvet and the fabrics are so nice.

Your knitting project here

That's it for today, but tomorrow, a really cool nature-y surprise. Really cool. Just you wait.

A few new things & updates

2011-02-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

We were excited to see a nice big box of Wagtail yarn arrive at our door. They make such awesome mohair yarns that people mistake them for silks! And here's a cool thing: the folks at Wagtail do the whole scheebang from bottom to top, raising the animals, shearing 'em, spinning 'em, dyeing 'em -- the woiks! And they are so-o-o-o darn nice. Here are the new colors, and don't forget that my crappy photo skills do not do them justice:

And speaking of colors, our cherry burlwood button guy, Ron Pessalano, has started dyeing his buttons as well as offering them au natural -- they're faboo:

And here's a fantastic update: Sakura got her cast off!! She's now free to accept floor-level loving from customers with all four feet (not the customers! They have 2 feet! Sheesh.)

Freddie the Platypus now has companion overall shorts for whatever little kid wanders into his life.

These were really fun & fast to make, but I haven't finished the little hammer that goes into a loop on the shorts yet, I'll take a picture when I do.
And I loved knitting this hat out of Fibre Company Canopy so much (the softness! the sheen! the drape!) that I'm knitting a second one so I can take this one home for my very own self.

This pattern comes from the current Knitscene Magazine. The one I'm knitting now is a freebie from their website.
Finally, upon walking past our new window display today, I noticed that the plaster knitting hands I had casted a million years ago make it look like my head is somewhere up the butt of this sheep, don't you think?

Ah-Hahahaha aw geez don't take offense you know I'm just a crass old aging hippie. Bye fer now.