Look what came this morning!

This isn’t even close to how amazing all this Madeline Tosh Sock looks! Wow!

Martha and Yvonne are still at TNNA, but I asked them to send me a list of what they’ve ordered so I can share it with you all. Yvonne will provide all the juicy details about the yarn, the parties, and the ice cream soon.

We’re expecting massive restocks and new items from some of our favorites, including

• Dill Buttons
• Pagewood Farm
• LanaKnits
• Malabrigo, including the new Rios SUPERWASH, coming in September.
• KnitOne Crochet Too
• Cascade, including the new superwash sport
• Madelinetosh, new sock colors and new for us, lace weight.
• Lisa Knits
• Abstract Fiber
• Debra’s Garden
• Scarlet Fleece, including new laceweight yarn due in September
• Blue Sky Alpacas
• Chameleon Colorworks
• Dream in Color
• Heartstring Fibers
• Manos del Uruguay
• Addi
• ChiaoGoo, including the new sizes of bamboo needles for sock knitters
• HiyaHiya, including doublepoint needles

And brand new for us:

• Frabjous Fibers – new fibery goodness (one wool & cashmere blend and then there is also something with a little bit of angelina in it to give it some flash) (Merino Sparkle & Silky Cashmerino)
• Chica – Drawstring reversible project bag (SO cute)
• Miknitures – Knitted jewelry – pins, really
• Kollage yarns – square DPNs, with circulars to follow in October
• Unpatterns – Pullover, sock & hat patterns (based on the yarn & needles of your choice)
• Deep South – The new book Little Red in the City from Ysolda Teague, and both loose patterns AND the new book from Stephen West.
• And in Yvonne’s own words: This last one, Natural Dye Studio, is an import from England.  We are getting their sport weight, fingering, and a laceweight.  The fingering & sport are called Dazzle and the lace is called Angel.  It should arrive about the same time that the Stephen West book hits us (and possibly also the Ysolda book but I’m not sure).  We are also going to be the ONLY yarn shop in Pittsburgh to carry it and I think it is going to be FANTASTIC.  Amanda (dyer) uses all natural dyes (all plant based) and the colors are incredible — subtle yet striking.  I cannot say enough good about this company.  We really enjoyed talking to them and both we and they are extremely excited about this relationship.

Whew!

By Carla

Okay. It’s not really so incredible or even really a machine. But that’s what this little gadget has come to be called around the shop. It is not new as it has been around for years but we have just discovered it. I saw a customer (waving at you, Z) using it one evening and had to see what it was. I convinced Martha to try to get a few and she did. The 3 we got were gone before you could blink so she ordered 24 more. What is this thing you ask? It’s a dumb little piece of plastic that makes it stupidly simple to measure your gauge.

Called the Count 10 Plus all you have to do is count 10 stitches in the little window (see arrow in pic) and move the slider so it shows only those 10 stitches, then look at the numbers that run across and you have your stitches per inch!! It is easy to use and will leave you wondering why you haven’t been using it all along.

When I showed this baby to Yvonne and Anna they loved it. Until they measured the gauge on their current projects and found out they were a little “off”. Lol [Ed Note: We never get off gauge. We were just testing the machine.] But they didn’t let that stop them. They agree this is a great addition to your accessory bag.

It also includes a needle size gauge. Do you want to know the best part? It sells for a whopping $2.10!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can’t afford not to have 1…or 2…or however many projects bags you have going. (Nope. Not going there! Lol) Stop in to get yours soon.

The February newsletter just went out last night, but already, we have so many more new arrivals to add!

• From Interweave, a special magazine, Knitting Traditions, that explores historical knitting in many cultures.
• Here at last! Eco Duo is back in three colors, including the new colorway Storm (perhaps appropriate for using during the snowstorm this weekend?) and the much-beloved Koala.
• DVDs, including series 100 of Knitting Daily and Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Around.
• Lots and lots and lots of new books, such as Spinning Llama and Alpaca; Knit Green; and Knitted Pirates, Princesses, Witches, Wizards, and Fairies.
• Big restocks of Marble, Lorna’s Laces in Steelers Pride (hey, we can call it Penguin Pride too), Cascade 220, and Berroco Vintage.

We’re hunkering down for the snowstorm that’s supposed to be arriving this afternoon. Do you have enough yarn to weather the storm?

We received many big boxes of loveliness today!

From Abstract Fibers, their Superwash Merino and BFL Roving:

Also from Abstract Fibers, their Superwash Sock:

And a big restock of the wonderful Pagewood Farms, including Alyeska and Denali, and some new colors of Willow Creek:

Your little Natural Stitches elves have been super-busy putting new things out on the shelves. New this week:

• Lots and lots and lots of spinning fibers from Louet and Harrisville, not “just” wool, but alpaca, bamboo blends, and yak!
• Brand spanking new from Blue Sky Alpacas, Multi Cotton, a subtle variegated version of your favorite organic cotton.
• A big restock of Louet Gems Sport, a yarn perfect for heavy socks and colorwork.
• Some beautiful baskets from Lantern Moon, and some perfect stocking stuffers, including new tape measures shaped like chickens and turtles.
• A new non-wool sock yarn, Bamboo from On Your Toes.

Stop in and check them out!

Boo!  We wish you a safe and happy Halloween full of treats and no tricks.

• New and Shiny! this week:
• The Knitter’s Book of Wool, by Clara Parkes, author of the wonderful Knitter’s Book of Yarn
• The Enchanted Sole: Legendary Socks, the follow-up to the Eclectic Sole, by Janel Laidman
• Finally! The long-awaited new and improved Addi Click sets, in the super-sleek new carrying cases
• From Lantern Moon, cunning new Knit Out Boxes, pictured below
• And scads of new shawl pins!

We would have updated yesterday, but we were too tired to type! Seriously, inventory is OVER and we are back in business. Every item in the store has been counted and every surface in the store has been scrubbed.

We were thrilled yesterday to welcome back a full house for Wednesday afternoon knitting, and we look forward to seeing our customers again in the days to come. We missed you! We also really appreciate your patience and understanding through the pre-inventory sale. The sale was a huge success, thanks to all of you. If you need yarn wound that you purchased during the sale or got stuck on a project, we are back to normal and ready to help!

We’ve gone through everything in stock and the markdown fairy has been at it again! Check out the yarns on closeout. We’re also expecting a huge Cascade order, so the famous wall will be fully restocked just in time to start sweater-knitting. Finally, we got in some amazing bags from Ja Ja Ja. These bags are made from recycled materials, and each one is one-of-a-kind.

Hope you all have had a great week!

It’s been a busy week at Natural Stitches! First and foremost, we’re so happy to report that we made it through G-20 with no problems whatsoever. It was quiet and peaceful, and we really enjoyed having customers hunkering down with us for knitting, food, and fellowship.

Kelli led a charge to reorganize the entire needles and notions wall.  We’ve grouped all the notions together to make them easier to compare. We got word from Skacel that the new versions of the Addi Clicks are coming soon!

We received a HUGE shipment of Malabrigo this week, with brand new and new-to-us colors of Silky Merino and Worsted, plus restocks of Sock and Lace yarn.

We are thrilled to announce that Yvonne is designing two new finishing classes! Stay tuned for more details.

We hope you’ve had a great week. As always, our living room is open and we love to have you visit.

A shipment of Pagewood Farms sock yarn. This will be out on the floor by tomorrow morning at the latest.