Steven put together our current color basket, and I’ve asked him to blog about his choices here. Happy reading! – Yvonne

our summer of socks and lace is in full swing,
which means we who are lucky enough to work at natural stitches get to fondle so many of your lovely f.o.’s.
for the past few months,
you’ve all been bringing them in:
happy little socks,
and lace that could put meg swansen to shame.
i’ve been especially happy to see so many gorgeous crocheters come out to compete this summer.

but seeing all of these beauties week after week has taken a bit of a toll on me.
it’s awakened that familiar beast that lives in all of us,
that all-too-familiar green eyed monster:

ENVY.

so this month’s yarn basket is inspired by my envy.
yellowy greens grumbling their jealously,
staring up at you as if to say,
“i dare you take me home and make yet another stunning shawl to rub in his face!”

what can i say?
i can’t help but be jealous of you all.
just be thankful i haven’t taken your shawl and run.

yet.

This week, we combine the Recipe Box with the Color Choice Basket to celebrate the season premiere of my obsession, Mad Men. The colors here invoke the stark minimalism of the show’s opening sequence. The recipe is for a drink my husband devised when I said I wanted to drink something appropriate to the 1960s setting of the show, but I don’t like the rye that is typical for Manhattans. This drink is a hybrid of Old Fashioneds and Manhattans.

• 2 parts Bourbon
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• Dash of bitters

Combine with ice in a shaker. Shake and pour into glasses. Add a maraschino cherry (and if you want it sweeter, add a splash of the juice in the cherry jar).

And of course, unlike the characters of Mad Men, drink responsibly: stay at home to watch the premiere or have a designated driver!

1. True Blood. Kelli has been a True Fan from the beginning, as have Teri and Steven, but I came late to this obsession. This morning, Kelli and I put together a Color Choice Basket to celebrate season three, and particularly to celebrate seeing more of Mr. Eric Northman.

(Red is really hard to photograph, I’m sorry. You’ll have to come in to appreciate how deep these reds are.)

2. Angry Birds. This iPhone game is completely addictive. We can’t stop playing it!

3. Jeni’s Ice Cream. You’ve probably seen tons of tweets about this from knitters all over. Yvonne and Martha got to sample this amazing ice cream at TNNA in Columbus the other week, and we were thrilled to find it just down the road at Whole Foods. It really is that good.

It’s cold, dark, and rainy. Let’s lift our spirits by looking at May’s Color Choice basket, inspired by fuchsias blooming in the yard. Enjoy!

It may be cold today, but truly, Spring is here. Let’s remind ourselves of what Spring looks like with this cheery Daffodil Basket. The little sweater is The Little Girl’s Shrug from Knitting Pure and Simple, available here at the shop, knit in Malabrigo Worsted in Pollen with some Lettuce colorway for the trim.

Hop has been joined in our Carrot Basket by Honey Bunny, a “Loveable Toy” in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This bunny is made of one skein of Cascade Eco Alpaca, with Blue Sky Alpaca Sport and Kid Silk Haze for the ears.

We will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 4, but open our regular hours on Saturday.  From all of us at Natural Stitches, have a happy holiday!

A few weeks ago, Monica offered suggestions for toys for the Easter basket. Recently, Yvonne finished Hop, an adorable bunny from a Blue Sky Alpacas pattern, available here at the shop . Hop takes one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton.  His sweater is made from O-Wool Balance, a DK cotton and wool blend.

Hop poses with Annette’s fiber rabbit, Professor Spaghetti Bandit.

If you’d rather knit a cow instead of a rabbit, here’s Monica’s Knitted Cow, from the Rowan Purelife book for children, also available in the shop. Cow is also made from Blue Sky Alpaca Organic and Dyed Cotton.

“Drab to bleak is a perfectly valid color selection!”

I love gray, and so does Kelli! These colors were inspired by the winter sky, and served as a good reminder to me that beauty can be found in the darkest part of winter. For all of the others who love “drab to bleak,” we salute you!