Vintage Knits Update

In case you haven’t heard, there is a new free online knitting magazine in cyberland, Notions Magazine. Knotions is published quarterly. The first issue of Knotions went up last week, and I am very impressed with it.

This magazine is the inspiration of blogger and long time knitter Jody Pirello. You may be familiar with Jody from her blog Savannachik. Knotions is full of patterns, has book and product reviews, and illustrated knitting techniques. The tagline for notions is to “knit smarter.” I think what they mean by “knitting smarter” is knowing simple techniques that can make a pattern fit you better. In the first issue they have a really good article and illustration on knitting short rows for bust shaping. There is also a book review of A Fine Fleece, and instructions for how to knit a lifted increase. I am looking forward to the next issue, and seeing this magazine develop.

Yarn Sale!

We are having a huge end of the month clearance sale at our online store. We need to make room for new inventory. Take 20% off orders of more than $100.00. Use this coupon code during checkout: 4ee2ccfb96

The coupon is good for five days only, so shop early for the best selection. This sale ends on August 3, 2008 at 11:00 p.m. pacific time.

What’s New?

Namaste Bags
Louet Gems Yarns
Restock of Euroflax Linen
N1C2 Soxx Appeal
Schaefer Anne and Heather Sock Yarns
Panda Cotton Sock Yarn from Crystal Palace
KA Bamboo Exchangeable Needle Set
Briggs & Little Aran and Regal Yarns
More than 40 New Books Are in Stock
Needle Felting Kits
Hand Dyeing Kits
N1C2 Painted Diamonds Bag Kit

We have lots of patterns that are in stock, but not online yet. This includes Mission Falls, Dale of Norway, and much more. Email us if you are looking for a particular pattern or pattern booklet, we may have it.

Now is a good time to purchase one of our kits. We can always special order any Absolutely Fabulous Throw Kit if the color-way you are looking for is not in stock. As always, all special orders are prepaid.

We have 2 Garnstudio/Drops kits in stock, along with a few of their magazines. The magazines will be online in a day or so. Due to distributor changes, the Garnstudio/Drops products will not be restocked.

Finally, if you are looking for sock reinforcement thread, email us, we have about 25 colors in stock.

If you would like to get advance notice of our sales, subscribe to our newsletter.

I can’t believe it, but it’s been two months since our last post. I guess we get a failing grade for tying to post once a week. It has been really busy, inventorying the new arrivals, getting them online, and juggling our non-knitting activities.

Enough with the excuses for not blogging. We have more sock yarns! First, wonderful hand dyed yarns from Schaefer. Schaefer Yarns is located in New York. They hand dye all their yarns in small batches. As you know by now, we like hand dyed yarns. When we opened the box from Schaefer, it was a lovely surprise. Their yarns are breathtaking. Schaefer does the nicest job at dyeing their yarns. In our opinion, they are a step above the rest of hand dyers.

We started with Schaefer Anne and Heather. “Anne” is a blend of wool, mohair and nylon (60% superwash merino wool, 25% mohair, 15% nylon). This machine washable yarn is very soft, and the mohair makes a very “cushy” sock. Each skein has 560 yards, and knits at 8-9 stitches per inch on size one needles. One skein makes an average sized pair of women’s socks. “Anne” normally sells for $26.00 per skein. We sell it for $23.40, a 10% discount!

Schaefer Anne is dyed in special one-of-a kind colors, not their normal color-ways. We asked the artisans at Schaefer Yarn to dye Anne in tones similar to five color-ways from their normal color concepts. Here are pictures of the color-ways that we asked the artisans at Schaefer to match. Click on the photo for a larger view. Pictured from left to right are Gertrude Ederle, Piggy, Snoopy’s Crayons, Spanky, and Toni Morrison:

We could not have been more pleased, as the colors match perfectly. We carry a lot of hand dyed yarns, and feel that Schaefer yarns are a step above the rest. Their yarns are breathtaking!

Our second Schaefer yarn is “Heather.” “Heather” is a blend of wool, cultivated silk and nylon (55% superwash merino wool, 30% cultivated silk, 15% nylon). It comes in 400 yard skeins, and knits at 7-8 stitches per inch on size one needles. One skein will make a very luxurious feeling average sized sock. We have Heather in the same color-ways, pictured above. It normally sells for $29.00 per skein. We sell it for $26.10, a 10% discount!

Looking for a funky new bag? We have another great kit from Knit One Crochet Too.

The painted Diamonds Bag is the perfect summer project. Not too big, but certainly something new. The bag is worked in the modular technique, assembling from square to square without using any seams. This gives the purse its unique variegated diamond pattern. Quick and easy, great for instant gratification or gift-giving. The kit contains four balls of Knit One Crochet Too Paint Box yarn and the pattern. The kit sells for $37.80, which is 10% off our normal price. The kit comes in several color-ways. Here are the color-ways that we have in stock:

Visit our online store to make your purchases, and see all of our new products.

I think we are becoming obsessed with sock yarns! We already carry 11 different sock yarns. I did not realize we had that many sock yarns until I counted them. Now, we have added two more to the website, and still have two additional sock yarns to unpack and photograph. By the way, we are ordering yet another sock yarn next week.

So, what’s new?

With Summer right around the corner, we thought it would be nice to bring in a sock yarn that does not have any wool in it. Many people live in warmer climates, and were asking for other sock alternatives. Crystal Palace’s Panda Cotton fits that category perfectly. It is also a good choice for people who are allergic to wool.

Panda Cotton is comprised of 55% bamboo, 24% cotton, and 21% elastic nylon. This interesting fiber mix works very well for socks and children’s clothing. The bamboo has a wonderful feel and luster, the cotton adds a soft core, and the elastic nylon helps to retain the shape of your socks.

This early spring sock pattern, is made in Panda Cotton. The pattern is free and can be found on Crystal Palaces’ website.

Here is a design using Panda Cotton in a darling child’s dress. This “chick dress” pattern is also free, and can be found on Crystal Palaces’ website.

We have a great deal of variegated sock yarns at Vintage Knits Wool Shoppe, so we decided to order the solid colors of Panda Cotton. Eleven solid colors are in stock. This yarn is on sale for $6.21 per skein. It normally retails for $6.90. Two skeins are needed for a pair of socks.

Our other new sock yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy. If you are on the internet at all, I am sure you have heard about this yarn. Everyone is talking about it. Smooshy is just that, very soft and squeezable. This 100% merino yarn is hand painted, and very unique. The dyers us a process called “veil dyeing.” The result is subtle shifts in color without any pooling.

Here is smooshy in selected colors:

Look at how nicely Smooshy knits up. Click on the photo for a larger view.

We started with their newest colors, the 400 series, and we will be adding more colors and their worsted weight yarn soon. Several patterns are also in stock. We will get them online as soon as possible. To order our new sock yarns, visit our online store.

For all you Noro Kureyon fans, I have the perfect way for you to use your stash. Or, entice you to purchase more Kureyon. I was looking on knitty.com last week, and came across a very unique pattern called the Lizard Ridge Afghan. What better way to show off your Kureyon, than to knit this beautiful afghan!

Here is another view of the afghan laying flat. We had to crop it a bit for it to fit. This afghan is breathtaking!

This version is made from short row striped blocks, with each block knit from one skein of Kureyon yarn. You will need 24 skeins of Kureyon to complete this multicolored afghan, along with yarn to sew the blocks together, and for optional edging. We suggest Ella Rae Classic for the edging and sewing.

What about people who are not fond of blocks, and sewing them together? Guess what, there is a second version of the Lizard Ridge Afghan. This version is knit with one color of Kureyon, and has long stripes. You need 20 skeins of Kureyon for this afghan, and a contrast solid color for the optional edging.

The Lizard Ridge Afghan pattern is free, and can be found at: www.knitty.com. We have a good variety of Kureyon for this project at our online store.

Just a quick update on our Poetry in Stitches Kits:

Well, the kits did make it out of customs in January, and they are all on the website now. We restocked all of the kits, and added a few new ones. These kit now include the single pattern, since the book Poetry in Stitches is out of print.

You may notice that the prices are a tab bit higher. This is due to the ever decreasing value of the U.S. dollar. When the value of the U.S. dollar goes down, it costs us more to import these kits. In addition to the outrageous currency exchange fees and customs charges that we had to pay.

Here are some of the new kits that we added this year:

As you know, we use to sell the WEBS interchangeable bamboo needle set, but that set was discontinued when WEBS lost their supplier. There really wasn’t another set on the market that was comparable to the WEBS set in terms of quality, etc.

Awhile back I received a packet of materials from the nice people at Accessories Unlimited telling me about new bamboo needles that they distribute. These needles are KA Knitting Needles, made by Kinki Amibari, which is the oldest manufacturer of bamboo knitting needles in Japan.

KA bamboo knitting needles are made from select Japanese bamboo giving them a lightweight and warm feeling. KA uses only two kinds of the finest, aged bamboo, which are superior in density, flexibility, color and gloss for their knitting needles. With the passing of time and use, the needles’ satin finish becomes even smoother.

We received a sample of the circular needles. The quality is excellent. These needles have nice points, are very smooth and have a flawless transition from cord to needle tips. The cord also rotates, so as not to become tangled. What I think you will like best about these needles is the price. They are priced much lower than similar bamboo knitting needles on the market.

Well, when can you expect to see these needles at our store? We should have most, if not all, of the KA individual bamboo needles in stock in May. We did order, site unseen, several of the KA exchangeable circular bamboo knitting needle sets, called KA Switch. The KA Switch sets sold really quickly, and last time I looked, we only had two sets in stock. Don’t worry, they will be reordered this week.

The KA Switch set has all of the great qualities that the WEBS set had, but more. More cables, more needle size/length combinations, and a better fabric case. While we loved the WEBS cases, these cases are nicer. Things stay in place better, due to the elastic strip and a fold over fabric flap that helps hold the needles in place, in addition to the velcro pocket for the cords that keep them secure.

The set includes 10 pairs of bamboo needle tips, size 5-15, and eight cords to create 39 different knitting needles sizes/lengths.

Here are photos of the KA needle set in the floral fabric pattern. Pictured from left to right is the fabric case closed and opened (click on the photo for a larger view):

The picture on the left shows the KA Switch kit with the case opened, and the fold over flap opened. The picture on the right shows the kit with the case opened, and the cords placed on top of the case.

Here is a picture of the pocket for the cords, and the optional cord set that can be purchased to expand the kit:

The Optional Cord Set (pictured above) can be used to expand your KA Bamboo Exchangeable Circular Needle Set and make single point flex needles! This optional cord set has two stopper sets and eight additional cords. The optional cord set retails for $21.00, and we sell it for $18.90. The KA Switch set retails for $99.00, and we sell it for $89.10. Both prices reflect a 10% savings off the normal retail price.

If you purchased the set from us, let us know what you think, write a review! For those looking to purchase the set, you can find it in the knitting needle section of our online store.

Sometimes things happen and you ponder whether to write about it, or put is aside quietly. After a couple of months passed, I decided to let my customers know why Jordana Paige bags will not be sold here. Several years ago, we opened an account with Jordana Paige. At this point, they were just happy to take orders and get their products in the marketplace. We are a small company, and sold their original bag, and a few messenger bags. The original bags were discontinued without any notice to us (retail customers). When the new Jordana Paige bags came out, we were not really thrilled with them, and did not order any. The distribution of the bags left Jordana Paige, and went to JCA. While we do have an account with JCA, we never ordered any Jordana Paige bags through them. Apparently JCA distributed the Jordana Paige bags for about a year. Something happened (I am not sure what), and that distribution partnership ended, and Ms. Paige was again distributing her bags.

Late last year we received an email from Jordana Paige telling us about her bags, and inviting retail customers to order online through her website. All we had to do was email her requesting a password to order. I decided that Vintage Knits needed to add more bags to our store. We had overlooked the bags, and focused our attention on yarns. In any event, I emailed Ms. Paige for a password to place an order. I wanted to try a few of her new bags, and see what our customers’ response was. The password was promptly received. I took several hours looking at her offerings, and figuring out my order, and a second order that I would place later. I placed my order, and to my surprise, I received an email from Ms. Paige stating that she would not fill the order because she does not sell products to businesses such as mine. I found that hard to believe since she has sold bags to me in the past, and actually emailed me the “invite” to purchase bags from her, and also emailed me a password to buy through her retail site.

I emailed Ms. Paige to find out why all of the sudden she would not fill the order since I had ordered from her in the past. She responded that I probably bought her bags through JCA, who sold to all of their retail accounts, and she has different criteria . . . . I promptly responded that I never purchased any Jordana Paige bags though JCA, only directly through her. No reply was received.

Oh well, that is the yarn business. At least we are no longer getting emails from her company telling us about her bags and trying to get orders from us. We have a few Jordana Paige Knitters Messenger Bags left. These bags have been placed on our clearance rack. They normally sell for $85.00, and have been reduced to $59.67, which is 30% off the retail price.

So, what are we doing about knitting bags? We contacted the very nice people from Namaste last October, but never got around to placing an order. Well, we bit the bullet, and ordered some really nice bags from them. Namaste came out with a series of new bags since my initial telephone call to them last year. The new bags are in the Namaste Cali Collection. I did a google search on these bags, and saw nothing but very positive reviews in blogs. These bags sold out immediately, and are now back ordered until next month, and the orders will be filled in the order they were received. So, I am not sure whether my bags will be here in April or May, but they are coming.

Here is a sneak peak of the Namaste Cali Collection:

Namaste Cali Clutch:

Namaste Cali Malibu:

Namaste Cali Laguna:

These are all great bags with very stylish shapes. All bags have compartments for personal items, and knitting projects. These bags come in several colors. We will start with three or so colors, and add more colors later.

I am always on the lookout for unique bags. If you have a favorite bag or tote that you would like Vintage Knits to sell, contact us.

Managing the online component of our store is not as simple as we thought it would be. What happens when your web host makes a few changes? Sometimes their software conflicts with your software. Well, that is what happened to us last month. Sort of like trying to play a European DVD in an American DVD player; it just doesn’t work.

Our store was down for an entire weekend while we worked day and night upgrading the software. We apologize to anyone who could not purchase yarn during that time. One nice thing came out of this software chaos, we redesigned our online store. Visit our online store and let us know what you think of the new design. Within the next few months, the rest of our website will also be redesigned to match our online store.

now on to the yarn front:

We have been working at lightening speed to get our new yarns online. One yarn line that we are very excited about is Sublime. We ordered every Sublime yarn in every color to give you the full range that they have to offer. The new cotton yarns have not arrived yet. We also have all of the books in stock. The yarns are online now, the books will follow soon.

What’s really nice about this yarn line is that with the exception of the kid mohair blend, all Sublime yarns are 100% natural. Nothing scratchy, no acrylic, only the most luxurious combinations of fibers at an affordable price. Think the finest angora, merino, silk, kid mohair, and cashmere. Did I forget to mention that the patterns are wonderful!

Here are our Sublime yarns:

Take a look at a small sampling of our Subime products. Here is a skein of Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK, and patterns using this yarn.

and Sublime Kid Mohair Blend and patterns using this yarn.

We are going to try to update our blog at least once a week (remember, I said try). There still is a lot of yarn to put online, especially, a large shipment from Louet, filled with their lovely Gems yarns. We are slowly adding our patterns and books to the online store. The bulk of which are not online yet.

If you are looking for any pattern, book, or yarn that is not online, contact us. To purchase our products visit our online store. Our products are in stock, with inventory amounts listed. Unlike other online retailers, we do not list a product and allow you to purchase it unless we have it in stock. No back orders, no misunderstanding, no out of stock rants, no partial shipments, no delay in shipping orders!

We finally have Mission Falls 1824 Wool Yarn in stock. We should have ordered this yarn years ago, but better late than never. This is a wonderfully soft Aran weight superwash yarn that knits at 18 stitches and 24 rows to four inches. In addition to the softness of this yarn, the color palette is its most unique characteristic. Mission Falls has an earthy tone to its colors. Nothing bold, nothing brash, just very nice.

We ordered every color in the wool, including their new Tricolors. We are a bit busy at the shop now, and have put the yarn names online, so that you can order it immediately. The colors will be added when things slow down a bit. In the meantime, you can see the color cards here. Click the pictures for a larger view.

If you are looking for Mission Falls Patterns, look no further, we ordered every single pattern booklet. The patterns are in stock, and will be online soon. If you need a pattern that is not online, email us.

You might be wondering what we have been doing, that is keeping us so busy. In addition to recovering from the onslaught of after Christmas orders, we have been upgrading and redesigning our online store. The upgrade was by necessity, to keep up with the latest technology and security software. The redesign was because the old design was looking just that “old”. Let us know what you think of the new store design. The rest of our website will be redesigned to look like our store. Expect that change sometime in February.

Other News:

Lots of new arrivals, including a yarn line new to our shop, Sublime. We haven’t unpacked all 13 of the boxes that arrived, but this shipment should have every yarn, shade, and pattern book in the Sublime Yarn line. Also new to Vintage Knits, is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, Snuggly Baby Bamboo, Kureyon Sock Yarn, more Noro Yarns, Zephyr Lace Yarn, and hand dyed cashmere from A.L. de Sauveterre. We will get the new yarns online as soon as possible. For most of the new yarn lines, we ordered every color in each yarn, and the accompanying patterns.

To purchase our yarns, visit our online store. To inquire about yarns not yet online, contact us.