Vintage Knits Update

December 8, 2008

Knitting Needle Changes

Filed under: Vintage Meanderings — sadie @ 9:30 am

Last week we found out that the manufacturer of our wonderful KA Circular Knitting Needle Set raised the price of the Optional Cord Set. Apparently they were not making any money on the optional cord set because it was being sold below cost. The Optional Cord Set is still available, but the cost has doubled. Yes, I said doubled. The new price for the KA optional cord set is $40.00 instead of the original price of $20.00. The good news is that there was no increase in the KA Bamboo Circular Needle Set.

The lovely floral fabric case for the KA Circular Needle Set has been discontinued. This is the case that we picture in the item description of this needle set. The manufacturer buys a specific quantity of various fabrics for their needle cases. Once each fabric is gone, they buy other fabric to make their needle cases. We are not going to redo the pictures of the needle case that we have online. It is very time consuming to take the pictures. Also, with the fabrics constantly changing, it would be a never-ending project to keep up with the current available fabric cases. Please note that when this product is ordered, we will ship whatever fabric case that is currently in stock.

Also on the knitting needle news front, we are pleased to announce that we are bringing in nearly the entire line of KA Bamboo Knitting Needles. Much of this needle line is already in stock, including the hard to find 9″ and 12″ circular knitting needles, and the 4″ double point knitting needles. The balance of the KA knitting needles should arrive this week. We will carry the entire KA knitting needle line, with the exception of their flex needles. I have never used a flex needle, nor had any customer request one. If anyone would like the flex needles, we may decide to carry them.

Here’s a look at the KA bamboo circular and double point needles (click the image for a larger view):

KA knitting needles are very smooth, lightweight and have nice points. The circular needles have a flexible cable, with a swivel bearing so the cords never twist. The joins are flawless, with a very smooth transition from cord to needle.

Since we are bringing in nearly the entire KA bamboo knitting needle line, we rethought our needle inventory, and which products we will stock. We have decided to phase out the Crystal Palace line of knitting needles and their sock yarns that we carry. While Crystal Palace makes very good knitting needles, the KA line is comparable (if not nicer) in quality, but with a significantly lower sales price. We have quite an inventory of Crystal Palace knitting needles in stock, so these needles will be here for a while until they sell. But, they will not be restocked.

December 5, 2008

Great Christmas Gift Ideas

Filed under: Vintage Meanderings — sadie @ 6:19 pm

We normally do not put our targeted ad coupon codes on our blog, but in the spirit of the holiday season, we wanted to alert you of our current sale posted on knitters review. For one week only, save 10% off your entire order. Use this coupon code during checkout: krdec08. This coupon expires on December 11, 2008 at 11:00 p.m. (pacific time).

For all those last minute shoppers, we found some really great gift ideas for the knitting enthusiast. If you are buying for the experienced knitter who loves cables, twisted stitches, textures, and a challenge in general, then they would love Elizabeth Zimmermann’s First American Aran Pattern.

First American Aran

First American Aran

The pattern is in Vogue Knitting Magazine, Winter 1998/1999. The yarn used is Briggs & Little Regal, in washed white. We sell both the yarn and the pattern at our online store. The yarn requirements are: 5 (6, 6) skeins. The finished knitted bust size is 38″ (41″, 45″).

What’s the perfect project for someone with a busy lifestyle? Socks of course. Small, portable projects can be knit on buses, subways, and during lunch breaks. The nice thing about socks is that you can complete the project in a manner of days. Who doesn’t like immediate gratification?

We highly recommend New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi.

New Pathways for Sock Knitters

New Pathways for Sock Knitters

New Pathways teaches you how to construct a sock that fits your foot. You learn techniques by knitting small miniature socks on either circular or double point needles. Once you learn the techniques, you can adjust the pattern to fit your feet by taking a few measurements, and placing these measurements in Cat’s universal pattern. This is a very interesting and informative book that any sock knitter will love.

We have more than 20 sock books in stock. Something for the beginner, or those wanting to learn to knit socks on two circular needles, and books for more experienced knitters. We have over a dozen sock yarns to choose from, including:

  • Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock
  • Crystal Palace Panda Cotton
  • Mountain Colors Bearfoot
  • Lana Grossa Meilenweit
  • Kureyon Sock Yarn
  • N1C2 Soxx Appeal
  • SWTC TOFUtsies
  • Regia 4 Ply
  • Araucania Ranco
  • Colinette Jitterbug
  • Ornaghi Filati Luna Park
  • Dream in Color Smooshy
  • Schaefer Ann and Heather
  • Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome
  • Claudia Hand Painted Fingering
  • We stock lots of kits, but want to focus on a few that would make exceptional gifts. Many knitters want to do more than simply buy yarn and knit it. For the really creative types, they might like our Hand Dyeing Kit.

    Hand Dyeing Kit

    Hand Dyeing Kit

    This kit comes with everything that you need to dye and knit a pair of socks. The yarn included is Louet Gems Merino, which is a very nice sock weight yarn. This kit is available in 5 different colorways: blues, pinks, reds, browns, and greens. This kit is on sale for $45.00.

    Do you know someone interested in learning how to spin their own yarn? Our Drop Spindle Kit is the perfect entry to spinning.

    This is a fantastic beginner spinning kit which comes with detailed instructions that are down to earth and easy to understand. Provides a great base of knowledge on which to build spinning technique. The kit includes ½ pound of dyed fiber, 1 Louet Drop Spindle, and detailed instructions. The kit is on sale for $31.50.

    Another great gift is our Needle Felting Kits.

    Needle felting Kit

    Needle felting Kit

    Needle felting is a method of dry felting which allows the fiber artist to create intricate surface designs on existing fabrics, or explore imaginative 3 dimensional forms from flowers to pumpkins or dragons.

    We offer two variations of the Needle Felting Kit. The Basic kit is on sale for $27.00, and the deluxe kit is on sale for $45.00. The kits include:

    Basic – including 2 needles, 6oz fiber, instructions to make one needle felt project (Pumpkin, shown), and a sample bottle of Meadows Wool Wash.

    Deluxe (Shown) – including a needle felt tool with 5 needles, 6oz fiber, instructions to make two needle felt projects (Pumpkin and Cat & Mouse, shown), and a sample bottle of Meadows Wool Wash.

    Now on to the stocking stuffers. Check out our funky tape measures. Or, what about a Brass Needle Gauge and handy knit klips? The knit klips make seam sewing a breeze!

    Brass Needle Gauge Knit Klips

    Visit our online store to see all of our products. Shop early for the best selection. Don’t forget to use the coupon code to receive your discount.

    December 2, 2008

    Christmas Shipping

    Filed under: Vintage Meanderings — sadie @ 10:47 pm

    I can’t believe it’s December, and Christmas is only a few weeks away. How fast this year went by. I want everyone to have a happy holiday, meaning, I want your orders to arrive before not after Christmas. This is just a reminder, if you are ordering after December 6th, and want your order delivered before Christmas, do not choose parcel post shipping. Our website links into the United States Postal Service server for shipping prices, and time quotes. Although the postal service says that parcel post takes 4-7 days, it is often longer. One customer did not receive her timely mailed package for nearly three weeks. But, 10 days seems to be the norm.

    From what I have learned, it all depends on your local post office, and what they do with the packages. Some local post offices are great with handling these packages, and they arrive near the estimated time. Others, let these packages sit until all other higher priority mail is delivered. Also, remember that rural areas may have delays in deliveries.

    I give this warning every year, and every year someone chooses parcel post, and their package does not arrive before Christmas. The difference between parcel post and priority mail is usually less than a dollar. We are doing everything on our end to get your orders packed and shipped within 1-2 days. But, we cannot control the postal service, and how they handle parcel post packages.

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