NC Mountain State Fair - Won't be long now!

Start planning your annual trek to the 2010 North Carlina Mountain State Fair. It begins on Friday, September 10th and continues through Sunday, September 19th. As always Marie and Judy will be demonstrating spinning and basket making while selling a number of handmade items - many that they make at the fair. Look for the Asheville HomeCrafts sign in the the Heritage Walk area.

Have you ever entered some thing that you made? Have you (or your children or friends) shown sheep or goats or a sweet calf? How about that fabulous jelly that you made? or the beautiful squash that you grew? Don't mind saying, it's kind of fun! Many area hand spinners, knitters, quilters, weavers and crocheters enter, and the competition is strong. So think about entering that hand dyed yarn, a particularly beautiful hand knit hat or pair of mittens. The prizes aren't breathtaking (unless you ace a cooking contest), so don't quit your day job! But the bragging rights are rather nice. So take a look at the competitions page and check the registration dates - they are coming up soon.

You could listen to music, ride the rides, visit the midway, eat cotton candy, but really, wouldn't you just rather talk to the animals? Even if you are not showing sheep or entering your finest hot peppers or amazing sweater, come by the little 'log cabin' to visit. The wool breeds sheep show and fleece show are September 18th and 19th. Take in a bit of fiber on the hoof!

Ecological Wool

After last week's post about the 'bling-ful' Feza novelty yarns, this week's post is all natural. One of my favorite yarns is Cascade Yarn's Ecological Wool. Although Asheville Homecrafts carries a few of the dyed shades, right now the natural colors are very well stocked. In creamy ivory, several different browns, many shades of grey and combinations, they are in the colors of real sheep. The hanks are huge - 478 yards and 250 grams (almost 9 ounces). If you are making a sweater, that is way fewer ends to weave in than your average 100 yard skein!

The shop has 2 sample sweaters for you to see, touch, maybe even knit for yourself. The top photo (courtesy of Cascade yarns - my own photo isn't quite this nice!) - is a lovely pullover that transitions from one color to the next. Knit in the round, it's a good introduction to 2-color knitting as you work the transition rows. The other sample sweater is a basic raglan pullover - a perfect first sweater for the new knitter ready to move on to a more involved - but not difficult - project. Both patterns are available free when you buy the yarn - Just ask!

The lower photo is not a store sample but was made by a local knitter. It's a variation of Jared Flood's Cobblestone that was knitted in color 8087 - a rich chocolate brown. Also a raglan construction, it was knit with size 9 needles and took about only about 2 1/2 skeins. Because of the large gauge and pleasant hand of Eco Wool, it was a relatively quick knit. Now this yarn isn't baby-soft. It's a bit rugged, but that is one of its charms.

Note that the sweater wasn't quite finished when this photo was taken. The intrepid knitter reworked the neckline to make it fit more closely - more 'manly.' Once finished, this pullover was worn a good bit last winter, when wool sweaters were all the rage in our chilly mountain climate.

Knitters review took a look at Eco Wool a while back - check out what Clara had to say. Of course Ecological Wool is just one of the many yarns to choose from. There are so many others that it boggles the mind. But for a good, basic, natural, economical yarn, this may just get your vote.

Amazing Ribbon Yarns

It seems like we can't stop talking about the new yarns in the shop - I guess that's because there are always new yarns, as well as new colors of your favorite yarns. We have several yarns from Feza as well as knitted samples in the store and free patterns available when you purchase them. Just ask!

'Alp Premier' comes in a generous 200 yard skein that changes as you knit. With different fibers and colors and textures, it's great for scarves and shawls knit on big needles. Colors are exciting, with tone-on-tone reds, and greens and browns in addition to luscious jewel-tone and earthy mixes.

'Dazzle' is another combination yarn featuring eyelash, shiny ribbon, thick 'n thin, metallic and see-through fibers that combine for an effect that is... well... dazzling! Again, lots of colorful choices and put up in a 210 yard skein, so you can make your scarves or shawls quite generous.

Rounding out this offering is Feza's Tokyo. It's thick 'n' thin, this time in a single rich color. On it's own or with other yarns (think hairpin lace), this yarn adds depth and texture to your knitting.

We have lots of other ribbon yarns in stock, including the Euro line - great yarn at a lower price. It doesn't matter whether you like glittery brights, lots of texture or subtle shades, with lots of choices in every price range, we can help you put together an exciting project, no matter what you want to knit or crochet.