| New Shibui, New Pop Up, & New CAL! Grab Your Boots We've Got Cowgirlblues! | | |
It's safe to say we're officially at the tail end of the year, and we gotta say - it's been a wild ride! We have to address the elephant in the room - 2020 has been a mess, and one of the biggest things helping us through this remarkably tough year has been our monthly pop-ups! We get so much joy by sharing new yarn with you guys, especially in such lovely shades and soft, squishy bases! This month is no exception with the wonderful women over at Cowgirlblues all the way in Cape Town, South Africa.
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The Cowgirlblues team is like a big family (kinda like Jimmy Beans!), so walking in those doors is like visiting a second home filled with love, friendship, hard work, and learning opportunities. Inspired by a certain book stating that even cowgirls get the blues, this yarny paradise was born to empower women and create a business in one of the most unequal societies in the world where people of color are disproportionately affected. With the goal to help struggling families and create an unbreakable bond between these women, creating gorgeous, supple fibers is just a bonus!
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Aran Single: Perfect for ringing in the autumn season with a warm, cozy hug, this Aran-weight yarn is a sumptuous blend of wool and kid mohair. The mohair gives this yarn a soft halo, which complements how the wool is spun, making it feel just as soft and luxurious as it looks (seriously, we had to wrestle a skein out of our Bean, Jenna's hands because she wouldn't stop squishing it)! With 131 yards of gently brushed Aran goodness, the opportunities are endless!
Kidsilk Semi-Solid: We all need a little kid mohair and silk in our lives! This staple from Cowgirlblues is light, fluffy, and ready to be on your needles! Fine and addictive to touch, this yarn can be used alone or carried along with another yarn to add a fuzzy halo and shiny sheen to your project! Hand-dyed with skill and care, each cake of this lightweight yarn comes with 224 yards to play with (and boy, are we gonna take advantage of all of that silk)!
Merino Lace Single: Packed to the brim with 328 yards per cake, this fun, gorgeous yarn is ready to be knit with from the get-go! Perfect for drapey, lacy projects, add a bit of elegance to your needles with this 100% merino wool yarn! Hand-dyed with care, this tiny delight is fun to just hold (and juggle!) let alone make with! Just like the other yarns, this base is delightful to squish and work with for crocheters and knitters alike!
Our in-house speed-knitter, Amy, designed some gorgeous patterns to celebrate this pop-up! Inspired by the beautiful South African coast and the surrounding area, dip into these elegant, lacy projects for a tasty treat suitable for any knitter who wants something for the changing of the seasons! Each project uses a different yarn for the optimal buffet of strings to pick and choose from!
Are you ready to learn more about this pop-up? We have an interview on our blog asking the tough, hard-hitting questions like what inspires the team over at Cowgirlblues, the challenges they face daily on their journey, and how they overcome obstacles!
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While the temperature starts to drop, we begin to find ourselves craving something a bit warmer like... blankets? Stay with us here, we know it's still hot, but if we begin on a blanket now, we will have it done by the time we actually need it, and that kind of planning is something we should absolutely reward ourselves for!
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Crocheters, this one's for you! New from Scheepjes is the d'Histoire Naturelle CAL! Designed by Christina Hadderingh from the A Spoonful of Yarn blog, this blanket is gorgeous enough to hang in a museum! Perfect for any adventurous beginner and beyond, take part in an extraordinary work of art as well as a read-a-long experience (the book in question that we encourage you to read is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - this is optional)! Inspired by the Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, this project has four different colorways to choose from, each masterfully crafted with science and art in mind:
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- Conchology: The study and collection of mollusk shells. Have you ever been walking along the beach and started your own collection of shells? That's what this colorway feels like! The pops of coral and sandy browns make us want to lounge on the beach at sunset and sip lemonade.
- Entomology: The study of insects. This colorway reminds us of the gorgeous, iridescent blues and greens of the blue morpho butterfly and jewel beetle. Tied together with neutral browns and grays, this option feels like a nice walk in the forest.
- Herbarium: A collection of preserved plants. We've mentioned this before, but a few of our Beans have green thumbs! This colorway absolutely tickles us with floral spring greens and gorgeous pops of pink, making us want to take a nice stroll in our gardens.
- Mineralogy: The study of the structure of minerals. Let's face it, we've always had a strange fascination with shiny things - especially minerals and crystals. This colorway features bright greens and pinks that remind us of the sun hitting each facet of an emerald or rose quartz stone.
Are you ready to dive in and study your chosen field? This kit comes complete with 38 balls of Scheepjes Stone Washed & River Washed yarn, 1 pack of Toho Glass Beads, 1 beading needle, stitch markers, 1 official CAL souvenir bookmark, 1 letter from the designer, and 1 YARN The After Party booklet! Starting on September 16, 2020, the crochet pattern will be available for FREE and released in parts every 1-2 weeks via the Official Scheepjes Facebook group as well as Scheepjes.com!
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A Taste of Haven!
Lace yarn is fine and all, but it's a little hard to use for those of us who are anxious about slipped stitches and the eventual ladder you have to climb when (and if) you catch it! Lately, we've been sneaking heavier yarns into our stash (and we mean SNEAKY, not even our partners know - after all, what they don't know won't hurt them, right?) to use for a rainy day. Our stashes are like living museums, with a constantly changing display of colors, bases, and weights of yarn. You could say our stashes are like our havens!
A haven is defined as a place of safety that offers favorable opportunities, and we have to say, the name of this yarn couldn't have been any more perfect! Artfully crafted by the masterminds at Shibui Knits, Haven is a luscious blend of 80% extra fine merino wool and 20% cashmere. Yeah, you read that right. It's finally cashmere season, baby!
Shibui Knits Haven is a DK weight yarn that has 160 yards of squishy strings per skein! Available in Shibui Knits' sophisticated color palette, it's a mystery how we don't take late afternoon naps with this yarn as our pillow - it's that soft! Use it alone or in tandem with something fuzzy like Shibui Knits Silk Cloud to add a hazy aura around your project! With the cooler air coming soon, you'd be hard-pressed to find our project bags without a skein or two of this beauty in them!
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Pages of Patterns!
Okay, we know we've been really hitting the fact that we're excited for the fall weather to finally come crawling in over the mountains, but can you blame us? Fall is the perfect season for makers (as is winter) and it's like we're being woken up on Christmas morning! Our gift today? The new Rowan Magazine #68! Seriously, we can't NOT talk about fall when our favorite brands are enabling us so easily!
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Rowan Magazine is a hefty book filled to the brim with patterns for all sorts of garments and accessories to make you feel as sophisticated and elegant as you've always meant to be! This magazine has around 30 patterns to choose from (yeah, 30!), accompanied by gorgeous photography and insightful articles to really bring these designs to life. Like all of Rowan's patterns, they're made with care and with every maker in mind. The magazine also gives you exclusive access to additional patterns and content Rowan's website. We're especially excited for this new release because our Bean, Amy, is featured in this edition! Go Amy!
Are you still going strong in your love of summertime projects? We still have a few copies of Pom Pom Quarterly Magazine - Issue 33 - Summer left! This issue focuses on shapes and colors that offer a throwback to the 80s (which, yes, we're STILL obsessed with) with pops of pink and lavender!
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A Berry Exciting Kit!
Fall is slowly approaching, and a lot of us are excited for the cooling weather and crunchy leaves underfoot as well as the promise of making cozy, warm projects! We're excited about the number of shawls, sweaters, and... desserts we're going to make? This is the time of year where we can really indulge in some beautiful yarn and delicious food that's finally in season (we're lookin' at you, cranberries)! So we decided to take advantage of this change in weather with a sweet treat!
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Sitting on the windowsill cooling off is the Berry Dessert Shawl designed by our Bean, Adrienne! Just as sweet as it sounds, this super tasty knit is crafted out of 700 yards of Koigu KPPPM yarn in the shade P405-34. This colorway is a berry delightful array of blues, purples, and some lavender acting as the icing on the cake and comes pre-wound so you can dig right in as soon as it arrives!
Along with your cake of yarn, you will receive a handful of locking stitch markers in complementing colors and a darning needle to finish off everything - seconds, anyone?!
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Okay, but what if this wrap isn't enough to sate our sweet tooth? Lately, we've been a little ravenous when it comes to projects and other little things to do with our hands. Have no fear, because included in this kit is a recipe for a delicious berry dessert so you can bake while you knit a shawl that's good enough to eat! Customize it to be stuffed to the brim with any berry of your choosing. The whole baking process takes around 20 minutes (not including setup time). And the best part? If you bake it at night, you have an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast! Ready to cast on and dig in? It's a piece of cake!
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Here comes Jimmy Beans,
here comes Jimmy Beans,
right down Jimmy Beans Way!
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It may be a little bit too early to start counting down for the holiday season, but we're so excited, we just can't hide it! After all, it's already September, which makes it a little more appropriate to circle December 1st on our calendars. Not because of the wintry sky or the frost-dusted ground, but something a little cozier.
Well, what's so special about December 1st then, you may ask? We're excited to announce that it's the beginning of Craftvent, of course! This year, we're coming together to knit or crochet up a month-long scarf! The knit scarf, lovingly named Tidings to Yew, was dreamed up by our design dutchess, Amy Gunderson. The incredible crochet Ginger Snap Wrap was designed by the pattern princess herself, CocoCrochetLee! Just like previous renditions of the Jimmy Beans Craftvent Calendar, you can expect to find tasty treats, useful notions, and all of the yarn you need to create your masterpiece! Each option has two different, seasonal colorways that get us SO excited for this holiday season!
So what kind of winter-lover are you?
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Northern Lights: Like watching your breath fog up the windows. This colorway reminds us of the frosty, chilly evenings, and the morning sun glimmering through the icicles. Like eating sugar cookies and drinking cold eggnog while watching fireworks or the dancing colors of, well, the Northern Lights!
This option is perfect for those of us who enjoy comfortably sleeping in while the snow falls silently outside.
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Cinnamon Sugar: This colorway is like being woken up on Christmas morning to the sweet scent of baking gingerbread cookies and fluffy bread! Like sprinkling glistening sugar on top of your dessert and humming the notes to your favorite song.
This is for everyone who likes snuggling up to the crackle of the fireplace and the joyous laughter of children opening presents.
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Project On Our Needles
Rowan's Palermo Tee
It must be a crochet day! From Rowan, we had the opportunity to check out this pullover, which gives us mega summer-melting-into-fall vibes! Crafted by an expert crochet hand, this sweet top is perfect for that weather that makes you want to stay outside all day - we're talkin' mid-70s - yeah, that's the ticket! Featuring trace amounts of lacework at the ends of the torso and armholes, everything finishes off with a fun, elongated picot-edge border!
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| Please let us know what you think of our newsletter or if you have problems reading it! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email support@JimmyBeansWool.com And please don't forget to support your Local Yarn Shop. In addition to being an online outlet, we also have a retail location and therefore understand how important it is to be supported by our locals. You can update your notification options at any time. Jimmy Beans Wool 4850 Joule St. Ste A1 Reno, NV 89502 Phone (775) 827-9276 Toll Free in U.S. and Canada (877) 529-5648 | | | | |
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