HRYC

June 16, 2015

Downside Up: A yarn club

With the Indie Shelf Project came a lot of requests from our not-so-local customers: could we somehow share the love?

Which sparked an idea. For a long time i've wanted to take part in amazing yarn clubs but found the international shipping to be a bit crazy. And so, just for our NZ & Australian yarnies: our very own.

It goes on sale at 10am Thursday 9 July. There are strictly limited spaces, so be sure to put a reminder in your calendar!

The details:

Downside Up is a very special yarn club. We've recruited three amazing dyers from North America to kick things off. To follow, three special NZ dyers, all with exclusive colour ways just for us. You can sign up for either the Northern dyers or the local ones, or go all in and register for both. Each parcel will contain:

100g approx of 4ply / fingering weight yarn dyed especially for us in an exclusive colour way
special treats worth at least $10

Sign up options & prices:

North

the first 3 months, all North American dyers
NZ - $150 including shipping
Australia - $154 including shipping

North & South

all 6 months, North American dyers followed by NZ dyers
NZ - $300 including shipping
Australia - $308 including shipping

Any leftover spots for South will go on sale in late September.

The shipping dates are:
North
(the North American yarns)

late July / early August
first week of September
first week of October

South
(the NZ yarns)

first week of November
first week of December
second week of January

Here's that link again. We wanted to give you lots of notice so you can start saving. If you have any questions, just give us a shout.

June 16, 2015

New Arrivals: Quince & Co

Ok, so it may not be super new, but I still want to share some amazing colour combos with you. Whenever new yarn turns up, I spend ages putting colours next to each other. Quince & Co lends itself beautifully to colour work and stripes, and i'm daydreaming of a fair isle jersey knit with as many colours as possible against a neutral background.

Chickadee in Egret, Iceland and Bird's Egg

Chickadee in Gingerbread (top) and Pea Coat

Chickadee in Snap Pea (top), Parsley and Cypress

Quince & Co Owl in Amethyst (top), Cielo and Cilantro

Quince & Co Piper in Sweetwater (left), Rock Springs and Guadelupe

Here's some pattern thoughts for you:

Anna by Pam Allen (Adult garment, Piper)

Lus by Mer Stevens (Adult garment, Piper)

Ella Funt by Pamela Wynne (Kid garment, Chickadee)

I heart you by Mandy Powers (Kid garment, Chickadee)

Foxy Sweater by Natalia Moreva (Adult garment, Chickadee)

Willard Fair Isle pullover by Hannah Fettig (Adult garment, Owl)

May 28, 2015

Handmade 2015: be in to win!

You gotta be in, as they say, to win. And this weekend at Handmade is your chance to win! All you have to do is make a purchase in the Knit Lounge and you'll be entered into the draw to win....

A Knit Pro Marblz Deluxe set! Oooooh! Valued at $129, this is one bright pack of needles. You certainly won't lose them when they practically glow in the dark (they don't, but how great would it be if they did?).

The Knit Lounge will not only be a place to hang out and be social, it will be fully stocked with things you might need for your class, tempting yarns and fibres. We'll also have some brand new products and a whole bunch of Handmade-only specials. Hooray!

May 27, 2015

Indie Shelf: Dark Harbour Yarns

Last chance to get your hands on some glorious, glorious Dark Harbour Yarns this week. We sadly didn't get ourselves quite organised enough to pose Nikki with the usual questions, but that's ok as her yarns speak for themselves.

So much temptation, so little time. You'll find Dark Harbour Yarn on the Grand Arcade Shelves until the end of the day on Saturday. And then there's a good chance i'll be nabbing yet more for my own stash.

PS: i've snuck a peek at the next Indie Dyer's offerings and they are so delightfully bright we may not need to turn the lights on in June.

May 26, 2015

Sampler Square Blanket CAL

As I've been a bit remiss in blogging about our Crochet Blanket CAL, here's Kate with the down-low. It's been so fun watching the projects grow (and thanks a million to Kate for taking this on!). - Tash

Our Sampler Square Blanket CAL is running all year – it’s only May, so it’s not too late to join in!

Pattern options for 12” squares are posted each month, focusing on different techniques. These squares are a great way to challenge your crochet skills and try out new things. If you want to start with more basic patterns, check out the February and March options; otherwise, just pick the ones you like best from any of the 21 patterns already posted.

Basic stitch pattern options:

Block Stitch Square by Ana Benson (Rachel’s version)

Double-Framed Lace by Chris Simon (Amie’s version in Vintage DK)

Carré Sacha by GrannyMania (Kate’s version in Cascade 220).

Ready for a little more of a challenge? Try the Catalina Afghan Square by Julie Yeager to focus on clusters or the Yarn Clouds Square by Amelia Beebe to practice back-post double crochets.

Catalina square

Yarn Clouds square

All of the patterns were designed for 10ply yarn, but we have participants making squares in 8ply and 12ply as well. You can make the squares in a single colour, combine a few of your favourite colours, or use up your stash.

Bridget’s Crochet Clusters Afghan Square by Julie Yeager in a single colour of Silver Lining 8ply.

Claire’s Ribs and Lace Afghan Block by Joyce Lewis in Ashford Tekapo 12ply.

We’ll be aiming to join our squares together in November and December. If you’d like to make a small throw, aim for 12 squares. For a full-size afghan, you will need 24. If you just can’t stop making squares, go for 30!

Mel’s fabulous first six squares (in Vintage DK)

It’s been so exciting seeing different interpretations of the same square! Here are some participant versions of the Spring Fling 12" Square by April Moreland: