Bart & Francis Open House

Sigh. I wish I could be there. But there is a Big Pond between me and this exotic yarn extravaganza, which will take place in beautiful Belgium, January 30 and 31st, from 9:30 am-6:30 pm.

For those who don't know about Bart & Francis, go here and sigh with envy. The store carries a wide range of exquisite yarns--lace and otherwise--some of which are simply not available anywhere else. Their silk yarns make me weep a bit, and they stock exotica such as mirror and glass bead yarns, vicuna yarns, and linen and stainless steel thread.

If you can make it to the open house, you will be able to play with their fabulous offerings and I will hate you. The owners will handle your questions and assist those with special textile-related requirements to find exactly what you are looking for.

Francis assures me that all this will be done is a cozy atmosphere, featuring a never-before-encountered "Dump Your Husband Corner," stocked with a broad range of fancy alcoholic beverages and newspapers to keep him accupied while you, the textile lover, can range freely over their offerings. Of course, you can tenderly park your wife or SO there instead, and the brochures below indicate that tea and pastries are  also being offered.

And here is the announcement in a variety of languages :) Yarnlot, do enjoy your trip and post about it, because I am sure you won't want to miss this affair.

Bart & Francis

OverleieStraat  59

8500  Kortrijk

België

info@bart-francis.be

 

 

More Cheap Cashmere (Sorry!)

For several years, I have been buying 2-ply cashmere/silk from Shakun and for some reason, never thought to mention this company before. This particular yarn is the base for the much of the stuff you see in the US, for example, Jade Sapphire's Cashmere Silk. I've knit luxurious socks with it and just dyed some for my next project.

Shakun is also, apparently, the source for JoJoLand's lovely merino/cashmere sock yarn. Fortunately, Shakun sell it in white--the colorways are a bit unsubtle for my taste.

They has a teensy eBay store, which usually has one or two offerings a week and more recently, offer a website that struts their entire range of luxury yarns. They sell a wide variety of silks, cashmere, camel, soy, bamboo, mohair, and mixtures at very reasonable prices, but you must order a minimum of one pound of yarn. For example, two 2-ounce, 200-yard skeins of their 2-ply silk cashmere costs $12. I just checked the price of a dyed Jade Sapphire skein: those 4 ounces will set you back $33.

Buy yourself a pound of Shakun's for $48 and dye it yourself. I strongly suggest you request their catalog of knitting yarns, as well. Their 4-ply cashmere can be had in colors, most of which are, alas, rather garish.

Now, let's move on to their so-called weaving yarns. We would call them lace yarns, and I am sorry to tell you that they have every single combination of cashmere with or without silk, cotton, wool, and camel in any weight you might want. Some of them come in 72 colors. And you can create your own mixture and color to order. For example, if you just adore 65% cashmere, 25% silk, 10% camel in a 45/3 weight, you can request the mixture and have it custom-dyed, too.

The bad news is that the minimum order is 1 kilogram. I can't see that I would ever want 2.2 pounds of any of their lace yarns, but I urge those who are professional yarn dyers to check these folks out as suppliers. If there is such a thing as lace-yarn cooperative buying groups, they should also take note of Shakun's wares.

As is always the case, shipping will be expensive for small orders, so stock up!

Two Little Gifts for You

Part of the fun of blogging is finding obscure, cool knitting-related thingies and being able to tell you about them. A few years ago, I purchase some adorable stitch markers from Arlyna. I hadn't heard from her in a long time, but this morning, I got an email from her.

Please visit her shop--you will be delighted by the odd and clever straight needles, markers, counting bracelets, bags, totes, and needle pouches--all at exceptionally reasonable prices.

This year she is offering a few nice-quality yarns, as well (No, I haven't ordered any).

I love grazing around her store, and I know you will too. She also offers gift certificates, so you can send the link to your SO and then pick what you want at your leisure. Do use the coupon code f20b1d for a $5 discount at checkout (good until February 1, 2008).

The second gift is a must-have for knitters everywhere. It's an eloquent button you can place on your blog or website, or even adapt to a t-shirt. I have no idea who originated the button, but whoever you are, Kudos!

Discounted Addi Lace Needles

For those of you who don't know Sandy Terp and and her store at Moonrise Lace Knitting, let me introduce you. Sandy is a talented lace designer who sells a small, but choice selection of yarns; patterns; and now, Addi lace needles. Her prices for the needles are a few dollars lower than retail:

Size 1 in 24", 32", and 48" $11

Size 2 in 24", 32", and 48" $11

Size 3 in 24", 32" and 48" $12

Size 4 in 24" or 48" $12

Size 5 in 24" or 48" $12

Size 6 in 24" or 48" $12

Shipping on the needles is $3, regardless of how many you order. Note that these prices arrived via her newsletter and are lower than those stated on her website. So if you place an order with her, please mention the newsletter price.

And if you are in the market for cobweb lace yarn, do ask for a free sample of her Harmony yarn. It's a luxurious blend of 70% alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere--about a 2/32 weight with 10,000 yards per pound. Her prices for the yarn are quite reasonable--$40 for a 9 ounce skein, which is plenty for several fine shawls. I bought some at Stitches East last fall and it is lovely stuff.

If you graze around her site, you'll also find books, patterns, and an interesting assortment of tools not available elsewhere, such as a needle gauge that goes down to 00000000 (8x). She also sells 8x needles, for those of you who are into profound masochism.

Edible Sock Yarn

A Little Eye Candy to Sweeten the New Year!



Well, ok, it's only virtually edible. From left to right we have Raspberry Mocha (yum), Spicy Licorice (yum), and Rose Petals (not so yum except visually). All three skeins are 100% merino superwash and dyed with flair by the talented Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden. Delicious! Soft! Perfect!

Yarn PØrn

Today's mail brought two fat packages. The color genius of Lisa Souza resulted in these two lucious, soft, squishy, silky skeins of mohair lace. The top skein is Mother of Pearl colorway and the bottom is Shaved Ice. The top one is earmarked for the capelet in Victorian Lace Today. Shaved Ice for the Luna Moth shawl.


And the color genius behind Katsara yarns brought these lucious, soft, squishy, silky skeins of sock yarn. Top to bottom: Hosta, Cantana, and Pansy.

The stash waxes fat and happy.

Micro-store Happiness

In the mail today: 3 skeins of JKnits sock yarn from Yarn4Socks. Beautifully dyed, soft colors. The yarn resembles Lorna's Shepherd Sock. It's 75% superwash, 25% nylon, soft, and sqooshy. From left to right: Pueblo,, New Jersey, Amesbury. Service was very fast. The store carries a small, but select range of sock yarn--Shaefer, Fleece Artist, Sisu, Lorna, and Trekking, among others. Each month they have a color sale--this month, yarns with reds in them are 25% off.



An Etsy store that I especially like is The Laughing Rat. She sells handmade books and hand-dyed fibers. On the left is a lovely skein of Twilight merino wool. L. Rat bills it as lace yarn, but it's really a fingering weight, soft, and perfect for a winter shawl. On the right is a handsome skein of Supernova merino sock. The colors are just spectacular; the yarn is similar to Soxie (or a thin Cherry Tree Hill). It's so pretty that I'm keeping it on my desk for a few days to admire. Laughing Rat shipped promptly and her prices are very reasonable. The yarn came with a personal note written on a sweet, little card.