VBYC, YOUR Local Yarn Shop: The Fiber Arts Trendsetter in Acadiana!

21oo Verot School Road, Suite 8 Lafayette, LA 337-216-4564
To send email, write to: vermilionbayyarnco at Yahoo

M: noon-6pm; T: 10am-8pm; W: 10am-6pm; Th: 10am-8pm; F: 10am-6pm; S: 10am-4pm; Sun: Closed

Classes


Beginning Knitting and Crochet: Beginning classes for knitting and crochet are scheduled one-on-one at your convenience during business hours. You may schedule lessons just for yourself, or for yourself and a few other friends. In beginning knitting, you will learn your stitches while you create a beautiful chunky yarn scarf. At the end of your mastery period, you'll have a fabulous accent you can actually use!

Classes a la carte: If you weren't able to attend a specific class, or you missed out entirely on one, here's your chance! Simply schedule the class topic of your choice at the time that's convenient for you.

How Much Do Classes Cost? At Vermilion Bay Yarn, we're all about getting you moving on your fiber projects and getting you going with new techniques. All classes (including beginning knitting and crochet) at VBYC are $20 plus materials. You do not pay each time you come in to continue the same class.

What's Available At Vermilion Bay

The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company is your local source for the fine yarns of Rowan, Classic Elite, South West Trading, Cascade, Plymouth, Schaefer, Malabrigo, Muench, GGH, Brown Sheep, Lana Grossa, Tilli Tomas, Universal, and many others! We offer high quality needles and hooks from Addi, Chiaogoo, Hiya-Hiya, and Brittany. Vermilion Bay Yarn (YOUR local yarn shop) is YOUR one stop for all your knitting and crochet notion needs: counters, holders, markers, darning eggs, tapestry needles, etc.

Knit Cafe: The Evening Fiber Art Group meets on Tuesdays from 6pm-8pm at the shop. Bring your project(s) and sit for as long as you like. Food, coffee, and soft drinks are always provided, and everyone is encouraged to add to the buffet.

Need something repaired? Favorite sweater with moth holes? Heirloom lace with a snag? Bring it in for an estimate.

Don't have time to knit or crochet it? The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company is your only local custom fiber art source! Please visit the shop for an estimate.

Knitting Parties at VBYC: Gather together 10 of your friends or colleagues and set a date/time for a knitting party at Vermilion Bay Yarn! Beginners and seasoned knitters can participate in the same party! Folks who've never knitted before will learn how and the experienced knitters work their own fun project! Contact the shop for details!

Our Return Policy

Now and then we purchase a bit too much, or decide that a different yarn might be better for a project than the one we selected. Here's how VBYC accomodates merchandise returns. This policy is also clearly displayed in the shop by the register. Thank you for your business!

Merchandise purchased at The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company may be exchanged/returned for shop credit only. No cash refunds. No exhanges/returns on special orders. Gift Certificates may not be redeemed for cash. Yarn presented for exchange must be odor-free and in new condition with the yarn band intact. Yarns wound into skeins are not accepted for exchange.

Knitting Rescue and Project Help

We are most willing to assist YOU, our customers, with quick help or to fix minor blemishes in your fiber work at no charge. As I see it, that's all part of what YOUR local yarn shop is about, especially if your project originated from VBYC. If you find yourself in need of frequent coaching on a particularly challenging project, or if you require detailed assistance with a project obtained elsewhere, we encourage you to make that project into a class ($20 fee applies) for the duration of your work.

27 June 2011

KNITTING PARTY!!

Looking for a fun party experience for friends, a cool theme for a birthday celebration, or just a reason to get together? Here's the answer: a Vermilion Bay Yarn Company Knitting Party! Talk up your friends -- 7-10 or so of them. Stop in at the shop to set a date and time for one of the most interesting and fun 3 hours you'll have had in a while! Everyone gets a project -- either a first time one or a simple afternoon project. Potluck party food items create the perfect snack buffet for your group, and VBYC provides the set-up's. Last Sunday VBYC hosted a terrific group of first time knitters and few seasoned fiber folks for "knitting with a twist". Group instruction with individual help ensured that everyone who came in never having knit left a knitter, and the people who already were knitters left having learned something new and exciting about an art they love. A VBYC knitting party is perfect for groups of friends, office groups, or any group of people who enjoy sharing each other's company and are willing to try something new! Take a look at all these happy faces enjoying fiber arts success at VBYC! And there's one more face who isn't in the picture because he's behind the camera: Blaine. Many thanks to him for assembling this fabulous bunch of knitters, mixing the Happy Raspberry cocktails, and sharing his brilliant creativity with us all!

24 June 2011

No Sunday Tea this Week, June 26th!

Just a quick note to folks who regularly attend Sunday Tea: There will be no open Sunday Tea this week. VBYC is hosting a knitting party for a sizeable group this Sunday. If you would like to plan your own knitting party, gather together at least 10 of your friends and book the date! Contact me at the shop for booking details. Look for pictures of Sunday's Knitting Party on the blog and on Facebook!

22 June 2011

Bat Wing Shawl!

It's been one of the hottest European Knit-Alongs on Ravelry. Designer Jana Albrecht has created a simple, elegant, and utterly clever wrap with a beautiful shape inspired by nature. The German name for the piece is the Fledermaus-Tuch. Fledermaus is the German word for "Bat", hence our Anglicized name for the garment. Regardless of the name or how you feel personally about bats, it's a pretty darned cute garment project -- and not one that breaks the bank or one that'll cause you to abandon it in utter disgust. This pattern is perfect for folks who have never followed a lace chart. Yes, it does have a chart, but it's limited in the lace operations it demands from you. Just the thing to get you comfortable reading charts. Your success in knitting this and completing it are absolutely guaranteed. Plus, if you were bitten by the beading bug (and I think we all were) last month after working up all those Jeweled Cowls, you can up the ante so speak and set a few beads into your bat wing as well! We'll be starting off this bat wing shawl as a class on Saturday, June 25 at 10:30am! Join the class today by stopping in, selecting your yarn, and -- if you want to make it shimmer -- head over to Bella Beads and let Rae fix you up with the perfect gems! Classes at VBYC are selected and planned for YOU. I pay attention to what it is you all like to knit, the concerns you have in the projects you select, and I hunt out possibilities that you will both love to make and that will expand your range of experience to tackle more and more complex projects in the future. Be sure to take advantage of class offerings at VBYC. A missed class is a missed opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and most of all to challenge yourself to open up new avenues for fiber creativity. We'll see you Saturday!

Habemus Nomen!

The voting has closed, and we have a name! Our little adorable dragon is named Oscar! The story how he came about is currently in preparation and will be posted here and linked to facebook in the next couple days. In the meantime, Oscar will be living at VBYC until July 2. Stop in an be sure to say hello! He doesn't bite, but he sure does have a wide, welcoming smile!

21 June 2011

Early Fall Vogue Knitting!

Vogue Knitting for early fall 2011 is available now at The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company! Like cowls and capelets? Quick, fashion-forward projects that will make your fall wardrobe pop! Many of the projects this issue are perfect for gifting! Pick up your copy today! While you're browsing through the pages, be sure to take a look of this terrific top made in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride! VBYC is proud to offer the best knitting magazines/literature to the local and extended fiber arts community. Thank you for supporting YOUR local yarn shop and making VBYC your source for these fine publications!

17 June 2011

Oscar the Dragon: Love and Inspiration

The ancient Greek myth of Prometheus attempts to explain how animals and living creatures of all sorts came to populate the earth, how they were formed from the mud, breathed full of life, and made to go on their various ways. Whether interpreted literally or as allegory, creation stories seek not only to identify the origin of living things around us (including ourselves), but also provide a contextual source for our own human ability to create. Art in any form, to those who do not practice it, seems like magic. We marvel at each other's ability to paint, sculpt, make music, dance. How is that people can do these things? My own skills in sketching objects with any modicum of realism is quite limited. I enjoy experimenting in that medium, but seriously, without the proper guidance, simple stick figures are often the best I can hope to achieve. Creativity comes in many forms, each a specific gift or charism. Some draw and paint, some make music, some write stories as realistic as vivid memory, while others inspire works of art.
Throughout my life I've been lucky to have been surrounded by some amazingly creative, colorful people. From the personal end of things, my family is one of musicians, my maternal grandfather and great grandfather played wind instruments, my grandmother was a cellist. My mother is a pianist. I'm an organist. Fiber art gets woven into that musical texture through my grandmother who was a master Belgian lace maker. Her husband, also a mathematician, designed some of the most wickedly complicated lace cards conceivable -- all of which Oma transformed into stunning lace. She's the one who taught me to crochet, to figure out patterns from sight, commit patterns to memory, re-create lace from mental notes, and deconstruct fiber work in order to make invisible repairs. Coming into contact with creative people fosters more creativity. This is one of the awesome benefits of my shop: every day I am privileged to meet and work with so many talented people. Some folks may be in Lafayette on vacation and visit only once, some come with regularity, some are here daily. Regardless how frequently they're here, their influence lingers in various ways: a shared pattern, a demonstrated stitch, a brief design suggestion, even a kind word, or a thank you for being able to sit and crochet.
As diverse as there are creative artists in general, so diverse are the various projects undertaken specifically by fiber artists. Some make only socks. Some knit a zillion fashion scarves, some make baby hats for hospitals. Some focus solely on Couture garments, some make comfy pullovers, some make afghans, some are lace makers. Then there are the ones who make things with really no purpose other than to provide a vehicle for love. Of course the knitter's personality and love are transferred, for example, into a sweater made for a spouse, but the sweater itself has both this intangible ability and the practical purpose of keeping the wearer looking good and feeling good. Some projects can't be used like this. You don't wear them, you can't use them as a pot holder or set a flower vase on top of them. These are the creations of the animal makers. Alligators, frogs, bunnies, turtles, lions, hedgehogs, giraffes, and so on for a unlimited zoo of fiber beasts, common objects, and anthropomorphs -- inanimate items like cupcakes created in fiber and equipped with human faces.
Among the regular fiber artists who visit the shop, there are two in particular who are well known for creating these little animals. They've made scores of them, and children have loved them just as much as the creators love making them. So serious are these two about their art that each of their animals carries its own adoption paperwork. The two are sisters. One a crocheter, the other a knitter. Although Karen had visited VBYC only a few times, her influence and love for her art will forever be a part of the shop and an inspiration to all who visit here. I had heard from her sister that Karen's stash of yarns destined in time to be transformed into more crocheted loveables was staggering -- all sorted by kind and color, a collection of materials assembled over many many years.
Karen had been ill for some time, and it was after a particularly frightening bout with illness that she came into the shop with her sister. Despite her health issues, she was a jovial, beautiful person, eager to talk about her projects, share stories about her creations, or relate the delighted joy in a child's face when his mama handed him a colorful turtle he saw in the sisters' craft show booth.
It was a shock to us all who remember Karen when we learned that she was diagnosed with fourth stage pancreatic cancer and that the outlook was grim.
Some weeks prior to this news, before her health had declined suddenly, both Karen and her sister decided upon a first birthday gift for Karen's granddaughter: a very special crocheted dragon by Argentinian designer Paola Navarro. Navarro is famous for her detailed, clever, and humorous animals. Karen went into her limitless stash and pulled seven hanks of Classic Elite Province cotton: 3 in red, one each in yellow, orange, black, and white. The first task of the 17-page crochet description of the dragon was his body, an irregular 24" tube that flared and tapered in such a way to define a snout, a head, a torso and a tail. "The stitches have to be tight, Sissy," Karen's sister reminded her, "so that his stuffing won't show." To ensure the look they both wanted for this special first year birthday gift, Karen used a size B hook on the worsted weight cotton. The result: a stiff, tough, but soft fabric perfect for dragon skin.
As her health declined, Karen would fall asleep while crocheting, be wide awake in the middle of the night, work tirelessly for a while, then fall back asleep. She was growing weak and unable to work on the special project for any length of time. The dragon sat with his yarn, the pattern, and the magic spell it took to bring him to life. "Take him to Jason. He will finish it." A few weeks later, Karen left.
A number of months passed, and Karen's sister visited and told me the plans of the special dragon, a gift for their granddaughter and niece's first birthday. Along came the yarn supply, the pattern, the counter and everything required for the project. Even a bag of stuffing. "You'll probably need more stuffing, and this is the yarn Sissy selected." Looking at the supply of yarn and reading over the pattern -- which oddly enough didn't indicate any yarn quantity -- I was quite sure I would run out of yarn, either yellow or orange, but I forged ahead anyway. Karen's counter was set at round 60, just past the head. In fact she had just completed the sixtieth round the last time she had set down her work, an indication that this would be a different project experience for me. I knew the circumstances of how the dragon came to me, but what I had in my lap was not so much a project packed away and brought out later, but rather an active, living project whose beginner simply set it down and left the room, and who had kindly left me in charge of carrying on her work. The dragon was detailed: underbelly, eyeballs, eyebrows, dorsal ridge, tale spade, 12 tiny toes joined together to become 4 little feet, legs, wings. "Be sure to embroider a little spark of life into the eyes. Karen always did that." That was the spell. This dragon would be canaille. And he had a special power to turn sadness into joy with the look in his eyes and a broad orange smile. I told Ethel as I worked that I was worried about the yellow and the orange. There just wouldn't be enough. When I started the wings -- two large swatches of yellow rounded off with orange, I began to think about ways I could use a different color or another cotton yarn to finish. These were the final elements before assembly would start. One wing done, then the other. Each piece was completed according to the pattern and came out to the proper dimensions. I had used two whole hanks of the three reds, and had approximately 1/3 of each color left after sewing all the parts together. And the bag of stuffing? Not even half was used, although both Karen's sister and I had believed I would well need another supply. This project was given to me with the supplies required, despite what my seasoned eye made me believe. It was to some extent a "blind project". I knew what I was making, but I wasn't always quite sure what each piece should really look like. I kept moving on, making piece after piece. It was a very unlikely project for me, but I felt guided by the crocheter who knew how this thing would work and showed me what to do with the bits I didn't quite understand. Now, you can take that any way you'd like. Some might say that I was clever enough myself to examine what it was I had and learned from the portion that was already worked in order to figure out the techniques for the unworked sections. Others might think this indicates inspiration. What I do know for certain is that what was in the supply bag shouldn't have been enough to finish. But it was, and so much that I had about 50 yards overage in every color.
For the couple weeks it took to finish him, he had endeared himself to the VBYC community, this little dragon. Everyone saw him in pieces. "Jason, what is that?" "It's a dragon." "Oh." As soon as I showed the pattern photograph, he warmed our hearts. Although the pattern indicated I should sew the pieces together as I completed them, I didn't. I just piled up the elements and took two days to assemble him at the very end. I wanted him to spring to life suddenly, just like Prometheus had done it in the ancient stories.
And spring to life he did! "Oh, he's finished! You finished him!" were the reactions as our wide-eyed fiber friend took his perch atop the center island in the shop. Although the pattern stated his name was "JJ", this was a different dragon from the one pictured. He would need a special name. A secret panel of dragon namers was convened to bring out a list of four possibilities. Folks from the community voted for their favorite, and Oscar was what we chose. Oscar the dragon: the special idea for an extra special gift selected and begun by an expert crochet artisan with a legacy of amazing, love-filled creations. Despite her having to leave, she ensured that her final creation would be completed and made sure there'd be enough to do the work, and that she had worked just enough to show how she expected the rest to look. But what a gift for us all is Oscar. Karen had brought such happiness to so many through each of her creations. But, I tell you, she saved the best for last. Not only will Karen's spirit live on through Oscar each time her granddaughter holds him, and as he watches out for her, but also Karen's magical ability to bring joy to others through her work lives on in the memories of an entire community who, in the process of Oscar's creation, have learned more about her and have been inspired by her work. What an honor it has been to be involved in the Oscar project! Thank you, Karen, for sharing your special gift with us, for bringing us joy, and surrounding us with your creativity!

16 June 2011

Patterns for all Seasons!

Books, books, books! Today's big box from Rowan included supplementary fabulous colors of Summer Tweed (silk/cotton) as well as a number of top-notch design collections. Among them are two titles by Kim Hargreaves. If you haven't yet experienced the Hargreaves designs, this is your chance. These books do not arrive in huge quantities, and they generally do not last very long on the shelf. The Hargreaves designs are stylish, fashion forward, and upscale, yet quite wearable and absolutely very knitable. Each of the collections uses your favorite Rowan yarns. If you knit for children (toddlers and up), Miniature Classics is a must. Complete knitwear wardrobes for children in classic designs. These and more titles from Rowan and the designers of the Rowan family are available now!

15 June 2011

Baby Garment Challenge: Ditch the Pastels!

Sometimes I really wish babies could talk -- just for a few minutes -- in order to share what they really think about what folks usually refer to as "baby yarn". "Little, guy," I'd ask, "what do you think about that sky blue and mint green pastel jacket and soft yellow hat you're wearing?" Now, I grew up in the 1980's, and Miami Vice was the look. We sported our V-neck t-shirts with cream mega shoulder-padded blazers, chinos, argyle socks and penny loafers -- everything but the loafers were done up right in soft, beachy pastels (and sometimes even the shoes weren't immune: I also owned a pair of boat shoes of which each leather panel was dyed a different pastel color). I'll tell you, I was proud of my light grey, mint green, pink, and yellow diamond socks. Trendy. In the 80's we wore pastels because pastels were cool beans. Just like ultra narrow knit ties and parachute pants. For generations babies have worn pastels (or forced into it) because the adults in charge of dressing them thought pastels somehow defined "babiness". And they do in a way, as long as the baby is going trick-or-treating for the first time, and his costume is a roll of sweet tarts.
Back in the day, when the best we could ever hope for was big box store acrylics in worsted weight "adult colors" and sport weight "baby colors", the pastels were actually the best bet for miniature humans, since those shades seemed to be the only choices that didn't have that trademark Brillo pad softness against the skin. That old fashioned baby yarn was smooth as an emery board. Heavenly. Nowadays, there are options beyond the cliche boy-blue, girl-pink, don't-know-yet-mint, and can-I-dress-a-little-boy-in-yellow-yellow. American babies have for generations been doomed to dress up like Valentine's Day candies because someone somewhere had equated the sweetness of a sugar treat to the sweetness of an infant and someone else believed her. Mass hysteria followed. Cute outfits start with innovative, vibrant color palates. Select yarns for infants in the same way you'd select yarns for your own clothing. If the baby is already here, consider colors that go well with baby's skin tone, hair, and eye color (by the way, the "blue for boys, pink for girls" thing isn't color matching. It's gender profiling). If he's still under construction, consider his parents and consider which colors look good on them. Little Oscar after all will be a happy blend of both. After you've thought of color options (and thrown that pastel color wheel into the dumpster), think about fibers. There is no rule somewhere in a some book of baby laws that requires baby articles to be made from acrylics. In fact, natural fibers make more sense coming into contact with baby skin (and adult skin too), as they tend to be more comfortable to wear and breath, well, naturally. For us here in South Louisiana the most logical choice is cotton: year round comfort and washability. And add to that that yarn dyes love cotton and create bold colors in cotton. Think about what garments you own that you love to wear. Look in your closet and see what they're made of. Find any acrylic pastels you just can't live without? Planning to wear that fabu mint green shell to the company party next Friday? How about that pink cardi? Nothing makes a girl sweat more in the Louisiana heat than a pastel yellow jumper in scratchy acrylic! Sheer comfort. And we wonder by little Hypolite is so fussy. But hey, at least we can wash that sopping mess at the end of the day, right? More on the washer myth in a bit. Other fiber options: linen and linen blends, silk (yes) and silk blends. Bamboo (amazingly soft!), and of course the old stand-by: wool. Let go of your pearls, June. Yes, I said wool. Of all the fibers we use, wool has earned a bad reputation. Wool is neither hot nor "picky" as they say. It's just not. It's not scratchy. Wool is available in all weights, and has the ability to wick moisture from the skin. In the warmer months, lighter weight wool is good. Heavier gauges are better in cooler temperatures. Wool is a great year round fiber. Have you considered using sock yarn for baby garments? Great weight for little people clothes, great colors too. Ask folks who wear their handmade socks all year (including me). Just as comfy in August as they are in January. Now, sit down, catch your breath and think about this: yarns and fibers that make our adult clothing interesting, unique, trendy, and luxurious are just as interesting, unique, trendy, and luxurious in miniature. Here's one example: mohair. It's always nice. Mohair is one of the softest, coziest fibers on the planet. Use a beefier mohair or mohair blend for winter things, or use a single strand of lace weight mohair (like Kid Silk Haze) along with another yarn to blend colors and to enhance softness of the base yarn. Many of you have heard the story how the author of this article was brought to his first doctor's visit shortly after birth in a layette of lemon yellow mohair. Amidst a sweet sea of newly born pastel candy sours, the mohair model was by far the best dressed in his cozy matching outfit of breathable natural fiber. The acrylic babies, as the story goes, couldn't wait to get out of their plastic-spun onesies. But weren't they cute....in their mint?
"I want something washable", is usually the next concern when making things for babies. Perhaps this reasoning is what has made the pastel acrylics so popular. Easy care. But don't think of non-machine washable fibers or fibers that don't stay happy in the dryer as non-easy care. Instead, think of them as "different care". Refusing to make a silk garment because you can't pitch it in the machine with the jeans is like saying "I don't want carpet in my bedroom, because I can't mop it." In the time it takes to load the washer, let it do its thing, unload it and pitch the clean and fresh smelling fabrics into the dryer along with a Snuggle sheet, the hand washables could already be lying out flat and drying. It's not an issue of convenience, really, but rather an issue of time perception. It's really not any more time consuming to wash a few items by hand than it is to operate a washing machine. We've just convinced ourselves that the 5 minutes it takes to manipulate the machine is shorter than the 300 seconds it takes to wash a non-machinable woolly. The same logic is employed by the people who call church offices each Christmas Eve to ask when Midnight Mass starts: "Madame, Midnight Mass begins punctually at 11:60pm." Time perception.
So here's the baby garment challenge: when preparing to dress your own infant, an infant relative, the infant of a friend, or really any infant, think outside the typical cliche options of 4-shade pastels. Consider a little human for what she is: a little person who wears clothes just like bigger persons wear clothes. Keep your options open to the full host of fibers, fiber blends, colors and color combinations. Step back and think about what's practical and what's really just hype. Machine washability and hand washability both mean "washable". One uses a machine the other uses the bathroom sink. Dress your miniature human to be fashionable. A downscaled vest in a silk/cotton blend is adorable! How about a bright fire engine red? And blue? No, not that washed out sky-meadow-angelwhisper-cloudy blue. Vibrant, electric blue. Use color. Don't fear it. Baby Harold looks striking in that mauve cover-all. Colors expand options. They should never define limits.

Ripple, Baby!

Isn't this fabulous? It's the Warren 2-Way Jacket from the new Tahki design collection featuring the terrific new yarn called "Ripple", a thick-and-thin cotton tape. What a unique item this is: an all natural fiber in a yarn type we rarely see associated with anything but acrylic. If anyone would do it, it would have to be Tahki, the masters of cotton! And back to the Warren Jacket. Awesome, isn't it? Wear it one way and get this look. Wear it upside down and create a whole new garment. Two garments in one. Picture your special person unwrapping this at Christmas. Upscale your gift giving with something completely wearable year round! And if you're the one on the receiving end, make two! You deserve it, Knitter!

14 June 2011

Name the dragon! Cast your vote!

Now that the crochet work is complete, and the assembly is about to begin, the adorable dragon needs a name! An esteemed panel of dragon namers was convened, and I asked them to compile a list of four possible names. This morning after long deliberation in closed session, the list has been published, and it's time for YOU to vote which one you like best! You can record your vote in the upper left corner of this blog. Be sure to vote!
Some of you know that the completion of this project is accompanied by a very heart-warming story. As soon as he's all assembled, I will tell you the whole story how this clever piece came to Vermilion Bay Yarn, and the interesting phenomenon of the never-ending yarn supplies, which I can not explain short of saying that a special person knew that this project had to be completed.

08 June 2011

Amy Butler and Hadaki!

You've just read about these fabulous items in this month's Vermilion Bay Light, and this afternoon, they arrived at VBYC! The Amy Butler and Hadaki bags are awesome! Bold and vibrant prints that make a statement. I had seen samples of these bags, but seeing them in person in all their glory as they came one after the next from the box, I was truly amazed. If you're awesomely unique, terrifically fashion-forward, have a cheery disposition with loads of personality, these are the bags for you. But wait, of course those wonderful describe you perfectly! Which ones will you select?

07 June 2011

VBYC: YOUR Fiber Arts Trendsetter in Acadiana!

Scooter is happy to announce that the June 2011 edition of The Vermilion Bay Light has been mailed! In anticipation of the arrival of the Rowan line for fall (including the fall Rowan Magazine No. 50), several new items from Rowan receive highlights this month! Our favorite is the brand new addition to the tweed offerings: Heritage Tweed, a terrific traditional DK weight yarn. You will all be elated to hear that VBYC is your exclusive dealer of Amy Butler's amazing line of bags -- cute, sassy, trendy prints and stylish designs. We're looking for them to arrive this very week. Plus, do you know Hadaki? You will in the next few days! Two yarn lines are priced for clearance: Debbie Bliss at 50% off and all remaining Universal Yarns (including Wisdom Sock) also marked at 50% off. Look for the fabulous replacement of Universal: Monsoon with its amazing varigated colorways. As we bid adieu to Wisdom Sock, we greet Regia, the company that's known for sock yarn. And what a way to do it: with a healthy supply of varigateds designed by the master of colour himself: Kaffe Fassett. It's no secret that The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company is Acadiana's Fiber Arts Trendsetter. Stop in today and experience YOUR local yarn shop for yourself! We're still in full swing for summer, but we're also preparing for the fall!

06 June 2011

We're in the top 13 in Acadiana!

The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company (YOUR local yarn shop) has been named among the top 13 places in Acadiana to learn new stuff! Follow the link to Acadiana Profile magazine, pick up your own copy, then hurry on in to VBYC! Learning New Stuff - Acadiana Profile - June - July 2011 - Lafayette, LA

03 June 2011

Linen. Pure and Simple.

Claudia hand painted linen is in, and just in time for the start of summer. When it's 100+ degrees outside, you need something lightweight and breathable. Linen's the ticket, and this stuff from Claudia is the best. One of the most popular projects made up with this is a simple summer shell called "The Thing". It's a quick thing to knit, The Thing, and looks great on. The pieces are wet blocked to create an openwork fabric without all the fuss and muss of lace. No chart, no stitching sequence. And this: when working in 100% linen, the yarn seems stiff and anything but soft. But, after it's been worked and wet blocked, the texture is transformed into a gloriously soft and elegantly draping fabric. So stop slapping that linen hank against your neck to check for baby softness. This is what we call "A dream deferred." The reward comes AFTER you've worked it up. And you're going to love the result! Hurry in and ask about The Thing, pick up your Linen (2-3 hanks), and get started!

The Namaste Laguna is back!

You wanted it back, and it's back: the Namaste Laguna! The Vermilion Bay Yarn Company has them in stock now! (Along with your other favorites from Namaste). The fabulous Namaste line combines durability with practicality and seasons the whole package with a good measure of fashion sensibility. Although these lovelies work hard like a tote, they're smart and fashion forward.