Labor Day Schedule

This coming Monday, September 5th is Labor Day. VBYC will be closed that day, but we will re-open on Tuesday, September 6th at 10:00am. The weekend schedule remains the same.

Blocking Wires, Frogs and such...

Rejoice, you lace knitters and knitters of things adverse to T-pins! VBYC now carries blocking wires to make it easier to stretch and block your finer things without having to deal with those accidental "pin peaks" that tend to form when tensioning lace fabric. Blocking wires provide an overall uniform tension on your piece to open up your lace for a perfect finished look. Be sure to pick up your set the next time you're in!

One of the most practical tools in our notions box is the counter, and a whole new squad of frogs just arrived yesterday. If you've misplaced your favorite counter, or if your counter(s) is/are counting other things, you need additional ones!

Knitters and Debbie Bliss!

Two popular magazines have arrived for fall: the next edition of Knitters' as well as the fall edition of Debbie Bliss. Both have many terrific designs to add to your fall/winter wardrobe. Cute tops and shrugs in this season's Knitters', the magazine known for its clear, and easy-to-follow pattern instructions. The designers at Debbie Bliss present a great fall line of patterns for garments and accents, especially a fabulous collection of children's wear. On the top of Ms. Debbie's children's list is a cute cute top made with three balls of lace weight mohair and silk. I suggest Rowan Kidsilk Haze for this. Several knitters are already making it for their well dressed toddlers. Christmas is coming! Fair Isle knitting is all the fashion this season. It's big, folks, really big. Debbie Bliss includes an amazing spread of black/white fair isle knits that will rocket you to the cutting edge of fashion. Be the first in Lafayette to sport the newest looks in knitwear!

Ripple and Bandel

We've been waiting for these yarns for some time...and at long last our number has come up, and they're in stock. Ripple is the 100% cotton thick/thin ribbon that knits up into an amazing fabric. VBYC also stocks the pattern book for this magnificent yarn. If you've been waiting for Ripple, stop on by and procure your garment supply. Replenishments of Ripple come as often as 60 degree mornings in a Louisiana August. My suggestion: strike while the iron's hot.

And then there's Bandel. Many of you have asked for a yarn that, when knitted, creates an interesting ruffle effect. That's Bandel. You knit through the openings on one side of the wide ribbon (with another yarn) and the result is a ruffle! A Bandel scarf is a quick and easy project for yourself or as a gift. If you're looking for a unique twist in knitting, try Bandel.

Classes this weekend!

This weekend VBYC is offering two very valuable classes for knitters of all experience levels: Gauge and Fixing Mistakes. Saturday morning brings a fun hands-on seminar that transforms the shop into your yarn selection playground! You'll find out that the mystery ratio of stitches to inches isn't really a mystery at all. We'll discuss the various yarn weights we use in fiber arts, as well as selecting the right needles for your project. Questions regarding selecting yarns, quantities, and determining the factors that ensure a garment's fit are many of the obstacles that keep talented knitters stuck in the boring scarfnhat rut. This class will help you break the cycle of the two skein wonder-scarf.

In the afternoon, we'll tackle some strategies that will help boost your knitting confidence so that you can identify and correct many of the common blemishes we all make in our work from time to time. Many of the solutions are far simpler than they might seem! At the heart of this class is an analysis of exactly what it is that we are doing: how are stitches made? How does the working yarn become a knitted fabric? Join us this Saturday for either or both of these important classes!

Heritage Sock and Ultra Pima

Fabulous new colors of your favorite 100% pima cotton yarn are here! Ultra Pima is an amazing item from Cascade lauded for its ultra soft feel, and ultra luxurious sheen. It's the next best thing to working in silk -- and Ultra Pima boasts a hefty 220 yards per hank, which translates into fewer yarn joins in your garments. Ultra Pima is a multipurpose cotton workhorse with an upscale, high-end look. At Vermilion Bay Yarn, we've seen Ultra Pima transformed into many things: countless baby blankets, all seasons tops, jackets, shrugs, wraps, Baptismal gowns, and even a stunning custom designed wedding dress. If you've not yet used Ultra Pima for your projects, it's time to experience what all the buzz is about!

Sock knitters will be happy about the arrival of a few more colors in Heritage Paints. My favorite in this batch is a smart multi-color of reds. Delicious! More colors in Heritage are due in soon, having been relegated to the dreaded "backorder" list. Until then, there're plenty of colors to choose from, so get going on a new exciting sock project!

Wine Sleeves!

Sure, you can go to a box store and buy a nifty paper bag, chuck a bottle of wine inside, and fill the open gaps with colored tissue. We've all done that, and that's nice. This weekend, you have a chance to create interesting wine presentations for your host or hostess using Rowan Big Wool and Drift. Knit a wine sleeve to dress up your gift! These projects all use chunky yarn on size 15 needles, so you won't be tied up for very long. These are easy afternoon projects, but they're loaded with techniques all knitters ought to know: short row shaping, button holes, knitting in the round, and more. What's really exciting about these projects is that your design ideas are practically limitless. From a basic bottle shape, you can add or subtract various design elements to make your creation your very own. There are two Wine Sleeve Classes this weekend, one on Saturday at 10:30am and one on Sunday at 1:30pm. Each class will focus on a different design. You can take one or the other at the standard class fee, or you can take both for $30. Each design requires one ball of Rowan Big Wool or Drift. Sign up and select your colors!

Interweave Knits

The latest edition of Interweave Knits has arrived -- full of terrific designs for the fall and winter. It's time to get a good head start on Christmas gift projects! Start your list today with the fall Interweave Knits.

Struwwelpeter

I was just thinking about the little puppy snips, and I thought about the classic German children's book that taught good manners and discouraged bad habits -- Stuwwelpeter. The book isn't namby pamby by any means. It's brutally honest and rather graphic at times. The story of the thumb sucker is one of my favorites. The story is that the mother told her son that while she's away, he is not to resort to his silly comforting practice of sucking his thumb. True to form, the unfortunate boy's thumb when straight into his mouth as soon as his mother left, but then the door burst open and a tailor jumped in and cut off both his thumbs with a giant pair of scissors. Had that tailor burst in armed with puppy snips, the boy would still have had both thumbs, and the only thing he'd have to contend with would be terribly crooked teeth as an adult.

Adorable Notions

The adorable snipping sensation is back, and this time in even more vibrant colors than before! Puppies had taken a hiatus for a while at VBYC, but they're back in technicolor! Add a bit of snippy adorableness to your notions bag with a few new colorful sets of snippies!

Rowan Alpaca Chunky

If you're a Rowan Lima fan, you're going to flip when you encounter the luxurious poshness of Rowan Alpaca Chunky. Same chain construction as your favorite Lima, but in an ample Chunky weight. Compared to other alpaca yarns, and especially the chunky ones, the Rowan variety is superior. None of that aggravating shedding that usually accompanies working with this butter soft fiber. And, the chain construction of this amazing yarn helps you avoid yarn splitting. So why no picture of this fabulous yarn? Well, it's so wonderful, you'll just have to come in to see it (and feel it) for yourself. Rowan Alpaca Chunky. Experience it.