Dear Knitters and Crocheters,

Having shopped the malls, magazines and all the internet catalogs, my head is filled with fall fashion ideas. Shopping for me has certainly changed since the years when I would be accosted by sales staff with their annoying question: "May I help you, are you looking for something in particular?" My answer was always, "No, thank you, I am just browsing." Now, with the internet and catalogs, I can browse anonymously at any time of the day or night to get ideas and inspiration for the Berroco collection and for my personal wardrobe. I am virtually invisible as I am inspired to create my own takes on what I see.

Like every woman, there are occasions when I don't wish to be invisible. At these times I pull out special accessories like bold, colorful jewelry or a fabulous scarf or shawl that I couldn't possibly have found in any store. Such an "entrance making" item is so easy to concoct because I have a warehouse full of the wonderful Berroco FX yarns at my fingertips. It's like a candy store.

A while ago I wandered into the warehouse and grabbed a ball of Crystal FX and 2 balls each of Lazer FX, Mirror FX, and Tassel FX and held them all together to create an optically stunning and very fashion savvy showstopper. Of course, it had to be black. For the upcoming holiday season I need something sensational to wear with a little black dress. I decided that it should be wide enough to tie around my shoulders for a shrug and if it is the right length, it can double as scarf. Having determined my parameters for this design, I chose # 11 needles and cast on 24 stitches holding all 4 yarns together. I found it easier to wind a ball with all 4 yarns together rather than working from all 4 balls separately, thus avoiding the possibility of frustrating tangles. I worked an easy yarn over drop stitch technique that has become one of my favorites for fast and airy projects like this one. Well, a couple of hours later, it was done. Every season I try to think of a few things like this to add to my wardrobe to give it a fresh new look for Fall. This year, I think that faux fur touches and plenty of bling bling is just what the fashion doctor ordered. I have been keeping key black garments in my wardrobe over the years so it is easy to update with accessories.

Today I received a very chic catalog with an Italian designer's black ostrich feather and fox shrug for a similar effect at nearly 20 times the price. I can wear my animal friendly version with at little black dress and heels just like in the catalog and it will have every bit as much impact as the fur.

This week we are offering you the recipe for this Showstopper Scarf featuring four of my favorite FX yarns. Simply click on the link and you can download and print this pattern for free. I think of our FX yarns as the seasonings that I use to spice up my projects with sparkle and shine. Our spice cabinet is full to overflowing with a unique assortment. You too will quickly become a seasoning expert when you spice up your knitting with Berroco's fabulous FX yarns.

Last week we featured a picture of Watson the Pekingese wearing a coat and beret in Lavish. Not only did we receive scads of fan emails but also there were many request for a pattern. I created this one to fit Watson. You will have to adapt the pattern to fit your pooch. Well, here it is, Watson's ensemble.

One of our readers, Joan, writes:
"I enjoy reading your newsletter very much. There is a term that puzzles me though, that you often use. What exactly is meant by the term 'fully fashioned' or 'full fashioned'?"

Joan, the term full fashioning is used to describe knit garments or garment pieces in which increasing and decreasing the number of stitches is used to shape while creating a decorative detail where that shaping occurs. In the twentieth century, full fashioning was the mark of a fine hand or machine knit garment.

All the best,


Margery Winter
Creative Director

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