Dear KnitBits® Subscribers,

Today we will focus on one of our new spring yarns, Calico™, and take a tour of 2 new spring '06 pattern booklets.
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Calico is our multicolored, tweedy cotton blend. Calico is constructed of 3 chainettes, one multi-colored and 2 contrasting solids, run parallel and held together with an invisible nylon thread. Our casual cottony blend knits quickly at a popular 4.5 sts to the inch on #10 US needles. It's available in 7 summer prints.


Booklet #241/Calico   On the cover of #241, we have combined the sporty look of a cotton tee with the ease of a cardigan. This breezy summer coverup, Pismo, buttons slightly off center with a hint of a cap sleeved raglan. Encinitas is an easy to knit and easier to wear swingy summer jacket. A single large button closes the stockinette yoke of this garter stitch cardigan with stockinette patch pockets and rolled cuffs. This may also be your favorite transitional jacket that will bring you from spring through fall. Obispo is a tank top with an easy leaf pattern stitch centered on a background of reverse stockinette. You can wear it over a jersey tee or tank for the trendy layered look. Delmar is a brilliantly colored dress that contrasts the sleekness of stockinette stitch with granny square details. Dress up to dance on those "salsa summer nights." To make Delmar more mainstream, eliminate the skirt and choose matching shades of Calico™ and Cotton Twist™ for a cool top. La Jolla is a favorite Berroco silhouette. A surplice wrap top with short sleeves is knit in an easy corrugated rib stitch. We've shown it tied over a tank to function as a cardigan. Malibu is a lacy open tunic that works as well over a bathing suit as it does over a sundress or tank top. On the boardwalk or on the beach, you'll love this long sleeved tunic to cover up and still stay cool.

Booklet #245/KIDS   On the colorful cover of #245, our little girls are wearing tank tops. Ronnie is knit in Cotton Twist and Connie is crocheted in Touché™ with a sweet crocheted hat in Touché. Irma is a knitted halter top with optional crocheted flowers in Cotton Twist and it's shown with Cloche, crocheted in a bright solid shade of Cotton Twist. Sis is a tee shirt with lace sleeve caps in our new brightest yellow Cotton Twist and Cloche is shown again, this time in a printed shade to coordinate. Giselle is an adorable dressed-up summer dress knit in Cotton Twist and Zen. It buttons up the back yoke and ties with a big satin bow. Franny and Alexander are our so-soft rompers and matching Beanie hats in Touché, for your baby girl or boy.



Carolyn from cyberspace wrote: "I have frequently been asked why some yarns come in hanks or skeins instead of balls. Can you tell us why? (I suspect it has something to do with pricing and shipping.)"

Carolyn, thanks for asking this question. We have several reasons why we choose to package some of our yarns on hanks instead of balls. Perhaps the most important is that we feel that the hank is the best way to showcase the beauty of some yarns. Much like a braid, the strands lay parallel in long lengths to best display the richness and sheen of the fibers. The hanks are twisted and fastened with a self-tie and then with a label to hold all strands in place. While on display in the yarn shop and when in your knitting basket, your yarn remains neatly intact and ready to roll into a ball whenever you need one. No, it is not less expensive for us to package in hanks because the hanking process takes more time than packaging in balls. Of course for you, the customer, the hank also requires your time to roll it into a ball. Our feeling is that like knitting and crocheting, the winding of a ball is a labor of love. As a little girl, I remember holding the hank on my hands while my grandmother rolled balls. I loved this every bit as much as watching her knit. Savor every moment of the process. Remember to enjoy the process as well as the product.

All the best,


Margery Winter
Creative Director