Plymouth Yarn Company Blog

Comment to Win! Creative Knitting Cleo Giveaway!

Monday, April 8th, 2013

I’m sure you have seen the Cleo Carefree Cover Up from the Spring 2013 edition of Creative Knitting Magazine.  How would you like to win everything you need to make it?  We have one prize that includes 10 skeins of Cleo in color 102, Starfish, needles, copy of the pattern and one issue of Creative Knitting Spring 2013.  **Please note that you will receive the color the pattern used.  Any other photos of Cleo are for reference only.

 

 

To Enter: Comment on this blog entry between 4/8/13 and 4/19/13.  Tell us your first name with last initial, your favorite Plymouth Yarn retailer along with their city and state.  Winner will be picked at random and notified by email or message.

Visit Plymouth Yarn’s Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest or Youtube Channel today.

While The Boss Is Away Giveaway!

Friday, February 1st, 2013

The TNNA show is just about to be under way in beautiful Long Beach, CA. Stop by our booths to meet some of our team.  I am sitting in my office, it’s about 30 degrees out and we are having an icy, snowy mix.  There isn’t any sunshine in the forecast for days.  I see that Long Beach is looking at 72 degrees and sun for today.  Am I angry? No.  Bitter?  Well, no, but I am bitter cold.  Jealous?  Maybe, just a little.  I have decided to work through my frustrations.  It could be your lucky day in the  While The Boss is Away at TNNA Giveaway!  I have a Cleo kit to giveaway like the one in this picture.  *Color may vary

This kit includes everything you need to create this masterpiece.

 

One winner will be picked at random from one of our social media spots.  Like, share or comment on our facebook page.  Tell @PlymouthYarn  what you like to do when #thebossisaway on Twitter,  repin us on Pinterest.  Blog comments are not included as “entries” at this time and are disabled.   I’ll be watching all of them because, well, the boss is away! Winner will be announced February 8th.

Baby Zhivago

Friday, October 26th, 2012

See this cutie! One of our sales reps decided to try out the Dr Zhivago hat by CiD Hanscom Designs.  Made with just one skein Passion Fur Yarn and  the pattern is found on Ravelry.  It just happens that her model was this adorable little guy who braved wearing the hat for long enough to snap the pictures!  What a trooper!

Holiday Gift Alert, Volume 2. Passion Ice with Free Pattern

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Passion Ice is the yarn of the day! If you have any kind of Holiday party to attend this yarn is a must have.  The metallic sparkle that runs throughout is perfect for your dressy occasions and everyday wear.  Available in 5 shimmery colors.  It’s an easy knit with a 7 stitch cast on and you are done in no time.

Thanks to The Gourmet Yarn Co. for sharing this great photo!

Click here for the Passion Ice free scarf pattern on Ravelry.

 

Call your yarn shop today and get your hands on Passion Ice!

Talk Like A Pirate Day Top 10

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

Talk like a pirate day be a favorite here at Plymouth Yarn. Take a look at our Top 10, slightly Plymouth Yarn related, reasons to be a pirate… Aaarrrggghhh!

10.  We know right where to pillage for 24k! Here, there is always a Goldrush!

 

9. Ye get to travel. Think of all the uses ye will get out of that shawl ye made while cruising on those beautiful, blue Caribbean waters!

8. Open Up Davey Jones’ Locker, ye can basically wear whatever ye wish.  Pull out that sweater with the uneven sleeves, that scarf that ye made way too long or the socks that didn’t end up looking the same.  Nobody will say a word because, well, you’re a Pirate. Dead men tell no tales!

 

7.  Have ye seen our logo?

6.  It would give ye an excuse to bring your parrot to work.

5.  Ye can use your Encore Worsted scraps to make this Eye Patch free on Ravelry.com.

4.  Ye can use your Galway scraps to make a Felted Eye Patch, free on Ravelry.

3. Crocheters will always be prepared since their hooks are always “on hand”

2. Ye can wear these patterns all year round! There’s one for the veteran Seadogs and young lads alike!

 

 

 

And the number one reason to be a pirate…

1. RUM! When ye are a pirate ye are not only allowed to drink rum but ye are expected to! Ye might drop a few stitches or have to rely on your knitting counter to get through your project but nobody will mind. They will just be happy if you don’t steal their boat or make them walk the plank.

Enjoy the rest of Talk Like A Pirate Day.  Ahoy Matey!

Glitter it up!

Monday, September 10th, 2012

“Crochet is alive and well in Minneapolis!” This is evident when you step foot into StevenBe, an elegant yarn workshop located at 3448 Chicago Ave in Minneapolis, MN.  Many of you know Steven Berg as the “Glitter Knitter” and his beautiful shop lives up to his reputation with a sparkling chandelier and plush chairs to welcome you.  Sit back, grab your hooks and needles and enjoy the lovely mix of animal prints and fine art that adorn the space.  Imagine all this while creating your masterpiece with classical music or even a live harp playing in the background. There is lots of great Plymouth Yarn to be had.  I think I’m in heaven.

I enjoy speaking to Steven every time he calls.  So much so that when I saw this ad in a magazine a couple years back, I had to put it on the wall next to my desk.  It reminds me of the rock band pictures I had on my walls as a teenager.

Our Design Director Cia stopped by the shop over the weekend and snapped a couple photos during her visit…..

So the next time you are in Minneapolis be sure to visit SteveBe and if you happen to be in Rosemount, MN you can visit Steven’s other location, The Yarn Garage and say hi to his mother Christa while you are there!

Fall Yarns from Plymouth

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

I am so excited for our fall line-up of yarns this year.  Many of you have seen them already and were kind enough to share some of your pictures and projects with us.  When we introduce a new line, I normally pick a favorite and go with it.  That is impossible this time around ! There are so many beautiful fibers and colors.  It’s going to be a busy knitting season for sure!  I figured I would share them all with you, in one shot.  I will do my best to give the important information you need, even when I really just want to say “It’s just so pretty, I must have it.”

We have a fantastic crew who gets to pick these fabulous yarns.  It takes a village you know.  They travel to Italy, Turkey, and Peru, just to name a few, to find the highest quality fibers so Plymouth Yarn can offer these to your favorite yarn shops.  We have a team of designers who get to play, I mean work, with all of the contenders.  They are always hard at work visiting trade and fashion shows to see the latest styles.  I consider myself a pretty good knitter but they never cease to amaze me when they demonstrate to us just what these yarns are capable of.

Without further ado…..fall yarns!

Adore Color Card

Angora Glitz Color Card

Baby Alpaca Aire Color Card

Check out the video on youtube that features Bi-Use from Adriafil

Bi-Use Color Card
F437 Bi-Use Free Scarf Pattern PDF

De Aire Glow Color Card
F424 De Aire Glow Free Scarf Pattern PDF

Dakota Color Card
F423 Free Dakota Scarf Pattern

Great Hand Dying basics here

Europa Tweed Color Card

Gina Color Card
F430 Gina Free Cowl Pattern PDF

Grandiosa Color Card

F431 Grandiosa Free Hat Pattern PDF

Jelli Beenz Color Card

Pasea Color Card

Sakkie Color Card

F447 Sakkie Socks Free Pattern PDF

Wilde Color Card

F429 Wilde Triangular Scarf Free Pattern PDF

Worsted Merino Superwash Hand Dyed Color Card

Joy Ruffle Color Card
F448 Joy Ruffle Scarf Pattern PDF

Joy Supreme Color Card

F444 Joy Supreme Scarf Free Pattern PDF

Passion Ice Color Card
F445 Passion Ice Scarf Free Pattern PDF

Passion Nette Color Card
F443 Passion Nette Scarf Free Pattern PDF

Scandalicious Color Card

F415 Scandalicious Free Scarf Pattern PDF

Now that you have seen them all, get to your favorite yarn shop and get some! Color cards are available at plymouthyarn.com. Share your projects with us on Facebook and Twitter. Pin them on Pinterest! Have fun!

Is Knitting Easy?

Friday, April 27th, 2012

“Is knitting easy?”…This is a question I get asked often.  My son plays at least one sport every season so this means mommy gets lots of time to sit and knit.  On the rare occasion a coach may ask me to help out when they are light on parent helpers, but after seeing me try to throw a baseball to a catcher from second base, coach tells me I can go back to my knitting.  A couple of the moms have asked if I could teach them.  With all of the time we spend at practices and games, we could knit entire wardrobes!

I am going to baseball practice tonight loaded up with Encore Mega and needles, for the students of course.  After I get them started, I am going to pull out a skein of our new yarn, Scandalicious and get to work.  I am excited for them to see what they can do after they have their basic stitches down.

What I love most about some of these ruffle yarns is that it just takes one skein and a couple hours and you have something that looks like a masterpiece.  Don’t get me wrong, I have knit many a complicated pattern but since I am showing folks new to the craft, I want to wow them and Scandalicious will surely do that.  It is a very versatile yarn.  You can follow the instructions below, in both knit and crochet,  for  the scarf .  But since it’s been flowing into the shops, some of the customer have shared their ideas and projects with me.  I saw a great cowl made by sewing two lengths of it together and a shrug made from cutting off the ends and using the tube as the sleeve!  Let your imagination run wild with this one and beginner knitters can look like they’ve been at it for years! Share your pictures with us on facebook, twitter or pinterest!

F415 PDF Download

SCANDALICIOUS
Scarf
Needles & Hook:   Size 7 needle, Size H Hook
Knit Scarf – Shorter, heavily ruffled version
Length:  about 36-40”

1.    Unfold the ribbon.  Fold the ending piece over about 4 inches.  The original cast on sts will go through both thicknesses.
2.    Cast on 3 sts by sticking needle through the top edge of the netting from right to left.
3.    Turn the needle.
4.    Insert the needle in to the most left hand st, pull netting through to create a new st, do not drop original st off the needle.  Insert needle into middle st , pull netting through to create a new st, do not drop original st off of the needle.  Insert needle into the most right hand st, pull netting through to create a new st, do not drop original st off of the needle.
5.    Now there are 3 sts on each needle.  Let the original 3 sts drop off of the needle.
6.    Turn needle and repeat steps  4 & 5.
7.    Continue repeating steps 4 & 5 until most of skein is used.  At the end, fold the last piece (about 4”) over for the final set of sts so you will knit through both thicknesses.   Without turning, bind off just before the end – pulling the middle st over the left hand st, then the right most st over the remaining one.  Use a small piece of yarn to anchor the last st in place so it will not unravel.

Longer, less ruffled version:
Length:  about 55”.

Work as for the shorter version, casting on and working 2 sts instead of 3 sts.
Crochet  Scarf
Length:  About 55”.

1.    Unfold the ribbon.  Fold the ending piece over about 4 inches.  The first sts will go through both thicknesses.
2.    Loop over crochet hook.  Go out about 2” and loop over crochet hook again.  Repeat for a 3rd loop on the hook.  Pull the 3rd loop through the second loop, then the second loop through the 1st loop.  Only 1 loop is on the hook now.
3.    Go out about 2” and loop over crochet hook again.  Repeat for a 3rd loop on the hook.  Pull the 3rd loop through the second loop, then the second loop through the 1st loop.
4.    Repeat step 3 until most of skein is used.  At end, fold over last 4” or so and work through both thicknesses.  When final loop is left on needle, Use a small piece of yarn to anchor the last loop in place so it will not unravel.

©2011 Plymouth Yarn Company. 121211jbt

Yarn Happens(and Happenings!)

Friday, November 4th, 2011

I subscribe to just about every knitting magazine or at least get a chance to peek at them here in the office(don’t tell the boss).  This week, I found a real gem and wanted to share it with you.

One of my favorite yarns, DeAire, a super bulky, soft, luxurious, fine merino wool is featured in Vogue Knitting‘s Holiday issue on newsstands November 6th.  Check  out their special Collector’s Issue featuring an A to Z guide of the latest knitting styles.  P is for Poncho! Designer Marcia Cleary, sizes small/medium(15 hanks), large/X-large(16 hanks), 2X/3X(17 hanks).  Using DeAire white, color 100.  You can see the entire collection on VK360°

On another note, did you know that Plymouth Yarn is now the exclusive North American distributor for Grignasco yarns? We carry 9 varieties of this gorgeous yarn and 3 of their beautiful books.  Ravelry is chocked full of fabulous patterns for these yarns.  I couldn’t just pick one to share so click here for the link to all of them!  Find a shop in your area to purchase any of the items mentioned.

Oh yeah, we love crafts too.

Monday, October 31st, 2011

I started my Christmas knitting but I’m also planning which cookies I am making and starting to piece together some of my holiday cards.  I realized there are probably lots of other knitters and crocheters out there just like me.  Your craftiness doesn’t end with yarn and you aren’t always using it with hooks or needles.  I was first introduced to yarn while making plastic canvas tissue box covers with my grandmother when I was 6.  Then, a decade or so later, I used a furry, eyelash type of yarn and wrapped it around a large wreath form.  That wreath, which is a bit tattered, still goes on my inside door every Christmas season.  It wasn’t until my early days at Plymouth Yarn that I started knitting almost daily.  I am always looking for deals on blocks of paper and scrapbook supplies.  I’ve tried at least half of Martha Stewart’s recipes.  I own hundreds of buttons but rarely use them in clothing.  Finally, anytime I go on vacation I try to find a ceramic studio to take my son to, as they are few and far between where I live.  My yarn stash lives down in my basement but I have 3 shelves of non-yarn goodies too.

Where am I going with this?  Most of us who like to play with yarn, also like to craft, bake and create.  We had a rare snow in Bucks County, PA over the weekend and it was a wet, cold, slushy mess.  I opted to stay in and found a fun website that caters to all of my crafting needs.  If you are looking for a project, of any type, check out Craftfoxes.  I found this adorable free pattern for a crochet zombie from the book  Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots To Make by Nelly Pailloux. Image by Andrew Perris.  Encore DK would be perfect for this project.

I also found this fun free pattern for a crochet sandwich from the book Yummy ‘Gurumi: Over 60 Gourmet Crochet Treats to Make by Christen Haden and Mariarosa Sala.  Image by Jeremy Hopley.  You’ll find the perfect colors in Encore Worsted.  Everyone needs a crocheted sandwich, it has only a fraction of the calories a real sandwich has!

I also found how-tos on recycling old books, DIY decor, recipes from pickles to cookies, and so much more.  They even have instructions on coffee dying!  So if you want to make your holiday gifts this year, craftfoxes is the place to start. Become their fan on facebook and follow them on twitter.   Find a yarn shop near you to start with those knitting and crochet patterns!