My first full week managing The Yarn Mart was a great success. Thanks to everyone who took advantage of our Annual Anniversary Sale. It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet a lot of new folks.

Even though we were busy with the sale, I was able to implement some of the changes that have been on the horizon. The biggest change so far is the new computer on the front counter. Now our employees and customers can search for patterns on Ravelry, Patternfish and other knitting/crochet websites. You can also search for patterns that The Yarn Mart carries in store by looking at our Ravelry account library. I'm about halfway through adding all the patterns in the binders. So the next time you are in, check out the new computer and let it help you select your next knit or crochet project.

The books are now organized by subject and labeled. I hope you will be able to find pattern books better in the new system. We have some great titles that I didn't realize we had and I'm sure you didn't either. I also cleaned out some of the older titles and they are now in the Yarn Adoption Center.

My biggest personal success for the week is that I learned to needlepoint. Kay taught me basketweave on Thursday and now I'm hooked. I'm working on a fruit motif from our Super Needlepoint Sale Rack and working with Silk & Ivory. I'm completely addicted to this now. If you have never needlepointed before and would like to try, we will be offering a Beginning Needlepoint Class in the next month or so.

Man, am I a sucker for a cardigan with 3/4 sleeves! First there was the February Lady. Then the Peasy. And now the Folk Story Cardi by Spud & Chloe.

This beautiful, springtime sweater calls for Sweater but would be great in any worsted weight cotton blend. Like Jil Eaton Cottontail or New Tweed. The cardigan is worked from the bottom up and the lace seems easier when worked in a heavier weight yarn.

This cardigan is perfect for our Arkansas weather changes and would be a great addition to any Easter ensemble.

"On trend" is one of those phases that has entered the lexicon thanks to the fashion industry. Using it makes you sound "in the know." Well The Yarn MartTM has been on trend for a while when it comes Imperial Yarn. Cindy fell in love with their story and their philosophy last June at market and we have been singing their praises ever since. In January I got the chance to meet Jeanne and finally understood what Cindy was talking about - the sheep, the yarn, the fashion.

Now Clara Parkes of Knitter's Review has raved about Imperial Yarn. Check out her review.

I love cotton. I love to knit with cotton. I would pick a cotton fiber over wool or other animal fibers any day.

So spring and summer knitting is especially exciting for me. My two favorite cottons (at the moment) are Classic Elite's Sprout and Seedling. Both are 100% organic cotton and come in a rainbow of yummy colors. It is so great to work with cotton at this time of year and in our climate, you will get more wear out of cotton garments.

The Seedling Wrap (at left) is available free from the Classic Elite website and takes 9 hanks of seedling. With colors ranging from neutral like brown and gray to pops of color like orange and pink, Seedling has something for everyone.

After the announcement that the shop was not closing and that Cindy, Amy, and I were forming a new partnership, we received many wonderful, supportive emails from our customers. It reaffirmed what we already knew - that people love The Yarn Mart and didn't want to see it closed.

One email really spoke to us. It was from our friend Joan Nichols and she used a phrase that really spoke to us. Wonderful, friendly, all-about yarn shop.

In all the books and seminars that we have attended, all the presenters talk about knowing who you are as a business and thanks to Joan, we at The Yarn Mart are finally able to put it into words.

So welcome to The Yarn Mart, your wonderful, friendly, all-about yarn shop!

I confess. I don't crochet. My great aunt tried to teach me when I was in the 5th grade and it was a disaster. But I love the look of crochet. Take this Sunflower Satchel, for instance. It is crocheted with Noro Silk Garden Sock. We all know that Noro has incredible colorways but in this satchel, it gives a lovely muted effect. The pattern is by Asami Kawa and you have the option of 2 sizes - small and large.

The yarn or the pattern? Like the much debated chicken and egg puzzle, so this quandary has lead to great discussions in knitting and crochet circles.

Take this yarn for example. Grass is a worsted weight, cotton/hemp blend. Great for Arkansas summer. But what does it want to be?

Before the advent of Ravelry and Patternfish, yarn shops relied on the yarn manufactures to provide pattern support for their products or the yarn shop's owner or employees own creativity. And let me tell you that not all yarn companies had good pattern support.

Appear stage left -  Ravelry and voila, you can search thousands of patterns that call for a summery, worsted weight yarn.

Let's do a little experiment, shall we? I searched Ravelry for Grass and clicked on the Pattern Ideas tab. And 9 pages of pattern ideas came up. That's 54 patterns. Everything from hats, dishcloths, and baby items to sweaters, lacy shawls, and market bags. The possibilities are endless.

So fall in love with a yarn and then search for what it wants to be.

I love knitting with sock yarn. And not just socks. This adorable sweater is Vintage Baby Cardigan by Kristin Spurkland. It is knit out of ShiBui Knits Sock and is the perfect baby gift. You can knit it in a weekend and I can tell you from experience that moms and moms-to-be love it.

Why is sock yarn such a great yarn to knit other things? Well  sock yarn is just basically a fingering weight yarn with a little extra something (like nylon or polyester) which gives the yarn a durability and sometimes even a washability. Hats, scarves, gloves and mittens, sweaters. You name it - sock yarn can work. And with all those beautiful variegated colors, think of the rainbow wardrobe you could have. Plus - I read somewhere that sock yarn doesn't count toward your stash. So no buyer remorse!

Felting is the coolest (or rather the hottest). You knit something that is super over-sized and then with a little hot water and agitation, voila, you have a beautiful felted garment. Some of us have felted by accident. I am thinking of a red, chunky cowl neck sweater that I accidentally felted several years back. But that's a different story.

Ella and the Legume was inspired by the story of the princess and the pea. It has a rainbow of colors and just the right amount of ruffle. It would be a great jacket for any little girly girl. The pattern is written in sizes 2T to 8 (plus there is an adult version). With the rainbow of colors in Cascade 220, you can stay with the color scheme dictated by the pattern or if you are brave, branch out into a variety of color combinations. It will knit (and felt) up in no time.

If you are interested in knitting this jacket, The Yarn MartTM has a few patterns left and we always have Cascade 220 on hand. Let us know that you want to knit Noni's Ella Jacket and we will get you started.