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.

TNNA in Phoenix was a whirlwind. The yarn was amazing, the patterns were ultra cool, and the people were awesome. I don't know where to begin.

Within seconds of arriving at our hotel, I met Pam Wynne of February Lady fame and Caro of Ravelry Shop fame. Then we ended up sitting next to each other at lunch at The Arrogant Butcher (highly recommend!). While at lunch, the Ravelry folks walked in with Ysolda Teague. I got to chat with Sarah from Ravelry for a few minutes and see Carson (who is so much bigger than 6 weeks ago - forgot how quick they grow at that age).

After lunch, we had just enough time for a quick trip up to Scottsdale to visit Jessica Knits. Well the trip part was not quick. A 30 minute taxi ride later, we arrived at one of the most adorable yarn shops I have ever been in (and if you know me, that is saying a lot). We made a turn around the shop, dropped a load of cash, and rushed back downtown for classes. I came away with a copy of Rowan Magazine Number 50 and some worsted weight Colinette.

On Friday the Market Floor officially opened with a Fashion Show. As with any fashion show, there were pieces we loved, pieces we hated, and pieces we scratched our heads at. The color trends for Spring/Summer are beautiful - think of psychedelic jellybeans. And the fiber trends are all about light, draping, breezy fabrics - perfect for our Arkansas summers. (Have I mentioned that knitting is not just for the winter months?)

Most everyone was there - Classic Elite, Madelinetosh, Berroco, Koigu, Lorna's Laces, Sweet Georgia, Imperial Farms, Lantern Moon, Rowan, ShiBui, Debbie Bliss, Noro - I could go on and on and on. But Market wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. I think it helped that I couldn't buy for myself personally. It was interesting to see how the yarn companies see themselves. What I mean is - their booths reflect the image that they want to sell us. For example, Berroco's booth was very simple with each garment hung on a wooden hanger. It was sturdy and reliable just like their yarn. Rowan was a dream of quiet living in the English countryside. All their garments were on mannequins with complete outfits just like in their books. Knit Collage, a new yarn company with cool novelty yarns, had funky mannequin heads to display their hats and headbands.

I got tattooed in the Soak booth and I kind of wanted to make it permanent. (My husband joked that it could be the start of a sleeve). We hung out with the girls from Imperial Yarn (look for a post later this week about them) and oohed and aahed at their yarn, patterns and sheep. We saw some crazy yarn with feathers from Pagewood Farms. We drooled over Koigu and Lorna's Laces (hi to Richard and Amanda). We ended up back at ShiBui's booth a couple of times and I can't wait for you to see their new patterns and yarns.

And we did make it over to the needlepoint side of things. I knew that there was a lot of needlepoint out there but until you visit market, you don't realize how much. Row after row and booth after booth of beautiful handpainted canvases. You name it and they've got it.

We spent a bit of time at Berroco's Yarn Bar. We tasted all the new yarns they have coming out this season and guess who was one of the bartenders - Norah Gaughan! Yes, I got to hang out with Norah Gaughan. She is so personable and down to earth. I've loved her patterns for years and now that I have meet her, I love them even more. I thought the Yarn Bar was such a cool idea that you might see it at The Yarn Mart soon. Yarn tasting anyone?

And last but certainly not least, I want to introduce you to Gillian from Surrey (that's in England). She is the owner of a LYS and the creator of needle felting kits called GillianGladRag.  The kits are so unique and fun. She has everything from birds and flower pins to purses and cell phone covers. We laughed and joked with Gillian and her business partner, Caroline, for a good long while. Well long enough to make plans to go and have drinks that evening. We met them at the rotating restaurant on the top of the Hyatt Regency and we chatted about everything from Downton Abbey (Cindy and I weren't going to miss it) to families and yarn.

TNNA was a wonderful experience. I feel that I understand the world of yarn better for having gone. Now if I can only remember the names of all those patterns that I can't wait to start knitting.

Look familiar? You have probably seen this symbol on a ball band or on a pattern. These symbols were developed by the Craft Yarn Council has worked with folks in the knitting and crochet industry to come up with standards for abbreviations, chart symbol and yarn weight. Don't be mistaken - this is not the recommended gauge for a given yarn. The symbol at the left is for Bulky weight yarn. The Craft Yarn Council standard gauge for Bulky weight yarn is 6 to 11 stitches over 4 inches in stockinette on US Size 11 or larger needles. A zero in the symbol at the left would denote lace weight yarn with a recommended gauge of 33 to 40 stitches over 4 inches of stockinette on US Size 000 to 1 needles. The Craft Yarn Council also has similar gauge for crochet.

Little Red in the City is back in stock at Yarn Mart. We sold out the first time so get your copy of this must have book as soon as possible.

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I love non-wool fibers. I guess it is because I have lived in the South all my life. This sweater, Turia, is a perfect example of everything I love about spring/summer knitting (yes, there is such a thing as spring/summer knitting).

We have a model of this sweater in shop, Berroco #307 (Linsey) pattern book, and Linsey (the yarn the pattern calls for). Linsey is a beautiful cotton/linen blend and comes in fabulous colorways. The Turia sweater has a simple Fair Isle yoke, which makes it a great project for someone who wants to try Fair Isle.

Not interested in Fair Isle? Berroco has three free patterns on their website. Add this yarn to your stash and try a little spring/summer knitting this year!

Sometimes you just want a simple project that you don't have to think about. Well this Garter Stitch Wrap (designed by Susan Mills) uses Classic Elite Liberty Wool (5 balls) and has no charts, no schematics, and no sewing.  Liberty Wool comes in a variety of wonderful colors and the color puddle beautifully. This pattern is available through Patternfish and is $3.00.

Believe it or not we don't always pick the latest trend or pattern at Yarn Mart. Some times customers pick it for us. That's what happened this week.This week it happened with Peasy, designed by Heidi Kirrmaier. It's a great little cardigan knitted in DK weight yarn. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and then come and get your yarn from us and then you will be on trend with this super cool cardi.