Our dear friend, Blair, lost his battle with melanoma this past weekend. While he was sick, I began knitting a prayer shawl for his wife, Joanne. I didn't get it finished in time, but I did give it to her during his visitation. He was only 44, a Michigan State Police trooper.
The prayer shawl pattern came from Debbie Macomber's book, Back on Blossom Street. The pattern was designed by Myrna Stahman and can be found at http://www.debbiemacomber.com/. I used Claudia's Handpainted Silk Lace 20/2 in the colorway, Jungle. When I gave it to Joanne, I asked her to think about it like a knitted hug; I hope it helps in her grief.
Starting to think about fall classes. We will offer a class in thrummed mittens. Thrums are made from small pieces of roving and knitted into the mitten, leaving the ends to the inside. For one of my class models, I used Lamb's Pride and Kraemer's Mauch Chunky Roving in several colors. For the other, I used Noro's Silk Garden and the Mauch Chunky Roving in black. Look for the dates for the class at my website, http://www.theyarnmarket.com/.
If you have requests for any other classes, please let me know.
Yarn reps have been showing off their new fall lines of both yarns and patterns. I have some beautiful new stuff coming, some really exciting yarns that are blends of fibers, spectacular colors, and wonderful textures. Patterns by new designers seem to be leaning back to basics, for people with "real" shapes and sizes. There will be lots of patterns for men's sweaters. Full length coats are everywhere. The new yarns and patterns will begin arriving in August. In order to make room, I've got lots of yarn on sale, some discounted to 75%.
