Looking ahead: what's coming this fall (part 1)

A couple of good nights' sleep in my own bed worked wonders. Now I'm rarin' to go. TNNA was exciting, inspiring and fun. Since a certain person whom I missed dreadfully because he wasn't there to share the fun with me accused me of being a namedropper, hmph, I shall today tell you about some of the very exciting things coming to a LYS near you this fall.

It's hard to figure out where to begin, but since I spent a good bit of time hanging around the Classic Elite booth, I'll start there. I know I've been yammering about Véronik's new yarn line, St. Denis, but seeing all the colors in real life




and seeing the garments in real life, and seeing some of the photographs of the garments that will be in the magazine.... well, I think this is going to be one of the must-haves of the fall. I mean, you've got American-made, 100% wool at a great price point, 32 colors, terrific pattern support, and you can knit it 5.5 or 6 single or even around 4-4.5 sts per inch doubled -- this is a great yarn, people. And the magazine that will accompany it is going to be dynamite. So if you haven't ordered it yet, you better call your Classic Elite rep ASAP. (I have been begging Véronik to send me more sample skeins to knit with...)

Another thing that knocked me out at the Classic Elite booth was the pattern collection by Jared, a.k.a. Brooklyn Tweed. "Made in Brooklyn" is a mix of men's and women's designs that are spectacular. I was struck by a lovely stranded colorwork hat and a silvery-blue woman's yoke sweater, but the entire collection is gorgeous, and well worth seeking out. I met Jared there, and he was very warm and fun. I'm going to be following his work very closely.

If you haven't seen or touched the Minnow Merino from Jil Eaton (also distributed by Classic Elite), you should. I picked up two skeins of this from Woolbearers when I was booksigning there. It's a very soft, machine-washable wool that knits at around 4.5 sts per inch. Even though it's superwash, it doesn't feel it and retains a softness and cushiness like a soft singles yarn, but without the potential for felting. I would definitely make an adult sweater out of this yarn, too. Great colors, too.

Once I was able to tear myself away from Classic Elite's booth, there were tons more exciting things to see. New from Manos del Uruguay is a worsted-weight wool with a smooth, consistent twist called Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply. There are 12 kettle-dyed colors and 200 yds per 100g skein -- very nice indeed. Also worth noting is The Fiber Company -- their booth was lovely, and the muted, complex colors of their yarns are gorgeous. I was especially taken with Terra, a slightly slubby blend of merino, alpaca and silk. (Hmm, I wonder what I have to do to get Courtney to send me a skein or two to play with?)

That's just a teaser of some of the things that I saw this weekend. I'm still way behind and the kids are off this week, so I think I have an appointment with a large bucket of popcorn and the movie "Up." I'll post again tomorrow and tell you about what's coming from my beloved Westminster Fibers, among others....

(There, Mr. Franklin Habit, are you happy now? If you had been in Columbus with us, singing along while Amy Singer played her ukelele,

you wouldn't be nearly as cranky. Plblttttttt!)