Mini Skein Madness!

After receiving our most recent shipment of Hedgehog Fibres, it go me thinking about the beauty behind the mini skein! Mini skeins are not only adorable and beautiful to look at, but a great way to add a pop of color to your WIP! From socks, to hats, to sweaters, you can use mini skeins to mix and match colors in any project. Colorwork is an easy way to give a project that wow factor without making yourself crazy with difficult techniques. Here are some ideas on how to use those wonderful minis for more than just a stash filler! 

Mini Madness Shawl by Angie Kimel

Snap Hat by Tin Can Knits

Sock toe, heel, & cuff

Brighten up you day by stopping by YBD, or visit us on the web to check out our current selection of Hedgehog Fibres in Skinny Singles, Sock, Sock Mini, Merino DK, and Merino Worsted! 

It's 2018! It's a New Year and a new…yarn color to try??

The Pantone Color of the Year 2018 is  (drumroll) Ultra Violet. This shade of purple is a great way to start the New Year with some color yet still feel "wintery". Purple is a combination of the calmness of blue and the feistiness of red. Purple is historically known to be associated with royalty, nobility, creativity, pride and magic.  

Ultra Violets at Yarns By Design.

Yarns as pictured left to right: Malabrigo Rasta in "Purple Mystery", Madelintosh Tosh Vintage in "Iris", Malabrigo Worsted in "Purple Mystery", Juniper Moon Farm Herriot in "Exotic Evening", Madelintosh Tosh Vintage in "Gosia", Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Single in "Sorry Not Sorry" and Malabrigo Caracol in "Holly Hock".

The boldness of Ultra Violet means a little bit can go a long way! Add pops of it to your projects such as stripes, edges and cuffs. Yarns By Design has a lot of options when it comes to yarn with hues of this rich color. Stop by or shop online to add some Ultra Violet to your life.

A few more  Ultra Violets at Yarns By Design! 

Our 2017 Yarn Crawl Crochet Pattern predicted hues of Ultra Violet for 2018, using Hedgehog Fibres in "Birthday Cake".

Wishing all of our customers a very happy 2018 ahead.

Warmly,

Sarah with YBD
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Is your yarn stash ready for fall?

Can you believe it? Fall will officially be here in a few days! When I think of fall I think of soups, pumpkins, apples, back-to-school, leaves, football and…yarn. Suddenly, I find myself looking up patterns for shawls, cowls, boot cuffs and re-examing my at-home stash. Our customers seem to be on the same page as we notice they are coming in for chunkier weights and darker hues for the change in season.

We have beautiful shades of autumn at the boutique. Rich golds, bright yellows and deep oranges are catching my eye and reminding me that it's time to work on my colder weather projects. Pictured are just a few that felt fall-like, back row left to right: Malabrigo Rasta in "Sunset", Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in "Fauna", Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in "Monarch", Malabrigo Worsted in "Sunset", Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima Paints in "Autumn Leaves", Madelintosh Tosh DK in "Glazed Pecan". Front row: Madelintosh Tosh Vintage in "Amber Trinket", Brooklyn Tweed Loft in "Wool Socks", Malabrigo Mecha in "Piedras", Freia Ombre in "Ember".

Say "leaves". Our fall yarns pose for a photoshoot. 

Yarns By Design also has a refreshed stock of Berroco Comfort in black and yellow, ready for tailgates and game time. With the in-store purchase of this yarn, you can get a free pattern of the "Steeler Scarf". Don't forget to get enough yarn to make the matching hat, shown here using Stephen West's Botanic Hat pattern.

Black and yellow!

Stephen West's Botanic Hat pattern in black and yellow. 

Get your free scarf pattern with in-store purchase of Berroco Comfort yarn.

One of my favorite fall projects was this crocheted poncho and I look forward to taking it out of my closet year after year.  My love for the fall season made using these colors and worsted weight yarn a joy to work with. It is just perfect to wear when the chill in the air isn't quite cold enough for a coat.

What are you working on for fall? Share your patterns and projects with us and stop by the boutique or shop online for your fall yarn fix.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
Sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Steel Valley Yarn Crawl 2017 Round Up

The 2017 Steel Valley Yarn Crawl has come to an end and we are all catching our breath! Yarns By Design was open during seven of the 10 days of the crawl and were fortunate enough to have quite the turnout. This year we estimated well over 200 passports stamped at our boutique. We had familiar faces stop by and many first-time visitors as well. Some of our crawlers even came from out of state just for the event. 

We noticed lots of crawlers stopping in to check out our Hedgehog Fibres and our newest brand of Brooklyn Tweed. We can't wait see what everyone has to say about trying those yarns for the first time-be sure to let us know. Don't forget to bring in your finished projects when you stop in, we enjoy seeing our yarns come alive! A special shout out to Tin Can Knits for donating the free knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" and YBD's Sarah LaVoie for designing the free crochet pattern with purchase of the featured Hedgehog Fibres yarn. Both patterns are great for transitioning to Fall weather, so get started now.

2017 Yarn Crawl Knit pattern "Undertone Cowl" by Tin Can Knits and made by Sandy

Undertone Cowl made with this fun shade of  Hedgehog Fibres DK in "Bounce" 

2017 Yarn Crawl crochet pattern "Morning Smoothie" by Sarah LaVoie

 

Morning Smoothie cowl made with this dynamic shade of Hedgehog Fibres DK  in "Birthday Cake" 

 Winners of our raffle were selected. Congratulations to our winners:
Bag #1: Faye Gardany
Bag #2: Chelsea Kelly
Bag #3: Noralynn Spiri

Congrats to Chelsea Kelly, crocheter and winner of YBD raffle bag #2 and newest fan of Hedgehog Fibres!

We hope you love your prizes as much as we do!

Have any recommendations for things you'd like to see at our shop or about the crawl in general? We would love to hear your feedback. Stop in the boutique, drop us a message or just comment below. We are trying to improve the crawl experience every year.

Some views of our 2017 crawlers in action. 

Yarns by Design would like to thank all of the crawlers that stopped by this year and we hope to see everyone again soon. Looking forward to what the 2018 crawl brings!

Warmly,

Sarah with YBD
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Get ready for the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl!

It's that time of year again! Clear your calendar and clear some space for a fresh yarn stash- the yarn crawl is here.

The 4th annual Steel Valley Yarn Crawl runs from July 28th through August 6th. It gives yarn lovers the opportunity to win fantastic prizes at 11 shops in the Pittsburgh area over 10 days.
The passports and bags are now available at Yarns By Design and at each of the participating shops. For $12 you will receive a fabulous bag and eleven raffle tickets. The bag is bigger and better this year, with plenty of room for your yarn crawl purchases and later for toting your projects or even to bring to the beach this summer.

Come and get your 2017 SVYC bag today!

If you'd like to plan ahead, here is a 2017 map of the participating shops. Check out the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl website for all of the details on the event.

In addition to exciting prizes, we will have a free knit and crochet pattern featuring Hedgehog Fibres. It's the perfect opportunity to give this beautiful brand a try if you haven't already. Stop in today to pick up your bag and passport!

Our Hedgehog Fibres are yarn crawl ready. 

Warmly,

Sarah at Yarns By Design

sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Yarn Mood Changes

Spring is here; the sun is out, the flowers are blooming. Spring has also sprung inside at Yarns By Design! Our customers' eyes seem to be moving away from the grays, blacks and neutrals of winter and over to the pastels and bright palettes.

I started this crochet beach bag  today and definitely was in a bright and sunny mood and had the beach on my mind when I selected the color scheme. I'm making it with Berroco Comfort, a soft worsted weight yarn found at Yarns By Design. It is machine washable after a day at the beach. Look for the finished product in our window display soon.

Feels like sunshine working on these hexagons!

Our shop is full of fun colors to get your spring and summer projects completed. Our Hedgehog Fibres collection is especially colorful and will be sure to put you in the mood of your choice. Whether it's the calming blues, the happy yellows or the romantic pinks…we have the shade for you!

Check out the colors of these Hedfgehog Fibres!

What's your favorite color(s) to work with this time of year? We'd love to hear from you.

Warmly,

Sarah at Yarns By Design