Hand Painted Knitting Yarns "Scarf-in-a-Scarf" Knitting Kits have arrived!

Many of you have asked about the beautiful scarf sample that's been on view at the boutique for months, and now the kits are here! The Hand Painted Knitting Yarns "Scarf-in-a-Scarf" Knitting Kits include four skeins of soft-as-butter yarn in a 60% silk, 40% fine Merino blend, as well as a handpainted silk scarf that's been dyed to match. Knit the included pattern, thread the silk scarf through your knitting, and you have a beautiful new accessory for fall that can be worn in a number of ways! Stop by the boutique to pick up your kit today!

Come on in and see our new fibers!

The new yarns from TNNA keep rolling on in, and what better reason to plan a trip to the boutique than to come in and check them all out? Here's what's arrived in the past few weeks:

• Schoppel-Wolle Cashmere Queen (shown above), Crazy Zauberball (shown below) and Flying Saucer, a uniquely hand-dyed fingering weight yarn that allows for two nearly identical socks
• Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo, a sock yarn in generous 328 yard balls and beautiful colors
• Trendsetter Soleil, a yarn with cute leaves and beads interspersed throughout the skein, and Cha-Cha, a wide ribbon yarn that creates rich layers of ruffles as you knit with it
• Schulana Mosco, an elegant blend of rayon, mohair and viscose, and Cortina Nuvole, a light-as-air nylon and Merino wool blend
• New colors of Spud and Chloe Sweater and Outer
• New colors of Habu Cotton Gima

Habu is here!

We're so excited to announce that our latest Habu order has arrived and hit the shelves! Among the fibers that we now carry are:

• A-32, silk mohair
• N-68, 1/3.5 linen wool roving
• XS-21 and XS-55, L25/3 linen
• A-1, 2/17 tsumugi silk
• A-166, 2/30 ramie 100
• N-67B, 2mm. linen paper
• A-20 and A-21, 1/20 silk stainless
• N-75, 2/48 fine merino
• A-177, 2/48 super fine merino
• A-174, 1/8.5 cotton gima

In addition to these wonderful fibers, we've also received several new patterns using Habu yarns, and two books that feature Habu yarns - Haiku Knits and Ori Ami Knits - are on their way to the boutique. Stop in today to see these unique fibers in person!

Shirley Paden Design Master Class

Please join us in welcoming internationally recognized hand knitwear designer, Shirley Paden, to Yarns By Design on Sunday, October 31! Shirley will teach her Sweater Design Master Class from 11:00am-6:00pm (with a one-hour lunch break) which is based on her new book, Knitwear Design Workshop: The Comprehensive Guide to Handknits.

Today, Shirley is the founder and owner of Shirley Paden Custom Knits in New York City, where she designs an exclusive line of custom-knit clothing. She teaches master knitting classes for the fashion industry and conducts seminars on lace, entrelac, cables, color knitting and finishing techniques. Her designs have appeared in magazines such as Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, Vogue Knitting, Knitter's, Family Circle, and Knit It! Shirley has also been featured on HGTV and Knitting Daily TV.

Learn to design knitwear with a perfect individual fit! From the initial spark of inspiration to the sewing of the last seam, Shirley will guide you through the knitwear design process. Based on the successful workshops that she teaches to the fashion industry in New York, Knitwear Design Workshop will give you the foundation to take your knitwear designs to the next level with confidence. The class fee is $150 (lunch included). Call the boutique at 412-832-0657 to reserve your spot!

Call Today to Sign Up for YBD's Children's Summer Camp!

It's not too late to sign up for YBD's Children's Summer Camp, which will be held July 21 through August 18! The camp is for children ages 9-12 years and will run every Wednesday from 10:30am-12:00pm for five consecutive weeks. Each week the children will have a new project to work on, including learn to knit, kid's notebook, all-together bag, bean-bugs and hand felting. The cost is $30 per week or $140 for five weeks, which includes needles, yarn and accessories. Call the boutique today to register!

TNNA Update!

Sandy and Tamara have returned from the whirlwind that is The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) NeedleArts Market in Columbus with good news to share - lots of new products are on their way to the boutique!

We are excited to expand our Habu product line and will now offer every color of Cotton Gima as well as all of the Habu yarns featured in the new book Ori Ami Knits, which we will also carry. We will also offer all of the Habu textiles featured in Kirsten Johnstone's Assemblage patterns and Julie Weisenberger's CocoKnits patterns. Also on order are new products from Trendsetter (including the yarn used to make the scarf pictured at right, Soleil), Hand Painted Knitting Yarns, Interweave Books, Gedifra, Rowan, Berroco, Namaste, Authentic Knitting Board and Annie Adams Adornment, Inc.

Unfortunately, with the good news always comes the bad. In this case, the bad is the sobering reality that many local yarn shops across the nation are being forced to close as they lose business to online retailers and big-box stores, and it showed at TNNA. Sandy and Tamara were surprised to find that participation at the show was reduced compared to past years. "The most shocking thing for me at the show was how empty it was," Tamara noted. In an article published on the blog "The Crafty Retailer", a Toledo yarn shop owner explained the situation that so many LYS's find themselves in. With that in mind, we would like to encourage everyone to support their LYS and participate in The 3/50 Project.

We hope to see you soon at the boutique!

Stop in for 25% Off on O-Wool Classic and Balance and Rowan Bamboo Soft!

We are so sad to hear of the news, but Vermont Organic Fiber Co. will be going out of business. We have enjoyed carrying both the Classic and Balance yarns from the O-Wool line in our boutique. However, this is not the end of O-Wool. The O-Wool line of hand knitting yarns will continue under new ownership. Yarns By Design will be offering 25% off all O-Wool fibers while supplies last. For the Rowan fans out there, YBD will also be offering 25% off the price of the now-discontinued Rowan Bamboo Soft, while supplies last.