Newsletter August 19th 2022

We gathered in a peaceful park on the calm shores of Georgian Bay while the sky coloured with the mellow rose of the setting sun. The air had cooled enough for us to bring out our finished “Co-Vid projects” — shawls, sweaters, and blankets. There was even background music, courtesy of a young fellow who was patiently working out a series of tunes on his magical RAV Vast drum.     And there we were, a small circle of knitting friends, many of whom had only met on Zoom. We marvelled at being together, and marvelled again that we felt so comfortable even though we’d never met in person. We were intrigued with each other’s projects and showed our works-in-progress.     Of course, in the excitement, one of us dropped a stitch.      The magic of being in the company of other hand crafters is real. We do the bulk of our crafting alone, listening to someone, or watching something. But we do a lot of planning, plotting, and dreaming with like-minded souls. We seek out patterns and ideas from the collected works of other crafters through Ravelry and Instagram, and from published books and magazines. And who hasn’t stopped to talk to a fellow crafter when you spot them in the park or on a train?     This getting together thing is good. We are looking forward to more events, formal and informal, that will bring hand crafters together. We want to see what you’re making, we want to dream up ideas with you, and we want to ooh and ahh over your finished creations.    What's new at Riverside Yarns?   COLOUR FLOW -- NEW COLOURS You will love how soft and light Colour Flow is, and how the colour gradient makes any project pop! We've added three new colours for fall knitting and crocheting: Sunset, Soundwave, and Nightfall. And Colour Flow isn't just for accessories: check out the Deb Cardi by Amanda Kaffka at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/deb-cardi. 80% Merino Wool, 20% Nylon Needle Size/Tension: 6.0mm/ 14sts 125m ball $12.00 Shop Colour Flow ANTHEM, ANTHEM DK, AND RONDO The Anthem line from Cascade Yarns offers unbeatable value! All three products are 100% acrylic, machine-washable and dryable. Worsted-weight Anthem and Anthem DK are ideal for everything from afghans to kids' clothes, sweaters, accessories, and pillows. Anthem Rondo is a self-striping yarn that comes in a variety of hues ranging from vibrant primary colours to subdued tones -- use it for scarves, hats, and home accessories.    Anthem: 100g/ 170m ball $6.00 14 colours Anthem DK: 100g/ 227m ball $6.00 14 colours Rondo: 200g/340m cake: $15.00 6 colours Shop Anthem PACIFIC BULKY AND PACIFIC CHUNKY Here's another great option from Cascade Yarns. Pacific Bulky comes in generous 200g/ 118m balls, making this yarn a logical choice for blankets, but also the perfect option for quick hats, scarves, and outerwear. Pacific Chunky was designed with all your chunky projects and machine-washable projects in mind. It's a yarn that works for children's wear too!  Pacific Bulky 60% Acrylic/40% Superwash Merino Wool 200g/118m  $20.00 12 colours   Pacific Chunky 60% Acrylic/40% Superwash Merino Wool 100g /110m ball: $11.00 7 colours Shop Cascade Pacific Coming Soon ALPACA, MERINO, MOHAIR AND LINEN! We have some exciting new-to-us yarns arriving in the store later this fall.  Ripple (top left) is a super soft and colourful bulky yarn. It's created with a thin thread wrapped around a bulky core that has long colour changes. 52% Wool, 48% Acrylic Alpaca Whisper (top right) is an exquisite blend of Baby Alpaca, Mulberry Silk, and Super-Kid Mohair. Whether you knit it on its own for a light and airy fabric, or strand it with another yarn, we're sure it will become a new favourite. 54% Baby Alpaca, 24% Mulberry Silk, 22% Super-kid Mohair Merino Big (bottom left) is a super soft, squishy merino yarn, perfect for big-stitch knits. You can use it for a bulky sweater, accessories, or a blanket. 100% Australian Superwash Merino Lazy Linen All Natural Sock (bottom right) from Kremke Soul Wool is a wonderful combination of wool and linen. This all-natural sock yarn is so beautiful and elegant, it's perfectly suitable for pullovers, cardigans, and shawls. The wool is from Czechia and the linen is from Belgium, which makes it a purely European yarn.  80% Wool, 20% Linen Fall classes -- we're looking for ideas Are you interested in learning the basics of sock-knitting? Do you want to tackle mittens? Let us know.  We're currently putting together our fall roster of classes and we need your help. Please contact us if you have an idea for a class, or if there is a specific skill or project you would like us to teach you. We'll be announcing our class schedule in September on Instagram, Facebook, on our webpage, and in our next newsletter.  Contact us Finished Project Gallery Barbara Smith has been busy with her knitting needles. She recently finished two projects: she did the Pompano Tank in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, which is a DK-weight blend of wool,  silk, and nylon. The pattern is in 'Drop Dead Easy Knits', which is available in the OverDrive app. The cardigan is a Petite Knits design. Barbara chose to do a chunky version of the Novice Cardigan. She held a strand of Eco Shetland in Lavender with Pro Lana Kid Seta in Grape. Karli Whitmore knit these socks with one skein of our local Woolies In the Country sock yarn. Local farmer and fibre artist Bonnie Perry has created a unique line of sock yarn using fleece from her farm pets - Romney sheep and Alpacas. Karli chose the 'Autumn' colour way for these cosy Simple Socks.  Lesley Bender-Fair does not shy away from colour! This is her Ripple Halter, knit up in Peppino by Rhichard Devrieze in Green Apple.  The pattern is available from Jessie Maed Designs on Ravelry. You can see more of Lesley's creations on instagram @lesleyshops54.     Basic patterns never go out of style. Lynda Norton used Estelle Superwash Merino DK with two strands of Pro Lana Kid Seta for this Paton’s 'Back to Basics' sweater. She's pleased with the finished project, though she finds it a bit heavy. If she were to do it again she would use just one strand of the Kid Seta.   Betty Fellows is thrilled with her Spikelets Cowl. This is her first cabled project. The pattern, by Victoria Groger, is available for free on Ravelry. It uses 100g of worsted-weight yarn, making it a great stash-busting project. Jane Sword knit this Soaring Baby Blanket for her great-grandchild. The pattern is by Evelyn Clark Designs, and Jane knit it up in Hayfield Bonus Aran.   Josette shows off the Storm Shawl that she knit with one ball of Estelle Evolution Sock. This is a "One Skein Wonder" project from designer Joji Locatelli. This store sample was done up in the Rocky colourway. Tania Loos knit up this lovely Baby Sophisticate, using King Cole Drifter Chunky. The pattern was designed by Linden Down and is available for free on Ravelry. Shown here is the Wellington colourway.  We're taking a breather at the end of the month. The store  will be closed Tuesday Aug. 30, and Wed. Aug 31. The webstore will still be open 24/7, but we will not be processing orders from Sat. Aug 27 to Thurs. Sept. 1.  The Alzheimer Society of Grey Bruce is collecting Fidget Muffs. If you are looking for something to do with your leftover yarn, buttons, and ribbons, they would be thrilled to receive your donated handiwork. A variety of patterns are available for free on Ravelry. Your completed muffs can be dropped off at the Alzheimer Society office at 753 2nd Avenue East in Owen Sound. Email info@alzheimergreybruce.com, or call 519-376-7230 for office hours.