Passing the Torch

Things have been rather hectic around the Knit Purl Headquarters, and we apologize for our somewhat sparse communiques over the past few weeks and months. Lots of things have been shaking things up around here lately, not least of all the news that Sara, our Knitspired blogger and newsletter writer, will be handing over her keyboard as she takes on an exciting new job opportunity. While we'll feel her loss tremendously, we also want to make sure you know that this blog will definitely not fall by the wayside! On the contrary, we're planning to welcome some new writers to bring you the exciting behind-the-scenes updates and drool-worthy eye candy from Knit Purl that you know and love.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce myself to our faithful blog readers. My name is Alexa, and you might know me from my stint on the Knit Purl sales floor. I've been a knitter for about eight years now, and I'm also passionate about reading and writing, art and art history, and cooking. You can most often find me knitting (of course) at home on the couch nestled in with my two feline fiber enthusiasts, or at a coffee shop sharing stories and pattern advice with my fellow knitterly friends.

As for my presence here, I've been a part of the KP crew since August 2010 and have loved learning from all of our visitors and and seeing so many of your beautiful works in progress and finished projects. While I won't be seeing your lovely faces upstairs much anymore, I hope that I can still share your intrepid knitting spirit through this blog! I'm on Ravelry as alexarenee, so give me a shoutout and show me your knits!

Whew, thanks for keeping up with me through that lengthy introduction. Keep an eye out soon for a big staff project post; we've all been hard at work on some lovely spring projects and can't wait to share! Also coming very soon: a triangular shawl blocking tutorial! Until we meet again, happy knitting!

The best laid plans

Well, I had this whole post laid out detailing the grace and beauty of the latest Madelinetosh yarn to hit our shelves, Pure Silk Lace...

Madelinetosh Pure Silk Lace in "Sugar Plum"

Only to discover we have three skeins left in the entire building.  Well, apparently the grace and beauty of Pure Silk Lace need not be lauded any more than it already has.

Not that we're lacking for subject matter when it comes to store (and yarn) news.  We just received another enormous restock from Brooklyn Tweed (amidst much rejoicing), that contains some of our - and your - favorite Shelter colors, such as Fossil, Soot, and Pumpernickel.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in "Soot"

Lastly, we also just received three NEW colors of Shibui Silk Cloud (Newsletter spoiler alert!) that are quite simply to die for.  I stole the following image from their blog, just to give you a teensy-weensy sneak peek at what'll be up this Friday:

Shibui Silk Cloud in the new colors "Artichoke", "Flaxen", and "Suit"

But you'll have to be patient with us until we can add the new colors to the website.  Until next time, happy knitting!

Portland Yarn Crawl - prize winners!

We've drawn the winners for both the Portland Yarn Crawl prize basket and for our own exclusive Knit Purl raffle.  If you're one of the winners, please contact us to receive your prize!

• Chane G.: Portland Yarn Crawl prize basket
• Rebecca B., Anna B., Jane W.: A $25 gift card
• Susan N.: Mistletoe sock kit & Heel in "Peppermint"
• Tammy Y.: Woodruff Mittens & 2 skeins of Shelter
• Devin H.: Around the World in Knitted Socks & Heel in "Cucumber"
• Alicia K.: A Knitter's Home Companion & More Last Minute Knitted Gifts
• Jeanne L.: Knitted Socks East and West & Weekend Knitting
• Kirsten S.: Shibui Heichi & 2 skeins of Shibui Heichi
• Andrea S.: The Marion Foale Knitting Collection 1 & 3 balls of Marion Foale 3-ply

To everyone else who visited us this weekend, we'd like to extend a hearty THANKS! to you for making this year's Portland Yarn Crawl a resounding success!

Portland Yarn Crawl - this weekend!

That's right, this weekend we'll be participating in what is becoming an annual tradition in the PDX area, the Portland Yarn Crawl.  This year, we've teamed up with 19 other area yarn shops, indie dyers, and local knitting companies to put on a knitting event that is not to be missed! Join other local (and visiting) knitters as the Portland knitting community pulls out all the stops and shows off our collective skills and unique creative energy.

To help you better navigate our fair city (and find all 20 shops!), we've devised our own FREE PDX Yarn Crawl Checklist, put together by your very own KP blogger, the Knit Purl Checklist.  The addresses and phone numbers of each shop, plus a checkbox for each shop's raffle & scavenger hunt item are all there - just so you don't miss ANYTHING.  For you early birds, we've decided to offer the first 20 Yarn Crawlers a free printout of our exclusive Checklist, plus a Yarn Crawl goodie or two.

Then, on top of participating in the yarn crawl raffle and scavenger hunt, we'll also be offering our own prize drawing with an exclusive Knit Purl raffle for a series of awesome prizes that can only be found at Knit Purl, as well as  10% DISCOUNT on all purchases made this weekend!  The Knit Purl raffle is definitely not to be missed, as we've assembled a fantastic collection of prizes:

1. One of THREE $25 dollar Knit Purl Gift Cards.
2. A copy of the Marion Foale Knitting Collection 1 and three skeins of Marion Foale 3-Ply Yarn (winner's choice of color).
3. Mistletoe Sock Kit and one tin of HEEL Spearmint Foot Cream by Soak
4. A copy of Around the World in Knitted Socks by Stephanie Van Der Linden and one tine of HEEL Cucumber Foot Cream by Soak.
5. A copy of the Woodruff Mitten pattern by Jared Flood and 2 skeins of Shelter in the color "Homemade Jam".
6. A copy of Shibui Heichi and 2 skeins of Shibui Heichi yarn (winner's choice of color).

No purchase is necessary to enter, knitters only have to visit the store in person to put their name in for the drawing.

The Portland Yarn Crawl starts tomorrow, Friday, March 4th and will run through the end of day on Sunday, March 6th.  We hope we'll see you here!