Comfort Afghans Trunk Show

There are many times that we, as human beings in a 3 dimensional universe, simply cannot envision how a 2 dimensional photo of a project will actually look and feel in our hands. This is where our amazing Berroco sales rep comes in! Andra has knit and crocheted sample sizes of the designs from Comfort Knitting & Crochet Afghans so that we can be inspired (how lucky are we?!) They will be on display from August 11th to August 24th - come in and touch them before they're flying on their way to the next store on the list!

As the title suggests, this book features 27 knit patterns and 24 crochet patterns that use yarns from Berroco's Comfort line. They run the gamut from simple checkerboard and chevron to fair-isle and embellished afghans.

For our "Pattern" of the month sale this month we are featuring the patterns from this book.

For the month of August,
buy the book and/or the yarn to make a pattern in the book and
get 15% off of the purchase!

If we don't have your color in the quantity you need, we'll order it and honor your 15% off.

We stock Comfort Worsted in 31 colors and Comfort DK in 20 colors. If you don't see what you like be sure to ask about ordering.

Here are a few of my favorites from the book, but be sure to check out Berroco's full photo preview - and there are slideshows of both the knit and crochet patterns.

Huge Garment SALE!

We have a very special promotion going on over the next week - a garment SALE! We don't often put our garments on sale, since we prefer to keep them to show how the yarns knit up. Over the last few years we have accumulated boxes of garments from yarns or patterns that are now long discontinued. Now, we finally have enough to have a great big sale, and sent them up for you to browse through and try on!

Garments are marked at:

50%-75% off of the original value

This means that a sweater that cost $120 in yarn to make is now only $30!

These garments include things for adults and children - sweaters, cardigans, hats, scarves, shawls, bags/purses and even an afghan. Everything is either hand-wash or machine wash - no dry cleaning required. It's a great opportunity to buy a handmade item and stash it away for gift-giving season ;)

This sale will last from
Saturday, August 7th to Saturday August 14th.

Get there early to see the *good* stuff! (really, it's all good, but the most popular styles go first)

Free parking is available all along Main St or across the street from our store, at the park. Email or call if you have any questions! info@sageyarn.com phone: 508-457-9513

Our next big SALE!

Here on Main St every year we have a street fair on the first Wednesday after the 4th of July. Since the 4th was on a Sunday that means that the fair is *late* this year - on the 14th. Mark your calendar!

While I know it is a pain in the butt to drive down here in the middle of the week, even from across town, here are some reasons why you should stop by Sage Yarn for our street fair SALE!

1. Our sale starts on Monday, which means you can choose a time, ANY time between 9am on Monday and 5pm on Wednesday to come by for the sale. You don't have to brave the Wednesday crowds if you don't want to.
   
2. This is our biggest sale of the year, by far - larger discounts, more yarn on sale
3. Exclusive yarns - we pull out sale yarns that we don't have room for on the sales floor. You'll see very NICE but discontinued yarns from many yarn companies. You'll also see discontinued colors of current yarn lines such as Encore and Ultra Alpaca.
   
4. This is one of two sales a year that features $1, $2, and $3 grab bins - mixed types of yarns mostly in single balls or pairs, for sale at absolute clearance prices.
5. On fair day we will have some of the last few nice "gifts" on sale from when we were a combined gift and yarn store. This includes some Franz porcelain and a lot of Anne C. Ross glassware.
6. It is FUN! I know sometimes it stinks to get stuck in a crowd full of people you don't know... but here at Sage it's different. We all have a shared love of yarn and our shoppers frequently have very friendly and helpful conversations at our sales! People share ideas, tips and patterns with complete strangers. It always lifts my spirits.
   

Other details:
PARKING: On Monday and Tuesday you can park anywhere. There is parking available across the street at the park for those who don't want to parallel park on the street (I know I don't). There is also a very small amount of parking behind our building if you drive down Elm Arch Way. ON FAIR DAY - if you get here early you will be able to park in a parking lot near us. The fair starts at 10 but we open at 9. If you don't get here early you will find someplace to park but you will walk a few minutes to get here.
OTHER FAIR FUN: The fair typically features many booths of jewelry, pottery, quilts, baskets, flower arrangements, kids toys, stained glass, handmade soaps, and many other wonderful products. There is fair food which usually includes fried dough, lemonade, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, etc. ALL OF THE STORES ON MAIN ST. ARE OPEN and usually offering discounts on many products.

Here is a link to our location on google maps.
Here is a link to driving directions to our store.
Here is our website if you want to browse our regular offerings.
Here is a link to email us if you have any questions whatsoever! We hope you'll stop by for some big SALE fun next week!

Patterns of the Month, July 2010

It's July! If the weather wasn't any indication that summer is here, how about some summery knitting patterns?

Patterns of the Month July 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

In our efforts to fill in the gap in patterns for "tweens" we found this beautiful pattern booklet by Louisa Harding. It also happens to feature a great yarn that we had purchased for cool summer knitwear!

Brighton is an oversized pullover that features a centered cable panel on a reverse stockinette body. It can be customized to your liking - plain collar and edgings or lacy edges with picot details. Albero is a cotton and viscose blend that has just a little bit of shine to it. It has a wonderful drape and isn't stiff at all. On the cotton-difficulty scale I would put this near the bottom - it won't hurt your hands to work with it and as long as you knit a gauge swatch there won't be any droopy surprises.

Recommended Ages: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 years
**Actual chest size: 28", 32", 36", 39.75", 43.75", 46"
Yarn amounts: 6, 7, 7, 8, 9 balls of Albero for plain sweater, add 1 more ball for lacy picot version
Other yarn suggestions: Bebe Cotsoy, Bamboucle, Classic Silk, Summer Set

**When you look at the sizing for this pullover take note that there is 4 inches of ease built into each size. This kind of sizing is great for throwing on over a tank top or t-shirt after the sun sets. I could have used one last night while watching the 4th of July fireworks :) If you don't want so much room, you can make a smaller size and cut down the amount of yarn you purchase. As a 36" chest myself, I'd probably make a size 9-10.

Our next pattern of the month comes from The Mirasol Project and is high on my to-do list this summer. We have often featured Mirasol not only for its very high quality yarns and stylish designs, but also for its humanitarian efforts.

Bobo, a lacy vest, features very simple shaping and a common stitch pattern that would be great for a beginning lace knitter. There is no shaping to complicate things - the back and two fronts are large rectangles without any decreasing or increasing.

(I know she doesn't look too happy about wearing it, but it's a nice vest!)

Bobo is worked in Mirasol's Samp'a, a dk weight organic and naturally dyed cotton. It comes in mostly soft colors so if you're looking for a splash of something bright, check out T'ika! On the cotton-difficulty scale these cottons are both in the middle, but using them for a lace project puts them back at the bottom - super easy.

To fit chest size: 32-34", 36-38", 40-42", 42-44", 44-46"
Actual measurement: 40.75", 43.25", 45.75", 48", 50.5"
Yarn amounts: 9, 10, 10, 11, 11 balls of Samp'a
Other yarn suggestions: T'ika, Pure Pima, Top Seed Cotton, Butterfly, Scartlett, Hempathy, Merletto, Cotton Bamboo

Well I'm sure that's all you ever wanted to know about these two patterns ;) Let me know if you have any questions and I'll see you soon!

Patterns of the Month, June 2010

Patterns of the Month

June 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it
and get 15% off your purchase!

This June I have chosen a pretty lace shawl pattern and cottony summer cardigan to keep you warm/cool this summer. "Warm/cool" is a technical term (I made up) that means: takes the chill off but doesn't make you too hot.

The Flower Basket Shawl, designed by Evelyn Clark, is one of my favorite Fiber Trends shawl patterns. It has the typical Fiber Trends flexibility - you can pick from laceweight, fingering weight, sport weight or DK/light worsted weight yarns!


We have a small Flower Basket Shawl on display here at the store, made in one skein of Handmaiden SeaSilk. Stop by and see it sometime soon - it's in the front window! For other gorgeous yarn options, Try Mirasol Nuna or Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace.


More details:
Size: Instructions for 3 sizes in 4 yarn weights.
Measurements are approximate and will vary with yarn used. Size can be easily changed by adding or subtracting pattern repeats.
Scarf/shoulder shawl: 27" (69cm) deep and 54" (137cm) wide.
Small Shawl: 34" (86cm) deep and 68" (173cm) wide.
Large Shawl: 45" (114cm) deep and 90" (229cm) wide.

Yarn Requirements and Needle Sizes:
You will need a 24" to 32" (60 to 80 cm) circular needle in the size given below for your yarn weight.
Lace wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 425 yds; small shawl 650 yds;
large shawl 1175 yds; US size 5 needle.
Fingering wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 325 yds; small shawl 600 yds; large shawl 1100 yds; US size 6 needle.
Sport wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 300 yds; small shawl 550 yds; large shawl 1000 yds;US size 8 needle.
DK or lt worsted wt: Scarf/shoulder shawl 250 yds; small shawl 450 yds; large shawl 850 yds; US size 10 needle.


Noa is a simple cardigan with ruffly details that you will always keep handy in the summer air conditioning. Worked in Berroco's Weekend, this cotton-blend fabric will cover you up and keep the goosebumps away while not overheating you.



More details:
Noa
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Bust (closed) – 32(36-40-44-48-52)”
Length – 28(28-29-29½-30-30½)”
MATERIALS
4(5-5-6-6-7) Hanks of Berroco Weekend

I've been working with this yarn, knitting a pullover from the same booklet. I really like it! It feels like cotton but is a lot more forgiving than 100% cotton yarns. A LOT. It's easier on your hands and all of the irregular-sized stitches that would stand out with a 100% cotton yarn disappear in Weekend.

I hope you'll stop by sometime soon and check out our spring and summer yarns. Here comes the SUN!

Patterns of the Month, May 2010

Patterns of the Month
May 2010

Choose your pattern and the yarn to go with it and get 15% off your purchase!

Our two patterns of the month for May reflect some of the most frequent requests we've had in the store recently. I hope it will give you a chance to knit with some yarns that you haven't found a good pattern for yet!

The first pattern happens to be a free pattern from Berroco.com. Published recently through the Berroco weekly newsletter, Ari has already become a popular pattern on Ravelry and the internet. It fulfills ALL of the criteria that a lot of you have asked for lately. Something that:

• will take the chill off at an evening wedding or in the air conditioning
  
• looks elegant but isn't too fancy or difficult
• has a WIDE variety of yarns to choose from so you can find the color you want
• covers your shoulders but actually stays on without a shawl pin or holding it with your hands
  

Meet Ari from the Berroco Design Team:
Ari is sized for bodies from 32" to 52" and has a cropped length of between 15.5" and 18.5". This feminine shape is easily customized for longer body or sleeve length if you so wish - but don't be afraid of the cropped look! It is very flattering to all kinds of body types and flexible for different wardrobes. This pattern calls for Berroco's cotton/acrylic blend yarn, Weekend, which we now stock in 19 colors.

You could also use
Cotton & cotton blends - Fantasy Naturale, Jeannee (on clearance)
Wool & wool blends - Peruvia, Lustra, Paca Tweed, Malabrigo Worsted, Ultra Alpaca, Galway, Comfort, Encore and many more!


For our second pattern I have this great, basic twin set from Plymouth Yarn Co. Two patterns in one, it features a v-neck tank top under a versatile deep-v neck cardigan - both with a twisted rib detail throughout. I would find myself reaching for this cardigan every day for work or an evening walk around the block.
This pattern is worked in Plymouth's Oceanside Organic Cotton but take a look at Mirasol's organic, naturally dyed cotton also. Other great options for summer wear include:

• Pure Pima
  
• Top Seed Cotton
• Cotton Bam Boo
• Hempathy
• Butterfly Super 10

And for the wooly, cooler-weather options look at:

• Ultra Alpaca Light
• Silky Wool
• Tupa
• Wool Bam Boo
• Grace Silk & Wool
• Encore DK
• Comfort DK

Lots of options for you! Let me know if you have any questions about yarn selection or the patterns and I'll get right back to you. Jen at info@sageyarn.com Hopefully we'll see you soon!

The Finer Things - Spring 2010

It's time for our spring yarn tasting! Email info@sageyarn.com to reserve your spot.

The Finer Things*
featuring sport, fingering and laceweight yarns
and what to do with them!

Friday April 23rd
from 5-8pm
and Saturday April 24th
from 9am-12pm

10% off of all regular priced yarn during these hours!!

A yarn tasting is a time for you to stop by the store and sample some yarns that you may not try on your own. Sometimes it's hard to invest $5-$10 in a ball of yarn just for swatching... and then what happens when you don't like it? Well, sign up for either Friday night or Saturday morning and try out the yarns for FREE! We will be featuring the FINER things in the store this spring - sport, fingering and laceweight yarns. If you never work with fine yarns this is a great opportunity to try it out. Fine weight yarns are for more than just socks and lacy shawls and they're not as hard to work with as you might think!

We will provide a guidebook for you to take with you during your tasting so you can jot down your impressions of each yarn. There will be samples available to take home, a gift bag for those who've signed up, refreshments, free patterns and all of the yarn in the store is 10% off! I've already picked out the door prizes and man, they're good!

There are a limited number of slots open for sign-ups. If you don't get to sign up or choose not to sign up because you're not sure of your schedule, you can still come to shop the sale and see the yarns. You will be ineligible for the door prizes, however :)

email info@sageyarn.com to sign up!



*did you see what I did, there?