Dear Friends,

We’re in the transition to winter dormancy. And it seems particularly abrupt.  Leaves, leaves, leaves.  One day the trees were full, and then with some cold temperatures and high winds, they almost instantly became bare. Oh those muscles!  You know the ones -- they move the rake, and you haven’t used them like that since last fall.   The harvest season, fall planting season and hunting and gathering are all behind us.  You can tell something’s dramatically different.  I was driving out the gravel road the other morning, and there were cattle scattered all through the draw.  I did a double take when my gaze moved across the landscape and the bulls in that group over there didn’t look right.  That’s because they were deer!  Some beautiful branch antler bucks grazing quietly and contentedly in the midst of the cattle.  Hmmmm – even they know hunting season is over!

This is the time of year when you just want to cozy up to the fire with a cup of something hot and enjoy special moments.  Maybe that’s why I love the holidays.  It’s a time to think about those special people and how to express our love and caring for them. In our family nothing is valued more than handmade Christmas presents. There is still time to knit up our quick and delicious Ribbon Cravat.  This little project uses fluffy unspun Bulky 2 Strand, a fiber that is a fun and different experience from spun and plied yarn.  Or, if you are looking for something for the man in your life, consider our 1 skein Corps of Discovery Hat.  I don’t think the sweater curse applies to hats, but fathers and nephews are always safe recipients of this distinguished Lewis and Clark expedition replica.

I’m looking forward to the gatherings and the delicious tastes of all that’s been provided, giving thanks for the many blessings, and enjoying  these hard earned celebrations.  It’s a time for reflection too, and for us it’s a great time to pause.  We’re acutely aware of what looms on the horizon –  spiritually and literally, out of this winter darkness will come all things new.  New shoots of grass, and babies of every kind -- calves, lambs, puppies and even barn kittens.  For me, it’s the greatest time of year for clarity. 

Wishing you the warmest holiday season,

Jeanne

We are very excited to introduce our new version of the Tracie yarn. We call it the Tracie Too. We know many knitters love our Tracie, especially for knitting up Fair Isle projects, so we asked Designer Tanis Gray to try out some of the new Tracie Too and compare it side by side with the original Tracie Yarn. Here's what she has to say:
“The newer version is softer and knits up slightly loftier, however when mixed with the old Tracie, gauge is not affected. The older version is a bit more rustic (due to coming through the woolen system) and is plied in the opposite direction; but when knitting Fair Isle or stripes with both the old and new versions, I found no great difference. I prefer the newer version due to it's softer feel and looser ply."

We are delighted to be offering Tracie Too, as well as the Anna and Erin Yarns, in our new color palette designed by yours truly. It has been a rewarding process to work with a new dye partner and their non-toxic process, which completes a fully domestic cycle from raw material to beautiful finished yarns. Wohoo!

Here is a short description of our new yarn colors (some of which are shown in the picture above): we of course include our beautiful un-dyed Natural, a lovely soft luxurious medium-light gray Rain, a fantastic true Black, a gorgeous rich Chocolate, a long awaited perfect neutral Wild Rye, a beautiful warm blue Denim Dusk, a fun and gorgeous green Honeydew, a tender and kind Sweet Plum, and a rich bright Autumn Rust, all to be seen for the first time at TNNA in January!

A warmest holiday season to everyone,

Anna Cohen