Liberty Print Subscription, March Colors!

I wonder what the two new colorways shipping out to Liberty Print Subscribers for March look like...

Beans for Brains

Calling all students! Jimmy Beans Wool, one of the coolest retailers around, is once again providing their fabulous Beans for Brains scholarship program and Classic Elite couldn't be more delighted to sponsor it.

Any student who can knit or crochet and will be attending an accredited institution in Fall 2011 is eligible for the Beans For Brains Scholarship! Submissions are due no later than April 1st, after which finalists will be chosen for six $3,000 scholarships based on merit. To learn more and apply visit the Beans For Brains Scholarship page. If you know any hardworking knitters and crocheters with dreams of going to college, be sure to share the Beans For Brains Scholarship with them via Ravelry or by posting a flyer at your LYS (flyers are available at the Beans For Brains Scholarship page)!

Spread the word!

Lowell Cowl Revisited

Antonia, the designer of our Lowell cowl from Web-Letter 177, said we have 175 days of cowl weather a year. The way this winter is shaping up across the country, that seems like an understatement. At least here in the Northeast, it doesn't seem likely that this snow will ever melt. To this winter-lover, the more days of layering and bundling up, the better.

The Lowell Cowl is a brilliantly versatile design. It is essentially an infinity cowl, knit in two colors: a "mistake rib" comprises the first and last four inches in color A or color B, while the middle is worked in garter stitch, a strand of each color held together.

Silky Alpaca Lace is held double throughout, creating an insulating but light fabric that feels just right, even held directly to your sensitive neck. Its size makes it wearable as a long cowl, a doubled close-to-the-neck cowl, looped through itself as a scarf, wound around your body as a shrug, or simply draped around your shoulders with or without a pin. Though Antonia chose to make the Lowell Cowl in neutral colors, you can also try one of our richly dyed solids or one of our new hand painted shades.

Midnight Forest	Turquoise Shadow	Desert Flowers	Tropical Fruit
Cosmos	Antique Kaleidoscope	Wheat Field	Sunlit Grotto

Can you think of any other uses for this piece?

Liberty Print Subscriptions

Liberty Wool was the runaway hit of Fall 2010. Who knew it would become our number one yarn for the year? Even we underestimated the response it would get (you may have had some trouble finding it last year, shops were selling out all over the country.) To what can we attribute its success? Could be the softness, the machine-washability, the versatile gauge or maybe the beautiful solid colorways and long color repeats of the printed shades. Could be that the patterns are flattering, fashionable, and show off the best qualities of the yarn (think the Molly scarf, or the Elizabeth cardigan).


This year, we wondered how to get our ten new colorways into your hands, and came up with the Liberty Wool Subscription Program. Two colors will be released each month between February and June, and any LYS that subscribes will receive one (or more) bag of each. All our subscriptions get first priority, and will ship before any other orders! That means if your shop is a subscriber, they are guaranteed to be the first to have these colors in stock, and you'll be the first to have them in hand.

It gets even better. Subscribers will have access to free patterns each month, designed specifically for Liberty Print by our designers. Patterns will be free with the purchase of the yarn! Presenting our two patterns for the February release...These patterns are both worked using the two colors of Liberty Print with colorway 7893, Rainforest. The scarf is 7891 North Sea Whitecaps, striped with Rainforest, and the two tams are each made with Rainforest and 7890, Ultra Violet Autumn. Tam number one uses Ultra Violet Autumn as the main color, and Tam number two uses it as a contrast color.

To get these patterns for free, ask your LYS if they've subscribed yet. If they haven't yet, don't miss out on next month's two colors, we are still accepting subscriptions. Once the month draws to a close, you''ll be able to buy both patterns on Patternfish.