Familiar cottons.

Getting a box in the mail is exciting. I think we can all agree on this. Getting a box in the mail at the shop is just as exciting, it turns out, even though it happens very frequently. It's even exciting to get a box in the mail when we already know what will be inside, because we ordered it. Even when what's inside is an old, familiar yarn, ordered simply to restock, somehow it's still exciting enough that I feel like documenting it.

Part of the excitement is in the unpacking: cutting into a box and glimpsing its contents for the first time. Also worth photographing, apparently.

The best part, though, is the satisfaction that comes with seeing all the colors together--the old colors that haven't sold yet and the new old colors that we're welcoming back. The yarn just looks happier when its full range of colors is represented. 

So: welcome back, Takhi Mia, whose swatch I just finished last week. And a special welcome to the new Takhi Mia Handpaints, pictured above in plastic, and below in its new home on the cotton tree. 

Welcome back, Fantasy Naturale. This Plymouth yarn is one sturdy, worsted weight, mercerized cotton. A basic, inexpensive yarn with many possibilities. I've seen sweaters for adults as well as babies made from Fantasy Naturale, and hats, and blankets, and washcloths. Look for it on the bottom of the cotton tree.

Welcome back, Soft Cotton. Like Fantasy Naturale, this yarn is sturdy and inexpensive, but it does tend to be a little bit softer. Hence the name. Soft Cotton used to live in the front room of the shop in a little basket near the window, but since we replenished its colors it graduated to a larger basket near the other cottons. 

Welcome back, Mandarin Petit. This fingering weight yarn is, like the rest, 100% cotton, and is thus very versatile. Washcloths, baby things, summer tops, even socks. 

We've seen Mandarin Petit put to particularly good use with Lucy Neatby's Celestial Sweater for Small People, a pattern you can find in our "Babies" pattern binder. We also offer a class on this sweater, taught by Carol, which begins on April 3rd. As of now, there are still two spaces left. If you want one of them, sign up on the shop website. Come by the shop to see a sample Celestial Sweater hanging in our window, and to welcome back these familiar cottons.