The best news is that we're back in full swing at The Knitter's Studio now and I have got some great new products to show you - and there's more to come as we start moving towards autumn. 

First up we have the fantastic Lorna's Laces/Soak Heel Yarn Kit which includes a skein of Lorna's beautiful Solemate Sock Yarn, plus a tub of Soak Heel Balm  - plus there is a little sample of Soak Wash in there for you to try. The yarn colours are just delicious, as is the Soak cream. The kit is neatly packaged up and would make a beautiful pressie. You can check it out   here.

We have also expanded our range of Namaste products - by adding the gorgeous Skinny Mini case, which would work beautifully as a knitting notions case (or a pencil case for that matter!). It comes in the beautiful range of Namaste colours and is a really good buy. If you want something to put into your Namaste products, you might also like the new Namaste Measuring Tape - available in Eggplant and White.

I've also added one more colour to our Kureyon Sock Yarn (217) - photos are coming, I promise, but it is in beautiful shades of purple/browns and oranges. 

There are many more goodies on order and I'm expecting them to arrive soon - so keep watching our blog, which I promise to update more frequently! And don't forget about our great newsletter - many of you got some fantastic bargains over the sale period thanks to your secret password, and of course you've added to your tally of products so you're on your way to receiving your $25 gift voucher.

We have also received a great little needle wrap from KnitPro that has been designed to hold your interchangeable needles and cables. It's a great size to through in your knitting bag if you're knitting on the go, and has plenty of elastics, pockets and flaps to keep all of your knitting gear safe. It's made from cotton and comes in one colour at the moment, Eden Trail, which is a lovely, fresh and bright mixture of greens and pinks.

Don't forget that we also stock gift vouchers that can be emailed to your friends, or posted directly. Although it feels like Christmas is a while away, if you're planning on ordering it's best to do it sooner than later as the postal system sometimes slows down in the lead up to Christmas, so give yourself plenty of time to get organised and receive your goodies.

The pattern uses a mix of the Alpaca Silk Georgette and Rare Comfort Kid Mohair - a perfect lightweight blend of the softest yarns. I think the appeal for me of this pattern is that it can be worn fairly casually, but you can also dress it up and it would look just as comfortable around your neck at a dressier event. It's also a fairly straighforward pattern as long as you're comfortable with yarn forwards.

There are two versions of the Ruffle Scarf in Jo Sharp's Knit Issue 9 book, one is worked as a simple scarf, the other is worked in the round and is worn as a cowl. Both look fabulous to me, and I am going to pick one and get started on it. Soon...

I can't speak highly enough of the softness and drape of the Audrey yarn - it really matches this project perfectly. The combination of silk and merino (50/50) and the beautiful hand dyed colour (Gloria Steinem) just make this pattern and this yarn the perfect combination.

The pattern itself is a complete breeze for experienced knitters, and is also a great starting point for those of you that want to venture a little into lace knitting, it gives you a chance to practise those first yarn overs, and knitting two together without too much going wrong. Aside from the edging to the shawlette, the rest of the piece is worked in garter stitch, which makes it truly straightforward. I worked my piece to the measurements suggested in the pattern and it's a perfect size. I also love that this piece can be completed in a relatively short period of time - there's nothing worse than having a piece sit in your knitting basket for months on end, it can really destroy your knitting motivation.

In an effort to minimise my anxiety about this situation I decided to cast on a lovely, light, summery shawlette. I haven't been a big knitter of shawls lately, but now that I've started this one I'm sensing that there's a bit of an obsession growing inside of me. I picked the Trillian Shawl from Ravelry (designer Martina Behm). It's a great piece if you want something that is very straightforward to knit, but has enough yarn overs and increases to keep you interested. (By the way, if you're just learning to knit lace, this is a great project to get started on, with only a few yarn overs and k2togs at the end of every second row of knitting.)

I trawled through the stash and decided to use some gorgeous Schaefer Yarn - I picked Audrey in colourway 'Gloria Steinem'. The Audrey yarn is 50% merino wool and 50% cultivated silk, and it's just beautiful to use. Best of all, I think the drape is going to work perfectly with this pattern, and the soft hand-dyed colours will add a lot to the fairly simple style of the shawlette. I will take some pics of the shawlette and post them when it's ready, which hopefully won't be too far off - like I said, I'm a little obsessed with it at the moment!

If you're a sock knitter you're going to love Yarn Magazine this month - there are no fewer than five different sock patterns included. There are also beautiful patterns for a Peacock Wrap, a Thai Garden Collar (amazingly beautiful), a cardigan, three tops and two beautiful hats (my favourite is the Full Bloom Hat - already on my To Do List).

Along with all of these amazing patterns are informative articles on Shearers and their Sheds, Lace Knitting (working with charts), Magic Cast On and Double Knitting.

Don't forget that Yarn is completely Australian made and owned, so it's a great chance to have a good look at what's happening in the world of Australian knitting. And also don't forget that we send out all of our orders on the same day that they are received, so if you order now you can have the magazine in your hands in just a few days!

Here's a little run down of what you'll find here, so far:

First up we have the classic Shepherd Sock Yarn, made from 80% superwash merino wool and 20% nylon. We have four beautiful colours to choose from, including a spectactular red and lovely soft lilac and baby stripe (blue/pink). And if you're looking for something with a little less colour we have Pin Stripe, which has variations of brown/grey and even a little navy/blue in it. 

We have also got plenty of stock in the Angel Yarn. You will not believe the softness of this yarn until you've held it yourself - it is just exquisite. It's made from 70% angora and 30% lambswool, and comes in smaller skeins with about 45 metres in each. Again, the colours are beautiful with greys, blues and reds all making an appearance.

Finally, for now, we have Helen's Lace. It's a mammoth skein with about 1100 metres in it, so it could easily make a beautiful shawl on its own. It's 50% silk and 50% wool, and the colours are just gorgeous - we currently have Jay Pond, Somerset and Watercolor. 

If you're looking at buying some Lorna's Laces let us know, I'd be happy to include your special order in our next order to them, saving you the postage from overseas. Otherwise, enjoy browsing through the start of our beautiful collection.

All you have to do is 'Like' our Facebook page and you're automatically in the draw. The winner will be announced this Friday, so make sure you get over there quickly so that you don't miss out on your chance to win this fantastic prize pack.

You can find our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/theknittersstudio. Come on over and join in the conversation!

So, seeing as I thought that winter was coming to a close I decided to pick a pattern that would be quick, and easy, and quick - like really quick because I needed it for the following Saturday (after the freezing cold Sunday). So I rifled through my patterns and found Jo Sharp's Double Moss Beanie - it's made from Silkroad Ultra (Cement) which is very bulky, and knit up using 7mm needles, all good signs for a quick project. I have a very small head (I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but you need to understand, it's really small - like the same size as my 7 year old's) so I decided not to make the very long slouchy beanie, and instead only knit about 23cm before beginning the decreases. This left me with plenty of room to fold up a brim and give my ears some extra warmth. And as an added bonus, I don't look like Dopey from the Seven Dwarfs when I wear it.

I'm really happy with the result, and as I reduced the size I only used two balls of yarn. However, it rained the following weekend and I still haven't had a chance to wear it, it does keep me warm when I'm wandering about inside the house though, and I'm sure it's going to do the job on the water too.

At the moment I'm working on Baby Bear by Susan B. Anderson - she's got to be one of the best knitted toy designers about at the moment and has some absolutely fantastic books out, like 'Itty Bitty Toys' and 'Spud and Chloe at the Farm'.  This bear was published in a free supplement that came with Knitting Magazine, but there are plenty of free patterns about for bears, pandas, crocodiles, and just about any other animal, shape or dolly you can think of. The best place to start is by going to Ravelry and doing a search for free toy patterns.

Baby Bear is being knitted up from left over Silk Garden sock yarn, hopefully in time for this Friday when my childrens' ex-kindergarten teacher goes on maternity leave to have her first baby. The advantage of using any of the Noro yarns for this project is that the colours make it suitable for either a boy or a girl. Usually, if I give the toy after the baby is born I will also wrap an appropriate colour ribbon around its neck, just to finish it off.