Yarn Market Blog

W Hotel Seattle, site of the 2010 YMN Smart Business Conference

If you had told me this summer that we would sell out with more than 100 retailers attending this year’s Smart Business Conference, March 14-16 in Seattle, you could’ve pushed me over with a skein of cashmere.

Needless to say, I’m delighted. This is our third conference and will be by far the largest, doubling last year’s numbers. Way to go, YMN conference team!

People have asked me why this year’s conference has been so popular? I think it’s a combination of the location (Seattle being the birthplace of the LYS Tour), an improving economy, good buzz about past conferences and great speakers addressing pertinent topics. (Plus it doesn’t hurt that the W Hotel puts Bliss products in the bathrooms…)

I couldn’t be happier. With 100-plus registrants we’ll have an even greater critical mass for networking, sharing ideas and brainstorming. It’s going to be an action-packed three days.

See you in the Emerald City!

2010 Knit Kit

You may want to stock up on ‘em now: The Martha Stewart Show is featuring the knitting-notions gadget on March 9.

Outfitted with a row counter, tape measure, thread cutter as well as point protectors, stitch markers and TSA-approved scissors, the newly released 2010 Knit Kit is blue and has been upgraded with a two-sided crochet tool (previous versions had one-sided hooks) and the addition of a darning needle.

Not only are we thrilled for our Knit Kit colleagues, we are also delighted that the reigning doyenne of domesticity continues to promote the needle arts on the air waves and in the pages of her magazine.

Blogger Linda Permann, author of Crochet Adorned, has posted some crochet goodies that we thought we’d share. Among them:

City Crochet (above)–From Tahki Stacy Charles, a very modern collection of nine warm-weather patterns

Summer Crochet–Rowan’s first-ever all crochet booklet. Isn’t this a clean, crisp little number (below)?

Crochet just seems so right for spring.

Here are some of the words reporters are using to describe the trends that have emerged from New York’s Fashion Week: Cocooning.  Warm. Cozy. Chunky. Layered. Back to basics. Neutrals. Roomy.

In other words, good news for the yarn industry.

Look for tons of trapper hats, cowls, hoods, scarfs and leggings. And voluminous outerwear sweaters.

Check out the following links for insights from Bryant Park:

New York Times Fashion Week wrap-up video

Warm looks reported from LA Times blog

The “sweater-kini” by Victoria Bartlett

Yahoo says, “Cozy layers, wools set tone at NY fashion week“