Dear Friends of The Blue Purl,
New beginnings call for resolutions and, in a typical New Year we might list ours in this letter to you.
But today we carry on; we do not start over.
We carry on with our commitment to serve you in a safe, family-friendly, creatively inspiring shop.
We carry on focused on what today can be, not what the day has served up to us.
We carry on dedicated to learning and teaching, from you and for you.
The Blue Purl made it through the first year of the pandemic, thanks to you, your support, patience and enthusiasm for our craft. We hope that in return, we helped you make it through, too.
As we have said over and over, we cannot control all the world throws at us, but we can control how we respond. It may be a bit hokey to lean on historical quotes to make a point, but we embrace hokey :) so today, we want to offer up words from an American pioneer, Henry Ford.
“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right,’’ Mr. Ford said.
How many do you think told him he was crazy to try to invent a horseless carriage?
We can’t all be Henry Ford, Marie Curie, or Steve Jobs. But we can all step out of our comfort zone, take on a project that seems beyond our abilities, and try, try, try. Be as creative as you dare. Believe you can. Take on that cabled sweater, attempt to fix those mistakes, little by little - it's how you learn.
In these early days of the year, as the days ever so slowly get longer, please remember the first thing we must do, is to love each other, because from care and empathy, comes success, for everyone.
connect + create
Patty, Wendy & TBP Team
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SEE WHAT WE'RE UP TO! FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
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Winter hours: Tue. - Fri. 11-4
Saturday 11-3
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4 customers at a time are allowed in the shop for half hour shopping.
- Face masks MUST be worn.
- Phone/facetime/email sales and curbside pickup will continue
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Please limit your in-person visit to 30 minutes when we have others waiting.
- We have 30 min scheduled appointments for shopping. Call us at 973-377-5648 for a scheduled appointment.
- We can NOT offer knitting help/fixing mistakes in the shop at this time due to social distancing guidelines. Thank you for understanding. Call us and we'll try to arrange for help.
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Not Quite Ready- Mea Culpa |
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We spoke too soon & we are very sorry. The recent Covid-19 numbers made us re-think our plan to have Keri offer help on Mondays in the shop. We're concerned about a post-holiday surge much like post- Thanksgiving and we'd rather be cautious. We don't want to risk our customers, our employees, or our community. It's not worth it right now. This plan is in our back pocket, ready to be pulled out as soon as we feel the numbers make it safer to do so. Again, we apologize for back tracking for the time being. |
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Learn to Crochet - Windowpane |
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Level - Very Beginner
Instructor - Carolyn Hanson
Class dates - Wed Feb.3,10,17
Class time - 6:30 - 8 PM
This geometric scarf pattern is easy and showcases any beautiful yarn you choose. A great starting project.
Skills Taught: You will learn the basics of crochet, making a chain, basic stitches, how to read a pattern and a chart.
Class fee: $35 + supplies from The Blue Purl-need to use DK or worsted yarn
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Your 1st Sweater: Button Front Baby Pullover |
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Level - Intermediate
Instructor - Keri Samuels
Class dates - Friday Feb. 5, 12, 26
Class time - 9-10:30
This is an adorable little pullover and is sure to be a favorite of new moms. Buttons on one side of the raglan line makes it easier dressing the baby, and the edges are ribbed. You can make it a solid color, add stripes or use self-striping yarn to customize the design. It’s knitted top-down, and the sleeves are knitted in the round, so there are no seams. Add 2 cute buttons and you’ve got a darling baby gift!
Class fee: $35 + supplies from The Blue Purl
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Class:
Level - Beginner 2 - Good second project
Instructor - Keri Samuels
Class dates - Thurs. Feb. 11, 18, 25
Class time - 4:30-6 PM
This is a cute, fun-to-knit blanket that will be perfect for any lucky baby! The pattern is based on a traditional quilt pattern and is created by making garter stitch rectangles and then picking up stitches along one edge and continuing to add to the blanket seamlessly. The finished blanket is approximately 22’ x 24” but could be made larger by adding “layers” or using thicker yarn.
Class fee: $35 + supplies from The Blue Purl
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New year, new yarn & new kits, even one exclusive to us! |
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The Blue Purl 1-Row Easy Peasy Fancy Scarf |
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It's a long name with only 1 row of instructions but we love it! Tam made up a simple pattern inspired by sequence knitting & we love how fun & easy it is. Yes, she binged Bridgerton on Netflix while knitting the sample, but everyone needs some brain candy sometimes.
This unisex scarf is worked in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, a very soft and warm fiber, that works perfectly for this pattern. The scarf uses 1 ball each of 4 colors and a size US 6 needle. All you need to know is how to knit & purl, no decreases, increases or crazy tricks, this is a great 2nd project for a beginner.
Of course we created colorful kits in 4 colors, along with the free pattern, priced at $50. This pattern is only available through us, you won't find it on Ravelry. Find the kits online or in store. |
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The name says it all. We love a cute little beret by ConnieLene Johnston. Sure, you can't actually take it to Paris right now, but wear it while enjoying a croissant au chocolat & cafe au lait and dream, maybe we can travel again by Fall.
Our kit uses 2 balls of Rowan Cashmere Tweed, a soft classic yarn. The pattern is free & included with each kit for $25! Find it online or in the shop.
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A simple, advanced beginner-level shawl, this piece uses Claudia Lust, a silk/merino lace weight held with Rowan Kidsilk Haze. The shawl starts with a simple 3-stitch cast on using a US 6 needle. You'll practice yarn-overs & simple decreases & increases with this project. This is a good first shawl for beginners ready to try simple lace work. We have kits set up (free pattern by Finicky Creations included) online or in the store. |
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New Lichen and Lace Worsted |
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We can not stop gazing at these beautiful colors from our latest shipment of Lichen and Lace worsted! We have sweater quantities, shawl quantities (see Jen Weissman's latest shawl pattern below) and more. All of our Lichen & Lace is available online and in our shop, while supplies last. Email or come visit us to get ideas for this gorgeous colorful yarn. |
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Baah's January 2021 color is here and it is gorgeous! We love this color with a light gray or or a yellowish green.. there are so many possibilities. We even love it on its own, maybe in the free pattern Close to You by Justyna Lorkowska or Joji Locatelli's latest pattern- Lightweight Hipster.
Find both patterns on Ravelry and the yarn is available online or in our shop. |
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Our friend, Jennifer Weissman just released a new shawl to start the new year, the Two Tendrils Shawl. Much like her Two Tendrils cowl (shown at our virtual trunk show last Fall) this shawl has 2 beautiful cables down the center to mimic a botanical motif. Worked in DK weight yarn, she says you can easily substitute with worsted for a heavier, bigger wrap.
We love how hand dyed yarns like Tosh DK or Lichen & Lace Worsted looks with this gorgeous pattern. You'll need 4 skeins of either yarn. We picked out a few colors of Tosh DK to show you but we have so many beautiful Lichen & Lace colors to choose from, it was hard to decide.
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Over the holiday week, we received a huge shipment of Kelbourne Scout, in lots of colors and sweater quantities. We were so deep in holiday kits, we forgot to tell you about these.
We pulled together a bunch of ideas that would be great for this yarn and collected them in a Ravelry page to share with you.
Check out the Ravelry Bundle of patterns here. Our entire inventory of Scout is available online or in the shop, as usual. |
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We just got a small re-stock of these popular Plystre project bags. These beauties are continually backordered and we are always on a waitlist for more. We only received a few, so hurry, they go fast. Available in store only. |
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4 Super Easy Crochet Patterns for Beginners |
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Here are 4 really great beginning projects. If you've taken our beginning classes you have learned everything in these patterns - chaining, single, half double, double, triple crochet. These are small repetitive projects - once you figure it out in the beginning, you'll just rip through it. YOU CAN DO IT! New Year = New Skills
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Plain & Simple Dish Cloth/Wash Cloth by Laurie Laliberte: This super simple wash cloth made in a nice linen or cotton would be a super gift with a lovely soap.
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Simple Fingerless Gloves by Chassity Oquendo - Cute easy Fingerless gloves. You'll get hooked on making multiples of these! And they're unisex!
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Simple Crochet Baby Poncho by Bernat Design Studio - Cute and quick - connect at the shoulder.
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Beginner Crochet Throw by Marty Miller - Simple, elegant. Change colors and stripe it. Make the after border in a different color - play with it!
HAVE FUN!
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Dot made her Victoria Wrap by Bobbi Intveld with Shibui Stacatto - miss that yarn! Would be great with mYak Tibetan Cloud, which also has a beautiful drape! |
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Wow what a baby sweater! Caren knitted this adorable sweater with Cascade 220. Hazel is designed by Susan Mills Knits. It has beautiful cables and moss stitch. An instant heirloom. Yay Caren! So good! |
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Bonnie used Lichen and Lace (we just got an amazing shipment in!) for Jared Flood's Guernsey Wrap. This is a stunning shawl. Awesome Bonnie! |
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Susan was busy and also made this Casapinka early pandemic hit, the Olive Pink shawl from one of our kits made with Baah's LaJolla and Mad Tosh. It's great Susan - Enjoy! |
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Lisa made our Corsica Stroller Blankie from one of our kits. Fun and easy to knit - Lisa put her own spin on the striping... A Blue Purl fav! Gorgeous Lisa! |
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New Year Resolution - More Excercise |
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Can you relate? I'm sure it's a photo bomb but it's still pretty funny.
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