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Cotton Lover's E-News | celebrating the natural fibers you have

January 22, 2014

Irene Schmoller Shadow Weave Shawl

All work and no play makes for a dull mail order business and a grumpy owner!

So every year I take off to Southern California and attend TNNA: The National Needarts Association

This year it was in warm and sunny San Diego where daytime temps were in the high 60's and the nightlife was jumping!

It's a wonderful opportunity to touch and feel and immerse myself in all the newest the fibearts market has to offer. It's a great way for me to connect with suppliers, gather information about new yarns and patterns and to get a feel for trends in knitting, crochet and weaving. Most of all I love reuniting with so many friends I've made these past 35 years in the business.

So what are the hottest trends and new products for 2014? As you can see from these pictures, lace continues to rule! Quick & easy short lace shawls dominated the show. Wonderful new fiber combinations from Berroco, Classic Elite and Tahki/Stacy Charles include a silk/cotton/rayon blend yarn; a cotton/alpaca yarn (an experiment for us adding an animal fiber) and my absolute #1 show favorite, a 100% USA Made Organic Cotton yarn from Appalachian Baby Designs. It is the softest cotton yarn I've seen in a very long time!

Colors? Hot & spicy Asian-flavored curries; clear and rich summer pastels with a sunshine intensity. Pairing soft pastels with vivid brights creates a colorful equilibrium. Inspired by a mixture of blooming flowers, travels abroad, and strong, confident women (that's us!), designers are using color to refresh, revive and defy conventional color wisdom.

Texture and technique? Lace, Lace, Lace everywhere! From stylish shawls to baby blankets and tops, finer yarns with an emphasis on open work. Plus cables continue to dominate, especially for babies and toddlers.

You'll be seeing all this as I put together our fashion line for 2014 with lots of new knit and crochet kits as well as our continued emphasis on weaving and spinning.

The best is yet to come, so stay tuned: open upcoming emails, connect with us on Facebook and Ravelry and be part of the Cotton Clouds' family of all things natural and good in your fiber arts world!

Happy Spring 2014!

Irene & Jodi

Irene & Robin Go Shopping

at TNNA 2014

We always have fun shopping and planning designs for Handwoven magazine!

At Cotton Clouds, we strive to make your shopping experience hassle-free by providing you with quick links from yarns, to patterns to kits and great color choices to fit almost every taste and style

If you can't find something you are looking for, be sure to give us a call at 1-800-322-7888 or email me with your question or request.

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