What's New at MrsMay? Wonderful New Mohair!

I was thrilled to find a great local source for the most wonderful mohair yarn....right in my own backyard. New England at least! Grand View Farm located in Vermont, has dyed up some luscious mohair for some new baby orbs and I just can't wait to try it.

Here is a close up of some of the yarn, and also some shots of what's to come....

Ready, Set, Grinch! Christmas Card Photographer Props MrsMay Yarns - Linda Maintanis

Ho, Ho, Ho. It's getting to be that time of year, and we know what that means at MrsMay! 

 Holiday Hats are being knit and sold on Etsy!

MrsMayYarns and Etsy have had me busy for months...getting ready for a very Grinchy holiday season!
Thanks to Heidi Hope Photography.

A New Year ahead and lots of new babies....

I am so excited about my newest project - a pink cocoon.
Girly-Girl Pink, with coils, and over 500 beads!
This is extremely cute.

Handspun in single ply thick and thin and then plied with black thread with black and clear beads, and coils along the way. It goes from quite thin to quite bulky.

I am searching for the perfect rosette to adorn the neckline...

My Simple Introduction to Entrelac - Basket Weave Bonnets by Linda Maintanis

Entrelac. That difficult looking knit stitch that really isn't.

I searched Ravelry for a pattern to try and began with the Entrelac Beanie. The stitch was easy to pick up and after a few rounds I started to enjoy myself. As each round expanded the pattern it became addictive; each tier adding contrast to the prior.

Knit in the round these simple hats were a joy to create and an easy way to prime my new skill for the upcoming Entrelac Gloves!

Knitting for Seven - Multiple Sweaters in Kid-Proof Acrylics MrsMay Yarns, Linda Maintanis

My mother made sweaters for me. And for my three children. And for their cousins.

She also taught me to knit. And eventually I knit sweaters for my own children.
So it just seemed natural that I would knit for my grandchildren too.

First time around were these comfy cable-knit sweaters in cream. With a hint of "Irish" style, these sweaters were knit using
Lion Brand Baby Soft acrylic? At the time I think I made these sweaters for four of the grandchildren.

With the passage of time there were three more grandchildren. Oh yes, I knit hats and mittens for them, and little toy animals. But I knew it was time for more sweaters.

That's how the navy project began. With four of them starting parochial school it seemed the best choice. Navy V-neck sweaters, again acrylic.
But this time six of them. I used the Brunswick Volume 656 for both patterns, the navy being a simple cable sweater, this time using Wool-Ease yarn.

The project is now complete, and nobody goes to the same school anymore. The sweaters are still going strong. Here is one of the cuties wearing her cozy sweater!

Chilly Autumn Triggers Knitting Holiday Gifts - MrsMay

 

November chills me in a way that makes me yearn for the strong warm sunshine of the summer past….Yet I also embrace the snuggle factor of jeans, sweaters and socks!

Fall is a season for knitting, if there ever was one. A time to look ahead perhaps, to the holiday season, and plan the handmade gifts that we’ll knit for lucky recipients. Toasty socks, Bella mittens, a fluffy muffler…all will chase off the chill that descends upon our December.

MrsMay Yarns has been quietly stocking her bins with angoras, mohairs and merinos. Hand spun by artisanal perfectionists. Brilliantly colored with organics dyes and unusual plying…..most from fiber collected from their own or neighboring farms. Yes, truly “Heirloom” yarns!

Photographer Props Sets - Ready to Ship!

Phew! What a month it has been. When I took my sticks and yarn to Saint Martin to build a chest of props I had no idea of what I was getting into. A month later I have finished a dozen sets of 6 pieces each and am ready to release the newest line of ready-to-wear props created just for baby photographers.

The 6 piece set includes a MrsMay Yarns' original design Peapod, and another MrsMay original, the Swaddleskin, in a coordinating shade. Within your color selection 4 hats round out the wardrobe; a fluffy Beanie, 2 variations of the Umbilical Cord Hat and a unique Stocking Hat.

Sets are available in 5 color families, PINKS, BLUES, NEUTRALS, HOLIDAY REDS and HOLIDAY GREENS.

MrsMay reveals Photographer Prop Sets!

Photographers have been contacting me for months with inquiry to purchase my handknit props. As seen at Heidi Hope Photography, their demand keeps growing. I set aside my other projects and began to develop a set that would arm their prop-chest.

MrsMay Yarns is proud to offer handknit newborn photography prop sets. Created as a resource for busy photographers to build their chest of props, all pieces are handknit by MrsMay using the finest organic, handspun, hand-dyed fiber.

The focal point of the set is an original design by MrsMay, the Peapod. The Peapod comes with another MrsMay original, the SwaddleSkin, in a color which will co-ordinate with your Peapod so you can swaddle a baby snugly before sliding into the pod.

4 hats come with your set, an infant Umbilical Cord Beanie, an infant Fluffy Beanie, an infant Stocking Cap and a standard acrylic infant Umbilical Cord Beanie.

Baby Girl: Pink solids and blends say GIRL out loud!

Baby Boy: Blue, Blue, Blue with light and dark shades too!

Baby Neutrals: Yummy shades of cream, green, yellow, whites...sometime soft, sometimes vibrant!

Holiday: Red and White, Green and White, and combos of any of the above...the holiday look that made MrsMay famous!

Baby Bella Mittens, Bella Booties and Hats....MrsMay Yarns in Warwick, RI creates ingenue knits for your little one!

The Baby Bella Mittens are finished and they are too cute! MrsMay Yarns is proud to introduce her new line of Bella knits for Baby. Baby Bella Mittens, Baby Bella Hats, Scarves and Booties.....all created in ultra-soft Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk yarn. Absolutely adorable. Most items are available as a pattern in PDF format files for quick do-it-yourself projects, and some handknit Bella Mittens are also in stock...more coming soon!

New Patterns Coming Soon at MrsMay Yarns, Warwick, RI

One of my favorite patterns, the Bella Mittens has inspired me to create some great new items.... Soon MrsMay will reveal what she's been working on under the hot, Miami sunshine! Working with the softest possible yarn, Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, I am knitting the most adorable baby items. Can't wait to show you!

Adorable Pixies and Gnomes - Yarn Shop Warwick, RI - MrsMay Yarns

Wow! Pixies and Gnomes..Gnomes and Pixies...The darkest days of winter have driven me deep into the forest of charm with wildly,woolly pointy-tipped hats. These are a riot to make and even more fun to see on the child... check out MrsMay Yarns for a pattern and yarn today.

MrsMay Yarns, Warwick, RI - As This Week Ends a New Year Begins...

Last year's Farmyard Playmats (from a Debbie Bliss pattern) are finally being completed; only to be upstaged by soft, fuzzy Pink Angora Bonnets for the girls. I found a great source for handspun, hand-dyed angora yarn at the Cozy Rabbit Farm. Located in New Jersey, this family takes the bunny business seriously. I can't wait to get this project going.

Also, this week, the MrsMay Yarns website has been tweaked and polished. Ready for business as they say....Well it can't hurt to list online what I already sell in the store!

Pink Cocoon