It's finally the New Year, meaning we can bid adieu to the whirlwind of a year 2020 turned out to be! We're celebrating the new start with all of our holiday essentials - confetti, a whole bunch of bubbly, and a trusty project bag at our side. We attended virtual parties to ring in the new year with friends, and while it was strange, it was so nice to see their faces again! We turned our webcams on and danced to some of the top hits of the year that we still can't seem to get out of our heads.
But of course, we couldn't really celebrate without watching the Times Square Ball drop! Those 10 seconds of counting down always feel like they last an hour - we're too hyped to watch the ball drop! Did you know that the design changes every year to reflect the events that happened that year?

Speaking of designs, we've fallen head over heels for Biscotte Yarns Bis-Sock Autorayante yarn! This super-soft yarn is self-striping, making the pattern appear right before your eyes, er, needles!
Dyed by hand in Quebec, Canada, Bis-Sock is 85% Merino wool and 15% nylon, making for a springy base that's perfect for your next pair of socks! Each skein boasts 435 yards to curl up in!

Socks aren't the only thing you can make with these beauties, either! With a little bit of love and magic (math), these designers made the most out of the winding color shifts in Bis-Sock for something breathtaking and effortless on the maker's end!

Part of the fun of New Year's Eve lies in dressing to the nines! Whether you're a little black dress kind of gal or someone who may lean more toward cozier things like piles of scarves, all we know is that it's fun to dress up at any age! And we've found that our needles love dressing up too! Jimmy's SmartStix dressed up in a sleek wooden finish, bringing their smart design to new heights, and we gotta say, we're a little obsessed!

Jimmy's SmartStix Wooden Interchangeable Set decided to celebrate this momentous occasion by dressing in something a little different.
We're pleased to introduce the newest option for this deluxe set, which arrives in a Knitter's Pride case complete with a clear panel to view all of your well-dressed needles! Inside, you will find two "pages" worth of needles hiding a back pocket that holds all of your notions and cords!

Each set comes with 9 Smart 4" Knitting Needle Tips in US sizes 4-11, 5 Smart Cords in lengths 20"-40", and 5 Smart uses for you to save time, measure stuff, assess gauge, reduce clutter, and test yarn weight!

All That Glitters

Did you know that the tradition of releasing confetti in Times Square started in 1992? This magical sight happens every New Year's Eve, ringing in the new year with anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 lbs of confetti, some of which have handwritten resolutions on them! We're also delighted to know that each scrap of confetti is made of recycled, biodegradable material, most of which is recycled after the festivities are over.
To celebrate with something equally as magical, we're stuffing our project bags with some Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Glitter! TML + Glitter is where the fan-favorite fingering base and delicate sprinkles of glitter come together! Bundled up in a generous 420 yards per skein, Tosh Merino Light + Glitter is a single-ply fingering weight blend of 90% Merino wool, 8% acrylic, and 2% Silver Stellina! One skein can safely make a pair of socks, while two skeins can complete a full-size lace project! All of the wool Madelinetosh uses is ethically sourced in Peru, and the labels are printed on recycled materials - now THAT'S something to celebrate!
Each skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Glitter is hand-dyed with love by our stellar team in Fort Worth, TX. This means each skein is its own work of art without dye lots. When you order more than one skein of Madelinetosh yarn, our Beans match them visually for the best blending!

What Does Yarn and Bubbly Have in Common?

*POP!*
Sorry, we didn't mean to scare ya! New Year's Eve gives us the unique opportunity to indulge in some good ol' bubbly. We've fallen in love with the sound of laughter as another glass is poured - being careful not to spill, of course! It's not every day we get to pop a new bottle and pour ourselves a glass!

Though, it's also not every day we get to work with some pop - Universal Wool Pop, that is! Wool Pop is like the sister yarn to our beloved Bamboo Pop! The heathered appearance is due to how the wool and bamboo take dye differently, making it perfect for a soft look and feel.
This DK weight yarn is perfect for all sorts of accessories and larger garments, giving a cozy, lived-in aesthetic to your next project, which we can't seem to get enough of this season! Wanna know the best part? Each soft skein sports 284 yards!

Are you looking for something a little lighter? The cotton and bamboo blend of Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop Socks is the answer for those of us who are in search of that perfect sock yarn! Available in a cute "crazy ball", you could even juggle them!
This fingering weight yarn comes with 492 yards per ball, making it a great option for sock-making. Each ball is self-patterning, making your next project a piece of cake!

A Kiss for Good Luck!

Kissing beneath the mistletoe is fine and all, but what about the passion that comes with a kiss during the New Year's festivities? A sweet smooch, while fireworks are going off, is something we've always been so enamored with - just like in the movies! Though, as makers, we couldn't share our New Year's kiss with just anybody! That's why we saved it for the newest edition of Interpretations!

Interpretations is a collaboration between Joji Locatelli and Veera Valimaki. This passion project sees the melding of their worlds in beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated ways, showing off incredible stitch definition and sumptuous yarns!
Since 2020 presented its own set of challenges, all of the photography was taken on the same day from opposite sides of the world, proving that friendship and drive can withstand anything - even a pandemic!

Each edition of Interpretations draws inspiration from 6 words, building designs and color combinations based on, well, their interpretations of said words! This edition focuses on the themes of wonder, root, wild, natural, beyond, and light. We can feel the passion and love that went into this project, and we're so excited to cast on a few of these patterns for ourselves this year - watch out, world!

One of the most well-known traditions of New Years' is to set some goals for yourself to (hopefully) achieve in the following months. Some of the most common resolutions involve eating healthy, getting fit, and just enjoying life more. We felt so inspired to better ourselves after the wild ride that was 2020 that we gathered together with a few of the Beans to see what they had in mind for the new year.
Our Warehouse Wizard, Nate, likes to sing little tunes as he's out pulling orders and has decided to take that a step further by writing and recording a song (though we're hoping for a full EP) and releasing it to the world! He also plans to journal a lot more and practice some self-care. We are so stoked for this superstar to share his creations with us!
Purchaser Extraordinaire, Adrienne, is anticipating a lot of yarn in her future! She shared with us that her goal for the new year is to write, grade, and launch her first-ever sweater pattern! After a successful year of beautiful shawls and socks, we can't wait to see what that beautiful noggin is going to dream up!

The Tech Titan herself, Ashton, wants to spend more time with her favorite people - that would be her dog, and her girlfriend. She expressed interest in taking them kayaking and hiking, and just generally exploring the world in new and exciting ways for her and her family. She hopes travel will be safer in the future so they can spend time together in new places!
Want to learn more about what The Beans are planning this year? Check out our most recent Blog Post to see what kinds of resolutions they're trying to stick to!

Sarah's Logger's Hat

Keeping her noggin' warm this winter, Sarah's been on a roll when it comes to knitting up some hats - she's finished yet another one this month! This tightly-knit toque was designed for larger head circumferences, but is super easy to modify and great for beginners. Sarah modified it with her yarn choices and needle size while still keeping her finished product ultra-cozy!