TNNA!

It's always so invigorating to go to the National Needlearts Association shows. In addition to seeing face-to-face so many industry friends, and seeing tons of new designs and yarns, this is the first chance to get some real feedback on our new colors for the upcoming season. What did I hear most in the Fairmount Fibers booth? "Wow!" Even more often, "WOW!" Yes, Maxima now comes in 6 semi-solid colors as well as the original 11 space-dyed colorways. And in keeping with Maxima's playful, youthful feel, the new colors are BRIGHT. Use them as accents with the space-dyed colors, or make traffic-stopping accessories; these colors are guaranteed to liven up any dull winter day. What I couldn't keep my hands off was the new Clasica space-dyed colorway called "Tabby." All four of the new Spring colorways use the Naturals base, so the marl effect of the naturally-colored wool comes through the dye. It's hard to explain unless you see it, and even for those of us looking at it, it was hard to imagine how it would knit up. The first shipment arrived just as we were leaving for TNNA, so I cast on: Amazing, huh? Everyone at the show agreed that the new overdyed colors are beautiful. I can't get over how complex the effect is, almost like the subtle stripes in the fur of a tabby cat. Best of all, they're in stock now!