Signature Needle Arts Closing Its Doors

I’m a few days behind on this news, but per their Facebook page, Signature Needle Arts has begun the process of closing down.

Owner Cathy says she recently retired from Bothe Associates (the machine shop that made the needles) and “I simply don’t have the energy to continue to shepherd Signature in the coming years.”

Their final sales began last week, and accessories, kits, yarn, books and patterns are now 20 percent off. The announcement said there are currently no plans to discount the needles, which are beloved in the knitting community and carry a high price tag.

The website says that all sales are final and orders and being processed on a first come, first served basis. There is no guarantee items will be available because of the high volume or orders, and shipping is delayed at least five days as they work through orders.

The company made interchangeable circular knitting needles, fixed circular small circumference sock needles, double pointed knitting needles and single point needles. They also sell accessories, a selection of yarn and pattern kits, and a selection of patterns. It was founded because Cathy, who was president of Bothe Associates, was struggling with knitting fuzzy yarn and wanted needles with sharper points. She had the needles made at the shop and the stiletto point was born. They also make “middy” and blunt tips for knitters who prefer a less-sharp point.

I was poking around this morning and it looks like some needles have sold out already, so if you want to get some you should check in and order quickly. The note says items may go out of stock and not come back, but others may reappear as they work on finishing products in progress.

The note did say they are open to serious inquiries about selling the business, so there’s a chance someone out there will be able to take over the company and keep these great needles coming.

Next Pattern:

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

Next Pattern:

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