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.

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway).

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her.

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed.

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting?

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks.

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along.

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options.

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry.

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]

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