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Signature Needle Arts Closing Its Doors

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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.

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Have you read?

Stacking Stars Knitting Pattern

There are so many things I love about the Stacking Stars pattern from Frankie Brown.

First, it looks like a kid’s toy, which it totally could be, though the intent is to stack the stars into a Christmas tree bit of decor.

I love the rainbow gradient, which makes it all the more cheerful, and serves as a reminder that, while you can plan out your colors beautifully, you can also use your stash for your own brilliant hodgepodge of a star tree.

It includes patterns for nine different sizes of stars, from 2 inch to 6 inch, which makes the perfect pile to look like a tree. What’s more, these stars are worked in garter stitch, so it’s a pretty easy pattern, even if you’re new to knitting. And the stars are solid, so not only can you use them to make your own amazing stack of a tree, you can make more to decorate packages, use as Christmas tree ornaments, make a darling garland, or all of the above.

The pattern calls for DK weight yarn but of course you could play with the yarn weight, too, to make stars that are even larger or smaller than the ones shown. And the bigger ones are made by just working more repeats, so you could continue to work as established to make larger ones to suit all your crafty purposes if you like.

Frankie’s patterns are free on Ravelry, but they ask that people who enjoy their patterns send a donation to the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. Through the years they have raised more that £26,000 for the charity, which helps families of kids with liver disease. You can donate to Frankie’s fundraiser here. They have tons of great holiday projects and other designs you can check out on their designer page on Ravelry.

[Photo: Frankie Brown]

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