About a week ago I was pleasantly surprised to find the new Bergere de France catalog in my mailbox. I had signed up last year to receive their new catalog, which includes actual samples of some of their yarn within the catalog. It’s nice to see that I will be getting more of their catalogs now that I’m on their mailing list.
I’ve always loved the Bergere brand, and their patterns are beautiful. I haven’t tried making anything of theirs yet, but hope to sometime. Their website has lots of things to look at. I especially like their more modern patterns. They also have a good assortment of accessories too. They have a nice vintage box that opens up to carry all your sewing and knitting things. It’s a bit pricy, but it’s gorgeous.
I find it’s helpful when catalogs include pieces of the yarn they sell. When I buy yarn, I like to touch the yarn. I’m very particular about what yarn I like to knit with. It has to be soft, and it has to feel nice. And I like to know what the actual color is, as opposed to what it looks like in a photograph. This is why I generally don’t do a lot of online shopping for yarn, because I like to see it and touch it before I buy it.
Having samples allows me to do both, while still giving me the option of ordering it online or through the mail.
Looking through knitting catalogs and pattern books always relaxes me. I’ll sit with my coffee thumbing through each page, looking at the different patterns and accessories. This catalog always has such nicely done photographs. Seeing what others have been able to create with yarn often gets me in the mood to create my own. As it happens, I started a few new knitting projects in the past week. I’m currently working on a ripple stitch cowl, which is in this gorgeous yarn of many different colors.
Some of the other yarn/pattern websites that I like to check out include:
And, of course, Ravelry always has a good assortment of projects and patterns that inspire.