Blog
Published March 26, 2024 | By Julia
Spring is here – time to reach for plant fiber yarns! Meet our newest arrival, Cascade Botanika.
Cascade Botanika:
- sport weight
- speckled with natural dyes
- 100% organic cotton
- 328 yards/100g
- $12.50 each
Botanika is a soft and smooth organic cotton yarn, dyed with natural pigments sourced from plant leaves, roots and flowers. We have six speckled colors, dyed with the likes of indigo, madder, marigold, and mulberry leaf.
What to make with Botanika? Here are some pattern ideas in adult sizes:
Soft, smooth, machine washable cotton is ideal for baby things, too – here are a few patterns to consider:
Look for Cascade Botanika in the sport weight section here at HYS, along with other plant fiber yarns, like Kelbourne Woolens Skipper, Mojave, and Cascade Ultra Pima Fine!
Published September 8, 2011 | By Julia
The season of shop sample knitting continues unabated. As soon as the Linen Stitch Scarf sample was completed, I cast on for this next piece, a sample to show off two new things at once. The yarn is a new dk weight washable merino from Plymouth, and the pattern, Retro Scarf, is one we have … [more]
Published September 6, 2011 | By Julia
A customer and I were chatting recently about the joys of sock knitting. Specifically, we were waxing rhapsodic on the joys of simple sock knitting–not the intricate colorwork socks that I often daydream of, nor socks adorned with various combinations of cable twists and lace, but basic stockinette or ribbed socks. “Socks are friends,” she … [more]
Published September 5, 2011 | By Julia
For the past month or two, Anne and I have been working on shop samples at an accelerated rate. As new yarns and kits arrive for fall, new ideas for showing them off are coming to us faster than we can knit them up. Eventually, though, we do finish them, and then proudly display them … [more]
Published September 4, 2011 | By Julia
New to the shop this week: Interweave’s yearly reminder to start working on holiday gifts before it’s too late. The 2011 issue of Holiday Gifts is full of ideas, from hats and mitts like those pictured on the cover to socks, scarves, shawls, children’s things, and other garments. Here, take a look inside. Find it … [more]
Published September 1, 2011 | By Julia
Yes, I know I’ve already gushed at length about the Marion Foale 3 ply wool. But we got something really special in the mail last week: a handknit sample from Marion Foale Knitting Collection 1, a sweater named Isobel. This picture hardly captures the color, and certainly obscures the detailed work that went into this … [more]
Published August 30, 2011 | By Julia
We were approached recently by a woman who, as a former sheep owner, had an excess of unspun wool. She showed Anne a few puffs of roving, dyed in a handful of solid hues, and explained that this one was 100% Shetland wool, while that one was a blend of Cotswold and Shetland, with some … [more]
Published August 28, 2011 | By Julia
With August comes the new Fall yarns, and here is one of our most exciting acquisitions of the season: Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, out of Harrisonburg, VA. Anne fell in love with a silk sweater she saw at TNNA in June, and the rest is history, which is to say, the makings of that silk … [more]
Published August 25, 2011 | By Julia
This week, we got some beautiful new needle felting kits from Fiber Trends. The kit comes with everything you need to start needle felting: instructions, needles, a foam mat to work on, and twelve colorful puffs of roving. If you’re interested in needle felting, check out one of the Ravelry groups devoted to the craft: … [more]
Published August 23, 2011 | By Julia
The Kusha Kusha scarf gets a lot of attention at the shop. This is in part because of its unusual, organic-looking shape, almost like a strand of kelp. Another reason to take note of this scarf is its fiber content. Kusha Kusha is knit with two strands of lace weight yarn held together, one of … [more]
Published August 21, 2011 | By Julia
For whatever reason, we’ve been flush with Lantern Moon shipments recently. Whether it’s a many-pocketed project bag or a splendidly shiny button, Lantern Moon seems to make all of the goodies that knitters and crocheters go for–save for yarn, of course. Our latest box from Lantern Moon brought the usual batch of Meadow Pouches, allowing … [more]