Tag Archives: cotton

New colors in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave.

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Last week brought five new colors in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave!

Mojave is a sport weight blend of 60% cotton and 40% linen, with 185 yards on each 50 gram skein. It’s composed of five tiny 2ply yarns twisted together, for a yarn that’s smooth and soft but also strong, with the beautiful drape we expect from plant fiber yarns.

Mojave is perfect for warm weather stitching – here are some ideas for knitters and crocheters!

Knit with Mojave:

Crochet with Mojave:

Order online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail Shipping – do so during July for 15% off!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Sale Spotlight: Shibui Fern.

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Everything in our shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale! All month, I’ll be shining a spotlight on the yarns we have in stock – today, let’s look at Shibui Fern!

Shibui Fern:

  • sport weight
  • plied, matte
  • 100% organic cotton
  • 232 yards/50 grams
  • $19.50 each

Like all Shibui yarns, Fern is designed to be used on its own or mixed with other yarns for intriguing fiber and color blends. By itself on a US 4, the suggested gauge is 24 stitches over 4 inches.

What to make with Shibui Fern? Here are a few ideas:

Order online for local pickup or shipping via USPS Priority Mail!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Sale of the Week: Shibui Vine and Silk Cloud!

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We’ve decided to keep our doors closed through the month of June, though we’re still virtually open for online orders. As we have done throughout April and May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

We have two yarns on sale this week – Shibui Vine and Silk Cloud are 15% off from June 15 – 20!

Vine is a unique combination of 41% paper, 31% cotton, and 28% silk. The texture is notable, too – a flat yarn wrapped in lustrous, overlapping threads.

Silk Cloud is a lace weight blend of 60% mohair and 40% silk, a fuzzy and luminous yarn.

 

They’re very different, Vine and Silk Cloud, but together they make an incredible fabric: Vine is cool to the touch and brings elegant drape, and Silk Cloud brings unmatched softness.

“Torrent” is a textured triangular shawlette knit on the bias, holding Vine and Silk Cloud together. The pattern is available for free when you buy Vine and Silk Cloud here at our shop.

The “Torrent” below was made by Maxine, one of the biggest Shibui fans we know!

 

Hold matching colors of Vine and Silk Cloud together for seamless blending.

Or combine two different colors for high or low contrast marls!

You’ll need 2 skeins of Vine and 1 skein of Silk Cloud to knit a “Torrent” of your own.

  • Vine: usually $20 each; $17 at 15% off
  • Silk Cloud: usually $26.50 each; $22.50 at 15% off
  • Special Julie Hoover shades of Silk Cloud: usually $28.50 each; $24.25 at 15% off

Head to our online order form if you’d like to place an order – it’ll be on sale through June 20. Thanks for all your support!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Sale of the Week: BC Garn Bio Balance!

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We’ve decided to keep our doors closed through the month June, though we’re still virtually open for online orders. As we have done throughout April and May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

Our next Sale of the Week is 15% off BC Garn Bio Balance, from June 8 – 13!

Bio Balance is a GOTS certified organic yarn from Danish company BC Garn. It’s a sport weight blend of 55% wool and 45% cotton, a combination that brings the best of both fibers to the yarn. The wool lends elasticity and loftiness to the cool, soft cotton, and the result is a nice balance of animal and plant fibers, and smooth, well-behaved fabric.

This makes Bio Balance an especially good fit for our warm climate here in North Carolina. Here are some patterns to consider:

Usually, Bio Balance is $10 per skein; at 15% off, it’s $8.50 each. Head to our online order form if you’d like to place an order – it’ll be on sale through June 13. Thanks for all your support!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Hello, BC Garn Bio Balance.

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We’re delighted to announce that our first new yarn for the fall season has arrived! Meet Bio Balance, from BC Garn.

BC Garn is a family-owned, ecologically-minded yarn company out of Denmark. Many of their yarns are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), so we feel confident that they are produced safely and responsibly, from the fiber to the dye.

Bio Balance is one of those certified organic yarns, a sport weight blend of 55% wool and 45% cotton. This combination brings the best of both fibers to the yarn. The wool lends elasticity and loftiness to the cool, soft cotton, and the result is a nice balance of animal and plant fibers, and smooth, well-behaved fabric.

This makes it an excellent sweater yarn, especially in our warm climate. A browse through Bio Balance projects on Ravelry shows that many knitters use it for sweater-making – here are few patterns to consider:

  • “Tegna,” by Caitlin Hunter – a stockinette tee with lace at the bottom edge
  • “June,” by Julie Weisenberger, of cocoknits – a top-down puff-sleeve pullover
  • “Sanctuary,” by Stephanie Earp – a top-down cabled tee, from Pom Pom Quarterly, Summer 2019 – we still have copies, if you missed this beautiful issue when it first came out!
  • “Kalaloch Pullover,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn of Kelbourne Woolens – an oversized lace yoke sweater
  • “Yume,” by Isabell Kraemer – a top-down lace yoke pullover, with options for short or long sleeves

Because this yarn can be gently machine-washed, it’s great for baby and children’s garments, too:

  • “Wee Envelope,” by Ysolda Teague – a stockinette pullover with a yoke knit side-to-side
  • “Nemo,” by Rebekka Mauser – a textured, color block henley
  • “Hosenmatz,” by Mayumi Kaliciak and Antje Litzmann – baggy baby pants

Look for Bio Balance in the sport weight section here at our shop!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Graphique.

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August is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample til the end of the month.

This month’s sample is “Graphique,” a small striped kerchief knit with Shibui Fern. It’s worked in the round, from the center out, in a stripe pattern that makes concentric squares.

Fern is a sport weight organic cotton, with 232 yards on each 50 gram skein. Two skeins is plenty for this little project – just one in each color. Which two would you choose for a “Graphique” kerchief? It looks quite classic in this high-contrast combination, but I’d be interested to see a more subtle version, too.

Come by the shop to before August 25th to see “Graphique” and get Shibui Fern at 10% off to make one of your own!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Back in stock: Isager Japansk Bomuld.

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Last week brought a big box from Isager, filled to the brim with Japansk Bomuld.

Japansk Bomuld is a lustrous lace weight cotton tape, with 344 yards per 50 gram ball. It was one of Isager’s new yarns last Spring, and remains one of the most unique plant fiber yarns in our shop. The knit fabric is crunchy and cool to the touch, ideal for spring and summer tops and accessories.

I’m making a Churchmouse “Alexandra’s Airplane Scarf” as a shop sample, so I’ve spent some time with this unusual yarn. I cast on with this eye-catching chartreuse and planned to select the other two colors as I go. I was inspired by a bit of show and tell from last summer, Carribeth’s own “Airplane Scarf.”

While lower contrast combinations also appeal, I decided to go for a high contrast color combination like Carribeth’s, and I’m liking the results so far.

Though the Isager Japansk Bomuld palette is small, there are plenty of intriguing color trios available – here are a few to consider.

 

Look for more pattern inspiration on our Lace weight Pinterest board, and come by the shop to see Japansk Bomuld itself!

Hello, Bamboo Pop.

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We’re excited to announce that two new yarns have just arrived, well-suited to the warm weather of the season. Say hello to Universal Bamboo Pop and Bamboo Pop Sock!

Both Bamboo Pop and Bamboo Pop Sock are smooth, soft, plant fiber yarns, composed of bamboo and cotton.

Bamboo Pop is a DK weight, with a suggested gauge of 5.25 – 6 stitches per inch on needles between US 5 and 7. It’s composed of 50% cotton and 50% bamboo, plant fibers that are lustrous and have beautiful drape. These qualities make Bamboo Pop ideal for summer accessories and tops. Consider Churchmouse’s “Simple Tee,” Shellie Anderson’s “Nova,” or Courtney Kelley’s “Sonora.”

Bamboo Pop Sock is a fingering weight yarn, composed of 55% bamboo, 37% cotton, and 8% nylon – an addition that gives the yarn enough elasticity to make socks. It comes in self-patterning colorways, for simple knitting and fun results.

Come by the shop to plan your warm-weather knitting! We look forward to seeing you there.

Shibui Sample of the Month: Torrent.

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May is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample until the end of the month.

This month’s sample is “Torrent,” a textured triangular shawlette knit on the bias. The pattern is available for free when you buy Shibui Rain here at our shop.

It’s made with two skeins of Shibui Rain, a DK weight mercerized cotton unlike any mercerized cotton we’ve seen. Its silky lustre and chainette construction set it apart from more traditional plied cottons, adding a bit of elasticity where plant fibers typically have none.

Come by the shop to before May 26th to try on “Torrent” and get Shibui Rain at 10% off to make one of your own!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Hello, Shibui Vine.

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Meet Shibui’s newest yarn, Vine!

Vine is a unique combination of 41% paper, 31% cotton, and 28% silk. The texture is notable, too – a flat yarn wrapped in lustrous, overlapping threads.

Vine is in the DK weight section, though the suggested gauge ranges from 4.5 – 5 stitches per inch.

I knit a swatch on US size 6 needles, washed and blocked it, and the resulting fabric is lightweight and a little crunchy, though it drapes gently. It seems the perfect material for knitting spring and summer tops.

That’s just what Anne is making with Vine, in fact. Below is her “Amos” in progress, using Shibui Fern with Vine for subtle textural stripes.

Come by the shop to see Vine and other Shibui yarns – we keep Pebble, Cima, Silk Cloud, Lunar, Staccato, Reed, Birch, Twig, Fern, Rain, Echo, Maai, and Drift in stock, and have knit samples in most of them. We also have a new sample borrowed from Shibui each month, to spark project ideas and give a tangible sense of how these yarns knit up. We hope you find inspiration here!