Tag Archives: fingering weight

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: October.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein of Smooshy comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes. $36 each, order while supplies last!

October’s skein sets are wild and bright, a mix of neons and jewel tones with streaks of speckled white.

Smooshy is a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength. There are so many wonderful sock patterns out there, but sometimes something simple is best, especially with such a highly variegated colorway – Madeline Gannon’s “Afterthought Heel Socks” are just the ticket.

We still have a handful of November 2019 Sock-It Club skein sets on hand, at $36 each – order online for local pickup or shipping!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Sock.

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We recently got a fresh supply of Malabrigo Sock to fill out our selection!

Malabrigo Sock:

  • light fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 440 yards/100g
  • $19.50 each

This soft, machine-washable merino wool is dyed in the vivid multicolor and semisolid colorways we’ve come to expect from Malabrigo. Sock is perfect not only for socks, but also shawls, scarves, lightweight sweaters, and baby things.

Colors this vibrant beg to be combined, whether it’s a semi-solid shade like Water Green that seems designed to complement the variegated Kris, or two classic Malabrigo blues that happen to go beautifully with our own anniversary colorway, Rite.

Here are some knit patterns for two shades of fingering weight yarn, put together in a variety of ways – held together for a marled effect, stranded, striped, and more!

  • “Zorzal,” by Lisa Hannes – crescent-shaped, color-block shawl, with short rows and stripes
  • “Pianta Bandana Cowl,” by Lavanya Patricella – brioche and garter stitch
  • “Rhubarb Cowl,” by String Revolution – marled, yarn held doubled throughout, with slip stitch columns
  • “Tidebreak tee,” by Tif Neilan – top-down, short-sleeved pullover, with slipped stitches and a bit of stranded colorwork at the yoke; worked with yarn held doubled throughout
  • “Confetti,” by Veera Välimäki – top-down, long-sleeved pullover, striped

Crocheters, I didn’t forget you! Check out these patterns for Malabrigo Sock:

Order online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail shipping. Though we’re closed to walk-in visits, we’re happy to send more photos and answer any questions you may have as you plan your project!

Dream in Color Pop-Up! Club: October.

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Dream in Color’s Pop Up! Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. October’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

This month, dyer Veronica was inspired by the irresistible colors of fall at a vineyard in Napa, and she painted some of them on Dream in Color’s aptly-named Smooshy Cashmere.

Smooshy Cashmere is perfect for a special pair of socks, like Dawn Henderson’s “Lyne Socks” or “Autumn Dawn Socks,” but for a larger project as the season slowly turns, a cozy shawl is just the thing. Consider Rebecca McKenzie’s “Francy Shawl,” Joji Locatelli’s “Venezia Shawl,” Tamy Gore’s “Pop Tart,” or Francoise Danoy’s “Whakahoahoa Shawl.”

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront remains closed to walk-ins!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: September.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein of Smooshy comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes. $36 each, order while supplies last!

September’s colorway is autumn in a skein, a variegated mix of plummy brown, golden yellow, and silver gray, with a semisolid burgundy mini skein that beautifully sets off the main colors. Dyer Veronica was inspired by a bit of wanderlust, imagining what it would be like to see the leaves change in Paris.

Smooshy is a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength. There are so many wonderful sock patterns out there, but sometimes something simple is best, especially with such a highly variegated colorway – Madeline Gannon’s “Afterthought Heel Socks” are just the ticket.

We still have a handful of older Sock-It Club skein sets on hand, all at $36 each – order online for local pickup or shipping!

Revisiting Room 606.

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As I created colorways for Isager Spinni and Highland Wool over the past couple of weeks, I found myself paging through an older book by Helga Isager, Amimono: Room 606. It’s a stylish collection of garments and accessories inspired by Danish modernist design and architecture of the 1960s, and makes use of a variety of Isager yarns.

Amimono: Room 606, by Helga Isager – $29

The “Vivi” pullover caught my eye in particular because it happened to pair the two Isager yarns I’d been playing with, Spinni and Highland Wool.

Isager Spinni: lace weight, single ply, 100% Danish wool, 328 yards/50 g; $12.50 each

Isager Highland Wool: light fingering weight, 2ply, 100% Peruvian Highland wool, 301 yards/50 g; $10 each

The two yarns have a slight difference in thickness and in texture, bringing interest to the overall slip stitch pattern.

Both Marianne and Helga Isager have a fondness for combining their yarns two or three strands at a time – this creates interesting color combinations and unique fiber blends. The Isagers share this with the folks at Shibui, so I’ve brought them together in the colorways that follow, for the “Malene” hat.

Shibui Silk Cloud: lace weight, 60% mohair, 40% silk, 330 yards/25 g; $26.50 each

Get in touch to order a copy of Room 606 for yourself – use our online order form!

Dream in Color Pop-Up! Club: September.

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Dream in Color’s Pop Up! Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. September’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

This month, dyer Veronica was inspired by the muted antique colors of dried flowers, and she painted some of them on Dream in Color’s aptly-named Smooshy Cashmere.

Shades of green dominate, from pale sage to deep forest, mottled with flecks of yellow, blue and brown.

Smooshy Cashmere is perfect for a special pair of socks, like Dawn Henderson’s “Lyne Socks” or “Autumn Dawn Socks,” but for a larger project as the season slowly turns, a cozy shawl is just the thing. Several months ago, I created colorways for Tamy Gore’s “The Drifter” shawl, and they caused such a stir, I decided to make a fresh batch with this new Pop Up! Club shade.

The rustic woolen-spun Tukuwool Fingering is an intriguing counterpoint to the luxurious Smooshy Cashmere, and the heathered colors play beautifully with these variegated skeins.

Tukuwool Fingering:

  • fingering weight
  • 75% Finnsheep wool, 25% Texel wool
  • 213 yards/50 g
  • $12.50 each

“The Drifter” is decorated with slipped stitches and stripes, and Gore provides instructions for using three shades or two.

If the two-color combinations especially speak to you, check out Joji Locatelli’s “Circle of Friends Shawl,” too!

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront is temporarily closed!

Soulful Slouchy Hat + Peerie.

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A recent Brooklyn Tweed restock brought some of the best-loved shades of Peerie back to our shelves. This got me thinking about Tif Neilan’s “Soulful Slouchy Hat,” just the kind of small colorwork project I love. It comes in a wide range of sizes, from toddler to adult large.

© Tif Neilan – tif handknits –

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% American merino wool
  • 210 yards/50 grams
  • $17.25 each

One skein in each color gives you enough for at least two hats, if you rearrange the color placement. Below are the four shades Neilan used in her own “Soulful Slouchy Hat,” pictured at the top of this post, an intriguing mix of classic navy and white and a couple of unusual earth tones.

Here are a few more color combinations I came up with for Tif Neilan’s “Soulful Slouchy Hat.”

Order online if one of these colorways sparks your curiosity, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup. Thanks for all your support through our temporary closure!

Hello again, Isager Highland Wool.

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A recent special order brought in a couple of new shades of Isager Highland Wool, reminding us of just how much we love this yarn.

Isager Highland:

  • light fingering weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 100% Highland wool
  • 301 yards/50 g
  • $10 each

Some years ago, I made Carol Feller’s “Carpino” holding Highland Wool together with Shibui Silk Cloud, which brought a lustrous, fuzzy luxury to the fabric. It left me wanting to work with Highland Wool again, in a context where its rustic simplicity could shine.

With that in mind, here are a few two-color patterns that make beautiful use of Highland Wool, and some color combinations to get you started!

  • “Pinwheel Mitts,” by Ella Austin – fingerless mitts in stranded colorwork
  • “Sento,” by Olga Buraya-Kefelian – triangular shawl in two-color brioche
  • “Alula,” by Clare Lakewood – triangular shawl in stripes/slip stitch pattern

If any of these patterns or colorways capture your imagination, order online for local pickup or shipping! We’re also happy to answer questions, to be your eyes and hands as you create other color combinations – we know it’s tricky to select colors without being able to come into the shop yourself, and they can look so different in photos than they do in person. Thanks for working with us during our temporary closure!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Rainbow Mountain.

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The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu.

Our most recent shipment from Koigu is Rainbow Mountain, another playful variegated colorway. These special skeins are predominantly pale yellow, streaked and spotted with whimsical pops of gold, orange, red, and lime green.

What to make with these pretty skeins? For a small project, try Dawn Henderson’s “Bonfire Socks” and “Block Party Socks,” or Laura Chau’s “Serviceberry Mitts.” For a larger project, Stephen West’s “Syncopation Adoration Shawl” came to mind, since Koigu plays so well with others. Here are a few ideas!

  • Koigu KPPPM: $15.50 each
  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: $29 each
  • Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering: $10 each
  • The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering: $22 each

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront is temporarily closed!

Back in stock: Zauberball Crazy.

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After nearly selling out of the stuff during our July sale, Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy is back!

Zauberball Crazy is a marled fingering weight yarn that slowly changes from one color to the next several yards at a time, so that whatever you’re knitting or crocheting with it comes out striped.

I love to see patterns that set off a self-striping yarn with a solid color – it can break up the stripes, softening the appearance, or draw attention to the construction of the garment. Here are a few pattern ideas:

We’re happy to help you find just the right solid color to set off the Zauberball Crazy in your next project, sending photos of several options, helping calculate yardage, and so on. We also keep the single-ply Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in stock, along with the sport weight Zauberball Starke 6 – get in touch with questions or to place an order!