Cliff Hat.

Posted by Julia on December 4, 2013

Speaking of Shibui, I recently finished a new shop sample with Shibui Pebble: the Cliff Hat.

The Cliff Hat is a slouchy colorwork beanie, a free pattern from Shibui. I used the colors called for in the pattern, colors I might never have thought to put together myself, but which make a beautiful gradient in this easy-to-memorize colorwork motif.

The hat is knit with two strands of Pebble held together throughout, which makes a nice cohesive fabric, soft enough to slouch a bit, but sturdy enough to feel substantial and warm on the head. The two-stranded Pebble swatch I’d knit for the shop is lofty and open by comparison, proof that yarns can be happy at many different gauges; it all depends on what kind of fabric you’re hoping to create.

Come by the shop to see this new Shibui sample, and select colors for a Cliff Hat of your own!

Shibui swatches.

Posted by Julia on December 2, 2013

Since Shibui Cima, Silk Cloud, and Pebble arrived last month, I’ve enjoyed seeing more and more projects come together with one or more of these yarns. Folks are planning cowls, shawls, mitts, and hats with the stuff, and I’ve cast on for a pullover knitting Silk Cloud together with Isager Highland. I’ve also enjoyed the task of knitting Shibui swatches for the shop in all three yarns and all manner of yarn combinations.

First, I knit a swatch in each yarn, following the suggested gauge on the ballband.

Next, I knit swatches in each of the yarns held double.

Then came the most fun: I made a swatch for every possible combination of the three yarns.

Each yarn brings its own characteristics to the finished fabric when combined; Cima lends a certain bounciness to whatever yarn it accompanies, Pebble gives a loftiness and tweedy texture, and Silk Cloud shimmers beneath its fuzzy mohair halo.

I noted the gauge and needle size for each swatch, but don’t limit yourself to these gauges alone. Like all yarns, this trio can be worked up at a wide range of gauges for different kinds of fabric and purposes.

Our Shibui Mix Party may be full, but you can still come by the shop to see and touch these swatches, which give a tangible sense of how Shibui yarns play together. Follow our “Inspiring Stitches” board on Pinterest for pattern suggestions for these and other HYS yarns. See you at the shop!

Hello, Pebble.

Posted by Julia on November 8, 2013

Last week, I gave a brief introduction to Shibui here on the blog–their yarns, patterns, “mix” concept for combining yarns, beautiful coordinated colorways, and luxury fibers. This week, I wanted to give each of the three Shibui yarns we carry a chance to shine. Having given Cima and Silk Cloud the spotlight earlier in the week, it’s time for Pebble.

Pebble is a lace weight blend of 48% recycled silk, 36% wool, and 16% cashmere, boasting 224 yards on each 25 gram skein. This carefully crafted blend of fibers feels soft on the skein, but softer still once it’s made up into fabric. Each of Pebble’s three plies is made of a separate fiber, so that you can see how each one takes the dye somewhat differently. Its tweedy look sets it apart from the other Shibui yarns we carry, and indeed, from most other yarns you’ll find in the “Lace Weight” section of the shop.

Pebble is Shibui’s newest concoction, and it’s been introduced this fall along with a series of knitting patterns that make use of it held singly or doubly. You’ll find the Pebble pattern collection in the Shibui binder at the shop, which gives a preview of each Shibui pattern. If you find a pattern you like, you can buy it from us as a Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sale and we’ll print a copy for you and send a digital copy to your email or Ravelry library.

This colorwork-yoked sweater, “Cliff,” is another Shibui garment we fell in love with at TNNA. Pebble has a bit of a fuzzy halo when it’s knit, washed, and blocked, and it was the softness and delicacy of this yarn that turned our heads towards Shibui in the first place.

Look on the Shibui website for the Cliff Hat, a free pattern for Pebble. When searching for other pattern ideas, remember that Pebble is a lofty lace weight yarn, comfortable at a range of gauges. When held double, or paired with Silk Cloud or Cima, Pebble makes a dk weight, so you might hunt through your Ravelry queue for patterns with a suggested gauge of about 5.5 stitches per inch. Follow us on Pinterest for more Pebble pattern ideas; our “Inspiring Stitches” board is a collection of patterns and projects that make good use of yarns that are available at HYS. I’ve been pinning Shibui pattern ideas all week, so if you’re seeking Shibui inspiration, look for us on Pinterest.

Come by the shop to see Pebble, Silk Cloud, and Cima, and to peruse the Shibui pattern binder. There are still some open spaces in our upcoming Shibui Mix Party–you can sign up on our website, where you’ll also find information about our latest classes. See you at the shop!

Hello, Silk Cloud.

Posted by Julia on November 6, 2013

Last week, I gave a brief introduction to Shibui here on the blog–their yarns, patterns, “mix” concept for combining yarns, beautiful coordinated colorways, and luxury fibers. This week, I wanted to give each of the three Shibui yarns we carry a chance to shine. Having given Cima the spotlight earlier in the week, it’s time for Silk Cloud.

Silk Cloud is a lace weight yarn composed of 60% kid mohair and 40% silk, boasting 330 yards on each 25 gram skein. Mohair is tremendously fuzzy and warm, its halo filling in the gaps a bit when knit or crocheted at larger gauges. And while silk is a common ingredient in mohair yarns from many different companies, Shibui’s Silk Cloud has a higher percentage of silk than many, which seems to make it smoother on the hands and needles.

From our first browse through Shibui’s patterns, “Mix No. 19” was Anne’s favorite, a color block pullover designed to be loose-fitting. It calls for Silk Cloud held double throughout, making a substantial but lightweight fabric that drapes gently. Of course Anne cast on as soon as the yarn arrived.

Anne is knitting “Mix No. 19” in the colors it’s shown in, though there are many other tempting combinations to be found in our stash of Silk Cloud. In playing the color game, I was drawn to subtle, low-contrast combinations.

“Mix No. 2” is a similar garment, also using two strands of Silk Cloud held together, but featuring a tunic length, long sleeves, and a subtle textural stripe.

When held together with another yarn, Silk Cloud lends its halo to the finished fabric. Because Shibui’s yarns are dyed in matching colorways across the different fiber types, it makes good sense to hold Silk Cloud together with Cima, as in “Mix No. 16” and “Mix No. 20.”

Another approach to try when seeking uses for this luxurious combination of yarns is to search patterns by gauge. Silk Cloud and Cima make a sport weight gauge when held together, so try a Ravelry pattern search that filters results to show only patterns using sport weight yarn. Follow us on Pinterest for more Silk Cloud pattern ideas; our “Inspiring Stitches” board is a collection of patterns and projects that make good use of yarns that are available at HYS.

Come by the shop to see Silk Cloud and our other Shibui yarns for yourself, and flip through their pattern binder for inspiration. See you there!

Hello, Cima.

Posted by Julia on November 4, 2013

Cima is a lace weight yarn composed of 70% superbaby alpaca and 30% fine merino wool, boasting 330 yards on each 50 gram skein. It’s a 2-ply yarn, tightly plied so that it almost resembles a string of pearls.

I fell in love with this double-knit cowl when I saw it displayed at Shibui’s booth at TNNA. As we talked with the people at Shibui, choosing colors and learning about the yarns, I idly petted the cowl, admiring the drape of the fabric, the reversible design. By the time the yarn arrived at the shop, I was ready to pick out colors to knit one myself. The Mix No. 23 pattern calls for two strands of Cima held together throughout, making a sport weight gauge. Double knitting creates two layers of fabric at once, so I had a lot of stitches on my needles, but the yarn was so pleasant to work with, and the pattern so clearly written, that I sped right through it.

For my Mix No. 23, I used Cima in “Caffeine” and “Suit.” It was hard to choose just one pair of colors, though–the Shibui color palette is nuanced and unusual, and I loved pairing them up in hypothetical cowls.

Beginning in January, we’re offering a class on double knitting that teaches this very pattern. If you’re interested in learning the technique and making the cowl along the way, consider Amy’s “Double Knitting” class–you can read all about it, sign up and prepay on our website.

There are plenty of other things to make with Shibui Cima, of course, and Shibui’s own pattern line is a great place to start looking for inspiration. Shibui patterns often call for Cima to be held double, or even triple, combining colors in interesting ways, often to achieve a gradient effect. One of their free patterns, Kinetic, uses two strands and two colors in this way; you can download the pattern from the Shibui website.

Cima is also lovely on its own, held singly, anywhere lace weight yarn is called for. To that end, our “Lace Weight Shawls” binder is worth flipping through, along with our collection of lace-themed books. Follow us on Pinterest for more Cima pattern ideas; our “Inspiring Stitches” board is a collection of patterns and projects that make good use of yarns that are available at HYS.

Keep your eye on the blog for more on Shibui yarns and patterns, and come by the shop to become acquainted with these yarns in person!

Shibui Mix Party.

Posted by Julia on November 2, 2013

We’re delighted to announce that we have an exciting event coming up: a yarn tasting featuring three yarns from Shibui, a small yarn company out of Portland, Oregon. Because Shibui’s yarns are designed to be combined, two or three strands at a time, they call their yarn tastings “Mix Parties,” where attendees are encouraged to mix yarns together as they swatch.

When you’re planning to hold two or three different yarns together, it can be hard to imagine how the resulting fabric will feel or look. A Mix Party allows you to try out Shibui yarns before buying them, working up a little swatch to see how they behave as a fabric. Attendees will bring needles or hooks in a variety of sizes and we’ll serve up samples of three yarns from Shibui, along with bagels, fruit, and mimosas.

Cima: a lace weight blend of baby alpaca and merino wool
Silk Cloud: a lace weight blend of kid mohair and silk
Pebble: a lace weight blend of cashmere, fine merino, and recycled silk

We’ll have a collection of pattern ideas for all three yarns. Take advantage of our Shibui promotion and get a 15% discount on your Shibui purchases as well as prepaid Shibui Yarn orders made during the Mix Party.

The Shibui Mix Party is scheduled for Sunday, January 12th, 2014, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. There is a small fee for attending, so that we might cover the cost of food and drink, and because of our small space, we’re limiting this event to 15 people. It’s filling up quickly–sign up now to save your space! If you can’t make it to the Mix Party, no worries–I’ll report back here on the blog and tell you all about it.

Hello, Shibui.

Posted by Julia on October 31, 2013

We are excited to announce that we now carry three yarns from Shibui, a Portland-based yarn company that is known for their fine natural fiber yarns and their unique color palette. Many of their yarns are lace or fingering weight, and designed to be knit on their own or held together, using two or three strands at a time to make bespoke yarn blends.

We chose three yarns to bring into the shop this fall: Silk Cloud, a fuzzy blend of mohair and silk; Cima, a tightly plied blend of alpaca and merino; and their newest yarn, Pebble, a tweedy blend of silk, merino, and cashmere.

All three are lace weight, and can be combined in many ways and at many gauges in garments and accessories alike.

Shibui yarns are dyed in coordinating colors, so that two different yarns in the same colors can be combined to create a solid color.

Visiting Shibui’s booth at TNNA this past June, we were struck by the rich colors, interesting textures, high quality fibers, and stylish designs.

We have sample copies of Shibui’s Mix patterns at the shop; they’re all available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, so when you buy them from us, we’ll print a copy for you and save a digital copy in your email or Ravelry library.

Come by the shop to see these Shibui yarns for yourself, and to flip through the Shibui Mix patterns, lookbooks, and flashcards that suggest different yarn combinations with gauge and needle sizes. We are so excited about all things Shibui–keep an eye out for more from Shibui soon!