Tag Archives: silk

Araucania Azapa: now on sale!

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UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Araucania Azapa!

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In tandem with our anniversary sale, which entitles our much-appreciated customers to 15% off everything in the shop between October 13th and 21st, we’re discounting Araucania Azapa by 25%.

Araucania Azapa is a bulky weight blend of merino wool, alpaca, silk, and rayon, with about 140 yards on each 100 gram skein. Azapa is a single ply yarn, and comes in semisolid colorways with tweedy flecks. It’s soft and cuddly, makes a great bunny hat, and is exactly the right gauge and length to make a Bandana Cowl.

The Bandana Cowl is a free pattern from the Purl Bee, one which is well-written, easy to understand, and knits up quickly. It was only published a year ago, but already, there are almost 3,000 Bandana Cowls on Ravelry–a number high enough to be considered a recommendation in and of itself. A cozy Bandana Cowl in Araucania Azapa makes a perfect holiday gift or instant-gratification fall knitting project. Come by the shop soon to get it at 25% off!

Hello, Sincere Sheep.

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This past Wednesday, a box arrived at the shop that we’ve been eagerly anticipating since June. We’re proud to announce that we now carry three yarns from Sincere Sheep. Based in Northern California, Sincere Sheep produces naturally dyed yarns from U.S. sourced fibers. We met Brooke at TNNA in June and were blown away by the vivid colors she achieves with natural dyes.

I was the lucky knitter who got to play with a skein of Sincere Sheep Equity Sport while we deliberated at market. The Equity Sport is 100% Rambouillet wool, grown and spun in Buffalo, WY. I read up on Rambouillet wool in Clara Parkes’ Knitter’s Book of Wool, a favorite resource, and learned that Rambouillet is a breed of sheep, a relative of Merino known for its soft, springy fiber.

Where Merino stretches and drapes, Rambouillet has a surprising sturdiness, given its softness. I used the Equity Sport to knit a sample fingerless mitt for the shop, a garment it’s well suited to. I also think it would make lovely hats and sweaters.

When we saw that there was an Equity Fingering as well, we had to get both. I think it would be perfect for colorwork projects, or on a bigger needle for draping shawls and cowls.

On the last day of market, we came back to Sincere Sheep to order a third yarn: Luminous, a dk weight blend of Tussah Silk and Polwarth wool. Polwarth is another finewool, like Merino and Rambouillet, but one with a slight sheen and greater strength from longer fibers. Luminous comes in big, 330 yard skeins, enough to do a generous scarf, cowl, or small shawl. We got two patterns from designer Kira Dulaney that call for dk weight yarn with single skeins of Luminous in mind.

Come by the shop to see these gorgeous yarns from Sincere Sheep!

Artyarns Mohair Splash and Rhapsody Glitter Light.

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Before we reorganized the shop last month, all of the sparkly, tempting skeins from ArtYarns lived together in one sparkly, tempting basket near the desk. Now that all our yarn is organized by weight and suggested gauge, those sparkly skeins have been divided up by type and moved into their new homes. Those whose labels suggest 5.5 stitches per inch, like the Regal Silk, were sent to the DK weight section, and those whose labels suggested 4.5 stitches per inch went to the Aran section, and so on. When our most recent ArtYarns shipment came in, I was pleased to see that both the Mohair Splash and Rhapsody Glitter Light suggest 5 stitches per inch–a Worsted weight gauge. Though many of the ArtYarns are separated, these two can still share a cubby.

Mohair Splash is composed of silk and mohair, and it gets its sparkle from splashes of beads and sequins that are strung intermittently along one ply of the yarn. We are often asked if the sequins interrupt the knitting, bothering ones hands, or catching on stray fibers, and the answer is, blissfully, no. Anne reports that the yarn is dreamy to work with, soft, smooth, and easy.

We selected only three new colors in Mohair Splash for Fall, but they really brighten up the spectrum.

Rhapsody Glitter Light is also a silk and mohair blend, but instead of beads and sequins, it sparkles with a shimmering strand of metallic Lurex. When you’re choosing between these yarns (which can be a difficult task, indeed), consider how much sparkle your project-to-be wants. Should the whole thing glimmer consistently, like the Rhapsody Glitter Light, or would you rather have a dash of shine here and there, as in Mohair Splash?

Come by the shop to ooh and ahh. See you there!

Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn.

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Back in June, I was moving some armful of yarn from here to there when I discovered a lonesome skein of Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn. Once, we had many skeins of the stuff, all living together in a basket. While its friends went home in the hands of knitters and crocheters to become pairs of socks and mitts, scarves or shawls, this particular skein was left alone. It was a little dusty, having been forgotten in some nook or cranny for however long, but none the worse for wear. I held it up and called to Anne, “What should I do with this?” Sensitive as she is to lonesome skeins, Anne brushed it off, purchased it herself, and began knitting a pair of socks with it.

The more she knit, the more we wondered why we didn’t stock the yarn anymore. Composed of 50% alpaca, 30% merino, 10% silk, and 10% nylon for durability, the fabric it created was cuddly, yet sturdy, and the colors were rich and compelling. “Maybe we’ll visit Misti Alpaca at market,” Anne said, “and get some more of this.” A couple of months have passed, and Anne has completed sock #1, cast on for #2, and Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn is back on our shelves.

Come by the shop to admire sock#1 and consider Misti Alpaca for your next project.

Habu N-86 2/26 Cashmere.

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The first of our orders from TNNA have begun to arrive, and this one was met with a gasp of excitement from Anne: N-86 2/26 Cashmere, from Habu Textiles.

N-86 2/26 Cashmere may not be a romantic name, but the yarn itself is lovely, a lace weight 100% cashmere that works well held single- or double-stranded. It is ideal for shawls and scarves, or any project where a delicate, soft texture is desired. When Anne fell head over heels in love with it at market, we selected a small spectrum of neutral shades, from dark charcoal to ivory.

We also ordered a few new colors in A-20/21 1/20 Silk Stainless, a lace weight yarn made of stainless steel wrapped in silk. A-20/21 1/20 Silk Stainless is one of the yarns used in the popular Kusha Kusha scarf kit from Habu Textiles. For those who want the yarn on its own, we now have six colors available.

Find Habu N-86 2/26 Cashmere and A-20/21 1/20 Silk Stainless in a prominent place in the second room of the shop, where the lighter weight yarns live.

KnitScene.

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The Fall issue of KnitScene is here, with more fodder for our cold-weather daydreams.

This issue offers sweaters, shawls, and accessories, one of which stood out to me in particular. These cabled fingerless mitts are made out of Zitron Kimono, a sport-weight blend of merino wool and silk that we happen to stock at the shop.

Come by the shop to snag this latest issue of KnitScene, and at 15% off during July, no less. See you soon!

New colors from String Theory.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve gotten a couple of boxes from String Theory. As I’m sure you know by now, we love boxes from String Theory, because along with the colorways we’ve come to know and love come the colorways we’ve never seen before. Tanis and Karen do amazing things with yarn and dye, and Anne and I are delighted to see what they’ve come up with. Most recently, we’ve received new colors in Selku, a sport weight merino and silk, and Caper Sock, a fingering weight superwash merino blended with cashmere for softness and nylon for strength. I know I’ve sung the praises of these yarns many times, but I can’t let a new shipment from String Theory come and go without devoting a blog post to it. Take a look at these colors!

 

As much as I love the Caper Sock, It’s the Selku I’ve got my eye on. So far I’ve seen an exquisite Marianne Isager sweater started in it, along with two shawls. Over and over again, I pick String Theory’s deep blue, Cobalt. I used it in Caper Sock on my North Arrow scarf, and then again in a pair of Bluestocking socks. As much as I love Cobalt, I’m not sure I can justify using it a third time, but I’m anxious to try Selku. What would you do with 378 yards of shimmering sport-weight wool and silk?

Come by the shop to take a closer look!

Berroco Inca Gold and Jasper, on sale!

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UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Berroco Inca Gold and Jasper!

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Last week, we were saddened to discover that Berroco has discontinued two of their yarns, Inca Gold and Jasper. Because we’re unable to continue carrying them, we’re now offering them at a discounted price.

Inca Gold is a springy blend of merino and silk coming in a lovely range of solid colors and boasting excellent stitch definition. At five stitches to the inch, it could be used for almost anything: hats, scarves, sweaters, vests, mitts, whatever. If you’ve been admiring a pattern that calls for worsted weight yarn, consider Inca Gold.

Jasper is a self-striping, single-ply merino in an aran weight. Like Inca Gold, Jasper is a very versatile yarn. Some of our knitters have used it for sweaters, and others have put it to good use in hats and scarves. This has been a popular yarn, and we’re sad to see it go. Come and get it while it’s still here, and know that we have sweater quantities of many colors!

Hello, String Theory Selku.

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On Tuesday, we got a box from String Theory, which is always cause for excitement. This box in particular was full of Selku, a 3-ply sport-weight blend of silk and merino wool. Selku is a yarn that I’ve written about before, which we’ve only stocked in a small handful of colors up until this week. This shipment brought five new colors of Selku, rounding out our collection in a truly lovely way.

Though I haven’t had a chance to work with Selku yet, I have stalked it enough on Ravelry to know that it’s a perfect choice for a special scarf or shawl. The weight and shine of the silk paired with the elasticity of merino should make for beautiful stitch definition and an elegant drape. Anne wants to use Selku to make the cover sweater from Connie Chang Chinchio’s Textured Stitches. Yes, our minds are buzzing, but we’ve yet to cast on. What would you make from this stunning stuff?

Come by the shop to ooh and ahh, to pet the yarn and consider the possibilities. See you soon!

String Theory. Again.

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Anne and I were so completely sold on String Theory that it was less than a week between our first and second orders. Their Caper Sock, Bluestocking, and Merino DK yarns have been capturing the attention of many since they arrived at the shop two weeks ago. During those two weeks, however, Anne became fixated on another String Theory yarn: Selku, a 3-ply sport-weight blend of silk and merino wool. Though it’s not technically available for wholesale, we found ourselves making repeat visits to the String Theory website to pick out colors for a yarn that we weren’t even sure we could stock. Soon, Anne gave them a call and asked “pretty please,” which is, in short, how we wound up with a box full of Selku on Friday.

Like Jitterbug, the Selku came to us in open, untwisted hanks.

Anne and I twisted them up, tucked them into a basket, and made room for them on the teacart, where you’ll find them now.

The teacart has become, for the moment, a small fiber shrine to Maine, with two yarns each from Swans Island and String Theory, and a few copies of Coastal Knits placed strategically nearby. Come by to worship at said shrine, pet these and other new yarns, and daydream about your next project. See you at the shop.