Shelter or Tones + Ramblewood shawl.

Tamy Gore’s newest pattern caught my eye – check out “Ramblewood,” a five color shawl knit in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

“Ramblewood,” by Tamy Gore, photo © Tamy Gore

This triangular shawl features slipped stitches, stripes, and eyelets, the techniques shifting from section to section. I love the colors Tamy Gore put together for the “Ramblewood” pictured above – a neutral palette of grays with an autumnal pop of mossy green and amber.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter: worsted weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.50 each, or $115.50 for seven skeins needed to knit “Ramblewood.”

I put together a few more color combinations in both Shelter and Tones, pairing other pops of color with these neutrals.

Brooklyn Tweed Tones: worsted weight, 100% Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.75 each, or $117.25 for seven skeins needed to knit “Ramblewood.”

Order online if one of these colorways piques your interest – we’re also open for drop-in shopping, no appointment required, from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. See you at the shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Sunflower.

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.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s special colorway is Sunflower, a vibrant blend of yellow, gold, brown, and green.

When I unpacked it, I thought of Anne’s most recent sweaters for her granddaughters, colorwork yokes that use a solid shade in the background and a variegated for the contrast color.

I found a few shades in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie that seemed to speak directly to Sunflower, then looked to Jennifer Steingass and her dazzling portfolio of stranded patterns.

“Lightwood Cowl,” by Jennifer Steingass, photo © Jennifer Steingass

The yarn bundles pictured here include enough yardage for Steingass’s “Lightwood Cowl,” with Peerie as the Main Color and KPPPM as the Coordinating Color. If you’re craving a sweater project, also consider Steingass’s “Hinterland,” “Anaashah,” and “Nordic Nights” – we’re happy to help calculate yardage for your size!

Want to make a “Lightwood Cowl” of your own? 3 skeins of BT Peerie and 2 skeins of Koigu KPPPM come to $76.75order online if one of these strikes your fancy, or come by the shop to select your own combination! We’re open between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays.

Peavine + Tukuwool Fingering.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Peavine” is our featured hat pattern for September, the final month of the HYS Hat Club!

HYS Hat Club members received four skeins of Tukuwool Fingering for the project, enough to knit two or three “Peavine” hats with the colors in different arrangements. Here’s a trio in each of the HYS Hat Club color palettes – Warm, Cool, Neutral, and Surprise.

Warm 

Cool

Neutral

Surprise

For HYS Hat Club members, we also included a Knitter’s Graph Paper Journal, and we have some for sale at the shop, as well – knitter’s graph paper has squares that, like knitted stitches, are wider than they are tall. This makes them ideal for penciling in all manner of knitting charts, from cables and lace to intarsia, texture patterns, and – of course – colorwork.

  • Tukuwool Fingering: fingering weight, 100% Finnish wool, 220 yards/50 grams; $12.50 each or $50 for 4 skeins needed to make “Peavine”
  • Knitter’s Graph Paper Journal: $12 each

Order online if one of these colorways piques your interest – we’re also open for drop-in shopping, no appointment required, from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. See you at the shop!

Studio Sock + Studio Sampler.

Itching to cast on with our newest arrival, Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock? Consider Leslie Anne Robinson’s “Studio Sampler,” an asymmetric triangular shawl.

Robinson’s design moves through garter stitch, stripes, and brioche, keeping things interesting with a variety of stitch patterns and color combinations.

Pick three shades that excite you and have fun watching them interact as you knit – they can be high or low contrast, from the same color family or not. Here are a few combinations I came up with!

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Truxton Circle, Joyce Scott, and Gwynn Oak.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Petworth, Oliver, and Hollins Market.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Washington Circle, Amy Sherald, and Cedonia.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Bolton Hill, Lauraville, and Ernest Shaw.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in Reservoir Hill, Ernest Shawl, and Hollins Market.

Look for Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at our shop – we’re open from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays! You can still use our online order form to place orders for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Koigu Collector’s Club: Space Exploration.

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.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s limited edition color is Space Exploration, a highly variegated mix of black, white, and gray. Anne, who loves neutrals, was drawn to it, and pointed out how nicely it pairs with Malabrigo Mechita in Gris.

Consider holding Mechita and KPPPM together in Tif Neilan’s “Moon Link Cowl,” a bandana shaped accessory that slips over the head like a cozy cowl.

Another pattern idea – Noma Ndlovu’s “Nobomi Shawl,” an asymmetric triangle worked from the widest end to the narrowest point, decreasing all the way. I like Kelbourne Woolens Perennial as a contrast color, though there are many other options in our fingering weight section here at the shop – come by to browse between 11:00 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: September 2021.

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 September 2021 colorway is full of rich color, from blue, teal, and purple to rust, gold, and green. Each skein is unique!

What to make with these special skeins? Special socks come to mind; check out Dawn Henderson’s “Block Party Socks” and “Bonfire Socks,” Noma Ndlovu’s “Little Boxes Socks,” or for something simple, Tin Can Knits’ “Rye Light.”

Look for this Pop-Up Club colorway in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and get a free Dream in Color bag tag with your purchase of Smooshy Cashmere! We are now open for drop-in shopping between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; you can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Hello, Neighborhood Fiber Co.!

We are thrilled to announce that we are now stockists for Neighborhood Fiber Co.!

Neighborhood Fiber Co. was founded by Karida Collins, a dyer and designer based in Baltimore, MD. The company is so-called because Collins’ 70+ colorways are all inspired by and named for the urban neighborhoods and landscapes in and around Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Photo of Karida Collins © 2021 Neighborhood Fiber Co.

Along with their unique and vibrant colorways, we also admire Neighborhood’s commitment to environmentally-sound practices, justice, equality, and empowerment. In 2020, Collins created the NFC Momentum Fund, a donor-advised charitable fund that has distributed more than $50k in grants to community organizations in the Baltimore community.

Our first Neighborhood Fiber Co. yarn is Studio Sock, a soft, sturdy, tightly plied organic merino wool that’s machine washable for easy care.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock:

  • fingering weight
  • hand-dyed
  • machine washable
  • 100% organic merino wool
  • 400 yds/4 oz
  • $32 each

Studio Sock is perfect for knitting socks, of course – here it is in Laine’s 52 Weeks of Socks, put to beautiful use by designer Sachiko Burgin.

Hand dyed fingering weight yarns like this one are also great for knitting shawls and lightweight sweaters – here are some pattern ideas:

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re open for drop-in shopping, no appointments needed, from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. Online ordering is still available for local pickup or shipping – thanks for shopping with us!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Tones!

We’re excited to announce that Brooklyn Tweed’s new yarn is here: meet Tones!

Brooklyn Tweed Tones:

  • worsted weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 3 ply
  • overdyed
  • 100% Columbia wool
  • 140 yards/50g
  • $13.75 each

At first glance, Tones bears a striking resemblance to Shelter – both are worsted weight and woolen spun, with the same yardage, weight, suggested gauge, and price. There are a few key differences, however, that make Tones an exciting new addition to Brooklyn Tweed’s domestically-sourced, breed-specific lineup; the first is color!

Tones is overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray. The lighter shade is the overtone, and the darker shade is the undertone, and each of them has been dipped in 11 new colorways, creating tone pairs.

Another difference between Tones and Shelter is the number of plies. Shelter is a 2 ply, which has a slightly more rustic appearance, and Tones is a 3 ply, which is more round and smooth for outstanding stitch definition. Cables and other texture patterns show nicely in Shelter, to be sure, but they really pop in Tones!

I’m the lucky knitter in charge of knitting a sample for the shop in Tones, and I picked Jared Flood’s now classic “Turn a Square” hat. Wanting to showcase the slight difference between overtone and undertone, I picked Nimbus for both main and contrast color – a low-contrast combination that appeals to my eye.

I’m loving the springy, woolly feel of Tones, and already planning a sweater for myself, naturally – perhaps a second “Docklight,” a sweater I knit for myself seven years ago and still reach for as soon as the temperature drops.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Tones in the worsted weight section here at our shop! We are now open for drop-in shopping between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; you can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

New colors in Malabrigo Sock!

This week brought us 15 new colors in Malabrigo Sock!

Malabrigo Sock:

  • light fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 440 yards/100g
  • $20 each

This is Malabrigo’s new Encantados collection, unique hand dyed colorways inspired by fairytales and children’s stories.

I’ve arranged these shades in coordinating trios, thinking of Malabrigo’s popular “Temperance Shawl,” but there are so many other ways of combining these shades – it’s a rich palette, full of possibilities!

You may recognize this last combination, Jasmine, Gingy, and Myths – they were premiered earlier in the year, and you can see them knit into a “Temperance Shawl” below.

Want to knit a “Temperance Shawl” of your own? Order online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail shipping, or swing by the shop between 11:00 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays!

Merilin + Dingley Dell.

In the heat of the summer, we see more and more knitters looking for lightweight tops and tees to knit, and Isabell Kraemer’s name often comes to mind. She’s a prolific sweater designer, and many of her patterns offer a short-sleeved option – think “Yume,” “Laia,” and “Ooh La La.”

“Dingley Dell,” by Isabell Kraemer. Photo © Isabell Kraemer

“Dingley Dell” is her latest, a color block tee made in a wool/linen blend, and I think Isager Merilin would be perfect for it.

Isager Merilin:

  • light fingering weight
  • 80% wool, 20% linen
  • 228 yards/50 g
  • $11 each

Depending on what size you make, you’ll need between 2-4 balls each in two colors – check the sizing on Ravelry, and know that we’re happy to help you calculate yardage! Here are a few more color ideas…

Make an in-store shopping appointment to select your own color combination, or pick from the options above and order online for local pickup or shipping!