Shelter + Otte.

Posted by Julia on April 17, 2021

Brooklyn Tweed’s latest pattern collection is Form + Expression, five garments and accessories united by the theme of self-expression through color and texture.

Of this group, “Otte” leapt out at me, as colorwork pullovers often do. Knit with worsted weight, woolen-spun Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, Jared Flood’s unisex design invites playful color combinations.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter: worsted weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.50 each. Sweater uses 9-22 skeins, depending upon size.

Below is the color combination shown in the pattern photo, with Amaranth as the main color and Tartan, Fossil, and Iceberg as contrast colors 1-3.

With this colorway in mind, and with inspiration from “Otte” projects on Ravelry, I came up with some more combinations – let’s take a look!

If any of these color combinations grabs you, order online for local pickup or shipping! We’re also happy to help put together a custom colorway just for you – just let us know what shades you love! You can see them all on the Brooklyn Tweed website, and know that we have almost every one here on our shelves, even some of the retired shades.

Isager Alpaca 2 + Samen.

Posted by Julia on April 10, 2021

Last week, designer Stephen West posted new color combinations on Instagram for one of his older patterns, a marled shawl called “Samen.”

“Samen” shawl, knit with Isager Alpaca 2. Photo © Stephen West

I always love to see how he puts colors together, and it put me in the mood to create some “Samen” colorways of my own, using Isager Alpaca 2. The shawl calls for five colors in varying amounts, from 220-420 yards per color – the bundles here include some extra yardage, so you can mix the shades up however you like with plenty of wiggle room to play.

Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each, $120 for bundles of 10

Hello, Germantown Unicorns!

Posted by Julia on April 7, 2021

We’re pleased to have a special new limited edition yarn from Kelbourne Woolens – meet Germantown Unicorns!

Kelbourne Woolens Germantown Unicorns:

worsted weight
marled
100% wool
220 yards/100g
$16 each

Germantown Unicorns are made from mill ends in the spinning process, combining two shades of Germantown for a unique marl.

Each skein is enough for a hat, and the folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed one for every month of the year. Even better, every one of these patterns is free to download from Ravelry – look there for “January,” “February,” “March,” “April,” “May,” “June,” “July,” “August,” “September,” “October,” “November,” and “December.” This collection shows Germantown’s versatility in a variety of techniques, from ribbing and texture to cables and lace to stripes and colorwork.

These colorful new skeins got me thinking about Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift” again, that ever-popular slip-stitch shawl – mixing up the Unicorns with solid shades of Germantown makes for exciting new combinations! Here are a few ideas.

Pick your favorite colors and order online for local pickup or shipping!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: April.

Posted by Julia on April 1, 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. April’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 Allen’s hummingbirds, a particular species of hummingbird whose warm, bright colors are reflected in these skeins – golden yellows, olive and leafy greens, and streaks of coral, orange, and purplish brown.

As I was unpacking these vibrant skeins, I noticed how well they played with these skeins of Malabrigo Sock – these three would make a striking “Temperance Shawl,” or a “Free Your Fade,” by Andrea Mowry!

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!

New colors from Shibui.

Posted by Julia on March 29, 2021

We’re delighted to have three new colors from Shibui! Pacific, Lotus, and Majesty are now available in Cima, Koan, and Silk Cloud.

“Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer, knit with Shibui Cima and Koan in Lotus.

As we looked through Shibui’s Spring 2021 pattern collection, Anne and I were particularly taken with “Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer.

Twisted ribbing and slipped stitches give this simple tee textural interest, and the yarn combination is an intriguing blend of plant and animal fibers – Cima and Koan held together throughout.

Shibui Cima:

lace weight
70% baby alpaca, 30% merino wool
328 yards/50 g
$16.50 each

Shibui Koan:

light fingering weight
70% linen, 30% silk
248 yards/50 g
$21 each

Lace weight Cima brings softness and elasticity in the form of merino and alpaca, while light fingering weight Koan lends coolness and drape with its linen and silk content.

Pick matching shades in Cima and Koan for a solid look, or similar shades for a subtle marl.

Pick your favorite color combination and order online for local pickup or shipping!

“Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer, knit with Shibui Cima and Koan in Lotus.

Back in stock: Malabrigo Rasta!

Posted by Julia on March 26, 2021

Malabrigo Rasta has been hard to get a hold of lately, so we were extra excited to get a few bags of this super soft, super bulky yarn!

Malabrigo Rasta:

super bulky weight
single ply
hand-dyed
100% merino wool
90 yards/150 g
$23 each

Rasta is plush and squishy, perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories, and one skein makes a hat or cowl in a hurry.

Here are a few hat pattern ideas for Rasta:

“Perky Little Hat,” by Sharon Lentsch
“The Ade Beanie,” by Ola Ogunlolu
“The Big Hat,” by Davina Choy
“Sidewinder Beanie,” by Aspen Leaf Knits

And a few cowls:

“Elphaba Cowl,” by Kristel Nieves
“Rainbow Twist,” by Thao Nguyen
“Red Rasta Cowl,” by EweKnit Toronto
“Last Minute Cowls,” by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas

Order online for local pickup or shipping – these skeins never hang around for long, so get in touch soon if you’d like to claim some!

Malabrigo Sock + Temperance Shawl.

Posted by Julia on March 23, 2021

We’re delighted to have three new shades of Malabrigo Sock, just in time for Malabrigo’s 2021 KAL!

Malabrigo Sock:

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

The “Temperance Shawl” above is knit with these 3 new shades, Gingy, Myths, and Jasmine. The pattern is available as a free download from Ravelry, and the knit-along starts on April 1 – read more about it on the Malabrigo blog.

I love the warm, muted quality of these three shades, but we’ve got other interesting combinations here in the Malabrigo Sock cubby – can’t wait to see what folks come up with!

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

Koigu Collector’s Club: Mountain Rain.

Posted by Julia on March 20, 2021

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 variegated mix of teals against a backdrop of pale gray got me thinking about fades, and about Maxim Cyr’s “Volcano Trail” cowl in particular. In this new pattern, two solid shades and two variegated shades are blended together, two strands at a time, for a cozy marled ombre accessory.

All of our Koigu is highly variegated, so I looked to Brooklyn Tweed Peerie for coordinating solid shades – here’s what I came up with! Each of these bundles is $123.25, the pattern is sold separately on Ravelry.

Order online to make a “Volcano Trail” cowl of your own!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03!

Posted by Julia on March 17, 2021

We are delighted to announce that Brooklyn Tweed’s newest yarn has arrived! Meet Ranch 03, the third in Brooklyn Tweed’s series of single-source, small-batch yarns.

Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03:

sport weight
worsted spun, 5 ply
100% merino wool
170 yards/50g
$16.50 each

Ranch 03 is a sport weight, worsted-spun, limited edition, ranch-specific Merino yarn, which means every fiber in these skeins was sourced from a single flock of sheep living on Campbell-Hansmire Ranch in Eagle County, Colorado.

Brooklyn Tweed has always sought to highlight single breed wools and support US ranchers with sustainable environmental practices. This project allows them to shine a spotlight on the people and practices behind their yarns, one ranch at a time.

After the wool was sourced at Campbell-Hansmire Ranch in Wyoming, scoured at Chargeurs in South Carolina, and spun at Worsted Spinning New England in Maine, it traveled here to North Carolina to be dyed at Ultimate Textiles in Rutherfordton. We are not often able to trace a path directly from sheep to skein, but Brooklyn Tweed believes in transparency around the supply chain and in supporting the US fiber industry every step of the way.

What to knit with Ranch 03? The BT design team has come up with a trio of new patterns, showing off what Ranch 03 can do in colorwork, cables, and simple texture:

“Spero,” by Jared Flood – colorwork yoke pullover
“Dalleray,” by Lis Smith – cabled cowl in two sizes
“Hansmire,” by Jared Flood – ribbed hat for all ages – free with purchase of Ranch 03!

I got a head start on my “Dalleray” cowl, and I’m loving every springy stitch. Can’t wait to see it finished and blocked!

Here are some more ideas for Ranch 03 from independent designers:

“Lehto,” by Anna Johanna – colorwork yoke pullover, from the new Strands of Joy
“Sonrae,” by Jennifer Steingass – colorwork yoke pullover
“Emsworth,” by Isabell Kraemer – textured pullover vest
“Miami Cuban Cap,” by Anne Hanson – cabled hat
“Pixie Dust,” by Tamy Gore – asymmetric shawl with brioche, eyelets, and slipped stitches

Order Ranch 03 online for local pickup or shipping!

Pebble + Duality.

Posted by Julia on March 11, 2021

“Duality” is a brand new scarf/wrap pattern by Jane Vanselous, a simple but unusual design that takes the shape of overlapping rectangles.

It’s knit from end to end, using two colors that are worked together in the main body of the scarf, but separately on the edges.

The yarn is Shibui Pebble, a feather light lace weight blend of recycled silk, merino, and cashmere. Most Shibui colors are available across all of their yarns, presenting differently depending upon the fiber content; here in Pebble, those colors are rich with tweedy flecks.