Tag Archives: wool

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Sample of the Month!

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We’re delighted to announce that starting in September, we’ll have a new Brooklyn Tweed sample on display each month!

We’ve been working with Kel at Brooklyn Tweed to put together a schedule of garment and accessory samples that showcase a wide variety of techniques and styles in the full range of BT yarns, from lace weight Vale all the way up to bulky weight Quarry.

Going through the back catalog of Brooklyn Tweed designs was so much fun! Anne and I picked a few that caught our eye, as did our teachers, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Just as we do for Shibui, we’ll offer 10% off the featured Brooklyn Tweed yarn while each sample is here. This month, it’s Arbor, BT’s worsted spun DK weight wool, a yarn with superb stitch definition and lots of bounce.

Our Brooklyn Tweed Sample of the Month for September is “Kirigami,” by Gudrun Johnston, a textured yoke pullover that shows exactly what I mean when I say “superb stitch definition.”

I’ve just cast on for a “Kirigami” of my own, in fact – it’s a pattern that’s been in the back of my mind since its appearance in a trunk show last year, and this time I couldn’t resist it. I’m using the sleeve as a swatch, blocking it after 6″ or so to get a good sense of my gauge in the round, and to have a head-start on the project if my gauge happens to match the pattern gauge on this first try!

Come by during September to see “Kirigami” in person, try it on for size, and get 10% off Brooklyn Tweed Arbor to make one of your own!

A reminder: there will be no returns or exchanges on yarn that’s purchased at a discount. Thanks!

Hello, BC Garn Bio Balance.

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We’re delighted to announce that our first new yarn for the fall season has arrived! Meet Bio Balance, from BC Garn.

BC Garn is a family-owned, ecologically-minded yarn company out of Denmark. Many of their yarns are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), so we feel confident that they are produced safely and responsibly, from the fiber to the dye.

Bio Balance is one of those certified organic yarns, a sport weight blend of 55% wool and 45% cotton. This combination brings the best of both fibers to the yarn. The wool lends elasticity and loftiness to the cool, soft cotton, and the result is a nice balance of animal and plant fibers, and smooth, well-behaved fabric.

This makes it an excellent sweater yarn, especially in our warm climate. A browse through Bio Balance projects on Ravelry shows that many knitters use it for sweater-making – here are few patterns to consider:

  • “Tegna,” by Caitlin Hunter – a stockinette tee with lace at the bottom edge
  • “June,” by Julie Weisenberger, of cocoknits – a top-down puff-sleeve pullover
  • “Sanctuary,” by Stephanie Earp – a top-down cabled tee, from Pom Pom Quarterly, Summer 2019 – we still have copies, if you missed this beautiful issue when it first came out!
  • “Kalaloch Pullover,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn of Kelbourne Woolens – an oversized lace yoke sweater
  • “Yume,” by Isabell Kraemer – a top-down lace yoke pullover, with options for short or long sleeves

Because this yarn can be gently machine-washed, it’s great for baby and children’s garments, too:

  • “Wee Envelope,” by Ysolda Teague – a stockinette pullover with a yoke knit side-to-side
  • “Nemo,” by Rebekka Mauser – a textured, color block henley
  • “Hosenmatz,” by Mayumi Kaliciak and Antje Litzmann – baggy baby pants

Look for Bio Balance in the sport weight section here at our shop!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Arroyo.

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Malabrigo Arroyo is back in stock!

This sport weight superwash merino is a favorite around here, and its cubby was looking empty before this week’s shipment arrived.

Each 100 gram skein of Arroyo boasts 335 yards, enough for a scarf, cowl, shawlette, hat, tiny baby sweater, or pair of mitts. Here are a few pattern ideas, projects that knitters on Ravelry have used Arroyo for again and again:

We have two samples at the shop knit with Malabrigo Arroyo, as well – a newborn-sized “Baby Surprise Jacket,” and a “Drop Stitch Scarf.” Though the latter calls for worsted weight yarn on a US 8 needle, I made our sample with one skein of Arroyo on a US 7, casting on an extra pattern repeat to make up the difference in width.

You’ll find Malabrigo Arroyo in the sport weight section here at our shop, and check out our whole selection of Malabrigo yarns while you’re here!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: August.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

August’s colorway is a variegated mix of purple, orange, pink and red, a vivid combination inspired by photos of Antelope Canyon in Dream in Color’s home state, Arizona.

The semi-solid mini-skein that accompanies it is somewhere between cobalt and ultraviolet.

The base is Bobby BFL, a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool and 15% nylon for strength.

Look for these limited edition skein sets in our fingering weight section while supplies last!

Back in stock: Kauni Effektgarn.

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While we like to keep a decent supply of Kauni Effektgarn on hand, our stock had dwindled recently. Where there was usually a nice selection of colors, from quiet neutrals to bold brights, there were just four or five balls of yarn looking lonesome in their cubby. A shipment arrived this week that brightened up that cubby and indeed, the shop – Kauni Effektgarn is back in stock!

Kauni is a sport-weight, self-striping wool, unique even among its fellow self-striping yarns at the shop for its long stretches of color.

This kind of yarn lends itself to patterns shaped with short rows, like “Wingspan,” “Dreambird,” and “Bermuda Scarf,” where the changing color highlights the construction of the piece.

Kauni Effektgarn is also often used in mosaic knitting and stranded colorwork, like the “Dovetail Shawl” and “Autumn” cardigan. Double knitting and brioche can work nicely with this yarn, too – see the “Rainbow Scarf” and “Humboldt Scarf.”

One of the simplest ways to use Kauni Effektgarn is also one of the most appealing – stripes. When you go back and forth between two different self-striping colorways, you get a mesmerizing stripes-on-stripes effect. So many wonderful patterns use Kauni this way – check out the “Wiggle Wrap,” “Color Wave Shawl,” and “Point Beach.”

We’re thrilled to have these Kauni colors back in stock, and to see what kinds of projects you’ll dream up for them! See you at the shop!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering.

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Earlier in the week I introduced eight new shades from Fibre Company for their Cumbria Worsted. I’m delighted to report that those same eight shades are also available in Cumbria Fingering!

Like its big sister, Cumbria Worsted, Cumbria Fingering is a soft and sturdy blend of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed. Each 100 gram skein boasts 328 yards, enough for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

What to knit with Cumbria Fingering? Since this yarn first arrived in 2016, many designers have found beautiful uses for it. Bristol Ivy designed a whole collection for Fibre Co. Cumbria, and we have print copies of those patterns here at the shop.

Heading to Ravelry, there’s even more pattern inspiration from the Fibre Co. – “Textured Sweater,” “Long Cardigan,” and “Travelling Cable Sweater” are all knit with Cumbria Fingering. Looking to independent designers, consider Melanie Berg’s “Tamdou,” Jana Huck’s “Kite Runner,” Kathryn Folkerth’s “Badlands Mitts” and “Badlands Hat,” local designer Emily Walton’s “Alvin Mitts,” and the entire “Year of Mittens” from Kelbourne Woolens.

Look for Cumbria Fingering in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

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Fibre Company just added eight fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

Cumbria Worsted is composed of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

My first thought on seeing these new colors was how perfect they’d be for “The Weekender,” Andrea Mowry’s basic pullover that has charmed so many of us. It’s never to late to join our informal Weekender Knit-Along, and we’ve also got Weekender classes on the schedule!

We’ve got print patterns from the Fibre Co. for Cumbria Worsted, too, and of course there’s plenty to choose from on Ravelry – also consider Marie Greene’s “Stillwater” cardigan, Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!

Dream in Color Pop Up! Club: August.

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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. August’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dyed on Dream in Color’s aptly-named Smooshy with Cashmere, this highly variegated colorway is streaked with purple, teal, deep blue and brown, among other shades.

Smooshy with Cashmere is a super soft blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere, and nylon – perfect for a special shawl or pair of socks. A skein like this would make a great “Starshower,” “Pebble Beach Shawl,” “Sockhead Slouch Hat” or “Sockhead Cowl,” all patterns that do well with variegated yarn. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

You’ll find this limited edition colorway in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with other special skeins from Dream in Color. See you there!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Summer Love.

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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.

Dyed on KPPPM, Koigu’s signature fingering weight superwash merino wool, Summer Love is ideal for making shawls, cowls, baby sweaters, and of course, socks.

This highly variegated colorway blends all the colors of the rainbow, conjuring bright tie-dyed shirts or boxes of crayons. Orange, purple, gold, red, pink, sky blue, and indigo – these are playful skeins!

We still have small quantities of some previous Koigu Collector’s Club colorways on hand – Rebirth, Tulips, and Birch – and it’s fun to see how they relate to one another, to combine them for stripes and fades. Think “ZickZack Scarf,” “Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf,” and “Free Your Fade.”

For more pattern ideas, check out our Fingering Weight board on Pinterest.

You’ll find this limited edition colorway of Koigu KPPPM in our fingering weight section, among a variety of inspiring sock yarns. See you at the shop!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: July.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

July’s colorway is inspired by green tiger barbs, flashy fish that swim in dyer Veronica’s aquarium. It’s a variegated mix of aqua, teal, and silvery blue, with little dots of green that echo the accompanying olive mini-skein.

The base is Smooshy, a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength.

Look for these limited edition skein sets in our fingering weight section while supplies last!