New This Week
Each week I will post here a quick review of what is new at the shop so you can get a quick update of new inventory, models, project ideas, events or classes scheduled, with links from each if you'd like to explore them in more detail.
Summer yarns have begun arriving...
Two new yarns for the summer arrived this week.
Eco Twist, like Juniper Moon's Zooey, is a linen/cotton blend that knits up with just a bit of texture. Unlike the solid colors of Zooey, this version offers a series of lovely summer tweeds.
Eco Twist has a touch of viscose added, which gives it a soft hand and lovely drape - as suitable for a summer top as a market bag!
Alga is an organic cotton and SeaCell blend that offers a gradient of color for a simple summer top. So soft and with a luxurious hand.
Infinity Sock...and Saturday's free "Discover Silk" Event cancelled for lack of registration.
March is always a bit of a transition month, both in weather and our knitting. The new spring/summer yarns are beginning to arrive but we're not quite done with our winter project. Or, we are finished with the last sweater, but are not quite ready to dive into another big project until we see all the new spring yarns and pattern possibilities.
So knitting a pair of socks is a great transition project. It's small, portable, and doesn't require a huge investment of money or time commitment. Stop by, pick a color that makes you happy at the moment, and cast on!
We've got solids, jacquarding, hand-dyed, kettle dyed, ombres and unique sock patterns like the Infinity Sock. A new color of which arrived yesterday! Check out the sock yarns here.
On another note, if any of you were thinking you would come by Saturday for the hands-on Discover Silk Event here, only 1 person registered, so it has been cancelled. Since hosting this FREE event was going to cost me and the store both time and money (which I was happy to do for a group of curious customers), I can't justify it for 1 registrant. So it has been cancelled.
Plymouth Select Merino...
I apparently had a broken link for this popular Plymouth Select superwash merino worsted product, so I fixed that this morning.
We don't have too many colors in stock as of today - this product (and also Homestead by Plymouth) have been on backorder for months. It's very frustrating for us all, but out of our hands. Hopefully (the last time I asked, they said they were expecting an order "possibly" in early March!
If you need a superwash merino and can't find the color you want in Plymouth's Select right now, Ciao by Jody Long and Rios by Malabrigo are really nice options! Although I realized as I added this last link, the we have a lot more colors of Rios in stock than the website reflects right now! I apparently can't keep up! :)
New colors of Cumulus Rainbow, by Juniper Moon arrived this week and we have 2 new store models to share - a sweater knit in Falkland Chunky (superwash 3.5 -4 st/inch) and a scarf knit using Tenderfoot Sock yarn!
Huanui by Noro... and...
Winter Clearance Sale!
After changing my mind three times - even after I cast on and started the top-down raglan increases!- about what I was going to knit, I finally ended up choosing a stranded knitting pattern from a book of charted Swedish designs I have, and knitting that down at the bottom edge. Just to give a break from all the yoked designs, which I'm getting a little tired of (but still have one on needles to finish!)
This 44" chest used 3 balls - 2 of the dark color and one of the lighter. I have enough of the lighter that I believe I can knit a hat with it. It is so soft and lovely to work with....BUT....you have to be OK with the thick and thin (or over and underspun) areas that Noro yarns feature. To me, they give the sweater a "hand-knit or home-spun" vibe, which I like. And I love that this family owned ranch in NZ has made a concious decision to resist the industry pressure to breed for "white" fleece that can be dyed, and instead, they have chosen to preserve the natural colors of this unique NZ sheep breed. To check out the yarn, follow this link
Our Winter Clearance Sale is this coming Saturday, March 1st. 10 - 5. Lots of lovely wools, wool blends, angora, mohair, and even some cotton and cotton/hemp blends!
Lore
I chose this pattern, Lute (Ravelry), to knit up a store model iin Lore (by Fibre Co) because we stock the Lore in both 100gm and 25 gm balls which makes it a great choice if you want to work with lots of colors in a sweater without having to buy a lot of extra yarn! Lore lofts a lot upon blocking, so be sure you block your gauge swatch before determining needle or garment size! The loft makes it a good insulator so it will be cozy to wear. And I have enough yarn to work up a multi-color hat.
Ciao Extrafine Merino...
5 or 6 new colors of Ciao, by Jody Long, arrived last week. If you haven't worked with this yarn yet, you should stop by today and drool over the colors, and pick 1 ball up to knit the Crema headband (Ravelry pattern) shown here. Chris rearranged the display since, as colors dribbled in, we just stuck them where there seemed to be space. When this new stock arrived, Chris took the time to rearrange the colors in a sensible way and even I (who ordered them all) had a totally new appreciation for the range and yummminess of this line!
New Needle Felting Kits...
Several new Tapestry needle felting kits arrived with our restock of existing designs - a butterfly, a spanish renaisance quilt block and a medieval gryphon!
Plus a restock of Rios arrived today!
New yarn and a few new bright and fun colors of existing yarns....
A restock from the Fibre Co arrived today with a few new colors of both Arranmore Light and Lore.....some fun rights in case you need something a little cheerie to get thru the last weeks of winter! Plus, a new yarn from Noro - Saiun - arrived. I'll be getting that page up later this weekend!
Colourspun by Jody Long....and some new colors of Malabrigo!
This new yarn for fall 2024 is 53%wool/47% acrylic and has been selling well for hats and cowls. But I just put out a garment that shows it off well too - this kangaroo pocket hoodie is a great fall garment. Whether you're raking leaves, planting blubs, watching a soccer game, hiking, chopping wood, walking the dog or simply running errands, this is a great sweater to have for every fall occasion!
Plus, 4 new colors arrived this past week, so be sure to check them out on the Colourspun page!
We also got in a big shipment from Malabrigo with some new colors - I only had time to put up the three new Malabrigo Mohair colors, but new ones in Rasta, Rios and Mecha as well!
Jody Long Highlights...
Chris finished this vest (pattern is Galawa by Feller on Ravelry) using just 2 hanks (and its a 47.75" chest!!) of Andeamo by Jody Long.
The pattern offers a bunch of different options - different necklines and both vest and sweater directions. I'm having a "vest" moment myself, and its a quicker model to produce than a sweater, so that's what we chose to show. And show off this lovely wool/alpaca yarn it does! Both the lovely stitch definition (check out the little details) and the VALUE!
And we have a new Jody Long yarn to introduce you to this week - the all new blend (lambswool/acyrlic) Colorspun for easy care garments and accessories. I knit the hat up for a model, but this yarn enjoys pattern support in sweaters, too, and I also think it would make a fabulous long scarf! The colors and asymmetric self striping are wonderful.
And, finally, some new colors of the popular Knit Col by Plymouth arrived - 3 new fun colors perfect for baby hats, cowls, etc.
Freia Squares and new colors of Cozy Alpaca Chunky....
Last week I needed to finish SOMETHING! You know how it gets - sometimes when you have too many projects going and most of them have a long ETC (estimated time of completion!), you just need a quick "filler" to feel a sense of completion!
So I went back to this hat, which I originally cast on in the spring to replace a similar hat I had knit years ago as a store model but donated to a silent auction this last fall. I am pleased with the outcome. I tweeked my original pattern and decided to use 2 of the Freia Mini Balls (instead of 8 different colors of the NFAC Fingering I had knit this hat in originally!). So simple but with a complicated look!
I'm writing up the pattern this afternoon before heading off to Iceland . Its time for the annual sheep roundup there and for some hiking and thermal spa soaking with friends! I'll be posting sheep and fiber related - or maybe other non fiber related things? - on our Facebook page, so keep an eye on that if you're interested in Iceland, the rettir (as the roundup is called in Icelandic), etc. We aren't planning any ice cave visits and have researched what to do in case we find ourselves in quicksand (one of my sisters is afraid of this!) but we will be riding and white water rafting in some pretty remote and beautiful areas (this is my third trip there, so I'm getting to know my way around).
Chris and Joany will be keeping the store going - and keeping Winnie from pining my absence. So be sure to stop by and see them and give Winnie a scratch behind the ears while I'm gone. I know that a new yarn for the fall, Colorspun, is shipping out today so there will be more new things arriving weekly.
New colors of the popular, machine washable bulky gauge Cozy Alpaca Chunky by Ella Rae arrived yesterday.
Suri Alpaca...
Three new colors of Brushed Suri Alpaca arrived last week and when I went to add them to the site, I discovered that I had never put the original jewel tones up!
So I've created a page now for this popular yarn.
It's as beautiful to knit by itself as it is to carry it along with a heavier yarn (as you might a kid mohair) to add a bit of halo, some extra warmth and softness.
Huanui.....
I did what I said I would NOT do this year, and cast on for another sweater before finishing the ones already underway! I just couldn't help myself - I needed a no brainer project to knit while I streamed a subtitled film on Sunday night. I've wanted to knit the Huanui since I began stocking it a year ago. So I cast on a top down sweater and I'm loving the process. The yarn is so soft and strong, too. I decided to knit it on a US 7 (when blocked will be 4.75 sts/inch). and I'm going to work in a second color toward the bottom with a bit of stranded knitting. But since the top is just a single color and all I had to do was increase at the shoulders every other row, it was perfect for streaming subtitles. And I'm feeling so guilty about breaking one of my New Year's resolutions before January is even over yet, I'm going to sit down and assemble the pieces of the Lore sweater I finished over a week ago and have been avoiding ever since!
I know you know and understand about that!!!
Check out the Huanui - there's an interesting story behind the flock and the yarn. It really is a pleasure to knit with. Last week I had an out of towner in the shop taking a break from skiing and she was looking for what she called a "farmy yarn". Her mother was a spinner and knitter and she grew up visiting sheep farms and festivals and appreciates a "lightly processed" and more "natural", closer to the land sort of yarn than a lot of commercial yarns are. If you also appreciate a slightly less processed and more 'close to the earth" type of yarn, Huanui, Lore (Fiber Co), either of my Vermont yarns (Icelandic Lamb and Coopworth - not online) and Juniper Moon's Patagonia are great options to consider.