New Yarn

Katia Ombre Cotton Kits Yarn is everything you need to make a gradient shawl in one handy package! These kits includes six super-cute mini skeins of fingering weight cotton and a free shawl pattern that offers both a knitted and crocheted version. Whether you choose to make the included project or not, you’ll love how soft this 100% cotton yarn is. We made the knitted version here at the shop, and it was a blast to see it work up! Read the rest of this entry »

New this summer, Ella Rae Rustic Lace Yarn is a delightfully tweedy, certified organic wool/silk lace weight yarn. Great for knitting and weaving in a wonderfully earthy palette. Excellent yardage at an amazing price!

Attention, everyone!  There’s a new yarn on the block that will make you rethink everything you know about working with cotton: Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Yarn.  Cumulus is a magical Aran weight cotton chainette yarn with a nylon binder for added strength. I fell in love at first squish with this incredibly soft and lightweight chainette yarn – but just wait until you see (and feel) how it knits up…

Italian yarn company Katia has long been known for their unique yarns and modern European designs. We’ve recently gotten very excited about two very special yarns from Katia: Katia Cotton-Merino Yarn and Katia Air Lux Yarn. Initially drawn to their intriguing appearance and uncommon chain construction, we quickly realized there’s more to these yarns than just a pretty face. After making a few things (and reading Clara Parkes’ great in-depth “Knitter’s Review” of Katia Cotton-Merino), we can’t get enough – so now we’re bringing you new colors in these yummy yarns… Read the rest of this entry »

In the deepest doldrums of winter, we could all use a sparkling pick-me-up. That’s why I’m so excited to tell you about Katia Air Lux Yarn! This unique fingering weight viscose/wool yarn knits and weaves like liquid metal – but with the fuzzy softness of its woolen halo, this glimmering metallic yarn maintains a subtlety that keeps it versatile. Air Lux is great for any lightweight yarn project, from accessories to sweaters or woven wraps.

Katia Air Lux Yarn is super soft to begin with, but we noticed that it gets even silkier after blocking – and that goes for woven stuff too. This yarn is 70% viscose (that’s the shiny part) and 40% extrafine virgin merino wool. In person, each shade of this yarn sports an alluring fuzzy halo. Not enough to compare it to, say, mohair, but enough to take the edge off the metallic sheen of the viscose. This unique texture makes for beautiful open stitch work like lace and eyelets, but also serves to add depth and interest to solid stockinette fabric.

Wondering what to make?

Although I’ve yet to pronounce its name correctly, I have fallen in love with a new yarn. Plötulopi Unspun Icelandic Wool Yarn is sort of a mystery at first – the plastic covered plates sit inconspicuously enough on their shelf, confounding curious customers… Is it for spinners? How do you use it? Is it too fragile to knit with? Allow me to answer some of these common questions, as well as introduce an easy project that can help you get acquainted with this versatile, affordable yarn: the Down Home Special - Leg Warmer Pattern

Plötulopi Unspun Icelandic Wool Yarn is in fact an unspun yarn. It knits up to an (approximately) worsted weight gauge on its own, but it’s common to use this yarn held doubled or even tripled for more bulky gauges and interesting color blending effects.  No matter what the gauge is, you’ll be amazed at the sturdy fabric this yarn becomes. The long staple length adds to its strength and fuzziness, and the extra loftiness of this pure Icelandic wool makes it incredibly warm without added weight.

Playing with plies is easy with Plötulopi, as each plate can easily be knit from either end. This is especially convenient when wanting to double one color, as you can pull from both the inside and outside of the plate at once. For the Down Home Special - Leg Warmer Pattern, I held the yarn doubled; first two strands of Color A, then one strand of each color, followed by two strands of Color B.

The Down Home Special - Leg Warmer Pattern knits up quickly on size US 10 double-pointed needles. Smaller needles make a more snug ribbing, but there is no other shaping involved. I mentioned earlier that one plate of each color is all you need to make a pair of leg warmers, but I’d like to add that by the time I finished this pair I had only used about half the yarn. I didn’t try it myself, but you might actually be able to make two sets from just two plates of Plötulopi Unspun Icelandic Wool Yarn.

The Down Home Special - Leg Warmer Pattern offers two sizes: S/M and L/XL. Surprisingly stretchy ribbing holds them up nicely, so you can choose to wear them pulled up or scrunched down. These are great layering pieces for fall and winter. They can be worn tucked into your boots, over your boots, over jeans or with a dress. The simple design invites your own creative color ideas and all of the slightly heathered hues look beautiful next to each other. What about leaving out the middle stripe for a more two-toned look? Or using both colors throughout for a rustic heathered fabric? So many options!

Plötulopi Unspun Icelandic Wool Yarn may be new to us, but we’ve been carrying the bulky Lopi Alafoss Icelandic Wool Yarn and lighter Lettlopi (Lite Lopi) Icelandic Wool Yarn for years and years. All of these affordable Icelandic favorites stand the test of time.  Click here to check out some of our other lovely Lopi stuff!

As the proverbial saying goes, all good things must come to an end. That’s why we are sad to say we will no longer be stocking [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] . (So scoop up a great deal on what’s left!) It’s been a good run (many years, in fact), and although we’re bummed to see it go we are equally excited to welcome a new baby-geared yarn line in its place: Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn.

Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn is similar to Baby Ull in many ways, and slightly different in others. While both of these yarns are 100% superwash wool, Baby Blatt is noticeably softer than its predecessor. Baby Ull has most recently been sold as 180 yard/ 50 g ball, whereas Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn clocks in at 195 yards/ 50 g ball. Both yarns boast a color palette intended for (but not limited to) little ones, with plenty of shades to choose from. I don’t want to sound unappreciative of the wonderful pastels and soft tones of Baby Ull, but Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn introduces some newer, modern brights into the mix as well as offering the more predictable, tried and true baby shades. Another plus about this beautiful yarn is that it is made in the same mill that’s been producing it for decades. Named for legendary French knitwear designer Anny Blatt, Baby Blatt is spun in Provence, France, and the quality and care are evident in it’s luxurious feel. The fun colors, easy care, and extra-soft hand make it possible to knit awesome wee sweaters like the one shown below:

The sweater above is just one of many adorable projects found in Bouton d'Or No. 31 that can be made using Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn. Some of you might be familiar with Bouton d’Or Baby Superwash from France – these two yarns can be used interchangeably. Here are a few other charmers from the same book:

That textured yellow pullover above reminds me of a popular grown-up pattern we carry here at the shop, the Jo Sharp Ariel Double Moss Sweater - Pattern Download.  That’s a neat coincidence of course, but the Bouton d’Or books are just full of other projects that I wish I could make in my size. These pieces below (especially the striped one on the bottom) are a perfect example, and they can be found in Bouton d'Or No. 28.

Now since I’ve mentioned the other two books, I can’t leave the last one out! Bouton d'Or No. 25 contains the onesie pattern that started it all. When our lovely Anny Blatt representative came by to show us this yarn, she pulled out her own hand knit version of the onesie shown below. One touch convinced us that this soft yarn sure does make for comfortable, wearable baby clothes!

Looking through the collections in these books, I’m amazed at how many different results you can achieve with this versatile yarn. Baby Blatt by Anny Blatt Yarn doesn’t just have to be used for babies, either! This yarn is a great choice for just about any fingering weight project, from socks to shawls and everything in between. As we head into the holidays, there are so many great little garments to make for your favorite munchkins. These wee pieces knit up fast so there’s plenty of time if you start your stitching now!

Do you often find yourself gazing adoringly at dip-dyed, tie-dyed, kettle-dyed, and hand painted yarns? Me too. Even if you don’t want to stain your hands (and countertop… and floor) making your own, we’ve got you covered. I’m excited to introduce to you a very special, very limited run of hand-dyed Halcyon Signature Victorian 2-Ply, Victorian Mohair, Silk Noil, and Organic Cotton.

Once I decided on the yarns and colors, we needed to figure out how to do this on a larger scale. This is about the time I started wondering if it was too late to take a trip to Uruguay, where I could take a peek at how Malabrigo does it. Seriously though, there’s a big difference between hand painting one skein of yarn as compared to ten. In the end we decided to use those simple large metal warming pans you see at catered events – a yarn buffet! Fiber artists are nothing if not resourceful. But first I started dyeing the Inca Organic Cotton Yarn, which doesn’t require any heat or pots and pans:

As you can see, this yarn was kettle-dyed in very small batches. Great for adding a bright accent to a piece,  I especially love pairing a bright colorway with a neutral yarn in stripes or other colorwork. These hand-dyed yarns can also be used on their own if you’re looking for an all over colorful textured effect, but keep in mind that quantities are very limited – so snag a skein of your favorite colorway before they’re all gone!