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 [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] 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 [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] .  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 [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] .

Now since I’ve mentioned the other two books, I can’t leave the last one out! [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] 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!

On the coat tails of my last post about Malabrigo Lace, here’s another new addition to our Malabrigo family: Malabrigo Sock Yarn!  This is a plied, superwash merino wool sock weight yarn.  Sock is kettle dyed, so it has all the tonal and multicolor variegation you’ve come to know and love from Malabrigo.  A comparable weight to Lace, Sock differs in that the plied construction makes it just a tiny bit stronger.  Don’t forget it’s machine washable, too!

So what should you make out of sock?  Malabrigo releases pattern books pretty regularly, and there were a few patterns in Malabrigo Book 3 that caught my eye.  First, there’s the Scalloped Shawl, shown below:

Attention all spinners, felters, weavers, and fans of thrummed knitting: you’ve gotta check out Nube by Malabrigo Fiber! Actually, you’re lucky I’m even telling you about it because I’d love to keep it all to myself. Soft as its namesake (“nube” is Spanish for “cloud”), this 100% Merino wool top is a dream to work with. The beautiful hand dyed colors make it hard to choose which one to bring home, and watching the colors change as you work with this roving will keep you entertained for hours.

I can say that from experience, because as soon as this stuff came in I snatched up a braid of Mostaza and Archangel. I then scurried home with my bounty and proceeded to gaze lovingly at it, taking glamour shots and admiring how this lovely fiber looked against all sorts of backgrounds. It’s a little embarrassing, actually – it took me a week or two to stop gawking at Nube and actually break it out of its perfect roly-poly braid to get it on my wheel.

Now I’m a spinner, so that’s what I chose to use Nube for. But this roving is also great for wet felting, needle felting, thrummed knitting, and weaving. I can only imagine how these colors would look if you incorporated Nube into a woven tapestry wall hanging – you know the ones, like in Rachel Denbow’s DIY Woven Art. Seriously though, picture it in this Group Hug Wall Hanging from that book:

Looking for a machine washable sport-weight yarn that doesn’t feel gross? Check out Malabrigo Arroyo Yarn! This is a durable, plied superwash that is already a trusted go-to for knitters everywhere. For those of you familiar with Malabrigo Rios Superwash Merino Wool Yarn, you might think of Arroyo as the sport-weight kid sister, a lighter weight version of that yarn.

So what should you make with it? Well, Malabrigo has a few super cute patterns for Arroyo, like this Trenzado cardigan from Malabrigo Book 4:

This cardigan has a wonderfully flattering shape, and it’s a nice way to show off the color variations this yarn is known for. If you’re looking for something a little smaller, take a gander at this Sullivan cowl from Malabrigo Book 5 - In Soho:

Adorable.  Just adorable. And perfect for the chilly months ahead! Carrying the yarn along the back for all the colorwork adds a little extra insulation, making this a warm little project. A few other patterns that I think would be awesome in Arroyo are the  [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] and the  [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] .

In the meantime, if you’re hank-ering to knit something with Caracol right away I recommend the [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] . We have a sample of this at the shop made out of Malabrigo Rasta Yarn, and the weights of these two yarns are comparable. I like Rasta too, but I’d love to see (and feel) how this cowl would look out of Caracol.

Due to the large amount of texture this yarn has on its own, you’ll want to avoid spending too much time on fancy stitch patterns; most of that stitch work will likely be lost in the loveliness of the yarn. For something very simple to make out of Caracol, try The Big Easy Cowl. Sometimes simple is the way to go when you’re working with a yarn that has as much personality as this one.

I have a wonderful announcement to make: As part of expanding our Malabrigo selection, we now stock Malabrigo Lace Yarn! This is a beautiful, delicate, singles lace weight merino wool that is worthy of being fawned over. I’ll be honest, I am always partial to single ply yarns. I love how buttery they are, how they knit up, and really just how they look in general. Not to mention, they show off fancy dye jobs in the loveliest way. So it only makes sense that this biased knitter would gravitate toward Malabrigo Lace. Weavers are in on this too – you’ll find that with 470 yards to a skein and a very even twist, especially for a singles, this yarn open up new possibilities for weaving with merino in a gorgeous palette. Want a closer look? Check out my video review:

This yarn really shows off the beautifully variegated colors that Malabrigo is known for, despite its diminutive weight. We have a mixed selection of multicolors and tonal solids here at the shop; I again have to be honest and tell you I especially love this yarn in tonal solids. I never really care for purple, but every time I walk by the display I get sucked in by our color 0340, Orchid.  There’s just something about the subtlety of the color that I really enjoy.

First and foremost, the Knitbot Featherweight Cardigan. This is on my to-do list. Hannah Fettig’s patterns are a joy to follow- well written, well designed, and fun to knit. I know people who have made this particular cardigan multiple times, just so they can have one in every color. It’s also available for the kiddo’s – Knitbot Fledgling Featherweight Cardigan.

If you’re more of a shawl person, there’s also this book: Sock-Yarn Shawls. This book has a bunch of different shawl patterns, and you can use Malabrigo Lace for all of ’em.