Today we were surprised and delighted to receive our Shibui Trunk Show a few days early. This show features five garments from their Fall/Winter 2014 collection, which we’ll have on display until January 21st.
Shibui yarns are designed to be knit on their own or held together, using two or three strands at a time to make bespoke yarn blends. We currently stock five Shibui yarns: Cima, Pebble, Silk Cloud, Linen, and Maai. Some of these trunk show garments are knit with one or two of those yarns, and some of these garments combine them with Shibui yarns that we don’t keep in stock at the shop, like Shibui Staccato and Baby Alpaca. We’re happy to order any of those yarns for you if you’re willing to prepay for a special order.
It’s also possible to substitute yarns, of course; above is one such example, serendipitously brought in for show and tell only a few hours before the trunk show arrived.
Paula knit this “Mix No. 34” cowl with Shibui Maai, rather than the Silk Cloud/Staccato mix suggested in the pattern. She was able to get gauge, and though the texture is a little different than the original, it’s just as lovely.
There are many fun and useful things about trunk shows, like being able to play a bit of dress-up and try garments on for size, but one of the best aspects of a Shibui trunk show is seeing these yarn combinations in person.
It can be hard enough to imagine how a single yarn will behave as knitted fabric; throw two different colors or fibers into the mix and it can be a real leap of faith. That’s where our shop samples and swatches are most helpful–ah, this is how Cima and Pebble work up together–and whole garments are even more illuminating.
Come by before the 21st to see the Shibui Trunk Show for yourself!