Tag Archives: fingering weight

Koigu Collector’s Club: Lava.

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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.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s colorway is Lava, a deep, saturated navy blue with pops of orange, gold, and peach. It’s darker than any of the recent Koigu Collector’s Club colorways, creating delightful contrast against the lighter skeins we have in stock.

52 Weeks of Shawls has been quite popular around here, and we’ve had the pleasure of suggesting yarn ideas for several of the patterns within Laine’s newest tome. This pairing of Koigu KPPPM in Snow Tulips and Lava would make a lovely “Limelight,” by Anna Johanna.

Or how about Lava and Vintage Valentine? These yarn bundles are $93, and 52 Weeks of Shawls is $52, fittingly; order online for local pickup or shipping, or make an appointment for in-store shopping to see and touch the yarn for yourself!

Balayage + Rainy Day Hat.

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Last year, when Pascuali Balayage was brand new, Anne knit Melanie Berg’s “Rainy Day Hat” in shades of purple.

We both loved the lightweight hat that resulted, and were especially pleased that Anne had enough yarn left over to make a matching pair of Berg’s “Rainy Day Mitts” with the color placement reversed.

Pascuali Balayage:

  • fingering weight
  • 80% alpaca, 20% merino
  • 190 yards/50 g
  • $13 each 

When we decided to feature this yarn and pattern pairing in our HYS Hat Club for June, I created colorways for each of the color palettes our club members choose from: cool, warm, neutral, and surprise. Signups are still open for the fourth and final Quarter of the HYS Hat Club – read more here, and sign up by June 19 to join the fun!

With 18 colors in stock, I couldn’t stop at four combinations – here are a few more!

If any of these catch your eye, pick your favorite and order online for local pickup or shipping! We are also happy to announce that we now have in-store shopping appointments available, if you prefer to select your yarn and colors in person – click here to schedule an appointment!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Reef.

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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.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This soothing blend of blues and greens fits nicely into our existing selection of Koigu KPPPM and the metallic Sparkle. It got me thinking about Churchmouse’s “Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf” pattern, which blends disparate variegated shades into a harmonious fabric that almost looks woven.

Another pattern idea, this time from Anne – consider Casapinka’s “Breathe and Hope” shawl, which pairs a variegated and a solid for some low-contrast brioche.

We’ve found subtle solid shades in Marion Foale 3 ply. Each of these bundles is $64.50 – order online for local pickup or shipping!

Da Crofters Kep.

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We’re so excited about “Da Crofters Kep,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2021!

“Da Crofters Kep,” by Wilma Malcolmson, shown in Colourway 1.

This six-color fair isle hat is currently available as a free pattern download from the Shetland Wool Week website. A new Shetland Wool Week hat pattern is something I look forward to every year, so I downloaded it as soon as it was available, and then went straight to our Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift to play the color game. I spent some time putting together five color combinations, inspired by the five colorways shown in the pattern.

“Da Crofters Kep,” by Wilma Malcolmson, shown in Colourway 2. © shetland wool week

“Da Crofters Kep,” by Wilma Malcolmson, shown in Colourway 3. © shetland wool week

“Da Crofters Kep,” by Wilma Malcolmson, shown in Colourway 4. © shetland wool week

“Da Crofters Kep,” by Wilma Malcolmson, shown in Colourway 5. © shetland wool week

Yarn bundles for “Da Crofters Kep” are $48.30 – 7 balls of Shetland Spindrift (2 in the main color, and 1 each in 5 contrast colors) at $6.90 per ball. We just got a fresh delivery of Shetland Spindrift with this project in mind, so all five colourways are currently in stock – get in touch if you’d like to order yarn for a “Da Crofters Kep” of your own!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: May 2021.

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

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

This month, dyer Veronica was inspired by photos of ocean kelp forests, and those vibrant colors are beautifully reflected in these skeins – saturated aqua with streaks of cobalt and olive green.

As I was unpacking these vibrant skeins, I noticed how well they played with these skeins of Lady Dye Superwash Fingering and Malabrigo Sock – these three would make a striking “Temperance Shawl,” or a “Free Your Fade,” by Andrea Mowry!

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront remains closed to walk-ins!

Koigu Collector’s Club: April Showers and Snow Tulips.

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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. This month, we also got a special color in Koigu Othello, a super soft, super bulky yarn!

Koigu Othello:

  • super bulky weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 95 yards/100g
  • $23.50 each

Othello is thick and squishy, sure to knit up quickly on US 10 or 11 needles. What to make with this special April Showers colorway, streaked with pastels and pale gray? Pick up one skein for a “Big Chunky Comfort Hat,” “An Unoriginal Hat,” or “Vanessa Headband.” Two skeins makes a “Painted Stones Cowl.”

We also got the classic fingering weight KPPPM in a special limited edition color – Snow Tulips (below) is a variegated mix of peach and cream, seafoam and blue, with dashes of burgundy and orange.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

One way to use highly variegated colorways like Snow Tulips is to pair them with a solid, drawing out one of the many shades that appears in the mix. Looking through our fingering weight yarns here at the shop, Anne and I found complementary solids in two yarns – Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering and Baa Ram Ewe Titus.

Since we’re offering two yarns, how about two patterns, too? Any of the yarn bundles pictured here can be used for either “Woods Haven” or “Leya,” two shawls by Tamy Gore that lend themselves to high contrast color pairings.

Koigu + Cumbria Fingering bundles are $53, and Koigu + Titus bundles are $60. Order online for local pickup or shipping!

Reed and Pebble, Grass and Stone.

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“Grass and Stone” is a brand new pattern by Elizabeth Elliott, a bias-knit scarf with subtle part-row stripes of single and doubled yarn at each end.

The yarns are Shibui Reed and Pebble, the first a linen chainette and the second a tweedy blend of recycled silk, merino, and cashmere. Reed brings drape and Pebble brings softness, creating a unique fiber blend that’s just right for a warm-weather accessory.

“Grass and Stone” is 8″ wide, and available in two lengths – 72″ or 90″. The 72″ scarf requires 2 Reed and 3 Pebble, while the 90″ scarf requires 3 of each.

Shibui Reed: fingering weight, chainette, 100% linen, 246 yards/50g; $20 each

Shibui Pebble: lace weight, 48% recycled silk, 36% merino wool, 16% cashmere, 224 yards/25g; $21.50 each

Reed and Pebble make an intriguing combination, even in matching colors – these fibers each take the dye a little differently.

Combining different colors can be good fun, of course – here’s a low-contrast pair that should blend together in a gentle marl.

The pattern is free when you buy Reed and Pebble for the project – we’ll print a copy and include it in your order. Pick your favorite color combination and order online for local pickup or shipping!

Yarn ideas for Laura Nelkin’s Open Minds MKAL.

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A knitter recently brought our attention to Laura Nelkin’s upcoming mystery knit-along, Open Minds, asking if we could help put some yarns together. I’m always happy to help make suggestions for just the right yarn and color combinations, but a mystery knit-along is usually a little tricky. After all, how to choose colors for a project you can’t see? Luckily, Laura Nelkin has made it simple with a video explaining how much contrast is needed, and in which yarns. I watched carefully and had fun putting together the following color combinations:

Each of these bundles includes the following:

  • 1 skein Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each – this will be the MC (main color)
  • 1 skein Ella Rae Lace Merino: light fingering weight, hand-dyed, 100% superwash merino, 460 yards/100g; $23 each – this will stand in for the MS (mini-skeins)
  • 2 skeins Shibui Silk Cloud: lace weight, 60% kid mohair, 40% silk, 330 yards/25 g; $26.50 each – this will be the LY (lace yarn)

The total cost is $102, and Laura Nelkin’s pattern is sold separately on her website. To get the yarn from us, order online for local pickup or shipping!

Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Camper!

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We’re excited to announce that Kelbourne Woolens has a brand new yarn, and we’ve got it right here at our shop – meet Camper!

Kelbourne Woolens Camper:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% wool
  • 200 yards/50 g
  • $9.50 each

Camper is a lighter weight version of KW’s popular Scout, and comes in all the same solid and heathered colors. The fine weight, soft but sturdy fiber content, and smaller 50g skeins make it perfect for stranded colorwork, which is illustrated beautifully in the new Camper Collection!

“Laurel Hill,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – colorwork hat

The design team at Kelbourne Woolens has dreamed up seven colorwork patterns for Camper, including hats, mittens, a scarf, and stunning sweaters for adults and children.

“Presque Isle,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – colorwork pullover

“Moreau Lake,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – colorwork mittens

“Cumberland Falls,” by Courtney Kelley – colorwork cardigan

“Selbu Modern 2.0,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – colorwork hat

“Baxter Peak,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – colorwork pullover, ages 6 months – 10 years

“Ridley Creek,” by Courtney Kelley – colorwork hat and scarf

To sweeten the deal, the first purchases of Camper from our shop will come with a download code for a free Kelbourne Woolens pattern. Head to our online order form to place your requests!

 

Camper Collection pattern photos by Linette Kielinski / Team Kielinski.

Isager Alpaca 2 + Samen.

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Last week, designer Stephen West posted new color combinations on Instagram for one of his older patterns, a marled shawl called “Samen.”

“Samen” shawl, knit with Isager Alpaca 2. Photo © Stephen West

I always love to see how he puts colors together, and it put me in the mood to create some “Samen” colorways of my own, using Isager Alpaca 2. The shawl calls for five colors in varying amounts, from 220-420 yards per color – the bundles here include some extra yardage, so you can mix the shades up however you like with plenty of wiggle room to play.

Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each, $120 for bundles of 10

If any of these color combinations grabs you, order online for local pickup or shipping! We’re also happy to help put together a custom colorway just for you – just let us know what shades you love!