Tag Archives: hand-dyed

New colors in Malabrigo Rios.

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Malabrigo recently released a bunch of new colors in their beloved worsted weight superwash merino, Rios. Meet the Tribeca collection!

Rios is beautifully hand-dyed in rich, memorable colors, soft and springy in the hand, and machine-washable, no less. A superwash worsted weight wool is a versatile kind of yarn, good for garments and accessories alike. We’ve seen it all in Rios over the years – sweaters for all ages, blankets large and small, hats and mitts and cowls and slipper socks and more.

These delicate pastel shades are semi-solid, ideal for showing off texture patterns. Try Tin Can Knits’ “Flax” and “Barley,” Stephen West’s “Dustland,” Joji Locatelli’s “Hipster Shawl,” and Andrea Mowry’s “Nurtured.”

With so many beautiful colors, it’s tempting to combine them, too – for colorful ideas, check out Shannon Cook’s “Bradway,” Lisa Hannes’ “Walk in the Woods,” Jennifer Steingass’s “Fern & Feather,” Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift,” and Tin Can Knits’ “Banff.”

Come by the shop to pick up some Malabrigo Rios for your next project! See you there.

Back in stock: Malabrigo Arroyo.

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Malabrigo Arroyo is back in stock!

This sport weight superwash merino is a favorite around here, and its cubby was looking empty before this week’s shipment arrived.

Each 100 gram skein of Arroyo boasts 335 yards, enough for a scarf, cowl, shawlette, hat, tiny baby sweater, or pair of mitts. Here are a few pattern ideas, projects that knitters on Ravelry have used Arroyo for again and again:

We have two samples at the shop knit with Malabrigo Arroyo, as well – a newborn-sized “Baby Surprise Jacket,” and a “Drop Stitch Scarf.” Though the latter calls for worsted weight yarn on a US 8 needle, I made our sample with one skein of Arroyo on a US 7, casting on an extra pattern repeat to make up the difference in width.

You’ll find Malabrigo Arroyo in the sport weight section here at our shop, and check out our whole selection of Malabrigo yarns while you’re here!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: August.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

August’s colorway is a variegated mix of purple, orange, pink and red, a vivid combination inspired by photos of Antelope Canyon in Dream in Color’s home state, Arizona.

The semi-solid mini-skein that accompanies it is somewhere between cobalt and ultraviolet.

The base is Bobby BFL, a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool and 15% nylon for strength.

Look for these limited edition skein sets in our fingering weight section while supplies last!

Dream in Color Pop Up! Club: August.

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

Dyed on Dream in Color’s aptly-named Smooshy with Cashmere, this highly variegated colorway is streaked with purple, teal, deep blue and brown, among other shades.

Smooshy with Cashmere is a super soft blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere, and nylon – perfect for a special shawl or pair of socks. A skein like this would make a great “Starshower,” “Pebble Beach Shawl,” “Sockhead Slouch Hat” or “Sockhead Cowl,” all patterns that do well with variegated yarn. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

You’ll find this limited edition colorway in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with other special skeins from Dream in Color. See you there!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Summer Love.

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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.

Dyed on KPPPM, Koigu’s signature fingering weight superwash merino wool, Summer Love is ideal for making shawls, cowls, baby sweaters, and of course, socks.

This highly variegated colorway blends all the colors of the rainbow, conjuring bright tie-dyed shirts or boxes of crayons. Orange, purple, gold, red, pink, sky blue, and indigo – these are playful skeins!

We still have small quantities of some previous Koigu Collector’s Club colorways on hand – Rebirth, Tulips, and Birch – and it’s fun to see how they relate to one another, to combine them for stripes and fades. Think “ZickZack Scarf,” “Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf,” and “Free Your Fade.”

For more pattern ideas, check out our Fingering Weight board on Pinterest.

You’ll find this limited edition colorway of Koigu KPPPM in our fingering weight section, among a variety of inspiring sock yarns. See you at the shop!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: July.

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The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

July’s colorway is inspired by green tiger barbs, flashy fish that swim in dyer Veronica’s aquarium. It’s a variegated mix of aqua, teal, and silvery blue, with little dots of green that echo the accompanying olive mini-skein.

The base is Smooshy, a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength.

Look for these limited edition skein sets in our fingering weight section while supplies last!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Birch.

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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.

Birch is the limited edition colorway this month, a pale celery shade streaked with greens. Dyed on KPPPM, Koigu’s signature fingering weight superwash merino wool, Birch would make a lovely shawl, baby sweater, hat, or pair of socks.

As I’ve written here before, KPPPM plays well with others, and this particular colorway brought to mind some of the solid shades in Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering, another superwash merino we carry here at the shop.

Where high contrast combinations are desired, consider these charcoal and forest green shades. Even this light aqua stands out against Birch, where neon yellow and white make a quieter contribution.

What to make with these color combinations in mind? Caitlin Hunter’s “Marettimo,” “Navelli,” “Sipila,” and “Zweig” are all modern colorwork sweaters, calling for hand-dyed fingering weight yarns – Koigu is a natural fit, and we have several others that would work well with it. Check out the patterns on Ravelry, and come by the shop to take a look at the yarn!

See you at the shop!

Dream in Color Pop Up! Club: May.

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Dream in Color’s Pop Up! Club continues! 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!

Smooshy with Cashmere is the featured yarn again this month, dyed in a limited edition variegated colorway, streaked with gray, ochre, and shades of pink from pale rose to fuschia.

Veronica of Dream in Color tells us this colorway is inspired by Parry’s Penstemon, one of her favorite Sonoran desert wildflowers.

A skein like this would make a great “Starshower,” “Pebble Beach Shawl,” “Sockhead Slouch Hat” or “Sockhead Cowl,” all patterns that do well with variegated yarn. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

You’ll find this limited edition colorway in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and hurry in if you want to snag one – these special Dream in Color shades don’t last long!

Dream in Color Pop Up! Club: April.

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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. April’s new limited edition colorway was somewhat delayed, but we’re pleased to announce that it’s here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Bonny is the featured yarn this month, a soft and squishy base of 2ply superwash merino. April’s colorway pairs ivory and pastels with bold streaks of blue, fuschia, and orange.

We also got in some special Dream in Color BFL Cash & Silk for Local Yarn Store Day this past Saturday.

The variegated Grand Canyon Centennial colorway pairs beautifully with any of these semi-solid shades for a “Riotous” or “Magical Thinking” shawl.

You’ll find these limited edition colorways in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and hurry in if you want to snag one – these special Dream in Color shades don’t last long!

Alchemy kits.

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Our Roadside Beanie Kits aren’t the only new kit in the shop – we’ve also made up kits featuring Alchemy yarns and patterns, designed and lovingly hand-dyed by designer Gina Wilde. These are truly unique yarns made of luxurious silk, sometimes blended with merino wool, sometimes with an added metallic sparkle.

The lacy “Simple Shibori Cowl” is knit with Alchemy Silken Straw and Sanctuary in a straightforward feather and fan pattern, then (gulp) thrown into the washing machine to be felted. The Sanctuary felts because of its merino wool content, shrinking into a fuzzy, velvety stripe whose individual stitches are no longer distinguishable. Meanwhile, the Silken Straw stretches out, becoming softer and draping gently.

The “Sparky Serpentine Scarf” is simple and elegant, a decorative accessory and a nice small project for trying Alchemy Sparky. The mesh lace pattern is easily memorized, and sparkles in this silk yarn, which is wrapped in a metallic thread.

Look for these kits and our full selection of Alchemy yarns here at the shop!