Tag Archives: kelbourne woolens

Koigu Collector’s Club: Fjord.

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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. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

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

This month’s special colorway is Fjord, muted but colorful – look closely and you’ll see shades of plum, rose, navy, denim, copper, wheat, sage, and more.

What to knit with highly variegated skeins like these? Woolly Wormhead’s entire “Get Garter” pattern collection comes to mind, an introduction to sideways hat construction, all knit in variegated fingering weight yarns.

Another Woolly Wormhead pattern caught my eye, too – “Square Cubed” is a colorwork hat decorated with small square motifs, which means we’ll need plenty of contrast to show the pattern clearly.

I think these shades of Kelbourne Woolens Camper, Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, and Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering will do the trick, having looked at the photo in black and white to better assess the color value.

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with Kelbourne Woolens Camper, Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering, and more – see you there!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Cottage Breakfast.

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The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 20 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 special colorway is Cottage Breakfast, a muted rainbow of pastels with a few dark streaks of plum, navy, and gold.

A variegated colorway like this really shines when paired with a solid, and Kelbourne Woolens Camper comes in several shades that complement Cottage Breakfast.

I created these pairings with the chevron “ZickZack Scarf” in mind, a popular free pattern that has served many knitters well over the years.

Look for Cottage Breakfast and other Koigu colors in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re also happy to take your order online for local pickup or shipping.

Thanksgiving break, colorwork show and tell.

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As you may have read in our most recent newsletter, the shop will be closed for our usual Thanksgiving break from November 24 – 29. Feel free to place online orders or email inquiries during that time, but know that we won’t be monitoring our inbox until we’re back in the shop on November 30! We wish you all a peaceful and safe holiday.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy more show and tell, this time featuring colorwork projects!

Anne knit this “Spooky Hat,” by RosiePosieKnitCo, using Malabrigo Rios – all the contrast colors were leftovers from other projects, a great way to use them up!

Pam loves to do colorwork with Malabrigo Rios, too – here’s her “Dog Star,” a favorite pattern designed for all ages by Tin Can Knits.

Molly knit this “Machrihanish” vest using Cascade 220 Fingering, selecting and ordering the colors from a distance during our long closure. We were thrilled to see how beautifully it came together – there’s nothing like seeing yarn and handknit garments in person! Pattern by Kate Davies.

Above is Victoria’s “Lehto,” a pattern from Anna Johanna’s book Strands of Joy. She used Briggs & Little Sport for the main color and Kelbourne Woolens Andorra for the contrast color, and I must mention that this is her very first sweater – bravo, Victoria!

Thanks to Anne, Pam, Molly, and Victoria for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Silk Mohair + fingering weight.

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We’ve seen so many patterns lately that call for a lace weight mohair paired with fingering weight wool – sometimes solid, sometimes variegated, always creating an enticing fuzzy fabric. Isager Silk Mohair is just the yarn for this, and we’ve got loads of options in the fingering weight section here at our shop – you’ll find a few ideas below, and keep scrolling for patterns!

  • Isager Silk Mohair: lace weight, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, 233 yards/25 g; $16 each
  • Brooklyn Tweed Loft: fingering weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 275 yards/50 g; $18.75 each

  • Koigu KPPPM: fingering weight, hand dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 175 yards/50 g; $15.50 each

What to knit with these yarn pairings? Here are some ideas:

Sweaters:

Accessories:

See you at the shop!

Yarn ideas for Stephen West’s “Shawlography” MKAL.

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We know many of you are fans of designer Stephen West and often participate in his annual Mystery Knit-Alongs – it’s that time of year again, and “Shawlography” is the pattern-to-be. It calls for five colors of fingering weight yarn, 100g each, and West’s motto for yarn selection this year is, “Say yes, don’t stress!” – as in, all kinds of fingering weight yarns are welcome here, and we have tons to choose from at the shop!

Lady Dye Superwash Fingering, $32 each

Stephen West made a very helpful video about color selection, and I watched it carefully before putting these combinations together. He suggests sticking with solid or semi-solid yarns for maximum contrast, though speckles may be used sparingly.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock, $34 each

It’s important to have some light colors, some medium, and some dark for this design – this provides contrast as the colors interact with one another throughout the shawl.

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, $26 each

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, $26 each

One strategy West recommends is selecting five shades from one color family, being sure to include lights, mediums, and darks.

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, $15.25 each

Kelbourne Woolens Camper, $9.50 each

Another way to approach it – pick a gradient of neutral colors and one or two bright color pops.

Kelbourne Woolens Camper, $9.50 each

There are so many possibilities here at our shop – come by between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, and we’ll be happy to show you around! We’re still taking online orders for local pickup or shipping, too; just fill out our online form.

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, $15.25 each

Show and tell: more sweaters!

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It’s been fun going back through show and tell photos from Instagram over the past year since our closure – there are so many incredible projects to share. Let’s take a look at some sweaters!

Like many of us, Linda spent much of the past year finishing lingering projects, and here she is modeling one of them – “Galloway,” a colorwork cardigan designed by Jared Flood for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

Above is Rosi’s “Cloudy Blouse,” an intricate embroidered pullover designed by Helga Isager for Isager Spinni.

Here’s Pat in her “Donner,” knit with Malabrigo Caprino and trimmed with Shibui Haven.

Linda knit this “Orime” top with Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, a smooth and springy yarn that’s perfect for showing off the subtle stitch pattern in Veronik Avery’s design.

Here’s Laura, showing off her beautiful “Zahavi,” designed by Emily Greene for Brooklyn Tweed Arbor – another yarn with superb stitch definition.

Above is Patricia’s “Peace Lily Blouse,” knit for her daughter using Kelbourne Woolens Mojave. She modified this cropped top by lengthening the ribbing, a clever and easy fix that changes the whole look of the garment.

Here’s Denise’s first ever steeked sweater, Caitlin Hunter’s “Ramblin Woman” cardigan, knit with Isager Jensen.

Thanks to Linda, Rosi, Pat, Linda, Laura, Patricia, and Denise for sharing their work with us! We can’t wait to see what you make next.

Yarn ideas for “Summernight Sky,” by Lisa Hannes.

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Lisa Hannes’ latest design has us playing the color game… here are some yarn ideas for “Summernight Sky,” a two color mosaic shawl.

Hannes uses a fingering weight, single ply, superwash merino – one shade is semi-solid, and the other variegated. A high contrast color combination will ensure that the mosaic pattern shows.

Lady Dye Superwash Fingering: fingering weight, hand-dyed, single ply, 100% superwash merino wool, 425 yards/100g; $32 each

Punta del Este Mericash Solid: fingering weight, single ply, 80% merino, 20% cashmere, 264 yards/50 gm; $18 each

Koigu KPPPM: fingering weight, hand-dyed, 100% superwash merino, 175 yards/50 g; $15.50 each

Kelbourne Woolens Camper: fingering weight, 100% wool, 200 yards/50g; $9 each

Reach out if any of these combinations catches your eye – we’re happy to help calculate yardage or answer any questions that come up as you plan a “Summernight Sky” shawl of your own! You can also come by the shop to browse in person – we’re open for drop-in shopping from 11 am – 5 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays.

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead.

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Woolly Wormhead’s new book is here!

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead is a collection of 22 hat patterns for all ages from a designer who self identifies as a Hat Architect. Her designs are innovative, surprising, and fun to knit – Anne is a big fan!

Woolly Wormhead has dedicated her entire knitwear design career to hats, exploring the possibilities of texture and construction with whimsical style.

Malabrigo Caprino + “Azula”

We may not have exactly the yarns shown in her pattern photos, but there are so many good substitutions on our shelves – here are some yarn and pattern pairings I came up with while paging through the book!

Swans Island All American Sport + “Joyce”

Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK + “Staggered”

Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply + “Infilare”

Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed + “Turbine”

Along with inspiring and intriguing patterns, Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead features tutorials on special techniques and sage advice on hat fit and styling.

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead is $24.95; swing by to pick up a copy or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Amirisu, Issue 22.

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A new issue of Amirisu is here!

Amirisu is a knitting magazine based in Japan, each issue filled with articles, interviews, and patterns from designers all over the world.

This issue features designs by Fiona Alice, Kate Gagnon Osborn, Sari Nordlund, Eri Shimizu, Dianna Walla, and more.

I spotted some familiar fibers in this issue – Kelbourne Woolens Andorra in a textured lace shawl, and Brooklyn Tweed Dapple in a feature on new yarns to try. Happy to report that we have plenty of both in stock, and that you can now make an appointment for in-store shopping to see them in person!

There’s intriguing reading material in this issue of Amirisu, too – a fiber lover’s travel guide to Okinawa, with essays about the textile traditions there.

Amirisu is $24, and available for local pickup or shipping via our online order form, or you can schedule an appointment to shop in person!

Pom Pom Quarterly: Summer 2021.

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The Summer 2021 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly has arrived here at the shop!

Birds are the theme of this issue, inspiring the aesthetic choices of the contributing designers and providing metaphors and motifs that appear in the written material, as well.

Flipping through this issue, I spotted a few familiar yarns put to beautiful use – CoopKnits Socks Yeah! in colorwork socks, Kelbourne Woolens Mojave in a lacy summer top, and BC Garn Bio Balance in a color blocked tee.

Along with intriguing patterns and essays, Pom Pom also features a recipe in each issue – this time it’s a marbled coconut milk loaf, fittingly named Feather Bread.

Pom Pom Quarterly is $18.50 – order online and we can ship it to you, or you can come by to pick it up here at the shop! Along with this issue, we also have the Summer 2019, Autumn 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Autumn 2020, and Spring 2021 issues in stock – preview them on our blog and get in touch if you’d like to add them to your Pom Pom collection!