Hello, Shibui Staccato.

Posted by Julia on March 8, 2015

Another new yarn from Shibui! Meet Staccato.

Staccato is a lustrous blend of 70% superwash merino and 30% silk in a fingering weight. Like Cima, it has a nice high twist, giving it the look of a string of pearls. Each 50 gram skein has 191 yards, enough for a hat or a pair of mitts; two skeins would make a lovely cowl, or a special pair of socks. Staccato looks to be a stellar sweater yarn, as well; check out the “Fingering weight” board on our Pinterest page for pattern ideas!

Both silk and superwash wool have a tendency to grow after washing and blocking; plan for this by washing your swatch and adjusting needle size accordingly. I know this can feel like an extra step sometimes, but it’s worth it to end up with a garment in the size you intended!

Look for Shibui Staccato in the fingering weight section, and be sure to check out our other Shibui yarns and patterns while you’re here. Come by the shop when you’re seeking inspiration; we look forward to helping you plan your next project!

Hello, Shibui Twig.

Posted by Julia on March 6, 2015

We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of Shibui’s newest yarn: meet Twig.

Twig is a slightly textured blend of 46% linen, 42% recycled silk, and 12% wool.

Each 50 gram skein has 190 yards, and it knits up at a sport or dk weight gauge into an open, draping fabric.

Shibui yarns are dyed in matching colorways across the line, designed to be knit on their own or held together to make bespoke yarn blends. Twig is no exception; I expect this yarn will play quite well with the others.

Like Shibui Linen, Twig has a crisp feel and a plant fiber’s tendency to stretch rather than cling, qualities that make it ideal for warm weather garments and accessories. If you like a little more elasticity, consider holding Twig together with Cima or Pebble.

The design team at Shibui has included Twig in its Spring/Summer 2015 collection, featuring the kind of loose-fitting, modern garments that Twig is best suited to.

Some patterns are for Twig alone, others pair it with different Shibui yarns, or offer several combinations to choose from.

That, after all, is what drives the Shibui mix concept: by combining more than one yarn and/or color, you can create exactly the fiber, texture, or color blend you’d like. As long as you’re getting the gauge the pattern calls for, you can mix and substitute yarns to your heart’s content.

Come by the shop to see Twig for yourself, peruse the Shibui Spring/Summer 2015 pattern collection, and plan a Shibui project!

String Theory: new colors, show and tell.

Posted by Julia on March 4, 2015

Another shipment from String Theory arrived at the shop last week, a box filled with Bluestocking and Merino DK. We also happened to see these two yarns in a couple of beautiful finished projects recently, so I thought I’d share show and tell along with the news of new colors.

Bluestocking is a soft, sturdy fingering weight yarn composed of 80% Bluefaced Leicester wool and 20% nylon. Bluefaced Leicester wool is known for its long fibers, which make for sturdy, lustrous yarn with a bit of a fuzzy halo. Bluestocking is excellent for socks, but just as nice for scarves, shawls, mitts, and other accessories.

Pete knit this “North Arrow” with two shades of Bluestocking, one variegated and one semisolid. I love seeing how two colors interact when knit up into thin stripes; they can blend into one another or pop out in contrast, and you can’t be quite sure how they’ll behave until they’re on your needles. Pete’s color choice came out beautifully, and I’m flattered to say that she’s planning to knit a second “North Arrow” in Caper Sock!

Last week’s box came with three new shades of String Theory Merino DK, a soft and smooth superwash merino yarn in a DK weight. Merino DK is springy and dependable, has sharp stitch definition, and comes in rich, hand-dyed colorways. I’m a big fan of this yarn, having used it for all kinds of projects: two cowls, a hat, a sweater, and a pair of mitts.

Mary recently pulled a skein of String Theory Merino DK out of her stash to make a “Hermes Baby” hat from the Vivacious Volume One booklet. The simplicity of the stitch pattern gives this particularly variegated colorway room to shine.

Come by the shop to see our full selection of String Theory yarns, and plan your next project!

Ewe Ewe Trunk Show!

Posted by Julia on February 27, 2015

Snowy weather delayed our Ewe Ewe Trunk Show a bit, but now it’s here!

We have a variety of garments on display knit in Ewe Ewe’s superwash merino yarns, Ewe So Sporty and Wooly Worsted.

From small projects, like socks, mitts and cowls, all the way up to baby blankets, shawls, and sweaters, the range of garments here reflects the multiplicity of uses for these soft, easy-care yarns.

Come by the shop this weekend to see the Ewe Ewe Trunk Show! We’ll have it on display until Tuesday, March 3rd.

Hello, Malabrigo Mechita.

Posted by Julia on February 23, 2015

We’re happy to announce the arrival of a brand new yarn from Malabrigo: hello, Mechita.

Mechita is a single ply superwash merino in a fingering weight, with a generous 420 yards on each 100 gram skein.

This hand-dyed yarn comes in a wide range of colorways from semisolid to variegated, including many old favorites and some new shades, too.

Mechita seems made for next-to-skin accessories like shawls, scarves, and cowls. As I was photographing these colorful skeins, I paired up semisolid shades with variegates, thinking of the many popular two-color patterns that call for fingering weight yarns. “Daybreak,” “Spectra,” or “Clockwork” from Stephen West…

“Bolt,” “Different Lines,” or “Stripe Study” from Veera Välimäki…

“Whippoorwill” or “Catkin” from Carina Spencer…

Louise Zass-Bangham’s “Foolproof” cowl, Laura Ayler’s “Faberge,” or Robin Ulrich’s “Sothia”…

In short, you can use Mechita in just about any pattern that calls for fingering weight yarn, and there are plenty out there. Our Pinterest page has a “Fingering Weight” board, collecting inspiring stitches in fingering weight yarns like Mechita; check there for even more ideas.

Come by the shop to meet Malabrigo’s newest yarn, and visit us before March 6th to see the Malabrigo Trunk Show. See you there!

Hello, Geilsk Cotton/Wool.

Posted by Julia on February 20, 2015

We’ve welcomed another new yarn to the shop! Meet Geilsk Cotton/Wool.

Cotton/Wool is a fingering weight blend of 55% wool and 45% cotton, a combination that brings the best of both fibers to the yarn. The wool lends elasticity and loftiness to the cool, soft cotton, and the result is a nice balance of animal and plant fibers, and smooth, well-behaved fabric.

We spotted Cotton/Wool at market last May, noting that we lacked a fingering weight cotton and wool blend here at the shop. We chose to carry it after knitting a simple swatch, its smooth texture rendering stitch patterns neatly, with nary a snag.

Danish knitwear designer Bente Geil has developed a unique bunch of patterns for Cotton/Wool, ranging from shawls and scarves to vests and larger sweaters.

I’m currently knitting this “Jiffy” vest as a sample for the shop in Cotton/Wool.

You can wear it with the ribbing at the neck or upside down, with the lace at the neck.

Look for Geilsk Cotton/Wool and its accompanying patterns in the fingering weight section at the shop. See you there!

New colors in Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on February 15, 2015

We recently restocked our cubby of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, a luxurious blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon.

At 20% cashmere, Smooshy with Cashmere has more cashmere content than many other merino/cashmere/nylon blends we’ve run into. It’s a treat for the hands as you’re stitching, and makes a particularly plush finished product.

Hand-dyed in semi-solid and variegated colorways, Smooshy with Cashmere is a special skein for special projects: an heirloom baby garment, a cuddly pair of socks or mitts, a comforting cowl or shawl.

When it really needs to be soft as can be, consider Smooshy with Cashmere. Come by the shop to take a look; you’ll find it in the fingering weight section. See you there!

Select Opal sock yarns: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on February 13, 2015

UPDATE: As of 4/22/2016, we are totally sold out of these Select Opal sock yarns!

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In an effort to clear space for new Spring yarns, we’ve moved some of our Opal sock yarns into the sale trunk, and discounted them by over 30%!

These Opal yarns are fingering weight blends of superwash wool and nylon, tightly-plied to make sturdy, long-lasting socks. Like many Opal yarns, they’re also self-patterning, meaning that the yarn is dyed to create a color pattern in the knitted fabric. This makes for fun and sometimes surprising socks, entertaining to knit even in simple stitch patterns. Above is Opal Mosaik, with short lengths of each color that make wild patterned stripes, and below is Opal Krokodil, with longer stretches of color that pool for staggered, irregular stripes.

Check out our sale trunk for great yarns at a discount, and help us make room for new yarns to come!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!

Back in stock: Caper Sock.

Posted by Julia on February 9, 2015

We’re so glad to have new colors in String Theory Caper Sock!

Caper Sock is a fingering weight blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere, and nylon. It’s sturdy enough for sock-knitting, as its name suggests, but soft enough for shawls, scarves, cowls, hats, or mitts–just about anything you’d wear next-to-skin.

Each skein boasts 400 yards, enough to make a variety of small projects. Searching patterns on Ravelry, I found that one skein of Caper Sock will make just about any pair of socks, Joji Locatelli’s “To infinity and beyond” cowl, Jennifer Dassau’s “Picabeau” shawlette, or Stephen West’s “Pogona” shawlette. Can’t decide on just one color? Two will make Carina Spencer’s “Catkin” shawl, Veera Välimäki’s “Halfway Wrap,” or my own “North Arrow” scarf.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two or String Theory Caper Sock! You’ll find Caper Sock in the fingering weight section, with lots of other tempting hand-dyed yarns.

Hello, Scrumptious Lace.

Posted by Julia on February 3, 2015

Along with our recent shipment of Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply came a new bundle of Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace.

Our first batch of Scrumptious Lace came out of our obsession with Kate Davies’ Yokes. Anne is planning to knit “Frost at Midnight,” an elegant cardigan with a beaded yoke, and simply had to have Scrumptious Lace for it.

This latest order rounds out our selection of Scrumptious Lace, so that we have a range of colors to suit a range of projects.

Scrumptious Lace is a shimmering blend of 55% merino and 45% silk, with a generous 1094 yards on each 100 gram hank. Its vivid solid colors and smooth texture make for sharp stitch definition, ideal for lace knitting. Consider Ysolda Teague’s “Ishbel,” “Pear Drop,” and “Barley Sugar,” Jared Flood’s “Rock Island,” and Laura Nelkin’s “Life Cycle.” Fine yarns like this one are perfect for lace crochet projects, too; check out Elena Fedotova’s “Scarlet Berry” and “Ink Ripples.”

For more pattern ideas, look to our “Inspiring Stitches” Pinterest board. Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two of Scrumptious Lace and plan your next project!