New colors in Yarn Hollow Photograph.

Posted by Julia on December 30, 2015

Five new shades of Yarn Hollow Photograph are brightening a special basket here at the shop.

Yarn Hollow is a yarn company that has grown from one dyer in her garage to a three-person hand-dyeing operation out of Grandville, Michigan. For almost three years now, we’ve stocked Yarn Hollow’s Photograph, a worsted weight 100% bluefaced leicester wool.

Each skein 4 oz skein boasts 250 yards, a good-sized chunk of yarn at about 5 stitches per inch. Pick up one skein for a “Dustland Hat” or “Cumberland” cowl, two skeins for a “Big Herringbone Cowl,” or three for a “Range” wrap–all well-loved worsted weight patterns that we’ve knit as shop samples over the years. Check our “Worsted weight” board on Pinterest for more pattern ideas!

Look for Yarn Hollow Photograph in the worsted weight section here at the shop. See you there!

Another day at TNNA.

Posted by Julia on May 31, 2015

One of the great opportunities at TNNA is to take classes with skilled designers and teachers in the field of fiber arts. This morning, Anne and Rosi tried spinning with Nancy Shroyer, and Amy and I had classes with Lily Chin and Cat Bordhi, respectively. After two educational hours, we headed back to the showroom floor to continue shopping. We had to stop by Baa Ram Ewe, of course, having become obsessed with their new Dovestone yarn. I’m hoping to use it to knit “Epistrophy,” from Kate Davies’ Yokes, and was delighted to find exactly that sweater hanging on the rack in the booth, in exactly that yarn, of course. Yarn Hollow attended TNNA for the first time this year, and we stopped in to order a few new colors in Photograph. From there, we wandered the showroom floor, taking it all in, and discovering exciting new products that we can’t wait to bring into the shop. We even ran into Clara Parkes, of Knitters Review, and chatted about our favorite new yarns for this coming season. It’s always a pleasure to get her take on these things, and a treat to do it in conversation with Clara herself.

Somewhere along the way, we came across this display of Anna Zilboorg’s swatches and samples from her Splendid Apparel book. We’re looking forward to seeing her at the shop this coming Thursday, June 4th, for an informal book-signing and perfect buttonhole tutorial. We’d love to have you join us and meet Anna; sign up for this free event on our website!

Back in stock: Yarn Hollow Photograph.

Posted by Julia on October 27, 2013

I was delighted to unpack a big box at the shop this week from Michigan yarn company Yarn Hollow. We carry one Yarn Hollow yarn, Photograph, a worsted weight Bluefaced Leicester wool that is hand-dyed in tonally variegated colorways, and it was that gorgeous yarn that filled this box. We’d had a special request for a particular color, which was all the excuse we needed to pick out a few other new colors and fill up on those that were running low.

There are very few patterns written expressly for this yarn, but it would be a perfect substitute for any wooly worsted weight yarn that a pattern might call for. Consider the Swans Island patterns that call for their worsted weight Organic Merino, or Berroco’s sizeable collection of free patterns calling for worsted weight yarns. Many of the single patterns in our pattern binders at the shop call for worsted weight yarns as well.

If you’re planing a project that will take more than one 250 yard skein to complete, remember that all hand-dyed yarns vary from skein to skein, even within the same dyelot. To mitigate the difference, try alternating skeins–working two rows from one ball, then two rows from another ball, back and forth to blend them together.

Come by the shop to admire Yarn Hollow Photograph and consider it for your next project!

Back in stock: Yarn Hollow Photograph.

Posted by Julia on April 10, 2013

In mid-February, we announced the arrival of a new yarn, Yarn Hollow Photograph. We’d paired up the colors and packed them up into kits to make Range Wraps. By the end of the month, our Yarn Hollow stock had dwindled to a handful of lonesome, beautiful skeins. We reordered Photograph as soon as we realized what a hit the yarn was, but because it’s carefully hand-dyed by a team of three at Yarn Hollow in Michigan, it wasn’t ready for us until this past week. Anne and I were so excited to open the box from Yarn Hollow, and its contents did not disappoint.

Photograph is a worsted weight yarn made of 100% wool from Bluefaced Leicester sheep, a breed that’s British in origin. Bluefaced Leicester wool is known for its long fibers, which make for sturdy, lustrous yarn with a bit of a fuzzy halo. Photograph shows off its beautiful drape on the Range Wrap, which begs to be tried on, not only so the fabric can be touched and admired, but so the wearer can experiment with different ways to wear this highly flexible garment.

This time around, we skipped the kits, and we’re offering the yarn and pattern separately so that Range Wraps and other garments can be created in any color combination that suits you.

As you’re looking for other patterns for Photograph, take a peek in the Swans Island pattern binder and look for patterns calling for Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted. There are so many wonderful ways to use Yarn Hollow Photograph, from smaller accessories like hats and mitts to cowls, shawls, and sweaters. Come by the shop to see all the new colors, and to contemplate all that your needles or hooks could do with a skein of Photograph.