Cumulus Rainbow

This pretty stuff jumped right out at me when I walked into the shop. It's a new version of Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus, now with a long color-repeat rainbow effect.

This yarn is so light and fluffy, and it feels so much better in person than you might expect from a cotton/nylon blend. Melissa reports that it feels like knitting with air, and I think it feels like a cloudy marshmallow. 

An art teacher friend of mine is having a summer baby this year, so I'm thinking a rainbow tunic/dress using one of the brighter colorways. I can't wait to see how it knits up!

Zooey

Hello pretty Zooey! This cotton and linen blend is just the thing for the summer projects. This DK weight yarn would be fabulous for some of those produce bags we talked about recently. This would also make a lovely summer sweatshirt or drapey cardigan.

The shades are just lovely, and the subtle thick-and-thin texture knits up so nicely. We have a few patterns in the shop designed with Zooey, including this cozy pullover and some fun lace accessories.

I also found several fabulous Ranunculus sweaters done up with just two or three balls of Zooey. Also loving this cute Ursa, knit up in the most gorgeous shade. This stunning crocheted Davallia is so dramatic in black. There is still plenty of time to make and wear a summer garment, and I think you all will love this yarn!

Eye Candy

Hello to this pretty light-as-a-cloud Cumulus Dappled from Juniper Moon Farm. Loving the hand-painted look of these colorways on this unusual cotton yarn.

Printed Cotton

You know we love a good marl or a speckle or a variegated yarn, so we were pretty intrigued by the idea of a printed yarn. What does that even mean?

According to the folks at Blue Sky Fibers, the Printed Organic Cotton yarn is created using an "ink press and the artisan hand". Not sure what that means, but it sure sounds interesting, and the results are stunning!

I'm thinking this would make a perfect cotton sweatshirt for summer, especially in that sunny yellow. Maybe a cozy Flax or a Shellseeker. A soft baby blanket would be lovely, too, perhaps in a nice range of shades. The Purl Soho Chevron Baby Blanket is forever my favorite, and it would be so cool with 5 or 6 of these. I can't wait to see more projects using this yarn!

Noro Sonata

Take a gander at this lovely cotton and silk blend from Noro. Sonata is a loosely-plied DK weight yarn in some gorgeous vibrant colors.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

This would be amazing for a simple summer wrap, maybe a few stripes or a little subtle texture? I am loving this Corrugated Shawl by Raveler liveinstitches, especially in the natural.

Since the yarn is so loosely-plied and rustic, I would be cautious about using it for a sweater where it would get a lot of wear and might pill up. But I think a drapey tank or tee would be really cool.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Riley from last summer's Pom Pom would be so cool. I have also been looking for a reason to make a short-sleeved Ranunculus, and this might be my perfect excuse.

What do you all think of the new summer-ready Noro?

Bud

Check out this cozy organic cotton from Juniper Moon Farm.

Bud is a bulky cotton, similar to the Classic Elite Sprout we carried a few years back. 

I made a cozy sweatshirt using just five skeins of that yarn, and it's still one of my all-time favorites. I just wore it all weekend, in fact.

Pic borrowed from Purl Soho

This would also be great for the Purl Soho Chevron Baby Blanket, another of my favorite projects. 

I'm also loving this adorable bunny hat and no-ends-to-weave-in striped blanket. If you like a hard-wearing cotton yarn, you will like Bud!

Fair Cotton Craft

I love an unusual self-striping situation, and the new organic Fair Cotton Craft form Katia is just that. The pretty combination of pastel stripes and the natural base initially caught my eye, and then I looked into what the yarn does!

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

Katia has a few patterns available for download, including the sweet freebie Just-One-Cake Baby Blanket that uses...yup, just one cake. There is also this free (but not Katia) crochet blanket that would be perfect in this yarn.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

I am also wishing that I still had a child small enough to justify knitting this Just One Cake Kid's Sweater, which is written for size 6. This pattern is not free, but I think it's only a few dollars to download. Maybe I'll knit it anyway and find a 6 year old who needs a rainbow sweater.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Rainbows and organic cotton...this would be a perfect summer project!

Eye Candy

A fresh batch of this GORGEOUS Illimani Sabri arrived last week...so fresh that it was still in the plastic when I arrived. This fingering weight yarn is 85% cotton and 15% alpaca, and as soft as can be.

If you have seen this kerchief in the shop, then you know how lovely it is and how nicely it knits up. Our last batch of this yarn disappeared in a long weekend, so I would certainly suggest that you grab it while you can!

Sun

We are in the in-between season here in Portland. One day it's sunny and warm, then we have three days of rain and clouds. I'm not complaining...it's great to have spring last a little longer before it gets so hot. But sometimes I crave the bright colors, and this pretty Degradé Sun from Katia is certainly doing the trick!

This is a 100% DK weight cotton with a really pretty long-fade color change. We have this cute little raglan baby sweater in the shop to show off the nice colors effects.

Some folks on Ravelry commented on how it looks a little "dirty," but I think it looks painterly and rich. It reminds me of the Liberty Wool from Classic Elite that we used to carry. The extra grunge gives it a cool effect, I think, and makes it well-suited for all kinds of fun projects.

Look at this cute little top from Katia.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

I love this ombre ripple washcloth.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

Check out this cool use of colorblocking.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

Oooo, this pretty cotton Tecumseh is the perfect thing for summer, and the Sun adds even more interest to the colorwork.

Pic borrowed from Rav project page.

This fun Katia Sun might be the thing to get you through until the real sun sticks around! It will happen sooner than we all think.

Lang Bloom

Hello sunshine! Lang Bloom is a cotton/viscose/linen blend with some fun shimmery bits incorporated. It also does a lovely ombre thing over the course of the cake, which can give even the simplest projects some extra oomph.

I found this cool asymmetrical scarf published for free by the folks at Stitch Central yarn shop in PA.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

The Lafayette Scarf uses every inch of the yarn and really shows off the cool color changes. I would love to see what you all make with this unusual summer yarn!

Illimani Sabri

I hesitate to even mention this yarn.

We received a good size shipment last week, and apparently we sold almost 90% of our stock of Illimani Sabri over the weekend. We had five or six shades of this cotton/alpaca blend and now we are down to these three shades.

Maybe it's the charming little one-skein kerchief sample that has enchanted our knitters. We have this free pattern available for you in the shop with the purchase of the yarn. Perhaps you have all fallen in love with the unusual hand of the knitted fabric. It's smooth and textured at the same time. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but you had better pop in today if you want to take some home with you!

Eye Candy

Um...this Boots yarn from Schoppel-Wolle is nice. 

It's a cotton/wool blend sock yarn, which is surprisingly difficult to find. The only reason I'm telling you about it is because I already brought home the ones I wanted. And I think I convinced Sally to get more.

Cumulus

This new yarn is so unexpectedly soft and fluffy, I think I actually gasped a little when I picked it up. 

Cumulus from Juniper Moon Farm is a cotton yarn with a tiny bit of nylon, and it feels like squishy marshmallows. I expected this to feel snaggy and nylony based on my past experiences with yarns that look like this, but I clearly need to let go of by biases about this kind of yarn. This stuff is amazing!

We have a sample of the Rif Mountains Stole in the shop, so we can all truly appreciate how well this yarn knits up. We have hard copies of this pattern and the Riad Blanket.

I love the springy colors and the variegated shades that we have in the shop now. If you need to knit for a baby any time soon, pop in and take a look at this beautiful Cumulus!

Pima Rino

We have a great new yarn with a fun name from Plymouth Yarns!

Pima Rino is a blend of 70% pima cotton and 30% merino wool, which I think are two of the loveliest and softest fibers you can find. So, you can't really go wrong here.

This would be great for baby and kid sweaters and hats. I think it would make an amazing and weighty blanket if that's your thing. But mostly, I'm dreaming of thick cotton sweaters for me. Maybe a fisherman's rib or shaker rib cardigan in the stone or navy blue. Something modern like Flaum, maybe?

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

Or perhaps a thick textured cabled sweater to wear all year-round. I'm envisioning that one in white. Heidi Kirrmaier's Catch of the Day sweater seems like the right thing here.

Pic borrowed from Rav pattern page.

I always wish I had a nice cozy cotton sweater for our chilly evenings, and I think this yarn could be the perfect place to start.

Cotton Merino

Sometimes you really need to see the swatch, you know? The Katia Concept Cotton Merino looks really pretty in the ball and on the shelves, but the swatch is really the thing here. I love how the brushed wooliness creates such a nice halo around the lighter core. The knitted fabric ends up looking hand-dyed and visually interesting. 

We have a nice range of shades, from dark and stormy to light and springy. This yarn would be great for hats and scarves and cowls. I want to stripe that pale pink and spring green and creamy white into a cozy stockinette stitch cowl. Maybe this one. Or this one. Or something with fisherman's rib or brioche...this would do nicely with some plump ribbing. Any inspiration from you in blog land?

More Cotton! It's Supreme

Look at this big ol' batch of Cotton Supreme! Such pretty colors, and the yarn is so very squishy. I've used this for cute little baby hats, which are in the shop as samples, and I know a few knitters have used it for blankets. I have face cloths and washcloths on the brain, though, so that needs to happen.