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!

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

There's a basket of Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton in the shop. There's not a lot, but the colors are so good. You only need one of each shade to make a Purl Bee Chevron Baby Blanket. 

I've made two! The pattern is really fun, and the yarn is amazing. Need a baby gift? This could be your go-to.

Feza Harvest

We have a really cool new yarn in the shop, Feza Harvest. This yarn is an organically-dyed superwash merino. That's right, friends. It's machine washable and organic, perfect for your kid and baby knits. It's also a lovely choice for just about everything else, too.

These are 225-yard skeins of worsted weight yarn at a great price. Feza offers some great free patterns for Harvest on their website, including this really unusual lace pullover and a cool cabled scarf. Take a look at this amazing oversized golden version of the pullover. Stunning.

The colors inspired Sally to try a Boden-inspired colorblocked multi-textured scarf. I'm excited to see how this one turns out. The yarn is really nice knit up, with great stitch definition and a nice hand.

We are glad to be adding such a lovely and versatile yarn to the shop. Please let us know what you think of the Harvest!

Naturalia

With this glorious change in weather, we are seeing more and more big yarn in the shop! This gorgeous organic wool is particularly sheepy.

Naturalia is some seriously chunky yarn, similar in gauge to Cascade Magnum but with a much different texture. It's very loosely spun, but a thin binding thread helps hold it all together. The thread all but disappears into the knitting, but it provides some nice stability and prevents the single ply yarn from pulling apart.

The fabulous Ellison whipped up a really easy and classy cowl using one skein of Naturalia. She has pattern notes on her Ravelry page.

We have several lovely natural shades in the shop right now. I love the fact that this corner smells like sheep thanks to this new arrival.

Several folks on Ravelry used the Naturalia to make garter stitch blankets, ribbed blankets, and oversized scarves. At only $20 for 131 yards of organic bulky yarn, this is a great deal for big statement projects like these. I'm so glad to see this cool weather and these big ol' chunky yarns in the shop. It is time!

Sweatshirt Complete

My cozy grey sweatshirt is off the needles.  It's perfect.

I tried to resist casting on for this, but the allure of the cozy organic yarn, simple pattern, and pockets finally pushed me over the edge.  I'm so glad I gave in.

The pattern is Agnes by Melissa LaBarre from Quince & Co (available as a download).  It's a very simple raglan sweater with a nice swingy shape and side seam pockets.  The pattern was designed with a single ply wool, but I chose Classic Elite Sprout in the perfect shade of gray.  The color is called Summer Rain, which seems so very appropriate today.

I tried knitting the pockets with Sprout, but the effect was less than flattering.  I sewed up a few little squares out of fabric and hand stitched them in place.  In hindsight, I could have used Seedling, Sprout's little sister yarn, to create a knitted pocket with less bulk.

The boatneck-ish neckline on this is so comfortable for me.  I like to think that it adds a little bit of femininity to what is otherwise a boxy bulky pullover.  I knitted most of the sweater on a US10.5, but I switched to a US9 for the ribbing on the sleeves and the hem.

Back in April, I wrote about this lovely organic cotton yarn, and I stand by my review.  My hands did not get sore and cramped while knitting with this cotton, and the finished texture is casual and cozy.  I used every last bit five skeins of Sprout for the sweater, although I would have needed another for the pockets.  I made the 37.5", but I added a few more underarm increases and made the sleeves 3/4 length.

I have already washed this a few times, and it seems to do just fine.  I turned it inside-out, washed it on cold, air-fluffed it in the dryer, and laid it flat to dry the rest of the way.  As with any pure cotton garment, it shrunk up a tiny bit in length and the stitches tightened up again, which was just fine with me.  It stretched out a bit the last time I fell asleep wearing it.  Yup, it's that perfect.

Seedling to Sprout

It's 55 and sprinkling, so it's obviously time to discuss cotton yarns!  I want to tell you about a few very nice organic cottons from Classic Elite Yarns, Seedling and Sprout.

 

We have carried Sprout in the past, and I even used it for my Tiny Baby Hat pattern.  It's back on our shelves in more and even better colors.

This is a bulky weight cotton, working up at about 3.5 stitches per inch on a US10.  At first, I was unsure about the whole idea of a bulky cotton.  Once I started working with it, I was really impressed at how easily it knits up, and I think the interesting texture of the yarn has a lot to do with it.

Normally, my hands get a little crampy if I knit with pure cotton for too long, but I haven't had any trouble with Sprout.  The sproinginess of the yarn seems to create a little more give than a flat mercerized cotton yarn.  Sally also pointed out that the texture really keeps you from worrying about how even your stitches are, because any irregularity really disappears in the knitted fabric.  It also stays light and lofty, rather than getting heavy like you might expect from such a bulky cotton.
 

The Classic Elite site talks a bit about the kind of organic cotton they use for these yarns, and they also note that the lack of processing causes less stress to the fibers, making the yarn more absorbent and the colors more intense.  Maybe the loftiness and bounce can be partially attributed to this low-stress processing, too.

Seedling has a similar texture, just a lighter gauge, knitting up at 4.5 stitches per inch on a US7, basically an Aran to worsted weight.  Check out the pretty colors.

This yarn is calling out to be knitted into blankets and kiddo sweaters.  The pattern books for these yarns have a few promising designs for the adults, too.

Harbor features four designs in Seedling, which are all quite wearable: Jetty, Mizzen, Marina, and Starboard.

This little shrug is my favorite one in the Sprout book, Surf.  Half of the sizes only require two skeins of Sprout!

I am making Agnes, a simple bulky top-down raglan with cute little side pockets.  I am basically hoping to create a comfy gray pullover that looks a little classier than my mom's Iowa Sate University sweatshirt I have been wearing since high school.  Ahem.  So far, this sweater seems to be knitting itself.  I started it last week, and I'm done with the body already.  Sleeves and pockets, here I come.  I need something to throw on for this crazy weather!

Amy Butler Knits

Amy Bulter has been inspiring quilters and apparel sewists for years with her stunning fabric collections and patterns. In fact, her graphic modern designs were part of what attracted me back to sewing several years ago. Amy is a knitter as well, and she has brought her eye for color and design to her first book of knitting patterns and her own line of yarn from Rowan.

Rowan Belle Organic is a blend of organic cotton and wool dyed in the rich, vibrant shades we love from Amy's fabric collections. The colors are meant to coordinate with her fabric lines, so you can mix and match knitting and sewing and stay within the same color palette. The combination of wool and cotton in this yarn really highlights the best properties of each of these fibers. The yarn is soft with a nice drape, yet durable to wear and forgiving to knit. Rowan is producing this yarn in both aran and DK weights, and we have both at Close Knit.

Midwest Modern Knits is loaded with projects and inspiration. There are several sweaters, legwarmers, scarves, wraps, fingerless gloves, and headbands to keep you toasty. Amy has included designs to beautify your home, as well, with a blanket, mug cozies, and several pillows, including the amazing colorwork covers shown below. The photography and styling are clean and beautiful, as you might expect from such a talented and experienced designer.
If you love Amy's work from the fabric world or are just discovering it for the first time through knitting, you won't be disappointed in her amazing new collection of patterns and her beautiful new yarn.

Au Naturel

Most of us are concerned about making green choices - from the food we eat to the mode of transportation that we choose. Fortunately, there are socially responsible fiber choices as well. Here at Close Knit, we carry an increasing number of organic wools and cottons and naturally dyed yarns so that you can feel good about the fibers that you use.

One of my favorite companies, Rowan, based in the UK, produces Purelife Organic Wool Naturally Dyed. This is a classic DK weight yarn - 5.5 stitches per inch, and is soft and comfy in both subdued and festive shades, all dyed with natural dyes.

We also carry a naturally dyed bulky wool by local dyeworks Pico Accuardi. The colors are subtle and gorgeous - especially Partly Cloudy and Stumptown, dyed with local favorite Stumptown Coffee. Leah made an easy, slouchy hat with the Johnny-Wog colorway. Stop by the store to check it out.

We have many organic cotton choices from DK to bulky. Conventionally grown cotton is dependent upon the heavy use of insecticides. Organic cotton, however, is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.

As part of their Purelife line, Rowan produces an organic, naturally dyed DK cotton in muted, springy shades.

Debbie Bliss produces Eco Cotton, an Aran weight yarn in lively, cheerful colorways. This yarn is produced using fair business practices as well as ecologically sound farming techniques. Farmers are equal partners with textile producers and the cooperative ensures fair and humane business practices. The dyes are non-toxic and water is recycled after production. We will receive our first shipment of Eco Baby, a a sport-weight cotton, this week. Sally has ordered all sixteen shades, along with the accompanying pattern book.

Blue Sky Alpacas produces several different organic cotton yarns. There's Hand-Spun Organic Cotton, which is spun on drop spindles by a women's cooperative in Peru, as well as Worsted Cotton, an organically grown cotton in a variety of vibrant shades.

We also carry Skinny Cotton, a plied, organic DK weight yarn dyed with low-impact dyes.

Finally, we carry Classic Elite Sprout, a bulky organic cotton perfect for spa cloths as well as garments in colorways that range from delicate to fiery.

So, if organic, natural products are important to you, ask about our options here at Close Knit. We would be happy to show you socially responsible, organic yarns that help you to feel good about your purchase and your impact on the world.