New Shibui

The two new yarns from Shibui Knits are really cool! Nest is a lovely wool alpaca blend with a modern marled look. All of the shades work up into a really cool fabric, but I love the black and white one the best. I have been loving the mid-weight DK yarns lately, and this one is a keeper.

Take a peek at this beautiful Sindi cowl worked up with Nest and Silk Cloud. What a luxury!

Pic borrowed from Shibui Knits

We also have Tweed Silk Cloud in the shop, and it is so unusual. It's like a more rustic version of the Silk Cloud that has been around for awhile. Just like the original, this yarn looks great on its own or paired with other yarns.

If you are a fan of the luxurious Shibui shades and textures, you will want to stop in and see these new yarns.

Eye Candy

Shibui Knits Twig is ready for spring! This beautiful sport weigh is made with linen, recycled silk, and a touch of wool. If you caught the Shibui trunk show at the yarn crawl, you saw and felt how beautifully this yarn knits up. Perfect for spring and summer. 

You can scroll down on the link above to see the Shibui patterns that use Twig, including the lovely Aalto and Slope, two of my favorites.

Rose City Yarn Crawl Starts Tomorrow!

Prepare to crawl, fiber enthusiasts! The RCYC has been a Portland institution for years now, and for good reason. Discover new yarns, meet dyers and designers, experience trunk shows from your favorite lines, and enter to win some epic prizes. Take a look at the prizes here. There is so much good stuff in these baskets!

Our little shop will be chock full of awesome yarn and people, even more so than usual. The full schedule is here, but I'll give you a little run down.

We will be showcasing trunk shows from Blue Sky Fibers and Shibui Knits during the entire event, beginning Thursday morning. If you have been excited to see these yarns knit up or try on a few of the garments from their recent pattern releases, then pop in for a chance to get your hands on these. Thursday and Friday are generally the quieter days when you'll have a better opportunity to see these in person.

On Thursday, we are thrilled to host Candice of Farmer's Daughter Fibers from Montana. Her yarns are so beautiful, my friends. They remind me a bit of Tosh in their subtlety and color range. You will love it, I promise. We are carrying her yarns full-time now, but she is going to bring all kinds of goodies from her dye studio that we might not see again. Thursday only!

On Friday, we will see Sarah of Bumblebirch Yarn. Her yarns have become a staple in the shop, and we love hosting her during the crawl. Her Dandelion colorway remains one of my most favorite. The colors are rich and the yarns are so soft!

We will also host designer Lisa Carney-Fenton on Friday. We will have a chance to meet her and check some of her recently-published designs.

Saturday brings Ami of Lakes Yarn and Fiber. I have a slight obsession with this gorgeous stuff, as I have recently admitted. I can't wait to see even more of her beautiful yarns!

We will wrap up on Sunday with Krista of Pigeon Roof Studios. She has recently relocated to Portland, and we feel so fortunate to have her this weekend. She will be showing off her beautiful yarns, including her gradient and ombre sets.

The whole things starts Thursday morning at 10. Join us this weekend for all the fun!

Get It!

There is Shibui in the sale bin, y'all! They are discontinuing the gorgeous Merino Alpaca, and it's 40% off at the shop until it's gone. These colors are pure Shibui: vibrant, saturated, and so cool. The yarn is almost ropey, and textured stitches pop like crazy. Imagine a Guernsey Wrap in that orange. Or a Big Herringbone Cowl in the yellow. So cozy for fall. Come get it!

Shibui Rain

Seems like a good day to chat about rain. Are you focused on Purple Rain, Oregon rain, or Shibui Rain today? Or maybe all three?

Since we like to talk about knitting here, let's take a look at this sweet kerchief that we have in the shop right now. Knit up on a US6 with just one skein of Shibui Rain, this little project will work up in a snap. The pattern is pretty straightforward, and I love how the stitches pop in this crisp cotton. A cotton kerchief is such a great excuse to keep wearing our handknits throughout the summer. Add a little color, hide some bedhead, whatever you need.

Rain is 100% cotton, but it feels almost like a linen or hemp yarn to me, with its structure and matte finish. The yarn is chained, as you can see in the close up below, and the Shibui colors are stunning, as we have come to expect.

  

Treat yourself to a little skein of lovely Rain today and make yourself something quick and special. You deserve it.

Shibui Knits Rain

The stunning trunk show featuring Shibui Knits Rain is still in the shop this week, and these pieces are really inspiring.

Rain is a chained cotton, so the yarn itself looks a bit like a knitted cord. This gives it particularly lovely drape and movement. You can see the interesting construction in the close up of the Brick shade, one of my favorites.

Between the drape, the sheen, and the always-classy Shibui Knits colorways, you really cannot go wrong. If you have a sensitivity to animal fibers or would like to work with a cotton for the warmer months, this is a truly luxurious choice.

I'm not sure how long we will have the trunk show, but the yarn will be with us all summer. Pop in and take a look at these pieces, and start thinking about warm weather knits!

All photos from Shibui Knits.

Trunk Shows: Shibui and Harrisville

Part of the yarn crawl fun each year involves trunk shows from some of our favorite designers. The shop is packed with pieces from Shibui Knits and Harrisville Designs. First up, the Shibui extravaganza, featuring modern pieces with eye-catching details and unusual silhouettes.

The items from Harrisville Designs are classic and timeless. I am in love with this pullover and will be making one for myself.

Whether you prefer the modern look of Shibui or the more traditional designs from Harrisville, pop in and try on some sweaters!

Eye Candy Monday

Telegraphy Cowl by the lovely Emily Devlin designed with Shibui Knits Dune, a DK alapca/silk/camel blend. Light and soft and fun to knit. The pattern is available as a Ravelry download, and the yarn and sample are in the shop now!

Beauty is a Shibui Trunk Show

Yes, friends, it is that time again. The Rose City Yarn Crawl starts on Thursday, March 5th and runs through Sunday the 8th. We are geared up with trunk shows, special guests, new yarn, and lots of prize baskets.

We just received a Shibui trunk show featuring several items from their Fall 2014 Mix line. We have Mix No. 31-35 at the shop now, and I can tell you that I am in love with No. 35. I tried on the sample and kind of had a difficult time taking it off. I love it.

The cowl (above), wrap, hat and tunic are also stunning. The interesting shaping and shirt-tail hem on No. 31 are really cool.

If these lovely sample aren't enough to get you excited, I unpacked three huge boxes of Harrisville WATERshed and flyWHEEL with their accompanying trunk show for you to oggle as well. Sally went all in on these, and we have all 20 colors of both yarns. 

 

More photos to come soon once it's all on the shelves!

Alpaca Dream

I think I've written before about my holiday knitting. I love making things for family and friends, but I also get a little selfish. I need to have a nice, mindless therapy project on the needles this time of year for my sanity. I want you to have one, too, so I'm offering up the Alpaca Dream.

Once you get started, it's just knitting in the round with some luxurious alpaca yarn. What better way to curb any potential holiday stress? You can pick this up and put it down without worry. Just keep knitting.

This project starts with a provisional cast on. Don't be afraid. Basically, you just cast on with some scrap yarn that will be removed later when you graft the ends together. Yes, I said graft. That's not scary, either, it just takes some time. It is also completely acceptable to cast on and off normally and just sew the ends together...you'll have a little ridge at the join. No big deal.

I made one of these for myself last year using some discontinued yarn, but Sally used Shibui Baby Alpaca to create the gorgeous sample we have in the shop. The shades are so rich and unusual...perfect for the big blocks of color.

Come on in and choose your three favorites...you deserve it.


Alpaca Dream Cowl

by Leah Bandstra

Yarn: 3 skeins Shibui Baby Alpaca (one of each shade)
Needles: US6 16" circular, a spare US 6 for grafting (a dpn works well)

Instructions:
CO 100 stitches provisionally.  

Join in the round, being careful not to twist, place marker.

 

Knit every round until you run out of the first color.

Knit every round until you run out of the second color.

Knit every round until you have about three yards of the third color remaining. Stop at the marker so you know where to start grafting together to avoid a twist.

 

Place the live stitches from the cast on onto the spare US6. I like to put 10ish stitches on the spare needle at a time for this part. Graft the ends together. Block a bit and wrap it around your neck!

Disclaimer: When I grafted mine (ahem, six months after I finished the knitting), it looked terrible. My grafting line was all wobbly, and the stitches were far from even. Try to work slowly and adjust your tension as you go, keeping the stitches as even as possible. I spritzed my join with some water after I grafted it, but you could also just wet block the whole thing. The alpaca is heavy enough that the weight of the knitted fabric will kind of pull and even out the tension over time, too. Don't be discouraged!

New Yarns: Ultra Alpaca Chunky and Shibui Maai

We love seeing new yarns roll into our little shop, and I think you all are really going to like these, too. 

First up we have Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky. Most of you know and love the Ultra Alpaca worsted and DK weights for their great yardage, amazing softness, and excellent price. You will be please to learn that the chunky fits right in...only $11.25 for 131 yards of 50/50 alpaca and merino. Yes, please.

I am test-knitting a hat for our dear Nancy using this lovely stuff, and it's turning out great! I'll let you know when it's done and in the shop. Look at the pretty colors...

 

We are also excited to have the newest Shibui yarn, Maai, an alpaca/wool blend with that cool chained construction.

These skeins are light as air, and the colors are rich and beautiful, as expected from Shibui.

We even have a free pattern to offer you with the purchase of the yarn. Sally is working up a sample right now to highlight the Maai. The large version takes four skeins, and the smaller takes three. I can't wait to see it knit up.

Photo borrowed from Shibui

Come welcome these yarns to the shop and pick your new favorite. Stay tuned for updates on several old favorites, too.  The shop is filling up fast with so much great yarn!

Francis, Anyone?

Whew.  Sorry to leave you all for so long...I am still recovering from the time change last weekend.  (Tell me I'm not the only one.)  I have been knitting, though, and dreaming about knitting.  Specifically, I've been dreaming of Shibui.  They sent us a trunk show to display during the yarn crawl, and I know several of you have fallen in love with their designs.  The real star?  Francis, for sure.  We're getting calls about it everyday.

I keep meaning to try this sample on while it's still at the shop...hopefully it will be around next week.  If you have a moment this weekend, I highly recommend stopping in to take a look.  It's worked side to side, and the back is so cool.  Check out the scooped hems and that dramatic split.  These details give the top such a nice swing and flow.  And the yarn?  Oh, my.

Francis is knit up with Shibui Heichi, a 100% recycled silk worsted weight yarn.  It reminds me the slightest bit of Rowan Summer Tweed, but sososo much nicer.  And the colors?  Well...

Francis is available as a Ravelry download, and we have a nice stock of Heichi in the shop right now.  It's knit on US8, so it won't even take very long.  You'll be wearing it by summer.  Hopefully I will have recovered from this Daylight Savings Hangover by then...

Marled

Have you all noticed the marled trend out in the knitwear world?  You probably have...I am never on the cutting edge.  But we can talk about it anyway.  I like the fact that it's a little bit lumberjack, a little bit sock monkey.  Unless you do it like Shibui, and then it's just pure sophistocation.

Photo borrowed from Shibui Knits

Marled yarn (or fabric) involves different colors held together during the spinning of the yarn or the knitting of the fabric.  We have quite a few nice marled yarns at the shop these days.  Sally used the marled Cascade Lana Grande to make this awesome Hat-Shaped Hat.  It makes me think sock monkey, for sure.

Nancy also used it in her Charly Infinity Scarf.

Classic Elite released Crestone this fall.  I like the all of the colorways, from the subtle to the high contrast.  It's a worsted weight, so it pairs nicely with Vista, its solid cousin, or any of the worsteds we have at the shop.

We have the hard-to-say-but-lovely-to-knit Panguipulli from Araucania, if you like a little more color in your marl.  Here it is knit up as a little ribbed beanie.

Cascade Eco Duo has also been a very popular choice at the shop.  The black and white one is my favorite, but they are all really pretty.  And silky soft.  We also have several marled colorways of the Cascade Eco Alpaca, shown below.

Another way to achieve a marled look is to knit with different colors held together, just like the gorgeous Shibui Mix. No. 8 at the top of the post.

Photo borrowed from Savory Knitting

I am very excited about the awesome Moxie from Savory Knitting.  In fact, it is next on my list of things to knit.  Swatching has begun.  Sock yarn held doubled on a US6 is squishy and soft, like a favorite sweatshirt.

I considered several color combinations but settled on a nice burnt orange Cascade Heritage Sock and some chocolatey brown sock yarn to create my own sock monkey sweater, very similar to the original.

Photo borrowed from Knittimo's Ravelry page.

I have also been dreaming about the Spring Kerchief from Portland Designer Sachiko Uemura.  She used two skeins of lace weight to create her colorblocked, marled shawl.  I would love to have one in red and white, or maybe blue and grey.  I love the light, airy feel of this piece.

Any of you inspired by the marled look?  Anything similar on your list?